Tag Archives: Christian bloggers

2021 Mid-Eastern Road Trip Part 4B

8 Sep

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 4 – 7/15/2021 (Continued)

Leaving Burlington, NC I headed north on US-87 toward Roanoke, VA.  On the way I crossed the border and stopped in Ridgeway, VA long enough to take a photo of the famous Martinsville Speedway.  Built in 1947, this ½ -mile oval track is home to the NASCAR Cup Series races and is referred to as “The Paper Clip” by many drivers.  I’ve watched a lot of NASCAR races that have taken place at that track, over the years, and wanted to at least be able to say I saw the track.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Another 10 miles north on US-220 I visited the Rucker’s Antique Emporium located in Martinsville, VA.  I wanted to check-out the Telephone & Telecommunications Museum which I was told was on the 2nd floor of the Emporium.  This museum uses antique artifacts displayed to allows visitors to walk thru the history of the telephone and other telecommunication devices dating from the early 1800s to the present.

Photo Credit: https://didyouknowscience.com/top-technology-breakhroughs-in-the-1800s/  

Now it was another 50 miles north on US-220 to visit the Virginia Museum of Transportation located in Roanoke, VA.  This large museum is housed in the old 1918 Norfolk & Western Railway freight depot and displays many 1940s era steam locomotives and other rolling stock.  The museum also has on display several restored 1800s antique cars, in addition to the Big Lick; a 1940s era passenger station replica and much more.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Just a few blocks away I visited the O. Winston Link Museum, there in Roanoke.  This small museum is located in the restored 1852 Norfolk & Western Railway passenger station and displays the photographic works of Winston Link, who is said to be considered the 20th century master railroad photographer.  His railroad themed photographs are nationally known and have appeared in many books and magazines over the years.

Photo Credit: https://hddsite1.com/

In another few blocks, there in downtown Roanoke, I visited the Virginian Station which is the old 1909 Roanoke Passenger Station.   Renovated after a fire in 2001, the station now displays historical exhibits, artifacts, and memorabilia as they relate to the influence 

of the Virginian Railway Line on the early city of Roanoke and the surrounding Roanoke Valley area.  Passenger service from this station was terminated in 1956.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Before leaving downtown Roanoke I stopped to check-out the Roanoke Pinball Museum located at #1 Market Street, in the Market Center, on the 2nd floor of the Center in the Square building.  This museum has 60 fully playable pinball machines and other interactive displays dating from the 1930s to the present.  And yes, I remember spending a lot of time playing pinball machines as a teenager.  But Snooker was really my game of choice.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

I was running out of daylight, and by now it was time to locate my motel, there in Roanoke, and get checked.  Once I got everything in my motel room, I ask the motel clerk for restaurant recommendations close by and he said he liked the El Cazador Mexican Restaurant down the street.  I had their Chili Verde plate with Spanish rice and refried beans.  It was wonderful, and I had enough left over for tomorrow night.

Photo Credit: http://elcazadortaqueria.com/menu.php?cat=19&item=46&loc=5

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 64 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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Letters from Mother episode 15

6 Sep

My Take

DiVoran Lites

September, 1983

Dear Ones, 

Well, it’s finally cool after one more very hot and humid day. Dad went to San Diego with Dave and a friend to hunt doves and pigeons. I hope they don’t meet up with rattlesnakes this time. The men hunt in a field outside the city of Mexicali. It’s only about ten miles across the border, but it’s quite a way over there from Bonita, where Dave lives. Last week when Dave hunted, he was searching through the tall grass for a dove he had shot when he almost stepped on a large rattlesnake. He shot the snake with the gun he had on hand. It turned out to be two rattlers. One had ten rattles; the other had eight.  He skinned one and left the other. He nailed the skin to a workbench and salted it, planning to give it to his hunting buddy for a snakeskin belt for his wife. I have forgotten what the belts cost in stores, but it’s a lot. 

