Our group hike leader Cheryl sharing trail information and getting all the dames signed up and accounted for.

The Illinois Monument is the largest monument on the battlefield. The monument was created  in honor of the 500 men from Illinois who died during this battle.

Stopping for a snack break!

“In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.” ~ Albert Schweitzer

For more information and to see if there is a Trail Dames Group near you click here. Click here and here to see more photos and read more of my Trail Dame adventures.

It’s all good. ~ Donna

Trees

I think that I shall never see,

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

~ Joyce Kilmer

Photo above taken by my brother-in-law Adam who hugged that tree for this awesome shot.

It’s all good. ~ Donna

A quick group photo before we hit the trail.

Gathering together to start our hike. We count out so we know how many Dames are in the group so we can keep track and make sure no one is left behind on our way out.

We begin our hike on the Historic path which will  pass along the New Manchester Manufacturing Company.

This mill was built in 1849 on Sweetwater Creek. The mill produced yarn to form cotton and in 1861, the company had a contract with the Confederate Government to produce the materials for Confederate uniforms. In 1864 with so many men fighting in the Confederate Army, most of the employees of the mill were woman and their children. Sadly those women and children were arrested in July of 1864 when the Union Calvary captured the mill and village all around it. If they agreed to sign an “Oath of Allegiance” to the US Government they were released north of the Ohio River and Indiana. Those that did not sign the oath remained in prison until after the war ended. That my friends is a bit of Georgia history!

Sweetwater Creek

There are so many beautiful boulders all throughout!

One of the terrific things about the Trail Dames is that we have so many knowledgeable women who share the history of the area. Here we are taking a break and soaking up Georgia history.

Hello lovely! I had great love for this one and I gave it a big hug! Hug a tree, it’s good for your soul. Really now! There is even a lesson on how to hug a tree. Check it here!

Moving right along the trail you will find it can you give a bit of a workout as you will find the trail rocky as pictured above.

Here are the Dames, getting their heart rates up! There are several areas where climbing up and up is involved.

We take a few short breaks along the way and when we do, there is beauty all around. I love the color and textures we see all around us.

Trail Dames with Cheryl our guide right up front! Ladies, it was so nice meeting a lot of you for the first time. I so enjoyed our day and look forward to doing it all again soon!

For those interested in the Trail Dames, click here to check us out and click here to see another post from a past adventure I had with them.

It’s all good. ~ Donna

Gazebo photo taken during the summer when my husband and I went down for a visit.

The Gazebo is really quite large. Here is a snapshot taken during the rehearsal.

The path from the parking area to the Gazebo is gorgeous! You can see the row of lights centered in the path that leads you to the pond.

Rehearsal is done and here are our family and friends all ready to head out  for the rehearsal dinner.

Wedding day with the Bridesmaids. We rented white chairs for the event and fit 35 of them with plenty of space for more. I would guess you could fit 50-60 chairs easily.

You can see the roses were in bloom all around the Gazebo. We did very little for decoration as the park was in full bloom and so spectacular on its own.

The Bride and Groom. So sweet. Thanks to my Sister-in-law Mary for taking over my camera and snapping these photos. I was in the front row with a tissue in my hand, wiping away those tears of happiness.

There is a large area around the Gazebo for gathering. Ladies, when choosing shoes, I would recommend a low heel or wedge type shoe. I of course did not take my own advice and wore high heels. The walkway is soft, sand like, with some small gravel. I did plenty of tip toe walking around here so I would not sink in.

There is a water fountain right outside the Gazebo and we provided some refreshments. The bathrooms are a short walking distance and they were very clean and well maintained.

This is the tree lined walkway leading to the large pond and the parking area.

This is the large pond that is at the end of the long tree lined walkway.  There is Justin making new friends!

There are many beautiful locations for photo opportunities.

My husband and I. Proud Parents! For anyone looking to book a small family event in Charleston, I highly recommend Hampton Park Gazebo. The location is beautiful and 10 minutes from downtown Charleston. We held both the rehearsal dinner and wedding reception in the downtown area. I will be posting more on those venues soon. We are anxiously awaiting the wedding photos from the photographer and I will be posting some of those as soon as I get them. I hope for now you get a good idea of the location and for any brides out there looking to book a small outdoor wedding, Hampton Park just might be the right place for you!

It’s all good. ~ Donna

Wisconsin ~ Land and Lake Edition

Last week I attended the National Registry Alliance Conference in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. It was my first visit to that beautiful part of the country. I have many photos to sort through, which are mostly of the conference itself but I did have time to walk around lovely Lake Geneva. It was such a treat! I arrived at Milwaukee Airport and I was able to take a few photos during the van ride to the lake. The scenery was lovely and I had a wonderful time.

For more weekly winners and to be inspired, visit lotus.

It’s all good. ~ Donna

Weekend Trip to Charleston Edition

Do you remember long ago, a time when you would visit family and friends who had recently taken a vacation? They would pull out their slide projector and you would sit through hundreds of their family photos. You would sit and grin through them all, silently wondering when it would all end. I remember. We were that family. My dad would pull out the screen and projector and proudly click away. Today, I am my father. No projector or click of slides. I am just sharing a larger collection of photos than usual. My son will be getting married in Charleston in October. My husband and I spent three wonderful days in Charleston visiting the wedding venues and meeting with vendors. It was a happy, hot, humid trip, well worth the sweat and all the calories consumed! For my family who will be traveling to Charleston for the wedding, here is a taste of what you might experience on your visit.

