Of Home--Sweet, Sweet Home

Today I went home.

And drank deeply from the great strength and beauty I found there.

I crossed a few of its bridges--
bridges which have known my footsteps before
and

walked along riverbanks that had not.

I saw the beauty and the power of God's creation
in a new, very exciting, personal way
and my heart overflowed with the deep emotions I felt.
~
They were perfect moments there-
alone, but not alone-
in the midst of nature
and
I would have loved to stay longer
but it was time to return to my real home.
So I walked back to the place where Farmer Boy waited for me...
and we drove away.

Tonight, I sit curled up in our recliner.

I browse through the photos of the day,

reliving again and again what I experienced there in those precious moments of time.

And then it dawns on me...

I have not left that sweet, sweet place after all--

for it has somehow become part of me,

imprinted forever on my heart and in my mind

and

because of that I can

always go to my sweet, sweet home when I want to.

Blessings,

Aimee

Exploring New Paths

Sometimes you travel the same roads for years and years

never knowing what beauty lies just a few miles off those well traveled paths.

Rivers, bays and lakes...

waterfalls and mountains...

paths that lead you to new discoveries and wonders of nature;

paths that make you even more in awe of the Creator.

It was good to explore new places,

just a few miles off those well traveled roads.

It was very, very good.

Have you explored any new paths lately?

Blessings,

Aimee

~

Photos:

NW Oregon

PNW Wildlife Refuges

A few reasons why winter can be a good thing:

1. It is one of the best times to visit a wildlife refuge...

to see migrating geese and other waterfowl.

2. You get a whole new perspective on nature,

without leaves on the trees.

3. You get a chance to see new little critters;

I am told this is a muskrat.

Now that makes me think of the song Muskrat Love...

I think I am aging myself here.

4. You get a chance to explore new places...

without the 'crowds' of the warmer seasons.

~

~

And, as you can see,

the weather isn't always bad in winter...

but the views can be very interesting.

~

What new places have you seen lately?

Blessings,

Aimee

~

Photos:

Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge

rural Marion county vineyard

Grand Island seed beds.

Note:

Other posts with Refuge photos

Baskett-Slough

(near Dallas, OR)

William L Finley

(near Eugene, OR--includes historical attractions also)

Tualatin River

(southwest of Portland, OR)

Jewell Elk refuge

(west of Portland, off Highway 26 near Jewell, OR)

PNW Flooding: Willamette Valley

As you may know, the PNW has been the focus of some very odd weather this winter.

First was our very unusual dry December, one of the driest on record.

Then some snow--in areas of Washington lots of snow.

And then the rain...

and more rain...

and

well I think you get the idea.

All this combined to fill our rivers and create flooding.

One area hit particularly hard

(but not as bad as some previous years)

was the Willamette Valley,

so named after the river that flows through it.

Here are some photos several days after the peak of the flooding

in the northern section of that valley

(south of Portland, north of Albany)

Flooded orchard.

Flooding in a field.

I had wanted to visit here for quite a long time;

just not under these circumstances.

Park flooding--this park is located on Grand Island,

an island known for being a prime agricultural area.

Water on the road, water to the side of the road, water everywhere--

I hope the farmers here don't suffer loss.

Ferry crossing--but not today, for obvious reasons.

Can you see where the actual loading for the ferry is?

In the Ankeny NWR area, there is another ferry--

but due to the high water and road closure we couldn't get close enough to take photos.

Every bridge we took over the Willamette showed just how flooded the river is.

Along the Willamette on the way to the Independence bridge

(SW of Salem)

Not today though because of the high water,

the road to the bridge is closed.

Wise advice

and

we heeded it--all day long

and

time after time after time...

~

Sadly the flooding has brought tragedy to some families.

I pray that God will comfort those who have known loss this month.

Blessings,

Aimee

Looking Forward to Valentine's Day: Remembering My Mom's Love

And as the days pass, moving us closer to the day we celebrate love, I think of my mom and dad--the first people in my life to teach (and show me) love...here is a post from my other blog Flowers for My Mother: Reflections on her life, love and legacy.

I found a photo the other day.
It was one I had not seen before.
It was my mother when she was in her 20's,
sitting in a chair, clothed in the attire of the 50's~

Young with long, wavy brown hair,
heart filled with sweet anticipation,
belly swollen with life,

face radiant with the glow of maternal love.

