The Mirror Lake ladies were at it again as we decided to take a hike to explore two new waterfalls (new to our group anyways). Christmas is less than a week away so we called this our Christmas hike. And a Christmas hike must have hiking Santas, right? So here’s our traditional beginning of the hike selfie... We drove down the Dillard Road until we arrived at the Scaly Mountain Community. We turned left on Hale Ridge Road which eventually takes a sharp left turn. Be sure to take note of this sign so you don’t wind up driving all over the area looking for the trail head! Yep, that was us. We talked to a few hunters along the way and I was glad we had on lots of red though I secretly worried that the white Pom-Pom on the end of our Santa hats might look like a deer tail to some eager hunter in the woods. After turning around and driving back the way we’d come, we found the trail head. We started down the trail and, as always, we loved seeing the beauty of nature surrounding us. Mountain views peeked through the trees. We talked... we laughed... we were just joyful to be in the woods enjoying each other’s company. What a lovely hike this was shaping up to be! There were a few places where we had to go under limbs, but that’s just part of the hike. We crossed a very small footbridge... We walked under a few trees... Steep slopes covered in wet leaves were no problem for Kelly... And suddenly we were at our first waterfall destination— Holcomb Creek Falls. We enjoyed the beauty of the falls from a bridge which crossed the creek below. And here’s the bottom of the falls... About this time we realized we were not alone when a young man arrived at the isolated waterfall. He introduced himself as Cory, a photographer from the Atlanta area checking out new places to photograph. We walked on around to the side of the waterfall and continued taking pictures with Cory. We walked one last time to the front of the falls to take another selfie and to snap a picture of the waterfall sign. Next it was time to hike further down the trail to Ammons Falls. And of course we had to cross a creek along the way. We paused to check out interesting lichen along the way. When we arrived at Ammons Falls we discovered red “danger” tape. We decided to go around it and proceed cautiously. We discovered that a tree had fallen on an observation deck. The bridge to the observation deck had not been hit so we inched out along the bridge and snapped a few pictures. As we turned to leave, Pam’s hiking boot slid across the wet leaves and down she went! Hard! On her knee! After checking to make sure she was ok, we very carefully made our way out of the woods to our car. And look what we found on the car— a note from our new friend, Cory! Maybe we’ll make him an honorary member of the Girls Only Hiking group!
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We had our first snowfall of the season in Highlands. It started out as a wet rain. Soon it changed to snow... And then it began to stick everywhere except the asphalt areas... By the end of the day the snow began sticking to the asphalt. I carefully walked down the driveway to take pictures of our first snow of the season. Our bear mailbox looked like he was catching snow with his tongue. A few more pictures from the first day... That night I turned on the flood light outside our master bedroom and watched the snow fall as I drifted off to sleep. The next morning the snow was everywhere! The birds were grateful that we hung our feeders... ...and Boots dreamed of warmer days. Later that morning I heard a commotion outside. I went to our bedroom balcony and saw a family sledding down our driveway. The mother asked if it was ok for them to be there and I welcomed them to continue. What fun they were having! Inside Two Holt all was calm... ...while outside Two Holt the snow continued to fall. More snow fell overnight. Winter storm Diego gave us 10” of snow! I challenged friends to make snowfaces! What fun! Here’s the snow face of my friend, Dianne. On Tuesday afternoon I finally got out again to take a few pictures. After I slipped on black ice and shattered part of my iPhone screen, I decided it was time to come inside! And finally I leave you with a few pictures taken by friends and by the town of Highlands. Enjoy! Beautiful! But now we’re waiting on the stubborn Diego snow to melt away. It looks like it might be several more days and cabin fever is already setting in! Merry Christmas, everyone!
I dearly love to decorate for the Christmas season. There’s just something wonderful about sitting in the living room with only a fire and Christmas tree lights to brighten the room. Phil humors me by helping with the outside decorations and with the Christmas tree. So let me show you around. Let’s start with the outside where we place garland greenery wrapped in clear lights on all the sections of our post and rail fence, both balconies, the screened deck, and the side entrance. Red bows are also plentiful. So why so much greenery, lights, and red bows? For us it’s simple. The red bows represent the ultimate gift. Christ came to lead us to the Father. He willingly gave his life and shed His blood to redeem us. The lights represent Christ as the light of the world. He promised us that whoever follows Him will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12). The greenery represents eternal life. This life will end, but eternal life in the place He has prepared awaits the believer. We also added a few whimsical touches outdoors... Now come inside. We’ll start with our kitchen. I made Christmas Goody Baking wreaths for this area. The Christmas Goody theme continues above the window... Next we move into the dining area... From the dining area we move into the living room area. Moving to our master bedroom... And finally we visit the guest rooms upstairs... Red berry wreaths hang on each door. Toiletries are kept in this Christmas container for guests. This is the front guest room which is done in blue and white. And finally we move to the back guest bedroom... A Santa bear sits on my daddy’s old suitcase. From our house to your house— Merry Christmas!
Highlands always lights the town Christmas tree on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The tree lighting event never disappoints and this year was no exception. After singing Christmas hymns, the crowd listened to Bible scripture which told the story of Christ’s birth. Then Santa appeared and led us in the countdown... 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1... LIGHT THE TREE! Imagine our delight when the tree lit up and at the very top was a CROSS! How perfect! Christ came to earth, sent by our Father as a tiny, helpless baby. He grew to be a man who would ultimately die on a cross to redeem us. Without the cross, Christmas would be meaningless. These were my thoughts as I gazed in wonder at that tree. My tears weren’t caused by the cold wind blowing. My tears were tears of gratitude to my savior. The next day I started receiving messages from local friends. “The cross has been taken down!” “What is going on,” I wondered. “Why?” So I called the mayor to inquire. Yes, each citizen has a direct line to the mayor in our little town. I asked the mayor about the cross and he said that since this tree was newly transplanted last winter, it was decided not to add a topper this year to protect the tree from harm. I thanked him for his time and shared the information with the one who had first brought the matter to my attention. What I learned next disappointed me. It seems the mayor was overheard immediately after the tree lit up and the cross was shining from the top. He was angry that a cross was on top of the tree. “I said there was to be no cross!!”, he stated sharply. And over the next few hours, town workers let friends know that it wasn’t about weight at the top of the tree. It seems our mayor is an atheist and wanted a secular tree. He had the cross removed on Monday morning. What happened over the next few hours still amazes me! Anna Claire Ramey, a fellow believer, posted the following on Facebook... The message spread across Highlands and beyond and at 6:00 that evening a few dozen people were at the park to protest the removal of the cross. Fox News and a few other reporters were there and listened intently as the crowd spoke. Our own pastor, Dr. Ford, spoke, too. And the next morning... ... the cross was placed back at the top of the tree! Christian, don’t buy into the secularization of one of the most beautiful celebrations ever. Celebrate the gift given to you before you were even born...John 3:16. Merry Christmas!
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Phil & SharonMarried 40 years and hoping to enjoy many more! Archives
December 2019
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