4. Port Sulphur Trip

Our Concord Church group left from Virginia to travel to Port Sulphur, Louisiana, while we were in Florida. So we left Orlando on Tuesday morning to drive to New Orleans and then to Port Sulphur to join them for a Mission project to help with clean-up and recovery from Hurricane Isaac, in late 2012. That hurricane hit 7 years (almost to the day) after Hurricane Katrina. These folks have had a very difficult time for several years trying to get back to normal, and then Isaac set them back again. We helped with debris clean-up, home repair and several projects at the Port Sulphur Baptist Church, which served as our home base for that week. It was a labor-intensive experience, but the group displayed a wonderful spirit throughout the whole time. All of us felt that we had received as much of a blessing - doing what we did - as the people who live there. They were extremely appreciative for all the work that was done on their behalf. I kept thinking of the verse in Matthew that says: "Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these ... you have done it unto me."

3. Heading for Warm Weather

Again this year, as the snow falls in VA, we start looking toward the South, and the warmer days of Florida in January. We left Richmond just after a snow that blanketed Virginia, and headed South. A stopover with Ruth in Charleston, SC gave us a chance to catch up on each other's recent experiences, and share a bit of belated Christmas, too. The overnight visit was a treat, as well as a welcome break before the rest of the drive to Orlando. We have settled into the Bonnet Creek Resort, and are surrounded by wonderful memories of the last time we were here with all the family in the summer of 2011. We each had a separate condo, all with a view of the Disney Epcot Globe from our porch balconies. What a treat to have the whole family in our unit each night for a dinner together, and then to watch the Disney nightly fireworks from our front porch. Still that was not quite as enjoyable as watching the parade and fireworks all together inside the park on our one day when we visited the Magic Kingdom. But this year, we are enjoying Bonnet Creek just the two of us. Fortunately, it has been warm enough to swim in the pools and enjoy the water slides and Lazy River. We had our traditional Ghiradelli ice cream treat in the Walt Disney Village tonight. We left our Park tickets in Richmond, so we will just enjoy the surroundings this visit. And we are expecting to meet our Richmond friends, the Hiltons, for a Super Bowl party on Sunday night. They are every-year-SnowBirds, and get to stay for several weeks every winter. Our shorter visits have coincided with their stays for the last few years. And we get to catch-up on all the latest from our former Bon Air Baptist Church at the same time. After the Super Bowl Get-together with the Hiltons, we moved to the Orlando Hilton Grand Vacation Club for a few more days of relaxation before leaving for Louisiana and the Mission Trip group that had departed from Virginia. The Hilton facility is also a beautiful lakefront property that makes it easy to just enjoy vacation. That's all for now. More later, I'm sure.

2. Train Display at Bevell's in Blackstone

For a Sunday afternoon treat, several of our Youth Group at Concord Baptist Church made a trek to Blackstone to visit the Model Train display in Bevell's Hardware Store. It is avai;lable from November each year till the 2nd Sunday of the New Year. What a fantastic display of detailed miniature circus Big-Top, amusement park, mountain village, and a replica of Blackstone, including a drive-in movie theater and baseball park. All of this display is surrounded by several different modern and vintage era model trains in constant motion.

1. First Snow in January

A light snowfall began our New Year in Pictures. What a beautiful sight when it is coming down. Happy New Year!