Paula's Place

Flying to Dauphin Island

2012-01-04T20:54:00.003-05:00

Second time up with Gregg. Still a little nervous about it all.

Three Boys in Minnesota

2012-01-04T00:58:00.003-05:00

Zonta Club Fair

2008-10-06T20:52:00.004-05:00

This past weekend we went to a craft fair downtown and enjoyed seeing all the things on display. These are two of the kookiest. We also went to the library book sale and bought a few books. We had to keep reminding ourselves that we had come on the motorcycle and didn't have room for a lot of stuff.

Camping with Company

2008-10-03T17:39:00.002-05:00

Emily, David, and Jenna went camping with us on another occasion. It is a lot different camping with 5 and having a car/truck to haul everything. I'm not sure it is worth it for just one night, because of all the stuff we took with us, but we had fun. We even took the canoe and kayak along this time. Gregg's tryng to think of a method we can use to haul the kayak behind our motorcycle!

Camping Without the Rain

2008-10-03T17:20:00.003-05:00

We decided to try the camping again and this time we didn't have the rain, but we had to deal with the darkness. After work, we rushed home, loaded the bike and took off for a different campground from the week before which was also about an hour and a half from home. By the time we made it there though the ranger was gone for the day and we had to leave our camping fee in the Honor Box and then make our way through the maze of camping sites to the tent camping section. I had looked the campground up on the internet a few days earlier, but in real life and after dark it didn't look exactly the same. After driving all the way to the end of the road, we finally settled on a site in the Primitive section and then set up camp. The weather was just cool enough to feel good and the sky was beautiful with all the stars. These air mats in the picture double as chairs and make it more enjoyable to sit inside and read.

Motorcycle Camping

2008-09-28T19:07:00.002-05:00

It is really Peter Egan's fault that we got it in our heads to try motorcycle camping. If he hadn't been such a good storyteller and if we hadn't read his book called Leanings, then we probably wouldn't have found ourselves soaking wet and trying to put up a newly purchased 3-man tent in the pouring rain. Peter made it all sound so romantic and minimalistic and somehow that appealed to our middle-aged senses. Maybe somehow the idea of packing up what little bit of camping equipment we could haul in and on our V-Star dredged up some long forgotten youthful dream, but whatever it was, we hit the trail last week looking for adventure. Funny, it didn't look like rain when we left our house, but barely 30 minutes from home on our 60 minute spur-of-the-moment trip, we started getting wet. We could have turned around and called it quits, but neither one of us wanted to give up that easily. What was a little rain! So we forged ahead. At first, our jeans were only wet from the knees down, but by the time we made it to the gate of the campground and we pulled up to the ranger's ticket window the rain had pretty much soaked us. There were plenty of camping sites to pick from we were told. But the cheap ones in the Primitive section were a muddy mess the ranger said. The Park had just hauled in red clay for the road the day before and campers had been fleeing the Primitive area because of the rain and the conditions of the road. So, did we turn around and go home? No, we paid the bigger bucks, $18, for one of the developed sites with electricity/water/ & sewer hook-up (a little bit of over kill since all we had on us was a tent, a couple of blow up sleeping mats, one sleeping bag, and a flashlight). The rain stayed with us for the rest of the night until about 3 am. At that point we emerged from the tent and made our way to the closest bathhouse only to discover on the way back from there that our one flashlight had very poor batteries. I did happen to have a tiny booklight in my pocket so once in a while we used it to find our way. We broke camp about 6am in order to make it back for church, because Gregg had a prior committment. It was only after he had packed up the tent that I remembered to get the camera out so all that was left to take a picture of was our wet helmets that you see posted here.

First Dance

2008-08-31T21:46:00.000-05:00

First dance as husband and wife.

Mary Allison

2008-08-31T21:38:00.001-05:00

This is Mary Allison and Drew with her group of youth from the church where she works.

Me and Em

2008-08-31T21:27:00.002-05:00

We went to my niece's wedding in Mississippi. This was taken at the reception. It was at a lovely older homestead that friends from their church let them use.

Bike for Gregg's Dad

2008-08-31T21:15:00.002-05:00

We took a bicycle to Gregg's parents; sort of an early 80th birthday present for Gregg's dad. We all took turns taking a spin on it. They have a great place to ride living so close to the college like they do.

Gregg's Dad

2008-07-15T20:34:00.002-05:00

I love this one of Gregg's dad enjoying the shade and the lake.

