The Longest Beach…

After we checked into our Inn on Tuesday we decided we had better get out on that longest beach before the weather turned on us. So for our first beach walk we walked on the sand and that was a good workout. Right behind Dear in this photo is the place where we stayed. Our room was the top middle room…no elevator so another good workout.

Looking south we could just make out the North Point Light House. I’ll share my up close and personal shots of the light houses next week.

Looking north the beach goes on forever. Well forever until it ends at the north tip of the peninsula and joins Willapa Bay.

Looking back at our Inn. We really liked the location of it so close to the beach.

The following shots are to prove I was on the beach and that it was real windy.

I’m facing north and south is behind me…right?

And here I’m facing south and north is behind me.

Looking inland east. We were really impressed with the patriotism of the small communities along the Long Beach Peninsula and Willapa Bay.

We had just missed Kite Festival that is held every year in Long Beach. That must be quite a sight to see. There were a few kite fliers on the beach during our walk.

There was a long boardwalk that ran along the beach and a paved path for bikes and pedestrians, too. I’ll show the walks we had along these later.

Hope you are all enjoying your long weekend free from labor!

Oysterville 2

More from the picturesque little town of Oysterville and proof that we actually had oysters! When in Rome…

 

Look at the moss on this fence. What’s the difference I wonder between moss and lichen? I’ll have to research that.

This bit of history really made us chuckle. On the way back home we stopped by the Pacific county courthouse in South Bend and we chuckled again.

Fresh oysters from “the cleanest bay in North America” or at least that’s what the signs said. Can you believe everything you read on signs or the internet? The oysters were very fresh and very good. I never crave an oyster but since we were driving through and staying in an oyster capital of the world it seemed most fitting to indulge in some oysters.

Oh my today is the last day of August! Dear is still on vacation until Tuesday and we are for the most part laying low on Labor Day Weekend. We are joining Josh and Laura for brunch on Sunday to celebrate their anniversary late. Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Oysterville!

Dear and I went on an overnight to the Long Beach Peninsula which is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and Willapa Bay. Willapa Bay is famous for it’s oysters. We decided a stop in the historic little town of Oysterville would be interesting. Today I’m just sharing a few of the photos I took there.

This is the church which was open for us to walk through.

“This old Baptist church was built in 1892 at a cost of $1,500 and was paid for by R.H. Espy. No regular services have been held here since about 1930 and the church has been non-denominational since 1980. Summer services are held by ministers from various churches on the North Beach Pennisula. The church is located in the Oysterville Historic District which is listed on the National Register of Historical Places.”

The way the church is divided down the middle we guessed that the men and women used to sit on opposite sides of the church for services…

There were several home sites with the history of the home or original owners posted.

Many of the homes had beautiful gardens which I had to zoom in to capture. The homes are privately owned now and I’m sure they don’t appreciate people walking about their yards.

This is the oldest house in Oysterville built in 1863.

Since Teacher Jenny’s Alphabe-Thursday is on the letter O and we were just in Oysterville on Tuesday this O post is timely so I’m joining in after a long absence from this weekly meme. For more entries on the letter O visit Teacher Jenny.

Dear and I are back home now after our overnight away. It was a wonderful break for us and I’ll share more as the days go on. So many interesting places to share and of course the food we ate with restraint!

Pears for Your Heirs…

Pear trees, especially the old English varieties that would have been the subject of this proverb, take many years to mature and give fruit. You don’t plant them for yourself but for your heirs.

The full version of the phrase, which is a 17th century English proverb, is:

Walnuts and pears you plant for your heirs.

The sense of the altruistic nature of tree planting was also expressed by Thomas Fuller in his work Gnomologia, 1732:

“He that plants trees loves others beside himself.”

ht: The Phrase Finder

We’re thankful to whoever planted the trees in our yard. We have a few very mature trees compared to the rest of the neighborhood because our home was the original home surrounded by acres of land that were sold to a developer who put in houses. An old resident down the hill from us told me that our property was originally a nursery called Primrose Acres.

