Last year, we visited Mammoth Cave National Park two different times. As you might imagine, our main goal there was to see some of the caves, and we went on two different cave tours. But we also took a little time to see some of the other sights of the area above ground.
As we were driving through the park area, Laura and I came across the Mammoth Cave Baptist Church. I always enjoy seeing old church buildings, and this one was quite interesting, tucked away between the trees and the woods. Very different from something like the Metropolitan Cathedral in Panama, this one was just a simple wooden building, relatively small and unassuming. Of course, the church is not the building, but rather the church is the people. So you should definitely not judge a church by is building, but rather by its love for God. But it is still interesting to see all the different types of church buildings that have been built over the years.
Recently, we took a day trip to Middle Tennessee. Laura was going to a baby shower, and I went along for the trip, too. While she was showering, I went to a nearby park, Sellers Farm State Archaeological Area, in Lebanon. It had a nice trail and some interesting features, so here are some photos.
The main feature of the area is a mound from the Mississippian period, thought to be built around 1300 AD, or maybe a little earlier. It was not quite as large as some of the other mounds we have seen, such as Sauls’ Mound at Pinson Mounds in Tennessee. But it is still always interesting to me to see these remnants from ancient societies.
Walking along a street in the Casco Viejo area of Panama City, Panama, during our 2024 Panama Trip.
At the end of our week in Panama, our group took a day to see some of the sights. After visiting the Panama Canal and Panama Viejo, we went to the area known as Casco Viejo.
Sunlight breaks through the clouds above the water at sunset at Disney Springs in Walt Disney World.
When we visit Disney Springs while in Florida, we usually end up there in the early evening, and that was once again true during our July 2024 trip. As we were walking across the relatively new bridge across the lake, the sky was too nice not to take a photo, so I did, of course.
A beautiful red hibiscus flower hangs from overhead near Panama City, Panama.
For whatever reason, it had not crossed my mind that there would be hibiscus flowers in Panama. I had expected to see them on our Hawaiʻi trip, but not during our Panama trip. So I was pleasantly surprised to see these flowers there. Admittedly, before our trip I did not look up what kinds of flowers grow in Panama. I just figured we would see what we would see.
A stream flows through the woods and over the shoals at Shoal Creek Preserve in Florence, Alabama.
During our visit to Shoal Creek Preserve, we stopped on a footbridge that ran over the flowing water. This was the actual Shoal Creek that the preserve was named after, by the way. These are different shoals than the ones seen in the previous Shoal Creek photo, in case you were curious, as these were a little more up the creek from the first location. And although the colors suggest an autumn scene, this photo was taken on the first day of February, very much in the winter.
A view down the beach at Lori Wilson Park at Cocoa Beach, Florida, from our July 2024 Florida trip.
If you are a longtime Burnsland website reader, you will know that I like views like this down the beach. There is no main subject here besides the beach itself. The waves are rolling in as their whitecaps settle. People are enjoying themselves under the brilliant blue sky. A few clouds line the horizon.
Water flows over the shoals in the creek at Shoal Creek Preserve in Florence, Alabama.
While we were in Florence, Alabama1, for our church marriage retreat, we were looking for something to do in the free time that we had. Hiking is our thing, so we found a trail at Shoal Creek Preserve and gave it a try.
Footprints fill the sand on the beach at Kaʻena Point on the island of Oʻahu in Hawaiʻi during our 2023 Hawaiʻi trip.
If you are wondering, those footprints are ours from where we walked along the beach before I turned around to take this photo. It was a beautiful beach, as you can see here.
Fog fills the air above the Tennessee River at the Wilson Dam in Florence, Alabama.
We went with a group from our church on a marriage retreat, which was in Florence, Alabama. It was a great weekend spent making our marriages stronger, and I would encourage anyone who can to go to such a thing.
