Visiting Pets

When people find out we do not have children, their next question is almost always, "Do you have pets?" This always seems strange to me. It's as if they believe that having an animal in one's home would be a natural replacement for a child.

Well, regardless of the rationale behind the question, the answer is, "No, we do not have pets." That is, we don't have pets that we own or that are constrained to our home or our property. We actually do have many animals that visit with us on a regular basis, though, and we enjoy them. At any given time you might find any of the following in our backyard: deer, turkeys, squirrels, foxes, ground hogs, rabbits, lizards, skinks, snakes, toads, tree frogs, turtles or a wide variety of birds.

We like to watch them all. We also like to take photos of them. Here are a few shots of some of our "visiting pets".

Our Favorite Things

Anyone who knows us knows that we are not really motivated by material possessions or prestige. We live modestly and enjoy simple things. Our greatest love is the outdoors. The intricacy and profound beauty of God's creation never ceases to amaze me!

We love mountains and trees and rocks and things, and we are avid hikers -- which is one of the primary reasons why we live in the beautiful state of Tennessee! Below are a couple of photos that were taken on our most recent visit to Tellico Plains, TN. We drove across the Cherohala Skyway and did some hiking along the way.

Off and Blogging!

Well, here we go -- off into the the wild world of blogging!

This is really just a test post, but we will soon be sharing our latest adventures, photos, rants, unsolicited opinions, etc.