Mount Vernon, Washington (Western Washington)
Somewhere between Addy and Colville, Washington. (Eastern Washington)
Barns from the West and East side of the Cascades in the state of Washington.
Linking to The Barn Collective hosted by Amy from Rose Street Reflections. Thank you Amy!
St. Mary of the Rosary on Main Street in Chewelah, Washington. The first two photos were taken on Halloween and the third photo down was taken on a trip we took to Eastern Washington in the summer of 2012.
Linking up to InSPIREd Sundays hosted by Beth and Sally.
I might not be able to visit until I get back to Western Washington and I have a more consistent Internet connection. Happy November everyone!
It’s time for ABC Wednesday and we are on the letter R.
Thank you to the ABC team!
I’ll share a few snapshots of my daughter and my road trip across the U.S.A. The reason for our road trip was to return her and her car to Jacksonville, North Carolina to be ready for her husband’s return from Afghanistan. The reunion will be rewarding for them. We left Seattle on April 27th and arrived at our final destination on May 4th.
In the meantime it’s interesting living in a Marine populated city with license plates from all over the U.S.A. I will leave Jacksonville on Thursday and re-unite with my Dear in Orlando, Florida for a conference he is attending and then finally be back home later in May.
Day one on the road. We stopped in Spokane Valley for lunch with my son and his girl friend and then carried on.
Day one we drove across Washington and Idaho and into Montana!
Day two started with snow in Bozeman, Montana. Retreating was not an option so we returned to the road hoping for good traction and no sliding on the road.
Day two ended in Rapid City, South Dakota. We drove across Montana, down into Wyoming and across to South Dakota. Three states a day became our road trip theme. The other theme we did not want to repeat was snow but when we woke up in Rapid City to start our third day on the road snow was whipping side ways in some extreme wind conditions. Again retreat was not an option.
We learned to rely on Rest areas in many states across the U.S.A. They appeared just when we needed them most and they were all clean and well maintained. This is how the snow was sticking because of the severe winds in and around Rapid City.
Many times along the roads that were unknown to us our minds recalled the reassuring verses in the New Testament from Matthew that read…
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
I also would sing in my head…His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.
Day three ended in Nebraska which means we traveled across South Dakota, into Iowa, and finished in Nebraska.
Day four we left Nebraska, entered Iowa again, and headed to Kansas City Missouri to meet up with a bloggy friend for RIBS!
After a great lunch and meeting Pam face to face along with her daughter we continued on to our stop for the night which would be just outside St. Louis, Missouri in the state of Illinois. Day four ended up being a four state day!
On Day five our goal was to reach Hendersonville, Tennessee. We traveled along some rock lined highways and other areas full of green trees from Illinois into Kentucky and then down to Tennessee.
On day Six we would only travel in two states Tennessee and North Carolina. Our goal was to take a scenic road to Asheville, North Carolina nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains for a two day retreat and rest before we traveled the final five hours to Jacksonville, North Carolina (Camp Lejeune Marine Base).
Our scenic route took us through some towns that surprised us with their weird attractions not so much rural charm.
Finally after passing a few attractions like these in Pigeon Forge we entered some refreshing views like these.
We were rewarded after our sixth day of travel with dinner at the Omni Grove in Asheville, North Carolina with beautiful views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
If you’d like to see more photos from this grand Inn click here.
Our seventh day was spent at the Biltmore Estate and Gardens. The azaleas at the Biltmore were in their glory. I will be posting more about our day at the Biltmore in the future.
On day eight of our travels we reached our final destination in Jacksonville, North Carolina, home of MCCS Camp Lejeune. We checked into our hotel and started the planning lists for securing an apartment asap and setting up a temporary home for Katie and Andrew upon Andrew’s return and homecoming from Afghanistan. I’m happy to report that I’m preparing this post from that apartment with wifi and all the bare essentials are in place for Katie and Andrew to live comfortably for the next few months. I might have even lost a pound or two carrying boxes up the three flights of stairs to their third floor apartment. (no elevators)
Road trip mission accomplished. Semper Fi!
