Bison, “Buffalo”, and Beauty

Oh give me a home where the buffalo roam,
Where the deer and the antelope play,
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word,
And the skies are not cloudy all day.

Home, home on the range,
Where the deer and the antelope play,
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word,
And the skies are not cloudy all day.

Where the air is so pure, and the zephyrs so free,
The breezes so balmy and light,
That I would not exchange my home on the range,
For all of the cities so bright.

Then I would not exchange my home on the range,
Where the deer and the antelope play;
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word,
And the skies are not cloudy all day.

Home, home on the range,
Where the deer and the antelope play,
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word,
And the skies are not cloudy all day.

The animal that most Americans call a buffalo is actually a bison. Buffaloes are found in Africa and South Asia, while bison roam in North and South America. Bison are also referred to as American Buffalo.

All of these photos were taken in Yellowstone National Park the end of June. If you’ve never been it would be a great National Park to put on your list.

I’ll be linking up to ABC Wednesday for the letter B. Thank you Mrs. Nesbitt, Roger and team for this long running meme.

Dear and I are roaming about British Columbia today so I’ll be coming around later tonight or tomorrow to see more letter B posts.

Y is for Yellowstone!

Smarter than the average Bear! Smart or not we planned a last minute trip to Yellowstone National Park making reservations on Monday and heading out on Wednesday last week. We drove from Washington State to Missoula, Montana our first day.

On our second day we drove to the North entrance of Yellowstone through Gardiner, Montana where the original entrance to the park stands as a monument.

We didn’t see any bears much to my delight and Dear’s disappointment. We started our visit at the Mammoth Hot Springs and continued south stopping along the way to see some beautiful sights before checking in at the Old Faithful Inn. Many of our stops will deserve a post of their own. Stay tuned for Old Faithful and other geysers and waterfalls and Bison and lakes, oh my.

We just got home Monday afternoon and I will edit my photos and decide which to post in the near future. This was both my and Dear’s first visit to Yellowstone National Park and we were amazed at the variety of sights with easy access and easy parking along the roadways. The geyser basins, the waterfalls, the steam and mud pools and the animals grazing were all a sight to see. Yellowstone is a national treasure.

I’m linking up to ABC Wednesday started by Mrs. Nesbitt and administered by the ABC Team.

Also linking up to Tuesday’s Treasures with Tom The Backroads Traveler.

eXceptional Views

On Father’s Day after brunch in downtown Seattle we headed to Kerry Park atop Queen Anne Hill to take in these eXcellent views.

It’s great to capture both the Space Needle and Mt. Rainier together on a clear day. Both are iconic symbols in Seattle and Washington State.

Mount Rainier, Mount Tacoma, or Mount Tahoma is the highest mountain of the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, and the highest mountain in the state of Washington. It is a large active stratovolcano located 54 miles south-southeast of Seattle.

Ascending to 14,410 feet above sea level, Mount Rainier stands as an icon in the Washington landscape. An active volcano, Mount Rainier is the most glaciated peak in the contiguous U.S.A., spawning six major rivers.

And on a more personal note…hope she never blows her top and annihilates all of us Seattleites!

The Space Needle and Mt. Rainier are treasures in Washington State.

Speaking of personal here is my eXcellent and treasure of a husband and the father of our children enjoying the iconic views from Kerry Park on Father’s day!

Linking up with ABC Wednesday and Tuesday’s Treasures. Thank you Mrs. Nesbitt, Roger, ABC Team, and Tom at The Backroads Traveler for hosting these fine memes.

Dear and I are eXiting the familiar and heading to roads we’ve never traveled to enjoy one of our Nation’s treasures, Yellowstone National Park. I hope to share some postcards along the way but if you don’t hear from me it’s because wifi might not be available to us. Our wonderful basement dwellers will take care of the safety of our home and water our plants while we are away.

Happy summer everyone!

Tuesday’s Treasures & ABC Wednesday…

Today is Flag Day in the United States of America and we treasure what the flag stands for at our house.

The Pledge of Allegiance

Officially adopted on Flag Day, June 14, 1924 (“Under God” Amendmant made by Congress in 1954)

I pledge allegiance to the flag

of the United States of America

and to the republic for which it stands;

one nation under God, indivisible,

with liberty and justice for all.

Off with your hat, as the flag goes by!
And let the heart have its say;
you’re man enough for a tear in your eye
that you will not wipe away.
~Henry Cuyler Bunner

I believe our flag is more than just cloth and ink. It is a universally recognized symbol that stands for liberty, and freedom. It is the history of our nation, and it’s marked by the blood of those who died defending it. ~ John Thune

Whatcom Falls Park

Mid May Dear and I had a road trip north to Bellingham via Chuckanut Drive to check out Whatcom Falls and the historic stone bridge.

President Roosevelt’s New Deal Works Progress Administration paid workers to move the Chuckanut sandstone arches from a downtown burned-out building to the park. In 1939 the sandstone was used to construct the landmark stone bridge.

