A Look Back at 2010: Autumn in the Garden

A few photos from our autumn 2010 garden--

enjoy!

The koi pond in early November-

I love the reflection of the 'pagoda' in the pond with the fish swimming by.

Japanese maples near the lower pond.

I love these trees no matter the season but especially in the autumn!

Do you see that bit of blue sky poking through the trees?

We saw some of that today and it SO made my day.

even without the gorgeous red, gold and orange colors of autumn:)

And Japanese maple leaves in the pond.

I feel the need for more Japanese maples--

but I am not sure where I would put them since we have a septic tank that doesn't like trees on its lines or drainfield.

Not a photo taken in our garden but the light through this red tree was amazing

and I couldn't help but include it--it is so much better then this photo shows! This was taken during a stop at Camp 18, an amazing log restaurant in the coast range! I will make a post later but their breakfast is amazing, the location scenic (there is a river in the back and lots of birds) and they have a yard filled with old logging equipment that is fascinating!

Next post: the pastels of autumn and some fruit!

Blessings always,

Aimee

A Look Back at 2010: Pacific NW Photo Potpourri

It's pleasant fragrance follows me home
the salty smell of the seashore

the fresh, clean aroma of the foothills and mountains

the earthy perfume of the woodlands and forests

It is the scent of nature

it is the fragrant potpourri of the PNW

It is that sweet something that satisfies me to my very soul

and yet

always leaves me wanting more

What does your area's potpourri smell like?

Blessings,

Aimee

~

Photos:

2010--autumn

coast at sunset (there were people riding the waves)

(3 photos) along the Three Rivers highway

(LOVE that place!)

View from Ft Yamhill

(so have to go back there! Somewhere I have a photo of the historic blockhouse that was moved quite a long time ago to a small town about 1/2 hour or so away from the fort site)

This is probably the Nehalem Valley--not too far from the Sunset Highway

(yes I love the names of the PNW roads)

(3 photos) trail in the foothills of NW Oregon

A Look Back at 2010: Autumn in the PNW-Pt 4

Remember this?

Blue.

Lots of blue.

And sunshine.

Lots of sunshine.

And this?

More blue.

And green too.

And dry grass

not soggy wet grass.

What about this?

Pleasant warm temperatures,

no clouds.

And this?

Very happy seagulls and very happy people spending time by the bay.

(sorry no photos of the happy people today

but take my word for it they were happy, including the kayaker in the bay).

Very happy people and seagulls.

Sunshine and warmth.

And blue...

BLUE!

It is a state of mind that doesn't always mean unhappiness:)

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Spring coming

sooner or later

to a location near you!

Are you ready for it?

-

Blessings,

Aimee

Photos:

taken autumn 2010

Siletz River-traveling eastward

(love those mountains)

Siletz River--looking towards the west (the bay)

Siletz Bay

(beautiful bay, part of it is a national wildlife refuge)

Seagulls

(there are always lots of seagulls)

Taft sign

D Lake from the state park there

(it actually goes by a different name but IMO it is way TOO pretty to call it that)

A Look Back at 2010: Autumn in the PNW-Pt 3

Beautiful

amazing

historical

Vernonia!

I am a small town/country girl.

I can enjoy cities (I used to live in Seattle),

but my heart belongs to the small town and the country.

Now if you throw in history

(here there is strong logging tradition and a lot of historical buildings),

parks (city and county),

and views of hills and such...

you have me as your friend forever:)

Oh and good (tasteful) public art--

I love public art.

From the statues in a wonderful park in Loveland, Colorado

to the great metalwork I found throughout Vernonia;

call me happy when I see art in communities!

(possibly more photos of art later)

Add to that, fabulous Baba Ghanoush,

lamb, mint tea, baklava...but that will have to wait for another post;

it would make me just TOO hungry if I had to look at those photos tonight:)

Yes, beautiful

amazing

historical

Vernonia!

Can't wait to go back!

