Good Fences ~ Oysterville

My fences this week are from a trip Dear and I took a couple years ago to Long Beach, Washington. These fences are in Oysterville, Washington.

IMGP8214The texture that the moss or lichen added to this fence was very interesting but the damage to the wood is probably significant, too.

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IMGP8205This is the oldest house in Oysterville. We enjoyed walking through this little town and also reading up on the history.

You can click over to TexWisGirl at Run*A*Round Ranch to see other fences from around the world.

Can you believe we are coming up on Labor Day Weekend here in the States? Got any plans?

Oh Happy Day!

What a wonderful Wednesday this is for our family. We woke up to news from Kiev that finally all the papers and legal documents were in order and my dear Sister-in-law will be traveling home with their new son, our new nephew ( the initial trip to the Ukraine and applying for the legal papers was at the beginning of July). My brother Leonard and niece Hope are anxiously waiting for that plane to land later this week with Mandy and Andrew on it. Home at last and a forever family for little Andrew (5 yrs. old).  Hope met her new little brother during the initial trip in July.  When I get the OK, I’ll post a photo of their family. We are thanking the Lord for his love and care in this grueling process which started way earlier than July…

More good things happening here…

Last night we got together to celebrate Josh and Laura’s 13th wedding anniversary. Josh and Laura are a wonderful couple and such a blessing to our family, Laura’s family and friends.

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P1050599We are really enjoying the fact that for the first time since they got married Katie and Andrew are living in the Seattle Area.

10593118_10204574731756544_6281252394359480501_nWe are also grateful to God for watching over our son Dan on an assignment away from his home for a month. He’s back home now safe and sound and we rejoice with that news. So all of our children are in the state of Washington for now. Very good news.

On Sunday Dear and I were at a local elementary school getting it spruced up for the coming year. Dear was spreading bark and I was suppose to help a teacher in her classroom along with a couple other volunteers. When I got to the classroom two young ladies walked up with their name tags on and I was surprised to see the name Ellen on one of them. I do not encounter many other gals named Ellen. The other Ellen commented “No way, I never meet Ellen’s” and then she said, “We have the same t-shirt on, no way!” These were t-shirts from a 5k “Stop Human Trafficking event from 2 years ago. Well at that point we decided we needed to document this strange occurrence in both of our lives!

P1050586Fun times!

Another fun random thing is that our Seattle Sounders Soccer Team is celebrating their 40th Anniversary this year just like Dear and I. P1050585Yep! I bought Dear a t-shirt with this logo on it just because…

This is my happy day, happy post with so many things that are making me rejoice.  What’s giving you a reason to rejoice today?

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:4-8 ESV

Gloucester Cathedral

On day 8 of our trip in England we traveled from the Paxford in the Cotswolds to Ross on Wye stopping in Bourton on the Water and Gloucester. There were two places we wanted to visit in Gloucester, the cathedral and the “Tailor of Gloucester”. More on the “Tailor” at a later time.

I’m linking these photos of the exterior of Gloucester Cathedral for ABC Wednesday. Thank you to Denise Nesbitt and the ABC team.

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Here’s a great source for information about the cathedral that I found online. Click on Sacred Destinations to read about the cathedral.Bourton-Gloucester 036Although all periods of medieval church architecture are represented at Gloucester Cathedral, its two main building phases – Romanesque and Perpendicular, are of outstanding interest and importance.

gloucester cathedral 044To read about the history of the cathedral and architecture click on this link. The cathedral has some interesting links with America that I enjoyed reading here.

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Bourton-Gloucester 037The interior of the Cathedral will take a few posts. This cathedral has so much beauty and interesting history to share.

I posted a recipe of Spicy Dark Chocolate Cookies my sister shared with me over at the “Girls” blog (Mennonite Girls Can Cook) These cookies have a nice surprise with a touch of cayenne and chili in them. Click here to get the recipe.

A Walk About…

Before we left the Cotswolds we wanted to take a walk about the land around Fox Cottage. The lanes were so narrow getting to and from the cottage that I wanted to walk out and take some photos because I was paralyzed when driving them wondering what we might encounter around the next curve.

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Sat. July 5-Chipping Campden 030A couple of these lanes were not right outside Fox Cottage but on the road between Chipping Campden and Snowshill.

 

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After we walked to the end of the clear path we headed back to the cottage.

 

Walk About the Fox 025The driveway back to the cottage.

Walk About the Fox 027Our next destination would be very different from our cottage in the Cotswolds.