2021:

(Authentic snakeskin is rare.  Handbags can run as high as $15,000USD, while snakeskin boots average about $2000. The delicate nature of the skin and the level of workmanship that goes into assembling an item adds to its cost.)

Snakeskin-Photo Credit Pixabay

                                                                                 Before Dad left with Dave, I made a long list of things I wanted to do while he was away. I got quite a bit done, but not the things I planned. I started catching up on my bookwork, and five hours later, I was finished recording and keeping track of all transactions from our summer’s adventures

Tom and Betty, around the corner, brought me a slip of paper and an ad for a free painting, drawing, and sketching class at the college, so I went to Palomar at San Marcos-next town east of here. I went to class and sat in from nine to twelve. 

Photo Credit Pixabay

We did a lot of sketching of a slim young lady in a bikini. Our teacher told us to draw her in three minutes, two minutes, then thirty seconds, and next, we drew her in five minutes, and then half an hour. She held each pose as long as he said to. She took different graceful poses, almost as though she was dancing. That took some concentration and practice! 

Three or four of us were first-timers and as the 20 or so students were in various stages of learning the teacher wasn’t after perfection. I liked it very much and felt more relaxed than I had at our all-day Salton Sea workshops. We each paid fifteen dollars to the model and five dollars for the campus health insurance.  Not free as they had said, but worth it. 

Love Mother 

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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Random Memories of Germany-Trips to Italy Part 5

5 Sep

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Another Italian city where we stopped was Pisa.  I’ve written about Pisa in previous musings, but I want to talk about just Pisa today – not as part of other trips.

I think the most renown aspect of Pisa is the “Leaning Tower.”  However, I was reading about Pisa in Wikipedia, and found that it has some very interesting facts that I didn’t know.  For instance, Pisa was a major city by the sea.  According to Wikipedia:

The maritime role of Pisa should have been already prominent if the ancient authorities ascribed to it the invention of the naval ram.  It was the only port along the western coast between Genoa and Ostia (Rome).  Also according to Wikipedia: The power of Pisa as a maritime nation began to grow and reached its apex in the 11th century, when it acquired traditional fame as one of the four main historical maritime republics of Italy.  The Arno River played an important part in that.

The University of Pisa is located in Pisa, and, according to Wikipedia:  is one of the oldest universities in Italy. It was formally founded on September 3, 1343 by an edict of Pope Clement VI, and The University has Europe’s oldest academic botanical garden… founded in 1544.

There are many churches and museums in Pisa.  I guess we just didn’t know or realize all that when we visited, because we didn’t go to any.  Our main emphasis was on the church (the Piazza del Miracoli) and the Leaning Tower – which is the bell tower of the city’s cathedral.

Photo by Fred Wills

The Cathedral with the Leaning Tower (bell tower)

I’ve mentioned previously that we stopped in a shop in Pisa that specialized in marble, alabaster, and “composition” figurines.  Here are pictures from a brochure from that very shop.

Last week I presented pictures of the marble lampstands we purchased, as well as the 

composition tumbling angels, and the composition figures of Moses and the discus thrower.  Here is a picture of some alabaster “fruit” they had. 

We have enjoyed all these things, ever since 1968.

~~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Just When You Think Life is too Much

28 Aug

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

ReBlogged August 28, 2021

August 27, 2021

In 1962, my brother and I snuggled next to my mom. We rode in the back of a dilapidated truck around the mountains in Bolivia. “When will we get there?” I asked her as my ten-year-old mind anticipated fun moments in the tropical area of Bolivia.

But to get there, we risked our lives. The only way to reach our destination was to travel on the most dangerous road in the world.

The narrow one-lane, dirt road had no barriers. One wrong turn of the wheel would plunge the vehicle down the huge cliff. Hundreds of crosses marked the spots where fatal accidents took place.

One such accident reached the news recently. The injuries included a young man paralyzed. His family, American missionaries, sent prayer requests through cyberspace.