Too bad about the fallen tree that had lodged itself into the falls. I’m wondering if it has dislodged and flowed downstream by now.

In the distance above the main waterfall was this smaller waterfall with some pretty lighting.

The parking lot with access to the stone bridge and the falls was a very short distance from this spot.

I’m linking up with ABC Wednesday started by Mrs. Nesbitt and administered by Roger and a team of ABC’ers.

W is for Whatcom Falls Park and for Waterfalls.

I’m also linking up with Tuesday’s Treasures hosted by Tom The Backroads Traveler.

V is for Vera…

Vera is one of my older sisters. She was recently widowed and has moved into a 55 and over community not far from her old home. While I was visiting she had an open house to share her new home with friends and family.

Her manufactured home is open concept with 9 foot ceilings that give it a spacious feeling.

There are 3 bedrooms which include a large master suite with a walk in closet and large bathroom with a separate tub and shower. My younger sister Lana lives with Vera part-time when she is in Southern California working. Lana got to decorate her own room. Since Lana was in Washington while I was in California I got to crash in her room. My brother Leonard from Texas was also staying with Vera and he got the bedroom/office and the blow up mattress.

It was good to see some of our cousins and old friends during the open house. Vera used an old email list for her invites so if she missed you she apologizes.

It was a nice day and we set up tables and chairs in the carport. I did not get photos of everyone, oops.

On Sunday Leonard, Vera, and I met some of our family for brunch in Newport Beach at Sol Cocina.

Leonard and I got to meet our newest grand niece for the first time.

Ellie with her Baba, my SIL Kelly.

Later in the day some of my family gathered at Vera’s again for more food and fellowship.

I’ve posted this photo before but I love it enough to post it again, Pop (dzeda) and Ellie. My dear old pop made it out to Vera’s twice and he lasted for several hours which was good for him.

My pop with 5 of his 8 children.

Leonard and I managed to be with our pop for dinner at Kathy’s on Friday night, open house on Saturday, Dinner at Vera’s on Sunday and then we drove out on Monday morning to go out for breakfast with him and my sister Kathy and to say goodbye to him until we meet again. He got his 2 eggs sunny side up with hash browns, sausage, white toast and coffee and even though it was at Coco’s instead of Denny’s he said it was good. He also insisted on paying. He says he needs to get rid of his money. From breakfast we headed straight to the airport for Leonard’s flight back to Texas. I still had 24 hours left in California.

The fun just kept coming. After I dropped Leonard off I met up with my BFF from my Russian Baptist days and we had lunch and a few hours of catching up. Would you believe from this meet up I headed to the third restaurant of the day, Zov’s, to meet my sisters for dinner?

Kathy and I split our Kebob dinner and we all shared the dessert tray. Kathy, this could have been your late birthday celebration if my brain wasn’t completely fogged up by then! Oye!

When Vera and I returned home Dear’s brother and SIL stopped by for a brief visit since they couldn’t come to the Open House. It was good to see them face to face. BTW, Dear wasn’t with me in Southern California because he was working at a conference in Chicago.

I’m now home after flying first class and that’s a fun story all by itself. This post is way too long already. It’s good to be home and I thank God for watching over me and giving me valuable moments to treasure with my Pop, family and friends.

Since it’s Wednesday and ABC Wednesday is on the letter V this post will be linked up for V is for Vera! Thank you Mrs. Nesbitt and Roger with his team of ABCers.

More Texas Treasures

Pioneer Flour Mills was initially founded as the C.H. Guenther Mill by Carl Hilmar Guenther, a millwright who immigrated to the United States from Germany in the late 1840s. Guenther built his first mill in 1851 in Fredericksburg and later relocated it one mile south of San Antonio in 1859. Guenther’s first mill in San Antonio was located along the San Antonio River across from King William Street adjacent to his home and on the grounds of the present day Pioneer Flour Mills. Guenther’s mill was the first flour mill and the first steam and water powered mill built in the city. For more info click here.

This was a stop on the trolley tour that was in time for lunch so I enjoyed a small meal at the restaurant here. Since there was just one trolley driver this day I had a good hour until the next trolley would come.

After I ate my lunch I went up the stairs to see a portion of the house and visit the gift shop.

After lunch I strolled along King William Street to enjoy viewing the large mansions some of which are being nicely restored.

Soon I’ll share many of the mansions I saw on King William Street just across the way from the Guenther House.

I’m going to link this post to…

Tuesday’s Treasures hosted by Tom The Backroads Traveler.

ABC Wednesday started by Mrs. Nesbitt and carried on by a great team with Roger at the helm.

Happy Victoria Day to our neighbors in the North!

Hope you all have a great day off today. What are you doing to celebrate?

Check out Anneliese’s Queen Elizabeth Cake!

Mission San Jose in San Antonio

Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo – the “Queen of Missions”. This was my favorite stop on the trolley tour when I was in San Antonio at the end of April.

