Back to History Reading Challenge

Shannon at Shannon's Reading Log has issued a Back to History Challenge. This is what she says:

HERE WE GO... This is a challenge to sharpen the mind, go back & visit times long since forgotten in this day in age. The Back to History Challenge is designed to encourage readers to stretch themselves in the history genre. I am truly interested in getting people to venture into unfamiliar territories of literature. So...take this challenge and discover what history has to offer you!

A FEW RULES... All participants should try to mix up their reading choices. Please do not have ALL biographies, or ALL memoirs, etc. There is no limit on any sub-category, but remember...this is supposed to be a CHALLENGE. You should be getting out of your comfort zones and finding something new to explore. You should read one historical non-fiction, or historical fiction novel a month. Ultimately...let’s have fun!
You must formally sign up through Mister Linky to participate in the Travel Back to History Challenge Challenge, which will take place during the months of January - December 2008. Mister Linky is providing a place to store all the participants' sites for everybody to peruse. If you choose to join, you must have your final list posted by Dec 30, 2008.
To sign up with Mr. Linky, visit Shannon's site HERE!

Well, I've read my first book for this challenge. It was Candle in the Darkness by Lynn Austin. Published by Bethany House. It is rich in history of the South and I enjoyed it very much. There are other books in this series and I will be checking them out as well. This is Christian fiction.

REVIEW:

Caroline Fletcher is the daughter of a wealthy slave owner who lives in Richmond, VA. From the time she is very young, Caroline realizes that slaves are human beings who feel emotions and pain. When Caroline's mother takes her own life, the young girl is sent off to the Fletcher plantation and then to live with relatives in Philadelphia.

By the time Caroline turns 15, the Civil War is looming. Her father sends for her to return home, which she does, but she has a difficult time living in the south because she is now a passionate abolishionist.

Caroline's men folk are off fighting for the cause but Caroline is not satisfied with the way things are going. She takes on the role of spy, which exposes her to some very dangerous situations. Along the way, her faith in God grows and she turns from a teenager into a beautiful young woman.

This is an enjoyable book and Caroline's journey of faith is truly amazing.

Florida Trip Day 3

After leaving Newport, we traveled down I75 into Tennessee. Jordan had been waiting for this ever since we left. He loves the Tennessee Mountains and had requested that we stop at an overlook so he could take a photo. We told him we'd do our best. However, we stayed overnight in a motel in the Tennessee Mountains because it was raining and foggy. I don't believe in taking chances. If the weather turns bad, we stop. Hubby and I don't totally agree on this, but I had my way. I'm not risking lives to get where I'm going. The photo below was taken from the motel parking lot. To get to the motel we had to go up a huge grade. The boys said they'd never seen a driveway that was so steep and of course it was just as steep coming down in the morning. LOL

Once we were in the car, Brandon settled back for a relaxing ride. He was still tired and decided just to veg out and watch the scenery.

In the morning, the sky was a beautiful blue. I don't think I've ever seen such a blue sky. I took a photo but didn't know if the blue would show up. It did! Isn't it wonderful? The Earth is full of beautiful sights and sounds.

An hour or so down the road, the blue had diminished a little. However, Jordan wanted me to take a photo of this huge hill.

We came to the overlook and since it was posted Grandpa pulled over. There was a tractor trailer there. The driver was sleeping. Grandpa and Jordan are in a discussion below about the scenery.

Brandon got out as well and took some photos on his new digital that he got for Christmas. Here he is starting back to the van.

As Jordan came back to the van, another tractor trailer pulled in behind us. The trucker waved and Jordan put up his hand and signalled for the driver to blow the horn. He accommodated Jordan with two little blasts. The boys had a good laugh about the air horn.

That day we also crossed Georgia. It is beautiful country there as well. We stopped at a Wal Mart for a break and Brandon went in with me. There were a couple of things I needed to pick up. He visited the toy department and found Disney Pixar Cars from the movie. They are real hard to get here in southern Ontario, so he bought six. They were on sale for $3.00 each, which is a big savings. Here they are $4.99. When we got back to the van, he gave Jordan three of them and Jordan paid him for them. These, according to the boys, are very rare. LOL That's because they are hard to find here.

We were hoping to make it to Florida, but since there was rain and fog again that night, we stopped about 40 miles before the Florida border.