Relief and Rejoicing upon Andrew’s Return soon to commence!
It’s time for Vee’s Note Card party.
Sunset over Lake Washington in Kirkland, Washington.
Rows of spent daffodils in Mount Vernon, Washington during the Tulip Festival.
Apple blossoms on our apple tree taken this past Saturday.
Russian sweet cheese spread served with Russian Easter Bread (Kulich/Paska).
Христос Воскрес!
Воистину воскрес!
Here we are in the middle of April and we’ll finally be celebrating Easter this coming weekend. I’m looking forward to our Good Friday service and Easter service. After services on Sunday some of our family will be coming over to celebrate an Easter meal here. We are having rack of lamb, rice, asparagus, salad and Italian Easter bread (Colomba) with strawberries for dessert. Our annual Kulich/Paska baking day is not happening this year so I was happy to find a source for the Colomba. It tastes and smells very similar to Kulich/Paska.
How are you celebrating Easter this year?
If standing in fields of tulips is a dream of yours you really need to put a trip to the state of Washington in April on your bucket list. It’s way more affordable to travel to Washington than Amsterdam. The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is outstanding and never disappoints. Mount Vernon is 60 miles north of Seattle with easy access just off Interstate 5.
I’m linking up to Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper today!
I’m breaking up my tulip posts by color and I’ll also include one post with photos from the world class gardens at RoozenGaarde.
Katie out standing in her field. (Sorry couldn’t resist!) Some years I jump in my car and head to the fields all by my lonesome. It was fun to have a traveling companion this year. After we tromped around we went to lunch in the nearby town of La Conner.
More rows of different colored tulips to come soon. Here’s a hint of the colors to come.
We’ve had a very productive few days at this old house. We took Katie and Andrew’s car in to get a good overhaul so it’s safe for our road trip. We had a bathroom consultant in to give us a bid on gutting and remodeling our main floor bathroom. I managed to mow the lawn while Dear reorganized our garage to work more efficiently. We had a barbecue with Josh and Laura joining us to watch the Sounder’s Soccer game on Saturday evening. We came from behind and beat F.C. Dallas, yippee. Church on Sunday morning helped set our minds right as we get ready for Holy Week and Easter Sunday. Now we are relaxing. I’m going into this week with the following prayer…
O gracious and holy Father,
give us wisdom to perceive you,
diligence to seek you,
patience to wait for you,
eyes to behold you,
a heart to meditate on you,
and a life to proclaim you;
through the power of the Spirit
of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
(St. Benedict c.480-547)
A quick Saturday post and snapshot of how our day started. We were able to meet up with Judy (My Front Porch) one of the Mennonite Girls along with her hubby at the start of their road-trip to California. We had breakfast together in Shoreline, Washington and by the time we headed out to our cars the snow had started to fall. Thankfully this is a wet snow event with no sticking. It’s always great to get together and extra fun when our husbands can join us, too. Have a good safe trip and enjoy your sunny destination!
I just noticed who’s birthday it is today…
Happy Birthday George Washington!
I can not tell a lie, I’m lazing away this Saturday. What are you doing?
We had our photo op picked up our skittles and headed home to get ready for the big game.
We’ve got the 12th man drinks going and the 12th man chair all ready.
This is what we are eating during the commercials! Football is not our life but we are having fun today enjoying all the hype and cheering loud for our team.
Are you watching or are you happily avoiding the game?
Update: We are so glad that our Seahawks will bring their first Super Bowl trophy home!
Dear was ready for a walk on Saturday. Dear is a morning person, a very early morning person. I was able to stall him a bit so our walk could at least end in the light. We walked the same trail as Katie and I walked but we headed in the opposite direction.
Since it was foggy and dark for half our walk I decided to leave my larger camera at home and I only took my little pocket camera. Being out so early we were able to hear a lot of birds chirping and quacking.
