For April I’m challenging myself to an A-Z photo a day excluding Sundays and in addition to any regular posts that come to be.
Today is Monday April 14th and the beginning of Holy Week on the Christian Calendar. We are on the letter L for the A-Z challenge. I will be sharing all the fun we had for JJ and Andrew’s birthday celebrations on Wednesday.
L is for libraries…
The University of Washington has a beautiful library/reading room on their campus. Suzzallo Library is a Seattle treasure.
It is no surprise that the library’s namesake, Henry Suzzallo, believed that universities should be “cathedrals of learning.” The library was built in 1926 in the collegiate gothic style, and it conjures up images of European palaces, old churches, and the halls of Oxford and Cambridge.
If you are ever in Seattle a trip to the University of Washington Campus is worthwhile, especially to visit this library reading room.
Our room included the bell tower with beautiful views. The three windows on the right side of the building on the third floor were part of our room and then there was a flight of stairs to get up to the bell tower sitting area with telescope and great views of the area.
Welcome to The Roosevelt Inn, a stunning Coeur d’Alene inn. This grand brick building was the first permanent schoolhouse established in 1905. Now, experience historic elegance at The Roosevelt Inn a romantic and relaxing bed and breakfast located in the heart of beautiful downtown Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
The above is the webpage write up for the Inn. The last time we spent the night at the Inn was for my 70th birthday and at that time they had ‘sold the Inn’. We found out that that sale fell through and they’ve had 7 subsequent sales that all fell through. This time, 4 years later, it is sold again and will be final by May. It is a relaxing environment and the rooms are nice but the elegance is waning and stunning as a description is a stretch. We enjoyed our stay and the owners are welcoming.
On Tuesday morning we were able to order our breakfast as we wanted it and it was prepared well. The other breakfast items stocked in the breakfast room gave you a great variety to choose from.
We enjoyed our shopping stops in CDA. On Monday after we had a nice lunch in Rathdrum, we stopped at the Union Gospel Mission Thrift store, a couple vintage shops and a local grocery store called Pilgrim’s Market. Pilgrim’s Market is a lot like Whole Foods. Home Depot was our first stop after breakfast on Tuesday and where I chose a shorter hedge trimmer and new blower for yard work coming up soon. The new Sierra store was our second stop and we made some purchases there. Sierra is part of the HomeGoods, TJMaxx, Marshalls group. On to Costco where we got gasoline for $2.89 WOW! A used book store was our last stop in CDA before heading back across the state line to Washington. Sales tax is only 6% in CDA so when we are visiting we like to make any purchases that we need to take advantage of that. In Washington we stopped at another Union Gospel Mission Thrift store and found some good books, tools and a clothing item.
We made it back home before dark. It was a good overnight. Our weather range over the two days was decent enough to glorious.
Today is Friday and sometime later today our ‘Westside’ kids will all be here along with our Colville kids to start the beginning of a birthday weekend. Addy will be celebrated on Saturday and there will also be one more family celebration for my birthday. The fun just keeps rolling in.
The plan for our Monday in Texas was to visit the Fort Worth Stockyards. Steve dropped us off close to Exchange Avenue where the cattle drive would take place at 11:30 A.M. While he looked for a parking spot we moseyed over to find our spot in the crowds waiting to see the cattle drive. This happens twice a day.
The crowds dispersed and we poked into a few shops to see the western ware.
Everything a tourist might need to take home for a souvenir.
We started looking for a likely spot for our lunch rendezvous with our brother Leonard. He was driving out after a couple of meetings to enjoy lunch with us.
We made reservations at Hotel Drover’s 97 West Kitchen and Bar.
We had time to walk and do a little more shopping before Leonard met up with us at the restaurant.
We enjoyed the ambiance of the restaurant and had great service.
Full and satisfied with plans to eat again at dinnertime we made our way to our cars and headed back into Dallas and Flower Mound.
If you have never been we recommend the Historic Stockyards at Forth Worth for a visit. I’m glad we were able to visit on a cool day that started misty and improved for our visit.
Josh and Laura toured Edinburgh Castle on Sunday the 22nd of September. Laura shared her photos with me.
From this view of Edinburgh that Laura captured at the top of the castle walls you can see the Church I was visiting while they were in the castle, The Parish church of St. Cuthbert. Further in the distance the three spires you see are from St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral that we visited later in the afternoon.