Sweet tunes on the road. It’s a 4 1/2 hour drive from Atlanta.

Hampton Park Gazebo. Ceremony site.

Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge ~ Also known as the New Cooper River Bridge

USS Yorktown

Bubba Gump’s Shrimp House – Rehearsal Dinner

The Angel Oak Tree ~ Vintage effect ~ It is 1, 500 years old!

Cannon at Fort Moultrie  ~ Vintage Effect ~ Fort was built in 1776!

39 Rue de Jean ~ Dinner Reception

Sullivan’s Island

Our wing mirror was a source of entertainment for me on our drive to Florida. Camera in hand, I snapped away passing the time. Once I snapped the first wing mirror photo, I kept snapping along the many roads we traveled on. I really love this series, and the beauty of the landscape makes me smile. What a wonderful journey!

Home.

It’s all good. ~ Donna

As with most of our road trips, we ventured off the highway, onto the side roads that led us through sweet small towns. Just look at what you see when you venture off the highways.

Statue of Liberty! ~ For Kristy. I miss you.

A stop at a Rail Road Crossing.

Lovely textures on old buildings.

Blue, green, and rust colors all tied together.

Straight ahead.

Hello Jones Kitchen. Hello Smiley Husband.

Buffet line filled with fried catfish, fried chicken, okra, sweet potatoes, sweet creamed corn, corn bread, collard greens, green beans, cole slaw, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, buttermilk biscuits and that’s just what I fit on my plate! Really.

I’ll stop here and let my husband take over for the Foody Review.

Imagine walking in to Grandma’s kitchen, if Grandma was serving up a buffet of several dozen different dishes of some of the best southern food you’ve ever eaten. Jones Kitchen is one of those places where you know you’re going to get a great meal from the second you walk in the door. Not only is the place packed with locals (typically a good sign), but a quick glance, and whiff, at the buffet line and you can see that what Jones Kitchen cares about above all else is the food. Leave your diet at home, because the protein here is all deep fried, to golden-brown perfection. The fried chicken is perfect: crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. The fried fish is also no slouch. The selection of veggies is what you would expect at a place serving up traditional southern food: collard greens, creamed corn, sweet potatoes, green beans, pinto beans, fried okra, coleslaw, mac n’ cheese (for you non-Southerners, we consider this a veggie!), just to name a few . What separates Jones Kitchen from other restaurants however, is the quality of their veggies. The sweet potatoes, for instance, are so good and sweet that you almost feel like you should be eating them for dessert.  The mac n’ cheese is guilty pleasure food at it’s best. Of course it wouldn’t be a true southern meal without cornbread. The cornbread at Jones is made the way southern corn bread is meant to be made, with cracklins (for the non-Southerners, those are little chunks of pork fat) right in the middle. At this point, you might be thinking it’s time to throw in the towel and go find a nice cozy spot to pass out in a food coma. However, you would be wrong. We have yet to come to the most important part of the meal… dessert! Jones has a selection of several delicious looking desserts, though we only tried the peach cobbler. To say this peach cobbler was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten might be an understatement. This is the kind of food that when you’re eating it, will cause you to cease caring about anything else that’s going on around you because you want to savor it for as long as possible. You better hope that someone around you doesn’t need your help while you’re eating it, because chances are you’re not going to be paying any attention to them. If you ever have a chance to route your trip through Jesup, GA, do yourself a favor and go eat at Jones Kitchen, even if it’s a little bit out of the way. They are only open for lunch, from 11am – 2pm, so you have to plan accordingly. – Justin

Thanks Nitsuj. Well said! We paid the check which was a whopping $16.00 plus tax.

Thanks Jones Kitchen for a memorable meal. I would make the 3 1/2 hour drive all the way back to Jesup just for lunch. It’s that GREAT!

Two more hours on the road and Hello Amelia Island. Hello Beach.

It’s all good. ~ Donna

We rented the house through Amelia Surfside Properties. We were so pleased! The 3 bedroom, 2 bath house was lovely! Very bright, and beach themed of course! They are pet friendly and for a fee, you can bring your pup. They provide beach chairs and umbrellas so if you visit, you can leave those at home. I would most certainly visit again!

That bottom corner photo on the left is the view from the house. You walk across the road and there you are right on the beach! A super sweet time. I so look forward to the next time AND there will be a next time.

It’s all good. ~ Donna

I enjoyed every minute of my trip to Texas. The pretty lady above is my sister. She is 10 years younger then I am. Oops Mom! Just kidding sister! She is my love, my friend, who makes me laugh. The deep belly laugh followed by the wiping of tears. She has a happy, gentle, generous spirit and I admire her strength. We have not lived in the same city for over 20 years but she is always close to my heart and picks up the phone to listen and share her thoughts. I am blessed to have her. Many miles apart we may be but we are forever tied and bonded, wrapped in love and friendship.

It’s all good Mumu! ~ Donna