Flag Day Barns

Before I show you my barns for this week I just wanted to wish everyone in the U.S. of A. a very happy Flag Day! We are flying our flags in a nice breeze here in the Seattle area today!

The photos of the barns this week were taken in April when we were at our son’s home in Eastern Washington. This was a nice fresh barn type structure for horses in Chewelah, Washington. The next photo was down the road a bit and not so fresh!

I’m linking up with The Barn Collective started by Amy and hosted now by Tom The Backroads Traveller.

Garden Fences!

When you live in the country you have to put fences up around your garden so that you can enjoy the bounty instead of the deer and other wildlife. Our son built this fence for his soon to be wife. Jamie’s Garden is producing some great vegetables already. If the deer could read the sign they would know they are not welcome in Jamie’s Garden.

I see lots of fresh salads and salsa in their future!

I’m linking up to Signs, signs with Lesley and to Good Fences #63 with TexWisGirl!

No Mind has Imagined!

Being in the country with acres between my son’s home and other homes I am enjoying the sights and sounds that I do not experience living close to a big city. While enjoying what I’m seeing with my own eyes right now out the window then reading this verse from the Bible it makes me wonder about what we have yet to experience from God.

So much beauty for us to enjoy in the here and now and yet there is more that God has prepared for those who love him.

Since it’s now time for Good Fences #62 hosted by TexWisGirl and because each of my photos has a fence in it I’m linking up!

A Year Ago…

For InSPIREd Sunday and Spiritual Sundays I’m going back to a road trip our daughter and I took to get her back to North Carolina to welcome her husband home from his second tour of duty in Afghanistan with the Marine Corps. One of the places we took time to visit was Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri.

Bellefontaine 039

Bellefontaine 021

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SeaJack #4 006

Bellefontaine 040

The Legend of the Dogwood

There is a legend, that at the time of the Crucifixion the dogwood had been the size of the oak and other forest trees. So firm and strong was the tree that it was chosen as the timber of the cross. To be used thus for such a cruel purpose greatly distressed the tree, and Jesus, nailed upon it, sensed this, and in His gentle pity for all sorrow and suffering said to it: “Because of your regret and pity for My suffering, never again shall the dogwood tree grow large enough to be used as a cross. Henceforth it shall be slender and bent and twisted and its blossoms shall be in the form of a cross. ..two long and two short petals. And in the center of the outer edge of each petal there will be nail prints, brown with rust and stained with red, and in the center of the flower will be a crown of thorns, and all who see it will remember.”

I recognize that this is just a legend but I wanted to post this entry because I’ve always loved the Dogwood blooms. If I look at them and think about what my Savior did for me that’s a good thing. He created the tree, the beautiful bloom, and you and me to enjoy it!

We will be taking a short road trip to Canada on Saturday. I’ll share about our time next week. It takes us under two hours to get to the U.S./Canadian border from where we live in Washington State. Hope you have a wonderful first weekend in May!

Signs and Fences Main Street Chewelah!

The next time I’m in Chewelah I’m going to stop at this bakery on Main Street. I would have noticed it sooner but it’s on the opposite side of the highway from the stretch we generally travel.

It’s my understanding that this is run by Mennonites. Double my curiosity and desire to stop in the next time I’m in town.

Driving down to the end of Main street we saw this great old house with a nice picket fence around it.

I’m linking up to Signs, signs by Lesley and Good Fences at Run Around Ranch Report with Tex Wis Girl.

I have recuperated from my weekend trip and am happy to have more low key days and weekends for a while. Spring is amazing here in the Pacific Northwest with so many blooms and so much green!mohai8

Are you enjoying some green and Spring yet in your corner of the world?

A Whirlwind of Activity!

Bright and early on Saturday morning I’m flying to Southern California for a whirlwind day. The original reason for booking the flight was to attend a high school mini-reunion that my dear friend Nancy is hosting at the clubhouse in the development where she lives.

We from Montebello High School were known as the Oilers.

I enjoyed being a Song Leader for my Junior and Senior years of High School.

img347We had some fun and crazy times at Montebello Dear Old High.

251579_261130540566499_100000086664820_1179545_1986015_nOur high school was fed by a couple Junior Highs back then. I really loved the old architecture of Montebello Junior High which had to be torn down since my time there.

High School scannedTime will tell how many of my friends from the class of ’68 I’ll get to see tomorrow.

But…that’s not all I’m doing on Saturday. On Saturday morning I get to see my dear old Pop!

I’m happy to report he is thriving now that he is living with and being cared for by my sister Kathy and her husband Len. I’m so grateful to them and to God for the despair that has been lifted off my pop’s heart.

After a visit with my pop and on the way to my reunion I’m popping in to a baby shower that our dear family friend Alice is giving her daughter in law. This will be Alice’s first grandchild. The timing of the shower works out perfect.

