Category Archives: Colville

C is for Colville and The Corn Maze

Action Packed Friday and Saturday in our corner of Washington State.

A pair of our ‘Coast’ kids drove over arriving late on Thursday evening. On Friday morning our Colville kids/grands joined us for breakfast and afterwards they all helped me to clear out our front planters to get them ready for Winter. What a huge blessing that was. And we did that in the rain, another blessing. JJ thought it was fun to stand right under the stream of rain water running off the roof!

95% of the photos I’m sharing are taken by Auntie LoLo! She is the best at capturing the moments.

The guys emptied several cart loads!

We all got dry clothes on. The kids enjoyed trying on Gramps’ Cub Scout caps. We warmed up over a nice hot bowl of borsch for lunch with a loaf of fresh baked bread by Jamie.

Dinner at our Colville Kids’ home with plans to meet at the Corn Maze when it opened on Saturday.

This is the first year of our annual Corn Maze adventure that the guys came, too, since they weren’t hunting this year.

Since Auntie Katie wasn’t with us this year Addy took on the job of Map navigation.

You can see that the weather was perfect for our trudge through the stalks of corn.

Addy had help navigating from Uncle Joshie and her daddy.

Sons

Daughters-in-law and in our hearts!

Checking our bearings…

Making great time finding the 10 stations!

The final post! We made it in record time.

Time to pick out some pumpkins to carve.

Back to the mountain for pumpkin carving and lunch.

Before naptime Dan lit the fire in the pit he built to have some Smores.

A perfect couple of days in beautiful Colville with family. Thank you Auntie Lolo for the photos!

As busy as Friday and Saturday were, Sunday was coming.

My Pumpkin Brain Hodgepodge

Since Joyce brought up pumpkin in her Wednesday Hodgepodge questions for today, I borrowed this photo from our daughter-in-law at the first pumpkin patch visit of this Autumn.

1. Thursday (Oct 13) is National Train Your Brain Day. What do you do to keep your brain in tip top shape? Is it helping?

Bible study keeps your brain sharp. When my Mother-in-law was living with us and signs of dementia started showing she was the sharpest when she was studying her Bible everyday and attending a Bible Study weekly. The Holy Spirit in followers of Jesus Christ illuminates the Word of God for us and helps us to discern and gives us understanding. The Word of God is living and enduring and it keeps my brain in tip top shape while teaching me how to live on this earth.

2. You can sit with anyone in the world and ‘pick their brain’…whom do you choose? Tell us why? 

If we are talking about a living person…

Patricia MacArthur, wife of John MacArthur one of my favorite living pastors who is 83 and still preaching at the same church he started at 53 years ago. She has lived through ministry and suffering and I know there is a lot of wisdom to glean from her.

If I could choose someone who has died…

I’d choose my maternal grandfather who I never got to meet because he was killed in Persia after my parents immigrated here and before the rest of my mother’s family immigrated.

3. What’s something happening in the world (or your corner of it) right now that you have trouble ‘wrapping your brain around’? 

Well you have opened up a can of worms here for sure. There is so much happening in this world that is unbelievable to me.

Calling good evil and evil good.

The whole gender identity stupidity.

The Border Crisis

The escalation of crime with no punishment for wrongdoing.

I can go on and on…

4. On a scale of 1-10 where do you fall in the pumpkin fanclub? (1=blech, 10=make it all pumpkin all the time) Tell us something delicious you’ve tasted recently that had some pumpkin in it somewhere. 

I’m pretty much in the middle. I enjoy some things pumpkin but mostly baked items like cookies and bars or a good spicy soup. I’m not a fan of drinking pumpkin flavored coffee or any kind of flavored coffee, etc.

5. Share a favorite song, book, or movie with an autumn title, setting, or vibe. 

I drew a blank on this one. I know I’ve read books or book series that included fall but nothing with that theme in the title. I did find this song by Nat King Cole…

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Speaking of Autumn…

I took this photo in Woodstock, U.K. on the grounds of Blenheim Palace on September 22nd of this year, the first day of Autumn. Winston Churchill was born at the Palace in the Autumn, on November 30th, 1874. He didn’t live at Blenheim but his parents were visiting Blenheim and the Mrs. went into labor and he ended up being born there. There are many tributes to him at the Palace and on the grounds and in the village of Woodstock, too.

Thank you Joyce for the Hodgepodge.

 

While We Were Away

While we were across the pond two of our Coast kids drove across the Cascades to visit our Colville kids. We were happy that they could use their key to use their guestroom in our home as usual even though we weren’t home.

-1

Uncle Joshie is such a good sport!

My blog is my journal and scrapbook and photo album of our family events and I wanted to document this time with our Daughter-in-law’s wonderful photos! Those little ones grow so fast.

I’m at our Women’s Retreat that started last night at a Bible camp at Waitt’s Lake which is about 50 minutes away. Hope your weekend is going well.

 

Smoky Sunrise

On Saturday morning we walked the Rotary Trail at Sunrise.