How does that happen? He walked only moments earlier, paralyzed the next.

Tragedy barges in.

Why is it that on the road of life, tragedy barges in unannounced? It catches us unprepared, vulnerable to its cruelty.

I tasted that heartache when COVID struck our home. I recovered with God-given natural protocols.

But my precious 92-year-old Mom had a different kind of victory as the Lord called her home.

I experienced the deep pain of having to say goodnight to my joy-filled Mom who lived with us for nearly 30 years. In our human mind, that sudden painful change has no reason. But through reflection and in moments of silence in His presence, I also learned God’s restoring love has no limit. And this truth will allow me to say “good morning” in heaven someday.

7 Promises

When days drag on, and when we think life’s too much, God offers the freedom from the prison of sorrow and heartache. They’re included in these seven promises.

  1. We count on His help, constant and never changing because “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). He’s present when tears flow unexplained. He’s present when the burden presses down. And He’s by us when the void aches within.
  2. We silence words of self-pity or sorrow as we declare “My lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live…” (Psalm 63:4a). Even in the midst of sobs, we give Him glory for His power at work. For His love that soothes. and for His promises that hold us up.
  3. Rather than gaze at our pain, we repeat the psalmist words,” I lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2). His help is timely. His help is perfect. And it’s the one our heart needs.
  4. Our heart may be broken, but our soul is intact. “My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you” (Psalm 63:5). Although life may seem unfair, we count on the richness of His provision. He will provide the comfort, the peace and the reassurance for every desperate moment.
  5. We thank Him for the sweet sleep that will come because “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night because you are my help…” (Psalm 63:6). God does not slumber or sleep so that we can. We rest in His presence and sleep on the pillow of His whisper.
  6. We claim His power, knowing where we find protection. “We sing in the shadow of your wings. Our soul clings to you…” (Psalm 63:7). His Wings protect us. His refuge covers us. And His embrace gives us life.
  7. We declare: Lord, we will not faint because “Our soul clings to you; your right hand upholds us” (Psalm 63:8). We may feel weak. We may stumble. But we’ll never fall, His strong arm sustains us.

Let’s pray.

Father, I praise you for already knowing the help we would need, the comfort we would desire, and the reassurance we would call for. Thank you for going before us to prepare the healing and the restoration of our peace. I thank you in Jesus’ name.

To whom will you turn when life becomes too much?

Janet

______________________________________

Did you know I wrote a book filled with words of encouragement, uplifting thoughts and illustrations of real-life triumph to empower you? Its title, Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow: Overcoming Adversities in Life. You can get it HERE.

CLICK HERE for a one-minute inspirational video.

Looking for a speaker for your upcoming event? A great speaker makes the difference between a so-so event and one that shines with impact. I invite you to view one of my two-minute videos HERE.

Please share: Feel free to share Janet’s posts with your friends.

___________________________________

Janet Eckles Perez

Some say she should be the last person to be dancing. Her life is summarized in this 3-minute video: http://bit.ly/1a8wGJR

Janet Perez Eckles’ story of triumph is marked by her work as an international speaker, #1 best-selling author, radio host, personal success coach and master interpreter. Although blind since 31, her passion is to help you see the best of life.

www.janetperezeckles.com

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Letters from Mother 12

16 Aug

My Take

DiVoran Lites

September 6, 1983

Dear ones,

This day in 1957, you and Bill have been married twenty-six years. You share this anniversary day with your grandmother and granddad and Grandmother’s sister, Helen, and her husband, Ray.

Photo credit Pixabay

We arrived safely at Helen and Ray’s. Ray and your dad have gone to get repair parts so that Ivan can fix their toilet. As you know, he does things like this for people wherever he visits. We had a long weekend up at Ernie and Audrey’s place above Sonora and Twain Heart in the high Sierras. You’ll recall that Ernie has been Ivan’s best friend since they were boys back in Canon City. Dad got a lot of things done for their house and grounds and loved doing it. They put R-30 insulation in the eaves of the attic room and repaired three door locks. They also got the shower fixed. The bathroom upstairs is a shower with a 2×4 frame around it, but there is no wall yet. We call out: “Lady in the showe,” when we go up there, and the guys respond: “we’ll be right up.” 

