Category Archives: Travel

The End of the Highway

Artist Point is located at the very end of Mount Baker Highway, State Route 542 and boasts 360-degree views of Mount Shuksan and Mount Baker, as well as access to a variety of trails. The road to Artist Point, 2.7 miles long (milepost 54.55 to 57.26) and more than 5,000 feet above sea level, is typically buried under snow and closed October through June. Artist Point typically opens in July and remains open until the first substantial snowfall of the year, which usually comes in late September or early October.

We had our road trip here on Tuesday August 15th.

This is a zoom in shot of Mt. Baker.

My other posts from this day and the Mt. Baker Highway are here and here.

On the way home from our day in the Mt. Baker/Snoqualmie National Forest we stopped for dinner in Snohomish where we had enjoyed breakfast at the beginning of this day. For dinner we decided on Andy’s Fish House since we had a hankering for Fish and Chips and we were not disappointed. We will return.

Today I had a followup with my hand surgeon and I’m on to the next leg of my journey with a nerve conduction test ordered. I’m glad he isn’t quick to decide to cut my wrist open but wants to be sure about what is going on. So I continue with my brace and taking it easy with my left hand. Tonight we are going to a cookie social to meet our new senior pastor candidate. We’re excited. Hope you are having a nice Thursday!

Pretty as a…

Picture Lake!

On Tuesday when we reached Picture Lake there was a breeze that made ripples on the surface of the water so the reflections were not as clear as they could be. The lake has a very nice 1/2 mile trail all around it. Picture Lake is at 4100 feet with a postcard view of Mt. Shuksan, elev. 9,131 ft.

You don’t even have to hike in to enjoy this spot. We parked right on the road next to the lake.

The weather was just right for us this day with no need for a jacket. Our next stop and my next post from our time on the Mt. Baker Scenic highway will be from Artist Point.

Meanwhile back at this old house Dear continues on some home improvement projects. We have new closet doors in our Master bedroom. I’m hoping to sort through my clothes before I put them back into the closet and face reality on which I’ll never wear again. In the last 7 days our water leak got fixed, the shingles on 3 peaks of our house have fresh stain on them, our overhangs are sanded and repainted and we have new closet doors. I’m thankful for my hard working husband.

Our kids from eastern Washington are on the Oregon coast far away from their smoky skies and heat. They sent us this photo of the three of them at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Now they have to beat all the solar eclipse traffic to get home.

Love these three and praying that their long trip home goes well for all of them.

What’s going on at your house?

Mount Baker Highway

On Tuesday morning bright and early we headed north on Highway 9 to see some sites on the Mt. Baker Scenic Highway. Our first stop was in Snohomish for breakfast at Jake’s Diner. Fueled for the day we headed farther north just below the U.S./Canadian Border.

“Rated one of the top hiking, skiing, snowboarding and scenic drives in America, Mt. Baker Highway takes your breath away.”

Our stops were at Nooksack Falls, Picture Lake and lastly Artist Point at the end of the highway.

From the falls we traveled on toward the Mt. Baker Ski area. We started the part of the road that in 10 miles climbed 3,200 feet.

I’m not sure what the significance of the raven sculpture on the sign is. Dear and my last and only time here was in 1988 or 1989 for a winter ski trip with friends just after we moved to Washington State from California. It looks a lot different in the winter.

Our next stop after the falls was Picture Lake and I’ll devote a whole post to it on another day.

Picture Lake is in the Heather Meadows Recreation Area.

Today we are awaiting news on who our next Senior Pastor will be. Our former pastor followed a calling to become a Navy Chaplain. We will get to meet the new candidate on August 27th. We are excited to see and hear him on that day. I’m tapping my feet and keep checking my emails to see the announcement. I’m not called the Wonderer for nothing! Hope you have a good day!

Update: Got the email from church at 1:00 pm and got to meet our new pastor candidate and we are encouraged and looking forward to the future of our church.

A Groovy Party

Thank you my Lord
For a beautiful day
Thank you my Lord
I’m so happy to say
Thank you my Lord
For the flowers that grow
There would be nothing I know
Without You
Thank you my Lord
For the sun in the sky
Thank you my Lord
I’m so grateful that I
Thank you my Lord
For the rivers that flow
There would be nothing I know
Without You

To God be the glory
To God be the glory
To God be the glory
For the things He has done

With His blood He has saved me
With His power He has raised me;
To God be the glory
For the things He has done

For all the music
And the songs that we sing
For all the laughter
And the joy that You bring
Thank you my Lord
I have nothing to fear
As long as I have You here
Beside me
Thank you my Lord
For the birds in the trees
Thank you my Lord
I am down on my knees
Thank you my Lord
For the rain and the snow
There would be nothing I know
Without You
Just let me live my life
Let it pleasing, Lord to Thee
And if I gain any praise
Let it go to Calvary
For all the mountains
That You give us to climb
For all the valleys
Yeah I say one more time
Thank you my Lord
I have nothing to fear
As long as I have You here
Beside me

Ain’t it good to know you’ve got a friend. Ain’t it good to know you’ve got a friend.
Oh, yeah, yeah, you’ve got a friend.
How can I say thanks
For the things You have done for me?
Things so undeserved
Yet You gave to prove Your love for me;
The voices of a million angels
Could not express my gratitude
All that I am and ever hope to be
I owe it all to Thee
I mixed up some lyrics from a few songs from the 70’s to give words to this post about the wonderful birthday celebration for Herb and Anneliese in Canada last Saturday. It was a wonderful thought out celebration with a 70’s theme. Herb and Anneliese’s kids brought things together well for a lovely celebration. New friends and lifelong friends came together to celebrate. The lyrics are from songs by B.J. Thomas, Andrae Crouch and Carole King.