My sister Kathy with our friend Alice.

Stopping in on the shower I’ll be able to see many of my friends from the church I grew up in. Good thing I’m not an introvert! All this people time would be overwhelming.

I’ve got to get organized now for my trip. If you don’t hear from me for a while you’ll know I packed in way too much even for an outgoing person for a day in sunny California!

Family Signs

This last weekend we enjoyed lots of great family time at some of the places featured in this “Signs, signs”  by Lesley combo post!

Six of us traveled east and then north to the little town of Chewelah.

The girls enjoyed a bridal shower on Saturday while the guys worked on flooring and plumbing at our son’s home.

Granny had several fun signs at her home.

In this part of Washington state you see a lot of these signs if you travel off the main highway.

When we made it back to our son’s home after the shower we went out to dinner to celebrate our son-in-laws birthday at El Ranchito Mexican Restaurant.

Happy Birthday Andrew. We had a real good time celebrating you!

After dinner we all went up to the lodge where Dear and I were staying and had a family photo time.

 

The soon to be married couple!

 

The girls!

 

The guys!

Our family is rounding out very nicely. We are thankful to God for blessing us with kids who get along and enjoy each other. It was good to work together, celebrate together, play games with each other, and eat together.

Just before we hit the road to travel back to Western Washington we all had brunch together at the new Main Street Bistro in Chewelah.

And then we stopped to get gas at our station of choice in this area.

“Owned and operated by The Spokane Tribe of Indians”

Roll On Columbia

Roll On Columbia
Words by Woody Guthrie, Music based on “Goodnight, Irene” (Huddie Ledbetter and John Lomax)

Green Douglas firs where the waters cut through.
Down her wild mountains and canyons she flew.
Canadian Northwest to the ocean so blue,
Roll on, Columbia, roll on!

CHORUS: Roll on, Columbia, roll on.
Roll on, Columbia, roll on.
Your power is turning our darkness to dawn,
Roll on, Columbia, roll on.

Other great rivers add power to you,
Yakima, Snake and the Klickitat, too,
Sandy Willamette and Hood River, too;
Roll on, Columbia, roll on.

CHORUS

Tom Jefferson’s vision would not let him rest,
An empire he saw in the Pacific Northwest.
Sent Lewis and Clark and they did the rest;
Roll on, Columbia, roll on.

CHORUS

It’s there on your bank that we fought many a fight,
Sheridan’s boys in the blockhouse that night,
They saw us in death but never in flight,
Roll on, Columbia, roll on.

CHORUS

At Bonneville now there are ships in the locks,
The waters have risen and cleared all the rocks,
Shiploads of plenty will steam past the docks,
Roll on, Columbia, roll on.

CHORUS

And on up the river is Grand Coulee Dam,
The mightiest thing ever built by a man,
To run these great factories and water the land,
It’s roll on, Columbia, roll on.

CHORUS

These might men labored by day and by night,
Matching their strength ‘gainst the river’s wild flight,
Through rapids and falls they won the hard fight,
Roll on, Columbia, roll on.

This photo is one view of the Astoria-Megler Bridge connecting Washington State and Oregon over the Columbia River at the Pacific Ocean.

These are a compilation of photos I have of the mighty Columbia River. Some were taken this year and some in years past. The photos with Dear and I in them were taken in 2012. Some of the photos are taken in Oregon and most are taken in Washington State. The North end of the river the central part of the river and the southern part as it reaches Oregon.

 We are just back home from 4 days traveling to the Northeast part of our state to enjoy our son and his fiance. I’ll share posts later about our time there. We ended up crossing the mighty Columbia river four times during our visit. I was able to get photos of lots of great old barns.

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

Barns, Daffodils and Tulips!

A little road trip to meet up with my girlfriends from Canada to see the tulips and daffodil fields in Mount Vernon yielded an added photo op with barns in the distance, emphasis on in the distance. I’m linking up to the Barn Collective #25 at Rose Street Reflections. Thank you Amy!

Hope you didn’t have to squint too hard to spot the barns! Next time I’ll show the ones I got closer to without any flowers in the foreground!

Have a wonderful Easter Week everyone!

InSPIREd on Bainbridge Island

While on Bainbridge Island last Friday and Saturday we spotted a couple churches to share for InSPIREd Sunday hosted by Beth and Sally.

We also spotted one more spire on our travel up the island, Seabold United Methodist Church.

We are getting ready for Easter Week at this old house. Tomorrow is Palm Sunday and through the week we’ll pause on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and the amazing climax and grand celebration of the week, Easter Sunday or Resurrection Sunday! I love all the history of this coming week and what it means for us…

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
    Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
    righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Zachariah 9:9 (ESV)