Into the Light Adventures

By Sandra J

Road Through the Preserve

By Sandra | November 28, 2024 | Comments 11 comments

Road Through the Preserve – At every turn there is something to see. From the beautiful moss covered trees to birds perched on logs drying their feathers.

Take the time to find out if there are any nature preserves in your area. Makes for a fun drive if nothing else.

Road Through the Preserve

By Sandra J

Birds in the Nature Preserve – Just a few of the birds I saw while driving around the nature preserve. A lot of the usual ones like the herons and a few ducks now and than. We are a little late for migration time so there were not as many birds as earlier in the year I am sure.

Most of them were quite far away from where we were standing. I found this photo below interesting as the alligator swam past the Anhinga bird perched on the dead tree.

We did find at one end of the lake a lot of bird feathers. The alligators do eat birds.

Looks like this bird blind got hit by a storm and ripped the roof right off of it. Closed for the season.

Birds in the Nature Preserve

By Sandra J

Next to the Nature Park

By Sandra | November 26, 2024 | Comments 13 comments

Next to the Nature Park, it is next to the Savannah river, right off from the North Atlantic Ocean. So as one looks towards the left anywhere from within in the park. You will see the Georgia Ports Authority Shipping Container Yards.

Literally yards and yards of shipping containers. But, one will see places like this all along the coast. I forgot about them as we drove deeper into the preserve and started seeing birds.

I saw this very interesting lone tree along one of the waterways. I had to edit it a bit, by cutting out the shipping containers in the background.

Original photo below this one.

Next to the Nature Park

By Sandra J

Gus the Alligator

By Sandra | November 25, 2024 | Comments 19 comments

Gus the Alligator – There was a giant alligator named Gus who lived in the murky swamp, notorious for his immense size. He was enormous. When he slid into the water, a wave formed. It could knock over a tree. Most people thought Gus was slow because he spent most of his time floating in the swamp. He looked like a floating log, with eyes barely visible above the surface.

One day, a curious human wandered along the edge of the swamp, casually walking by with a sandwich in hand. Gus watched from the water, thinking, Ah, a snack walks by. Perfect. I’ll just stay here and wait…

But as the human strolled closer, Gus got an idea. He was tired of people thinking he was slow. They always see me in the water, Gus thought. They never see me on land.

With a sudden burst of speed, Gus shot out of the water like a torpedo, launching himself onto the shore with a thud that shook the trees. The human turned just in time to see a 20-foot alligator charging at him, jaws wide open.

The human, completely startled, froze. Gus, with his massive legs now moving surprisingly fast on land, was in full sprint mode, his tail swinging like a wrecking ball. He zoomed past the human in a blur, kicking up mud and leaves as he raced by, and disappeared into the trees.

The human blinked, looking around. “Wait, what just happened?”

From the bushes, Gus’s voice echoed, “Don’t ever underestimate an alligator with a good sprint workout, buddy. I’m faster than your Wi-Fi connection!”

Gus the Alligator

By Sandra J

Stop the Car

By Sandra | November 22, 2024 | Comments 16 comments

Stop the Car – I mean the Jeep||||

Yesterday’s Spoon bills were so far away, I could not get a decent photo of them. But today we were driving along a dirt road and all of a sudden I looked down this small ditch of water and there was one spoonbill.

So I got a better look at one and now I am happy. 🙂

Have a great weekend.

Stop the Car

By Sandra J

Savannah National Wildlife Refuge

By Sandra | November 21, 2024 | Comments 12 comments

I finally spotted two new bird species and one I’ve been hoping to see for years at the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge!

Whenever I’m traveling, I always pull up Google Maps to check for nearby wildlife areas. In the Southeast, especially along the coast, there are tons of them, thanks to the vast marshlands.

Lately, I’ve been discovering more wildlife refuge areas that let you drive through the landscape. These parks have roads winding through the marshes, giving you deeper access to the area and better chances of spotting wildlife.

Savannah National Wildlife Refuge is one of those special places!

We didn’t spot many bird species as we drove through the area, but I did add two new ones to my list.

My first exciting sighting was a wood stork. They were distant, but I still got a good look with my binoculars.

Then, as we walked down a narrow trail alongside a waterway, a hint of pink caught my eye. Sure enough, there they were!

The spoon bill bird. I finally got to see them. A pink bird. Quite amazing. So different from all the other birds. We are in South Carolina where I finally got to see these. I thought I would have to go to Florida to see them.

Savannah National Wildlife Refuge

By Sandra J

Georgia

By Sandra | November 20, 2024 | Comments 11 comments

Georgia – We made it to Georgia. Some road construction along the way really shows how much clay they have in this part of the country. Amazing how the world is made up of so many soil types and landscapes that go with them.

