Monthly Archives: June 2020

Douglas and Grant County

I’m sneaking in the last photos of our road trip home from “the Coast” on June 15th. After we crossed the Cascade Mountain range we traveled on Highway 28 from Wenatchee eastward to Spokane and then north on highway 395 home.

Douglas county has 23 dams and Grant County has 75 dams! Our county, Stevens, has 42 dams.

Ephrata, Washington is the county seat for Grant County. It is located in the Columbia Basin area.

After Ephrata we had lots of rain and the driving privileges were passed on to me so no more photos. The road was similar to this view until we reached Davenport where we connected back to Highway 2 and on to I-90 in Spokane where we reached Highway 395 north to our home. We had a few stops in Spokane before we drove the last 70 miles home.

I’ll add this next photo here on this post, too.

On Saturday our Colville kids celebrated their 5th Anniversary! We hope to be able to do some proper babysitting for them so they can go out on their own soon! Those two toddlers are demanding of all of their time!

Back to the present, on Monday we worked on our acres mowing and weed wacking before the next showers roll through. After Wednesday Hodgepodge I’ll be posting the rest of our family party weekend. We are having many birds and other critters visiting our acres. I was able to catch a mama deer with a sweet baby fawn walking on our property when they alerted our motion detector light in the back acres. I happened to be looking out at the right time just before I went to bed. No photos.

I know this is an old story but our internet connection is never great and sometimes it is worse. I haven’t been able to visit because of that but please know that as soon as I can I will check on you all and see what you’ve been up to. Because we spent most of Saturday and Sunday at Dan and Jamie’s, I was able to upload lots of photos from the parties using their internet when Jaymison was not demanding my attention.

Here we are at the last day of June! Hoping for lots of good news in July!!

Catching My Breath…

We’ve enjoyed some nonstop fun since Friday afternoon and I’ll need to catch my breath before I can share all the activity. So good to have our little family reunited for the first time since Christmas.

(Not in any particular order for this post)

Seeing Auntie Katie and Uncle Andrew for the first time in 6 months.

Enjoying a Baba and JJ tradition of singing Row, Row, Row Your Boat with hand motions.

Three generations.

We had a mix of weather this weekend, cloudy, wet, bright, dark, sunny, showers, thunder, warm, and dry. So far we are lower in Yellow Jacket and Wasp swarms and higher in mosquitoes.

Hopefully I can come around and see what you’ve been up to soon.

Who Is On The Lord’s Side? ~ Hymn

 

Who is on the Lord’s Side?

Who is on the Lord’s side? Who will serve the King?
Who will be His helpers, other lives to bring?
Who will leave the world’s side? Who will face the foe?
Who is on the Lord’s side? Who for Him will go?
By Thy call of mercy, by Thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side—Savior, we are Thine!

Not for weight of glory, nor for crown and palm,
Enter we the army, raise the warrior psalm;
But for love that claimeth lives for whom He died:
He whom Jesus nameth must be on His side.
By Thy love constraining, by Thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side—Savior, we are Thine!

Jesus, Thou hast bought us, not with gold or gem,
But with Thine own life blood, for Thy diadem;
With Thy blessing filling each who comes to Thee,
Thou hast made us willing, Thou hast made us free.
By Thy grand redemption, by Thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side—Savior, we are Thine!

Fierce may be the conflict, strong may be the foe,
But the King’s own army none can overthrow;
’Round His standard ranging, victory is secure,
For His truth unchanging makes the triumph sure.
Joyfully enlisting, by Thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side—Savior, we are Thine!

Chosen to be soldiers, in an alien land,
Chosen, called, and faithful, for our Captain’s band,
In the service royal, let us not grow cold;
Let us be right loyal, noble, true and bold.
Master, Thou wilt keep us, by Thy grace divine,
Always on the Lord’s side—Savior, always Thine!

Words: Francis R. Havergal, 1877.

On the Road Home

On Monday June 15th we chose to drive home from Bothell on Highway 2 to Wenatchee then switching to a smaller Highway 28 for the central part of Washington state. This route was more desolate than taking 2. We had more rain driving home but not a driving rain so that was nice. Going over Steven’s Pass we enjoyed views of the Wenatchee River. We left our kids’ home early, just after six a.m.

Such power in that water.

We stopped in Leavenworth at the Starbucks to get a cup of coffee and because of COVID-19 their bathrooms were closed. We got our snack and a cup of coffee and continued on to the little town of Cashmere (home of Aplets and Cotlets Liberty Orchards). We stopped at the city’s 9-11 Memorial and I’ll share those photos come September.

One more post will be coming full of photos of time on Highway 28 before we reconnected to highway 2 in Davenport, Washington.

The state of Washington as of today (Friday June 26th) is imposing mandatory face mask wearing in public spaces for the whole state. Sigh…

But…be encouraged!

