Sunset

Sunset is my favorite time of the day. It's the time when another day comes to a close and the earth and most of it's inhabitants rest unless you work the night shift.

Festival Bay Mall Orlando, Fl

Lake Ariana Auburndale, Fl

Don't weep for me!

As I approached the door of my office this past Wed. Morning I was greeted outside by one of our sales managers in tears with the grim news. She told me one of our very own had passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack while on vacation with his family. He was a man in his 50's that I have known for the last 10 years.

As I sat in my office I could not help but think of receiving the very same news about my father while I was at work 3 years ago.

Then this thought came to me about Russ (Don't Weep for me!). I am not a poet but I felt something inside began to stir and I penned the words below. If you knew Russ you would agree this is what he would have said.

Don't weep for me!

Don't weep for me now that I am gone.
I have left this earth for my Heavenly home!

I left behind things undone
but this past week I had so much fun!

To my family at ISN
Thank you for being such wonderful friends!

When you walk in the office and down the aisle
Just remember that Russ Cunningham smile!

Take care of my customers and tell them not to be sad.
There was never a day in my life that was really bad!

I have finished my course and I have kept the faith.
Thank God for his Amazing Grace!

Tim P.

News of 1874

Butler County, Alabama

1-29-1874 Greenville Advocate

Robbery.--Mr. Hugh BLACK, living near Fort Dale, in this county, says his residence was entered on Tuesday night week by a thief, and money to the amount of $246 was taken from his pants, while lying on the bed in which he was sleeping. One hundred and ten dollars was in gold, the balance in United States currency. The thief took Mr. Black's horse and rode him some distance, and then turned him loose. The horse came back. Robberies are becoming frequent in this and surrounding neighborhoods. Keep your double barrel well-loaded with buck shot, and when you can, give the scoundrels a taste of lead.

Airborn

I took these pictures at Sea World in Orlando, Florida on April 14th, 2006.

Vegas Lights

For five years I was a product manager for the company I am currently employed by. One of the cool things that it included was a trip to Las Vegas every year for the Aapex and NACE tool shows. http://www.aapexshow.com/.

I am not a gambler but every time I went to Vegas I was intrigued by the millions of lights and the many great wonders down the 3 mile strip ! The city truly never sleeps. The only free time I would have was at night so I would walk down the strip taking in all of the beautiful sites.

I remember as a boy watching boxing matches live from Caesers Palace and to actually see it was totally awesome. I captured these photos the last time I was there in November 2003.

When you think of the desert you think of a hot place but it was usually chilly in Nov-Dec, ok it was downright cold for a Florida man. It was the one time I could count on wearing my leather jacket.

I only wish back then I would have had my Cannon S2 IS. These pictures were taken with my now retired Sony Cyber Shot DSC-P31.It had a whopping 2.0 mega pixels.I shouldn't be too hard on it because this is where I got the digital camera fever and I took a lot of photos with it.

Hot Air Balloon

I was on my way to work this past March. When I got to the end of my street and started to turn right I saw this hot air balloon just above the tree tops. I turned around and raced back to my house and grabbed my camera just in time for the balloon to be drifting by the side of my house. The balloon was from Fantasy of Flight which is about 8 miles from my house. This is a museum of old airplanes located off of I-4 between Tampa and Orlando Florida. You can actually take a Hot Air Balloon Ride. http://www.fantasyofflight.com/balloon.htm

The Transformation

I had an added bonus on Saturday. There was a caterpillar transforming into a chrysalis. In a matter of an hour it was a chrysalis. Two weeks ago I was working in my garden and I watched as a Monarch layed her eggs on the leaves of the milkweed. I counted 10 caterpillars this week. I hope to capture this Monarch when it's transformation is complete.







The Transformation Part I

The Transformation Part II

The Transformation Part III

Super Macro

I experimented with the super macro mode on my Cannon S2 this weekend. I went on a photo shoot in my butterfly garden on saturday morning. These are a few of the pictures I took.

I am hooked on this camera now!

