Put Your Boots On!

It’s time for a trek through Dan’s 6.5 acres!

Head past the old barn…

through the gate…

past the brush…

up the rise…

now down the other side of the rise…

keep going across the brush that the deer and the bears enjoy…

keep going…we’re headed to the creek…

past more beautiful fall colors…

through the evergreens…

along the boundary marked by barbed wire fencing…

to the creek…

Don’t forget to look up and see the distinctive Western Larch.

“The largest of the nine larch or tamarack species growing in the Pacific Northwest, the western has pale green foliage, a rather “feathery” graceful arrangement of branches, and an open crown. Brilliant yellow in late fall, the needles drop in November. In fact, this species is one of only two coniferous species that sheds its needles every fall. Its thick bark is reddish-brown in color and features elongated scale plates.”

And speaking of elongated scale plates…

More fencing marking his boundaries with fair warning to those who might pass by…

At the boundary of his property on the old mining road…

We trek back listening to his ideas of what to do with this piece of land…

He describes to us what he has learned about the Western Larch…

I keep exclaiming about the beautiful fall colors that we are enjoying on our trek…

A close up of the Western Larch…

We are shown the evidence of this being a favorite of deer for bedding down at night. I’ll spare you the close up of what they have left behind…

I’ll end this part of our trek at the road and his little stand of “Christmas trees”…

More to come from our time at Dan’s…

We are so thankful to God for his provision for a home and land for our son Dan. We put in lots of hours to organize the shop and house for his comfort. I’ll be sharing more in the future. Our trip over the pass to and from Eastern Washington was good with no snow or significant slow downs.

Dear is back to work today and I’m trying to get back in my groove. Our niece’s family is still without electricity and running water in their high rise in New York City. Continued prayers are going up for the people effected and for all the first responders who are working hard to restore services to everyone without.

I’m also getting ready to hand out treats to the children in the neighborhood who will brave the cold and wet to ring my doorbell!

Catching Up…

…after 4 days of no T.V. or Internet. We had a wonderful productive time with our son Dan and I will share more after I catch my breath. Here’s one view of his property in Eastern Washington.

I’ll be visiting your posts and see what I missed while I was away. I am praying for friends and family on the East Coast who are suffering from effects of hurricane Sandy. Katie and Andrew are safe in North Carolina. My niece’s family in New York are without power or running water. Thinking about our bloggy friends in New York especially Pat at Mille Fiori and Kathleen at Cuisine Kathleen. How are you doing Vee? Hope everyone else is doing fine. Blessings…

For the Record

I wanted to have the cover of our new cookbook posted on my personal blog.

Right now Dear and I are celebrating family and sharing with our son one of the recipes I’m contributing to the family section.

Celebrations are a wonderful part of our lives. Are you celebrating something this last week of October and beginning of November?

The Old Rugged Cross ~ Hymn

The Old Rugged Cross

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

Refrain

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.

Refrain

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

Refrain

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

 

Words: George Bennard, 1913.

No Internet…

…or TV! I will be way out of the loop until the middle of next week.

Spending time away at our son’s new home. We are walking the acreage, checking out the old barn, spending time in his amazing shop. I’m sure by the time you are reading this my camera is slung over my shoulder and I’m clicking away. My son is shaking his head at me but grinning all the same. I brought my boots along. We’ll see if he likes the house warming gifts we bought. I’ll share some of the highlights next week.

Oakland Cemetery ~ Confederate Section

The Confederate section of the Oakland cemetery, occupies six acres of high ground, it is marked by an 1873 obelisk and a monument to the unknown dead. The monument includes a wounded lion lying on a furled Confederate flag. This was a very sobering section of the cemetery.

If interested, you can read about Evans here.

 WHERE HOOD WATCHED THE BATTLE OF ATLANTA

In 1856 James E. Williams (Mayor of Atlanta 1866-1868), built a residence atop this high ground which later became a part of Oakland Cemetery. From the second story of the house, Gen. John B. Hood, in command of Confederate forces, & members of his staff, watched that part of the Battle of Atlanta, July 22, 1864, …

I can’t begin to imagine the horrific loss to the whole country this war caused and what people endured during these times. Just considering the medical care limitations during this period of history makes the suffering unimaginable.

Oakland Cemetery ~ Atlanta

“Less than a mile from the heart of downtown Atlanta, a hidden treasure, a secret sanctuary, welcomes you. This garden cemetery, founded in 1850, is the final resting place of many of Atlanta’s settlers, builders, and most noted citizens like Bobby Jones, Margaret Mitchell, and Maynard Jackson. It is also a showplace of sculpture and architecture, and a botanical preserve with ancient oaks and magnolias. Here in this peaceful place the full scope of the city’s rich and fascinating history unfolds before you.”