The castle is a worthwhile place to visit for any first timers to Edinburgh. You can read about the history of the castle here.
My next few posts will be from our last full day in Edinburgh. We had a private tour in the morning and continued to walk our legs off in the afternoon!
Back to the present: Today is the last day of January and in our little corner of the world we are getting some light snowfall. Hope all is well in your corner!
On September 21st which was a Saturday and our journey from St. Andrews to Edinburgh we stopped to visit the Dunfermline Abbey and Palace. Although I’ve posted the exterior and interior of the Abbey already we toured the palace grounds first on this day. The kiosk to pay for our visit was located in the palace ruins area. This part of our visit involved going up and down different elevations within and along the ruins of palace.
In the cellars with some great acoustics we had an impromptu moment of worship as Laura began to sing ‘Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow’. We all joined in and it was a sweet time together.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow, praise Him all creatures here below, praise Him above ye heavenly hosts, praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost, Amen.
The Abbey was obliged to offer hospitality to pilgrims and to other travelers whether rich or poor. The guest house was built here in the 1200’s and later became part of the royal palace.
Not all overnight visitors would stay in this guest house; those of lower social rank would be given beds in nearby hostels. Because Queen Margaret founded the monastery and later monarchs chose to stay here, what you see is frequent alterations and additions to provide comfortable royal apartments.
After the union of the crowns of Scotland and England in 1603, these buildings were abandoned and robbed of stone leaving the spectacular south wall with its windows overlooking the glen.
St. Benedict required the abbot dine with all visitors to the abbey. ‘Let the abbots table always be with guests and travellers’, he directed. However, when nobles knocked on the door, the abbot probably arranged for poorer pilgrims to eat elsewhere, while he enjoyed lavish feasts with his high-ranking guests.
This was such a worthwhile stop on our way back to Stirling to drop off our rental car and take a train to Edinburgh for the last few days of our Scotland Trip. Our sunshiny days were behind us.
Back to the present:
Today, January 20, 2025, in the United States is the inauguration of our 47th President, Donald J. Trump. We will be watching the ceremony. We hope for the best for our country and it’s people and our world. For us as believers, the very best is yet to come and it’s not happening here. In the meantime, we pray, we hope for the best, and we remain good citizens of our country doing our part as citizens. We acknowledge that we are not in control of the world and what is happening around the world but we know the One who is in control and who holds our world together.
As the song resounds, ‘This World is not my home I’m just a passing through, my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue, the angels beckon me from heaven’s open door, and I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.’
1. It’s been said January is ‘the month of opportunity, inspiration, and change.” Which of the three do you need most right now? Elaborate.
I’ll go with inspiration. A good dose of inspiration is always good. Inspiration to keep reading and learning. Inspiration to keep moving and giving my heart a good workout. Inspiration to encourage others. Inspiration to clean and organize the spaces in our home.
2. Do you consider opportunity as something that comes to you or something you create for yourself?
I think it comes both ways. I’ve had many opportunities come my way in the course of doing what I enjoy. There’s a verse that comes to mind.
“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the LORD is.” Ephesians 5:15-17
Some examples:
Through blogging (something I enjoy), God brought the Mennonite Girls Can Cook into my life with all the amazing experiences and friendships to enjoy.
Through singing in groups honoring Christ, God brought Greg and me together.
Through following Christ and staying involved in a church body, my life has had many opportunities to serve and enjoy many good gifts from God.
3. The British Museum opened on this date (January 15th) back” in 1759. Do you like visiting museums? Do you have a favorite?
I have a couple favorites in Southern California that I hope will still be standing after the fires in the L.A. area are finally under control!
The Getty Museum and the Getty Villa. These photos are from the Villa in Pacific Palisades from a visit enjoyed with my bloggy friends, Willow (Willow’s Cottage) and Sara (Come Away With Me) way back in 2008!
We’ve also had the opportunity to visit the Art Museums in New York, Chicago and London. They were all amazing. Unlike my husband and daughter, though, I tire easier than them and I am more casual about viewing everything.
4. It’s National Oatmeal Month (yes, apparently it gets a whole month as opposed to a single day). Do you like oatmeal? How often do you eat a bowl of oatmeal? How do you like yours? What about an oatmeal cookie? Is that a sweet treat you enjoy?
