We arrived to San Antonio in the late afternoon and after checking in to our hotel we walked along the River Walk and beyond to a Steak House for dinner before turning in for the night. It was sunny and hot, hot, hot. We were happy to not have rain and hail!
Tomorrow I will go to the Alamo and possibly get on a trolley tour. Dear will be busy in a booth at the Oncology Nurses Society annual meeting. Over 50% of our plane was filled with Oncology nurses traveling to the meeting.
On being asked, Whence is the flower?
In May, when sea-winds pierced our solitudes,
I found the fresh Rhodora in the woods,
Spreading its leafless blooms in a damp nook,
To please the desert and the sluggish brook.
The purple petals, fallen in the pool,
Made the black water with their beauty gay;
Here might the red-bird come his plumes to cool,
And court the flower that cheapens his array.
Rhodora! if the sages ask thee why
This charm is wasted on the earth and sky,
Tell them, dear, that if eyes were made for seeing,
Then Beauty is its own excuse for being:
Why thou wert there, O rival of the rose!
I never thought to ask, I never knew:
But, in my simple ignorance, suppose
The self-same Power that brought me there brought you.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
My Rhododendrons that I photographed just yesterday in my yard. Rhododendrons are the Washington State Flower. The purple Rhodora at the top of this page is not in my yard but one I photographed in a garden we visited.
Don’t be shocked if I choose Rhododendrons when we reach the letter R, too!
Linking up to ABC Wednesday for P is for Poetry. Also photography, purple and pretty!
This meme was started by Mrs. Nesbitt and administered by Roger and his Team.
Looks like there are several link ups for this party. Hope I didn’t miss anyone!
Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson
This has been a banner Spring in the Seattle area with many things blooming early because of the weather this year. Here are a series of lovelies from our yard. Calling it a garden is a bit of a stretch.
Pink Dogwood is one of my very favorites. We planted this tree just a few years ago.
Our lilac bush was planted the same time as the Dogwood. This is the first year it is full of blooms. Last year we only had 3 blooms!
I love these sweet Violas.
Our Camellia was at it’s fullest a week ago. It is waning now but the azalea bush you see next to it is now in it’s glory in the photo below.
Next to this vibrant azalea is our Rosebud Azalea that will bloom next.
This next photo shows what the sweet little rosebud azaleas look like when they open up. As of this morning this is the first one to open.
We have a few established rhododendrons in our yard. This yellow rhoddy is the youngest and we had some beautiful blooms this year.
These last photos are of our very old and established Rhododendrons that were here when we purchased this old house. The Rhododendron is the Washington State Flower. These next photos were taken this morning in the rain.
One lighter pink and the other one deeper. The third bush always blooms later than these two.
Our patio covers are not up yet so on the next couple of photos you can see the frames without the covers. We usually put the covers up on Mother’s Day weekend.
Here you see a little view of our deck patio and the Dogwood, little yellow rhoddy, and the side of our barbecue.
This is a view of the french doors from our family room that are the most used doors at this old house. You step out on the deck from them and this path takes you to our detached garage/shop. I’ll leave you with some shots that show our deck with the covers up. This one shows the deck looking out from our family room.
Another view with our new privacy fence. Whew…you made it through. Wish I could have strolled through with you and a cup of coffee!
We just got home from a trip across the mountains to visit our son and his new bride of 10 months. It’s a 5-1/2 hour drive to get to their home. Now we are rushing about getting things ready for a trip to San Antonio, Texas for Dear to work at a conference there. I will be on my own and will explore this city that I’ve never been to and also drive to Austin to meet up with my brother and his family who will drive down from Dallas. Woohoo. Better get the laundry going. Hope you all have a good week!
We spotted many farms with barns on our way to our son and daughter in law’s home in Eastern Washington.
This first group are taken from I-90 going at least 70 miles per hour!
This was my favorite that I managed to click fast enough when I saw the barn quilt on it.
The next group I share will be from Highway 395 going north from Spokane, Washington.
Linking up to The Barn Collective hosted by Tom the Backroads Traveler.
