chick-chatt

I drove north on I-75 in Georgia a couple of weeks ago.  Just before the Tennessee border, I turned off of the interstate, drove a short distance and stopped at the Chickamauga-Chattanooga  National Battlefield.  This park is operated by the National Park Service.  Inside the headquarters I was able to read about the history of this area and the importance it played in the War Between the States.  There is a very nice driving tour that can be taken throughout the park grounds.  Monuments and buildings of importance are featured along the route.  The day I visited the park there was an authors symposium focusing on General Braxton Bragg of the southern army.  History buffs loaded with books for the authors to autograph were in attendance at the day long event.  Two battles--Chickamauga and Chattanooga--were fought in this part of Georgia and Tennessee and there are several locations within the park, open to visitors, that pertain to the various battle sites.  They are all located within a relatively short driving distance of each other.  This is another beautifully maintained park that is part of the national park system.  "Came for the history, stayed for the beauty."

kennesaw

I've started my way north for the summer.  Before leaving the Atlanta area I visited Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in Cobb County, Georgia.  Operated by the National Park Service, the park is most associated with the battle that took place here in June of 1864.  This location was the last line of defense by the southern army in their attempt to keep the Union troops from marching toward Atlanta.  The battle line was broken and the northern army moved on to Atlanta.  

The maps and diagrams on display in the park headquarters showed where each fighting unit was stationed and how their movements lead to the breaks in the lines of defense.  The topography of the land played an extremely important roll during the battle with its natural walls formed by the mountains, hills and vallys.  There is a hiking path that leads to the top of Kennesaw Mountain and it begins near the headquarters.  Visit the national parks.  They're yours to enjoy.

sleeping gorilla

I had the opportunity to go to the San Diego Zoo recently and I came across this very sleepy fellow.  He looked so comfortable just laying there.  Nothing (and no one) seemed to bother him.  shhhhh

pretty flower

I came across this pretty flower on my walk one morning.  I do like a pretty flower.  I had not seen this type of flower before.  The blooms were perfectly arranged on the plant.  Again, very pretty.

balloon house

This is how to celebrate your birthday.  Tie balloons to your house.  Give it an "UP" look.  There were lots more balloons attached to the house than the picture shows but this will give you the idea of what was going on.  Come fly away!

house of blues

This is how I spent Mother's Day.  I went to the House of Blues in San Diego for the gospel brunch.  Very good food and great entertainment made for a fun filled afternoon.  All mom's and those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries were invited to come onto the stage and join in the singing and dancing during one of the numbers.  The stage was filled with happy people just enjoying the moment.  What a day!

where the Easter lilies go (grow)

I passed this garden on my way to my sister's house.  The lilies were planted along the road next to a church.  I came back later to get a better view of the flowers and stay a bit and enjoy the flowers.

I'm pretty sure these beautiful lilies were once displayed in the sanctuary of the church on Easter morning and after services were over, the remaining flowers were planted in the church garden.  This appears to be what took place over a number of years as the garden has grown to cover a large area.  How wonderful that these lilies have grown back each Spring and bloomed in unison creating a beautiful lily garden along the roadway.  Forever gorgeous.