When Katie and I walked last Wednesday these gopher mounds weren’t here. This cracked me up because it seemed like this particular varmint didn’t appreciate the work the city had gone to in designating this spot to sit and watch the river flow.
Rounding a bend we heard this rooster crow and announce the new day had begun. He was chasing some ducks around and trying to establish his kingship amongst the foul.
We’ve never seen a beaver along the banks but we have seen lots of evidence of their presence.
We always love to see eagles and we were treated to a couple eagle sightings on this morning. I really had to zoom in with my little camera and was happy that you can tell it really was an eagle we saw.
As we walked back to the car we heard this group of Comorants put up a fuss and fly off together. They had all been sitting in a tree together that the eagle we had spotted earlier decided to perch in.
He now had the whole tree to himself.
Beautiful reflections on the river surface always grab my attention.
There is a different kind of beauty in the foggy overcast vistas.
As we continued back to our car we had one more eagle spotting. I was wondering if this was a second eagle or if it was following us along the trail.
When we got back to our car we decided that a doughnut would be a nice treat on this cold foggy morning. Something to take back home to enjoy with our eggs. I’m happy to say that I didn’t feel guilty about that doughnut or the eggs!
Faithful Shepherd, feed me
In the pastures green;
Faithful Shepherd, lead me
Where Thy steps are seen.
Hold me fast, and guide me
In the narrow way;
So, with Thee beside me,
I shall never stray.
Daily bring me nearer
To the heav’nly shore;
Make my faith grow clearer,
May I love Thee more.
Hallow every pleasure,
Every gift and pain;
Be Thyself my treasure,
Though none else I gain.
Day by day prepare me
As Thou seest best,
Then let angels bear me
To Thy promised rest.
Words: Thomas B. Pollack, December 1868.
Here are my collages from January to December of 2013. I had to make 2 collages for September and 3 collages for December. September had our high and our low of the year. December starts with Laura’s birthday, our anniversary, Christmas and then Katie’s birthday. Too many events for one collage…
We had a quiet start to the year with our first ever experience with Hoar Frost. Our sons both had birthdays in January turning 32 and 34.
In February Katie came to stay with us for a month while Andrew had cold weather training in California. My cousin and his wife came for a visit, too. After 38 years we finally had our dining chairs recovered in leather. We are very happy with them. We also took a drive to see the Skagit Eagles.
March was filled with wonderful experiences. We took Katie to see her brother’s property in Eastern Washington. The beginning of the Sounders soccer season. Katie, Laura and I flew to Southern California for my niece Debbee’s bridal shower. Such a good time with my sisters, nieces, and cousins. Katie returned to North Carolina to reunite with Andrew as he arrived back from training just as Dear and I flew to Milan, Italy. This was my first time in Europe and we arrived in Milan on my birthday. I went to my first international soccer game and enjoyed traveling to Lake Como to experience a more quaint side of Italy.
The night we all arrived in Orange County for my niece’s wedding we got together with Dear’s side of the family for a meal at our hotel. Debbee and Lenny’s wedding was at the end of April in Huntington Beach, California on a Friday night. Another wonderful gathering with my extended family. On Saturday of this same weekend we planned a 90th birthday/ 70th wedding anniversary celebration for my mom and pop. Little did we know my mom only had 4-1/2 more months on this earth. On Sunday we had brunch together at my sister’s in Huntington Beach and then we all walked to the beach to enjoy the surf and sand.
May brought our Celebrations book launch in British Columbia. Such a good time for the 10 of us to be together. Mother’s Day is of course in May, too and I was treated to 2 beautiful Mother’s Day bouquets from my children.
In June I traveled with the Mennonite Girls to Manitoba for several book events in Steinbach and Winnipeg. Josh treated me to a club box soccer experience for the Panama/USA soccer game. We also were happy to attend Marie’s bridal shower here in Washington and be representatives for our nephew Caleb’s side of the family.
In July we finally began work on replacing all our old floors in this old house. July also brought the news that my mom had flat-lined and was in the hospital. Those of us from out of state flew to Southern California to be with my mom and pop and face the news of my mom’s future on this earth. My mom was released from the hospital to Hospice care at her and my pop’s apartment.
