Author Archives: Ellen

Walk With Willow ~

 

8:30 A.M. on Tuesday has been our walking time these days. Today I had to get some shots of things that make us smile and growl. There’s Willow with her huge bunny friend. We walk past that frog everyday and it is motion activated so it croaks at us and makes us jump and then we growl at it. Our walk in Willow’s neighborhood includes a nice stretch through a nature park. There’s Willow taking a shot of something…I hope it’s not my behind!

 

On my way home I spotted this Egret in the river bed and pulled over to take some photos. It got annoyed with me and took off for a different spot down the river…

 

Tick, tick, tick, …the clock is winding down.

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

The Waves Teach…

 

For Lent this year I’m working through a 40 day devotional our pastor wrote on Wisdom. When we were walking on the beach this past Saturday and saw the waves tossing to and fro Dear quoted part of this next section of scripture from Ephesians…

Ephesians 4:11-16 (English Standard Version)

11And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

We really experienced the waves going in all directions this past Saturday which really illustrated this passage well.

 

Thank you for all who have stopped by and encouraged me with your kind comments. I really appreciate all of you. I’m really looking forward to being in one place again and I’ll wait and see how my blogging changes or stays the same. There will be new places and new environments to share. I’m overwhelmed with the blessings that God has passed on to me through my blogging friends both those I’ve met face to face and those I still have not met in the flesh. When I wake up at 2:00 in the morning I ask the Holy Spirit to make me recall any comments I’ve left where I’ve said “I’ll pray for you”, or “I’ll pray for that”, and He is faithful and brings those to mind.

God bless all who pass by my blog with His light and His grace in your lives…

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

Mosaic Blue ~ Emma Wood…

We’re on the eve of Mary’s Mosaic Monday and Sally’s Blue Monday. Visit these great hostesses to see some more mosaics and pretty blues from around blog land…

 

Dear and I had our “last” dawn walk at Emma Wood State Beach in Ventura, California this past Saturday. A crisp beautiful morning after a rain. Soon we will be on the road headed back to Seattle. We’ll miss the beautiful California beaches.

 

My blogging will be limited this week. I have 5 more days here and my services will be shut down sometime later in the week. I hope to get around to as many of you as I can. I hope you all have a great last week of February…

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

Lord, Whom Winds and Waves Obey ~ Hymn

 

Lord, Whom Winds and Waves Obey

Lord, whom winds and waves obey,
Guide us through the watery way;
In the hollow of Thy hand
Hide, and bring us safe to land.

Jesus, let our faithful mind
Rest, on Thee alone reclined;
Every anxious thought repress,
Keep our souls in perfect peace.

Keep the souls whom now we leave,
Bid them to each other cleave;
Bid them walk on life’s rough sea;
Bid them come by faith to Thee.

Save, till all these tempests end,
All who on Thy love depend;
Waft our happy spirits o’er;
Land us on the heavenly shore.

Words: Charles Wesley, 1782.

Ode to Emma Wood…

Here’s a photo of Dear and me at Emma Wood State Beach this morning at Sunrise. We love this early morning walk and we’re going to miss it.

Ode To Emma Wood (Think “Harriet” from So I Married An Axe Murderer”)

Emma sweet Emma

You thrilled us each week

We hardly could speak

We listened to waves crashing near

Emma Sweet Emma

We’ll miss being here

Each week of the year

To see all your Tides High and Low

Your waves crash on shore

The pelicans soar

The Godwits and Sanderlings dig

Emma Sweet Emma…

Hope your Saturday is going well…

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

Oops!

So I called to schedule our triple phone/T.V./Internet service to be disconnected on March 1st. Wouldn’t you know while I was on the phone with the first technician, she inadvertently cancelled my service immediately which also cut my phone call off to her. She never called back to explain or apologize or anything. When I called back the 2nd technician I got was really efficient and worked through all the red tape to get my service reconnected until March 1st. All that to say I was without internet service most of the day and I haven’t been able to get around to your blogs… Sheesh! But here’s something to make me smile…

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

FFF & Finding Beauty

Susanne at Living to Tell the Story is the hostess of Friday’s Fave Five and Claudia at Dippity Road is the hostess of Finding Beauty.