This woman; my mom.

The life within her-me.

~

On this day, I remember my mom's love for me--

a love that never dies.

I remember and am eternally thankful for the ways she showed that love to me...

Blessings, Aimee

The Word on Wednesday: Looking Forward to Valentine's Day

As we grow closer to the day we celebrate the gift of love, I cannot help but think of the perfect love of God for us...

Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.

Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
Your justice like the ocean depths.

You care for people and animals alike, O Lord.

How precious is Your unfailing love, O God!
All humanity finds shelter

in the shadow of Your wings.

You feed them from the abundance of Your own house,
letting them drink from Your rivers of delight.
For You are the fountain of life,

the light by which we see.
Pour out Your unfailing love on those who love You;
give justice to those with honest hearts.

Let Your love shine through me O Lord today and always.

Blessings,

Aimee

~

Source:

Psalms 36: 6-10 NLT

(© 2003 Ilumina Software, Tyndale House Publishers)

Photos:

Southern Idaho (and yes that shadowy area that looks like a heart was not added by me)

Colorado--Pike's Peak from the Garden of the Gods I believe; early AM

The Pacific Ocean - near the mouth of the Columbia River

Small town church in the PNW

Autumn Harvest bounty from PNW farms

PNW mountain range -- evening

Photo Potpourri

The holidays have ended,

grandchildren have returned to their homes,

blue skies have been replaced by snow, rain, winds and snow.

It is January.

lots and lots of raindrops--

not on roses

a windy look at bamboo and winter camellia

perfect duck and beaver weather

or perhaps...

more suiting for huskies.

I know that is my preference.

It's the time between the Season of Christmas--

the season of the Light

and the day we celebrate love.

I am looking forward to it.

Are you planning anything special for Valentine's Day?

Blessings,

Aimee

Photos: a mixture of photos taken this month in our garden, at my sibling's and last---the delicious gift my oldest son surprised us with today. In a few minutes some of these yummies he baked will be history...

Scenes of the Season: Season of Discovery

Oh to be like a child for just a few minutes everyday...

to be open to new discoveries,

to see new things,

to bring a little bit of spring into the winter of other's lives,

to be willing to try new things without any fear of embarrassment,

to enjoy life's simple pleasures.

Let's do it,

let's take a few minutes every day to be childlike.

Blessings, Aimee

~

Photos:

exploring the world of the model train

(and -- not shown -- petting a cat)

watching a Japanese chef prepare food

showing grandma her masterpiece

(my beautiful oldest granddaughter's artwork)

wearing grandma's gift of a napkin scarf

rocking in grandma's baby rocker

Return to the Mountainside

Today the song of that mountainside again beckoned me.

It sang to me of waterfalls and rushing water.

It sang to me of that yet undiscovered site that had

beckoned me for months now to come, see and hear what I had only just seen in photos

and read about.

So after another fruitless search for that quilt,

a trip to pick up special food for Epiphany tomorrow

and a trip to a little bit of Scandinavia,

we headed up...

And I stood, in the same spot as in June

and drank in the beauty of the waterfall

as I listened to its strong, exhilarating, refreshing melody.

Its melody, spoke to me of Pacific storms,

the forests of the Coast Range

and of love.

It reminded me of the music of Grieg

and

Sissel's clear soprano voice.

I stood and listened as the music of the water

surrounded me

and filled my heart with joy.

But our journey was not yet over--

for there were many voices in that area...

more waterfalls and cascades,

the song of the peaceful, strong mountain and foothills...

the song of the moss--wet in the winter afternoon.

And,

the song I had most wanted to hear...

the song of my long lost, now found historical site!

Though man made,

it had a song to sing too...

and its song brought me much joy--

for it meant the fulfilling end of one quest

but not the end of my journey of water,

forest,

mountain

and song.

Tomorrow I will hear the song of Epiphany calling me...

it will not call me back to the mountains,

nor by the rushing waters--

instead it will call me to bring gifts to the Christ as those Wise Men

from the East did so many years ago.

I will not bring Him gold, frankincense or myrrh--

for He is the King of all creation and does not need them.

I will instead bring Him my heart

and ask Him to fill it with His song

as He filled my soul today with the music of His creation.

~

Blessings on this eve of Epiphany,

Aimee

~

Photos: coast range and foothills of Oregon, including historical dam.

To see other photos of this area taken this last June, see my posts here and here.