Photo credit Pixabay

They brought a gramma and grandpa with them and their great-granddaughter, Zoe. Everyone was either eating and drinking or thinking about eating and drinking. 

It wasn’t a bad weekend/slumber party. I especially enjoyed Zoe. It was a joy to take her for a walk in her stroller; everything is exciting to a baby that age. We communicated with grunts and groans and later did some finger painting.  Yes, I cleaned it up when we were finished. 

Now back to Ray and Helen. Ray is so very tired; they shopped for lumber and stuff for your dad’s jobs.

Our visit with Mary and Jerry was nice. We had corned beef and cabbage again. We had it at Audrey’s too, but we didn’t tell Mary. She also got a big ham and cooked it one night, and the next night she got a turkey from the deli, all baked and ready to eat.  All delicious. 

Oh, yes, I am skipping around a lot because a lot is going on. We went to a barbeque. They served a delicious salad from a large trash bag with a rubber-gloved hand. There were shredded cucumbers in it, and it was nice. We chose our tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions. They also dipped the roasting ears into a big pan of melted margarine when they were done. We had cantaloupes, watermelon, and Crenshaw melons. I thought they had some very good ideas.

Helen’s so pleased to have us share the load for a while. It gives her a break from her immediate care of Ray. She loves following Ivan around and handing him things.  They have been good friends since they were born. Helen is Ivan’s and Lowell’s aunt, which means their mother, Marie, was the daughter of Helen’s mother. Figure that one if you can. 

Well, I’ve put my painting aside for now. Dad built a rack up and the shelf in the back of the truck. I’ve been crocheting pillow tops for Lowell’s two bar stools.

Lowell and his friend another Helen went to Canon City to see your grandmother; then he told Aunt Helen that Grandmother hasn’t been feeling well and hasn’t slept lying down for a long time. 

Guess I’ll close for now and think of more to say in the morning. 

Love you,

Mother

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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2021 Mid-Eastern Road Trip Part 1

11 Aug

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Preface:  Because I love to travel, and because the Covid-19 scare has restricted much of the travel within our nation for the last eighteen months, I was determined to get at least one two-week road trip under my belt in 2021.  The main motivation for this road trip was that, even though I had visited the entire eastern seaboard in the past, I had not visited much of the northeastern portions of the U.S.  Since the planned route would take me as far north as Lake Ontario, I needed to plan the road trip before it began getting cold in that area.  With all this in mind, I loaded up my van and set out to see as much of the stated region as I could in the time available.

Photo credit: Bill Lites

Day 1 – 7/12/2021

This morning I headed north on I-95 toward my first objective, the Daytona 500 Museum and Motorsports Hall of Fame, located in Daytona Beach, FL.  I had tried to visit this museum once before, but the museum was closed for remodeling.  I was hoping for better luck this time.  The museum’s exhibits focus mainly on the NASCAR and motorcycle racing histories at Daytona Beach, from its beginning in 1936, to the present. 

Photo credit: Bill Lites

As I headed north on I-95 I was looking forward to visiting the Classic Car Museum located in St. Augustine, FL.  This museum displays some 80 beautifully restored vintage cars dating from 1895 to the 1980s.  

Photo Credit: https://www./ classic-car-museum-st-augustine 

I by-passed Jacksonville, FL as I continued north on I-95, since I would visit the Jacksonville museums at the end of this road trip.  I had also visited the St. Mary’s Submarine Museum on a previous road trip, so headed for the Mary Ross Park, located in Brunswick, GA.  This Park is a tribute to the 99 ‘Liberty Ships’ that were built, as a part of the war effort, by the Brunswick Shipyards during WWII.  