I do enjoy all things oatmeal. I love a nice hot bowl of oatmeal with a little milk, brown sugar, raisins and walnuts. A good oatmeal cookie is always a treat I enjoy.
5.What’s something useful you learned in high school?
I’m going to go with Junior High because that is where I learned to type and that is a skill that has been so very useful throughout my life!
6. Insert your own random thought here.
Our two sons, Dan and Josh with our little granddaughter photo bomber.
We are celebrating these three this week in January! Jamie’s birthday is today, Dan’s tomorrow and Joshie’s is on Sunday. We’ll have a birthday dinner here on Saturday for our Colville kids and we’ll have to celebrate Josh over the miles with birthday greetings. God bless you and keep you and protect you! We love you, we love you, we love you!
On Friday the 20th of September 2024 after our time at St. Andrews castle we got some back lane directions to get to North Street.
Butts Wynd Lane
The lane took us by some of the University of St. Andrews buildings with this beautiful St. Salvatores quad.
We were hoping to be able to get inside Saint Salvatore’s Chapel but were disappointed to find a private event going on with no entry for us.
We walked by along North Street and could tell this was a beautiful chapel. I found this youtube and the gal who took the video does show the interior of the chapel with added information and history. She shows the spot where Patrick Hamilton a Presbyterian Reformer was martyred in the video, also.
Our next stop was the Northpoint Cafe made famous by Prince William and Kate. We made it in time to have some refreshments before it closed.
Back on the streets we wound our way to the ruins of St. Andrews Cathedral and St. Rules Tower
Our feet and our backs were complaining at the end of this afternoon. The grounds were in the process of closing just as we arrived so before they locked the gate, Laura and I went in. I kept the gatekeeper occupied with questions and conversation while Laura walked about the ruins taking photos.
St Andrews Cathedral was Scotland’s largest cathedral. It took nearly 150 years to build and was consecrated in 1318 by Robert the Bruce. An ill-fated building, it suffered damage from fires and storms, but the Religious Reformation of 1559 was the most damaging event of all. Following an anti-Papal sermon by John Knox, his congregation went to the Cathedral and destroyed its symbols of Roman Catholicism. Further attacks led to the Cathedral being closed and the friars expelled.
On the site of St Andrews Cathedral, there was originally St Rule’s Church, which belonged to a community of Augustinian Canons who had the adjoining building as their living quarters. Nowadays, only the Tower remains, and at 30 meters high, it provides the best panoramic views across St Andrews.
The tower is generally accessible to climb and see great views but we arrived too late in the day for that.
There is also a museum on this site but, you guessed it, the museum was closed by the time we reached this site.
When we couldn’t hold the gatekeeper off any longer we left the grounds and let him lock the gate. We walked back to where our vehicle was parked along the University lanes with one more stop in mind before we left St. Andrews.
Well of course we needed a photo of our Gregory right at this spot!
Before we left to Scotland we watched Chariots of Fire knowing we would be close to the beach where the famous opening to the movie was filmed. We wanted to re-enact that opening.
Eric Liddell: I believe God made me for a purpose – but He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.
“I have no formula for winning the race. Everyone runs in her own way, or his own way. And where does the power come from, to see the race to its end? From within. Jesus said, ‘Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. If with all your hearts, you truly seek me, you shall ever surely find me.’ If you commit yourself to the love of Christ, then that is how you run a straight race.” ~ Eric Liddell
We were pleased with the results. We have videos but unfortunately I can’t find a way to post that on my blog. We were cracking ourselves up and amazed our feet allowed this last event of the day. When we got back to our car, it was decided we needed to find some takeaway or purchase something we could pop in the oven for dinner. Take away did not materialize so we stopped at M&S and found some savoury pies and some desserts, too.
Laura’s watch clocked us at 21,797 steps with 29 stairway climbs, too. Yikes.
Food heated and feet up for the rest of the evening!! Cheers!
After breakfast on Saturday we would start our journey back to Stirling to drop off our rental car and take a train to Edinburgh for the last leg of our trip.
History and art is something I enjoy together. I took this photo at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. spring of 2011. George Washington in our National cathedral with the stained glass window and sunlight adding some highlights!
