Weaving in God's Creation

Howdy y'all! Crystal here. :) In honor of it being "Woven Wednesday" and since the pics from my vacation seemed to go over so well last week, I figured I'd give y'all another sampling today.

River flowing outside Cody, WY

How about we stick to pics of water weaving through God's marvelous landscapes? :)

After all, I sounded like a broken record saying "ooh, water!" every where we turned. :)

 View outside the ranch we stayed at. Can you say, "Gorgeous!"?

Beside the road in Yellowstone 
(I do believe)

Y'all might think this one doesn't count, but that's 
a frozen lake. Sylvan lake if I remember correctly.

Yellowstone Lake was still mostly frozen over. 
But oh-so-pretty!

Don't you love the richness of the blues?

This is one of my favorites.
It's amazing how the river winds through the valley.
It's deep too y'all. We saw buffalo swim across it.

Don't you love the rapids. 

Mammoth Hot Springs -
These count too since these lovely formations are 
still being formed by hot, mineral-laced water
bubbling to the surface. So many lovely colors. 

Dragon's Mouth Spring - 
Such a cool sight to see and it sat right 
next to a boiling pot of mud.
I won't tell you about the smell.
 [Crystal crinkles nose].

How about you? Have you ever been stopped by the wonderful colors God weaves into His creation for us to enjoy? Do you enjoy weaving those same colors into the things you put your hands to?

Crystal L Barnes is an award-winning author, who also happens to be a born-n-raised Texan and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). She has a degree in Computing Science because she loves putting things into their proper place, and she enjoys writing because she gets to share her love of old-fashioned things and the Lord. Enjoy her pictures? She's got more up from other research trips on her website. You can also connect with her at her blog, her Amazon Author page, Goodreads Pinterest, Google+, or on her Facebook author page.

Happy Trails, y'all!

Creativity Beyond Compare

Howdy y'all. Crystal, here. I'm gonna pretend I have something creative to say and share with y'all some pics I took while roaming through the wilds of Yellowstone National Park earlier this month.

I know, I know, it's not really all that creative, but turn off your critiquer for the moment and pretend with me. (Or consider pictures a form of art and enjoy the show. :) )



After all, our Master Creator painted all these wonders for us to enjoy. Where else does our creativity come from if not from Him? Who else can drape a 100+ ft waterfall across mountainous terrain?

Or put peaceful streams and smoking geysers side by side?

Or give buffalo their great strength?

Or bighorn sheep their amazing agility?

And the colors! He can drop a pool filled with mustard-yellow formations smack-dab beside a pool of the purest blues.

Who can't help but be amazed by geysers rocketing into the air?

Or have their breath stolen by magnificent sunsets that paint the mountains with lavender hues?

I'm inspired. How about you?

Yellowstone National Park is the Place!

Summertime is just around the corner and lots of people are thinking about throwing the kids in the car and trekking across the country to see a few places. 

One of the most popular destinations for decades now, has been Yellowstone National Park. Have you been there? Are you planning to take the kids one of these days? Can’t get out of town, but wish you could?

If you answered yes to any of these questions - and  even if you answered no - Yellowstone Memories by Jennifer Rogers Spinola is the perfect book for you to pick up this spring. It’s a collection of four novellas, all set in Yellowstone. Each story takes place in a different decade too, so you get to see the park at different points in history.

I visited the park as a teenager. When I read this book, I learned things I never knew, I remembered some of my time in the park, and I developed a much deeper appreciation for the park and it’s beauty.

Each story depicts a romance, including a wide variety of characters including a French-Arapahoe woman, a washed up cowboy, the builders of the park during the depression years, firefighters, park rangers, and scientific researchers. The wide array of characters reveals a vast range of activity in and around the park, while creating a personal window into several individual stories.

This book is a must if you plan to travel to the park this year. Or if you’ve already been. And if you are still snowed in, it might just help you escape the four walls of your home into a world where mountains hem in the vaulted sky, geysers, lakes, and wildflowers provide a backdrop for prolific wildlife, and this beautiful setting can make anything seem possible. 

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear "Yellowstone Park"?