Happy St. Andrew's Day

Today is St. Andrew's Day in Scotland.  In honor of our Scottish friends, here is a traditional greeting to share:

May the best ye hae ivver seen be the warst ye'll ivver see.
May the moose ne'er lea' yer girnal wi a tear-drap in its ee.
May ye aye keep hail an hertie till ye'r auld eneuch tae dee.
May ye aye juist be sae happie as A wuss ye aye tae be.

The above, in translation, reads:
May the best you have ever seen be the worst you will ever see.
May the mouse never leave your grain store with a tear drop in its eye.
May you always stay hale and hearty until you are old enough to die.
May you still be as happy as I always wish you to be.

It's a hazy day...

The winds are howling here in west Texas, stirring up every bit of dirt that isn't nailed down!  Charles drove to Midland this afternoon and was happy to have a heavy vehicle to be driving.  The pictures show just how much dirt is in the air today.

Two-time zone Christmas

McCamey, Texas

Columbus, Georgia

We are enjoying not one, but two Christmas trees this year, one in Georgia, the other in Texas! It is nice to be able to share the beauty of the season with each other, even if it is cross-country!

Thanksgiving in Georgia

Following our enjoying of the environs of Callway Gardens we set off for the home of one of Charles' family members in Tyrone, Georgia.  Charles' sister Sandy and her husband Steve had a full house with Sandy's two children (Julie & her husband, Tony and Michael & his wife, Lisa) and the grandchildren - Lexi, Ashley, Christian and Ethan.

It was great getting caught up! (The last time we were at the Boda household was in August 2009.)  We enjoyed visiting with the family, and the meal was fantastic!  AND... happy birthday to you, Julie!

Our anniversary getaway (part 2)

 Our Thanksgiving (and our anniversary day) began with a lovely fire at the cottage at Callaway Gardens and enjoying the Macy's parade on tv.  Before leaving the grounds we went to enjoy the Butterfly Center, it is really an awesome facility with so much to take in.  With hundreds of butterflies and flowers to enjoy everytime we visit we'd see something new!

Our anniversary getaway (part 1)

We celebrated our 14th anniversary with a special over-night trip to Callaway Gardens (just north of Columbus).  We drove up Wednesday afternoon and took in a bit of the gardens before evening came.  We enjoyed a fantastic meal at one of the restaurants and then took in the Fantasy in Lights via trolley tour.  Boy, it was cold (for us at least!), we certainly made use of the fireplace in our cottage!

Golfing in Alabama

Belinda sent Charles to Alabama today for his anniversary present, a round of golf at one of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail courses, Grand National - Lake Course (in Opelika, AL).  Charles reports that this course certainly lives up to its billing as one of the best in the country and the best in Alabama! 

Belinda got home just before the rains came this evening.  Belinda is really enjoying her first week of work!  All in all:  It is a lovely time to be thankful for all the blessing that God bestows upon us!  Thanks be to God!

Golfing in Georgia

While Belinda rejoined the work-a-day world, Charles enjoyed the wonderful fall weather Georgia is experiencing leading up to Thanksgiving.  He was happy to get in a round at the Maple Ridge Golf Club, his score wasn't much to brag about, but the course was fun! 

Sunday in Columbus

 Our first Sunday in Columbus, Georgia was a nice day, soup to nuts! We had been invited to go to worship by Mike & Susan McCollum (Susan works at the Maple Ridge Golf Course, part of the company that owns the apartments Belinda is staying in).

This morning we drove to downtown Columbus and attended the contemporary worship service at St. Luke UMC. There had to be 125-150 people there and the energy was amazing. There were all ages present, some using iPads or iPhones, some with coffee, everyone getting fed by the praise band! After worship, we went with the McCollums' to their Sunday School Class and had a great time. We then went to lunch at the McCollums' favorite Chinese restaurant.


Following a side-trip to the airport where we got a rental car for Charles to use this week we returned to the apartment to rest up for Belinda's big week. Look in for news during the week!

Today in Columbus (GA)

Our first weekend in Columbus continued today with some more shopping for essentials for Belinda's apartment and after lunch at Cracker Barrel we took a dashboard tour of downtown Columbus. We also poked a toe over the river to Phenix City, Alabama, just because we could!

A big task today was to help Belinda become familiar with the route she'll be taking to get to work. We drove around Fort Benning, seeing many of the familiar sights. Both of us have spent time at Fort Benning and while a lot has changed over the years there is a lot that hasn't changed much at all!

It's looking like Christmas!

Lots accomplished today in getting Belinda situated here in Columbus. Much of the morning given to visiting the civilian personnel office at the hospital where Belinda will be working. She is really excited about being back in the "Army culture!"


After stocking up on supplies for her new apartment, we returned home and Charles set up a Christmas tree. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

We made it Columbus (GA)!

We woke up in a chilly (for us) Selma, Alabama this morning and got ourselves out and about to explore some of this historic town.  We stopped by the Church St. UMC, a 175 year-old congregation and met the pastor and got to see the beautiful sanctuary.

After stopping by the Chamber of Commerce (housed in a former Carnegie Library building), we set off on a self-guided auto tour of the historic area.  Such beautiful places!  We also took in the very interesting National Voting Rights Museum in Selma, an important reminder of this important legacy of the civil rights movement.

After sitting through a major traffic tie-up on I-85 outside of Montomery we managed to get to Columbus and get Belinda settled into her temporary apartment.  She'll be in this apartment until mid-January and then we'll just see what is available!

After supper at the Columbus Cracker Barrel (yes, Belinda is thrilled!) we returned to finish settling into the apartment and unpacking.  Tomorrow will be more orienting Belinda to the area and a bit of sight-seeing.

Across four states!

Shakespeare with a replica of the famous hat worn by Bear Bryant

We really made tracks today, chalking up a four-state tally. We started out in Tyler, Texas, and drove in and out of rain through Louisiana and Mississippi, before arriving this evening in Selma, Alabama.

Along the way, we enjoyed lunch at the Cracker Barrel in Shreveport, Louisiana (always a hit for Belinda!). We also got to take in the Mississippi River from the welcome center at Vicksburg, Mississippi. Lots of history to take in there!

We reached Alabama just before nightfall, so tomorrow will be filled with memories beginning right here in Selma!

On the road again...

We set out from McCamey this morning with Georgia on our mind! After a couple of stops in San Angelo, we continued north, enjoying the scenery as we left west Texas behind. Along the way, we spotted a covered bridge just south of Balinger. It was a surprise seeing one in Texas!

Next stop was Dublin, Texas, home of the oldest Dr. Pepper bottling plant in the world. The tours were all sold out, but we did get to enjoy the unique flavor of a Dublin Dr. Pepper over some Blue Bell ice cream! Just what the Dr. ordered!

After making our way to and around Dallas, we stopped for supper at a Cracker Barrel (where else?!). Some rest tonight and then it will be a long day of driving tomorrow. We'll be driving tomorrow across the northern portion of Louisiana, Mississippi and into Alabama.