August brought more home improvements with the carpeting going in and new closet organization. We flew to Southern California again for our nephew Caleb’s wedding and while we were there we were all able to say our in person final farewells to my mom. We came home knowing that her time was short. Dear, Josh, Laura and I were leaving for England on September 12th and my family decided that if my mom died we would postpone the funeral till our return from England. Just before we left for England Dear and I were able to drive to British Columbia for a celebration meal with some of the “girls” and their husbands at Anneliese’s parents cabin at Hatzic.
From September 12th until September 23rd we enjoyed a wonderful trip in England with Josh and Laura. We received the news that my mom had passed away just as we arrived in England. We were sorry we could not communicate right away and get details until we reached our first destination with wifi. We stayed calm and carried on knowing that there was nothing we could do. Our trip was filled with many great events and destinations. We went to a Manchester United Soccer game (epic experience for our son Josh) We enjoyed hedgerows, villages, canals, ancient churches and lands. We stayed in the Cotswolds, Wells, Cornwall, and London.
We got home from England and made plans immediately to fly to Southern California for my mom’s services. We all flew in to Orange County airport from different parts of Washington. Katie was staying with us during this time (she arrived the end of August with Andrew and he left back to N.C. on Labor Day) Andrew deployed to Afghanistan the week of my mom’s funeral. We also celebrated Dear’s 60th birthday in September.
In October Marg and John joined us for a soccer game between our team and their team. Their team won. Some of my nieces from Southern California came up for a girls weekend and we had a great time trying to get through all of Downton Abby seasons 1-3. Katie and I traveled to British Columbia again to join the “girls” at the West Coast Women’s show where we had cooking demonstrations on the cooking stage.
In November we had our brilliant Pub night to thank our friend who made arrangements for us to use his parents home in Cornwall on our England trip. We had an early Thanksgiving celebration and met Dan’s girlfriend, Jaimie. Besides a traditional Thanksgiving meal with turkey and all the trimmings we managed to get together at Palisade for brunch the next day.
December was packed full of good times and celebrations. We celebrated Laura’s birthday at Neville’s a British restaurant. Katie and I traveled to Abbotsford, B.C. for the Cookie class that the Mennonite Girls Can Cook put on at Lepp Farm Market. Dear and I celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary at Semiahmoo Resort in Blaine, Washington. Josh and I also went to a board meeting for the Sounders soccer team where we got to meet some of the players. And all of this happened the first 10 days of December!
Katie and I took a train trip up to Vancouver, Washington before Christmas and the day after we had snow at our house! Christmas Eve we helped usher at one of the services at church and then came home for a non traditional meal of hand made tamales. Later that evening Dan arrived from Eastern Washington and Josh and Laura arrived after celebrating with Laura’s family. We all woke up together on Christmas morning except for Andrew. We missed having Andrew here. Christmas was relaxing and fun. The English Cracker tradition will now become our tradition as well. It was so much fun to see what popped out of our crackers and then to read the cheesy jokes and wear the tissue crowns. Fun times.
Katie’s birthday is December 27th so we had a day of destinations that were all enjoyable ending with dinner at this old house with Josh, Laura, my sister Lana and BIL Steve, our nephew Caleb and his wife Marie and of course the master of this old house and his wife…me.
I talked to my pop today who is struggling with pain in his shoulder and is probably facing some surgery to help with the debilitating pain. He misses my mom but still he thanks God for all that God brings his way. He told me he has asked God to shorten his days on this earth. He is weary. We thank God, too, for all He brought our way in 2013. Time will tell what 2014 holds.
We had a very quiet New Year’s Eve until the fireworks started going off at 11:30 P.M. I was in bed by 9:00 and woke up to hear others blasting in the New Year. I rolled over and went back to sleep. Today we are having another quiet day. We watched the Rose Parade and watched a couple New Year’s day soccer games from England and now we are watching the Rose Bowl Game.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 