Celebrating the End of July

In July, 2020, I did this painting for some of our dear friends who had lost their home in a flood.  We visited them after the restoration was completed and gave the painting to them as a reminder that God's mercies are new every morning.  This is still a reminder to me to be grateful for this great promise.

Joining with Joyce for this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1. What was the last thing you celebrated? 

The last celebration was our great-grandson's 4th birthday.  I featured some scenes of this in last week's Hodgepodge, so I'll share a few more today.

The party scene is always at the Day House and pool.  July is the perfect time for a pool party in Northern Indiana.

"Happy Birthday" before blowing out the cupcake candles

Little Sis supervising the opening of presents

2 July 29th is International Day of the Tiger. Besides the wild animal itself, when you hear the word tiger what's the first  person-place-thing-whatever that comes to mind?

For anyone remotely related to Louisiana, there is an immediate association the the LSU Tigers!  The first game is only 6 weeks away and every Tiger fan is counting down the Saturdays.

3. The expression 'eye of the tiger' describes someone with intense focus, determination, and the drive to succeed. What area of your life are you currently bringing that kind of energy to?

Thankfully, there is nothing going on in my life at this time that demands an "intense focus, determination or drive to succeed."  These truly are the "Golden Years" when spending the morning sitting with a book, or the afternoon finishing a movie we started the night before, is OK.  

  

4. What was the last meal you cooked?

As I am writing this on Tuesday, Monday night's dinner (supper) was warmed left-overs from Sunday's lunch with friends at Olive Garden.  Second day Shrimp Scampi is always better.

5. Describe your July using exactly five words.

Travel, Hot, Family, Hot, Memories

6. Insert your own random thought here.

One afternoon during our recent visit, DIL, Michelle and I took the greats to Mishawaka's Japanese Garden.  It has been a favorite spot of mine since discovering it shortly after the family moved to Indiana in 2008.

Navy Grace visiting with the "Children"

It was a fun time for me to share such a beautiful oasis right in their back yard.

It's a Hot Yellow Hodgepodge

Welcome to the sporadic wanderings of my blog posting.  There really hasn't been much time for posting this month; however, I did manage to get out one post on our recent travels.  If you care to see one of the most fun adventures of our trip go Here.

1. Do your goals and dreams energize or exhaust you? Elaborate.

Let's just say that my goals are not very long-range these days.  The most important dream (prayer) is to see my great-grandchildren come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  Usually, the goals that I wish to achieve energize me; however, I did get a bit tired of the planning that went into our recent road trip.  In the end though, it was all worth while and we had a wonderful time.  

2. July 23rd is national lemon day. Are you a fan of this flavor? What's a favorite dish or beverage you enjoy that calls for lemons?

Yes, I like the lemon flavor.  One of my favorite dishes with lemon is of course a good southern Lemon Icebox Pie with meringue.  I also like Lemon Loves.  These were always a staple at every tea or coffee that ladies used to plan and attend.

3. "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade"...is this something you're pretty good at managing? Have you had to do this recently? If so tell us about it. 

Yes, I think I am pretty good at doing this.  Thankfully, I haven't had to make lemonade recently.  Well, maybe once.  Here's the story.  In planning our trip, I decided while in Gettysburg, VA, rather than staying in a modern hotel like the rest we were staying in along the way, I wanted us to stay in a historic Inn in the historic section of the city.  I did find a lovely old place and in a perfect location.  I failed to realize that when you stay in a building on the National Historic Registry that there will not likely be an elevator.  Sure enough, we got there to find out our room was on the 3rd floor and two flights of 32 narrow steps to get there.  That was not ideal for two folks in their 80's with luggage.

We made the most of it and enjoyed our stay very much.  If you don't mind stairs, then let me recommend the Brickhouse Inn.

4. Something you love that is lemon yellow in color?

I added a yellow linen outfit to my summer wardrobe and have enjoyed it very much.  I am more of an orange person, but I think this yellow is a good shade for my coloring.  I especially enjoyed wearing it with matching yellow sandals for our great-grandson, Jax's 4th birthday in Northern Indiana a couple weeks ago.

5. How would you describe your attention to detail?

Excessive??  I am very aware of details and doing things with order and sequence.  Would you care to see the folder of our travel plans?

