Day 103.  I know that I shouldn't post a picture of some one else's child, but I think it is ok because his identity is hidden.  We had our annual Fall Carnival tonight.  There was a great turn out and every one had a fun time and went home with a  lot of candy.  I think that it is a wonderful way to have fun on Halloween without being out on the streets.  As a child I had so much fun going around the neighborhood and getting candy in my bucket.  I didn't always have the best costume, but we managed to come up with something.  Adults stayed home to pass out candy and the streets were full of kids.  Few cars were on the streets, and mischief was limited to a couple of high school kids and everyone knew who they were.  What a different world we live in today.  I don't think I would be comfortable with my kids out roaming the streets with their friends at night.  Even the ones that are out tonight have a parent close by, watching.  So, we will stick to the safety of having a great time at the church with lots of friends and fun.   

Day 102.  You know that the sun rises and sun sets in the Texas Panhandle are spectacular, but, did you know about the moon rises.  Yes, that's right, the moon rises.  I've been watching the moon for a week now and haven't had the chance to be at the right place at the right time to get a good shot.  And then tonight, there it was.  It was so cool watching it come up over the horizon and catching it in pictures.  I believe that one day I will look up at a scene much like this but instead of the moon or the sun it will be the son of God coming through the clouds.  And every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. 

Day 101.  Super storm Sandy is hitting the upper east coast tonight.  A cold front colliding with a tropical storm on the night of a full moon.  It is "Frankenstorm".  I'm glad I'm not there.  Isn't it just like nature to wait until people get things built and settled, and then come along and show us what real power is.  I pray that the people there will be safe.  But, like the spider's web, it will be rebuilt.  God created us with a tenacious personality that leads us to carry on and rebuild even when circumstances are against us.  We don't give up and thanks be to God, we don't have to.  

Day 100.  This is a picture of the picnic and swimming area at a local lake.  I went there this morning just to walk around and take pictures.  The weather was perfect and I was the only one there.  I know the water is to cold to swim, but it is still a great place to go.  On one side there is a small dock going out on the water and it gives a great perspective of this little valley.  So, I went out on this dock and snapped a few quick shots.  I had my glasses up on my head out of the way of the viewfinder.  Everything was going great until I reached up to get my glasses and knocked them off of my head.  It all happened in slow motion.  It was like a slinky on the stairs. I caught them, and caught them, and then caught them again, and still they rolled right out of my hands.  They hit the water out of my reach, and sat there just long enough for me to say goodbye.  And these weren't my sunglasses.  Luckily I still have my old glasses.  A little  scratched and blurry but they will work for now.  Ironically, as I was walking around I found a pair of glasses that looked like they fell in the lake about ten years ago and now they are just part of the landscape.  Still, it was a pretty good morning.  

Day 99.  There are three horses that live in the pasture behind our house.  They used to come by every afternoon and the kids would go out and feed them an apple or carrots.  They were always friendly and very gentle.  Lately they haven't been coming close to the houses and when they do they are aggressive and almost mean.  A man down the street told me that someone has been teasing them.  What a shame.  I won't let my kids feed them anymore because they have started biting.  We had a dog when Matthew was little that was just the best dog, until the kids next door started poking him with sticks and throwing rocks at him.  He became viscous to anyone who came to the fence.  People are no different.  If you pick at them they will get hurt and then even be mean.  And the one who does the picking won't understand it.  Why do we bite and devour one another, when we are supposed to have compassion.  Jesus even went so far as to say that we should love our enemies.  When was the last time you saw a Christian with that kind of compassion.  What a shame.

Day 98.  If wishes were horses then beggars would ride.  Or, how about, if wishes were fishes then the sea would be full.  But, wishes are usually just flights of fancy and seldom come true.  We used to say that if you took a dandelion puff and blew the seeds into the wind, made a wish, and one of the seeds traveled around the world then your wish would come true.  I think there is just as much of a possibility of that seed traveling around the world as there is for most wishes to come true.  And yet, we planted more dandelions than I would care to admit to.  I guess in a way I still wish for the impossible.  I wish people would learn what manners are.  I wish they would be more courteous.  And, I wish parents would teach their children how to be young ladies and gentlemen.  But alas, all I can do is teach my own children, and pray for the rest.  Wishes may be just seeds in the wind but prayer works.

Day 97.  I wanted to take a picture of the two oak trees that I wrote about some time back.  I keep waiting to see the leaves changing colors, and they aren't.  The other trees around the neighborhood are already turning yellow or losing their leaves.  Anyway, I went out to check and when I saw that they were still green, I looked around for another shot.  Sitting in a large evergreen tree was this robin.  He just sat there and watched me.  So I decided to take his picture.  He was pretty far up in the tree so I was able to get close to the tree before he flew away.  As I looked around even more I noticed that there was another bird just sitting and watching, then I saw another.  It doesn't matter where I go there is always a pair of eyes watching me.  Several years ago there was a very popular song that said God is always watching from a distance.  I disagree.  He is very near to us while He watches.