Auntie Em & Kaelem

2008-07-15T20:27:00.002-05:00

He is 13 months old now and is so much fun! I wish they lived closer so we could spoil him more.

View from the Porch

2008-07-15T20:24:00.001-05:00

Here is the view from the porch. It was my favorite part of the day...quiet! The fish were really jumping too.

Lake House

2008-07-15T20:15:00.002-05:00

We had a reunion of Gregg's side of the family and this is the house we rented on the lake. His family had the house next door. I shot this picture shortly after dawn one morning as the sun came up over the lake. It gave the house a rosie color.

Gregg's Trip to WI

2008-07-15T20:11:00.002-05:00

Gregg toured the Harley Davidson plant in WI when he was in town on business. Those are employees' motorcyles in the picture. He came home with all kinds of memorabilia.

Catching up with Old Friends

2008-07-15T20:06:00.003-05:00

We took a ride with Lori and Richard to the beach. We took the ferry for part of the trip. It was nice to catch up on old times and what we have all been doing in the last few years. We had lunch at Lulu's and rode in and out of summer rain showers all day. Overall it was a very fun time.

Flower

2008-06-06T21:14:00.002-05:00

I like the colors in this. It is a sweet little flower. I'm drawing a blank on the name right now...will have to look it up.

Lots of Bikes

2008-06-05T19:08:00.002-05:00

This is only a few that were there on Monday. Some would come and others would go. Quite a happening place. It is especially crowded on weekends.

Tree of Shame

2008-06-05T19:01:00.002-05:00

They have a tree at Deal's Gap that you hang parts on if you happen to not make it successfully around all 318 curves. There was quite a collection of things at the base of the tree, too.

In Full Gear

2008-06-05T18:54:00.002-05:00

Here I am at one of the scenic overlooks. Lots and lots of pretty places around there.

Joining Up with Friends in NC/TN

2008-06-05T18:47:00.003-05:00

We know Les and Mike from work. They rode up there in one day and we all met up and drove around the area. Pretty famous place for motorcyclists...318 curves in 11 miles of road.

Our Ride to Mongomery

2008-06-05T18:42:00.003-05:00

We rode the motorcycle to Montgomery on the backroads seeing a lot of AL that we hadn't seen before. We then rode up to NC/TN to try out the strip of HWY 129 called the Dragon's Tail.

Even More of B & B

2008-06-05T18:35:00.004-05:00

We had a delicious breakfast in the dining room. There was one other couple from Alabama there for a weekend away from home. It was their first B & B experience too.

The owners made us feel right at home. Barry was out planting flowers when we drove up and didn't hesitate to ask us to help him (he was just kidding). His wife Bonnie was friendly too and a very good cook.

More of B & B

2008-06-05T18:30:00.003-05:00

This is the living room off of the formal dining room. There was also a more casual living room with a t.v. and books.

B & B in Montgomery

2008-06-05T18:23:00.004-05:00

We recently tried out our first Bed and Breakfast. It was a really nice place in Montgomery. We were in the area for Libby and Andy's surprise 26th anniversary party.

This is the front of the B&B but you really come in from the back. I loved the porch.

Cruisin Emily

2008-05-13T20:31:00.004-05:00

Emily and Gregg went for a ride a couple of times over the weekend. I think she really likes riding.

Okatibbee Sunset

2008-05-13T20:26:00.001-05:00

This was our view from the cabin. We went there for Mother's Day weekend. Gregg and I rode the bike there...about 200 miles one way. The weather was wonderful.

Motorcycle MamaJoy

2008-05-13T20:20:00.003-05:00

Gregg's mom was brave enough to try it out.

Knight in Shining Armor

2008-05-13T20:13:00.002-05:00

They had a jousting contest which was quite entertaining, especially when the lances broke and went flying into the crowd.

Colorful Characters

2008-05-13T20:08:00.002-05:00

Don't know who they are but liked their creativeness.

Renaissance Faire

2008-05-13T20:03:00.003-05:00

Kids at the petting zoo. I liked the flower headband on the one little girl. The tent was red so that is why the color looks a little off.

Gregg's Motorcyle

2008-05-02T20:22:00.001-05:00

Gregg recently got this new toy and just had to share it with the baby. Don't worry he didn't really ride on it.

Gregg and Kaelem

2008-05-02T20:17:00.002-05:00

Here is the proud grandfather and grandson. We still haven't decided what Kaelem will call us. It will probably be grandma and grandpa, but I'm also leaning some towards nana and papa. I'm sure it will all work out in time.