Photo Credit: tripadvisor.com/Mary_Ross_Waterfront_Park-Brunswick, Ga

I diverted a few miles northwest on US-17 to stop at the Geechee Kunda Culture Museum in Riceboro, GA but they were closed.  We have always been interested in the history of the Geechee islanders and their influence on the early Georgian culture.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

It was only another 5 miles north on US-17 to where I visited the Midway Museum located in Midway, GA.  This museum is housed in a replica of an 18th century ‘Coastal Cottage’ and displays exhibits and materials dating from that era.  The Midway Historic District also includes the Midway Church which was built in 1792 to replace the original Midway Church built in 1736.


Photo Credit: mapquest.com/us/georgia/midway-museum-303794678

Heading northeast another 30 miles I visited the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum located in Savannah, GA.  This museum is housed in the William Scarbrough house (President of the Savannah Steamship Company) and exhibits model ships, paintings, and maritime antiques from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

It was just a few blocks to the Georgia State Railroad Museum there in Savannah, located in the Tricentennial Park area and is a part of the historic Central of Georgia Railway complex which was constructed in 1853.   This museum includes parts of the Central of Georgia Railway, Savannah Shops, Roundhouse, and Terminal Facilities.  The museum displays restored steam locomotives and passenger cars from the 19th and 20thcenturies, as well as steam locomotive train rides.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

My next stop was to visit the Old Fort Jackson located on the banks of the Savannah River, just one mile east of historic downtown Savannah.  The fort was built between 1808-1812 to protect Savannah from attack by sea.  The fully restored fort offers daily cannon firings (which I missed) performed by Confederate reenactors, and also houses the Fort Jackson Maritime Museum.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

After this productive day of travel, I treated myself to a Steamed Shrimp Dinner at Fiddler’s Crab House & Oyster Bar, located on River Street in historic downtown Savannah, overlooking the Savannah River.  Yummm!

Photo Credit: savannah-ga/mip/fiddlers-crab-house-2867404

 

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 63 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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Letters from Mother 11

9 Aug

My Take

DiVoran Lites

September 1, 1983

Photo credit Pixabay

Dear ones,

We’re at Mary and Jerry’s. Dad has gone hunting, and I’ve written one letter to Ivan Dab for his birthday. We had a good trip, with no problems. Thank you for writing us such a nice long letter. DiVoran it is so nicely written and so interesting. I’m a bit late with writing this time due to traveling.

We were so worried when the storm Barry came so close to you, and we kept track of it as it moved on by. 

Photo credit Pixabay

Billy’s clothes sound nice, and he sounds alive and well. Guess Renie’s back in school now, and things are getting all settled to a routine. Bet you’ll be thankful for some cool weather when it comes.

Mary’s house seems big, and she seems to be more organized this time. I’m anxious to get on home to warm weather.

Hope you and Bill have a lovely anniversary as usual. 

We Love you,

Mother and Dad

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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Ita Entered the Glory of Heaven

3 Aug

The Old Things R New family are sad to learn of the passing of the mother of fellow blogger, Janet Perez Eckles. Her father passed on a few years ago. Her parents story of saving up to come to America is not only inspirational, it is creative as well. They lived their lives full of the joy of the Lord. Below is Janet’s post on Facebook.

My Mom, Lucy, whom we all called “Ita” just entered the glory of heaven filled with a peace that only the Lord could have provided.

Covid attacked her body, but Christ brought the victory. At 92, she was radiant with health, no meds, no ailments. Yet, she often mentioned the glory of heaven that awaits those of us who know Christ Jesus.

She frequently would express her anticipation of living in that eternal glory. She did so with her unique, contagious joy.

Her heart saddened each time she heard of a friend who suffered with Alzheimer’s, or dementia, or cancer, chronic pain or unable to walk on their own. Deep down she wanted to avoid such a life of disease. God indeed honored her by transitioning her from a healthy, beautiful body to a glorious, even more perfectly healthy body to live for eternity. She left those who knew and love her the legacy of joy which characterized her so beautifully.

