Morning in the Garden + A Scripture for Saturday

 New treasures to discover.

New sights to see.

 Cool ponds to walk in on this, a new day.

A day that brings new gifts to us--

gifts of many types

 

But the most precious gift of all 

is the gift of time,

the gift of another day.

What should I do with this gift?

What are you doing?

Blessings,

Aimee

~

Saturday Scripture

For as the earth bringeth forth her bud,

and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so

 the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations...

Isaiah 61:11 KJV

~ ~ ~

 Photos:

wildflower garden

a weed

 area adjacent to the lower pond

(DH  in the pond clearing the inlet screens; a nice task on this hot summer day)

a bee's breakfast: culinary lavender

cosmos (wildflower garden)

gooseberries

(part of my yummy breakfast this AM along with strawberries, blueberries)
another visitor to our culinary lavender

Craving Chocolate? A Trip to Moonstruck

Hope you had a great 4th of July~

Awhile back, when my DDIL was still here, she decided that it was time for me to make good on something I had been promising her for a long time. I decided it was a great idea too so we headed off to the Moonstruck location we had visited after a trip to Ft Vancouver quite awhile ago.

Now let me say, I have known about Moonstruck (aka chocolate heaven) for a few years now---actually since I was still working outside the home. One of my fellow co-workers, as a thank you gift, rewarded staff with some huge chocolate bars from there. My choice then? The Mayan--a delicious combo of cinnamon, crushed almonds and chocolate. It was love at first sight (smell, taste. touch) and that love continues to this day.

Well of course after that initial experience (and the ones following it), I had to introduce my sweet DIL to their chocolate; I knew she was the kind who would appreciate it:) So I did...and now she (and others in her family) share the same love I have of this most yummy chocolate. See what a good influence I have on others:)
Anyway, back to our visit...since photos often speak louder than words, I will let them do the talking (or at least most of it)...

Doesn't she look SO grown up in this cute outfit?

My current favorite...I could eat one of these everyday! I love citrus flavored chocolate.

Yum! LOVE Moonstruck chocolates!

Blessings,

Aimee

Notes:

Thank you to the staff of Moonstruck who gave permission for photos to be taken

and posted on this blog.

As always, unless otherwise stated,

 I am not associated with Moonstruck in any way except as a satisfied customer!

Here is their website should you want to check them out:

http://www.moonstruckchocolate.com/

Happy Independence Day America!

O beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

America! America!

God shed His grace on thee,

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet

Whose stern impassion'd stress

A thoroughfare for freedom beat

Across the wilderness

America! America!

God mend thine ev'ry flaw,

Confirm thy soul in self-control,

Thy liberty in law.

O beautiful for heroes prov'd

In liberating strife,

Who more than self their country lov'd,

And mercy more than life.

America! America!

May God thy gold refine

Till all success be nobleness,

And ev'ry gain divine.

O beautiful for patriot dream

That sees beyond the years

Thine alabaster cities gleam

Undimmed by human tears.

America! America!

God shed His grace on thee,

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea.

Oh Lord I pray this prayer for my country and my fellow countrymen...

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
The LORD make His face shine upon thee,
and be gracious unto thee:
The LORD lift up His countenance upon thee,
and give thee peace.
Numbers 6:24-26 KJV

God bless my homeland.

God grant that we may never forget its rich faith heritage.

Aimee

Photos:

fireworks display

wheat field near Heirloom Roses

Pikes Peak from Colorado Springs, CO

my current favorite central Oregon coast beach

The Mayflower II, Plymouth, MA

(courtesy of my cousins F. + N. Blessings)

SW Portland

Willamette National Cemetery

SW Portland

small rural cemetery

Notes:

America the Beautiful

Lyrics: Katherine Bates

As found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America_the_Beautiful#Lyrics

A Change of Plans: At the Top of the Road

If it were sunny, the views up the road would have been gorgeous.

As it was they were still beautiful!

For a lot of the route there are trees on both sides,

but in some places it looks more like this.

Yea, we made it to Timberline--home of the beautiful historic lodge.

As my hubby didn't feel too good we didn't walk in the lodge this time;

next time I will--after all I want to see their wonderful St Bernard dog

and see the lodge again.

It has been way too long!

And yes, I did take a photo but it is too obscured by fog and such to see it clearly.

When I was younger our family spent a night there

(I LOVE historic lodges and have been in several);

they had an outdoor swimming pool and it was fun to freeze and then warm up.

I had a memorable incident there...and so did the young man who must have been SO surprised when I ended up holding onto him for dear life; poor guy. If you are out there in my bit of cyberland and reading this...THANK YOU for being there!

Lesson learned: always tie back your long hair when swimming because it is very hard to breathe when it gets into your face:(

Oh I almost forgot to mention that one can ski year round at Timberline;

now isn't that awesome?

Snow in some areas; none in others.

