Monarch Wings

Wherever we are, it is but a stage on the way to somewhere else, and whatever we do, however well we do it, it is only a preparation to do something else that shall be different.
 ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

A Resting Ruby

Happiness is not a state to arrive at, but a manner of traveling. 
Margaret Lee Runbeck
 

Savour The Delight

Let us savour the swift delights of the most beautiful of our days!
~Alphonse de Lamartine

Large Wood Nymph

Light tomorrow with today.
 ~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Thanks to Joan at Appalachian Journal for the ID on this butterfly.

Sacred Moments

We inhabit ourselves 
without valuing ourselves, 
unable to see that
here, now, this very moment is sacred;
but once it's gone - its value is incontestable.

~Joyce Carol Oates

Eden Is Right Outside

Eden is that old-fashioned house 
we dwell in every day
Without suspecting our abode, 
until we drive away.
~Emily Dickinson

Summer Yearning

The pure, the beautiful, the bright,
That stirred our hearts in youth,
The impulse to a wordless prayer,
The dreams of love and truth,
The longings after something lost,
The spirit's yearning cry,
The strivings after better hopes,
These things can never die.
~Sarah Doudney

Doing Our Best

 

A Beautiful Morning

 I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple
things of life which are the real ones after all.
~Laura Ingalls Wilder

A Place in The Shade

Everything needs a break.

~  Toba Beta

Thoughts

Webs Over the Pond

Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows.
~Helen Keller

Just a Sip

What we see depends mainly on what we look for. 
~John Lubbock

After the Rain - Hummingbird Moth

I found a nice surprise on my deck after a brief rain.....

A Hummingbird Moth. 
These creatures are quite interesting!

I LOVE their wings! 

My Idea Of Happiness

A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them; then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbor — such is my idea of happiness.

~ Leo Tolstoy

On the Milkweed

 Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. 

- Nathaniel Hawthorne

Natural Bridge

During one of our "Stay-cations" Hubby and I did a bit of semi-local
sight seeing. We visited 6 wineries and a brewery located
around Afton Virginia in Nelson county.
And we couldn't pass up Natural Bridge in Rockbridge County.
I was quite impressed by its size. It is 215 feet high!

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Wilderness is a Necessity

A bench along a trail during on of our hikes.  There were
many of these benches spread out along the trail...which was QUITE ROCKY.
It is lovely being outside and enjoying nature!

On our left was Stony Creek...and there were LOTS of rocks in it too.

What a wonderful day!

Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity… 

- John Muir

Dragons Don't Scare Me Anymore

As a child I was really scared of dragonflies.
Now I see nothing but beauty! They are such unique creatures!

The best way to gain self-confidence is to do what you are afraid to do. 

~ Swati Sharma

Abbott Lake at Peaks of Otter

During one of our StayCations - Hubby and I visited another spot on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The Peaks of Otter. This is take from Abbott Lake looking toward Sharp Top Mountain - elevation 3862 ft.
More info on Peaks of Otter: HERE

There is a one mile hiking trail around the Lake.

A view from the hiking trail.

At the end of the trail, a wonderful bench to
sit on and take in all of the beauty.

Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by  going to fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.
~ Eddie Cantor