The family requests in lieu of flowers, please send donations in her memory to her most beloved church:

Greene way Church

3400 Hunters Creek Blvd.

Orlando, FL 32837

As you may know, Janet is blind and finds reading blog posts challenging. If you would like to leave a comforting message, I will pass it on to her.

Janet Eckles Perez

Some say she should be the last person to be dancing. Her life is summarized in this 3-minute video: http://bit.ly/1a8wGJR

Janet Perez Eckles’ story of triumph is marked by her work as an international speaker, #1 best-selling author, radio host, personal success coach and master interpreter. Although blind since 31, her passion is to help you see the best of life.

www.janetperezeckles.com

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Random Memories of Germany-Trips to Italy Part 1

1 Aug

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

I must start this particular series of stories with a disclaimer:  we absolutely LOVED living in Germany – both times!  Perhaps it’s because we both have Germany in our ancestry, or perhaps we just like living in Europe.  But Germany holds a special place in our hearts.  I know Germany’s history in the World Wars is awful, but I believe that was the fault of the political people in power – not the German people as a whole.  We found them to be gracious and lovely.

And so, on to this series.  In this particular series, I would like to describe the trips we made to Italy.  Living in Germany allowed us to travel to many other spots in Europe without too much difficulty.  I had never been to Italy, but Fred lived with his family in several places in Italy following World War 2.  Please see Fred’s previous posts: (all are titled Fred Remembers…) September 9, 2018, September 16, 2018, September 23, 2018, and October 21, 2018, for Fred’s remembrances of living in Italy.

We were stationed in Wiesbaden, West Germany from June 1967 through June 1970.  Our first trip to Italy was in October 1968.  We had some good friends in our church in Wiesbaden, and were able to leave Karen with them, while we traveled.  We didn’t think we would be able to enjoy our traveling with a new baby – or a new baby would enjoy being carted around every here and there.  So Fred and I set off on our journey.

As I look back on the pictures we took in 1968 and 1970 and then at the ones we took with our girls during Thanksgiving 1982, the differences we saw were amazing!  I don’t remember exactly the order we visited in our 1968 trip, but I know we spent at least one full day at Pompeii.  Fascinating!

But Fred had read up on the Vesuvius eruption, and so wanted to see Ercolano (Herculaneum).  I believe it was actually closer to the eruption itself, and was covered with more lava than ash, as Pompeii was.  The remaining colors on the walls are more brilliant and more well preserved than even that of Pompeii.  Amazing!  We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Ercolano.

Ercolano – Judy standing in a courtyard

We spent a bit of time in Amalfi – a beautiful coastal town in Italy.

Amalfi

Cathedral in Amalfi

We saw the “smallest fishing village in Italy” along our bus tour.  (Don’t ask me where – I have totally forgotten that!)

The smallest fishing village in Ital

We spent several days in Naples, staying at a B&B there.  We were fascinated with the Solfotaro, still bubbling with hot mud, with its connection still to Vesuvius – all those miles away. Fred reminded me that it is similar to Yellowstone National Park, and its volcanic activity (Old Faithful).  As with Yellowstone, there is a fence to keep the spectators away from the bubbling lava.

The Bay of Naples is gorgeous.  

Solfotaro in Naples – it smells of sulfur

The bay of Naples at evening time

All pictures are by Fred Wills

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Beauty from Ashes. A Mountain Sunset

23 Jul

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

The smoke haze from the western wild fires created a stunning sunset here in our mountain town, nestled near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A local weather watcher captured it on video and added music. If you have attempted to capture the beauty of a mountain sunset, you know it can be challenging.

In 2016 our region was struck with devastating wildfires. We are familiar with such trauma but find solace that out of tragedy beauty can yet be found.

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