Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Another three in one post - Outdoor, What's on Your Wall and Wordless Wednesday

Once again, it's a busy day here in blogland! Wednesday means Outdoor Wednesday, hosted by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer. Make sure to visit Susan at http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/ to see the list of this week's participants. Make sure to check out her blog while you're there. She has a beautiful home, and wait till you see what is going to be blooming in her yard this summer!

This week I am attempting 3 posts in one again. I started by choosing one of two themes offered this week for Wordless Wednesday. I chose Ash Wednesday, which led me to choose these pictures for my outdoor Wednesday post.
Steeple of the Grace Heritage Center. This was the original Grace Episcopal Church on University Avenue. When the congregation outgrew this beautiful little building, it was moved
to the downtown area just off of the courthouse square. It is now the Grace Heritage Center and is available for public use. Can't you just imagine what a beautiful setting this would be for a wedding or anniversary celebration?
Detail of the arched stained glass window and arched doorway. Don't you just love this?
Here she is in all her glory. As you can see, it is still dead winter here. Even though the sky is gorgeous and the temperature is warm compared to my buddies up north, the trees are still bare and the grass is brown. I will take pictures this spring and summer when the flowers and plants are thriving. Now hop on over to Susan's and see what everyone else is sharing!



WHAT'S ON YOUR WALL WEDNESDAY



Barb at Grits and Glamour recently started this fun Wednesday event. What's on Your Wall Wednesday asks us to share our wall decor with each other! I just love this one, since my DH is a picture framer and this is one thing I have ALOT of. I'm cheating a little bit here and repeating a post I did right after Christmas. This is one of my favorite pieces of photography and I felt that it fit with my "theme" today, which was inspired by Dixie's Wordless Wednesday theme of Ash Wednesday. I'll apologize in advance to any faithful reader who has seen this before. If you want, you can just skip down to Wordless Wednesday lol! Please make sure to stop by Barb's blog at http://gritsglamour.blogspot.com/
and stay for awhile, you'll be amazed at her beautiful home and delighted by her wicked good sense of humor! Check for a list of this week's participants and have fun visiting everyone.


My Favorite Christmas Gift
Lynette at Lynette's L.A.M. blog posted a wonderful gift she received from her mother and asked everyone what their favorite gift was. This gorgeous photograph by my favorite photographer has to be right up there with my all time special gifts. It's not just the photo, it's the story behind it. We vacation in Florida every year, and discovered the photography of Richard Bickel in an Apalachicola shop several years ago. I fell in love with his work, and every year we would try to buy at least one piece. He has published two books of his photography and I discovered this work in the second book "Apalachicola River, an American Treasure". I was mesmerized by this photograph. Last summer, we discovered that Mr. Bickel had opened a gallery in Apalachicola. Well, I was like a kid in a candy shop. The rest of the family was tired and hot, but indulged me my time in the gallery. I bought one small piece that I have always loved, but could not purchase the piece that I really wanted. The work in his gallery was very large and more expensive than I could afford. So I purchased my small 5 x 7 and went happily on my way. Little did I know that my dear husband had been corresponding with the artist over the month of November. He made arrangements for the artist to reproduce this piece in a smaller size for a surprise Christmas gift. Now this is where the "Christmas Miracle" comes into play. The last correspondence indicated that the piece could not be ready in time for Christmas, as the framer that the artist uses had been ill. My husband is a picture framer, but Mr. Bickel signs all of his work on the custom cut mat that surrounds them, so that was the hold up. On Christmas Eve, we received a note in the mailbox that an express mail package was out for delivery. Of course we were not home, but we just assumed it was something DH had ordered from Ebay. Suddenly our daughter grabbed daddy, ran into the music room with the phone, and 2 minutes later they were both running out the front door. What on earth? It turns out that Caitlin had a suspicion that this photo was what was being delivered. She called the post office to find out the senders name and sure enough, she was right. The postal clerk told her that our carrier was still in the neighborhood and that they could probably catch him (sometimes it pays to live in a small town) So off went dear hubby and dear daughter to chase down the mailman! They finally caught up with him and pulled up next to him frantically waving the delivery notice. I'm happy to report that he gave them the package, they went to my husband's shop and framed this and one other photo that they had purchased. Imagine my total surprise when I opened this on Christmas morning. I will cherish this always, not just because it is one of my favorite photographs, but more because of the love and thought that went into the gift.


WORDLESS WEDNESDAY



It's time once again for Wordless Wednesday, graciously hosted by Dixie down in French Lique, Texas. If you haven't visited French Lique, you really should take a stroll on over. Dixie's blog is full of beautiful ideas, wonderful stories, and besides, she is a hoot! The theme for this week is your choice of Fat Tuesday or Ash Wednesday. Make sure to visit Dixie at
http://frenchlique.blogspot.com/
and see what everyone is sharing today.

