Dublin Day Two ~ Tour Part Four

Our last stop of the day on Saturday September 16th before heading back to Dublin was the city of Belfast.

We enjoyed the little we saw of Belfast.

We popped into the Magnificent Margot and had an enjoyable time in the upbeat and friendly atmosphere. We joined a local couple at a table and had an enjoyable conversation with them.

The Belfast Boer war memorial takes the form of a statue of a private of the Regiment in khaki uniform, with topee and puttees, with a rifle and fixed bayonet at the ready. It lists 130 names of the officers, non-commissioned officers and men of the Royal Irish Rifles who were killed during the Second South African War that lasted from 1899 to 1902. The memorial was unveiled by Field Marshall Lord Grenfell in 1905.

There were several meaningful monuments around the City Hall, war memorials and a memorial to the lives lost on the Titanic.

The last work of sculptor Sir Thomas Brock and originally unveiled in the North of Donegall Square in 1920, this memorial was moved in 1960 to where it stands now. In white Carrera marble, the female figure of Death or Fate looks down at two sea nymphs rising from the waves, with the body of a drowned sailor in their arms. It was thought at the time that only 22 local people had died in the disaster and only the names of those victims are recorded on the original memorial. Their names are listed on two sides in order of rank upon the ship.

The Titanic was built in Belfast.

Created by the sculptor Sir Thomas Brock to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897, it was unveiled by her son, King Edward VII in 1903. Carved from Sicilian marble and standing 11 feet high, this memorial is accompanied on each side by life size bronze figures representing spinning and shipbuilding.

The birds have no respect for Queen Victoria or any other people memorialized in the statues.

Robert McMordie Statue at City Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland
The political position of Lord Mayor of Belfast dates back to 1613 when the Sovereign of Belfast received its charter as a town. This is one of four statues of famous Lord Mayors on the grounds of the Belfast City Hall. The sculpture by Frederick Pomeroy is a tribute to Robert James McMordie. He held the post from 1910 until his unexpected death during his fifth year in 1914.

The Belfast War Memorial is in the form of a cenotaph (a memorial to those who are buried elsewhere) with the backdrop of a colonnade. The memorial was unveiled on Armistice Day 11 November 1929. It was designed by Sir Alfred Brumwell Thomas and constructed by W J Campbell from 1925 to 1927.

Several days after we were here our daughter Katie and hubby Andrew reached Belfast on their small tour and stayed in the hotel directly behind this memorial.

From this stop we boarded the bus for our trip back to Dublin. We had one ‘convenience’ stop off the motorway on our trip back. Dropped off along the River Liffey in Dublin we decided to walk to The Church Cafe for our evening meal. This was a great find I learned about by watching podcasts of places to visit in Dublin. I’ll share more about this Cafe in a post of it’s own.

Sláinte!

Back Then and Now Hodgepodge

It’s time for Wednesday Hodgepodge and I’m recovering from a full to the brim extended weekend of activity. Joyce From This Side of the Pond has the questions ready and also let us know we will take next Wednesday off. Thank you, Jo!

1. What’s one thing you’re excited about in the coming month?

At the end of July we are traveling and joining several extended family members and friends to celebrate our youngest siblings’ 60th birthday. The party is at a ranch in Texas so we are getting our ‘yeehaw’ on and packing our boots and new duds for some line dancing and heat!

The picture above is of the twins at their 40th birthday celebration, a luau. That party twenty years ago was in Downey, California in our brother’s backyard.

My siblings and me twenty years ago in order of age. I’m in the middle in the dress. All of us but the brother in white will be traveling to Texas.

2. What was your life like when you were ten years old?

The Spring of 5th grade and beginning of 6th grade was when I was ten. I skipped 2nd grade. John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as president of the U.S.A. Things were a mess in the world as they are now, too. 5th grade was not one of my favorites. My teacher, Mrs. Helm, seemed to dislike me. I broke my first and only bone in the 5th grade at school and my mother had to get a taxi to take me to the doctor for x-rays and a cast on my wrist. My 6th grade teacher was kind to me. He got me a job as cafeteria helper and I enjoyed a free cafeteria meal each day for my service. He also noticed that I was struggling to see the chalk board and suggested that I get my vision checked. It was determined that I was nearsighted and the distant world became clearer to me with my first pair of prescription eye glasses.

