2015 so far

It is the middle of January and I am just NOW blogging. These past few weeks have been full of shitty stress, what with the holidays and other such happenings occurring. I am sorry that I have not updated yinz via this blog, but rest assured that I am alive and kicking here in the Deep South. After 17 years of life here in Northwest Florida, I am resigned that this is where God wants me to be at this time in my life. however, I am planning not one but TWO trips back to my beloved mountains this year. [ happy happy] stay tuned to this very blog for more information....


As it turns out, due to an injury in my cervical spine, I have not finished the novel I'd started in November.  Have no fear, friends, I fully intend to finish said novel.  My participating in National Novel Writing Month is fun, but if I am as honest as I try to be I know it is damn well impossible for me to complete 50000 words in 30 days.


The big news is; I am going to be an auntie again. Brother and SIL announced over the holidays that they are expecting baby #2 this summer. Aunthood rocks, and I am so excited to prepare for the arrival of my next niece or nephew.


Best Dude and I are still loving life together. we celebrated our 4th anniversary of non-marriage earlier this month , and I can honestly say that I am blessed beyond belief with such an amazing life partner. While I am DELIGHTED that gay and lesbian people in this state can now legally marry, I for one do not need a piece of paper issued from the government to validate that Best Dude and I are indeed  " one".


I am currently training for a 5k race to be ran in March. so far, my personal best record is EXACTLY 32 minutes. My pre-race goal is 30 minutes or under, and if I stay healthy, I just might accomplish this goal by race day!


Although I've been a member of my current gym for a year now I've not found a training buddy. I'm also ok with training alone, especially since I can now listen to commercial-free music on my NEW Samsung galaxy 5s smartphone.


[ drum roll please....}


Best Dude and I joined the 21st century this past Christmas by getting smartphone.  To be honest, said phone is my latest obsession; the thing does damn well EVERYTHING. I love it!


Happy New Year!

I've been remiss..and I've literally dealt with shit everywhere.

I've been remiss, but life has kept me busy.

Last weekend I went to Atlanta to see my ADORABLE baby nephew. My brother & SIL had a little open house party to celebrate his arrival , so I saw some of my other relatives who reside in  Atlanta and met some of my siblings' friends.  Naturally I took several GREAT photos of my baby nephew, but I will not post them for the entire World Wide Web to view.

I arrived home on Sunday tired and grouchy. Best Dude had to work, so after I'd " chillaxed" for a bit, I decided to take a nice warm shower .{ This usually sooths much travel-weary muscles} I'd noticed that the shower drain was not removing the water efficiently, but I'd paid no heed to it until AFTER I'd stepped out of the shower. Water was EVERYWHERE and seeping into the bedroom.  Quickly I dispatched some towels in an attempt to control the flow of sewer water into the bedroom. A quick call to Best Dude advised me to monitor the situation & " test " the septic tank by throwing in some clothes in the washing machine.

When I checked on the situation a few minutes later there was a deluge of sewage. A quick look into the spare bathroom confirmed that the backed up septic tank was also emptying into the bathtub.  After I stopped the washing machine I called my parents{ my neighbor whom I would usually call during such a crisis as this was not home that day}

My Dad, THANKS BE TO GOD, came over with his shop-vac & we cleaned up the master bed/bath area as best we could. Every towel we have in the house was used in the cleanup.

In the garage I found Best Dude's industrial fan & carried it into the house to aid in the drying process.

Since we could not use the water, it was an " interesting"{ to say the least} evening at our house.  Best Dude called a sewage company in the morning & we once again have a working septic tank.

' Burghing....on a summer's afternoon.

Two of my aunts and I took a short road trip from Hometown into Pittsburgh one day . We met Urbanne Cousin for lunch in the part of the city that was previously known as East Liberty. { now I've learned it goes by the trendier moniker of "Eastside".

O City Of Pittsburgh, please just leave well-enough alone! Its hard enough for me to get accustomed to the Penguins' home as " Mellon Arena" when all my life it has gone by the simpler name of " Pittsburgh Civic Arena".

I'm just sayin'....

Anyhow, we met Urbanne at her place of employment  & took a brief city walk to a very chic gourmet hamburger place known as BRGR. { Yes, I spelled that correctly: it is really BRGR}

 See? I told you it is really BRGR! 

We ate some tasty albeit expensive hamburgers and enjoyed some good conversation with Urbanne, whom I had not seen in two summers. She is ten years younger than me, but in many ways I look to her for inspiration. I only wish I possessed some of the chutzpah that my younger cousin shows.

I love Pittsburgh!

My Hometown

I concluded my trip with a visit to  Hometown, { western} Pa.

Usually this part of my trip is pleasant, but not traditionally " fun". My father's family have been hear since the 1800-something & most of them still live in that very county where our ancestors came to from Ireland.