I heard a comic talking about the earth, something like this below.

Okay, folks, let’s take a moment to appreciate just how hilariously absurd our lives are! Here we are, trudging through our daily grind—stuck in traffic, scrolling through cat memes, and obsessing over whether we should order pizza or sushi for dinner. Meanwhile, we’re standing on a giant spinning rock, hurtling through the cosmos at a dizzying 67,000 miles per hour!

Seriously, 67,000 miles per hour! That’s faster than your last attempt to get out of a family dinner! And we’re doing all this while orbiting a massive ball of fire that’s about 93 million miles away. I mean, come on, talk about a cosmic game of dodgeball!

Georgia

By Sandra J

Giant Cotton Balls

By Sandra | November 19, 2024 | Comments 10 comments

Giant Cotton Balls rolling down the Highway. Video below or click this LINK. Pink, Yellow and Green

Watch this video on YouTube.
Sandra J's Photography

My Second Favorite Bird

By Sandra | November 18, 2024 | Comments 10 comments

My Second Favorite Bird – The Great Blue Heron photographed in South Carolina at a National Wildlife Refuge

My Second Favorite Bird Have a great week ahead

By Sandra J

Free Overnight Parking

By Sandra | November 15, 2024 | Comments 24 comments

Free Overnight Parking – I keep certain places marked on my maps so I can find them easy if I ever need to. This is one of those spots.

A casino in Alabama with free parking for RVs. It is well lit and security cameras everywhere. A good place to stop when you need to take a break.

We got there just before sunset and as you can see, the hotel part of the casino is all glass. I looked out our window and the building was lit up like a giant outdoor movie screen. So I had to go out and snap a couple of photos.

Than the moon was rising over the building, I only used the camera on the phone, so this is the best it could do.

We had a good nights sleep and hit the road the next morning.

Have a great weekend.

Free Overnight Parking

By Sandra J

Some Fall Colors

By Sandra | November 14, 2024 | Comments 13 comments

Some Fall Colors , We left a little earlier than usual this year. So we did not get to see much for fall colors. As we travel south, it seems like things are just turning brown. It is very dry through out the mid west.

Some Fall Colors

By Sandra J

The Winding Path

By Sandra | November 13, 2024 | Comments 13 comments

The winding path through the woods is shrouded in an enchanting mystery, where sunlight dances through the leaves, casting playful shadows on the forest floor.

As you follow the path, the air thickens with the scent of pine and earth, and the world outside fades away.

The Winding Path

By Sandra J

November in Mississippi

By Sandra | November 12, 2024 | Comments 17 comments

November in Mississippi – The word “Mississippi” comes from the Ojibwe (Chippewa) word “misi-ziibi,” which means “great river.” It reflects the significance of the Mississippi River to the Native American tribes in the region. The name was adopted by French explorers in the 17th century and has remained ever since

The photos capture the serene backwaters of a campground we visited, accessible by a winding trail. The grass here is as vibrantly green as it appears in the images.

November in Mississippi

By Sandra J

Daydreaming

By Sandra | November 11, 2024 | Comments 13 comments

Daydreaming, “Clouds are the sky’s way of daydreaming, floating softly on the breeze, whispering secrets to the sun.”

Daydreaming

By Sandra J

Just a Little Hiccup

By Sandra | November 8, 2024 | Comments 23 comments

Just a Little Hiccup – Meaning as one travels the highways, one can meet up with debris falling from other vehicles. Things that can hit your vehicles windows and possibly creating chips in the glass.

We have had a few chips in the big RV window over the years. Chips that can be easily fixed by trained technicians.

But, not this one. I am not sure what hit us, but it was big and loud. I know I jumped when the window cracked. It was a big truck of some kind that went past us and then BAM. A nice fish eye in the window of the RV.

Come to find out, not many people like to replace RV windows these days. Especially when traveling. We were not able to find someone to fix the glass until we get down to Georgia. We hoped the glass wouldn’t crack more as we traveled on all the bumpy roads before then.

Husband did some research. He found out that putting super glue over the area on the outside might help keep it from getting worse. So he did that.

We made it to Georgia with no further damage.

Thanks to the internet, we found a team of guys that have their own business and all they do is replace windshields on RV and Semi Trucks.

Great guys and they did a fantastic job. It was a hard job, they said this glass weighed over 200 lbs. So they needed 3 to set the window in place. It takes about a week to cure and they did it right on site where we were camping.

So I put the cat in the bathroom and sat outside with the dogs and watched them do their thing. I will be keeping their phone number just in case.