3. What’s something from your childhood you still enjoy today?

Music, watermelon, a double scoop of ice cream.

4. What state (that you haven’t been to) do you most want to visit? Tell us why.

I think it would be lovely to explore Maine and cross the border into New Brunswick and on to Prince Edward Island. From what I’ve seen in photos it is a beautiful part of our world.

5. Do you like to drive? Tell us how you learned to drive.

Yes, I do like to drive. I honestly can’t remember who taught me to drive but it was probably one of my sisters. I was driving before I got my official license. After I had my license my brother, surprisingly, offered to teach me to drive a stick shift using his VW bug.

The VW above was the first car I purchased through my credit union and payed off over the course of a couple years.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

We are recuperating from a wonderfully packed weekend of events and celebrations. The highlight was our family being all together in church on Sunday to see our sweet Addy May get baptized. A full post with lots of pictures will be coming soon. On this weekend of her baptism we also had a Pastor candidate preach along with several meet and greet opportunities with him and his wife. Our church body will be voting on July 16th as to whether we will call him to be our new Pastor.

Old Marcus

Though the original town of Marcus has lain below the waters of Lake Roosevelt for 60 Years, it is not forgotten. Many a Spring, as the lake is drawn down to generate power, the ghost town of Marcus is again visible. Sidewalks and streets and foundations rise from the water for a few days or weeks, reminding us all of Marcus and the other drowned towns of the upper Columbia.

This happened this Spring and we decided to walk out on the exposed lake bottom to see what we could see. We walked the flats on Sunday the 16th of April, 2023. Vast expanses of sand, mud and rocks are being exposed by a deep reservoir drawdown to make room for runoff from snow from surrounding mountains.

As the Grand Coulee Dam grew higher in the 1930s, the water of the Columbia River rose behind it. 150 miles of the free-flowing river was transformed into the placid Lake Roosevelt, drowning hundreds of acres of timber, farmland, Indian villages, and camas meadows. Also below the waters of Lake Roosevelt lie eleven little agricultural towns with names like Peach, Inchelium, and this town, Marcus, Washington.

Lake Roosevelt is a working reservoir. It is the main storage reservoir on the Columbia River for the United States. The reservoir is lowered in the spring, to make room for the spring runoff. This prevents flooding on the lower Columbia River. The water that enters Lake Roosevelt during the spring is stored in the lake and is used later in the year for power generation and to enhance river flows downstream for endangered species of fish when flows on the Columbia River drop later in the summer and fall.

Walking the old sidewalks that are covered by the lake most of the year.

Main Street Old Town Marcus!

Back to the cars and on to lunch.

Here’s what the lake looks like when it is full.

Happy Tuesday. We are looking forward to a major warm-up the rest of the week. I’m going to have to mow the lawn before the week is over.

The Bodlein

On Tuesday September 13th we booked a tour for the Bodlein Library at 11:00. We waited for our tour guide in this section of the building which was the Divinity School. Divinity School is the oldest and largest room in the Old Bodleian Library, and a masterpiece of late Gothic architecture. The stone carved ceiling is magnificent.

I’m standing between the two pulpits.

This room was used as the Hogwarts infirmary in the Harry Potter film series. It was also used in the Morse Series and Shadowlands. The Hugh Humphreys library was also used in the films. No photos were allowed in the library.

This is the door that was added by Sir Christopher Wren.

Our tour guide arrived and he had so much history stored in his brain to share with us.

We went through this door to the Convocation House and Chancellors Court which was the Universities former courtroom.

Originally built in the 17th century, Convocation House was once designed as a meeting place for the University’s supreme legislative body while Chancellor’s Court was the University’s former courtroom.

Adjoining Convocation House is the anteroom, Chancellor’s Court, which was used as the court for the university.

After we left this room we walked up a series of stairways to the Duke Humphrey’s Library. Duke Humphrey’s Library is the oldest reading room in the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford. It is named after Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester, who donated 281 books after his death in 1447.

As I mentioned before I was disappointed that photos were not allowed in the Duke Humphrey’s but I’m glad we could see it in person.

The Divinity School and the Convocation House can be rented for weddings or other meetings.

You can read some history about the Bodlein here.

In Honor of the Queen

In many store windows in Oxford and in chapels of the Oxford colleges and other churches there are tributes like these to the beloved Queen Elizabeth II.

