P is for…

For April I’m challenging myself to an A-Z photo a day excluding Sundays and in addition to any regular posts that come to be.

Today is Friday April 18th and time for the letter P in the challenge. Today is also Good Friday on the calendar. I have a separate post for Good Friday.

P is for Point Mugu on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California and off the Pacific Coast Hwy.

Point Mugu Rock, Point Mugu State Park, Point Mugu Beach off the Pacific Coast Hwy.

Photos from 2008

Point Mugu Rock

Photos from Point Mugu State Park and from Pacific Trails.

Waving Goodbye…

…to Southern California.

We are leaving the city of Orange and finishing our family vacation in Huntington Beach today, flying out later in the evening.

After rain the first few days we have enjoyed sunshine filled days. Our Tuesday Disneyland day was perfect weather for us, sunshine and cool temps. Sounds like we might be returning home to more snow!

Weekend Roundup ~ V

This week’s prompts: Starts with “V.” A Favorite. Violet.

Starts with V: Viola and

my sister Vera who was Valedictorian of her graduating class.

A Favorite is this view.

Violet: Our daughter’s hair at present is violet or close enough to violet.

This is a vintage photo (1950’s) of my cousin Violet and me and my sisters Vera, Kathy and me. I’m pretty sure it was taken at Easter judging by the white patent leather shoes.

Thank you Tom for hosting The Weekend Roundup.

Next week’s prompts Starts with “W.” A Favorite. Water.

Not So Trifle Hodgepodge

1. When was the last time you chatted with a neighbor? About what? (sharing that last bit is optional)

This past week one of my neighbors rang the doorbell and asked if I would be willing to be used for a practice safety lesson for her autistic son. Her older son had a choking incident and she had to use the Heimlich maneuver on him and she wanted the younger autistic son to learn how to run and get help if she or anyone in the family needed help. I said of course and a while later the young neighbor rang my doorbell. He stood there when I opened the door, not looking me in the eye, with a shy sideways glance but said “my brother needs help”. I told him, “yes, I’d be happy to help and thank you for coming over and ringing my doorbell”. He was happy to walk away, mission accomplished.

2. River, lake, ocean, or waterfall…which one are you most like and why?

My activity is like an ocean, it comes in waves.

My loyalty is like a river, it runs constantly.

3. July 13 is National Delaware Day. Ever been to Delaware? Delaware is called ‘the first state’ because it was the first to declare independence from the British. What’s your state’s nickname and does that moniker make sense to you? If you were in charge, what nickname would you give your home state?

I don’t think I’ve ever been to Delaware. There’s a possibility I was a passenger in a Volkswagon that drove through Delaware to get to Washington D.C. but since I wasn’t driving at the time I don’t recall the route taken.

My home state is Washington. Washington State’s nickname is The Evergreen State~ I don’t need to change it.

Washington is the second most populous state on the West Coast and in the Western United States, after California. … Washington is a leading lumber producer. Its rugged surface is rich in stands of Douglas fir, hemlock, ponderosa pine, white pine, spruce, larch, and cedar.

4. What dish did you contribute to the last pot luck meal you attended? Do you have a go-to recipe for pot luck suppers?

Trifle was my last contribution to a potluck meal. It was at a belated Father’s Day get together at our son’s home in Eastern Washington. I don’t have a go-to.

5. What is your number one tip for a brand new parent?

This, too, shall pass. Or a great Russian saying that gets a little lost in translation is “By the time they get married they will have forgotten this happened, or this will heal by the time they get married.”

6. Insert your own random thought here.

This week’s favorite expression from Addy May…

She’s a bit concerned that Baba is way across the mountains from her. Thankfully she’s going to brave a road trip and come visit us this coming weekend so she can meet a great auntie and cousins and the an uncle she has not met yet!

Thank you Jo for coming up with the questions for Wednesday Hodgepodge! Click over to join in the fun.

Crystal Cove State Park

These are some of the cottages that can be rented. Quite a nice location.

Crystal Cove is a California State Park and the Cottages on the beach can be rented through the Park system. There’s information at this link.