Looking back over this last week and finding favorites and beauty.

Enjoying getting together with friends and family has been the theme of my last days in Southern California.

 

This is one of my family’s favorite spots for breakfast. My sisters and some of my nieces and great niece and nephew were there.

 

My grand niece with her Auntie.

So for the 5 Favorites…

Dinner with Dear on Valentine’s Day

A walk with Willow

Dinner with Family at my mom and dad’s

A Pot of Earl Grey with Willow

Breakfast with Family

and

Bonus #6 starting a 40 day devotional for Lent on Wisdom

My oldest sister Kathy’s family

The sisters minus Lana…poor Lana had to be in Hawaii instead of with us :0)

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

How Much Fun Can We Pack Into 12 Days?

The answer seems to be a lot. Not surprisingly most of the fun is centered around food.

 

On Tuesday night the ladies, Avery, Jackson and my dad had dinner together at Mom and Pop’s. It was good to get together. Avery is 5 months old already. Wednesday I met Willow for a pot of Earl Grey at All Things Tea in Camarillo.  I ate a Cranberry Shortbread cookie, too. Wednesday night Dear and I ate at El Tecolote, one of our favorites in Camarillo. Thursday morning I’m meeting some of my sisters and nieces for breakfast and I’ll get to see Jackson and Avery again!

 

Don’t worry Avery, I’m sure someone will step in and there will be lots of fun things to do without me.

I’ve been busy getting the oil changed in vehicles, shutting services down, booking hotels for our trip up to Seattle, etc.

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

Need Pruning?

…My apple tree really did after 2-3 years of neglect.

 

As usual…I hope I didn’t kill it. I was pretty wiped out after clipping and sawing. It really helps to have the right tool but that doesn’t mean your neck won’t get tired of looking up! I also lost my grip after all that squeezing!

I left the huge pile of branches for when I get back to Seattle the beginning of March. I’ll have to cut them down to size for the yard waste bin.

John 15:1-2 (English Standard Version)

John 15

I Am the True Vine

1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

I’ll Miss You…

In February of 2008 Willow and I met face to face for the first time and here’s what I wrote about that day…

God is so good to me. He gave me two desires of my heart today! I’ve said over and over again how sweet it would be to meet one of my bloggy friends and how I’d love to have a walking buddy in Southern California after I left my walking buddies in Seattle, Washington. Today Willow and I met and had a walk and plan to walk on a regular basis, keeping each other accountable. How sweet it is! We found each other through other blogs and realized we both live in the same city. We’re in the same stage of life and have a lot in common. Willow shared how she had been praying for someone to walk with. Check out her blog, she has very exciting news today! She became a grandmother!

That was 2 years ago and so that grandson just celebrated his 2nd birthday.

We’ve had lots of fun walking adventures and a some great tea adventures. I’m going to miss my walking, blogging, drinking tea, knitting friend!

I’m also going to miss Dear and my Saturday morning walks at Emma Wood. On many of those Saturdays we’d have breakfast at Allison’s in Ventura and I’m going to miss that place, too.

Another Saturday morning favorite with Dear is this hike off Sycamore Canyon up the Scenic Trail.

I’ll miss the great cooking days with my family here in Southern California and

our fun tea times…and

our breakfast rendezvous at Julienne in San Marino.

 

I’ll miss our bloggy adventures with Willow and Sara at the Getty Properties and…

another bloggy friend Cori G! We met for a quick cup of tea in Brea. We had plans to meet again hopefully before heaven! :0)

 

I’m going to miss our Saturdays with Tim and Letty…

 

I’ll miss being close to my parents…

I’ve been blessed both in Southern California and the Seattle area with good friends, loving family, great churches and wonderful adventures.

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away…Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.