After ten days of recovering from Hurricane Michael's ravaging windstorm through Mitchell County, our weekend reservations at Georgia Veterans State Park on Lake Blackshear offered a welcome retreat. Jamie's workdays had stretched into double shifts most of those days, plus he pulled one 23 hour day; he needed to get away for a couple of days to refresh.
Brilliant reflection at the entrance to Georgia Veterans State Park on Lake Blackshear
Setting up camp at site #66, spacious & secluded
We set up camp in the early afternoon, and I captured a few images of the swampy cypress entrance to the park where Spanish moss hangs low and algae grows thick on the backwater surface. On this blue sky autumn afternoon, the reflection in the water was brilliant.
Moss draped over cypress limbs near the entrance to the park; water reflects trees & blue sky
Algae patches in the swamp
Moss hangs low on a cypress branch, while reflection on water produces an abstract pattern.
Then we returned home for the Homecoming football game and half-time festivities. Near midnight we pulled into the campground, but not before we were met by several groups of deer awaiting an opportunity to cross the roadway.
Can't miss Homecoming when your nephew is on the court.
Deer at night
At daybreak I found an empty spot on the lakeshore to capture some morning color.
Morning Has Broken
At Water's Edge in Morning Light
A quick trip into town for a few supplies also doubled as a courthouse photo opportunity. We're continuing to capture these images, building our collection ever so slowly.
Saturday evening we attended a lovely wedding at the resort. The lake served as a beautiful backdrop, despite the rain delay. And, the power went out while the guests waited -- imagine that! The best part of the evening for us was spending it with all of our kids.
Our Family
William & his girlfriend
Sunday ushered in cooler temperatures; ahh, maybe a little bit of fall is here after all.
I couldn't get away from home fast enough! It had been a stress-induced, time-crunched week of state testing, honors events, and graduation. Add to that, the need to grocery shop in preparation for a Saturday evening party.
So, Jamie headed out earlier than I did to set up the SolAire at Georgia Veterans State Park on Lake Blackshear. What a relief to drive up to our already-set-up site, situated at the rear of the secondary campground. Seclusion, despite a late-spring sold-out campground! Just what I needed to wrap up the last, hectic week of the school year.
Perfectly placed at Georgia Veterans State Park
Food prep for a big crowd is typically tiring, but completed in the relaxing atmosphere of the SolAire with a view of the woods, this self-imposed task became joyful. Just what I needed! With Jamie sitting in the same room with me while I checked off task after task, I was reminded of the many days my granddaddy did the same for my grandmother while she prepped meals for our weekly family nights. Togetherness. Cherished time.
By mid-afternoon the preparations were complete and we headed over to my brother's lake house where the young folks had the tables and chairs set out near the water, offering a lovely view for dinner. But it rarely fails: plan an outdoor event and a rain shower is a sure bet. Fortunately, the weather radar alerted us to the possibility in time for tablecloths to be stripped.
A quick rain shower cooled the air. Can you spot the rainbow? Check the cupola for the pot of gold!
The rain passed soon enough, the decor replaced, the meal cooked by my chef extraordinaire -- thank you, Jamie! --, guests arrived, dinner was served, and another party was in the books. What a pleasure to celebrate our long-time friend Jeremy and his June bride-elect.
Love that my chef also is a display artist
Friends since fourth grade: Sara, Jeremy & Ashley
Jeremy & Kari opening gifts with happy mom Pam
Sunday morning we sped back over to the lake house to join Lynn & Tim for a ride to Boat Church. We'd heard of this weekly service, a ministry of Warwick United Methodist Church, but we'd never been. A large crowd had gathered both on land and on water. We enjoyed a wonderful worship experience led by our previous Camilla UMC pastor, Ken Myers.
Tying onto the boat beside us; a crowd has gathered on shore.
Returning to the lake house, we delighted in feeding some mighty hefty catfish. Pictures don't show it, but these cats were huge and they gulped the feed in one snappy grab after another.
Time to pack up the SolAire and head home; another work week beckons.
Lake Blackshear provided the scenery for our next outing. We arrived at the campground later than we had hoped, only to find that there were no available sites along the lake shore, so we set up in a lovely shaded area across the road with our back to the water. It'll do, we conceded.
After a quick setup, we walked over to the lake to join our friends Donald and Marlene, retirees who arrived a day earlier. They had the steaks and potatoes ready. Yummy for a couple of hungry, disappointed campers.
In the morning, we road our bikes to the dump station for Jamie to help Donald with the necessaries, and afterwards, we discovered there were a couple of empty spaces along the water. Should we go or should we stay now?
Knowing the beauty of the sunrise over the lake in the misty morning, we opted for a quick switch-a-roo. It only took a few minutes to break down and re-setup in an easy pull-through site at the water's edge. So glad we did!
Mist rises from the lake as the orange glow of morning illuminates the sky beyond the tree line.
After a bike ride winding through the lake's Scenic Route neighborhood, we returned to camp and relaxed in the shade lakeside.
The geese entertained us with their waddling and honking.
A coworker dropped by and summoned her sister-with-a-boat to pick us up for a ride over to the Cypress Grill for dinner.
The sunrise on Sunday morning was worth the move.
A family of geese swim by. Some grown-ups poke around in the shade. Can you see them?