So here we are back in the states for almost 6 weeks now. Our bathroom is still not totally done. Maybe by the end of this week. Our weather continues to be dry and warmish with a few thunderstorms thrown in here and there. Dear and I worked real hard at this old house on Saturday pulling weeds, clearing two trash cans full of pine needles from planters, cleaning out the garage and taking a huge load of stuff to Goodwill.

Now here we are in the last week of August! Our son Josh and Laura celebrate their 13th wedding anniversary today. All of our kids are in the state of Washington again. We thank God for bringing them all safely back here from road trips and work assignments. Nothing big on the calendar this week. How is your August winding down?

InSPIREd Sunday

Sat. July 5-Chipping Campden 025On our first full day in England we visited Chipping Campden and walked past St. Katherine’s Catholic church on High street. We left Chipping Campden and went on to Snowshill and walked in the church yard of St. Barnabas.

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Thanks to Beth and Sally  who inspire us each week with InSPIREd Sunday.

Our church was inspired today to go out into our Community to help spiff up our local schools and get them ready for the school year. So this is a little view of what our Sunday looked like outside of our buildings with spires.

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Always and All for Jesus ~ Hymn

Always and All for Jesus

Let us go forth to our labor of love,
Always and all for Jesus;
Zealous to glean for the garners above,
Always and all for Jesus;
Strength for the work we receive from the King,
Always and all for Jesus;
Nobody fails who is trusting in Him,
Always and all for Jesus.

Refrain

Always and all for Jesus,
Sing with a glad refrain,
Always and all for Jesus,
Till our Lord comes again;
Always and all for Jesus,
Gladly we yield Thine own.
The harvest shall end,
And our Lord shall descend,
To gather His reapers home.

Great is the work, and the workers are few,
Always and all for Jesus;
Do with your might what your hands find to do,
Always and all for Jesus;
Stand not in idleness all the day long,
Always and all for Jesus;
Strive for a part in the harvesters’ song,
Always and all for Jesus.

Refrain

Work till the summons of Ye blessèd, come,
Always and all for Jesus;
Calls us to join in the glad harvest home,
Always and all for Jesus;
Then with the sheaves we have gathered in love,
Always and all for Jesus;
Safe we’ll be housed in the garners above,
Always and all for Jesus.

Refrain

Words: Joseph H. Keagle, 1896.

Today our church has left the building and we are gathering at the local schools in our communities to serve in getting the school yards and classrooms ready for the new school year.

Broadway in the Cotswolds

Broadway Day 7 004On day 7 of our trip to England in July we decided to visit the little town of Broadway in the Cotswolds. We arrived early which is always a good plan when you know big tourist buses would probably arrive at noon.

Broadway Day 7 008There are just enough shops to enjoy strolling through without feeling overwhelmed.

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Broadway Day 7 017Plenty of Inns with pubs and other types of restaurants to eat in.

Broadway Day 7 015Broadway Day 7 006I enjoyed seeing this old couple heading over to the Tea Room.

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Broadway Day 7 030We decided to eat at the Crown & Trumpet before we left Broadway.

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Broadway Day 7 051We enjoyed chatting with the locals who gave us many recommendations and opinions about a good brew, good food, politics, and good places to visit in England.

Broadway Day 7 055Some people might find some pubs to be a little too cozy. We enjoy the atmosphere in most of the older pubs. We avoid the newer ones.

Broadway Day 7 058I better keep moving along or I’ll never be done with my posts from our time in England. This was our last full day in the Cotswolds and on our way to our next self-catering location in Ross-on-Wye we made two stops. One of the stops was in Bourton-on-the-Water and then we stopped at Gloucester Cathedral.

Today back in the real world it’s Friday and I’ve got to get outside and mow the lawn and tidy up a bit. We have a quiet weekend ahead. On Sunday our church will not have regular services. We’ve been called to go out into our neighborhood schools and help the teachers and staff get the grounds and classrooms ready for the school year. We will scrub desks, clean out planters, pressure wash, and do other projects as a support of the communities we live in. We call it Community Serve Day.  Hope you all have a nice weekend.

 

Fences ~ Cotswolds

Broadway Day 7 010Here’s one rustic fence from the little town of Broadway in the Cotswolds.

Linking up with TexWisGirl at Run*A*Round Ranch Report for Good Fences #22.

There’s good news back here in the burbs of Seattle. Our kids have moved most of their stuff into their new apartment that is walking distance to the school our Son-in-law will be attending. There are some job opportunities on the horizon, too.  Here’s a fence from their complex.

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Fox Cottage ~ Cotswolds

ABC Wednesday is on the letter F this week.

Thank you to Denise Nesbitt and the ABC team for keeping the meme alive.

Our first self-catering experience in England was at Fox Cottage so…

…F is for Fox Cottage

Sat. July 5-Chipping Campden 002First and foremost is a fair warning that this post is full of fotos of the Fox inside and out!