Bobby Jones, the golf legend. How do you like the golf balls?

I was surprised to see that Margaret Mitchell died at 49 years old. She was struck by a speeding vehicle on Peachtree Street in Atlanta and died later of her injuries.

Margaret Mitchell was no ordinary writer. The one book she published in her lifetime – Gone With the Wind – sold millions of copies at the height of the Great Depression in America and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937, 75 years ago.  With over 30 million copies sold to date, it is one of the world’s best-selling novels.

I’ve mentioned before that I really enjoy walking through cemeteries. Not new cemeteries but very old cemeteries. The Oakland Cemetery is my favorite so far.

There will be more to come from Oakland Cemetery.

We have had a productive week so far and already have the car packed and snow chains bought for our trip across the mountains on Friday. They are forecasting some snow for us so we will pack warm clothes. How is the weather treating you?

Southern Hospitality…

Our last meal out in Atlanta was at Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint. We were happy that our concierge recommended it. We were treated to some fine Southern cuisine and hospitality.

Juke (Jook) of African origin, meaning “to dance”, jerking movements of celebration.

Fried green tomatoes with okra and caramelized onions, delicious.

Seafood Gumbo with just the right amount of kick to it.

Beef Brisket sandwich on Texas Toast with sweet potato fries.

A close-up of the brisket sandwich. We ended up splitting the sandwich and the gumbo.

We left Sweet Georgia’s full and satisfied and glad we had some good “Southern” food while in Atlanta, Georgia.

Before our lunch at Sweet Georgia’s we had walked to and from the Oakland Cemetery.  The Oakland Cemetery was so full of interesting history I’ll be dividing my photos into at least two more posts to share from Atlanta with you.

We’ve had our heat on for the majority of the day this week. Things have really cooled down. I’ve seen some pretty substantial snow on the ground from bloggy friends in Alberta and other parts of the country. That seems early, doesn’t it?

So long, Farewell…


The kids said their goodbyes to Dear as he headed off to his business meeting.

So long, farewell
Auf Wiedersehen, goodnight

Andrew, Katie and I headed to the Marriott rewards members room for happy hour. It was a very nice space with lots of comfy chairs and beautiful views. They also served up a nice buffet of hors d’oeuvres.

I hate to go and leave this pretty sight

So long, farewell
Auf Wiedersehen, adieu

Adieu, adieu
To you and you and you

So long, farewell
Au revoir, Auf Wiedersehen

We enjoyed our time together relaxing before it was time to say goodbye till the next time we meet, hopefully at Christmas and for Katie’s birthday on December 27th!

Are you tired of me saying that we are in the midst of another busy week? I’m cooking up some of our middle son’s favorites to take across the Cascades to his new home on Friday. Dear took a couple days off of work so we could put in some good time checking out Dan’s new digs and helping him with some projects while we are there. Since we’ll be busy with projects I decided to make and freeze some food so we wouldn’t have to think about what to cook. I was excited about seeing Katie and Andrew and now I’m excited about seeing our Dan and his new home. God is good to us…

Our Atlanta Adventures Continued…

Restoring some of my photos…

Last Sunday after we were done at the aquarium we all felt the need for some sustenance. We walked through Centennial Park again on our way to a late lunch.

 

 

 

We found out quickly that most restaurants downtown did not open for lunch on Sundays. We were happy to find Meehan’s open.

We got a nice booth and enjoyed watching and cheering along with the local crowd during the Atlanta Falcons vs. Oakland Raiders game.

 

We were all happy with our food orders. I’m going to be trying to duplicate this appetizer I ordered.

 

Dates, goat cheese, bacon and beets. They were very yummy! When we walked out of the Pub full and satisfied,

 

Katie spotted a little something from close to our home in Washington. A wine barrel from Chateau Ste Michelle.

We passed another pub on our way back to the hotel and of course I’d take a photo of this great British phone booth.

Back at the hotel Dear rushed to get ready for his meeting and Katie, Andrew and I kicked back for another hour or two before they caught their taxi for the airport.

Hope your Sunday is going well. We had a great time at church this morning and are now waiting for Josh and Laura to come for Dear’s famous Swedish pancakes before we head to our Sounders last regular season game. It’s Fan Appreciation Night and we are hoping for a win against Dallas to end the season with a plus! How’s your Sunday going?