There is not a lot to to in Hometown, PA. One of the traditions that is the most meaningful to me is the Supper At Grandma's House. My grandmother is an excellent cook & she makes a weekly meal for  the children & grandchildren. { not all of them show up, but there is always a crowd at the table.

Here is the set table before the meal.

 There is nothing as tasty as Pennsylvania sweet corn.

 Family members visting in Grandma's living room.

I also visited the campus Of Small Pennsylvania Public College, where my uncle teaches.

 This pretty bloom caught my attention as I walked aroudn the main part of campus.

 I miss the gently rolling Appalachian hills of western Pennsylvania

More Lake 2013 Photo Memories

It is pouring down rain this morning here in Florida. Best Dude & I hoped to go walk on the beach this morning, but it looks like we'll be housebound again today. I am weary of this wet, humid summer weather here on the Gulf Coast.  One of the best aspects of summers at the lake is how I can walk in the mornings & evenings wearing jeans & a t-shirt.

This is a fine-looking vintage Airstream camper that I saw during one of my walks at the Lake.

This is the dock where G and I tanned ourselves. It floats , but is easily accessible from the bank of the lake. I love the nautical look of the lifesaver ring.

 I cooled my tired feet off in the creek The creek was high & gently babbling & the water felt so good on my feet. When I was younger I spent much time in the creeks.

This creek is the same creek that ran near the house in Ohio where I lived. There was an empty lot behind the house that was used as a hideout among the neighborhood young people.

  I've always liked this little red footbridge near my favorite wading place at the Lake.

Some campers decorated the site with painted rocks.

The sunsets over the Lake are amazing.

G & S's Great Glamping Adventure, 2013

My best gal pal and I went " Glamping" at the Lake over the Fourth Of July. She rented one of the cabins at the Lake & we stayed down there for two nights. It was fun , and I am glad we had this quality time together.

Here is the exterior of our little cabin. Isn't it pretty?

 I took some photos of the interior after we settled in. I apologize for the mess. The cabin has a set of bunk beds, one queen-sized lower bunk & one upper bunk { on which I slept} that is a twin bed. It also had a futon that can sleep two more people. We did not have a kitchen { nor plumbing} in this cabin, but we DID enjoy electricity.

Our front porch boasted a rocking chair & a porch swing. Since the cabin has no water, I had to brush my teeth on the porch in the mornings & evenings. Thankfully the " facilities" were located within a very short walking distance from this cabin.

We ate a lot of traditional " camp food", but one lunch had us eating Ramen noodles out of microwavable pots ! {College flashback, anyone? }

 Although we tried to have a fire , the rain was a challenge. Our meager fire was fun, however & we burned several sheets of old newspapers in our fire-building attempt.

One the Fourth, G and I were treated to a motorboat ride around the Lake. We were fortunate enough to see a juvenile eagle{ no I could not get a photo of it--as it was too far in the sky}

It was a wonderful experience & one that I shall treasure forever.

One especially nice day at the Lake

My vacation to the mountains this year was GREAT!  { other than the hideous flight experience home, I have absolutely no complaints about my time up North.

One day in particular will stay with me for a long time. Best Dude & I hike out coastal paradise & it is wonderful in its own{ very flat} way. Since I grew up in the Appalachian woodlands, coastal hiking is inferior to hiking in the mountains.

My friend CK, who is a botanist & a professor at a midsized university in the Southeast, came to the Lake to spend the day with me. Now it isn't unusual for some of my good friends to come visit with me when I'm at the Lake, but CK and I had not seen each other in person for 16 years!

Yup, we hadn't seen each other in person for  16 year yet we maintained our friendship. That fact in itself is , in my opinion, pretty darn awesome.

Anyhow, we spent a lot of time walking. CK, being a botanist, examined & identified many different plants we saw on our hikes.

This is a " Shag Bark Hickory" tree. Note the unusual bark. Don't ask me to recall the scientific names of any of the flora we saw on our hikes: I'm not *that*much into plants!

This is the view of the path up the hillside that we took. the " head" of this particular trail is located right behind " Granny's" house. I've walked this trail several times before, but had not done so in YEARS until this summer. Last year I got hurt whilst hiking solo , so I shall ALWAYS take another hiker with me on my excursions.

 This is known as a  Resurrection Fern. I think it is pretty, growing out of a seemingly barren rocky hillside.

Here is the phoebe bird nest that we found above the front door on Granny's porch. We could not tell if the nest had eggs or not, so we did not touch it.

Later that day, we took a pontoon boat ride around to the other end of the Lake.  I LOVE the view of the mountains surrounding the lake valley & captured several images with my Nikon camera.