~

Blessings,

Aimee

~

Photos and notes:

Park located up on a hill overlooking the town

(hard to see when leaves are on the trees--but very pretty)

Another park--Vernonia Lake;

an old millpond with a walking path and wonderful views!
Sign near the main street of town

(which is highway 47)

Another water view at another city park

(can you tell I love reflections in water?)

One of the metal sculptures on the historic buildings downtown

(they all had a common theme of wildlife, logging, small town historical life)

3 more photos of the Vernonia Lake park area

and the ducks.

I LOVE ducks;

my sibling used to own 3 ducks.

We lived in the country then on a stream with big trees all around.

Good days, well except for the time I tried to walk on water there

(yes, it had ice on it).

I might have made it but I panicked (?) and tried to run;

it was a really cold horseback ride home.

I am thankful for horses and neighbors watching over silly neighbors.

I am thankful for funny memories like that too.

Cute autumn decoration at the Shay Locomotive park

(historical locomotive)

I have a thing about the railroad too;

maybe I get that from my grandpa.

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Note: in part 2 you can see some photos of the park near their airport--the most secluded of the parks we visited that day (there were more in the town we didn't get to and of course there is the nature reserve, the county parks, the waterfall and all the areas in between).

Am so going back--soon!

The WORD on Wednesday: New Year's Resolution II

My next New Year's resolution is this one I first wrote about when my mom's condition had been fully diagnosed and we realized exactly what it would mean for her, and us. At this low point, Psalm 46:10 was of great comfort to me; actually all of Psalms 46 is good!

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"Be still and know that I am God."

-

Be still and look around you;

I am the Creator of all the beauty and grandeur of nature that surrounds you.

I am your Creator too.

-

Why do you fear?

Why do you limit Me to what you can understand?

Your preconceptions of who I am,

the world's view of who I am,

rather then

who I say I am.

-

Am I not almighty?

Ever-present?

Omnipotent?

Eternal?

Holy?

-

Have I not promised I would be with you,

your mom

and all who believe in Me forever?

Have I not promised to be her Shepherd and yours,

even through the Valley of the Shadow of Death;

am I not faithful according to My promises?

Am I not merciful?

Am I not gracious to those who call on me with humble hearts?
Perfect in love and faultless?

-

Silence your doubts,

listen to Me.

Put your hand in mine

and believe the One who created all of this beauty,

the One who sees the whole picture

and

the One who loves His children perfectly

and has a great plan for them all.

-

KNOW that I am God.

I don't make mistakes.

Draw near Me,

in silence,

I have a lot more to teach you if you're ready.

--

Blessings,

AImee

~

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.

Selah.

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There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: He uttered his voice, the earth melted. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Selah.

-
Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations He hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; He burneth the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Selah.

Psalms 46 KJV

Photo: the Siletz River traveling east

A Look Back at 2010: Autumn in the PNW-Pt 2

I had never been to this area before--

close by, yes, but close was definitely not close enough!

Needless to say--

I LOVED this mountain valley and wondered what took us so long to go there.

It is located in Oregon's coast range,

I might have already said that.

Remember the park we just visited?

One of the trails that runs through that park, originates in the little town of Banks

and ends in the historic town of Vernonia,

another little town.

-

Re: the trestle pictured above.

I read that when you're on that trail,

you get to cross trestles like this one.

BTW,

I LOVE trestles,

the view looking up to them is perfect!

Just like the trail,

our goal was the historic town of Vernonia

and Mediterranean food!

This is
some of the autumn color we saw that day.

-

See the blue sky?

The PNW usually has awesome early fall weather!

~

-Now, just so you know, I am currently in a race.

That's right--even though it is not (I hope) too evident on these 2 posts,

I am racing the clock because soon my DH will be up

and he will need his laptop-

in fact he has every intention of taking it to work today

and so things are going to get a little wierd now...

because I have a lot of photos of the Vernonia area

and no time to post them.
-

So we're going to get unchronological here

(hum, is that even a word? My sleep deprived brain is getting tired now)

-

Of course if you've never been to this area,

this fact won't bother you at all.

And actually we could have done it this way.

