The Birds

This isn't a post about the movie The Birds or the musical group The Birds, just in case you were directed here by google or something. This is about Cupcake feeding the seagulls.

After a day of trolley riding and fort exploring, we had some late afternoon beach time. I took a little leftover bread down with us in hopes of capturing some shots of Cupcake feeding the seagulls. I saw one or two fly by as we were playing and thought, well, it only takes one bird to start the process then the others will come. Yep, the others certainly came.

 Okay, the next batter is in the box and relief pitcher Mad Dog Cupcake is up.

 She's in her wind up.....

There she goes.........

Oh no, she throws the switch-hands-pitch and it's a STRIKE!

Oh, her birds friends loved her!

After a tough day of pitching, it's back to the clubhouse for this relief pitcher.

Beach Dancing

After a lovely day playing in the sand, watching Cupcake Girl swim in the ocean then the pool, we had dinner at Creekside Restaurant with the great-grandparents. This girl was ready to go!

Cupcake decided to try her first oyster. Of course it was covered in baked cheese, but she tried it and LOVED it!

To top off dinner we headed out to the deck and listened to some great music by a 3-piece band. The first thing Cupcake wanted to do? Dance. That girl is a dancing machine! I had heard from her mom (my oldest) that recently at a wedding they went to Cupcake danced ALL night and I believe it!

She wasn't flashing, she was just doing the twirl thing with her dress.

So, the band had a hat up front for donations and little girl walked up there with some money, but only with a little hand-holding. After the band played for a bit, her Meemaw gave her some more money and she took it up by herself. THIS is the look on her face after she made the donation all-by-her-little-self! She was so proud. It made such an impression on the folks around us, we gave her even more money to take up there, just so we could see her proud little face!

After more dancing, Cupcake wanted to get a leaf from the tree that was above her. Well, it was a bit too high and GrandBob just couldn't get her up high enough. She thought it was pretty dang funny though. Since GrandBob wasn't tall enough she took off looking for a "tall man" in the crowd. Seriously! It was so funny to see her looking at all the folks. You could see the determination on her little face. But she was quite sad that no one fit the bill. To satisfy her, her great-granddaddy, Gigi, took her around the corner and they picked up a leaf off the ground! Yay for Gigi!

Our yummilicious dinner and celebratory dancing was followed with a little night stroll down to the beach/ocean. It was just the two of us and it was a beautiful night. That girl just loves her some salt water and sand. She didn't have a care in the world, just pure enjoyment.

Salt Air and Waves

The smell of the salty water, the wind in my face, the gentle roar of the waves all combine to create a sense of peace and calm.

A time of renewal for the heart, soul, spirit and body. 

It feels good! Yes, it feels good to plant my feet in the sand, plop down in a runoff of ocean water, allow the wind to whip my hair into a frenzie and fill my heart with joy listening to the squeels of laughter from that little Cupcake Girl.

Cupcake Girl: Are we there yet?
Me: No, not yet.
Cupcake Girl: I guess I'll never see the water.

Well sweet girl, you are finally "at the water" for the fourth year and loving it.

This girl was ready to capture some minnows!

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A Visit to the Opry – Mountain Opry

We have a little gem here in our community. It’s called the Mountain Opry. It’s a non-profit organization that has been operating every Friday night for nearly 30 years. This show features some of the area’s best bluegrass, mountain and traditional Americana music that can be found in the Tennessee Valley. There are usually 4-6 different performances and there’s no charge for admittance, but they do pass the hat for donations. On any given Friday you may hear banjo pickers, fiddlers, bass players, guitarists, and along with some good old-fashioned harmonizing. Sometimes the action on the outside is just as entertaining, as groups waiting to go on jam with other pickers in the yard.

We’ve made several visits to the Opry over the past few years and have never been disappointed. Recently we had the opportunity to attend again with all the folks that came into town for Rebecca’s ordination. I brought my camera along to capture the moment, but was disappointed when I imported them into my computer. Usually, when we have Cupcake with us, we sit on the stage and watch the musicians from behind, but this time we actually sat in front of the musicians toward the back of the room. The imported photos were very dark and of course grainy.

After staring at them for a bit I decided to try and give them a vintage look. Wow! I absolutely LOVE how they turned out. I love how the vintage effect brought out the light. I really enjoy capturing those little intimate moments when no one is aware that I have a camera pointed at them. That vintage effect only added more emphasis to this point-of-view. Next time? Well, the next time we visit we just may sit in the same spot.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some folks in our group, two of Rebecca’s aunts, decided to try a little boot-scoot-n-boogie or was it clogging? Well, whatever it was, they sure enjoyed themselves! I did too!