Celestial Glory, courtesy of Windberg Enterprises
Glorious New Beginning, courtesy of Windberg Enterprises

Now go visit Miss Dixie!

58 comments:

PAT said...

All three beautiful posts!!

Dixie said...

Kathy... love all 3 posts... The little church on University Ave... is that Georgetown?

It reminds me of a little church in Farmers Branch, which is now in a park... It's a tiny church, probably seats 50-75 people.. It's just beautiful.. I had a friend that married there several years ago.

blessings on Ash Wednesday and thoughout the Lenden season. Dixie

Barb @ The Everyday Home said...

Oh Kathy - what a great post. I absolutely love old churches. I am totally mesmorized by their presence and sense of serenity. I loved your pics. I also loved your story about your gift. I could totally visualize the chase scene. Been there, done that! LOL
Thanks for joining in on this week's WOYWW. Hugs dear freind, Barb

Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer said...

Happy Outdoor Wednesday Kathy!

What a beautiful church!

Thanks for sharing your photos.

Susan

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Happy Outdoor Wednesday!

Loved seeing this beautiful church and the other posts as well!

XO,

Sheila :-)

ellen b. said...

I really love all these great churches. It's always fun to see old churches in the USA. Good job in your 3 in 1~~ happy Wednesday to you...

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Oh Kathy, I love all three posts and you know how much I love your Christmas present. I just think your DH and Cait are the greatest. Just shows how much they really care. I love ya, Hugs, Marty

momma said...

you did a great job getting all 3 posts in one!

xinex said...

I love churches. They are always so beautiful inside and out. How sweet of your hubby to get you the picture and frame it and for him and Cait to go after the mailman to get it. I am imagining them and I am laughing..LOL....Christine

Cindy (Applestone Cottage) said...

Great posts! I love the old church pics and your fab Christmas gift. Cindy

Nancy said...

Whew - nice job on three posts and they all tie in. I just love the pictures of the churches and Georgetown has such a wonderful downtown. Thanks for sharing your story - Nancy

Ldy ~~ Dy said...

Absolutely lovely and inspirational pictures!

Light and Voices said...

Oh my goodness....that church is simply gorgeous!
Joyce

Anne Fannie said...

Wow, three posts in one! Love the church!
~Ann

Simply Debbie said...

DEAR KATHY,
THESE ARE ALL "THREE" BEAUTIFUL POSTS.
MY HAT IS OFF TO YOU, SO TO SPEAK, FOR A BEAUTIFUL JOB.
BLESSINGS
debbie

Linda (Nina's Nest) said...

Those are wonderful churches, and the story along with the picture is priceless. Love it. Linda

Jill said...

The church pics are really pretty!

have a great Wordless Wednesday!

Dawn Marie said...

great posts! I love that Church picture--the first one-so beautiful-serene!

The picture is great to and the last photos are nice. Just something about that first one that is so moving.

KBeau said...

What a clever idea to combine three posts in one, all working with the same theme. I love the church pictures.

Sue said...

Thanks for sharing these beautiful pics. I love driving and seeing beautiful churches.
Blessings,
Sue

Confessions of a Plate Addict said...

Love your Ash Wednesday post, Kathy! The old churches are great! And of course, I love the photo of the baptism. Beautiful!...Debbie

Deb said...

Beautiful pictures of the church!

Gone said...

Ooooooooooo...how pretty! I love all the photos, but especially the story about your favorite gift!

;-)

Anonymous said...

WOW,you pulled it off beautifully.Thats not an easy task.I am impressed.Great pics...Ann

Bo said...

Hi Kathy...you did a great job covering 3 Wednesday topics...I'd love to see that little chapel in the spring...I'm glad 'they' saved it & moved it to be enjoyed & used by others. ;-) Bo

southerninspiration said...

Awww, loved this post, but the story of Cait and hubby brought tears to my eyes...how sweet!!

Suzanne

♥ Kathy said...

My fav part of your Outdoor Wednesday section was the shadows the trees made! That was awesome looking to me! And I really, really liked the last two pictures..the sky is beautiful ♥

Maryrose said...

Beautiful. With the sun behind the clouds I feel as if God is peeking out. What a wonderful post. Thanks for sharing, Maryrose

Tardevil said...

So impressed. I can barely get one post up, and you combine 3 in 1! Loved all of your pictures!

Tomarie said...

I loved reading about your Christmas gift! And your WW pics are awsome!
I wanted to come by here and thank you SO MUCH for visiting yesterday and all the sweet things you said about Ryan. It truly meant so much to me!! L~

Tealady said...

What a lovely post! I enjoyed the pictures of the old churches. They are so inspiring.