We will be hitting these same roads heading home today. We’ve been walking and eating and doing some construction on a Chicken Coop. The trip takes up to 6 hours so if I don’t visit today to see your barns hopefully I’ll get around tomorrow morning.
Wherever we are, God is always close. But as Jesus himself demonstrated, there is something about quiet times and quiet places that helps us to get closer to God. That special solitude provides a time of rest and renewal from a secular world that is busily ignoring God. It is a time of remembering who we are and why we are.
In the Cotswolds, I experience daily the words of that great hymn written by I. B. Sergei:
My God and I go through the fields together.
We walk and talk, as good friends should and do.
We clasp our hands, our voices ring with laughter.
My God and I walk through the meadow’s hue.He tells me of the years that went before me,
When heavenly plans were made for me to be.
When all was but a dream of dim conception,
To come to life, earth’s verdant glory see.For those who walk hand in hand with Jesus, every day is a holiday – a holy day before God. Some of us are specially blessed to have a life more conducive to the peace and quiet of holy days before God. But as someone who finds himself thrust back each year into the harsh reality of big-city madness, I know that the greater challenge is to find God in the midst of a metropolis. To see his hand in the inner city and among the urban sprawl; to find time for him in an already-overbooked schedule; to find a quiet place amid a constant bedlam of noise.
If we don’t take the time to remember, we’re in danger of forgetting his blessings. Therefore, take a few moments every day, if possible, or perhaps plan ahead to spend an afternoon walking in prayer with him. Whenever you feel your hand slipping from his, take some extra time to remember all that he has meant to you. And why not write down some of his special blessings throughout the year?”
This is the village of Buckland in the Cotswolds. I was so excited to stumble upon it with Dear and Katie in 2004 after reading this devotional by F. LaGard Smith. The book is “Dedicated to the people of Buckland, who have opened their hearts and homes to make me feel a part of the village.” We strolled around Buckland and it made me want to re-read the book. This book was one of those “treasures” that I happened upon in my thrift store shopping. I found it at the Senior thrift shop on Whidbey Island in the little village of Langley, Washington. If you ever visit Washington take a ferry to Whidbey Island and enjoy the many quaint towns and beautiful scenery this Island affords. Whidbey Island is one of those places on earth that you can feel closer to the Lord just by being there. May you walk hand in hand with Jesus wherever you are today, in the hustle and bustle, or in a serene and quiet place.
The top photo is from a walk I took with our daughter in law and the house you see down the road belongs to our son and her.
Meeting God In Quiet Places copyright 1992 by F. LaGard Smith, Published by harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon, 97402
…from my regular scenery.
I’ll be back to city life on Monday with lots to share from the country.
Five more hats that I have worn from college on…
# 1 ~ I was part of a Christian Rock group where I met Dear and we fell in love with each other and with Great Britain in the early 70’s.
“Hymns give way to Jesus Rock in morning assembly at St. George’s Church of England School, in Meadow Road, Gravesend yesterday. The concert was given by the Contemporaries, 14 musicians from the United States who are in the middle of a world tour. They have already completed a number of successful “gigs” in Liverpool. They are all professional musicians but they are giving their services free”…
Dear and I are in the center of the photo on the bottom row. 1974 was the last summer tour Dear and I participated in.
#2 – I was a bride and became a wife to Dear and changed my name in December of 1974.
#3 ~ I was an elementary school teacher in the Montebello Unified School District until our first son was born.
#4~ I’m blessed to be a mother to these three children and my mother in law sheet is complete with two daughter-in-laws and one son-in-law.
#5 I’m an auntie and great auntie to so many lovely human beings! I’m sharing a few photos so I can get all of the nieces and nephews and great nephews and nieces in. I haven’t met two of the latest greats in person yet.
Our family and Dear’s brother’s family from Katie and Andrew’s wedding in 2012.
Dear’s only brother’s family and our family in 2015 at Riverside National Cemetery (missing Jenna, Justin, Skylar and Travis).