Have a Great Weekend

Just a Little Hiccup

By Sandra J

Leaving Iowa

By Sandra | November 7, 2024 | Comments 14 comments

Leaving Iowa for the Winter – I do love being in Iowa, the farm land, family and the wonderful people we always meet in Iowa. I am proud to call it my home state, where I grew up and went to high school.

Have a wonderful day. 🙂

Leaving Iowa

By Sandra J

Bridge Across the Cedar River

By Sandra | November 6, 2024 | Comments 7 comments

Bridge Across the Cedar River – One of my favorite spots to visit in a small town in Iowa. This is a walking bridge for people to cross the river. Makes for a great landscape photo.

Bridge Across the Cedar River

By Sandra J

Birds

By Sandra | November 5, 2024 | Comments 12 comments

Birds – Starting to see some birds other than the blue jays from home.

First the Double Crested Cormorant known for those striking blue eyes. One of these days I would like to get a close up photo of this birds eye. So unique.

The Little Killdeer bird. Always fun to see in the spring time.

But very fast birds, it was very hard to get a shot of this one flying.

This photo below was from last spring, just cute as is. Two goslings.

Birds

By Sandra J

Reflections of Divine Guidance

By Sandra | November 4, 2024 | Comments 10 comments

Reflections of Divine Guidance -A Journey Through Creation

The Earth from a Drone

In this image, one might see the heavens and the earth as they coexist, reminiscent of Genesis 1:1-2, where God created the heavens and the earth. The vastness of space above symbolizes God’s divine realm, while the earth represents His creation.

Just as the drone captures a broader perspective, so too does Scripture remind us that God’s ways are higher than our ways, inviting us to consider the divine plan that spans beyond our immediate view.

Sunlight and Mist

This scene evokes Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” The mist represents the uncertainties of life, with the trees—akin to lost souls—yearning for direction.

Yet, the penetrating sunlight symbolizes God’s guidance and grace, illuminating the way through the darkness of doubt and confusion.

The Calm Lake

In the tranquil lake, we find a reflection reminiscent of James 1:23-24. Here, the Word of God serves as a mirror and invites introspection. The still waters echo Psalm 23:2, where God leads us beside still waters, restoring our souls.

This serene setting is a place for contemplation. It encourages us to reflect on our journey and the peace from resting in God’s presence. Philippians 4:7 notes that the peace of God guards our hearts and minds.

These scenes collectively invite us to contemplate our relationship with the Creator, our path in life, and the peace found in His presence.

Reflections of Divine Guidance

By Sandra J

Her Regal Look

By Sandra | November 1, 2024 | Comments 5 comments

Her Regal Look – My Chloee. In her defense I had to show you how beautiful she can look when she wants to sit for a portrait.

She has such beautiful eyes, masked by the dark fur giving her a bit of mystery to her face.

Oh, and another cat video of her playing with her favorite thing, red light. LINK HERE ALSO

Watch this video on YouTube.
Sandra J's Photography

She is 10 years old now and such a good dog.

Plus, after she has played for a bit, she actually looks like she is smiling when waiting for a ball to be thrown one more time.

Video below of Chloee and Kit Kit or click HERE

Dog and Cat, Early Morning Awakenings #shorts

Have a great weekend.

Her Regal Look

By Sandra J

Cat vs Dog

By Sandra | October 31, 2024 | Comments 11 comments

Cat vs Dog – I have taken lots of pet photos over the years. Including my own pets. My dog Chloee has a thing about the camera, usually when I point it at her she turns around. Or she gets close trying to sniff the camera.

Which I think makes for fun photos, close up of a dogs nose.

But, cats can be just as funny at times. I took this photo below with a wide angle lens on a phone camera. It made her ear closest to the camera look cartoonist big.

Kit Kit enjoying the outdoors video below or click HERE

So then I took some photo up close to the cats fur. Quite the different colors when you look real close.

I am guessing it is the oils in the fur and the light shinning on it.

After pestering my cat with taking her photo over and over. She then gives me this look telling me that is enough. 🙂

Oh but it is never enough for me. 🙂 there will be more.

Glowing Eyes Cat Digital Art by Sandra J’s Photography

Cat vs Dog

By Sandra J

Kit Kit the Cat

By Sandra | October 30, 2024 | Comments 18 comments

Kit Kit the Cat – when I don’t have a lot of things to photograph, my cat gets her picture taken a lot. I mean a lot. Mainly because she has so much more patience than the dogs. She will sit perfectly still, which makes for much better photos.

When the temperature starts to drop. I find her sitting like this. She wraps her tail around her little paws trying to keep them warm.

