A Ghost!

One thing I love to do is photograph old churches and cemeteries. First I take photos of all the gravestones and then I upload them to Find A Grave. Find A Grave is a great resource for individuals researching their family history or genealogy. FamilySearch is another great website to help you do family research. I could go on and on about doing your family history because it is a huge passion of mine. Anyways back to our little trip to this darling church one lovely day in February.

We were taking a drive in the country on the hunt for old, gnarly looking cemeteries. My family is so supportive of me while I pursue my goal to photograph every cemetery in Randolph County, NC. We happened upon this gem. Fairgrove Methodist Church was completed in 1902 and served the community until it closed in 1935. It has been maintained since 1936 by the Why Not Memorial Association. There is a very small cemetery in front of it with a much larger cemetery across the street.

 

When I was uploading the photographs to my computer later that night my jaw dropped. There in the bottom right pane of the window is a ghost or what appears to be a figure of a man or woman with a high white collar and dark clothing standing by the pulpit. My reflection is in the bottom left window pane. Below is the original photo along with two cropped copies of the photo. Seriously, there was nothing behind or to the side of me. 

By pressing my camera against the glass window panes I was able to get this shots of the inside of this quaint little church. 

Here is the pulpit that the ghost was standing by.

Lovely! 

As I tried to take a photo in the front windows I almost stepped down on these. It was a little creepy to see headstones laying down right next to my feet. Glad I looked down! Sad that they have been broken and never restored to their rightful place.

 

Obligatory photo at the back door of the church.

Wish all my doorknobs looked like this! 

 

The girls and I walked off to check out the church grounds. Braxton was still checking out the doorknob with Hotch. As he looked through the keyhole and played with the doorknob he somehow opened the locked door. The boys called us over to take a little peak inside before we shut the door again.

I was taking this photo of the back of the church and turned around to see Alyssa quietly laying in the grass under an enormous tree. 

 

Can't get enough of these kids!

 

Such a beautiful old church. 

What a wonderful day which was enhanced by the mystery ghost!

Driving in the Country

While taking a drive with the kids we spotted this gorgeous view. Thankfully, I had my camera so we could have a country photo shoot. Love all the hues of green and I swear it even smells green (if there is such a thing). 

The kids were being good sports especially since it was such a glorious spring day. Just love the little poses Delaney makes.

All along the back roads there are run-down or abandoned homes. Here is one of my favorites. It is a gem of a home with an amazing piece of property. Wish the owners would let us move in and fix it up to its former glory. Real shame to see such a beauty uninhabited and going to waste.

 

When spring comes all the trees get leaf buds the colors of fall leaves. It is quite amazing to behold! Love seeing the many hues of red and orange before the beautiful green leaves develop.

I was admiring the view out my rear view mirror and decided to take a photo of it. (Pardon the bird droppings on the front windshield.) Then my little stinkers popped up into my photos. They thought they were so hilarious!

Every time we see cows, horses, sheep, goats, chickens, etc. everyone turns and points. Being the city slickers that we are, farm animals are still such an excitement for us. Asheboro, North Carolina, the "big city" out here in the country, only has a population of 25,012 which is spread over 15.4 square miles. Randolph County, North Carolina is beautiful, but very rural with a population of 141,752 spread over 790 square miles (as of the 2010 census). It is very different from where Hotch and I grew up in Santee, CA with a population of 53,143 spread over 16.53 square miles in San Diego County, California with a population of 3,095,313 that covers 4,525.52 square miles (as of the 2010 census).

There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. -Unknown

As hard as it has been to live here in NC being surrounded by such incredible countryside has made it much more tolerable.

Jane Eyre

Two weeks ago Alyssa finished the novel, Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë. Jane Eyre happens to be one of my favorites. I have fond memories of riding my bike up and down my street while reading the entire novel. Each day as Alyssa progressed through the novel she would be so excited to tell me all about the plot and characters. There were many days that included hours of reading because she just couldn't put it down. It was neat watching my daughter fall in love with Jane Eyre just as I had as a girl.

Here are the PDF resources we used while studying the novel, Jane Eyre, and its author, Charlotte Brontë.

The Glencoe Literature Library: Study Guide for Jane Eyre

A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre

Miras International School's Study Guide: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (free ebook can be downloaded as PDF)

Alyssa, our resident artist, drew these beautiful pictures of the main characters in the novel. Love her rendition of Jane! She seems full of strength and confidence.

The only thing missing from her original drawing was the fact that Jane and Mr. Rochester were not together. I asked her to draw another picture with them at the end of the novel. Love this!

One of the most cherished aspects of motherhood for me has been the opportunity to share my love of books and fine literature with my children. I am so grateful that Alyssa has also developed the same passion.