The mountains are calling...

My oh my!! It had been over a year and a half since Chris and I have taken any time off.  We had heard of Cumberland Falls State Resort Park near Corbin, KY (having stayed at the KOA in Corbin as a half-way stopping point on trips to Tennessee...we were familiar with the area to some extent) and we had also heard of the "moonbow" but had never visited before.

Upon researching what a "moonbow" even was, we learned that Cumberland Falls is one of two places in the world that you can see a "rainbow" in the mist cast off by the waterfall on nights of a full moon....hence...."moonbow."  Now THIS sounded cool enough to visit! So we planned it and off we went.  We recently spent 5 days enjoying this beautiful place!!

This area of central southern Kentucky was absolutely stunning! Colorful fall trees on the surrounding mountains looked like splashes of paint on an ole masters painting.  Just breathtaking!  Then add in these colors reflecting off the waters of the Cumberland River and the house-sized rock boulders here and there...definitely a memory making experience!

It was overcast on the night of the full moon so we didn't get to see the actual "moonbow", but we did see the daylight equivalent which was amazing in-and-of-itself. (see photos below)

I was somewhat surprised to learn that within 2 hours of where we camped in Corbin are KY State Park after KY State Park to explore...so...this means...more visits in our future!

Click here for a link to the Cumberland Falls Resort Park website to see for yourself what amaze-ness this FAB-U-LOUS park has to offer!

We also did some serious walking along the paved trail beside the falls and along the river.  All breathtaking!
Click here for a trail map of the Cumberland Falls Resort Park.

This park is located only about 35 minutes off of I-75 so is an easy stop-over on your way through Kentucky. (exit 25)

Here's more visual proof of its astounding beauty.  enjoy!

 The rainbow cast from the mist of the falls.

 

The big mist cast by the water of the falls crashing over boulders below.

Below the falls. Such pools!  There is whitewater rafting available that puts in just below this spot.
Yep, on my bucket list!  Gonna do this next time we visit there!

 

Beautiful overlooks of the falls around every corner!

Great selfie-opportunity! Me, Chris and the falls.

Cumberland Falls, KY

 

I just love the ripples of river water!

Me, Chris and Reeses-pieces enjoying the sun and beauty along the Cumberland River. Dodi didn't make the photo (our 2nd toy fox terrier)

The smells of this river and the fall leaves, also amazing!

So yes, if you're looking for a new adventure definitely check out Kentucky and it's many State Parks!!

Mail-able art!

Super fun to create, it's mailable art!

As a way to practice drawing I found this neato outlet. Pen and ink on envelopes!

You too can be the proud owner of an original drawing...just send me your mailing address and POOF.  Your mailed art will arrive shortly.

I need people to send these to or my house is gonna fill with these drawn on envelopes. Besides, I'd rather send them to friends simply because it's fun and we both win. 

Email me your mailing address to
rachel (at) racheldickson dot com.

The art of being yourself!

Definitely a MUST see! Well worth the 26 minutes it takes to watch this inspiring and thought provoking video.



Check it out...to watch just click here.

A brilliant tedtalk eloquently given by Caroline Mchugh, The Art of Being Yourself!

Reminiscent of paddling Harrison Bay

It had been entirely too long! And this summer is going by entirely too fast.  Jam packed with time spent working followed by projecting around our home (primarily related to some upkeep of the chicken barn and fending off wildlife chicken killers, but that's a whole other post waiting to happen) I decided that it was time to get the boat out!

So I grabbed Dodi (our water-loving toy fox terrier) and my boat and off we went to the Delta reservoir.  (the closest thing here to Harrison Bay).  There is a Harrison Lake semi-nearby here but neither really truly compares to the awesomeness of paddling Harrison Bay in Harrison, TN but I digress.

As you can tell from the smile on my face here...joy, pure joy to be outside smelling the fresh northwest Ohio air and listening to the sound of my own paddling pulling through the water.

Dodi is becoming an ole pro at this kayaking thing.  If you're looking to invest in a kayak and have a dog, I highly recommend a pfd (personal floatation device) for your pet. Specifically one with a handle on the back so you can lift your dog up out of the water if need be.

Here's Theodore (aka Dodi) doing what he does best...enjoying life in the moment.  Professional kayaker extraordinaire. Well, sort of.  At one point he did decide to walk out on the nose of the boat which then lead to a slip and fall into the water.  No biggy, I just reached over, grabbed him by his pfd handle and lifted him back into the boat.  Next time I'll be sure to put a towel on the deck of the boat so he can hang out up there more comfortably and not slip and fall in.

So three cheers for summer kayaking!! Hoping there's much much more of this to come.  Sometimes we just gotta put down our projects and our chores and grab the boat and go!

Live life in the moment!

Chicken selfies!

I hope this makes you smile like it did to me.  A few months back I purchased an outdoor camera in the hopes to capture a glimpse of the sneaky wildlife that keeps pegging off our chickens.  Needless to say, the images that have been captured are priceless.
Too bad there's no such thing as chickenbook.
Enjoy!

 

 

 

High fives and congrats to Isabella!!

Super proud of Isabella! She is Chris' 15 year old who recently created this piece of 3d art (The & symbol with her mom's favorite quote on it...."don't worry about a thing") and was awarded the "Outstanding entry in 3 dimensional" category at an area highschool art competition hosted by the Black Swamp Art Association last week.

Bell created this piece for her mom, Chris, for a Christmas gift...and isn't it fun how art created with the spirit of giving can be so awesome!

Rock on Bell!! We are proud of you!

It's a freight train Christmas!

Life has been a whirlwind tour here the last few months!  I've been learning the ropes of a railroad conductor since August and have had to put down my paint brush for a while.
I desperately want to draw and paint some trains as that's mostly what I've been seeing here lately.
This imagine is a perfect example...not sure who the photographer is but this was taken near Wauseon, Ohio recently.
I'm not looking forward to the heavy snows that will soon be on the ground here in Northwest Ohio but I do have the gear to work in it now.  Bought my first pair of flannel-lined pants and wow are they fabulous in the cold temps! And the art of layering is most definitely an art!
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season! Most wish for a white Christmas...I'm wishing for a sunny one. (it's ok if it snows, I can roll with it).  In the mean time, watch for updates here as I have plenty to write about. The chickens are doing well, the turkeys are beautiful (they were happy to learn they won't be on anyone's dinner table anytime soon), our family is doing very well. Lots of stories to pass along.
Stay tuned...and MERRY CHRISTMAS!