On Wednesday afternoon we watched the processional from Buckingham Palace to the Westminster Hall from our apartment in Oxford. Many businesses are short staffed this day so we are enjoying food in our apartment. We overdid it on Tuesday so we scaled back on our activities and stayed in to watch.

Lying in State now as her people file past to honor her.

Trinity College ~ Oxford (Archives)

This is a post from my archives from July of 2014. We traveled by train to Oxford from the Cotswolds leaving our rental car behind which is a very good idea when visiting Oxford.
You can read about the history of Trinity College by clicking here. After our walking tour of Oxford on our 6th day in England Dear and I enjoyed some lunch and then walked about on our own. We visited two more of the University of Oxford Colleges, Trinity and Magdalen. We had to pay a small entrance fee to walk about these colleges.

The Chapel was consecrated in 1694 and was hailed by contemporaries as the most magnificent Chapel in the University. Its dynamic integration of architecture, sculpture and painting is unrivalled amongst surviving ecclesiastical interiors in England.

Deposition of Christ ~ (copy after Andrea del Sarto) by Gaetano Cannicci, 1870.

We were in Oxford the summer of 1974 briefly on our way to Blenheim Palace with our Singing group before we were married. If my memory serves me correctly it was in Oxford that I purchased the tea set for the Teapot I bought in Canterbury in 1973 on our singing group tour (Royal Albert, Moss Rose). In 2004 on a Literary trip to celebrate our daughter’s graduation from high school we visited Oxford for a day. We parked in a park and ride outside of town and took a bus to the city center and set out to find all the places that C.S. Lewis and Tolkien were known for. We had lunch at the Eagle and Child. We spent some time at Magdalene College and walked the path where Lewis and Tolkien walked. After getting back to our car we ventured off to Wolvercote to try and find the cemetery where Tolkien is buried. With our daughter’s determination we finally did find it and found his gravesite.

Back to July 2022 here in the States. We hope on our journey this September to attend Evensong at Trinity and at Magdalene colleges. Since our time in Oxford will be extended from just several hours to many days we hope to enjoy more leisurely visits to much of Oxford that we didn’t have time to see in 2014. We’ve also been researching churches in the area to attend on the Sunday we are there.

Twenty Year Anniversary of 9-11

On 9-11-2001 We were living in Kenmore, Washington. We lived in this house until 2018. Never Forget!

I found a photo I took on September 11, 2001 and wanted to share it here, too. We can never take for granted the freedoms we are afforded here in our country and we can never forget that there are those who would love to destroy those freedoms. So thankful to God for his protection over us and that no matter what, we have a hope in our future that cannot be taken away!

This flag that I unfurled out the window of our daughter’s room in 2001 is the flag that was presented to my mother-in-law, Verna, at Dear’s father Rex’s funeral in 1985. He served in the U.S. Army during WWII. This window is on the street side of our home. Things have changed on this side of the house but the memories are the same. This flag is folded and in a special flag case now.

My thoughts and prayers over these past 20 years.

Fourteen years since that day that I will never forget. On that day I found the flag my mother-in-law was presented with at my father-in-law’s funeral at the Riverside National Cemetery in 1985. It was the only thing I could think of doing on that day where we all sat glued to the television. At the first attack I was awake alone watching T.V. in unbelief and horror. Dear was at work. Josh and Laura were at their apartment having just been married at the end of August. Dan and Katie were still at home and I woke them up to watch the news. My niece was working in Manhattan and we were all very concerned for her safety.

I Called my SIL to find out if she’d heard anything from my niece who works in Manhattan. My niece was in route to Manhattan, no one at work had seen her yet. She wasn’t a casualty that day. She made it. She had to turn around and try to get home again. It took her over 6 hours to get home. Small price to pay compared to so many…

Praying that God will continue to lead and direct our leaders in how best to protect the people they are called to serve. Praying that God will protect us from evil. Also praying that God will build us up to be able to persevere and endure whatever suffering comes our way.

Psalm 20:7 ~ “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

The Patriot’s Prayer

God of our sires that joyful sang,
While forest shades triumphant rang,
When on the wild New England shore,
Their sails were furled, their voyage o’er.
O Lord, defend Thy children yet,
Nor let our hearts Thy name forget;
O Lord, defend Thy children yet,
Nor let our hearts Thy name forget.

