Revisiting The Past - Exploring For The Future . . .

Hi there! I didn't disappear over the weekend - I just took a couple of days break from this blogging thing. I really needed it too, after the week I had last week!

Saturday morning I got up and headed south to my old neighborhood - the area where I used to go yard sale-ing when we lived nearer to Atlanta. I bought two things - a cute glass dish with a handle, and a Pyrex 9 x 13 inch baking dish. I have one of those, but I've frequently wished I had another, so now I do. I spent a whole $2 on that trip.

My day, round trip was about 85 miles, and I learned something on that trip. First - Since moving to a more rural area, I'm not missing anything! And second, yes - I am missing the excessive traffic, and the rude people, and missing those two things is a blessing!

I came home and pruned a couple of buddleia bushes and picked up some limbs and things around the yard while hubby used the lawn mower to pick up leaves and then used the leaf blower to try to get rid of more leaves. We have LOTS of hardwoods around here, so oak, maple, sweetgum, poplar, etc. leaves are great in number!!!

Sunday we both woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep, so we got up and although it wasn't planned, we took a short ride around. I wanted to take pics with my new toy, so we headed up the road.

We found a lovely place on the Amicalola river where there was a big steel bridge (I later found out the road was named "Steel Bridge Road", lol!) and a couple of picnic tables an plenty of places to walk around.

The picnic tables were very low to the ground and didn't have seats - I guess you sit on the table to eat!

Don't you know this place will be gorgeous when all that mountain laurel is blooming??? We'll definitely be back to check it out!

Can anyone identify this plant? It's a ground creeper, and very pretty. It was abundant in the areas around the river. I'd love to know what it is if any of you can help me!

We left there, wound round the mountains. The ride up Hwy 136 into Jasper is a beautiful ride, with steep mountain roads, beautiful scenery, and some gorgeous mountain houses along the way. We made our way to Jasper and stopped at Mickey D's for a biscuit and coffee. By now it's only a little after 9 AM! Then we headed back down the mountains, toward Ball Ground, Georgia.

We were only a few miles from home - oh, less than ten, I guess, when we decided to go to Pooles Mill Park. That park is home to one of the few covered bridges remaining in Georgia, and it's a lovely Forsyth County park!

The bridge is beautiful!

And I don't understand why people find it necessary ( or fun! ) to deface public property this way. I wish they could be caught and be made to come and scrub the whole bridge with a toothbrush and comet!!!

This is my hubby standing at the rocks. Just below the bridge there are many large flat boulders that local folk use for playing and sunbathing in the summertime. While it wasn't very cold yesterday, it was definitely too cold to go wading! These rocks are even more evidence of all the rains we've had lately - last summer the creek wasn't much more than a small stream, and the rocks were almost bare.

This is looking across the creek to the park - there is a picnic pavilion, individual picnic tables, benches, horseshoe pits and a children's playground.

These violets were growing in the rock foundation of the bridge. I love the moss, too!

After we left the park we stopped at an old abandoned house so I could take some pictures of it. I'll share those with you in a later post.

All in all, it was a great weekend. I had a lot of lazy time, which I needed after last week. This week will be crazy! Today it's take Mama for errands day, and I'll buy the supplies for trip. I am praying my dad stays okay so we can take this trip! Both my husband and I need a get-away so much! I can't seem to get excited about it yet, though! If we do go, we'll leave on Friday morning for Chattanooga. Our campground has wifi, so I'll be able to keep in touch and let you know what we've been up to!

Have great Monday, and a blessed week, friends! Becky