The Journey ~ Day 1

We were packed and ready to go. We went to bed at 10 p.m. to get a good night's sleep before starting our trip in the morning. At 1 a.m. the phone rings... "your mom is being taken to the Emergency Room by ambulance... she thinks she is having a heart attack"... We get dressed and go to the hospital. 

If you don't know what we have gone through the last year, well, this phone call felt like we were reliving it all over again. We both just kept thinking "this cannot be happening". But, of course, it was.

By 6:30 a.m. it looked like she was in good hands and going to be ok. My guy decided, with the encouragement of everyone else, to go on our trip as planned. His brother and sister-in-law would keep us informed. We both felt we just couldn't live through another summer like last year and we desperately needed a vacation to refill ourselves. So, with heavy hearts, we left the hospital and started our trip. 

If you've ever been in this situation you will understand. If not, what I can tell you is this... it is very hard to have a good time on vacation when your heart is heavy like that, even though you know you have to do it, must do it for your own sanity and health. So, we made the decision to make the best of it. 

I didn't take many pictures that first day. My heart just wasn't into it. Richard says it always shows in my photos when my heart isn't fully into it. But, we were doing our best to enjoy the trip and have faith that all would be ok.

 Day 1 ~ Drive from Illinois to Kentucky Lake... Camp at Paris Landing, Tennessee. 

It was cloudy but it didn't rain on us and the temperature was nice.

 These signs became my markers. The Love's sign was a reminder to us to keep LOVE as the priority on our journey.

I love the water towers. They are a sign to me of things from the past that have stayed with us and continue to serve a purpose. They also tell me where we are. 

 I was mostly taking photos as we were driving so they aren't the best but I want to just share what we experienced. There were fields of yellow flowers all along the way down to Tennessee.

This is a cool double bridge crossing over the Ohio River. 

 What I noticed about this was the opening in the clouds above the stacks.

The second part of the bridge.

We stopped at a market in Metropolis just at the Kentucky border and this was out front. I felt it was just perfect for us that day.

My SUPERMAN! Ready to take on this journey, able to leap over obstacles and stop trains!

 

This got our attention and we both thought it was a cool sight. A little windmill with it's own little island in the middle of a small lake. 

 We drove through Kentucky down to Paris Landing, which is actually in Tennessee. We were pretty wiped out from the emotions, the lack of sleep and the drive. We wanted to get our tent set up and build a fire so we could cook our steaks and have a glass of wine or a beer to relax and unwind. 

We found the campsite and this...

Well... you can imagine our reaction.

The end of day 1.

Nauvoo - Little Town with a Big History

Richard and I love to go for drives out exploring the country side. One of my favorite finds is Historic Nauvoo. I had never heard of it before but when we got there it struck a chord in my heart. It was a drizzly day so we didn't get out of the car and walk around much. I took a few pictures and plan to go back on a warm sunny day to see more. The history of this "utopia" makes it even more special!

 (I am not a Mormon but I hold them all in the highest regard and I genuinely appreciate this history)

The first thing I saw as we got close to Nauvoo was this scene of log cabins which I thought must  be a movie set (since I am a Cali girl that is the most normal thought for me to have) but then I saw the wagon and the sign... This is not a set, it is a real thing.

"The area of Nauvoo was first called Quashquema, named in honor of the Native American chief who headed a Sauk and Fox settlement numbering nearly 500 lodges. By 1827, white settlers had built cabins in the area. By 1829 this area of Hancock County had grown sufficiently so that a post office was needed and in 1832 the town was called Venus. In 1834 the name Venus was changed to Commerce because the settlers felt that the new name better suited their plans."

"In early 1839, Latter Day Saints were forced to flee Missouri as a result of the 1838 Mormon War. They regrouped in Quincy, Illinois whose non-Mormon citizens were shocked by the harsh treatment given them in Missouri and opened their homes to the refugees.

Joseph Smith, Jr., Prophet and president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, remained imprisoned in Missouri, but his chief counselor  had been released and rejoined the main body of the church in Quincy. Church member Israel Barlow fled Missouri and entered Illinois further north than the main group of Latter-day Saints. Learning from Isaac Galland, a land agent, that a large amount of land was for sale in the Commerce area, he contacted church leaders in Quincy, Illinois and offered church leaders title to land in Hancock County and additional land across the river in the Iowa Territory's Lee County. Church leaders purchased this land as well as the mostly vacant Commerce in 1839, and Latter Day Saints began to settle in the area immediately."

