Old Barn, Abingdon, Virginia - “Great is Your Faithfulness”

 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 

Lamentations 3:22–23

Arbingdon, Virginia- Patience of a Farmer

 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming.  See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.  You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near.  Don't grumble against each other brothers, or you will be judged.  The Judge is standing at the door!

Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.  As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered.  You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about.  The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

James 5:7-11 NIV

Holston Lake - Arbingdon, Virginia

This is one of my favorite pictures from traveling this past summer.  This barn was located outside of Arbingdon, Virginia on Holston Lake.  It was idyllic in its country setting.  This was the most beautiful site at Holston Lake.  When we drove to the parks and camp grounds, there were literary thousands of campers scattered in disarray around the banks of the lake.  I never saw so many people jammed together.  The over population and crowded camp grounds ruin the beauty of the lake and the surrounding country side.  I am very glad that Florida controls how many campers are allowed in the parks. That is not the case with Lake Holston.  I believe a lot of these sites were privately owned and jammed as many campers together as they could squeeze into a space.

Field of Dreams - Earthly Vines and an Old Red Truck

As we were traveling this summer, I was looking for an old red truck that had been left in a field to become part of the landscape.  I saw a painting once and really liked how it was true to life.  Old trucks have been around for a long time and rural farmers don't want to get rid of that old truck in case they can always use one of the parts.  That was the case with my Uncle Rufus who left an old car sitting on the side of my grandmother's yard for years.  It was an late 1940's model and I played in that car and pretended that I was driving.  That is how I learn to shift gears at the age of 8.  Outside of Arbingdon, Virginia We came across this red truck that the vines and Mother Earth decided to make part of the landscape.  It was in a pasture and several donkeys were in the background grazing.  This was not the image I had.  The vines and brushes were consuming the truck.  I am still in search of that perfect springtime pastoral picture of an Red old truck in an open field with tall grass growing around it.