Sunday, May 1, 2011

Scenes from the road

Over the past week, I spent four entire days inside a car as I travelled 2300 miles round-trip to visit friends who live along the Gulf Coast. And when I’m not driving, or reading, or gazing out the windows, I like to pick up the camera and take pictures.

These were all taken through the windows of our trusty Honda Element, which as you can see from the first shot, my husband tried to keep clean.


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Early morning at a gas station south of Atlanta, Georgia. We had stopped for the night after crossing the Alabama border.


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Alabama the beautiful on Easter Sunday morning.

Actually, all the states we travelled through were beautiful, as far as I could see. But Alabama in the spring – on this particular morning – was breathtaking.

The following Wednesday morning, much further north from where we were staying, tragedy hit in the form of tornadoes, leaving over 300 people dead. My heart breaks for you, Alabama.


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Heading over what the locals call the Dolly Parton Bridge on I-65 outside of Mobile.


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Along Route 10 in Mississippi.


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Big peach along I-65 in Alabama. I believe it’s a water tower.

UPDATE: The giant peach is located along I-85 in Gaffney, South Carolina. My mind was a blur. Thanks, Jack, for pointing it out!


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Along I-85 in Georgia, we passed a bus bearing our name.


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Early morning in North Carolina along I-85 after staying in a Comfort Inn in Archland, near High Point.


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He loves coming to the window and laying his head on my shoulder.


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Giant sign outside at the headquarters of Phillip Morris USA, south of Richmond, Virginia.


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I love this building that’s right along the interstate in Richmond. I looked it up and found out that it’s Main Street Station.

A better photo is here: Main Street Station


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Behind an M&M nut in Virginia. I wanted to let these guys out of this car. And I want to say that the new pretzel ones are pretty dern good.


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Almost home, going over the Susquehanna River in Maryland, we can see our beloved Chesapeake Bay in the distance.


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Home. This is our driveway about halfway up, taken about an hour after we’d arrived when I went out for groceries. We couldn’t believe how green everything had become.

Good to be home. Hope you enjoyed my glimpses of the road between Maryland and Mississippi ~
Love,

123 Signature

41 comments:

Kay said...

So glad you are safely home. I kept thinking possibly you had been in the tornado area...Such devastation, sorrow.....I kept thinking of you guys. It is a lovely sunny May Day here in Coos Bay.

TexWisGirl said...

Glad you made it back safely - before all those horrendous storms hit. George is such a sweet carmate. :)

Nancy Grossi ~ Churned In Cali ~ The Wife of a Dairyman said...

Happy to hear you didn't get caught up in all the tornadoes and storms. Great road pics, thanks for the tour:)

Gail said...

So happy you got to travel and so glad you missed the storms.

Elizabeth said...

Hi there...I always try and get a picture of the Main Street Station when I travel through Richmond...it's such a grand building. Loving the new header, too!

Linda said...

Anytime you're passing through NW South Carolina stop in and let George have a run with my Sparkie. Then we can all take a nice boat ride and have some dinner:)

Low Tide High Style said...

Looks like you had a wonderful time, I love the glimpses along the way. I've been past the train station and PM sign a million times over the years, thanks for the reminder that I need to get back down that way. Welcome home!!

Kat :)

Country Gal said...

Wonderful trip photos , glad you had a nice time and were safe from the storms they were tragic for some poor folk. Love the photo of George in the car. Have a great day !

Tammy said...

Great pictures - as always. I love your perspective and what you show us. Glad you had a fun and safe trip. And your driveway is so beautiful and green!!

Mental P Mama said...

Glad you all are home safe and sound. And my precious cargo, too!!!

ELK said...

LOVE the pretzel ones too!! George looks like a good traveler..such a nice series Kate!!

Annette W. said...

I think I need to try the pretzel m&m's!

Loved your photos and commentary of what you saw on your trip.

I agree...it is incredibly green now! LOVE IT!

beth said...

so glad you're home safely....and can you believe i laughed out loud at the m&m guys....that's funny !!

Skogkjerring said...

M&M has a pretzel version??????????!!!!!!!! Hold on while I wipe the drool off my computer....YUM! Probably be 10,000 years before they come to Norway but they will be on my list of things to try when we go back to the states next time..
Looks like a lovely trip. Glad you avoided the horrible storms. The world is in sorrow over the damage done to these states because of the storms.
I hope you enjoyed visiting your friend and had a lovely Easter. George looked quite content.
They have a saying in Norway- Borte bra men hjemme best..this means Away is good but home is best....

Jack Thyen said...

I have to point out an error! The Big Peach is not in Alabama. It is in my neck of the woods. Right alongside I-85 in Gaffney, SC.

GailO said...

Love your new header Kate!

Looks like you had great weather for the trip...and you took advantage of it with some wonderful photos....still it is nice to see the photo of your driveway at the end....there is no place like home...