"Physically weak from months of imprisonment, Smith and other leaders were permitted to escape from prison in Missouri. They rejoined the Latter Day Saints in Commerce by May 1839. He renamed the town "Nauvoo". The name Nauvoo is derived from the traditional Hebrew language with an anglicized spelling. The word comes from Isaiah 52:7, “How beautiful upon the mountains...” It is notable that by 1844 Nauvoo's population had swollen to 12,000, rivaling the size of Chicago at the time."

"Despite the name, the site was, at first, an undeveloped swamp. Epidemics of cholera, malaria and typhoid took their toll on the struggling Mormons until the swamp was drained. The community was characterized by wood frame homes with outbuildings, gardens, orchards and grazing plots on large lots laid out on an orderly grid system. In general, the buildings were detached single-family dwellings reminiscent of New England construction styles with commercial and industrial buildings in the same pattern."

This is the Bakery

A residence

"After Joseph Smith's death in 1844, continuing violence from surrounding non-Mormons forced most Latter-Day Saints to leave Nauvoo. Most of these refugees, led by Brigham Young, eventually emigrated to the Great Salt Lake Valley. In 1849, Icarians moved to the Nauvoo area to implement a utopian socialist commune based on the ideals of French philosopher Étienne Cabet. At its peak the colony numbered over 500 members, but Cabet's death in 1856 caused some members to leave this parent colony and move elsewhere. In the early and mid 20th century Nauvoo was primarily a Roman Catholic town, and the majority of the population today is Catholic

Nauvoo today is an important tourist destination for Latter Day Saints (Mormons) and others who come to see the numerous restored historical buildings and visitors centers."

"On the city’s higher ground are the temple, residential areas, and the business district along Mulholland Street (Illinois Route 96), much of it devoted to the needs of tourists and those interested in Latter Day Saints history. The flatlands are occupied by a small number of 19th-century brick houses and other buildings that have survived the city’s vicissitudes, with large empty spaces between them where houses and whole neighborhoods have entirely disappeared."

"In June 2002, on the site of the original temple, the LDS Church completed construction of a new temple. The exterior, and much of the interior, is a copy of the original. The exterior matches the original exactly except in three ways: The temple was positioned 12.5 feet (3.8 m) south to allow for parking on the north side, there are two new exterior doors (with an entrance on the north for disabled persons and emergency exits in the basement on the east) and there is a standing Angel Moroni as is seen on most modern temples; the original was an unspecified flying angel, also with a horn in hand but in a horizontal position with the compass, square and flame above."

"The rebuilding of the Nauvoo Temple was an occasion of great joy and enthusiasm for members of the LDS Church. During the public open house prior to its dedication, 331,849 visitors toured the building. Following LDS Church custom, the temple itself is now used only by Church members."

Nauvoo has been dubbed the “Williamsburg of the Midwest.” In March 2007, Nauvoo was nominated to compete as one of the Seven Wonders of Illinois.

I adored Nauvoo. I loved the quaint, beautiful serenity of it and I wanted to learn the history of it. I would love to go back in the Summer and take more photos. 

The Hibiscus were so huge, about 10-12 inches across, the largest and most beautiful pink hibiscus I have ever seen. 

Please visit my Facebook Page 

Patty Hagedorn Photography 

 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Patty-Hagedorn-Photography/629150070438274?ref=hl

If you would like to purchase any prints contact me in a message on Facebook or go to my Portfolio on RedBubble

http://www.redbubble.com/people/pattylhagedorn/portfolio

I'll Be Back!

We are going on Vacation. It's been so many years since I've been on a vacation myself I can't even remember... Oh wait... I remember... I fell on my face and broke my front tooth when I got there so it ended before it even began.  But this is going to be a REAL VACATION for US! For the first time it will be the 2 of us traveling, camping, fishing, sight-seeing, visiting friends and family! Yay!!! 

So I won't be blogging or posting any photos for a couple of weeks. But when we get back... Watch Out! I will have soooo much to tell you all and soooo many pictures to show everyone! 