Harmony

ET Wasp

Bug Work

Web Designer

Mushroom View

Bush Daisy

The Confrontation

The Peace Rose

My wife was going through a difficult time last year and I knew that she liked roses so I went by the local garden center after work and decided to take her home a rose bush. I searched through the rose bushes and I found one called the Peace Rose. I brought it home that night and told her I had brought some peace to her life! It made her night!

I planted it in view of our front porch and our large living room window. It has produced a lot of beautiful roses over the past year and we have enjoyed looking out the window and admiring them.

The History

Among the roses, the ‘Peace’ rose is unique. It has truly played a significant role in world peace. It was christened the day that Berlin fell in 1945. That same year, Dr. Ray Allen, secretary of the American Rose Society, arranged for each of the 49 delegations at the inaugural meeting of the United Nations in San Francisco to receive a bud vase with a single, long-stemmed ‘Peace’ rose. He attached the following note, “We hope the ‘Peace’ rose will influence men’s thoughts for everlasting world peace.”

On the fiftieth anniversary of the rose’s introduction, the firm responsible for its creation released some notes that Francis Meilland had recorded about the plant. He and his father were owners of Meilland, the legendary French rose firm. He wrote, “For all people of good will who love flowers and the rose in particular, it gives the opportunity to praise God with ‘Gloria Dei,’ (the name under which the rose was known in Germany) to conquer life with a smile—with ‘Gioia,’ (the name the Italian rose growers gave the plant) to wish for peace with ‘Peace,’ and for us it is an everlasting remembrance of Mme. A. Meilland.”

This is the most popular, best selling garden rose of all time. Over a hundred million have been sold.

The Gentle Rain

Almost always after pulling in the driveway I go over and look to see how it’s doing.
I came home from work on July the 12th of this year and there had been a gentle rain.
When I walked over to the bush this is what I saw. The pedals had gentle rain droplets resting on them and some almost ready to drop off. It was like God himself had painted a picture for me to admire. I got my camera to capture the moment! The picture speaks for itself!

Are you Ready?

Click on the link and watch closely!

http://www.youtube.com/v/SmLhyPjHVes

Trials and Faith in God in 1850

I found this old letter searching for some information about my family( he is not related to me) . This man can truly say he knows what trials are all about. The letter was written in 1850 to his Brother, sister, and nephew from him, so allow your mind to take you back 156 years ago. After I read this I thought why should I ever complain. What amazed me so much was his faith in God! I think you will agree we may have it rough sometime but this man carried a heavy heavy burden.