Beth at Aunties said...

I absolutely adore old churches and their charm. I enjoyed your post~ in fact all three very much:)

♥♥♥

Jeanne said...

You did a great job combining these posts. All of them are interesting and your text is worth reading more than once so we don't miss anything. Except of course, the wordless one. Smile. It speaks for itself.

Thanks for sharing.

Hugs...Jeanne

Lori said...

I love your Christmas story. How sneaky were they. You did a great job posting all 3 today. I think I might have to do what's on my wall Wednesday.
Have a great week.

Anonymous said...

I love old churches, and that one is beautiful.

Great post!

Anonymous said...

OH WOW! I love all your photos especially that church. You got some great shots! Have a Happy Wed!

Anonymous said...

What a glorious post (music included) for this Wednesday!

LuLo Designs/Blue Eyed Tango said...

Kathy,
I do love your post, so appropriate for ash Wednesday, great job! My hubby and I have been down with the flu so I'm behind on mine!

Kim @ Starshine Chic said...

Loved all 3 posts. The windows & door in the first church were terrific. And I loved the Christmas gift story. Makes the print all the more special. Thanks for sharing.

Jen @ tatertotsandjello.com said...

You are a multi-tasker! I never thought of doing that! Genius! I love all three of your areas: the church is beautiful, the picture is beautiful and the Georgetown pics.

Nice to meet you!

Jen

JudyBug said...

I love pictures of white churches. We even stop on vacation to take pics and look in. Thanks for sharing!

JudyBug

Anonymous said...

Three for one! You did it! What a sweet church!

Kathy b

Anonymous said...

great idea to do all three posts together!

I love the framed photography. Those big fluffy clouds looks like God was just a smiling down on that wonderful baptismal service!

blessings
mary

Tracy said...

That is a really beautiful old church, I love how angular it is. Your story about the picture is really sweet.

Helen said...

I have spent more than a few minutes looking at your photos .. they are wonderfully inspiring. I grew up in a small town with lots of small churches like yours.

Thank you for visiting me ..

santamaker said...

Thanks for all the great photos! REally like the black and white one.

Robin said...

Gorgeous churches in BOTH posts! We have a very similar church building as your first post in our little town and I just love looking at it!

I have seen your beautiful picture before, and I just absolutely LOVE it! But I really don't know what I like better....the picture or the loving story behind it!

Have a great week!!

Robin

Terrie's Lil' Piece of Serenity said...

Kathy, I loved all three post. You did a great job. They are all very interesting. I love old churches.

Candy said...

Beautiful country church pics. and enjoyed reading the story about chasing down the mailman.
Thanks for stopping by to see my girl and her bunnies.
Happy Wed, Candy

Kathysue said...

Kat, great post,I love the last two pictures of the churches with God glory behind them,very appropriate for today,not by chance but by design,Kathysue

nikkicrumpet said...

Nice combo post. You got them all in and did it beautifully. I love old churches...they have so much charm. Have a wonderful day!

Heidi Pocketbook said...

All three posts and pictures were very interesting!

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

What lovely pictures. I remember reading about the framed photograph on your blog before, and I just love that story. Great post. I love photos of old churches, and you found some beauties. laurie

Chari at Happy To Design said...

Hi Kathy...

Just wanted to stop by to say thank you for your visit to my little frenchy studio/office and thank you for your sweet comments too!!!

I'm so glad that I stopped by...I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post and seeing all of the photos! That old church is magnificent...and you're absolutely right about it being perfect for a wedding! I just adore the gothic architecture...fabulous!!! Also, what a beautiful and interesting photo....the Baptism...I love it!!! I enjoyed the story behind the photo so very much...your honey and daughter just warmed my heart with their love and thoughtfulness for you!!! Thank you so much for sharing that...it was so touching!!!

Warmest wishes,
Chari

Lori said...

Thanks for stopping by today and for you very nice comments. As you can tell I was not that busy at work.. Thank goodness I'm off tomorrow!!Yippee... I have to clean this nasty house.
You have to come and play the game with me I think it will be fun. It will make me take more pictures of myself.
Have a great weekend.

DesignTies said...

Hi Kathy - it's been a while since I dropped by and I'm glad I did today. I love old churches and really enjoyed everything you had to share!
Hope you're well...
Victoria from EdinDesigns @ DesignTies

LuLo Designs/Blue Eyed Tango said...

Hi there,
We're in Warsaw, IN. Thank you for your kind words on my photos...I'm an amateur but really enjoy it. Wow you got a lot of comments on your post! It was a good one!

lvroftiques said...

What a beautiful little church! It would be a wonderful setting for a wedding! And I remember that story of the photo..You hubbs and DD did real GOOD!! Vanna