July 4th weekend 2009

I was able to take lots of pictures this weekend. I was in my glory. Friday morning I spent some time with a friend who showed me some of the things she's been learning in her photo classes. We practiced together and then when we had to part, I headed to Meijer Gardens to practice some more. Then to downtown Grand Rapids just because. Well, I wanted to scope out locations to take some night shots of the city.

Then it was over to Holland to board my brother's sailboat and head to the other end of Lake Mac and watch the fireworks. Great show. Late home. No pictures. Hard to take night shots from a sailboat that is gently bobbing.

Saturday was a trip to my girlfriend's in Three Rivers for a day of crafting -- card making. Those cards are worth lots of money... if our time is worth anything. Then it was off to the fireworks in Grandville. Yes, I took pictures.

Here is a link that I hope will take you to my photo album.

God's surprises

This morning after church I took my bike up to the White Pines Trail and rode from Belmont to Rockford and back. I had planned on stopping at Dam Dogs for a hotdog and then riding over to Rocky's for ice cream. Well, Dam Dogs is not open on Sunday and Rocky's didn't open for another hour. Look at all the money I saved. But that being the case I started back earlier than planned.

And because of that I saw a doe and her two fawns cross the trail about 30 feet ahead of me. They just sauntered across. How cool. A couple coming from the other direction, although farther away, saw them too. We all thought it was so neat. In addition to the deer there seemed to be a lot of butterflies on the way back also. All different kinds. A great ride to enjoy God's creations.

Pretty Posey

I just love Gerbera Daisies. And this one after the rain is one of my favorite flower pictures that I've taken. And what makes it even better is that it is on my back patio. I only wish flowers would last longer.

A Busy Saturday Morning

My day started early. I couldn't sleep and noticed that the sky was kind of pretty.

Then I decided I should take advantage of the beautiful morning and go for a bike ride. I logged 6.5 miles in about 40 minutes. I was home by 7AM. Fixed breakfast. Got ready to go out for the day. It seemed like a good day to go to the Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek.

The walkway to the tram to the African plains had all the flags of the African countries. I thought it was really cool.

It is so much fun getting so close to the giraffes. They seem so gentle. The zoo is really nice. Lots of room. BUT no lions and tigers.

Pemberton, NJ

Before we actually came to Pemberton, we stopped at the Friends Meeting House.  It was built in 1775.

A very interesting tree on the grounds of the meeting house.  I see a lion's head.  You?

The cemetery on the grounds.  Most of the dates on the tombstones were unreadable.

 

Karen turned me loose in Pemberton.  She had choir practice and seeing I don't sing, I walked. This is the Pemberton Baptist Church "organised" in 1764 and erected in 1861.  This is Karen's church.

Yup, it is the front door.

 

 

Grace Episcopal Church.

As I wandered around to the side of the church, I came across this statue. 

No, it is not Fall.  The way the sun was shining through the leaves, it really brought out the red.  I think it is some kind of a Maple but not sure.

 

Looks like they found a new use for the fire department.

 

I need help on this church too.  Had an interesting grave yard and a great salute to those who sacrificed.

Mt. Holly, NJ

Mt. Holly is another historic city near Karen. Again, lots of cool doors and churches and other buildings too.

I love this door to a church that will show up later in this post.

Even back in the 1800's they built duplexes. Well, sort of. It's interesting that even though the houses are built right together, the bricks are different.

Another door that got my attention.

If I remember correctly this is a Presbyterian church.

A side door to the above church.

The Methodist Episcopal Church. It has one stone attached to it with a date of 1775. A stone built into it has a date of 1883 or 1863. I had a hard time figuring it out.

I love the spires on this church. I need to find out the name of the church.

Recognize the door?

This is the Burlington County Court House built in 1796. Samuel Lewis was the architect.

Moorestown, NJ

Wednesday was a day for checking out some of the towns around where Karen lives. After a second visit to the chiropractor (I wanted to bring him home with me), we headed to The Pie Lady. We had to see if she baked pies as tasty as Karen's. I can't say for sure either way because it is hard to compare a pecan pie to one I've never tasted. I'm sure though, that Karen's would be better. After that we walked around town so I could capture some of the wonderful architecture, local art and doors. This city is a paradise if you like to photograph those kinds of things.

First church is the Baptist Church. If I remember correctly, part of it was built in 1847.

The there is the Catholic Church. There is a guy working way up there on that fancy stuff before the steeple becomes pointy. Let me tell you, that was high. There is not enough money in this world to pay me to do that.

This cross was atop of the Catholic church until a couple of years ago when it was replaced by the current one. They refurbished it and made this nice little prayer garden next to the church.This is a needle work shop. Karen dragged me in there kicking and screaming (NOT) and I found a really cool pattern I could not live without. Yes, it is started but ...
Across the street was the very picturesque Trinity Episcopal Church established in 1837. It has the neatest doors and a wonderful cemetery where we wondered for a long time. Also had some really pretty flowers. I'd love to see the inside of this church.

Notice the dates. Now that I'm looking at the name, I'm wondering if this lady or her family had anything to do with the naming of Hainesport.

I had never seen foot stones for grave sites before. Those are the smaller stones and each one has the initials of the person.

Didn't I tell you it had great doors?!?!

This passage way from one part of the building to another creates a really neat window to the courtyard.

This is the door for an interior design shop. I love the wood work around it. They just don't build things like that any more. I was thrilled that I managed to keep myself out of the picture on this one.

They don't build buildings like this any more either. And the grounds are so pretty.

There were a couple decorated dogs around town. I think they had done a contest/exhibit a year or so back and this was one of the ones that had been purchased and adorned the corner of the yard above. It has multiple buildings from the town painted on it. I love it! So much fun. We had seen another one done with a mosaic look using colored glass.

Moorestown is a really nice town. I could roam around it again and probably take a ton more pictures of houses and who knows what.