The Bridge of Catawba County

Remember the book "The Bridges of Madison County"? And then there was the movie. Ever since, I have wondered if there any covered bridges in North Carolina. After church this morning and wondering what to do with the rest of the day, I asked Tim this question. Looking online, the answer was a resounding yes. There are many in this state. There's a covered bridge right here in town, but it is not that old. We wanted an old one.

In Catawba County, about an hours drive west, there sits a beautiful, old covered bridge. What a wonderful surprise.

And it's even designated as an historical landmark.

So I did my Meryl Streep pose in front of the bridge.

It's great to discover these wonderful North Carolina treasures. There must be so many more out there if we just look hard enough.

Guest post

Hi everyone! My name is Sophie and I am Linda's dog. She's out of the house right now so I'm taking this opportunity to get on the computer. She doesn't know I can do this - so don't tell her. I even have my own email which is really fun.

The reason I wanted to make a post today is to surprise Linda with a Happy Birthday message. I also want to make up for some of the mischief I get into. Sometimes Linda gets a little put out with me whenever I go into the "antique room" and grab the little white bear and run around with it in my mouth. I just love to do that, but I think it irks her sometimes. I just can't help it; it's so much fun to watch the expression on her face when I do this.

Linda is a wonderful master and I'm just crazy about her. She is the best caretaker ever. She treats me like a princess which is fine because that's what I am. I hope Tom isn't jealous.

So, Linda, Happy Birthday! You are the best, "Barr" none. (cute pun, huh?)

p.s. If you want to email me, my address is:
2cutedoggie@yummybones.com

Today

Happy Memorial Day from our house to yours.

A very nice gesture from our local Chick-Fil-A ... today they are giving free hand spun milkshakes to all veterans.

Dedicated to Chris

Top this, Oprah

AK Camping

We spent last week here at Lake Catherine State Park in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas. It's a great park and has the beautiful views we love--trees, mountains, and a lake. We did have some rain driving in and then one night. Other than that (and a few chigger bites on me) we had a wonderful time.

I may have wrote about this before...we always laugh at many of the campers we see along the way. They pull into the park and one of the first things they do is set up their satellite dish like the one in the picture above. Then you never see the people again. They stay inside their camper and watch tv. We bring our books, listen to music, and hike through out our stay. TV is for the house!

At the park, you can rent a camp. They will provide this tent with beds inside and a few other camping necessities. Hey Tom and Linda, how about we book this for you the next time we go up there?

We took a trip into Hot Springs and looked around the downtown area. This is Bath House Row and the Buckstaff Bath House is the only one still in operation. We had toured all of these on a previous trip several years ago and found it all very interesting.

I'm sure we will be returning to Arkansas in the future. I think seeing all the trees in the fall would be very pretty.

Character analysis

At the next family reunion I am bringing this machine to test the character of all the Barrs.

I do have some bumps on my head. I wonder what that will say about my character? Maybe it depends on the location of the bumps.

(this is an ad from a 1931 issue of Modern Mechanics and Inventions magazine)

Roots, good soil and then wings

The sermon today at the early church service was good. Of course it was a Mother's Day Theme. Our senior minister, Dr. Graves, said children need roots. Then they need good soil for those roots to grow. Then we need to give our children wings - to fly out into the world on their own. How true.

Motherhood can be a tough job, but so very rewarding and with so many blessings.

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers.

Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.
Unknown

Flashback Friday

Meet Patience Gina. She was born at Baby Land General Hospital in Cleveland GA. Her "father" was Xavier Roberts. She was adopted by Tim's mom in March of 1984 when she and Art made a special trip to the hospital for this very reason. She is a real Cabbage Patch Kid from the real creator. There are papers to go along with her.

Of course we could not put her in the yard sale. But we really don't know what to do with her. She certainly is no trouble at all, so I'm sure we'll keep her and let her be.

Has it really been that long since the Cabbage Patch craze? The Newsweek magazine included with her papers is dated December 1983. Seems like only yesterday.

Baseball

We took a trip up to Frisco today to watch the Rough Riders (AA minor league for the TX Rangers) play ball. The morning started out rainy but by game time the rain had left and it was a bit overcast and pleasant. It being an 11:00 start on a weekday meant a small crowd which was okay with us.

The fellow on the right who we saw out at the park today is Jon Daniels, General Mgr of the TX Rangers. Jon became their mgr. at age 28 (youngest ever in major league baseball) and could be our youngest child.

Before the start of the game, Navy Seals parachuted from a plane and landed on the field. It was an awesome sight.

And lo and behold I came back to my seat to discover one of the team mascots flirting with my husband.

*

We had a great day at the game and the Rough Riders made it worth while by beating San Antonio 10-6!

Oprah Hook Up

Oprah did a "Hook Up" show today. Click here to get hooked up to free coupons for grilled chicken dinners at KFC. You have until tomorrow night to print the coupons.

Bon Appetit