September 17th, 1850 Homer, Louisiana
Written to
Mr. Perlemon Pate
Murphysboro
Illinois
Dear Brother and Sister and Nephews
We once more take our pen in hand to inform you that we are all in tolerable health at this time hoping that when these lines reaches you they may find you all enjoying the same state of health and happiness. If I could see you I would say a great many things that I shall not attempt to right in this letter. I recieved a letter from you about the first of June that you had wrote last Winter which gave us great pleasure to hear from you all once more that you were all well and doing well and also that you hadn't forgotten us entirely as that is all we have heard from you in three years and if you are so lucky as to get this letter I want you to right me one this is the first time I have written to you in three years for which I ask your pardon and I hope you will forgive me my neglect knowing that he would be forgiven must forgive and may God give you a forgiving heart is my prayer for Christ sake who suffered and died for us all that we through him'might obtain eternal life. I said that we were all in tolerable health and so we are except on last Friday I was helping one of my neighbors raise a house and cut my foot very bad. I have not walked since, though I think it will get well soon as this is the fourth day and it looks in a healing condition. My dear Brother my only excuse for not writing to you often is the continual bad luck I have in my family. We have buried three of our children since we have been in this country and have had three born here. The first one we lost was little BAGLEY PAYTON PATE, was drowned on the 24th October 1842, he was the baby when we left Tennessee you know the next was ALFRED V. PATE on the 24th of October 1847 with out a moments warning he was called to eternity it was on Sunday evening he had been off some where in the neighborhood and come home just before sundown and without his dinner he asked his Mother for something to eat, she gave him some. The other children were out at the cotton house playing on the cotton it was now about sundown and his mother told him to go and tell the other children to come to their supper. He went Out there and told them He told BLAKE to make hast back and play with him on the cotton and when BLAKE went back he had grabbed a hole in the cotton some three feet deep about the size of a body and was in that hole head foremost and was dead. He had not been from the house more than a halfhour in good health so far as we know my Dear Brother you must try to imagine my feelings which I am writing you those berievements in my family for I right with a heart full of sorrows yet I have a hope when the last trumpet is sounded that we will meet again in a better world than this where parting is no more. My dear Brother I give glory to God who has given us hope beyond this veil of tears my dear Brother I don't want to hurt your feelings and I hope I shall not but I must speak the truth. We are all Methodist here in the spring of 1848. Myself, my wife and EMELINE all joined the church my wife as a professor of religion and myself and EMELINE as seekers and so we went on untill fall in September the camp meeting came on well I went there the day it commenced which was Thrusday the 27th of September and stayed untill it broke up and on Friday night about ten or eleven I felt that I got a hope of a better inheritance than the things of this vane world can give and through faith in Jesus I hope to get to heaven where parting is no more my Dear Brother I pray God that you and yours may meet us there. Brother pray for it you see this was in 1848. Well in July 1849 I took the fever I had a short spell and got about again in August I took the conjestive fever and I had a close call of it I lay eleven days without eating a mouth full I had two doctors waiting on me they both thought it a bad chance for me ever to recover but they still worked on for they said that there was some hope as long as there was life and I felt that the Lord Blest the means in the hands for I must confess I had gave up myself but Bless God I felt resigned. to his will. The Doctors gave me calomel every two hours for night and days before they broke the fever and when the fever left me I was badly salivated but I recovered so I could walk about the house a little and then took the chills and fever which lasted me untill February since then I have been in reasonable health and here I must tell you of another death in our family while I was sick and not able to get out of bed our little daughter JANE S. PATE took the fever and died the ninth day which was the 21st of September 1849 and dear brother these things seem for us to bear unless we are resigned to the will of God and I believe that all these earthly losses is our faith in heaven. We brought four children here and have but four yet I will give you their names: POLLY EMELINE, BLAKE THACKSTON, SARAH FRANCIS, PEMBROOK SUMMERETTE PATE. He is the youngest and was two years old the 29th of June last and he is some pumpkin I recon my wife is in better health than she was but her health is not good yet. Our daughter EMELINE made a profession of religion last Sunday at a protracted meeting that was held in the neighborhood the meeting a week we have very good crops in this country this year our cotton is first and it is thought is will bring form ten to fifteen cents a pound I think it will make ten bales this year if I can save it all but picking in cold weather is bad work, since I wrote to youlast we had our parish divided and the court house was located within five miles of my house and the town is called Homer We have a splendid brick court house there is six stores there and some fifty families in the place. When you right direct letter to Homer I reckon I had better quit so farewell to-
ANTHONY PATE

The Estates

There's never been a better place to grow your dreams. The rich soil of North Auburndale has become home to "The Estates of Auburndale," a new home community unlike any other you'll find in Central Florida. Take root at the Estates of Auburndale, a gated community with quality homes from the low $300's.

The Estates of Auburndale

A few Sundays ago my wife and I did something we use to do a lot and enjoy. We took a drive looking at new housing developments. We drove to "The Estates of Auburndale" It has been well advertised and featured in several articles. The land was carved out of an old Orange Grove. What at one time was a land of labor is now a land of beauty. When you drive down the highway and you come to the entrance to The Estates there is a big beautiful Stone wall with huge black gates that opens up to a winding road. It is dotted with a gorgeous landscape. As you drive in, on the right there is a big pond and a fountain shooting a spray of water twenty or thirty feet in the air.The back of the houses line the shore of this pond. As I looked ahead in front of me I saw flags along each side of the drive announcing Welcome to "The Estates" You could feel the excitment and the WOW. The homes start from the low $300's. We made the turn to the right and started admiring the well landscaped homes the big black sculptured street lights. Some homes had two stories with a balcony overlooking the street with a grand view of the neighborhood. It seemed as if this would be the perfect place to live.