My kids and nieces and nephews and grand nieces and nephews surrounding my pop at my mother’s memorial service in 2013.
Our kids plus my nieces and nephews with my youngest niece Hope and youngest nephew Andrew in 2015 at my brother-in-law Nick’s funeral. So let me count. 7 brothers and sisters. 7 brother and sister in laws. 19 original nieces and nephews. Many of those nieces and nephews are married now and I have 9 grand nieces and nephews. I have 4 nieces and 2 nephews who aren’t married yet.
I have one brother (out of my 7 siblings) whose family has estranged themselves from all the rest of us siblings and our families. They are not enjoying the love and support and comfort that the rest of us enjoy when we are together. I’m adding this truth here to let my dear readers know that things aren’t all rosy in my family relationship category. My brother and his wife have 4 kids and we know for sure 3 of them are married. We aren’t sure about our oldest nephew from this family. We have at least 3 grand nephews or nieces that I’ve never met. I also have never met two of my nephew’s spouses and the oldest niece’s spouse. They have chosen to cut off all ties and relationship with us. Haven’t seen my brother since 2009 and haven’t seen my sister in law since 2004. So sad but true. We pray that there will be reconciliation in the future. Gott Kann!
I have a few more current hats to share before I totally bore you to tears.
I’m linking up with Amy at Love Made My Home for Five on Friday and with Susanne for Friday’s Fave Five.
I’ll be on the road for most of Friday and hope to check in once we arrive at our son’s house in Eastern Washington for the weekend later on Friday. Blessings…
These photos are from Rosedale in British Columbia from a friend’s home.
Linking up with Good Fences hosted by TexWisGirl #109.
We’re getting ready for a little road trip over the mountains and through the farmlands of Washington state to our Eastern Washington kid’s home to work on some projects. Hoping to see some fun things to take photos of…
We left early in the morning and our first stop was for breakfast in Cle Elum.
Friendly people and good food if you need someplace to eat on your way across the Cascades we recommend this cafe. They have “acres” of parking…that cracked me up but I suppose if you are traveling in R.V.’s and pulling trailers filled with bikes and camping gear this is the place for you!
We got some great inside information from the family sitting next to us on visiting Roslyn and Ronald. After breakfast in Cle Elum and a stop at the small town hardware store we headed West to Roslyn.
Incorporated in 1886 the coal-mining town of Roslyn played an important role in Washington State History. The extensive coal fields in the area fueled the Northern Pacific Railroad’s trains during construction and early operation of a direct rail line through the Cascade Mountains.
Roslyn also claimed fame because of the T.V. series Northern Exposure. It was called Cicely on the show and suppose to be in Alaska but the filming was done on the streets of Roslyn, Washington.
The Brick is Washington’s oldest continuously operating bar established in 1889. They are also known for Northern Exposure being filmed there and a movie called The Runner Stumbles with Dick Van Dyke. The Runner Stumbles was also filmed at the Immaculate Conception Church in Roslyn shown below.
This was a fun day trip for us and we enjoyed seeing this little towns. Driving around you are always sure to find some interesting yard art, too.
Rust in Peace…clever.
We are still having a heat wave here in the Pacific Northwest. Of course since this is so out of the ordinary everyone’s talking about it. I’ve never had to water plants in April before but I’ve been busy dragging the hoses around and watering the last couple days.
How are things in your corner of the world?
Linking up to Signs, signs with Lesley.
We spent a lot of time outdoors with a string of good weather we’ve been having. Here are some photos of what is blooming outside in our yard.
Our pink Dogwood.
Some sweet pansies.
Our lilac and bleeding hearts.
Dogwood with Lilac in the background.
Our azaleas and rhododendrons are getting ready to show us all they have to offer soon.
Yesterday I brought some of our outside beauties in to enjoy their fragrance.
We had a record breaker heat day yesterday at 90 degrees. They expect another record breaker for today at 86. Unheard of in April.
Linking up with ABC Wednesday originated by Mrs. Nesbitt and carried on by Roger and and team. O is for out of doors, outdoors, outside.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 