1. What’s something you think is under appreciated. Explain.
The work that policemen have to do dealing with people who are mentally ill, drug addicts, and other people who have no respect for their authority is under appreciated. Policemen are important in restraining evil, for the health of our country and the safety of our citizens. I appreciate our Border Patrol Agents in the same way.
2. As winter approaches how do you stay productive?
It helps me to stay on top of things if I have company coming. Winter does make things harder when the snow and ice appear. Keeping my lists and ticking off the items is a good motivation for me.
3. What’s a popular food you don’t like?
Sushi
4. What do you think is more interesting-art or history? Elaborate.
Seeing works of art in an amazing historical cathedral is very satisfying to all my senses.
I find history in art very interesting. It’s enjoyable to connect some historical facts to the places we travel to. Art is more interesting when I know something about the artist. Modern art has no appeal to me.
Children’s story illustrations/artwork are a favorite of mine, too.
5. What advice would you give to someone half your age?
Don’t put off traveling. Plan the trip and go!
6. Insert your own random thought here.
Speaking of being productive in the winter, this two have a way of getting me moving…
We had our first sign of some snow in these parts. Addy also lost another tooth!
Thanks for popping by and leaving a comment. You are appreciated!
All the way from Seattle, Washington to Glasgow, Scotland on the first leg of our journey!
We got to Sea-Tac and breezed through security with plenty of time to spare for our Aer Lingus flight to Edinburgh with a stop in Dublin, Ireland. Our flight left Seattle at 6:45 PM on Thursday the 12th of September.
Laura got a shot of me enjoying an online puzzle that was offered in the game app on the plane.
We made it to Dublin (because of the time zone difference of 8 hours) at 11:30 AM on Friday the 13th. Our connection in Dublin onto a much smaller plane was touch and go for a while as there were some technical issues but we finally boarded and made it to Edinburgh airport at 3:30 PM on Friday.
Our luggage arrived quickly and we made it to a queue for an airport bus to take us to Glasgow.
That trip is normally 1 hour long but there was a lot of Friday afternoon traffic and we didn’t make it to Glasgow until after 6PM.
It was a short walk from the bus station to our hotel and it felt good to settle in our rooms and then make it out for a nice sit down meal. After trying a couple of Pubs that were packed to the gills we settled in at All-Bar-One where we enjoyed our time.
So thankful for all the travelling mercies we enjoyed on this day.
It’s our first time in Glasgow, an old city with amazing architecture to enjoy. So thankful for Laura’s eye for the details in taking photos and sharing them with me.
Hoping to share more postcards along the way. We have been up for well over 24 hours and hope to sleep well, Goodnight!
Retention! I wish my brain retained things I read and hear more easily. Is that a talent?
2. In one word, what’s your state of mind right now?
Recuperation.
3. What’s the next major purchase you need to make? Will it happen this month? This year?
Getting our septic system pumped. It will happen this year.
4. Tuesday (April 2nd) was National PB and J Day…did you celebrate? Is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich something you eat weekly or more? What’s your favorite kind of jelly?
No PBJ celebrations here. I do not eat it weekly. I eat it when I crave it. Lately I like PB on a toasted muffin with honey. Raspberry jam and strawberry jam are my favorites.
5. Are you easily intimidated? Who or what intimidates you?
Generally no, I’m not easily intimidated. The thing that does intimidate me is having to speak in front of a crowd larger than 10 people.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
We had to leave early on Monday of this week for a follow-up appointment for Greg in Spokane. It was a beautiful day. After the appointment we parked close to this amazing building thinking about having lunch at a nearby restaurant. We were frustrated since all the parking meters now want you to scan something to pay using your phone/app. Oye…I’m old. We just decided to drive away and go somewhere with a parking lot.
Here’s a little info on Spokane’s Castle Courthouse.
“You might not expect to come upon a castle while visiting Spokane, but that is exactly what you will do if you visit the Spokane County courthouse. Most of us associate such architecture with romantic old castles in Europe, or perhaps something out of the world of Walt Disney or fairy tales. To find such a building in the center of a modern, growing regional hub city such as Spokane is a bit startling. How did this come about? You’d expect such a building must have a colorful past, and our courthouse does not disappoint!”
Next time we are close to this building I want to walk around it and also go inside of it.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 