Remain Unshaken

. . . In order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.

Hebrews 12:27

We have many things in our possession at the present moment that can be shaken, and it is not good for a Christian to rely upon them, for there is nothing stable beneath these rolling skies; change is written upon all things. Yet we have certain “things that cannot be shaken,” and I invite you this evening to think of them—that if the things that can be shaken should all be taken away, you may derive real comfort from the things that cannot be shaken and that will remain. Whatever your losses have been, or may be, you enjoy present salvation.

You are standing at the foot of Christ’s cross, trusting alone in the merit of His precious blood, and no rise or fall of the markets can interfere with your salvation in Him; no breaking of banks, no failures and bankruptcies can touch that. Then you are a child of God this evening. God is your Father. No change of circumstances can ever rob you of that. Even if by loss you are brought to poverty and stripped bare, you can still say, “He is still my Father. In my Father’s house are many rooms; therefore I will not be troubled.” You have another permanent blessing, namely, the love of Jesus Christ. He who is God and man loves you with all the strength of His affectionate nature—nothing can affect that. The fig tree may not blossom, and the flocks may dwindle and wander from the field, but it does not matter to the man who can sing, “My Beloved is mine, and I am His.” Our best portion and richest heritage we cannot lose.

Whatever troubles come, let us play the man; let us show that we are not like little children cast down by what happens to us in this poor fleeting state of time. Our country is Immanuel’s land, our hope is fixed in heaven, and therefore, calm as the summer’s ocean, we will see the wreck of everything earthborn and yet rejoice in the God of our salvation.

C.H. Spurgeon

Highway 2 ~ Grant and Douglas County

On our road trip to the Coast on June 12th from Lincoln County we moved into Grant for a few miles before heading into Douglas County.

I think this is Banks Lake.

Douglas General Store

Historic Douglas Church is getting a new front porch.

Douglas

Douglas is one of the oldest towns in the county. The town was platted in 1886 and entered the race for the county seat. In 1891 the general store burned down and it was by luck the fire didn’t destroy the whole town. 

The Great Northern Railway laid track across southern Douglas County in 1893. The line went through Douglas rather than Waterville, spurring growth in Douglas and prompting Waterville residents to build a five-mile branch line to connect with the Great Northern at Douglas.

Today Douglas is a small community on Highway 2.

Historic Douglas Church

The Douglas Church was dedicated in 1915 as St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and served the Douglas Community for some 53 years. It was closed in 1968 when the Waterville and Douglas Lutheran Congregations united in a newly built church in Waterville. 

The Douglas Church building remained unused and neglected until it was purchased by the Douglas Community Historical Association, in 2006. The non-profit initiated a complete restoration of the church building and it is currently used for weddings, family reunions and community events.

St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Waterville

After Waterville we are heading downhill toward the Columbia River.

When we cross the Columbia River we enter into Chelan County and start our climb over the Cascade Mountain Range through Stevens Pass. I’ll share our views on our return trip from Chelan County, Douglas and Grant counties.

I came across this quote by Samuel Davies, 1755, from Grace Gems on The Justice of God and the Sins of our country. The language is 1755 but the conditions seem to be 2020.

“O my country, is not your wickedness great and your iniquities infinite? Where is there a more sinful spot to be found upon our guilty globe? Pass over the land , take a survey of the inhabitants, inspect into their conduct–And what do you see? What do you hear?

You see the gigantic forms of vice bedding defiance to the God of heaven- while true religion and virtue are forced to retire to avoid public contempt and insult.”

We had an amazing summer storm pass over our property yesterday afternoon. We were able to determine all the low spots on your property with mini rivers springing up. The rain came down so heavy for a period that our gutters just overflowed instead of directing the water to the downspouts. I won’t have to water for a few days…maybe even a week since we have more rain in the forecast for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday!

How’s the beginning of summer in your neck of the woods? We are experiencing some internet difficulty this morning. Google and Gmail are not loading or sending so I won’t be able to visit anyone till things get corrected.

Not Blushing Hodgepodge

1. This time last year where were you?

On June 23rd of 2019 we were driving to church for our first summer service. Don’t know what we did the rest of that day.

2. In honor of National Pink Day (June 23rd) tell us your favorite pink food or beverage. Was it on the menu at your house yesterday?

Kensington Dream

In a shaker over ice add juice of 1/2 a lemon, 2 oz. Creme de Cassis, 1 oz. each Brandy and Amaretto. Shake well and pour into Goblet. Add about 4 oz. of champagne. Enjoy but don’t drink and drive! There’s a reason this drink is called “Dream”.

I’m taking the liberty to say this is a pink drink and it is my favorite and I’m enjoying one right now while I type out my answers for the “podge”.

Do you like to wear the color pink?

Yes, I do enjoy wearing pink. (fuschia)

Me and my sisters.