Steph said...

Welcome home Kate!

Andrew said...

wow, that looked like a nice trip. great photos.

Ellen said...

Welcome back. You were missed.

Anonymous said...

Green is right. Seems after the rains we have had that the leaves just all popped out overnite and the next morning it was blinding green outside every window.

Spring green is so much more beautiful than summer green though... in my humble opinion.

Di

Unknown said...

oh, welcome home.. I've missed you.
and is it okay if my favourite photo is the driveway one?

Donna S. said...

Glad you are home safe. I wondered if the tornadoes would affect you. Hope you had a relacing time away.

Bluebird49 said...

Oh, goodness! Thanks for the good memories! My husband and I used to take Mama with us to see our son and DIL in Phenix City, AL. We'd stay a couple of weeks at Christmas time and in the summer because they were so far away from us, so it seemed, anyway!
We always stayed overnight in Gaffney coming and going, (for some reason-I guess it was the halfway point for us, or something.) Mama always was the first to point out "the big peach!" We'd eat breakfast at the Cracker Barrel there--one of Mama's favorite places in the whole world--and she loved to shop out in the little "country store" part of it, and she would stock up on the goat's milk hand cream, and look for cookbooks there.

Such good memories of our little trips and of Mama along the way there. We used to stop and buy bushels of peaches to put up and share with the neighbors. Thanks for this happy accident--I needed the good memories today.

Deb said...

great photos....welcome home...

Mariah Magagnotti said...

I knew that was Gaffney! Loved seeing your pictures, now I still want to go see Mississippi! Glad you had a good trip.

homegrown countrygirl said...

Wow! Love, love, love the pics!!! My heart has been heavy for all the folks affected by the tornadoes. Glad you made it home safe!

Jeanne Walker said...

Wha? Pretzel M&Ms...how come I don't know about 'em!!!

So glad that you, DH and George were not in the line of the tornadoes traveling to the Gulf Coast or on the way home!! The devastation in the states involved, especially northen Mississippi and Alabama, was unbelievable. God bless all those that are unfortunately part of this historical episode of horror and sadness and those trying to help them overcome it!!

Love your driveway...it's like you travel from the hustle and bustle of life into a fantasy land...going up/down that canopied lane to an ancient home...a step back in time!!

Love ya and have a great week!!

mrs mediocrity said...

There's no place like home...
Glad you made it back safely.

Reena said...

Love your view from the road. I like doing the same thing ... shots from the car! Glad you made it home safely and had a wonderful visit with old friends!
Reena

BB said...

Echoing everyone in being glad you stayed safe... the images looked awful over here.

Wondering about the Dolly Parton bridge - does it look like a large bosom? Or does it sing sweetly?

:-)
BB

Hilary said...

It looks like a wonderful trip and I'm looking forward to more images. Nice to have you back safe and sound.

becky up the hill said...

Great to hear from you. I will admit, I felt concern about you and yours with that weather. Glad you are home.

Daryl said...

Welcome home! I missed you, that was fun .. now if you want to stretch your cyber legs come on over and see the two long walks Toonman and I took this weekend .. try not to get too excited ;-)

The JR said...

Funny picture of the M&M's.

George's is my favorite.

Mary said...

Omigosh, thanks for the travel pics! I always love to see the sights -- from beautiful to quirky. So glad you are back home safely. And I cannot imagine having traveled that long in a car, and then getting back in one a short time later to get the groceries... :)
xoxo

Kerri Farley said...

Beautiful scenes Kate! So glad you are home safely :)

The Village Queen said...

Love the driveway, tree tunels like that seem so magical. Have one too in MH at my Grandma's house, pic on my blog headers. Miss the verilant spring of MD and the honeysuckle. Not the humidity though! Dry as a bone and grey here. Looking forward to more of your great photos!

Carolynn Anctil said...

My favourite shot has got to be the M & M's. Love it.

Except for your driveway. That looks like the driveway leading to our dream cottage in the country! *smile*

JaneK said...

welcome home!
thanks for the kind words abot my home. It is not my original native home but since I've lived here a total of 23 years... that is just over half my life.... it is home. It is indeed beautiful! and the devastation is mind boggling. Despite such sorrows, there are hundreds of stories that come out to show God's hand.... my friend who lost everything managed to find shelter in the only spot in the house that was left standing...

Char said...

there is a peach water tower in alabama too. :)

thank you for the kind comments about my gorgeous state - i'm rather in love with it too. and i'm very proud of how it is coming together to support each other in this aftermath of last wednesday. hard to believe its already been a week.

Lili said...

Oh Kate you make a road trip so much fun with the things you find to shoot along the way! Usually I have my nose in my latest craft (when I'm not driving that is). Oh and that George is surely a scene stealer, how sweet that he lays his head on your shoulder, I can just see that! xo ~Lili