The Mission grounds with it’s massive stone walls were built for defense of the community that lived on the grounds.

San José, as it became known, was the largest of the missions in the area. At its height, the community contained about 350 Indian neophytes, sustained by extensive fields and herds of livestock. Viewed as the model among the Texas missions, San José gained a reputation as a major social and cultural center. It became known as the “Queen of the Missions.” Its imposing complex of stone walls, bastions, granary, and magnificent church was completed by 1782.

Along the walls were 84 two room humble apartments for the Indian residents.

Fine carvings on the facade of Mission San José Church gave it the title, “Queen of the Missions”.

La Ventana de Rosa, the Rose Window, is located on the south wall of the church sacristy. The window has been described as the site where the Host was shown to gathered mission celebrants during the Feast of Pentecost.

The window, sculpted ca. 1775, has been the object of both legend and admiration. It is considered one of the finest examples of baroque architecture in North America. The meaning behind the name is currently unknown, but legend has it named for Rosa, the betrothed of Juan Huizar who many believe created the window.

Much of what is visible today at Mission San José was reconstructed by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s. The Archdiocese of San Antonio and San José parish are responsible for any maintenance and preservation work needed on the church structure itself. About 80% of the church is original. The National Park Service, with help from taxpayers and the park’s friends group, Los Compadres, is responsible for the the extant structures and historical landscape.

ht: National Park Service

I’m linking this post to Tuesday’s Treasures hosted by Tom The Backroads Traveler and to ABC Wednesday started by Mrs. Nesbitt and carried on by Roger and a team of ABC’ers. S is for San Jose, San Antonio, San Miquel de Aguayo and Stone Walls.

If you want to read more about this treasure click the National Park Service link above. I have more posts to share from my time in San Antonio.

We are in a cooler pattern this week in the Seattle area with some light rain which is more typical for this time of year. It’s nice not to have to water my plants. What’s going on in your corner of the world?

River Walk Reflections and Rhoddies

While in San Antonio, Texas a large tourist draw is the River Walk in the downtown area. They say it is the number one Tourist attraction in the state of Texas. I’m happy to have seen this area but it was not my favorite from my San Antonio experience.

Most of my photos were taken in the early morning hours when the walkways were clear of the hoards of people you’ll find here later in the day and evening. I’m not a fan of Disneyland like crowds so the walk wouldn’t be my first choice for a meal even though you’ll find a very large selection of restaurants all along the downtown part of the walk. I preferred heading up and out of this area to find a place to eat. Despite my feelings this is a treasured area in San Antonio.

Some treasures from Washington State in my very own yard are these rhododendron bushes. Four of the bushes were here and well established when we moved into this old house in the fall of 1998. The small yellow bush is a recent addition from 4 years ago.

Rhododendrons are the Washington State Flower.

Our youngest rhoddie.

And my last photo are of some of my favorite human treasures in front of our rhoddy bushes!

I’ll be linking up to Tuesday’s Treasures with Tom The Backroads Traveler and

ABC Wednesday started by Mrs. Nesbitt and administered by Roger and Team for R is for River Walk and Rhoddies.

I’m headed to Canada (British Columbia) early Tuesday morning and will be gone all day so I’ll be late in visiting participants in these two memes. We are promised beautiful weather for most of the week in the 70’s! Hope your week is starting well.

Quiet in the Country…

We had our first visit to our son and daughter in law since they were married last June. They live on 7 acres in the northeastern part of our state and the first thing we notice is how quiet it is. Even the dog that our son inherited when he married his dear wife is quiet.

She did not bark once during our whole visit! Here she is greeting us on our arrival.

The girls took a 3 mile walk on Saturday and a shorter walk with a steeper climb on Sunday while the guys worked on a truck and a chicken coop. D & J bought 8 chicks who are growing rapidly and who will need a coop for comfort and laying of eggs. They thought they were 8 chicks but come to find out one is a rooster. That might change the quiet they are enjoying now…

These are some quiet scenes we enjoyed on our walks.

Quail were running across our son’s property. I find them so fun to watch.

The country might be quiet but you have to equip yourself for the possibility of meeting up with wild animals and we didn’t take our walks without bear repellent.

We had a lovely quick weekend with quality time spent with our kids and it was so quiet in the evening and during our walks. We also had a quick storm roll through with the promise of the rainbow when it was over. God’s promise to us. “I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”

I’m linking up to ABC Wednesday for the letter Q. Q is for quiet, quality, quick, and quail. Thanks to Mrs. Nesbitt and the ABC team for the start and continuation of this meme.

I’ve got lots more to share from our trip to visit our son and daughter in law that will show up for memes in the future like Good Fences, The Barn Collective and Signs, signs.

Today I will mow the lawn early since we have a forecast in the 80’s again and then I’ll run some errands. Hope you weren’t in the path of the storms that caused so much damage yesterday in the middle of our country.

Poetry ~ The Rhodora

The Rhodora

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.

The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b.

To honor and encourage

Category Archives: ABC Wednesday