Family Pose

2008-05-02T20:12:00.001-05:00

This is one of the rare pictures of me and all my siblings together with my dad.

Nieces and Nephew

2008-05-02T20:05:00.003-05:00

These are my brother's kids. Not really kids anymore. It was quite a treat to see them all three together.

Wedding Guests

2008-05-02T19:54:00.002-05:00

Gregg's mom took this one of us. We're missing some of the family. They had already headed up to the reception hall.

Daddy

2008-05-02T19:48:00.002-05:00

Here is my dad at my nephew's wedding. It was a beautiful setting beside a lake in Mississippi.

Sarah & Kaelem

2008-05-02T19:41:00.002-05:00

He has a new cell phone and is trying it out.

A Visit from Kaelem

2008-05-02T19:33:00.003-05:00

Sarah and Kaelem came for a visit and it was so much fun to see how much he had grown.

Here he found Gregg's eyeglass case and just had to see what it tasted like.

Mississippi River at Natchez

2008-04-16T18:06:00.002-05:00

In April we went to Natchez for the 50th Jubilee celebration of the church Gregg's dad pastored back in the 60's. It was the first time I'd ever been to Natchez. The river was very swollen...flooding going on in some areas. I got to see Gregg's elementary school and the back yard where he played Tarzan on the poison ivy vines.

Easter at Daddy's

2008-04-14T22:33:00.001-05:00

Easter came early this year. We went to my dad's after lunch and visited for a little while. The great nieces and nephews were busy coloring eggs.

Tahoe in January

2008-04-14T21:49:00.002-05:00

The scenery there is just so gorgeous! This year was a record high snow year. We had fun catching up with Sarah, Jed, and Kaelem since we didn't see them at Christmas. David joined us but we all missed Emily.

Here is Grandpa and Kaelem getting to know each other a little. It is amazing how fast that little fellow is growing.

He still has a ways to catch up with my baby boy though as you can see David's shoe along side Kaelem's.

Christmas at Emily's

2008-04-14T21:39:00.002-05:00

We spent Christmas at Emily's and enjoyed our time there. Sarah, Jed, and Kaelem were missed, especially in helping to eat all the food we cooked. Way too much for just the four of us!

Thanksgiving Fun

2008-04-14T21:33:00.003-05:00

Working off the turkey with a little bit of baseball fun.

Mighty Oak

2007-11-06T16:37:00.000-05:00

Found this lovely oak at the Civil War cemetary in Point Clear. We were bike riding with some friends.

Cousins

2007-11-06T16:32:00.000-05:00

My great nephew Zachery and great niece Jessi playing on the swing at my dad's house.

Beautiful Boy

2007-11-06T16:29:00.000-05:00

Kaelem came for a visit in October and we took him to visit the beach.

Kayakers

2007-11-06T16:24:00.000-05:00

David and Gregg after a long afternoon of kayaking in the river near our house.

Emily's Birthday

2007-11-06T16:21:00.000-05:00

Emily was in town so we surprised her with a cake...this was taken in David's dorm room.

House of Seven Gables

2007-11-06T16:15:00.000-05:00

One afternoon we rode the train to Salem, MA and toured the House of Seven Gables. Salem is a gorgeous little town...we enjoyed it more than Boston.

Harvard Book Store

2007-11-06T16:11:00.000-05:00

While in Boston we went to Harvard and walked around. This is one of the interesting book stores they have there.

Boston At Dusk

2007-11-06T16:04:00.000-05:00

Also in September, Gregg had a business trip to Boston and I tagged along. The weather turned out to be unseasonably warm.

Branson, Missouri

2007-11-06T16:00:00.000-05:00

Early September we went with Gregg's parents to Branson for a quick visit. At this diner the waitstaff sing to you...some of them were quite talented.

Lake Weiss

2007-11-06T15:54:00.000-05:00

Stayed here for our 26th anniversary. The water level in the lake was down by at least 6 feet due to the drought. Normally this slide would be operational.

Bromeliad

2007-07-30T15:34:00.000-05:00

One of many flowers blooming around my dad's back porch. We spend most of our time on that porch when we go to visit.

Claudia

2007-07-30T15:28:00.000-05:00

Art, Carol, and Claudia came for a visit this past weekend. This is Claudia, my niece and the youngest of my parents' grandchildren.

Brother & Sister

2007-07-30T15:23:00.000-05:00

My dad and his sister recently celebrated their 82nd and 81st birthdays. My grandmother had 3 July babies 3 Julys in a row. This was taken at my cousin's house.