California beaches in January can be very dramatic. Winter is the time of year I really enjoy the beaches.

My sister Vera and I walked along the shore while we waited to be buzzed for our meal. There is a restaurant on the beach in the State Park called The Beachcomber. The food and service was real good. My post about the restaurant is here.

These photos were taken on January 21st. Back here in Western Washington the news of the day is all about mudslides. Our hills have been saturated first with melting snow and now with a significant rain fall. Several roads had to be closed this week because of mudslides. Our major east/west interstate 90 in Issaquah was shut down on the west side this Thursday after mud and debris came across the west bound lanes. Glad I wasn’t there. No one was hurt thankfully. We are getting a little dry spell between the storms which is very helpful!

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

I’m linking up to Saturday’s Critters at Viewing Nature with Eileen.

Beach Days Oxnard

Our family rented a beach house in Oxnard, California to be in closer proximity to a wedding and baby shower we would be attending in Goleta, and Santa Clarita, California. All four couples had their own room and we had 3 bathrooms to make it easy to get ready for our events. We also had a full kitchen.

The house was a short block to the beach. Dear and I arrived before our kids so we took a walk to the beach to get our first look at Pacific waves in a long time.

On this evening a couple of the Channel Islands were visible on the horizon.

The sunset was beautiful with nice views from the upper decks of the house. This was Friday evening. On Saturday we were busy getting ready for and helping at the wedding venue so there was no time for a beach visit.

On Sunday morning we pulled together a breakfast for all of us and for my brother’s family who were staying close by. After breakfast and before we got ready for the Baby shower for Addy we all walked to the beach and enjoyed some fun in the sun. Some braver souls took a plunge in the cold winter Pacific waters.

My brother and his family left the beach house to head to the airport flying back to Dallas and the rest of us got ready and headed east for Addy’s baby shower that the women enjoyed and the guys headed to a shotgun range. Fun times for all.

We all checked out of our beach house on Monday the 16th and headed in different directions. Four of our kids flew home on Monday Dear flew home on Tuesday and I stayed on at my sister’s in Huntington Beach. Josh and Laura stayed most of the week and flew home on Friday braving the rain soaked freeway to Los Angeles International Airport.

I’ve been able to enjoy two more glorious days at two different beaches and a day at the Getty Museum while I’ve been in southern California. When I get back to the Seattle area on Tuesday I’ll finish posting about my days here. The rain has been persistent here especially on Friday and today. Streets have turned into rivers. There have been several flash flood warnings in the Los Angeles Basin especially in areas that suffered fires recently.

This collage shows some mild images compared to what we’ve seen since. Looking forward to catching up with your blog posts when I get back to my own space up north! Blessings.

The Wedding of Joseph and Hannah

By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea. Dos Pueblos Orchid Farm is located in Goleta just north of Santa Barbara. It is a venue that can be rented for many different types of gatherings and it turned out perfect for a wedding.

Our nephew Joseph married Hannah last Saturday the 14th of January. Joseph is the youngest of four brothers. My brother Steve and SIL Kelly are his parents.

The majority of the guests rode a shuttle bus to the venue from a nearby elementary school. The walk to the wedding ceremony site was about a quarter mile from the reception area. After several days of rain and clouds in southern California Saturday’s weather was clear and warm with beautiful blue skies.

Our Washington Family really enjoyed soaking up the sunshine since we left Seattle in 20 degree weather. Dan and Jamie’s home in eastern Washington varied from 8 below to 15 degrees before they flew south.

Our dear old pop was so happy he could manage the trip and the time spent at the wedding. He got a special ride to the ceremony stage.

Before the Processional there was a reading of “The Marriage” by Rumi.

May these vows and this marriage be blessed.
May it be sweet milk,
this marriage, like wine and halvah.
May this marriage offer fruit and shade
like the date palm.
May this marriage be full of laughter,
our every day a day in paradise.
May this marriage be a sign of compassion,
a seal of happiness here and hereafter.
May this marriage have a fair face and a good name,
an omen as welcomes the moon in a clear blue sky.
I am out of words to describe
how spirit mingles in this marriage.

