0 Lonely Cries, Lonely Cries
In the air there’s a feeling of loneliness
Wearing clothes tattered and torn
Hear them say, “can you spare for me a dime?”
City sidewalks, busy side walks
Crowded streets, children crying, people hurrying
Meeting frown after frown
And on the street corner, you’ll hear
“Can you spare for me a dime?”
An ambulance with strobes of lights flickers red, blue, and white
With nowhere to call home, here lies another unknown.
By Richard Smith
On this particular day, My journey starts at Newport News Park, in Newport News, VA. The park offers a 5.3 mile, hard-packed gravel, bike loop beginning at the Campsite Office. The path is fairly well shaded with an overhead canopy from beautiful trees. About half- way through the loop, a placard on the trail indicates George Washington’s Headquarters.
If you decide to further your bike ride another 5.6 miles and back, this loop crosses into the Colonial National Historical Park, in Yorktown, VA which leads to George Washington’s Headquarters, this route is mostly flat and wide wooded trails and some paved one lane roads.
Gravel bikers, mountain bikers, and hikers will see ramparts still in place from battles past.
This section is known as the French Artillery Park, it was an open field where the French established its ordinance depot. Damaged pieces where brought here for repairs.
I biked a little further on the trail, wondering where this will lead me. My bike computer reads I am six miles into my unknown journey. I thought, should I turn around or keep on. About 20 yards ahead of me, I got spooked when two deer ran in front of me; not knowing if there were more, I stopped and took out my iPhone ready to take a picture, but I didn’t see any. My history lesson continues as another placard appears.
A little further on the trail was Daboville’s Headquarters. It is difficult for me to visualize this area was inhabited and with plantation buildings.
On one side of the gravel road, stands a lonely marker, known as the Essex Lodge Cemetery. It is dedicated to the memory of those who rest here. The forebear’s and descendants of Thomas Wynn. Host of General George Washington, October 1781.
This simple cross is thought to mark the burial place of about 50 unidentified French soldiers killed during the Siege of Yorktown.
Now, I am off onto a beaten path; where I see a group of turkeys. There are a dozen or more, but as biked closer most of them scattered into the brambles. I took a picture, but I only could photograph two turkeys.
I hope you all enjoyed gravel bike ride through history. Comments are welcomed.
A lonely sparrow stands high on a tree to search for his mate. With a shrill pitch sound, he desperately sings a lonely song, that can be heard all around. In the distance an echo he hears, the happy sparrow tilts its head from side to side, he spreads his wings and flies to meet his love so dear.
This is a photo I took, that inpired me to write the avove paragraph. I hope you all enjoy. Comments are welcome
Disc Golf has several health benefits for all ages and for players of any level of fitness. This activity is a work out for the upper and lower body, concentration skills, and heart health. Disc golf isn’t an intense physical activity, but a moderate workout. It will increase your heart rate, blood flow, enhanced brain stimulation, and improve balance.
Throwing the disc will use the muscles in the back, chest, shoulder, and triceps. In order to throw the disc for greater distance, the power comes from your ability to generate a torque through your hips and trunk rotation. This will give the power for your arm to fling the disc through the air to reach your goal.
The muscles in the legs and feet will assist your upper body to help propel and retrieve the disc. The leg muscles and feet gives that extra push for the upper body to initiate the control and flight of the disc. Since this game is played out doors in various types of terrain, ground, and woods, your leg and feet muscles will have both a moderate to intense work out. You not only work your body, but it is the power of focusing one’s attention.
This sport is a game of concentration. Focusing on your form and control of placing your disc is a mental workout. Once you accomplish this, you will become more confident with your game. In accordance with a 90 minutes of walking through a natural environment showed a lowered amount of neural activity in the area of the brain.
Some people call it natures therapy. It gets you outside and gives you fresh air, The trees, water and peaceful surrounding of nature will help reduce stress and anxiety. Disc golf discs are designed specifically for only throwing and not catching.
While in Lancaster, PA, my wife and I toured the Amish area. Through our tour guid, we learned about the passion and purpose, which inspires these Godly people. Their Christian spirituality is the framework that sets their lifestyle.
The picture below show mules that are the power force to pull the plows, hay wagons, balers, hay cutters, and wagons through the acres of farm land.
Tractors often must be adapted for off-road use only, lest they provide the opportunity to go too far from home. This usually means steel tires rather than rubber.