Grasshopper Surprise

2007-07-16T17:12:00.000-05:00

As I was walking past my hanging basket this colorful grasshopper caught my attention. I can remember being afraid of these when I was a kid and had to help pick figs at Aunt Lilly's house.

Emily & Gregg

2007-07-16T17:08:00.001-05:00

Saturday night Emily came over after attending a friend's wedding. It is nicer to live a little closer so she can "pop" in a little more often. She left early Sunday morning to get back to a church function.

Great Grandpa

2007-07-11T18:24:00.000-05:00

Hermit Crabs

2007-07-11T18:22:00.000-05:00

At the park they were selling these colorfully painted hermit crabs for $5. Fascinating to all the little kids.

Knoxville Reunion 07-04-07

2007-07-11T18:19:00.000-05:00

Some of the Lyles at the park in Alcoa, TN. These are mostly Jenny Gay's kids with one of Gina's thrown in and the Lyle seniors.

Beach Chairs

2007-07-11T18:16:00.000-05:00

I liked the color of these chairs at the hotel in Panama City. We went there to visit David.

David Very Tanned

2007-07-11T18:11:00.000-05:00

I don't know why he wouldn't crack a smile...being macho I guess. He is working on the beach at Panama City for the summer. He is a team leader with Campus Outreach.

Papa Gregg

2007-07-11T18:09:00.000-05:00

Catching a few zzzzzzzzz's with Kaelem. We haven't settled on a name for us grandparents. Emily suggested Mama and Papa Lyle. Any other suggestions?

The Little Family--Early June 07

2007-07-11T18:04:00.000-05:00

Sorry again that I have been absent on here. Here are a few posts of the highlights of my last few months.

Kaelem is only a week old and they had a friend who is into photography taking pictures so I snapped a few too.

Marsh View

2007-04-26T16:23:00.000-05:00

Here is another shot at the park. The gourds hanging in the air are used for bird houses.

What a Face

2007-04-26T16:20:00.000-05:00

No we didn't get a dog, Emily! This one is Tammy's and it was just about to settle down for a nap.

Walking Track

2007-04-26T16:17:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to walk more and this is one of the places I go. Two laps around this track is one mile. I usually do 3 miles in a little over 45 minutes. It is a great time to think.

Pine Bark

2007-04-26T16:15:00.000-05:00

I like the pattern and texture on this huge pine tree. It caught my eye as I was getting out of my car.

Pig Heaven

2007-04-16T13:21:00.000-05:00

This is a closer look at Sugar. She is loving that Gregg is rubbing her back with his foot!

Real Southern Men

2007-04-16T13:19:00.000-05:00

This is how a real southern man spends his Sunday afternoon! This is Gregg and my dad sitting on my niece's back porch accompanied by the family pig!

Sarah Going Home

2007-04-16T13:15:00.000-05:00

Sunday we hated to say goodbye to Sarah, but she had to get back home and be at work on Monday. This was taken at the airport just before her flight. I'm planning on going to MN at the end of May to be there with them. I hope the baby co-operates timing-wise!

Gregg's Parents

2007-04-16T13:11:00.000-05:00

We enjoyed a lunch visit from Gregg's folks who drove 31/2 hours one way to see Sarah and the rest of us on Friday and then they headed home. Joy had to be in Atlanta Saturday to play for a funeral.

My Girls

2007-04-16T13:08:00.000-05:00

Sarah came from MN for a quick visit and Emily is trying to capture a shot of her and the baby! We have one and a half months to go until due date.

Baseball

2007-04-16T13:03:00.000-05:00

Thursday night we went to watch my great-nephews baseball game. This is him on deck. My pictures all came out blurry but I thought I'd post anyway. My camera doesn't catch action too well.

This is his first year where the kids pitch to each other rather than machine or coach pitch.

It was a close game but the home team ended up winning.

No Cares

2007-04-11T13:05:00.000-05:00

What a wonderful way to spend the day: sitting on the bank with your ice chest and fishing pole. And, no, I don't know the person in the picture; they didn't know I was taking it and I didn't ask.

Just off the busy highway, this park offers a lot of serenity, which is what I like about it.

View from Aunt Jenny's

2007-04-11T12:53:00.000-05:00

We went out to eat with a friend and ate at Aunt Jenny's Catfish house and this was the view from the dining room. I wish I'd caught it just a little earlier so the lighting would have been better. It was a nice scene of the sunset and water and giant old oaks.

