Of Ancestral Places: Home, Sweet Home

My heart longed to go there-

to one of the places where I felt at home from the first moment I arrived there

many years ago now.
A place our family has ancestral ties to--

a place that was home for them;

a very Sweet Home...

Why the appeal to me?

Well it is a lot of things--

our family history, local history, the mountains, the foothills, the rivers, the parks

and the places I haven't even explored yet..but am very aware of:)

But much of the appeal the first time was-

the small town atmosphere.

with murals on many buildings...

Sorry the photos are so small--we had our mind on other things at this point.
The A & W drive-in that is not a drive-thru!

A drive-in like I remember, except no Papa, Mama & Baby Bear figures outside (sigh)

with friendly staff,

great root beer

and a good cheeseburger (yum)...

A town with lots of hanging flower basket and median strip plantings --

oh how I love a town that includes flowers in its design!

A hometown movie theater-

the kind I grew up with!

The kind that invites you to come in and explore its history--

not the new type which you know what to expect.

Technologically advanced but just too dull for me.
--

You know, I miss my childhood at times--

well except for the rotary phones and the computers which took an entire room.

Well and maybe a few other things.

(Can you tell I am feeling nostalgic this week?)

But back to the tour...

when you have passed all the way through the town and a bit further,

you will reach the lake..

and this little viewpoint/rest area/picnic area.

Great place for some photographs of the water with the mountains and foothills

in the background...

and if it is summer, the water skiers and boaters of course!

You should see it when the mountain is snow capped.

I love snow capped mountains!

In fact, I can hardly wait till we get more snow on the mountains--

although I am definitely not ready for snow elsewhere-

yet.

By the way,if you do stop here--you must take a look at the information area--

because you are going to want to go up into the mountains (Cascadia and the pass to central Oregon); I know because I've done that trip before and loved it!

Or cross this lake to even more natural wonders.

And another great reason to take a look at the information area?

So you can see the impressive and very beautiful artwork done by local children

of the flora found here--let me tell you, that alone is worth a visit to here!

--

So what's it going to be?

Up to Cascadia where you will find one of the many covered bridges of this county,

a waterfall, hiking trails, trees and the mountains?

Or across the lake and up to Quartzville to parts still unknown to me and DH,

but probably well known to our ancestors?

You never know what history or wonders you will see no matter where you choose to go in this beautiful, historical area:)

Till next time...bon voyage!

Blessings,

Aimee

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Note:

A big thank you to the staff of the local A & W for giving me permission to post photos of their establishment. YUM! All photos taken in Linn County summer 2010 except the one of Short Bridge taken quite a few years ago.

I would love to give credit to the painters of the murals,

I posted photos of, but do not know who to credit...I apologize!

The Word on Wednesday

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed by Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.“ Matthew 6:9-10 KJV
--
“And He said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto Thee; take away this cup from Me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.” Mark 14:36 KJV
--

Do I really want God's will to be done or my own? Often, in all honesty, I want my own. I don't want the pain, suffering, loss, struggles and other difficulties that come with life on this earth. Sometimes, I just want life to be easier.

-

And yet at the same time, I am aware, that I cannot see the entire picture as I am a finite human being--only God can, and what I don't want (because it is so painful), may be the exact thing I need to draw me closer to God, to make me more empathetic to other's suffering, to rid me of pride and other things that keep me from being the woman God wants (and I deep down want) me to be.

-

Blessings this Wednesday morn, Aimee

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Photo: thistle at Thompson's Mill

A Walk Through PNW History: Thompson's Mill (pt 2)

So where did I leave you? Oh that's right..
inside the mill gazing out at the peaceful view of the pond outside.
Now, on such a gorgeous sunny day, I would be happy to just pull up a chair and rock there in that sunny place...but we have some more places to explore so we better get going!

The park staff will help guide you to the area across the river--you'll be glad they did! Then they will leave you to spend some time exploring the areas there.

I love reflections--they say peace to me,

and they provide a pretty easy way to see parts of the building you don't normally look at!

Down by the river---you can also see this area if you walk to the farthest side of the building.
Tranquil. I would LOVE to see this same area once the autumn colors really begin to show--

or after a winter's snowfall...or on a foggy day.

The mill from the 'other side'.

Oh and did I say there is a millkeeper's home here?

A QUEEN ANNE house...I LOVE Queen Anne houses!

A closer view--I don't think the home is open for tours yet, but I would LOVE to see the interior! Can you imagine sitting out on this porch on a warm day and having some tea?

And maybe a slice of warm, just baked whole wheat bread--milled just a few steps from your door? Yum, that thought makes me hungry:)

And for every Queen Anne home...there should be a carriage house, don't you think? And there WAS:)

Well we have come to the end of my tour of Thompson Mills--and although I've shown you a glimpse into it, there is no way I could show you everything---there is no way you could experience the sounds and the smells without being there! So if you love history, or mechanical equipment, or have a desire to know more about Oregon's past...well you know! GO visit!

Blessings,

Aimee

Notes: At the site you will find signs to warn you of the things one normally finds at old, historical properties--so be sure to watch for uneven flooring, roped/gated off places and keep your eyes open as you walk through a bit of the PNW's history...and enjoy yourselves!

More info on this site can be found here.

You will also find a video tour at that site.

Lastly, a BIG thank you to the park staff and volunteers at Thompson Mills for all their assistance, for their hard work in saving this beautiful piece of history and for giving me permission to post these photos. TY!

A Walk Through PNW History: Thompson's Mill

Not sure if it is my pioneer DNA,

or the fact that I love, love, love historical places,

or that the nearby town of Shedd is SO very close to my beloved Sweet Home...

but I just couldn't resist visiting this fairly new (2007) Oregon State Heritage Site!

Can I just say right something right now? I am so very glad I did!

Want to join Farmer Boy and I ?

We arrived at the mill one sunny Sunday morning and for quite awhile had the place to ourselves---except for the helpful park staff!

This is what it is all about!

Come to think of it...this would make a beautiful 'bouquet' for the table--

it's SO natural and earthy!

Old millstones used to grind the grain into flour; later they would use metal rollers instead of the stones...

I do love these though!

BTW--this mill is the OLDEST surviving gristmill in Oregon.

In fact, it opened not too many years

after some of our family's ancestors arrived in the PNW

and before Oregon's statehood.

Look at these old grain sacks..beautiful!

How would you like to get your flour this way?

And this amazing collection?

Beautiful--

and there was more!

Old posters, ads, photos are to be found on the walls --

throughout the mill, which is a really big place!

(BTW--they do give tours,

which I am sure would have been fascinating...

but we chose to do a self tour).

Whichever way you choose-

there are exhibits, machinery and equipment of every sort...

to help you understand the different parts of the mill, the equipment you are seeing,

the history and more!

Since my DH is very mechanically minded, he was able to help with info too!

(I love that about him)

Love this old building---

part of it is built over the water---and, have I said this yet, it is TALL and HUGE?
It was a high point of our trip that day--

and I am still enjoying it by looking through the many, many photos I took:)

A peaceful view...

why don't we stop and enjoy it for a moment?

See you for part 2 of the tour in a few ...

Blessings, Aimee