Life in the Bristolwood

Mark had a physical therapy appointment this afternoon, so the kids and I went along with him.  After his appointment,  the kids said they were hungry, so Mark took them on over to Wendy’s to grab a bite to eat.  As they were eating,  I ventured out to catch a few photos of Canada Geese, which seemed to be everywhere along a little stream running to the lake.

I had to cross over a little ravine to get some of these pictures.  It didn’t look too bad, so I went to step over and ended up sinking midway to my thighs in snow!  I hurriedly hopped out of the pile,  looking back to see if anyone saw me almost go down, as I lost my balance. Sheesh!  At least my camera was still in my hand and safe!

I walked past this very interesting little contraption someone had parked next to the stream…

We left Wendy’s and drove down next to the lake.  I had Mark park so I could take a couple more photos.  There were just a few geese and seagulls out on the ice on the lake.

I have taken photos of this particular area in the summer, but I don’t think I have any winter photos here.

I love the way the tree was mirroring itself off the smooth water of the lake.

We discovered a few weeks ago that WalMart has an awesome Tyson Buttery Garlic roast chicken that is delicious.  As Mark went into therapy,  I called WalMart and ordered a chicken to take home for dinner. They will roast one if we call ahead and we can get it fresh, rather than one that has been sitting around.  So, we went to pick it up.

As I came out of the store, I was totally caught up by the spectacular sky. It was, well, awesome!

Michelle wanted to go over to TJ Maxx when we finished up at WalMart.  Mark drove over and parked the truck.  We talked while waiting for Michelle.  I happened to look out the side rear mirror on the door.  I thought it was kind of funny that there was a rainbow in the mirror.  I turned around to see if it was a reflection off something, when I discovered there was a sundog in the sky!

As you can see, it was breathtaking with those unique clouds! As I sat reviewing the photos on my camera, I thought to myself that Carly’s mother-in-law, Madeline, had told me sundogs usually appear in pairs.  I searched the sky, but only saw one.   Then, *suddenly*, its twin appeared.

I took photo after photo, telling Mark this was just too amazing!  I explained to him that it almost seems that some days God is just humoring my picture-taking!  I told Mark I often think of myself as a spoiled princess, as I am sure God is smiling as he sees my excitement. 

I looked out the window once again, and this time, I nearly squealed with delight! Look closely at the photo below….

You can actually see a huge “arch” that encircles the sun.  It looked like a giant rainbow around the sun. It was hard to see, but you can see it is there!  By this point, I was nearly in tears, feeling as though God was overwhelming me with His glorious handiwork.

It was then that I looked up in the sky just above the truck….

This rainbow was above the truck and was totally disjointed from the sundogs or the rainbow around the sun.  By now, tears were streaming down my face.  There was no precipitation. None at all. Only my tears! These are what I can only describe as “God Moments”.  Times when I am thinking about Him and it is as though He shows up on the scene…..

By the way, within about five minutes, the sundogs, arch, and rainbow were completely gone.  Completely…..