There is a huge maple tree towards which I have always felt an affinity located in the park. When I came early to work there during summers of high school and my First College, I would often bring a book & sit under this tree reading until my shift started.  I found out later that the tree is a Black Maple tree, identified by its seed pods.

It is true that I belong on the Northern Gulf Coast of Florida now, but a part of my essence shall remain Appalachian.

Re-Creation

I'm leaving for my two-week vacation. My flight out of Pensacola is scheduled to leave at 11:05 A.M.. After a three-hour layover in Atlanta{ and providing that nothing goes wrong with my connecting flight to Pittsburgh} I'll arrive in Pittsburgh at 5:42 EST.

I NEED this break. While I' will miss Best Dude & Big Dog terribly when I am away, I know that I'll be home to the Gulf Coast .

Friends up North tell me that it is hot & humid there , too. However, I feel a need to escape the Deep South at least once per year . I need to remember my roots in order to rest & re-create .

there will be hiking, swimming, eating & late-night talks with friends.

On Sunday I am worshipping at the church where I was baptized.

I'll spend July 4 NOT WORKING at the Lake for once.

I'll see a friend  in person for the first time in 16 years.

Hopefully Grandma Anne will take me to Sunday Mass in Butler & I will enjoy Sunday supper at her house with kin.

It is already looking up to be a great time of Re-Creation for me.

5 days out.....The ATL airport.

Five days out until  Northern Vacation Trip 2013.

I'm stoked, but also a bit nervous. In order to get anywhere from where I live in Florida, one must go through Atlanta's airport. Four three years in a row---my travel plans have been delayed by flight issues in Atlanta. Now perhaps this trip will be different--but I'm not counting on my connection in Atlanta being easy.

I hate airports. While I love flying " shotgun" in private planes, commercial airports & airplanes freak me out. there are too many people crammed into a small space on those big jets & I almost ALWAYS end up with seatmates with no clue about maintaining one's personal space. Yuck. I'll be sure to pack some of my prescription anti-anxiety pills in my carry-on luggage ---I will probably need to use them.

I hate airports in general & the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in particular.

It is HUGE. Literally, I think that a whole small city can fit inside the main terminal.

The gates' seats are not good for someone with issues regarding personal space. Usually I sit on the floor against a lwall as far away from my sister & fellow travellers as physically possible.

The wi-fi at that terminal is not free! Yes: the tiny Pensacola airport offers free wi-fi to patrons but Hartsfield-Jackson expects travellers to pay to get online. No, thanks.

I'm HOPING to make plans to attend the Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta with some friends while I'm up North this year. This is exciting for me: I have not been to a regatta since I was a child & I am REALLY looking forward to sharing that experience with some good friends from First College.

An act of congress passed...I GOT MY PLANE TICKETS!

It took a figurative Act of Congress, but I finally bought my plane tickets  for my trip up North this summer. FYI, I'll leave Florida via the Pensacola airport on June 27 & arrive home to the Florida Gulf Coast late  on 8 July.

The reason it was so difficult for me to procure my plane tickets is that my debit card { apparently} had the wrong address filed at the bank. When I entered my address for the debit card on Air Tran's web site , i kept getting an " error message" that the address I entered was " wrong". {WTH?}

Anyhow, after much frustration on my part & much patience on the part of Best Dude, I decided to call the bank  the next day.


The bank's manager with whom I dealt was wonderful & I was able to buy my plane tickets soon after I finished talking with her on the phone. the trip will cost quite a bit of my limited income, but I know darn well it is worth it. My annual trip to The Lake isn't just a vacation for me, its a spiritual/psychologial retreat for me.

Anyhow, as much as I love my coastal life, I will *never* consider myself a southern gal. Especially as summer gets closer , I yearn for my mountain Utopia that is The Lake. Many of my earlier memories  are NOT pleasant, but all my memories of my time at The Lake are pleasant.

I'm so not a "yuppie'. While I will admit to feeling a bit of discontent regarding Beach Community , I've grown to consider myself "Southern by Adoption".  Yet, since my " Adoption" came as an adult, my Northern roots still run deep in my psyche.

"Where I come frome/we rode in trucks"~ Luke Bryan.
"In my neck of the woods/I'm just the girl next door"~ Gretchen Wilson.
"Mountaineers are always free." ~West Virginia's state motto.

All Packed & Ready to Go #Diocgc13

  I promised my parishioners, friends & family that I will keep them updated  on the highlights of this years' Diocesan Convention via my blog. Since I am not a voting delegate this year, I'll have more " down time" with which to reflect what I wish to report to my church family back home while I'm experiencing the Convention.