Emily

2007-04-09T11:06:00.000-05:00

Okay, this brings me up to date as much as possible. I missed posting most of February and all of March due to the move and just not being in the mood, but now I hope to be back on track. This is Emily yesterday when she came over to visit. It goes with the Easter post which somehow got out of order.

Basket of Color

2007-04-09T11:04:00.000-05:00

I couldn't resist getting this lovely hanging basket of petunias from Lowes. I love the color.

Life in a Shell

2007-04-09T11:02:00.000-05:00

I usually walk along the beach on the seawall. This is one of many conchs that live in the area.

Along My Path

2007-04-09T10:57:00.000-05:00

I've been taking walks again and this is one of the properties that was destroyed by Katrina. Nothing left but a little bit of the foundation. The flag flying gave it sort of a cemetary feel to me.

Easter Sunday

2007-04-09T10:52:00.000-05:00

Emily and David came over Saturday and spent the night with us. This was taken Sunday as they were getting ready to go home. It was fun being around them.

Restaurant in Key West

2007-04-09T10:36:00.000-05:00

Key West is known for being laid back and this is a perfect example. This is the entrance to a little eatery made to look very, very casual. We didn't eat there but the place where we did eat was semi-outdoors with pigeons and chickens roaming around at our feet! Quite different.

On the Way to Key West

2007-04-09T10:33:00.000-05:00

Since I haven't posted in a while I thought I'd put a few more of Key West. This is from the cabin of the boat that we rode to Key West. The picture really doesn't capture the beauty of the Gulf waters. It was a gorgeous sight!

Key West

2007-04-09T10:23:00.000-05:00

Gregg and I spent one day in Key West and took a tour on a trolley type car. This is the Southernmost Point of the Continental US.

Unusual Sign

2007-02-24T19:06:00.000-05:00

This cracked me up! I had to do a u-turn to get this picture. I wonder how many customers this sign draws in?

Fountain

2007-02-24T19:02:00.000-05:00

This looks like a super duper bird bath! One with jet shower heads.

More Impatiens

2007-02-24T18:58:00.000-05:00

These Impatiens are very happy.

Lovely Road

2007-02-24T18:55:00.000-05:00

Every day on the way to the office we pass this palm tree lined road and the huge beds of Impatiens.

HouseBoat

2007-02-24T18:52:00.000-05:00

I thought this was just the cutest little house boat!

Organ at Church

2007-02-24T18:47:00.000-05:00

Feb 18 we attended an organ concert at church. The organist was from Coral Ridge Presbyterian and was excellent. I am not all that much of an organ fan but I enjoyed this particular concert.

Along the Walk

2007-02-14T20:56:00.000-05:00

Sat., Feb 10th, back home and on my favorite walk around the preserve.

Azaleas

2007-02-14T20:53:00.000-05:00

More of the grounds at Weeki Wachee. It was quite a lovely day and a nice change of routine.

Mermaid

2007-02-14T20:50:00.000-05:00

This is a mermaid doing a flip in the water. We were sitting behind plexiglass while they put on a show aobut The Little Mermaid. Gregg had gone here when he was quite young and had been thoroughly impressed!

King Gregg

2007-02-14T20:46:00.000-05:00

Friday, Feb 9th, we spent part of the day visiting Weeki Wachee. They have a live mermaid show and a short boat cruise on the river.

Flowers in the Greenhouse

2007-02-14T20:37:00.000-05:00

These are in the greenhouse at Daddy's and they were all straining towards the window and the light. It was quite a jungle in there because everything that can freeze gets put in the greenhouse at the first sign of frost and stays there until spring. He has a lot of happy plants.

Old Oak Tree

2007-02-14T20:31:00.000-05:00

Back at my dad's I was poking around the yard and took a shot of this old oak tree through the door of his greenhouse. We used to have a swing hanging from the tree and more than one generation has been known to play on that old swing.

Hancock Clock

2007-02-14T20:25:00.000-05:00

Tues, Feb 6th, we traveled over to Gulfport. We had lunch in a little downtown sandwich shop and this very large clock was outside over the sidewalk.

Traveling along the beachfront reminded us of just the damage that was done by Katrina. Where there used to be businesses and antebellum homes there are just empty lots. Quite a lot of history was washed away that day.

Early Bloomers

2007-02-14T20:22:00.000-05:00

Spring had sprung in my dad's yard. We stayed a few days with him and I took a few pictures around the old homestead.