Holy, Holy, Holy

Our church has recently started a brand new arts ministry, and I LOVE the concept! It's meant to be a gathering to encourage arts in the church, and to embrace artists in the community. At the first meeting I was able to attend, I (of course) took my camera. The building we meet in is actually separate from the church sanctuary building, but both are absolutely GORGEOUS!

The church was originally built in 1839, as a Methodist church. It sustained much damage during the Civil War, but was later restored as a Lutheran church. Today, it houses Redeemer Presbyterian Church.

I hope to get more pictures, but these were just some nice architectural details I was able to get in my brief photo safari.

Fun on the Farm

Farms are amazing places! Don't you agree? A couple of years ago, we made a quick stop at a relative's farm, on our way back to Kentucky from Michigan. There's just something magical about old tractors and barns. Maybe it's that they capture a piece of history. Maybe it's because they remind us of simpler days. Maybe it's because we all have this secret desire to reap the benefits of working the land. Regardless, I couldn't resist snapping these shots.

Fishtown

Fishtown in Leland, MI

Fishtown is a 145-year-old fishing village in the town of Leland, MI. It's home to many quaint shops and charter fishing companies. It's also the gateway to South and North Manitou Islands. It's one of our family's must-see destinations when we're in the area. It is home to such places as The Dam Candy Store, Tug Stuff, and The Village Cheese Shanty (which also has great local wines).

On our recent trip to Northern Michigan, we stopped in Leland to do some rock hunting, and then visited Fishtown, and watched the salmon in the channel. 

According to the Fishtown Preservation Society, "Fishtown is a collection of weathered fishing shanties, smokehouses, overhanging docks, fish tugs and charter boats along the Leland River in Leland, Michigan. Once the heart of a commercial fishing village, the structures and docks are real places where people can walk through, see and feel a connection to Lake Michigan’s fishing heritage. For the past half-century it has been enjoyed and appreciated by thousands of visitors and regional residents who find the shanties, fish tugs and docks that make up the property a living legacy of our maritime culture."

I love Fishtown!

Winter Light

South Haven Pier Light in Winter

Window on the Mill

Window on McHargue's Mill

"We reach for God in many ways. Through our sculptures and our scriptures. Through our pictures and our prayers. Through our writing and our worship. And through them He reaches for us.

His search begins with something said. Ours begins with something heard. His begins with something shown. Ours, with something seen. Our search for God and His search for us meet at windows in our everyday experience.

These are windows of the soul."

—Ken Gire in Windows of the Soul (1996, Zondervan)

Chandelier in Amicalola Falls Lodge

Amicalola Falls Lodge

I spent Christmas in Georgia with my family, this year. My sister-in-law hosted the whole clan, and planned a visit to Amicalola Falls State Park and Lodge, telling us that we would be seeing a really cool waterfall. I had no idea! I'll post more pictures of the falls later, but we also visited the lodge near the top of the falls.

The lodge is really pretty, and was all decorated for Christmas. The chandeliers were a simple, wrought-iron, but I really liked the way they contrasted with the solid-wood ceiling and beams. The lodge has a very cozy feel, and these chandeliers add to that. It was fun to wander around with the family, taking in the beautiful, fog-covered Blue Ridge Mountains.

Bourbon

Charred virgin white oak barrels of Kentucky straight bourbon at the Buffalo Trace Distillery