A Gloomy Peaceful Day

First, I want to begin by saying thank you for your support with the blog.  As you can see, I put a counter on the bottom of the blog to see how many hits that it receives.  Today's pictures may appear to be disappointing to many of the viewers because the pictures were taken today, which was a gloomy day.  For the past several days, I have uploaded pictures with vibrant colors and that were taken on beautiful days.  

While I was waiting for my tire to be fixed today at Simpson County Tire, I started reading the manual that came with the camera.  Afterwards, I wanted to take the opportunity to take pictures and try some of the settings that I read about.  I left Franklin and went on Highway 73 headed toward South Union, KY (Logan County).  I turned left onto Moody Road and took this picture below.  I took this picture because of the hazy background behind the barn.  I felt that this picture truly captures the day of picture taking.

The second picture was taken on the grounds of the Shaker Museum in Shakertown near South Union.  I took this picture of the main residence (pictured left) and the Ministry Shop that was built in 1846.  In Kentucky, there were two Shaker settlements...this one and in Mercer County.  If you ever get a chance, visit the one in Mercer County.  They have a nice restaurant on the site as well even antiques / gifts during Shaker Days.  Be careful though because Highway 68 going to that site is HORRIBLE.  Now, back to this site in Logan County...the Shaker colony was established in 1807.  For you history buffs, that is 13 years before the Simpson County was formed.  The colony was disbanded in 1922.  When I was younger, we took several school field trips to the Shaker museum.  I know I did not appreciate these trips to this site as much as I do now.  Also, the old road of 68 / 80 has a special place for me too.  I love walking along that old stretch of road.  If you want a pleasant lunch during spring and or summer, I would encourage you to have a picnic lunch on the grounds of the Shaker museum.  It is absolutely peaceful.  Also, you can see a monastery located adjacent to the Shaker museum.  I did not venture too far onto the grounds, but a friend of mine told me that is a place that you have to experience.  The Shaker museum is located along the old route of 68 / 80.  You can get here via 68/80 from Bowling Green or Russellville.

The last three pictures were taken on Highway 816 near the Schweizer community in Simpson County (roughly 2 miles from the KY and TN border.  I have passed this place many of times as I would take drives in the country, but today I wanted to take a picture of the picnic table (not pictured).  These pictures today brings up a recurring lesson that I learn when I take pictures...sometimes the main thing that you go to capture ends up getting overshadowed by something else that captures your attention.  That today was three things...the outhouse (seen in the first and third picture), the cross underneath the picnic table, and the site to get water.  This area was a memorial to the Zion Lutheran Church founded in 1899.  The church burned in 1949.  These pictures are pretty interesting because the other day my mother and I were talking about outhouses.  She said that she had not seen an outhouse since theirs was removed in the 1970's when they got an indoor bathroom.  How crazy is it that this functioning outhouse is located no more than 5 miles from my mother's home.

The last picture is of the cross that captured my attention underneath the pavillion.  The cross and the benches were covered by moss, but it added to the overall picture.  I liked this picture because the cross and benches form a silhouette against the background.  I feel that this place is a good place for spiritual meditation...granted the passing vehicles may serve as a distraction, but in general this is a peaceful place.

In closing, does any know what kind of dog this is?  It was a pretty dog and appeared to be friendly when I was taken pictures on the ground of the Shaker Museum.  As I was leaving he followed me, so I started to rub him again.  This dog tried to bite me and started barking.  Then he tried to bite my ankle.  I am not sure if he was playing or really serious, but I did not want to take any chances.  I did not run, but walked very quickly keeping my eyes on him.  He kept running around me as I walked nearly hundred yards to my vehicle.  Basically, my time at the Shaker site was cut short.