Country Barns…

…from the U.S.A. and British Columbia, Canada.

On our way to Canada on Saturday afternoon we slowed down at the border and I took a shot of this white barn right next to the border between the U.S.A. and British Columbia. We had a nice little chat with the Border agent and she decided we were worthy to enter her country. We stopped at Terry and Lovella’s once we were in Abbotsford and enjoyed some refreshments and conversation before we headed to our main event in Canada, a 70’s themed birthday party for one of our MGCC gals and her dear hubby.

We followed Terry and Lovella to the party and I snapped these photos as we flew along the B.C. country roads.

I’ll be sharing the photos from the groovy party soon, can you dig it?

Our cookie treats at each dinner place setting at the 70’s party.

Linking up to The Barn Collective with Tom and Mosaic Monday with Maggie.

Oh dear…I will be having 2 late nights in a row. We got home from Canada last night after 11pm and tonight I’m headed to a 7:30 Seattle Sounders Soccer match. I guess I was born to boogie. Peace out y’all.

Barns and Critters…

Summer view from son’s mile long driveway.

We want to start a pool on when this barn is going to collapse.

A different view from our son’s driveway and part of the driveway, too, headed down to the main road.

All these photos were taken from places that have a Colville address in late June 2017.  Colville is in Northeastern Washington in Steven’s County. The next time we visit our Colville kids will probably be in August. They are coming here next weekend, woohoo! Addy’s first visit to Baba and Gramp’s house. During that same time a grand nephew will be making his first visit to Great Uncle and Great Auntie’s with his big sister who was here once before for Katie and Andrew’s wedding in 2012.

It is definitely summer here with sunshine and warm temperatures. I’ll need to get out and water again soon. I’ve started to pick blueberries off our large bush. It’s a race between me and the birds on who gets to the ripe ones first.

I’ll be Linking up to Saturday’s Critters with Eileen and The Barn Collective with Tom the Backroads Traveller.

Barn Collective

All these barns were situated along Highway 395 between Spokane and Colville.

Linking up with Tom for The Barn Collective. Thanks Tom.

Every chance I’ve gotten since Friday I’ve been working on restoring posts and replacing photos on posts dating back to 2007 because Photobucket has blacked out all my photos and it makes for a very ugly sight on my posts. I’ve also had to clean up my posts on Mennonite Girls Can Cook.  I’ll keep plugging away and determine which posts are worthy to save and which ones I should just delete and not spend extra time on. Hope you all are having a good weekend.

 

Happy 150th Birthday Canada!

Click over to Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog to see a wonderful tribute posted by Judy.

May the friendship between our two countries last forever.

The plaque says: “What an object lesson of peace is shown today by our two countries to all the world.  No grim-faced fortifications mark our frontiers, no huge battleships patrol our dividing waters, no stealthy spies lurk in our tranquil border hamlets.  Only a scrap of paper, recording hardly more than a simple understanding, safe-guarding lives and properties on the Great Lakes, and only humble mile posts mark the inviolable boundary line for thousands of miles through farm and forest.”

“Our protection is in our fraternity.  Our armour is our faith. The tie that binds more firmly year by year is..

…ever increasing acquaintance and comradeship through interchange of citizens and the compact is not of perishable parchment, but of fair and honorable dealing, which, god grant, shall continue for all time.”

Erected by Kiwanis, international in memory of a great occasion in the life of two sister nations here on July 26, 1923.  Warren Gamaliel Harding twenty-ninth president of the United States of America, and first president to visit Canada.  Charter member of the Kiwanis Club of Marion, Ohio, spoke words that are worthy of record in lasting granite dedicated September 16, 1925.

I’m headed out for a walk this morning with the Wonder Walkers. It will be a fine distraction from the tedious work to restore many of my posts. Hope you all have a good first day of July.

Mosaic Monday

This is my Mosaic Monday without linking up. On Friday the 23rd of June we traveled east over the Cascade Mountain Range along Interstate 90 to Colville.  When we reach Spokane we head north and connect to Hwy 395 to travel the last 70 miles of our journey. As we near Chewelah we see many familiar signs. In the summertime the streets in Chewelah and Colville are lined with flower displays in hanging baskets and along the road in planters. On this journey we stopped at our favorite Mexican Restaurant in Chewelah, El Ranchito for an early lunch.

Continuing north on 395 you can tell you are in logging country.

We took a back road to get to our kid’s home and enjoyed these great country scenes along the way.

Then we arrived to see who we really wanted to see. She charmed us with many expressions and moods.

Yawns galore before she had another afternoon nap.

Sometimes she needs to express herself and she gets all our attention. It was a nice drive and reunion.

We will have had three full days with the kids before we head home early Tuesday morning. Sunday was the hottest day so far here and today is another hot one with temps expected to hit 93 with possible thunderstorms. With no air-conditioning it gets hard to do anything but sit around in front of fans. It’s cooling down a bit the next couple of days.

Hope all is well in your corner of the world.