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

How about some pictures of our trip?

The first stop was in Lancaster, SC with these our longest couple friends, Bill & Velta.  Dick proposed to me in their apartment in 1965.  Love these precious people and she is Miss Hospitality personified!

Blue Ridge Pky, Boone, NC

                                            Natural Bridge, VA

Shenandoah National Park was so socked in with cloud cover that we missed much of the natural beauty and it definitely challenged my driving skills.

                                                Our Indiana family

We endured the Summer Heat Bowl of 2026 in the upper Mid-West only to return home to Texas for the Extensive Heat Wave.  As I write this at 3 PM it is 103 degrees with a heat index of 109, and it is expected to be several degrees higher by 5 PM.  Plus, we are now under an Air Quality Alert with tomorrow being declared an Ozone Action Day.  The north has smoke but we have fumes while the Gulf of America is bracing for a Tropical Storm.

Welcome to Texas!

Wytheville VA Graham's Forge Adventure

In planning our trips, I look for interesting places off the main highways.  We do not normally travel interstate highways because we much prefer the adventure of backroads.  In planning the drive from Wytheville, VA to Harrisonburg, I saw that just off the highway was Graham's Forge.  For some reason, it caught my imagination and decided we needed to try to find it.

Little did I know the adventure this little detour would provide.

I parked in the church parking lot and proceeded to get pictures as near the old building as I could.  I am assuming the brick building may have been the Graham family's general store, and I'm sure it carries its own stories.

The old Forge is the wooden building in the background.  I have since found better pictures of it and a bit of its history.

Source

Graham's Forge Mill is a historic grist mill located in the community of Grahams Forge, Wythe County, Virginia. The mill was built about 1890, and is a five-story, rectangular, wood-frame building on a limestone foundation. Atop the metal roof is a cupola with a finial, and a late-Victorian-styled lightning rod. Also on the property are the smokehouse with oven / kettle used for hog scalding, corn crib, grain storage facility, oven / kettle remains, and mill dam.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

I love this old photo!

When I got back in the car, I asked, "Where to now?" to able-bodied assistant.  He said, "Well, your directions say to head toward Graham Robinson Rd, but I don't know where it is."  At that moment we both looked up and saw the road sign immediately in front of us.  You guessed it - Graham Robinson Rd.  The only thing about this road was that it was a one lane dirt road headed who knows where.  It wasn't on the map.

Being either brave or crazy, we decided let's do it!

We weren't sure what we would do if we met an oncoming vehicle, but thankfully we were the only explorers on that road that day.

We soon came across these massive cinder block constructions.  As of yet, I have been unable to find out what they were used for.  Whatever it was, it was a large undertaking that petered out.

I decided this one needed investigating closer.

And this is what I discovered.  I was still no closer to finding out what took place in these buildings.  The dirt floor and tree-trunk posts should indicted something interesting.

Dick was happy to let me explore.  There was a nice little stream that actually started back at the Forge and the little dirt road followed it.

We found this interesting, but I chose not to get any closer.  We finally decided it must have been a two-story outhouse.  What do you think?

Then our adventure got a whole more interesting when the road suddenly ended in the middle of field with three non-English-speaking men working on some equipment.  It got a bit scary at this point because we had no idea where we were or where to go.

Finally, one of the men pointed to his right and we noticed this one lane wooden bridge.  Do we or do we not?  Are they trapping us in the woods?  So we prayed!

The road continued to be even rougher that before, but turning around was not an option.

Before we knew it, we had emerged into an open corn field and could actually see the possibility of life.  And we were still intact.

We eventually turned onto a paved road, and you will never believe what we saw.

We have since learned a lot about this old house, but at the time, we were awe struck and mystified to find something of this size in the middle of nowhere.

Construction of this historic home and plantation began in the 1830s for the family of Squire David Graham. Construction of the home and its many additions continued into the 1890s, when the property passed to the family of Graham's son, Major David Pierce Graham. The Graham family made their wealth from the labor of slaves, as well as the iron industry which was also an important part of the economic history of this region. The Graham family's iron furnaces provided pig iron (a lesser quality) that was instrumental in building a variety of items. Major Graham served in the Confederate Army, and his furnaces provided iron for Southern forces during the Civil War.  Graham's pig iron was turned into cart wheels, rail, and even cannon, but it was reported the iron was unsuitable for the task as some of the cannon made from it ruptured.