Look at all those pears we picked off our one tree. I know a small portion of them will be used to finish off my Smirntopf but what to do, what to do with all the rest. I’ll try to give some away. Maybe make some pear sauce. There are lots of lovely tarts and other things I can make but I’ll have to give those baked goods away as I’m restraining myself.

If you live close by and want some let me know.

Her Nest…

My mom was set free from the Care Center on Saturday and settled back into her little nest with Pop. They are both so happy that she is back home. Pop lowered their bed so she can get in and out more easily. He’s doing the cooking these days and family members are bringing in food, too. When I called them on Saturday night you could here the lightness in their voices of being together in their little apartment again. God is good.

Dear found this carefully constructed nest while doing some weeding.

Here we are in the last week of August. Do you have any plans for Labor Day Weekend?

Community Serve Day ~ Sunday’s Hymn

Abide Not in the Realm of Dreams

Abide not in the realm of dreams,
O man, however fair it seems;
But with clear eye the present scan,
And hear the call of God and man.

Think not in sleep to fold thy hands,
Forgetful of thy Lord’s commands;
From duty’s claims no life is free,
Behold, today hath need of thee.

The present hour allots thy task,
For present strength and patience ask;
And trust His love whose sure supply
Meets all thy need abundantly.

Words: William H. Burleigh, 1871.

On Saturday morning several churches on the East side of Lake Washington joined together to serve our areas schools in getting them ready for the new school year. Our church, Northshore Baptist, participated. We pressure washed, raked, pulled weeds, painted, scrubbed school desks, made posters, put together booklets, organized cupboards and more. When our work day was done we were served sandwiches from Subway.

Workers lined up for lunch.

Here are some more random photos from the day at Moorlands Elementary School in Kenmore, Washington.

Pressure washing walkways and benches was a big order of the day and Dear helped with that task.

We all brought tools to share.

This is the classroom I helped in. Don’t those desks look nice and clean?

The work day completed we packed up our pressure washer and headed out spotting one guy still working away…our head pastor, Jonathon Alexander.

As long as it is day, we must do the work of Him who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work. John 9:4

Eleven!

“To get the full value of a joy, you must have somebody to divide it with.”
– Mark Twain

“There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage.”
– Martin Luther

We love our firstborn Josh and we love the girl he married, Laura. God in his goodness brought them together and we can’t be more pleased.

Happy 11th Anniversary Josh and Laura!

Photo taken by Jeremy Leffel Photography

Restraint…

Doesn’t this look good? If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time you know I love pretty things on a plate and pretty plates, too. This dessert could be just fine shared with 3 other people. In my studies in Home Economics during a nutrition course I read that there is no such thing as a fattening food. Hear me out on this. It’s the sum of all the food you eat in a day or week or month that can put weight on you or help you to lose weight. One item isn’t going to make or break you, unless of course you are allergic to nuts or shellfish and just one of those could kill you. There’s the whole other subject of what’s healthy but a lot of times what’s healthy for me might not be healthy for you. So why am I waxing on here? I am in a period of restraint in my life until I see a number a lot less than I have on the pesky little flat thing that lives on the floor of my bathroom and is the bearer of bad news. Eventually it could deliver some good news. This will be the last you hear of my restraint until I have that good news down the road…

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Multiplying Residents!

Oh dear, how many more of these are there hanging out nearby? This is the first time we’ve seen this one roaming our yard and the neighbors yards in the daylight. When our daughter was living with us before she married and moved to the east coast with her Marine her headlights would capture them as she drove into our drive at night. She also spotted bunny footprints once in the snow.

They are cute little pests. I tried yelling out at this one to “EAT THE DANDELIONS!”

Time will tell if they outgrow their tolerance here at this old house.

Dear is on vacation next week. Before he gets all tied up with completing the siding we are talking about an adventure. So far my brain isn’t coming up with something appropriate. I’m sure by Monday something will kick in. On Saturday we are participating in Community Serve Day. Several area churches team up with volunteers to spruce up our local elementary schools for the new year. We help teachers in their classrooms and clean up the outside areas of the school, too. I’m excited to be going to our kids elementary school. It’s been 20 or so years since I’ve been there. Dear will be pressure washing and I’ll be racking or scrubbing desk tops!

Any plans for your weekend?