The skies reflect the fact that there are fires in our area.

Our conditioning for walking in England is going well. Hopefully we can continue these walks after we return because it’s good for our overall health.

The small white streak against the mountains above is a plane taking off from the small Colville airport.

At the end of our walk is this section of wild flowers blooming. It’s fun to see the poppies.

We walked the trail again on Sunday at dawn and the sun came up above the mountains at the end of our walk.

It was good to be in the House of the Lord on Sunday to declare together with the ‘Body’ that our Lord and Savior is Worthy of all our praise and adoration.

Hope your extended Labor Day weekend is going well and you will have rest from your labors today!

Adios August Hodgepodge

Time for the last August Wednesday Hodgepodge! Thank you Jo From This Side of the Pond for asking the questions!

1. Something you’ve labored over recently? 

Pulling weeds, weeds and more weeds, to the point of my right arm/elbow screaming at me to stop it!

2. How will you rest on Labor Day? 

We rarely rest on Labor Day for many different reasons. We have been listening to and reading some great talks and articles on having a Lord’s Day Rest. We want to be more intentional on leaving Sundays for rest from our labors and being more in tune with keeping our ‘lamp tended and storing good oil for our lamps’. We also don’t want to ignore the importance of spending time each day with God through His Word, the Bible.

3. Margaret Mead is quoted as saying, “I learned the value of hard work by working hard.” Would you agree? Where and how did you learn the value of hard work? 

It is good for man to work. I have learned the value of hard work by working hard and by the example of my parents and others who worked hard and work hard. My Dear is a great example of someone who works hard to a good end not just spinning his wheels.

4. It’s National Eat Outside Day (August 31st). Will you? Do you enjoy dining ‘al fresco’ or prefer indoor seating? 

I prefer eating inside and if I have to eat outside I need a shady spot. I developed, in my late 50’s, a skin sensitivity to the sun shining directly on me, especially my thighs. When the sun hits them it immediately feels like they are burning. This happens through my clothing. When living in Southern California from 2006-2010, I had to put sunshades on the passenger window so the sun wouldn’t hit my thighs. Weird…

5. Somehow it’s the end of August. What was the best day of the month for you and tell us what made it so? 

We had a great day last Friday when our Colville family could have dinner together and the grands and I had some water gun and hose fun outside, getting a wee bit soaked. There were emergency surgeries and other issues over the course of the month that kept us from getting together for a meal. Then on Saturday I met up with our DIL and Grands to watch our small town parade. FUN. The collage at the top of the post is from our parade time.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Northeast Washington Fair Parade

This past weekend our town hosted the Northeast Washington Fair. Part of the festivities includes a parade on Saturday morning.

Waiting patiently for the parade to start.

The sirens from the fire engines announced the beginning of the parade. It was loud as you can tell from our Grands covering their ears.

JJ still managed to wave to the firemen while he kept one ear covered.

Things quieted down. Most of the participants in the parade throw candy to the kids watching along the parade route. That’s what the blue bag is for and they got a haul!

JJ stuffed his pockets full of candies.

A country necessity.

Those pockets are getting full.

When the parade was over we walked over to the Farmer’s market for a few veggies and the kids got their free honey stick.

A picture with the Colville Bear on the way back to the parking lot was our grand finale. Later on this day the Grands went to the fair with their mom and granny. There were lots of farm animals to see and an ice cream cone to enjoy!

We’ve had a cool down with the weather for a few days. The weather was perfect for the parade.

They Turned on Me!

The kids and grands were over for dinner last Friday night and after dinner the grands wanted to play with the water guns in the back yard. Soon the water guns were left behind for the hoses that offered more fun and power!

It was all good for a time and then they both decided to turn on me!

Little stinkers! We came inside to get dry clothes on and it was time for them to head home for bed.

I got dry clothes on and put my feet up for a little relaxation before going to bed.

I cherish these moments and am happy to have the opportunity to spend time with these two little humans!

On Saturday we met up on Main Street in Colville for the Fair Parade. I’ll share photos from the parade tomorrow.

Early Morning Conditioning

Monday morning at dawn we enjoyed a beautiful sunrise. We decided to head to the Rotary trail again to continue our walking conditioning.

An early morning walk on this trail is a real treat.

We continue to plan and condition for our trip to England in September. Our longest walk in Oxford is only 4.2 miles and those miles involve stops along the way so we are confident we should be good, conditioning on our 3 mile walk without stops on the Rotary trail. While on the trail we listen to sermons and the latest are from 2 Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 3:18 ~  And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

After our walk on Monday morning we came home and got to work, me with mowing, and Dear with finishing his work on the mount for our snowplow.

Snow this winter will be the test on whether this mounting and plow will work well.

We were in the upper 80’s today which was a nice change to our upper 90’s and low 100’s. For the rest of this week we have some Spokane shopping, some granddaughter soccer fun, a dessert get together with our church family and the Northeast Washington Fair.

Are you looking forward to anything this week and weekend?