Over the Rainbow (Cover) by Carson Hill

Checking In

Lately my girls have been asking me why I have stopped blogging. To be honest, I could give you all kinds of excuses. I think I'll just skip all of the excuses and just give you a little update on what has been going on in our neck of the woods lately.

I been doing some home organizing. (Out of necessity since our closet floor rotted due to condensation from a closed air vent.)

Carson has had a lot of shows, radio interviews, and TV appearances. (That keeps me super busy!)

You can read about it in her blog Secrets of a Songwriter.

My oldest daughter, Catie, recently left to study in Berlin this summer. (I miss her terribly.)
You can read about her adventures in her blog Wide-eyed Wanderlust: A Tarheel in Berlin.

As you can see, there is never a dull moment in our household. I am hoping to pick up my camera a little more often and get this blog up and running again. I hope you will join me! Until then...God Bless! -Carla

Carolina Camera - Carson Hill

So this is taking up our time these days...

Lighthouses

I just love lighthouses, don't you? When I was in college I spent one summer working at a camp on Oak Island. I spent every night of that summer in a room in an old building that served as the barracks for Ft. Caswell, a fort dating back to the Civil War. The warm ocean breeze lulled me to sleep every night, as did the constant flashing of the Oak Island Lighthouse. With four flashes followed by six seconds of darkness, its consistency became a rather soothing presence in an otherwise dark room.

Since 1958 this lighthouse has been guiding ships safely through the night off the shores of North Carolina.

Even though I have been vacationing on Oak Island for over 20 years, I had never climbed to the top of the lighthouse until this summer. My lovely daughter, Catie, volunteered as a tour guide while working a summer job as a waitress on the island. This gave me the perfect excuse to visit. (Isn't she one of the prettiest guides you have ever seen?)

The climb to the top was not an easy one. The lighthouse has 131 ship's ladder steps making the trip to the top quite laborious. However, the view at the end of the journey is well worth the labor.

It was a little overcast on the day that I visited, however, Catie said that on a clear day one could see all the way to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina.

Although the view of the vast ocean is amazing; I love the view of the intercoastal waterway and the marsh surrounding it.

After my visit to the lighthouse I was thinking about why I am so drawn to this structure. It finally dawned on me that, in a world where nothing ever stays the same, this lighthouse continues to give the same guidance that it has for many years. The same consistent four flashes and six second darkness that eased me to sleep every night over twenty years ago still continues today. Thankfully, I serve a God who is consistent in a world that is continuously changing.


Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8

Carson's New Blog!

Wow! I have

noticed that I am doing good to get one post a month published lately. With Carson's busy music schedule this summmer we have not had much down time. Hopefully, with Catie back at Chapel Hill and Carson starting school, I will have a little more time to connect with you all again. I also hope to get back into my garden and landscape and start some fall projects that I will be sharing with you.I do have a little favor to ask of you all. Carson is starting a blog to talk about the journey that she is on with her music. She will be posting about special things that are happening with her like studio time, radio interviews, performances, and the ups and downs of trying to have a career in music. She really needs some followers to encourage her in this journey. Would you be kind enough to check it out and follow her if you are interested? I know a lot of my followers are gardeners and foodies and such, but she would love to have you. If you know of any young people who are interested in a blog of this nature, would you please tell them about her! Thanks so much! Carson's Music Blog

Die In Your Arms by Justin Bieber (cover)

Hello there!  It's been a while.  I hope you guys are still out there.  I just wanted to give you a little update on what's going on out here in the country.  Carson and I have taken up another hobby...video production...as if we needed anything else to keep us busy.  Actually, she is trying to improve her youtube channel a bit and I've been enlisted to help!  I personally think that if this music thing doesn't work out, she may have a career in production.  What do you think??

Sunrise!

Lately I've been seeing a lot of sunrises! I just thought I would share a few with you.