Day one in England 7-4 007We had our own mostly private area between the cottage and stables across from the cottage.

Sat. July 5-Chipping Campden 092I believe our side of this U shaped space were stables in the past, too, which have been converted and upgraded to a living space.

2014-07-07 VisitorsFor those of you not familiar with the term self-catering it means you take care of yourself while you rent a property. Generally there is no daily maid service and no breakfast provided. We enjoyed making our own “Full English” and when the fragrance of those sausages hit the air we had several visitors arrive at our door begging!

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Broadway Day 7 002When we arrived we were greeted with fresh flowers and a sweet loaf that I didn’t get a foto (spelling in honor of F) of.

Day one in England 7-4 001Free wifi and lots of channels on the telly. Kinda funny that places advertise wifi as being free when you know you are paying for it anyway in the full price of the property. I did specifically choose properties while in England that advertised free wifi. Since we weren’t using our cell phones we wanted to feel connected to home and family whenever we could.

Day one in England 7-4 003We fully appreciated the fabulous exposed rough beams throughout the Fox.

Day one in England 7-4 004The old features that were worked into the space were enjoyed.

Day one in England 7-4 006The mix of old and new was just right. There were interesting things to try to figure out and some quirky frustrating things to deal with but our overall experience was very nice.

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Visitors 006Our views were very peaceful. During our time at the cottage there was only one day in a downpour that we shut all the windows.

Sat. July 5-Chipping Campden 087We had to go out to the pump room to get our ice from the deep freeze.

Sat. July 5-Chipping Campden 098The peace and quiet of this spot was so lovely. We could hear water flow through the farm. The birds were our alarm clock in the morning. It would be so dark at night we had to use a night light to make it safely to the bathroom which was a step down from our bedroom. No city lights, no street lights and no porch lights. I really was hoping to maybe see an owl but that didn’t happen except for this one.

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Visitors 002The owners of the farm and cottage live in the house you see next to the owl and behind this view of the cottage.

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Sat. July 5-Chipping Campden 093The outside view to our space.Sat. July 5-Chipping Campden 090The view out to the land between us and the little lane at the entrance to the farm.

Day one in England 7-4 010Getting to and from the Fox is a whole other story for another day.

Things around our “cottage” here in the states are a little hectic right now with our kids from the East Coast staying with us as they move into their new apartment and life on the West Coast. I hope to get around to as many of the ABC “F” posts as possible between loading and unloading boxes…

Hope your festivities this week are full of fun and frolic with friends and family.

Need a Tea Break?

Since we are all friends I have a confession to make…

Stow on the Wold 028…although we passed quite a few tea rooms while we were in England I only had tea once and it wasn’t in a tea room. Oye. I will show you all the lovely tea rooms that you can choose from if you travel to England.

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This one was in Broadway in the Cotswolds.

Our daily timing was way off for stopping to enjoy a cup of tea in the afternoon. By then we were usually a bit warm and needed something cooler to drink.

Broadway Day 7 072Love the name of this one, Mrs. T. Potts…pretty clever. It was real close to Martha’s coffee house on the main street running through Moreton in Marsh.

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Sunday-Banbury 010On our way to Banbury we saw Mrs. Brown’s Tea room.

Bourton-Gloucester 020In Bourton on the Water there were a few tea rooms to choose from.

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This restaurant/tearoom was less appealing than the Small Talk Tearoom above.

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If we didn’t manage to walk right past a tearoom we enjoyed seeing signs for tearooms.

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2014-07-12 Hay on WyeWe got a little closer to a proper tea experience with these delicious scones and clotted cream but the drink of choice on this morning was coffee.

To Windsor 158On one of our last days in England I decided it was high time to have some tea so as not to totally disappoint my tea drinking readers.

To Windsor 162It wasn’t the finest of tea services in the bar of our hotel. The scones were no where near as nice as the ones we had in Hay on Wye.

To Windsor 159This was my tea and tea experience. One hot and the other one cold. The cold one may or may not have had some alcohol in it. Most of our afternoon tea experiences looked more like this…

Broadway Day 7 052Not too light, not too dark, and it had to be ice cold.

Katie and Andrew are moving into their new apartment today. I’ve been cleaning off some furniture we had in the garage for them to use. As soon as I get the call that they are close to the apartment with the pod of their stuff I’m heading over to do what I can to help. I have 2 fans in the car because it’s warm today and their 4th floor apartment is not air conditioned. On most days here in the Western Washington area you can live comfortably without A/C.  I don’t think we’ll be drinking tea this afternoon…

Happy Monday to you all!