Every once in a while, someone will ask where I want to retire. Well, I don’t think I ever will. But years from now if I do slow down, this location would be in my top five choices to live. It is a piece of property overlooking a train trestle outside of the city of Toccoa. Beyond the ridge and somewhat to the right is where Toccoa Falls is located. In the early 1900′s, Southern Railway engineer David Fant would drive his engine across this trestle each day on his run from Atlanta to cities and stops in South Carolina. Whenever he crossed it, he always blew the train’s whistle. Why? To remind the people at the college that he was praying for them. What an awesome reminder of faithful friendship! His love for the college lasted many, many years. (tfchistory.com/photos/haddock-inn)

It only takes a moment to capture the real Cocoa, who is forever watching for what will happen next.

Sometimes, I just jump in the car and drive to Toccoa Falls to do photography. The falls (186 feet high–34 feet higher than Niagara) is located on the campus of Toccoa Falls College, which rests on more than 1,100 acres of mostly woodland. One of the college’s closest neighbors is the National Forest. Usually it is a quiet place to get away, but this was not the case early Monday morning.

At 2:30 am tragedy struck as fire broke out at Gate Cottage—a historical building located on the side of Toccoa Creek at the opening to the gorge that contains the falls. This familiar building had welcomed visitors for nearly seventy years. It also housed the faculty for the college’s school of Counseling. While it was a total loss, college officials have vowed to rebuild it along with a new building that will include classrooms and office space for displaced faculty members.

The fire still smoldered late Tuesday afternoon.

Normally, this building would be filled with visitors browsing through the gift shop and getting ready to walk the short distance to Toccoa Falls.

The weather cooperated and we stayed dry. It was also pretty warm so we could stroll through the rows of dealers at Scott’s Antique Market. One fellow came up to me and wanted to know if I had been there since early that morning. When I answered no, he went on to tell me that a group of photographers from Martha Stewart’s Living magazine had been there earlier taking photos. Guess we can look for photos of Scott’s to end up in one of her upcoming magazines. “No,” I answered him. “I’m just taking photos for my blog.”

The above photograph is of an old sign that we no longer see any more thanks to cell phones, pages, and computers. But isn’t it easy to think back about five years when you would see them in office buildings or outside along busy streets?

Have you ever thought about where all your “marbles” go when you lose them? You got it: an antique market!

And all the “key” and vital information that you thought you had stored in a safe place; guess what? It’s at the same place. Prices marked do not reflect the final offer from the dealer either.

One lady begged me to take this Victorian doll home for $150. She had been asking $350. The baby carriage was marked down half price. She wanted $699 for it! Thank goodness that I’m only interested in dog stuff and old English china.

Yesterday, I was telling Sandy, Cocoa’s trainer at Dog School 101, about her discernment when it comes to “going for a walk” vs. “going to Dog School to see Sandy and Xalina.” Sometimes, “Going for a walk” means wearing the gentle leader, which helps her behave. But “Going to Dog School” means fun, fun, and more fun. She gets to work at Dog School—doing busy stuff like agility training. And Cocoa loves being busy. She was asleep when I picked up my camera to take this photo. But when I asked, “Do you want to go to Dog School?” her eyes lit up. How do you like her latest friend—Cocoa Joy Two?!