A cats tail seems to have a mind of its own and is quite flexible compared to a dogs.

Kit Kit and Red Light Game Video below or click HERE

I have more videos of her on my You Tube Channel, you can click HERE TO SEE MORE OF THOSE.

Kit Kit the Cat

By Sandra J

Golden Season

By Sandra | October 29, 2024 | Comments 11 comments

Golden Season – The Art of a Flower

In petals soft, a whisper glows,
Colors dance where sunlight flows.
Each curve a brushstroke, grace unspun,
Nature’s canvas, art begun.

With every bloom, a story weaves,
In fragrant sighs, the heart believes.
A fleeting moment, beauty’s hour,
Life’s tender touch—an artful flower.

Golden Season

By Sandra J

Autumn Sunflowers

By Sandra | October 28, 2024 | Comments 19 comments

Life often teaches us in the most unexpected ways, and sometimes, it takes the simplest moments to reveal profound truths. Recently, I experienced a beautiful metaphor for resilience and grace. I want to share this lesson from a little seed I planted and then forgot.

A few months ago, I planted a few sunflower seeds. I nurtured it for a while, watering and tending to it with hope and excitement. But as time went on, I grew disheartened. The seed showed no signs of life, and eventually, my attention waned. I stopped watering it, convinced that it had failed. I gave up on it completely.

Imagine my surprise when I returned to the garden weeks later. There, midst the weeds and the remnants of my neglect, stood a stunning flower, vibrant and full of life. The colors were brilliant, and its presence was nothing short of miraculous. How could something I had abandoned flourish in my absence?

In that moment, I couldn’t help but reflect on how similar this is to our own lives and faith journeys. We often plant seeds of hope, love, and dreams. However, we sometimes see them wither due to doubt. Despair or the daily grind can also cause them to wither.

We find ourselves overwhelmed, wondering if anything we’ve nurtured will ever bloom. Just like my neglected seed, we feel like our efforts have gone unnoticed, forgotten in the chaos of life.

This experience with the flower taught me a powerful truth. Even when we give up, God is still at work. There are times we feel our prayers are unanswered. We believe our efforts are fruitless. But, like that seed, growth often occurs beneath the surface. It remains unseen and unfelt.

God’s timing is perfect, and His plans are often beyond our comprehension. My flower emerged when I least expected it. Similarly, we find that our moments of struggle and doubt can lead to unexpected beauty. Sometimes, what seems like an end is merely a pause, allowing God to work in ways we can’t imagine.

Autumn Sunflowers

By Sandra J

As Dawn Breaks

By Sandra | October 25, 2024 | Comments 12 comments

As Dawn Breaks, the world begins to stir. From the vantage point of an old bridge, the river below lays perfectly still, a sheet of glass reflecting the sky above.

The water is a mirror, capturing fluffy clouds drifting lazily across the horizon. It’s a moment where time seems to pause, inviting deep breaths and quiet contemplation.

Standing on the bridge, the view is breathtaking. The river winds gracefully through the landscape, flanked by trees adorned in the vibrant greens of late summer.

The silence is soothing. It is broken only by the occasional rustle of a breeze. There is also the soft splash of a fish breaking the surface.

In this serene setting, worries drift away like the clouds above. Here, on this bridge, amidst the stillness, one can find clarity and tranquility. It’s a perfect morning, a fleeting glimpse of nature’s serenity, reminding us of the beauty that exists in quiet moments.

Have a wonderful weekend.

As Dawn Breaks

By Sandra J

Camping Along the River

By Sandra | October 24, 2024 | Comments 8 comments

Camping Along the River. Early morning along the river can make for some beautiful photos. My favorite time of day. Peaceful and quiet.

Have a great day.

Camping Along the River

By Sandra J

First Snow Up North

By Sandra | October 23, 2024 | Comments 16 comments

First Snow Up North, I wrote on my calendar that the first snow in 2023 was in November. But it isn’t anything that is going to collect on the ground, yet.

It is that time of year. 🙂

Digital Art by Sandra J’s Photography

First Snow Up North

By Sandra J

Good Ole John Deere

By Sandra | October 22, 2024 | Comments 13 comments

Good Ole John Deere

John Deere the company would not have been possible without the determination of John Deere the man. From the time he created the first steel plow in 1837, Deere worked hard. He was committed to helping farmers handle their daily tasks with ease.

Demand for these plows increased. Deere moved the business from Grand Detour to Moline, IL in 1848. He chose this new location due to the power and transportation benefits it offered.

Iowa isn’t just farmland, it is made up of beautiful rolling hills and lots of state parks and lakes.

Good Ole John Deere

By Sandra J