God of the brave that sought Thy aid,
And in Thy robe of strength arrayed,
They won for us beneath Thy care,
The flag we prize, the peace we share,
O Lord, defend our nation yet,
Nor let our hearts Thy name forget;
O Lord, defend our nation yet,
Nor let our hearts Thy name forget.

And when the call to arms again
Was heard afar o’er hill and plain,
Thy mighty hand upheld the right,
Thy love restored Thy banner bright,
O Lord, defend our nation yet,
Nor let our hearts Thy name forget;
O Lord, defend our nation yet,
Nor let our hearts Thy name forget.

God of our land, Thy gift so free,
O hear the prayer we breathe to Thee;
Let union’s bond our souls entwine,
And guard alike the palm and pine.
O Lord, defend our nation yet,
Nor let our hearts Thy name forget;
O Lord, defend our nation yet,
Nor let our hearts Thy name forget.

Words: Fanny Crosby, 1905

Psalm 27:3-4 (ESV)

Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet I will be confident.

One thing have I asked of the LORD,
   that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
   all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
   and to inquire in his temple.

This photo was taken 9-11-11. Whoever was alive that day in 2001 will never forget that day and all the evil that unfolded. The collage below was also from the 10 year anniversary. All the little flags in the collage came from the Sounders game we attended during the 10 year anniversary. A flag had been placed at every seat in the stadium. Josh and I gathered up a 100 little flags that were left behind when the game ended. I displayed them all on our chain link fence at the 10 year anniversary.

We’ll also never forget the people aboard flight 93 that defended us and after reciting this Psalm stopped that plane’s flight and lost their lives rallying around the cry, “Let’s Roll”.

A Psalm of David. Psalm 23 (ESV)

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for hisname’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
   I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
   your rod and your staff,
   they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
   in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
   my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
   all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
   forever.

And now 18 years have passed since that day in 2001.

September 11th of 2018 was the day we closed on our country bungalow. It’s been a full year that we’ve owned this home.

We recorded on September 11, 2018 and received our keys at 6pm. It was getting dark when we headed over to take a quick walk-thru to drop off a small load of stuff. We (myself, son, DIL and grandgirlie). Dear remained on the west side of the mountains with responsibilities to wrap up.

Here’s my post on September 11, 2020 about a wonderful memorial we visited in Cashmere, Washington.

Allistair Begg has a blog post he posted on 9-9-11 on The Day That Changed the Modern World. Here’s his blog post.

“Twenty years ago, the smoke and ash eventually began to clear. Blue skies prevailed again. But a heaviness went with us. Today, we may face different causes, but we see the same effects and ought to learn the same lesson: we needed God then, and we need Him now. Instead of turning away from Him in grief, walking further into hopelessness, may we come to the only one who offers refuge from every kind of turmoil.”

I’ll close with a previous prayer from another 9/11 remembrance from a few years ago with more additions.

Dear God and Father, lead and direct our leaders in how best to protect the people they are called to serve. Lord, cause them to take this responsibility seriously. Help them to deny themselves and serve this country better. Protect us from evil and the schemes of the evil one. Build us up to be able to persevere and endure whatever suffering comes our way. Help us to be students of your Word so we know Your Truth. Expose false teachers. Thank you for encouragement from your servants on this earth like Alistair Begg, John MacArthur and our current pastor Dennis. Help us to always turn to you, the God who made us and loves us and calls us to reconciliation with Him through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. May your peace rule in our hearts. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Never Forget!

Don’t Forget Hodgepodge

It’s time for Wednesday Hodgepodge where Jo asks the questions for us to answer. Thank you Jo.

1. Something you’ve done recently that required you giving 110% ?

Supervising these two. They spent a couple hours at our house and they went on a marble hunt outside and then released them inside. The marbles went rolling everywhere and under everything. JJ was intent on filling his pockets with them. Addy moved too fast for me to get a clear photo of her while she chased the marbles.

2. What task-sport-chore-hobby-activity have you participated in or completed, that if judged, would land you a perfect 10?

The Russian Sacred Singers of Los Angeles are a group of California young people of Russian background. They sing in English and Russian under the inspiring leadership of director Leonard Wozniuk. The unique bi-lingual choir responded to our challenge to record their selections for radio use. Today, their joyful singing is heard world-wide over several short-wave radio stations and over local broadcasts in North and South America.