The trip continues tomorrow. I hope you enjoyed seeing the beautiful sights of Tennessee.

~Blessings, Mary~

A Day on the Newport, Kentucky Levee.

Yesterday I promised to post pictures of the Levee in Newport, KY and a unique restaurant experience for the boys. I also posted a photo of Jordan heading to the Levee stairs. Below is a photo of the area decorated for Christmas. It was beautiful! You can see the stairs to the levee on the left.

The steel spanned bridge is the one that we drove over the previous night to get from Cincinnati, Ohio to Newport, KY. It was decorated with wreaths and bows for the Chrismas season. We were the only car on the bridge and for some reason Brandon thought we shouldn't be on it. The next morning after we had breakfast and went to the aquarium, we took the boys out to look at the river. This bridge was to our right. Notice the barge traveling down river.

Below is the view from the levee to the left. Another bridge. I believe the boat in the foreground is a restaurant. Dwight and I saw it when we visited three years ago. Nothing much has changed, but the river is amazing.

A wider angle of the scene to the left from the levee. The river looks like glass, but the current is very strong.

When we came finished looking at the river, we took the boys to the candy shop and bought some penny candy and got some for free because the boys had bought a mug with their names on it at the aquarium. I also picked up some sugar free chocolate there and Dwight bought some black licorice.

Then we headed to Johnny Rockets for lunch. Dwight and I had ate there when we visited three years ago. It's an old fashioned burger and malt place.

Though they usually don't let people take photos, the lady in the forefront of the photo below allowed me to so I could have a picture to put in the boys scrapbook of the trip. Notice the old time uniforms, the red stools and the floor, which is exactly like the one in the burger joint that was near my high school when I was a teen. It was like stepping back in time. We all ordered burgers except Jordan and he had grilled cheese and fries. The food was delicious. We put a nickel (yes a nickel) in the jukebox. The boys enjoyed the atmosphere. They thought it was cool to eat in a burger joint like Grandma and Grandpa went to in their teens.
As we were leaving the levee, we saw this old house that has been turned into an office building. Brandon wanted a photo of it. He said it must be very old and we tried to guess what year it had been built.
So that was our day on the levee. We left Newport around 2pm and the boys talked about the aquarium most of the day. Tomorrow I'll post photos of Jordan's favorite place in the Tennessee mountains.

Deena over at Can I Be Pretty In Pink honored me with two very special awards. Thank you, Deena. You made my day.

I will be adding awards to my awards and gifts page as soon as I can find time. I have to watch the boys after school today and am still settling in from the trip.

I hope you enjoyed seeing the photos of the levee and Johnny Rockets. If you're even in Cincinnati or Newport, be sure to see the aquarium and stop by for lunch at Johnny Rockets for a 50s burger joint experience. ~Blessings, Mary~

It's Green Thumb Sunday, hosted by Tricia at As the Garden Grows. If you'd like to participate, just click on the link to find out how.

I'm going to cheat today. I've always been a bit of a rebel, but do try to follow the rules. However, I'm running out of plants of my own to show, so am going to post a photo that I took on vacation.

This lovely showering shrub is located in Sea World. I have a photo of one almost identical in Animal Kingdom. These flowers were beautiful. If anyone knows what they are called, please let me know. I should know, but can't think of it.

Take care and thanks for joining me for Green Thumb Sunday.

Some of you have been asking about Meeko. He did great while we were gone. He ate very little for the first four days and then only nibbled at his food. He drinks when we're away. The lady at the vets told us that he had a lot of fun in the dog run with the other dogs. He does enjoy his canine friends and I'm sure that he misses them now as much as he missed us when we first left. Being a pack animal, he likes to be with his pack, which is us. He's been very happy since we brought him home. Yesterday he followed us everywhere and was a little peeved when we went to drop off the boys' souvenirs and the things that we didn't unpack on Friday night. Today we went to the library and he was fine. He's back to his normal routine. However, I did catch him lying on the couch today.

He's looking a little forlorn here because he knows he's been caught. I didn't say too much to him - just told him to get down and he did. Like us, he wants to enjoy the comforts of home. I always feel guilty about leaving him when we go away, but traveling with a dog his size is next to impossible.

~Blessings, Mary~