Although the Convention is not a totally new experience for me{ I've been an alternate delegate & an elected delegate to two previous conventions} In addition to my designation as the " official" event photographer, this is my first  PAID photography gig! * does a happy dance* This weekend is, for me, adding up to be not just a fabulous time of worship & fellowship, but also one that can help me further my art. In addition, it is my hope that reporting on Convention via my weblog will help me hone some reporting skills that have { sadly} gone dormant from lack of use.

I'm hoping & praying that the conference center in Panama City has wi-fi access, because I can get a lot of blogging done during certain speeches & commission reports.  If not, I'll just stay awake late { ha ha ,like I'll sleep anyhow in a strange place!} I'll also recap briefly what Bishop Duncan says in his address on Friday morning.  My readers can expect a very brief entry  about Friday evening's Gala, so I am sure I'll be tired & the schedule has us needing to arise early for breakfast & morning worship.

I am hoping that the weather holds up for us, since we'll be on the beach! The dress code put forth in the Convention packet says that " casual" is the order of the day for Convention. However, the " girly girl" in me is THRILLED to bring along one of my favorite dresses to wear to the Gala!

In His Service,

Sarah Beth.

St Pauls' Episcopal Church, Selma, AL

On Sunday Best Dude & I woke very early in order to drive to Selma, Alabama to visit two of our favorite people{ who just happen to both be priests at St Pauls' Episcopal Church} Anyway, we arrived in plenty of time for the 10:30 Mass. Naturally, I took along my Nikon & got some great photos of the church & its stained-glass interior.

It was a lovely, albeit foggy drive north to Selma.We left home at 5:30 A.M. & saw the sun rise over a foggy sky. As we drove north, and then west, I saw many small elevations in the grade of the land. As a mountaineer, sometimes I miss life at a higher elevation, so riding along on a two-lane country road brought back many fine memories of rural life.  Most of the woodland critters who live in the Alabama woos were in hiding{ this IS hunting season  after all!} but we did notice a flock of birds-of-prey roosting on a power line.

Here is a photo of the gorgeous stained-glass window near the ceiling in the nave above the front door of the church.

 This is a view of the nave of St Paul's , Selma.

                 There is a side chapel located off to the left of the main seating area of the nave.

There is an original Tiffany stained-glass window upstairs in the Fellowship Hall. I could not capture the detail o this work with my " budget" software, but the scene depicted in the glass is "The Wedding at Cana"

I love the Gothic architecture of the St Pauls' Selma church building.

Pittsburgh, PA urban hike

Two years ago I spent the day with Cousin J in the City of Bridges: PITTSBURGH. We took a two-and-a-half-mile  urban hikes around The Golden Triangle.

Here is one of the suspension bridges that cross Pittsburgh's three rivers. Although I am not sure: I believe this bridge to be the very one that is featured on the movie _Flashdance_

 This is the view from Point State Park of Mount Washington.

 Our view of "Dahntahn" as seen from Point State Park.

Pittsburgh Plate Glass, also known as PPG Place.

We saw the huge statue of Fred Rogers { _Mr Roger's Neighborhood_}

I miss the old Three Rivers' Stadium. We walked by both the new Pirates' baseball stadium & Heinz Field.

Central Florida trip 2012

My first trip to the St Petersburg area of Florida from last year. Although I'd been to Tampa, this was my first time traveling down to the west-central Gulf coast via highway.

We stayed in Palm Harbor...I could walk to the Gulf from where we were staying. Many people i the neighborhood owned boats, so there were some human-made canals behind many of the houses in the subdivision.

I saw a white egret in Dunedin.

The Gulf Intercoastal Waterway down near St Petersburg looks similar to the Santa Rosa Sound where I live in Florida.

We ate hibachi one night while we were there...and I thought the ring of onions on fire made for some awesome pyro effects.

On our way home, we stopped on Cedar key, a tiny island fishing village literally in te middle of nowhere off the coast of Florida. It was COLD that day, but I loved visiting Cedar Key.  My goal for he next time we visit this charming little island is to bring back more photos of the architecture there.

The dock on Cedar Key.

                                            A pelican taking flight off the dock on Cedar Key.

Lake Autumn 2010

 In the autumn of 2010 I had some free airline miles, so I went back to the Lake on October.  We do not get much " autumn" here in Northwest Forida, so it was a special treat for me to see autumn leaves & experience " sweater weather".  My godsister and I also went to visiit her sister in Akron,Ohio overnight.

Here is the view from the house of the Lake one October at dusk.  

My godbrother's son & I went " fishing" off of the " boat" :O)

 We attended a high school football game. Did I mention it was a HOME game? Go Wildcats!

My younger godsister at the Light-UP Lantern Festival, 2010 in Akron, Ohio.

 The band plays at halftime at the football game.

              My other godsister and I went to the local " pumpkin patch" one sunny autumn afternoon.