The home of Squire David Graham, and later his son, Major David Pierce Graham, was built in stages beginning in 1830. The Grahams were influential residents in Wythe County owing to their wealth, the labor of slaves, and ownership of a dozen iron forges and furnaces. The Grahams were also investors in several mines and other projects throughout the region. The family also owned thousands of acres as well as a general store and mill.

David Pierce Graham, was born in 1838. He  was a major with the the 51st Virginia Infantry Regiment, which was formed in 1861 with eleven companies.  He joined at that time and rose to the rank of Major, before being discharged for health reasons. Major Graham still desired to support the Confederacy and provided iron for the Rebel cause. It is even claimed that a children's room in the mansion was used to as a meeting place for Confederate commanders and also to treat Confederate wounded when action drew near.

Major Graham loved the mansion and lived there for his entire life adding to and refining his family's home. After his death, it stayed in the family until it was eventually sold.  More recently it was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

Source

The house does now carry the fame of being haunted and there have evidently been para-normal sightings.  Whether or not this is true, the tours are helping support the restoration process.  Let it be known, we saw nothing to prove or disprove the claim.

I hope you have enjoyed taking this adventure with us.

A Red, White & Blue Hodgepodge

I have been away from the Hodgepodge for several weeks and decided this is the week to try to make a comeback.  It is not likely to last long since we have a month-long trip planned for mid-June to July, but let's enjoy it while I can.

Thank you, Joyce, for being ever faithful to bring us together.

1. Do you like your name? Are you named after someone (grandparent, etc)? If you have children, how did you choose their names?

Yes, I love my name, Elizabeth Claire.  Elizabeth is a family name passed down through many generations on both sides, and most recently, a maternal great aunt after whom my mother was named - Laura Elizabeth.

Our son, John Marcus, was not named after any family member, although I regret not giving him my father's middle name, Porter, even though he loves his middle name and it has now been passed down three generations. Also, the initials, JMD have remained for 3 generations.

 I wanted to continue the Elizabeth tradition, so we named our daughter Christina Elizabeth.  She is simply called Christy.  Her first daughter also carries Elizabeth as a middle name.  Now that Chandler Elizabeth is expecting a girl, I asked if she would carry on the tradition, and I think her facial expression indicated the name will likely end where it currently is.

2.  A piece of red velvet cake, a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a slice of blueberry pie? You can only have one...which will you choose? If you could pick any red, white, or blue dessert other than those listed here, what would you choose?

A piece of red velvet cake.  However, I can easily picture a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a few scattered blueberries completing the plate.  My next pick would be a combination of red, white, and blue trifle cake.

3.  What's a job you'd like to try for just one day?

I have been happily retired too long to even pretend to answer this question.

 

4. Any patriotic decor in your home currently or coming up this summer?

There is not a single patriotic thing inside or outside my house.  It is not that we aren't patriotic, it's just that I don't redecorate for any occasion or season other than Fall.  My neighbor felt sorry for me yesterday, Memorial Day, and brought me a couple of small flags to put outside.  I'll save them for closer to July.

5. It's the end of May, so let's exercise our brains. Sum up your month with an acrostic using the word MAY. We can do it!!

May showers, thunderstorms, and lots of sunshine

A trip to South Texas, Big Bend, and a delightful night in Cloud Croft, NM

Yellow squash, zucchini, and onions stewed down and served with a steak for Sunday dinner

  

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

After being misled by the blue sticky note on the gender reveal card and having a blue confetti reveal, our granddaughter discovered they are actually having a girl.  Everyone was thrilled with the repeat reveal with pink confetti, except Bass.  He had had enough!  This is from a video, hence the blur.  She will be our great-grandchild #8!

Speaking of great-grandchildren, how about this beautiful, happy Greek baby boy?  He will be two in mid-January, and we can't wait to see him and his parents when they visit Texas this fall.

And this is his gorgeous mother, who had her 30th birthday last week, ready for a special Greek birthday dinner with her handsome husband.