There were some homes that were in various stages of construction. There were some empty lots. There was a model center that you could stop by and view all of the homes featured. You must keep in mind five years ago this was nothing more than an orange grove where wild animals, snakes, insects , wild vegetation among other things lived. Someone started visualizing this place in thier minds.

When you visit a community like this you forget for a moment about lifes many problems. Growing old vanishes. Troubled teens seem to be nowhere in sight. You don't think about death and diseases. You don't think about thieves. Divorce and marital troubles would seem impossible. It seems for a few moments that there is finally world peace. Our minds are brought to the illusion this would be the perfect place to live. How could you have any troubles? You have may been to places like this or may live in a place like it.

The Estates of Heaven

AS I excited The Estates I begin to think about another Estate called Heaven. Athiest would say it's a sheer imaginary place. They would try to convince you it could simply not be possible. John 14:2 Jesus said In my fathers house are many mansions:if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

Tonya Goodman use to sing this song

"Cant Feel At Home"

This world is not my home I'm just a passing through

My treasures and my hopes are all beyond the blue

Where many friends and kindred have gone on before

And I cant feel at home in this world anymore



Over in glory land there is no dying there

The saints are shouting victory there's singing everywhere

I hear the voice of them that I have heard before

And I cant feel at home in this world anymore



Oh lord you know I have no friend like you

If heaven's not my home oh lord what would I do

Angel's beckon me to heaven's open door

And I cant feel at home in this world anymore



Heaven's expecting me that's one I know

I fixed it up with Jesus a long time ago

He will take me through though I am weak and poor

And I cant feel at home in this world anymore



Oh I have a loving mother over in glory land

I dont expect to stop until I shake her hand

She's gone on before just waiting at heaven's door

And I cant feel at home in this world anymore

Where is your mansion going to be?

The Titanium Rib Picnic Aug 5th S.A. in honor of Dr. Melvin Smith

Mrs. Smith

Dr. Robert Campbell and Lacey

The Titanium Rib Staff

Amy the Tooth Fairy
www.toothfairypillow.net
A portion of every pillow purchased goes to the Titanium Rib Foundation

Dr. Smith loves to go diving

Please don't retire!

Charmane and Lacey checking out her new doll!

The Rib Kids and staff

Great picnic I love cotton candy

The Best Barbecue in Texas The World Famous County Line Barbecue on the River Walk S.A.

www.countyline.com

Lacey's Home

Lacey is out of the Hospital

Lacey's Surgery went well!

We made it to San Antonio

A Miracle Hug!

If you have read my previous post “Lacey’s Story” you know about her difficulties. 7 years ago this morning she was born. I have been so charged up for the past few days! God gave us a miracle that morning and the beginning of many! Our fears were GREAT and we didn’t know all that was going to happen. I vividly remember seeing her almost lifeless twisted form being rushed away to the small NICU unit. I remember the shock in our hearts and the disbelief. Her little body was hooked to tube after tube. The doctors in the little NICU unit had no explanation as to whether she would live or die or for that matter what to do. I remember sitting in a chair that day, my heart broke and my pastor saying you did the right thing. I remember the flight nurse from Tampa General Hospital coming into the room to take our little baby to their specialized NICU and telling my broken hearted wife don’t worry I will take good care of her and I promise I will call you when we get to Tampa.

We had a party for her this past Saturday at Chuck E Cheese and I don’t think there was another parent in that building that could have been more thankful for their child’s 7th birthday. Last night as I put her to bed she threw her little arms around my neck gave me a great big HUG and said “I Love you Daddy” my heart pounded with thanks to God for his miraculous power.

Give your family a HUG today and let them know how thankful you are for them.

Please keep Lacey in your prayers we will be flying to Texas next week. She has another surgery on her back August 8th.