Preparing for the worst....

....and praying for the best.

Hurricane Irene is moving up the eastern coast today and should hit North Carolina late today or early tomorrow (Saturday). I was outside yesterday bringing in anything that might blow away in the yard and moving outdoor furniture to a safer place.

Now we just wait ~

I noticed my American Beautyberry bush was loaded with bright purple berries yesterday when I was mowing the front lawn. It surprised me because I didn't expect to see the purple berries so soon, I think of this more as a Fall berry bush, but then again, Fall is not that far away. These berries are so pretty used in flower arrangements.

My Obedient plant (in the first photo) is blooming profusely and the hummingbirds love it.

Well, now we just sit tight and watch the progress of the hurricane and hope this will not be a big one.

Hope all of you have a good weekend, and thinking and praying for all of you along the east coast.

Holiday memories

....2009 has come to an end but not without some wonderful memories. We traveled to New York to pick up our daughter and as you can see there was plenty of snow to greet us. Of course, what would Christmas be without some snow.

Otis and Riley took it all in stride.

We walked the boardwalk at Coney Island while in NY.

Then we traveled back to Pennsylvania and then to North Carolina.

Family fun and celebration all through the holidays!

And now another Christmas is behind us...

and it's on to a new year!

Snow!

What a surprise for North Carolina!

A beautiful blanket of snow.

Otis and Riley ventured out.....

but not very long.

We took a drive around town to do a few errands.

Driving past the mall there was a flock of sea gulls. They looked so pretty in the snow.

The nice thing about snow in the south is that it can be enjoyed for a day or two, and then it's gone.

Beautiful while it lasts!

New Bern, NC

Galen and I spent the day in New Bern, NC yesterday. If you've never been there, you're in for a treat. It's a beautiful coastal town steeped in history and southern tradition. The second oldest town in NC, founded in 1710. See more here. The Tryon Palace is the first state capital building and is located in the heart of this historical town. New Bern is also the birthplace of Pepsi Cola.


Come on a walking tour with me.

We had lunch at "The Chelsea" restaurant. The historic building was built in 1912 and first used by the local pharmacist Caleb Bradham, inventor of Pepsi Cola, as his second drug store. Completely renovated. (below)

Of course, we had to stop later for coffee at the "Trent River Coffee Co."

Across the street from the coffee house is "Mitchell's Hardware". I love old hardware stores!

I couldn't resist buying this little flower pot made out of concrete and painted a soft blue, it will go great on the back porch.

After leaving New Bern, we traveled some back roads and stopped at "Yoders", an old country store. It's in a Mennonite community and run by Mennonites. After some browsing, I found some netting for over our strawberry patch to keep the hungry birds out.

Then it was back on the road again to home. I caught this picture of a colorful red field along the way.