Monday, July 4, 2016

The Land of the Free

Independence Day is the perfect time to stop and reflect on how fortunate we are to live in this great country of ours. 

Thank you to all those men and women who risk their lives so that I may live in this beautiful country. 

Our troops, our police, our firemen...all standing proud and brave in this land of the free. 


And although there are many places I'd like to visit in my lifetime, there's no place I'd rather live than in the USA. 

In particular, my little heaven on the mountain top. 

Sweetie called this morning to see if I wanted to go for a little cruise around the mountain top. 

Why not? The chores that I put off yesterday will still be there when I get back!


We started at my Sweetie's house, in the heart of the village, where his flags were flying and the roses in full bloom. 

My sweetie works hard on his property, and it shows. Gorgeous! 


I headed to the front of the house to photograph the roses, and Sweetie brought the car up front to pick me up. 

A day like today is the perfect day for a spin through the gorgeous countryside in a cherry red convertible with a handsome man...don't you think?

I am truly blessed. 


Our area is so picturesque, and I never grow tired of the views. This is our 'main' street, heading out of the village. Just lovely!


I was taking all these photos from a moving vehicle, so excuse the quality, I just couldn't help myself, the photos were begging to be taken!

In between snapping photos, I was enjoying immensely the sun warm on my face and the wind in my hair. 


At one time there were many large farms dotting our landscape. Now, there are many barns still standing, but few working farms. 

It's sad, isn't it? The American farmer was the backbone of our country in days gone by. 


This old barn may not be in use for farming any longer but it's obviously still well loved, with a coat of red paint and a window box planted in front. 


It couldn't have been easy on farmers in our terrain, with all the rocks and hills....and the short growing season. I'm sure they struggled, and it was anything but an easy life. 


This gorgeous country church caught my eye - the rolling hills around the church were beautifully groomed, and the church is so well cared for. Wouldn't this be such a lovely church for a wedding?


The creeks run through the valleys between the mountain peaks, and we spotted quite a few folks enjoying the local swimming holes today. 

What a wonderful way to spend a gorgeous summer's day!

But, alas, the respite is over as I have some laundry calling my name, as is the dishwasher that needs to be unloaded. The veggie garden needs weeding, and I'll be picking and prepping some greens and peas for our supper. A garden salad with rotisserie chicken and a fresh herb vinaigrette. Light and simple for a hot summer's day. 

How did you spend your Fourth of July?

28 comments:

  1. Those pics are beautiful slices of Americana! What a fabulous way to spend the day. My day includes cleaning out and organizing my shed, spending time with friends and family for a cookout and watching fireworks. So nice to have a bonus day off!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My day included some chores later in the day, but it was sure nice to have that time just cruising around!

      Delete
  2. This is the perfect day for cou ting our blessings.
    We celebrated the holiday early (yesterday) because
    of airline schedules so today we are seeing everyone
    Off and eating yummy left-overs from yesterday.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nothing wrong with that - and now you don't have to cook!

      Delete
  3. What a beautiful collection of pictures! I got to spend the day visiting with my daughter, always a treat.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow, what a gorgeous view you have. So glad you were able to take some time to enjoy your surroundings. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else either.

    ReplyDelete
  5. So beautiful. What a great day and such beauty around you. Glad your 4th week end was spent with your handsome guy and open car and beautiful scenery. Ahhh doesn't get any better than that.
    Have a great new week.
    Kris

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You better believe it, Kris - no better way to spend a sunny summer's day!

      Delete
  6. As you said, the chores can wait, as summer is the time to take many breaks and smell the roses (and take a few pictures).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yes, for certain! I'll have to settle for smelling my sweetie's roses for now as mine are not yet blooming....something ate the buds off one!

      Delete
  7. The pictures are beautiful. sounded like a wonderful day. I pulled some weeds, then we went uptown for a few festivities then back home for some grilling out. Didnt see one firework but could hear them everywhere.
    Lisa

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I ended my day by pulling weeds....it probably would have been better to get them out of the way first, huh, Lisa? :)

      Delete
  8. Ahhh, you live in a beautiful place! Thanks for the ride. For the 4th....we had family over and grilled chickens, swam in the lake and rode in the boat. It sure was a hot one, too!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Happy Independence Day, although a day late. Love all of the photos.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Dayle! Same to you - hope it was a good weekend!

      Delete
  10. Love your pictures, and love those farm houses. It's pretty amazing to think of all the hard work done. We have stone walls on the borders of our property for acres and I'm amazed that they got those rocks there just with manual labor. My back hurts just thinking about it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't it amazing, Pamela - the stone walls around here are incredible, also....of course, I'm always grabbing stones off the wall to edge my gardens but oh well!

      Delete
  11. What beautiful countryside you live in! Thanks for sharing. Your sweetie's rose covered fence is beautiful!

    Enjoy your week ~ FlowerLady

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It sure is, Lorraine - he has a lovely house and beautiful grounds!

      Delete
  12. What a beautiful area you live in! Looks like your BF has some beautiful property himself...and those views as you were driving were stunning. Here in IL, we don't see too many mountains, lol.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He does have beautiful property, Melanie - not as private as mine, but a lovely home for sure!

      Delete
  13. The first thing I noticed in your photos was the clean, mountain air! We have ozone alerts nearly every day here along with high temps and heat index from 104-110. Unfortunately, we have brutal summers! I always say I'm going to go to Colorado and just sit on a rock and enjoy the scenery and cooler air. :)

    Your photos are beautiful! I'm glad you had such a lovely drive and a great guy with you.

    xo
    Pat

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We are having a couple of hot days right now, but even now, the temps are in the mid eighties as a high, and still drop down to 60 at night. We're fortunate that we don't get the 'hot and hazy' that I used to deal with down in the city. I love my mountains!!

      Delete

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking time out of your busy day to leave a comment...I truly love reading your comments and I try to respond to each and every one of your sweet comments right here on my blog page!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
09 10