The Amish look to God for help in this dangerous world. When they are face with problems, their first instinct is to pray rather than to seek a quick fix. They learned patience; they feel demanding a quick fix signals a lack of trust in God.
I hope you enjoyed this little article and have an opportunity to tour and visit an Amish community.
When looking at the Angel Oak Tree, it’s like a walk through a mystical time period. Spots of hazy, heavenly, light shows its beams through the leaves onto the branches. I expected nymphs and winged fairies to flitter under the huge canopy of the massive oak tree. This centuries-old tree continues to grow near a dirt road that leads to the Angel Oak tree; which is surrounded amongst many Low Country trees.
The Angel Oak tree is located on St. Johns Island, about twelve miles south from downtown Charleston, NC. When I saw the Angel Oak Tree in 2019, it is free admission. There just aren’t many free places to stop, and this is one that is definitely worthwhile.
This peculiar tree is said to be one of the oldest living oak trees east of the Mississippi River. Arborists estimates the Angel Oak tree is 400 to 500 years old. Several reasons for the Angel Oak’s longevity is its natural hardiness, long taproot, and widespread root systems, that anchors the tree deep into the ground. This is how it has survived natures elements of winds, storms, earthquakes, and hurricanes through-out the centuries. It does show scars from natures elements; but the old oak tree still stands strong and brave.
The uniqueness of the tree is that it grows both up and out. Its massive, twisted, and gnarled branches reach out like tentacles from a giant monster. It’s said, by tour guides, the tree stands 66.5 ft (20 ml), the trunk measures 28 ft (8.5m) in circumference and produces shade that covers 17,200 feet (1,600 m2).
Local folklore tells of another source for the name of the tree; ghosts of former slaves are said to appear as angels around the tree.
In her Ghosts and Legends of Charleston, Denise Roffe interviewed a woman descended from the slaves who toiled on the island’s plantations. She recounted the legends of the tree, including that it was once home to huge birds (likely vultures) who fed on the bodies of lynched slaves. The old woman continued saying that many people were buried under the tree including Native Americans who met under its shady branches. She stated that these spirits still gather around the oak and that they also work to protect the tree.
Recorded history traces the ownership of the live oak and surrounding land to year 1717. When Abraham Waight received it as part of a small land grant, the tree stayed in Waight’s family for four generations, and was part of a marriage settlement to Justus Angel and Martha Waight Tucker Angel. The Angel Oak tree is now owned by the City of Charleston and has become the focal point of a public park.
Many weddings and engagements take place under the canopy of this beautiful historical tree.
On our one-day bus tour, we arrived at the Jefferson Hotel a luxury hotel located in Richmond, VA, opened in 1895. In 1969, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Not only is the Jefferson Hotel known for its authentic opulence, it has become synonymous with its extraordinary dining, breathtaking architecture and flawless service. This is what we saw as we entered the hotel. The photo to the right is the rear view.
You can see the stairs that led us to our dining area. This particular day a group of school children sang Christmas carols as we journeyed up the stairs to our tables.
We did not stay in the hotel rooms, but we did enjoy the feel of luxury. We had a great luncheon with our bus group of 50 spread across five tables (10 each to a table). We sat on the second tier of the rotunda which gave us a birds eye view of the plush, phenomenal décor of statues, columns and paintings.
We were instantly served a mixed salad with a house dressing. After we finished the salad, the servers brought our meal, a choice of salmon or pork tenderloin, garlic mashed potatoes, assorted vegetables, and warm rolls. My thick salmon was garnished with a lemon sauce that seeped through the salmon. My taste buds savored every bit of this fine cuisine. Desert was a cheesecake garnished with fresh strawberries and whipped cream along with a choice of coffee or tea.
It is beautiful every day of the year, but exceptionally stunning during the Christmas season with its beautiful Christmas display of ornaments, an ideal time to visit the Jefferson Hotel.
These very common small birds are friendly birds and are often surrounded by half a dozen or more of its kind. During cold winter months they feed on seeds and grains. In the spring, summer and fall they feed on insects, flies and mosquitoes. Normally sparrows are noticed in joyful conditions, sing musically and chatterers about the day’s business. There are times a sparrow will mourn; this only happens when the bird’s mate has been killed or its nest and young is destroyed. Although some people may consider them a nuisance and of no monetary value, but accordance to the Bible in the days of Jesus, these tiny birds were an article of commerce as they are now in the Far East.
Eastern Song Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Your comments are appreciated
1kayaker 