The procession began with Joseph walking to his parents and on to the platform.

Now the attendants (all 28 of them) two by two made their way to the platform.

Joe’s three brothers and their wives were part of the wedding party. Levi and Timothy with their wives in the upper photos and Caleb in the lower right photo. Caleb’s wife is in the lower left photo. Caleb was one of the best men so he is walking with one of the maid’s of honor. Two of Hannah’s sisters shared the maid of honor roll. Caleb and Joe’s best friend growing up shared the Best Man role.

It was now time for the cutest flower girl there ever was! Eleanor is Joe’s first niece and belongs to Tim and Jessica. She is our grandniece.

Here Comes the Bride! Hannah was escorted by her mother and father. When Hannah and Joe were hand in hand the families declared their support and the Officient asked everyone to refrain from taking photos. The Officient, Jim Wright led a semester in Istanbul from Westmont college that Joe was a part of as a student first and later as a leader. I’ll write more about that in my post about the reception. A Prayer began the ceremony, O Come, Oh Come Emmanuel and For the Beauty of the Earth were the unique songs that were sung and scripture readings from Numbers 13. That’s not a typo for those of you who are familiar with the book of Numbers in the Old Testament. The personal Homily, vows, and exchanging of rings and declaration of marriage wrapped things up!

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Bagdanov were introduced and the recessional signaled the time I could turn my camera on again.

My brother’s family.

Dzeda Bagdanov with Joe and Hannah.

I didn’t take this photo and I’m not sure who to give credit to but it is a gorgeous shot!

I’ll be sharing the reception photos soon and all the unique details that Joseph and Hannah chose and why.

Congratulations Joseph and Hannah! Your wedding was a joy to attend and one that will not be forgotten!

Dear is home now and I’m still in California for another week. I’m staying with my sister Vera. She’s getting a new internet company on Friday with speedier connections so it should be easier for me to post. This post has taken me a very long time. Besides the beautiful wedding that will take another post or two my nieces had a baby shower for Jamie on Sunday which was so much fun. Our Addy was showered with love and gifts and delicious food. I have the beach house and beach time to share and now I’m getting in sister time and more time with my dear old pop. On Monday I’ll be attending a memorial service for a friend’s mother from the Russian Baptist church we were part of in the 60’s and 70’s. Dear says it’s raining in the Seattle area.

E is for…

Early posts on the letter E! This post was from February of 2008 with some additions.

E is for…

This is a sitting room in a Model Home in our temporary neighborhood in Camarillo when Dear was working in Thousand Oaks from 2006-2010. I was tempted to nab the pillow with my initial on it but I controlled myself and resisted my Evil side…

Ellen b. and one of our favorite Saturday walks at Emma Wood State Beach in Ventura, California during our sojourn in Camarillo.

E is for the Ebb of the tide

E is for Edinburgh

Dear and Ellen B. in Edinburgh in 2006. Ten years younger and 20 pounds lighter!

The elephant house in Edinburgh of author J.K. Rowling Harry Potter fame.

An Epitaph for J.R.R. Tolkien and his wife in Oxford, England. This was during a trip with our daughter in 2004. This was part of a literary tour that we put together as a graduation gift for our daughter. It was excellent!

I’m adding an early photo of ellen b. from 1958 where I would soon be seven years old.

I’m on the rug in front of my sister Vera, sister Kathy holding our new baby brother Tim and our brother Fred with the accordion. Love my goofy expression! Our family grew from 4 kids to 8 kids from 1958 to 1963. Number seven and eight were twins, a boy and a girl!

Don’t want to forget to acknowledge that today is Shrove Tuesday, also called Pancake Day and the day before Lent begins. Here in the states it’s Mardi Gras. I think I’ll make some pancakes for breakfast!

I’m linking up to ABC Wednesday started by Mrs. Nesbitt and carried on with the help of Roger and others.

I’m also linking up to Tuesday’s Treasures with Tom the Backroads Traveller with these treasured memories and destinations.