Soon to come--I hope--wildflowers:)

I love alpine wildflowers!

I can hear you now...

what are those strange looking black things in the photo?

I'll give you one clue...

PNW 'spring' weather:)

Anyway, we passed quite a few runners on the way...towards the top there were a lot of them with their shirts off. Considering the steep grade, I don't blame them! During the summer there is a special event in which teams run from Mt Hood to Seaside (Hood to Coast). We got stuck behind a group one time...it was interesting but not much fun:)

Another not so perfect photo---but considering the speed we were traveling and the trees,

it does kinda show what I wanted you to see,

the alpine slide at ski bowl.

They also have HORSES I found out,

a chair lift you can ride in the summer

(I did that in Washington state one time at an area up there)

and trails besides other things.

This is all during the summer season of course.

LOTS of changes since my last visit....

Last, but definitely NOT least--man's (and women's too) best friend. 

When we first saw this cute pooch he looked as if he was driving.

But by the time I got my window down to take his photo

(because he looked SO cute),

Mr Pup got a whiff of my french fries

and this is the photo I got.

Still very cute I think:)

What is your fav mountain area?

Do you hike, ride horses or participate in other activities during the summer at one?

Blessings,

Aimee

Info:

Photos and info about the Timberline Lodge,

a national historic landmark

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timberline_Lodge

A Change of Plans: Pt II

Further up the mountain road we saw this view--

lots of trees;

hillsides full of lots of beautiful trees!

Even though I would have preferred sunnier conditions,

there is something very magical and special about the mountains when you have low clouds and

wisps of fog on the tree covered slopes.  

A runaway truck ramp.

If you look closely you will actually see marks on the ramp.

The grade here is a steep 6% and the road curvy;

sometimes truck brakes fail...

I am glad they have this for emergencies.

I don't remember a ramp here before;

of course it has been years since I've been up this far

(we used to ski on this mountain when I was a teenager).

My most vivid memories of seeing runaway truck ramps are of the ones on the Grapevine--

that famous -- or some would say -- infamous section of road leading into southern California.

I never drove it,

but I did drive in Los Angeles rush hour traffic once and loved it--

of course I LOVE challenges:)

 Up we go...climbing higher

 A not too perfect photo of our perfect native rhododendrons.

They were everywhere we looked...as were other native plants and wildflowers.

The forest floor, which I BADLY wanted a photo of, was SO incredibly beautiful...

I was in awe at this creation of the Father.

A roadside waterfall--one of three.

Not too bad of photo considering we were driving at about 45 mph and my camera was set to a high shutter speed. Still, I prefer waterfall photos that make the falling water look silky

(but one must stop for that kind of photo and to do that, one must have a safe place to park).

More coming---at the top of the road.

Blessings,

Aimee

Sighs and moans of frustration...my Internet reception is alternating between weak and good today.

Oh, it must be that summer hasn't come to the PNW yet...:(

A Change of Plans + Sunday Scripture

What is my DH doing wearing sandals and no jacket in the snow?

Well at one point DH, DDD and I were headed towards another location,
near the coast where sandals and no jacket would be quite appropriate.
But because of a horribly snarled highway...more like a parking lot really,
plans changed
and we headed upwards,
above the timber line.

Here we are passing a wigwam burner...
do you remember these? They are a vivid memory from my childhood;
I always stop and take a photo or two when I see one
(or, as I did here, I capture a photo from a moving car).

At one of my favorite viewpoints.
No view of the mountain today;
lots of beautiful flowers and peace though.

Here is a closer view.
I am 'dying' to know what kind of flower these are...
they are soft (yes I touched one; I had to know),
they remind me a bit of a spirae's bloom.
Anyone know?

And an even closer view...
LOVE these:)

 Some views from further up...off the main road
(you know how I love to do that;
after we got home and I found more info about the road we were on,
I wished we had gone further on it).

Lots and lots of wildflowers everywhere made me happy,

despite the sometimes rainy conditions which made taking photos not as fun as usual.

But if we in the PNW stayed indoors everytime it rained,

we would never get outside:) LOL..

More to come on Monday.
Blessings,
Aimee

Note:
This week has not been easy.
As you know part of our family made their way back home
after a wonderful visit
and we feel their absence acutely.

Additionally we have had issues with our house that have been frustrating to say the least.

Finally, some places very dear to my heart have been experiencing wildfires
and for more than a moment we thought they might be gone forever. Tonight though comes the good news that staff again walk the beautiful grounds I have loved since 1977...
thank you Lord for preserving Glen Eyrie that it might continue to be used to give You glory and honor.

I will praise the Name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving...
Let the heaven and earth praise Him, the seas, and everything that moveth therein.
Psalms 22:30, 34 KJV

At the same time, I feel a great sadness for the hundreds affected by the fires in our mountain states, especially those left homeless and those who have lost loved ones. May God be with all of them and the brave firefighters.