Finding Spring

We are finally getting a little warm up in our weather and some sunshine. It will be good to have some dry days to be able to get the planter beds weeded.

I’m sure that many of you have been strolling around your local garden shops to see if there is something new to add to you gardens. We bought a new Rhododendron while we were at Meerkerk Rhododendron Garden that we are finding a spot for.

I am not a gardener. I mow the lawn happily but I always have a little skepticism on whether something new that I plant will survive. I am very thankful when our plants revive themselves in the Spring and Summer. I am conscious of the Master Gardener and the beauty He has created for us to enjoy.  Just walking in a beautiful garden causes me to thank God for his creation. Sometimes it even makes me sing… out loud. Gifted earthly gardeners are very much appreciated by me, too.

I’m linking up with Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday. I hope to get around to see your mosaics. I’ll be on the road tomorrow so I might be late in visiting.

How Deep the Father’s Love For Us ~ Stuart Townend

How Deep the Father’s Love For Us

How deep the Father’s love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that left Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom
(REPEAT)

~Stuart Townend

Added note: I posted this wonderful song on Saturday evening on my blog and on Sunday morning during Communion the worship band led us in singing this same song. The prompting to the Holy Spirit and the congruence of the Holy Spirit is an amazing thing…

Saratoga and Beyond…

On Saturday when we checked into our Inn before heading to the wedding the weather was looking up!

You could see the Saratoga Passage  and Camano Island from the Inn.

We had a warm welcome.

After the wedding when we got to our room we had a sweet treat on our turned down bed.

On Sunday morning before breakfast we headed out for a misty walk. I already posted the photos from the Eagle we spied.

There were pretty tulips still blooming around Langley.

We drove north up the Island and after our stop at the Meerkerk Rhododendron gardens we enjoyed a little antique shopping.

We headed south again and saw a sign on the side of the road advertizing that Gerry’s had the best crab cakes around so we decided to see if that was true.

They were still only serving breakfast at 11:45 A.M. so we had our crab cakes in Benedict form. They were very good.

Our last stop in the island before the Ferry landing was this lovely garden store. In a few weeks these arbors will have beautiful blooms hanging down. I can only imagine how breathtaking they will be.

Time to head to the ferry landing.

Adios to Whidbey Island and Happy Cinco de Mayo to all of you.

Favorites Into May!

Attending a wedding of forever friends is special but it’s a double , triple, quadruple blessing when you get to celebrate it with family and more friends, new friends, friends that are yours for eternity.  The fairy tale wedding of Lucy and Kris tops my favorites for this past week.

1. We traveled to Whidbey Island on Saturday, checked into our Inn, had a light lunch in Langley and headed to the wedding at a garden destination minutes from our Inn.

2. The weather held for the bride’s dream of being able to have the wedding outdoors. Our son and daughter in law were in the wedding. Our son is like a brother to the bride who is one of 3 girls in her family. We met the bride and her family in 1984 in Ventura, California and have been good friends since that time. Our boys and daughter and the 3 girls in this family have always gotten along brilliantly.  The bride’s sister was our daughter’s maid of honor a month ago in her wedding.

3. Our son Josh gave a wedding toast to the Bride and Groom at the reception. We were so pleased with his encouraging affirming thoughts and wishes for the new couple. We love to hear a toast that honors instead of demeans or makes fun of the couple.

4. It was so nice to have a short drive to our Inn after the reception looking forward to one more day on the island. We had a restful sleep, a nice early morning walk where we got to observe an Eagle and a whale, a tasty breakfast and a nice drive to some beautiful garden settings. Oops…we had 2nd breakfast, too.

Crab Cake Eggs Benedict!

5. Its always good to come home to all the familiar comforts. My last favorite for the week was a fun evening at Century Link field watching the Seattle Sounders gain a victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy. The weather was good for the game and the drive to the game with my son and daughter in law gave us time to get caught up with life.

So what were your favorites this week? You can link up with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story to share…

The Eagle

The Eagle

By Alfred, Lord Tennyson

He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ring’d with the azure world, he stands.
~
The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.

We spent the night on Whidbey Island and in the early morning we headed out on a walk along the Saratoga Passage. In the distance we saw a bird with a white crown and knew it was an Eagle. We were hoping it would stay put until we made our way down to the landing.

