I really took this photo and thought of D. Wilkes, who was talking about rainbows last Friday. So, this one is for her. It’s a double! And its God’s promise to her and her family!

Chip poses for the camera these days; Cocoa doesn’t. Here she is looking away from my camera, but a friend captured all of us from above this past Sunday during a visit to Duke Creek Falls. It’s a place where two creeks come together. Notice the streams in this photo as they merge into one. This is a great place to visit because it is located on the Richard B. Russell Scenic Highway. A one mile hike leads to separate water falls and three different platforms where you can hang out with your dog or with family and friends.

Finally, we made it out to Camp Mikell, which is the conference center for the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta. I’ve been wanting to take the dogs there for the past six months or longer but just have not had time. That’s sad, especially since it’s located only about five miles away. The weather was perfect for a long walk. We even had an opportunity to get up close and personal with a few horses, too. Last week, we were in snow at Neel’s Gap; but today, we went hiking without jackets and drove home with the windows open.

It is really cool (literally) to get away on the weekends. On this past one, we headed up into the mountains. Here’s a photo taken at Neel’s Gap in north Georgia as the snow moved in and then moved out. I love this place. It was a favorite of mine years ago when I was in college and it continues to be that today. There’s always lots of people around because it is located squarely on the Appalachian Trail. More about this later . . . .

Sunday, we drove up to the mountains along the way we passed this little valley with cattle in the distance. The sun had just come out for the first time since the storm and the trees were adorned with ice.