If we came to visit would we find this color in your home decor?

You would see some pink but only in dishes or figurines or fresh flowers and some pink in the play room, like this pink kitchen.

Blush-fuschia-salmon-raspberry-your favorite shade of pink?

I think I’ll go with Blush.

3. Stop and smell the roses, looking through rose colored glasses, a rose by any other name, not all moonlight and roses, no rose without a thorn…which rosy saying currently fits your life in some way? Explain.

no rose without a thorn…

To enjoy something pleasant like our acreage means we have to work hard to keep weeds under control and especially in the Spring and Summer we have to do a lot of mowing and weed wacking and weed pulling.

4. Are you a ‘reader’?

Yes.

Do you tend to read lighter books in the summer months?

I haven’t been reading any light books lately. When we take road trips we enjoy listening to books on CD, usually murder mysteries.

Do you have a summer reading list?

Not a list. The books I’m reading right now are the Bible,  a compilation of works by Spurgeon, a commentary on 1 Corinthians, Strange Fire by John MacArthur.

If so, give us a title or two.

For lighter reading I love going back to some Children’s Classics like Narnia books by C.S. Lewis, The Wind in the Willows, and Anne of Green Gables.

5. Share with us one rose and one thorn from your weekend.

The rose was having time with our grandchildren and honoring Fathers. The thorn was the evil narrative going on in our nation.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

We have lots of Columbine that we did not plant and they come up every year with no help from us. They are always a great surprise. 

Thank you to Joyce who comes up with the questions for us to answer.

Father’s Day Celebration 2020

For our Father’s day celebration in Colville we gathered at Dan and Jamie’s Saturday evening. It was a small group with Dear, me, Dan, Jamie, Addy, Jaymison and Linda (Granny). I was happy to be able to get some snaps of the grands with their dear Granny, Jamie’s Mom.

Happy Father’s Day to our son. Let’s see how many shots I can get with everyone looking at the camera.

I think we did good with 3 out of 6!

And on the official Father’s Day we received this photo via text! Happy Father’s Day to our son, Daniel. We are happy that he is a hands on dad. He doesn’t even shy away from those diaper changes others would refuse. We pray that Dan and Jamie will always be a team in leading, guiding and teaching our grandchildren in the things that matter most.

This coming weekend we’ll get a photo of the whole family together. We are having a couple days with temperatures in the upper 80’s here! I mowed today and will try to do some weed wacking in the early hours on Tuesday. After Tuesday we’ll cool down some. Summer has arrived for at least a couple of days. We had a cooler Spring than normal and we were commenting on the fact that the wasps and yellow jackets are fewer in number. Hooray!

These Two…

They have fun together and they frustrate each other, too. It will be interesting to see how they interact as JJ gets older.

It was a lot easier to take photos when there was just one grandchild. Jaymison and Addy are on the move in different directions much of the time and Jaymison, when not on the move, wants me to hold him so taking photos is difficult. I will never complain that JJ wants me to hold him. Too soon he’ll be off on bigger adventures without his Baba…

June 19th on the kids’ driveway. We’ve been getting some nice sunshine here and there. I got some fun photos at our local Father’s Day celebration and as soon as I can upload them I’ll share them. Hope you all are enjoying some peaceful moments at the beginning of Summer. We have a fun weekend planned ahead with all of our little family together for the first time since Christmas here in our neck of the woods. Got to get busy freshening up the linens in our two guest rooms. It will be a wonderful way to finish off June.

A June view from our kids driveway on our way home. We never get tired of this great view.

Happy first week of summer to all of you!

Only a Sinner ~ Hymn

 

Only a Sinner

Naught have I gotten but what I received;
Grace hath bestowed it since I have believed;
Boasting excluded, pride I abase;
I’m only a sinner, saved by grace!

Refrain

Only a sinner, saved by grace!
Only a sinner, saved by grace!
This is my story, to God be the glory—
I’m only a sinner, saved by grace!

Once I was foolish, and sin ruled my heart,
Causing my footsteps from God to depart;
Jesus hath found me, happy my case;
I now am a sinner, saved by grace!

Refrain

Tears unavailing, no merit had I;
Mercy had saved me, or else I must die;
Sin had alarmed me fearing God’s face;
But now I’m a sinner saved by grace!

Refrain

Suffer a sinner whose heart overflows,
Loving his Savior to tell what he knows;
Once more to tell it would I embrace—
I’m only a sinner saved by grace!

Refrain

Words: James A. Gray, 1905.

Spring Views on Highway 2

All of these scenes from the road were in Lincoln County. Right after the little town of Almira we moved into Grant County for a few miles.

Any Father’s Day weekend plans? We still haven’t nailed it down here. We are having some warm weather with humidity, just in time for the official start of summer. Still thankful for our air conditioning. Summer Solstice is at 5:44 PM EDT.