Before I go I will post a blog I have on the shelf about this special place here in Illinois... Nauvoo. 

We found it last year and I took some photos so I will share that.

For now I will leave you with this 

A view of the lake and the farm on the other side.

We went out for an evening walk and it was perfectly still.

This is our paradise.

See you in a couple weeks.

Patty Hagedorn Photography

On Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Patty-Hagedorn-Photography/629150070438274?ref=hl

and Redbubble

http://www.redbubble.com/people/pattylhagedorn/portfolio

Taking The Bad With The Good

It started out a sad day... The Blackbird (Grackle) Nest outside the kitchen window that I have been watching the birds build and lay in, was on the ground. I went out to it and it was empty... 6 eggs were scattered and broken, unhatched babies all dead :(  I was heartbroken. I know this is "nature" and things like this happen. I know it, but I still feel like these birds are my "pets" and I love them. I felt so sad. 

I brought the nest in the house to add to my collection and picked up 3 black feathers. I decided to go out for a walk and take my camera, hoping to see something that would cheer me up.

The neighbors' daffodils and butterfly bush were so bright and lovely with the lake in the background, yellow dandelions all around, the sun shining... I felt a little better.

I kept walking... I have been watching the geese pairs and waiting to see babies (goslings) but I was not feeling hopeful. I noticed another neighbor's Lilac bush starting to blossom.

 I was feeling better. Life is a cycle of death and birth. I have to accept it and toughen up. 

I kept walking.

Then I saw one goose on the grass close to the lake and I had a feeling... a nest! There is probably a nest down by the water. I started walking down toward the lake staying behind trees so I wouldn't spook the goose. Then I saw it's mate. They were going for a swim. 

Then I saw them... the BABIES!!!

 I got as close as I could to get pictures. 

There were 7 goslings! 

OHHHH... HAPPINESS!!!

They went out into the middle of the lake so I couldn't get more good photos. But I was happy. I went back up to the road and continued on my walk.

I saw the other pair of geese on the other side of the road on the pond...

And... MORE BABIES!!!

 Is this not the cutest scene? I was overjoyed!

This is where the turtles sun-bathe and I was able to just sit and watch the geese parents take their little babies for a stroll along the shore and swim across the pond to the other side where the turtles lay out on logs.

 Look closely at where the one little gosling is standing on the feet of dad :-)

I was in my "happy place" and couldn't ask for more at the moment but when I pulled back on my zoom to get a bigger picture I saw something else...

My cows are back!

I have missed them. I had just asked Richard where my white cows had gone and he said the farmer probably sold them. That's the way of life here. 

I was so happy to see these.

So right here in this photo, if you look closely you can see the geese with their babies, the turtles sun bathing, and my white cows.

The geese parents decided to take their little ones back across the pond.

 Dad is teaching them how to walk on water I guess : )

 Mom is showing them they need to eat.

 Oh my goodness... that little one is really working on that piece of green food.

What a nice family portrait.

Then the parents took their babies on land to eat.

Walking right on by the turtles.

 This little gosling turned around to look at the little turtles.

The geese went up into the grass and I decided I had taken enough photos of them for the time being. I turned back to the cows.

 Hello cutie! And look... a baby turtle is soaking up the sun on the log.

Oh wow... At first I thought she was covered in mud or grease or something. Then I  realized she just has a unique coloring.

So I was just overflowing with joy and peace in my heart.

I started to head back down the road.

But the blackbirds wanted my attention.

This one put on a show for me

 Once he had my full attention he jumped down to the reeds along the water's edge and started his acrobatics

 It was an impressive show...

 I don't know why he was hanging upside down but it was a real treat for me.

And when he was done he posed for one last picture.

Thank you sir! 

I thought I was done with my joy-filled photo session for the day but I heard the Cardinal calling.

I looked up to see him engaging with a couple of sparrows, and a nest.

I am still surprised that the Cardinals haven't left. I guess this male and his mate like it here and maybe they will stay.

So that's life in the country.

That is how "nature" works.

There were 6 babies lost that day and I can't help but feel sadness about it. But there are many new lives just getting started. 

Patty Hagedorn Photography

On Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Patty-Hagedorn-Photography/629150070438274?ref=hl

On Redbubble

http://www.redbubble.com/people/pattylhagedorn/portfolio