Hymns of Praise was recorded in stereo in the Lorin Whitney Studios with the creative accompaniment of organist Bill Fasig and pianist John Innes of the Billy Graham Association. Tom Keene on guitar and Paul Stilwell on bass add their distinctive sound to several selections. ~ Andrew Semenchuk, Producer.

One of my sisters, a few cousins, and my best friend were part of this Russian Youth Choir and in the world of Russian Sacred Hymns during the 70’s this was a 10. The recording was used to spread the gospel behind the Iron Curtain. Through the recording of this album and the exposure to the other professional musicians in the studio I eventually met Dear. One of the musicians, a director of a Christian singing group recruited my best friend to sing in his group. I tagged along with her to the concerts. Dear was in this group. I ended up auditioning for the group and was selected. This Christian music group would sing at different churches in the Southern California area on Sunday evenings and toured England in the summers. Dear and I started dating while in this group and later got married. One 10 led to another 10!

3. What are ten of your favorite things right now?

Our children and their spouses.
Our two grandchildren
Our Church
Sermons by John MacArthur while I mow. I have a 2 sermon lawn.
Podcasts by Costi Hinn, The Sword and The Trowel, Justin Peters.
Fall like mornings. It’s coming y’all. I love Fall!
The Bible
Writings by Charles Spurgeon
Coffee in the morning
My hard working husband (he’s painting our bedroom right now), he makes my coffee in the morning, tomorrow is his birthday.

4. Nine times out of ten I _________________________.

Nine times out of ten I choose joy!

5. Where were you when the world stopped turning, twenty years ago this week?

I will never forget this day. Where I was, what I did, who I talked to. My TV was still in my living room in Kenmore, Washington in 2001. I sat on the edge of an ottoman in shock. I started dialing, first my husband, then my married son and his wife, (they were married 2 weeks before 9/11). I woke up Dan and Katie who were still at home. That day seemed like it would never end. Called my SIL to find out if she’d heard anything from our niece who was working in Manhattan. Our niece was in route to Manhattan on that day, no one at work had seen her yet. She wasn’t a casualty that day. She made it. She had to turn around and try to get home again. It took her over 6 hours to get home. Small price to pay compared to so many…

This flag that I unfurled out the window of our daughter’s room in 2001 is the flag that was presented to my mother-in-law, Verna, at Dear’s father Rex’s funeral in 1985. He served in the U.S. Army during WWII. This window is on the street side of this home. Things have changed on this side of the house but the memories are the same. This flag is folded and in a special flag case now.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Thank you to all who serve and protect including our Military, Border Patrol, Police, Firemen, and Coast Guard!

St Paul’s Mission Kettle Falls

When our friends from the coast, Bob and Jan, came to visit last week we took an outing to see this historical site and to walk through the museum.

You can find some history of this area here.

History of Fort Colville can be found here.

“This grooved boulder was a favorite whetstone used by generations of Indians who camped at the south end of the fishery. Left there by the last glacier, it is made of amphibolite, more fine-grained than the local bedrock. The stone has been placed here in the same position in which it was used to sharpen the spear points, knives and other implements used to harvest the salmon.”

We stopped in to the museum and I only took a few photos.

While our friends were here we enjoyed a couple meals out and some meals in. By far the favorite meal was at El Ranchito where we were treated like royalty…again. We had lots of good conversation and relaxed time together. We said goodbye on Friday morning and after they left our little grandson was dropped off for a play date with Baba and Gramps while big sister went to a Preschool/homeschool co-op for a few hours.

More to come from our time with JJ.

From the Past…

1970ish

Memorial Day 2009

2010

2011

2013

In 2014 Andrew returned from Afghanistan on Memorial Day Weekend.

Memorial Day 2016 we remembered these fallen Marines…so young.

It was a busy week leading up to Memorial Day weekend and we still have some responsibilities through Saturday. I have a few of my Red/White/Blue decor sprinkled around the house but the majority of my ‘stuff’ will have to wait for the 4th of July to don our property. Our flag is flying. We will have a low key Monday. I have a Memorial Day tribute scheduled for Monday the 31st. And just like that May is gone…

For those of you in the U. S. of A. we hope you have a good long weekend with a time of reflection on what it meant to many for our country to be free.

The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b.

To honor and encourage

Category Archives: History