The Inn where we stayed is up on the bluff.
It always amazes me how feisty crows can be around Eagles. The Eagle gave one screech at the crow and the crow backed off.
Before we headed back for our breakfast at the Inn we were alerted to the fact that a whale was making it’s way along the Saratoga Passage. I couldn’t get a great shot of the spray because it was hard to predict. It was still exciting to see.
~
After breakfast we checked out and had a couple adventures on the Island before we headed to the Ferry Terminal for our ride back to the mainland. I’ll show more photos from our adventures and from the Inn soon.

Meerkerk Rhododendron Gardens

Meerkerk Rhododendron Gardens was founded by Ann and Max Meerkerk in the early 1960’s. Enchanted by Whidbey Island, they began these Gardens with 13 acres.

The Meerkerks began hybridizing rhododendrons and collecting unique specimens of rhododendrons, flowering trees and conifers. They planted the first five acres, known as the “Secret Garden” as a miniature arboretum.

Before Ann passed away in 1979, she bequeathed the Gardens to the Seattle Rhododendron Society to care for as a “peaceful woodland garden with an emphasis on rhododendrons and companion plants.”

Today Meerkerk Rhododendron Gardens is an independent not-for-profit organization open to the public. Fifty three acres of inspirational woodland gardens and a forest preserve offer over 5 miles of trails to breathe in the serene beauty and nature here.

We were so fortunate to be on Whidbey Island during the gardens peek blooming season. The day after the wedding we enjoyed a drive up the island to this garden and to another garden center plus some antique shops and we had some good eats, too.

Whidbey Island is a lovely getaway island in the Great Northwest. I hope you all have a chance to visit! Happy May everyone!

The Mermaid and the Pirate

For my pictorial of the magical wedding of Lucy and Kris on Whidbey Island I will be using  a couple quotes from a Love Story that Lucy’s friend Kj wrote for Lucy and Kris and read at the ceremony.

The Wedding Processional

Our son and daughter in law.

The bride’s youngest sister and a childhood friend of the groom

The brides younger sister with her husband and one of their 3 sons.

Oliver!

Oliver’s big brother Finn carrying the rings in the treasure chest.

These sweet little faeries are all cousins.

The enchanting mermaid makes her appearance!

“Magical things happen to all of us on our way through life without our noticing for a time they have happened. “Surely it has been there all along,” you think. “Surely I have always loved him.” “She has always been mine,” you tell yourself. And of course, being magic, it is all true, even when it is still only becoming so.”

“And so it was for the pirate and the mermaid who fell in love.”

My dear friend who is the Mother of the Bride.

Dear with one of the Uncles of the bride.

So pleased to be seated in Rivendell!

The walking buddies reunite…

It was a lovely wedding from beginning to end. The music was wonderful. The food was fresh and tasty. The venue was enchanting. God blessed the day with wonderful weather so the bride’s dream of a garden wedding came to pass.

My apologies to part of the wedding party that I failed to get photos of. This fancy purse that I carried threw me off my game. I’m not used to wearing and carrying such finery along with my huge camera! A conjured up excuse to be sure! But seriously when you bloggers go to lovely events like these do you get photography challenged?

Whidbey Island Getaway…

We had a long awaited event to attend on Whidbey Island on Saturday and we took advantage and spent the night on the Island.

We traveled back and forth to the Island with our car on a Washington State Ferry.

 A very efficient way to travel to an island.

I’ll be sharing photos later on the magical wedding we attended and all the other beautiful things we enjoyed while away.

The Glory of the Spring How Sweet! ~ Hymn

The Glory of the Spring How Sweet!

The glory of the spring how sweet!
The new-born life how glad!
What joy the happy earth to greet
In new, bright raiment clad!

Divine Redeemer, Thee I bless;
I greet Thy going forth;
I love Thee in the loveliness
Of Thy renewèd earth.

But O these wonders of Thy grace,
These nobler works of Thine,
These marvels sweeter far to trace,
These new births more divine:

This new-born glow of faith so strong,
This bloom of love so fair,
This new-born ecstasy of song,
And fragrancy of prayer!

Creator Spirit, work in me
These wonders sweet of Thine;
Divine Redeemer, graciously
Renew this heart of mine.

Still let new life and strength upspring,
Still let new joy be given;
And grant the glad new song to ring
Through the new earth and Heaven.

Words: Thomas H. Gill, 1867.

Fresno Raisins

When we were in Fresno at the MCC sale I bought a baggie of raisins that a local farmer donated for the sale.

The raisins on the left are from a box that I bought at the grocery store. The raisins on the right are the ones I bought in Fresno.

Not only are they big but they are so tasty!

Today we are going to attend a wedding on Whidbey Island with many dear friends. Our son and daughter in law are in the wedding. We are looking forward to a joy filled celebration.