Ruby Tuesday ~ Tonasket

Tonasket is a small community located along the eastern bank of the Okanogan River in north central Okanogan County, Washington. State Highway 97, the main north-south highway through central Washington, bisects the city on its way north to the Canadian border approximately twenty miles north.

Dear and I were on a little road trip to Northeastern Washington back in August when I took a shot of this store. We were here bright and early in the morning so it wasn’t open. I like the look of it.

To see more Ruby Tuesday visit Mary at Work of the Poet.

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

A Southern Belle…

My daughter Katie and I hope to have a Southern Belle experience when we head to South Carolina and to the “South” for our first time ever. We are staying here…

with this fabulous porch…

Our #1 reason to travel here is to see Katie’s boyfriend Andrew graduate from USMC Boot Camp, Parris Island. She is soooo excited to finally see him after only having snail mail correspondence for a few months now. He has done well and we are all proud of him. I’m hoping to get lots of photos and will share after we get home. I haven’t decided yet if I’ll be taking my computer…

As the Sun Doth Daily Rise ~ Hymn

As the Sun Doth Daily Rise

As the sun doth daily rise,
Brightening all the morning skies,
So to Thee with one accord
Lift we up our hearts, O Lord.

Day by day provide us food,
For from Thee come all things good;
Strength unto our souls afford
From Thy living bread, O Lord.

Be our guard in sin and strife;
Be the leader of our life;
Lest from Thee we stray abroad,
Stay our wayward feet, O Lord.

Quickened by the Spirit’s grace
All Thy holy will to trace
While we daily search Thy Word,
Wisdom true impart, O Lord.

Praise we, with the heavenly host,
Father, Son and Holy Ghost;
Thee would we with one accord
Praise and magnify, O Lord.

Words: Unknown

Forgetting What Lies behind…

…and reaching forward to what lies ahead

When I was in Canada at the beginning of September I stayed with Bev (she took this photo). We enjoyed zipping around in her cute VW convertible on one of the days I was there. It was fun and it reminded me of days gone by.

This was my car way back in 1971. It wasn’t a convertible but I enjoyed it and zipped around in it, too.

The picture quality is bad…an old faded Instamatic shot but some of the memories haven’t faded. I’m not a person who lives in the past or who wishes she was younger again. I’m happy that God keeps giving me new things to enjoy and think about. Sometimes he jars me into the present. It’s fun to remember but it’s good not to get stuck in memories. It’s good not to miss the new thing God is doing…

Philippians 3: 12-14

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 43: 18-19

“Remember not the former things,
nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.”

Wondering what new things God will be showing me in the days to come. Hope you are enjoying your new day!

Our Favorite Waitress…

…knows what we like and she doesn’t disappoint.

We are regulars at a restaurant close by and we are recognized and treated well by all the employees. One of the waitresses is our very favorite. Sometimes when she sees us drive up she heads to the kitchen and the bar and comes to our table with some favorites even before we order. We go through the small bowls of salsa fast so she doesn’t bring us a small bowl but finds a large one to fill with salsa. She is quick and efficient and we appreciate her work ethic. When we order a Cadillac Margarita she gives us a Rolls Royce. She never gets under 20% for a tip. We have a mutual respect for each other!

Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got.
Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.
Wouldn’t you like to get away?
Sometimes you want to go

Where everybody knows your name,
and their always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see,
our troubles are all the same

You wanna be where everybody knows
Your name.

FFF ~ Late in Summer…

Time to take a deep breath and consider some wonderful things that happened in the past week. Visit Susanne at Living to Tell the Story to join in this great exercise. Here are 5 of my favorites…

1. The evening shadows and sunshine that are so soft in late summer. We opened the door to the deck and enjoyed the lovely breeze.

2. Starting up in a new Bible Study on Tuesdays. I signed up for a Kay Arthur Precepts study and I’m looking forward to digging in again and meeting with a group of women each week who are digging, too.

3. Watching my daughter deep clean and get rid of clutter in her room. She’s purging a lot of stuff that just doesn’t fit in her life anymore.

4. Entering a new dimension with our middle son who called to wish his dad a happy birthday and to chat at 5:30 a.m. last Saturday. When we got off the phone I couldn’t help but chuckle thinking this never would of happened in his previous 28 years!

5. Getting some projects completed and having success in some shopping goals this week!

Before the Summer Slips Away ~

I’m posting my last Summer Tablescape and joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for her weekly event.

Thank you for stopping by. Hope you enjoy your last week of summer. I’ll be in South Carolina for the last day of summer and beginning of fall. I’m hoping the weather turns more fall like by then in the South but I know that will probably not be the case.

Yard Art on Thursday ~

When I was in Canada a few weeks ago I spotted these on a farm next to the one I was staying at.

This is as close as I could get with my lens. They really caught my attention and made me smile. A new kind of scarecrow?

Visit Mary at Work of the Poet for more Yard Art or to join in.

Felton Covered Bridge

When we traveled to Mt. Hermon, California for Ben and Kristin’s wedding we were surprised to see this great old covered bridge in Felton.We were early for the wedding so we took some time to walk across it.

Built in 1892-93 and believed to be the tallest covered bridge in the country, it stood as the only entry to Felton for 45 years. In 1937 it was retired from active service to become a pedestrian bridge and figured prominently in many films of that period. After suffering damage in the winter storms of 1982, it was restored to its original elegance in 1987 using native materials and local talent.

Plaque is located at bridge entrance on west bank of San Lorenzo River in Covered Bridge Park.

It was a desire of mine to see a covered bridge and I was happy to be surprised by this one. I’d still be interested in seeing some more on the East Coast.

I’m going to add this link to Outdoor Wednesday hosted by Susan at A Southern DayDreamer.

Minter Gardens ~

…my finale post from the beautiful Fraser Valley and Mennonite Girls Can Cook Summit!

Bev and I arrived to Minter Gardens in style in her cute little Bug!

We started with brunch at the Trillium Restaurant.

So what makes it easy for 10 women all together for the first time ever to be relaxed and enjoy each other? I think it begins with our faith in God, our savior Jesus Christ, our common comfort food experience, our heritage, and our openness to new adventures. I am aware of what a gift it is to have made this wonderful connection with these beautiful girls.

So this post wraps up my posts of my Mennonite Girls Summit. Till the next time…

The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b.

To honor and encourage