So I really didn't need to mention it:)

So here we go on a little detour to a park located in the valley,

Gorgeous view on the way (or the way back)

Into the park area

A new friend we met there.

He (or she) was VERY interested in something across the river.

VERY.

So we will leave him

and I will pack up the laptop--quickly!

Blessings,

AImee

-

Photos: Nehalem Valley and park, Autumn 2010.

Note: Got to go--sorry about the quickly written commentary--

hope it makes some sense:)

Have a great day!

A Look Back at 2010: Autumn in the PNW--Pt I

Nothing like looking at photos of God's creations to turn a bit of SAD and accompaning 'growlies" (don't try to look that last word up; it only exists in my mind--I think)

to a bit of glad! Now if I just can stay awake all day:)
Here are a few photos from autumn travels...

My traveling companion on our first visit to one of the NW's newest parks.

Don't you love his traveling gear? Believe me there was a BIG reason for that coat and hood;

it was SO cold on top of this hilltop--brrrr!

But the views were incredible!

BTW--this is one of the NW's newest parks and neither of us had been there before!

I can almost pretend I am on the top of the world here;

of course I'm not...

I DO have a vivid imagination:)

Local vegetation--pretty!

Ew--the photo isn't too great though:(

And the view on the way down.

Ahhh---I wish I was there right now...

well in about 3 hours I wish I could be there.

Sadly, laundry and other tasks await me here

and DH has to go to work.

Oh well--maybe someday soon we can return to this wonderland of hiking trails, gorgeous views, trees, forests and more!

-

Blessings all,

Aimee

-

Photos: taken at L.L. Stub Stewart State Park, autumn 2010

Note: sorry--no forest photos, maybe later.

Peace on Earth

It is another late winter afternoon in the Pacific NW; the sky is mostly clear with a few pink clouds here and there. Soon the sun will set, ending another peaceful day. Not more then a few minutes ago, little birds were flying back and forth -- landing for a few seconds on the branches of the big pine outside a window. Now they have gone elsewhere, leaving only memories of their visit here.

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In another window, I see the delicate upper branches of a Japanese maple outstretched against the very pale blue of the winter sky; another window frames a peaceful scene of a field bordered by tall deciduous trees. All of it created by a loving Creator. Peace. Stillness. Serenity.

-

It is morning in the NW in a small town on the Columbia River. A husband and father of seven makes his way to a mall in an attempt to bring peace and calm to the situation unfolding there by a troubled soul--he will never return home, he will never be able to hold his wife or his children again, he will never be there to diffuse another tense situation or offer another smile to his colleagues. The sun has set on his earthly life and a town, a county, a state, a nation is left reeling -- wondering with how to make sense of this tragedy; a tragedy which will leave a permanent mark on many.

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Another morning in the SW--land of cactus and majestic sunsets. Soon the peace is shattered by gunfire; soon more families lives will know the immense loss and pain that losing a loved one will bring. Soon more lives will be lost; more people injured, more pain will--again--visit a community and a nation.

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I sit curled up on the dark blue recliner, a soft cream colored blanket tucked around me to ward off the winter's chill. My Bible is open as I read the well known passages from the Sermon on the Mount--the Beatitudes, the so called "Golden Rule"--words, eternal words, from our Savior; the One who came to bring peace on this earth. I ponder over His words -- words of love, hope, peace and mercy: "Therefore all things whatever ye desire that men should do to you, thus do *ye* also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets."

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The sun has set now; the world outside my windows in now dark; devoid of light and any color besides black. And yet, I know that if I were to step outside and look up, I would see the heavens above filled with starlight; white twinkling lights set in a dark sky.

-

And I long for the light of His Word, the Words of a loving Creator, to fill the hearts of all those He created; I long for Him to fill my heart, too, with more of His light.

-

Kyrie Eleison, Dona Nobis Pacem.

Aimee

-

Verse: Matthew 7:12. Darby Translation, 1890.

Comment: My heart is saddened today by these latest tragedies--tragedies, not caused by earthquake or flooding; tragedies caused by the act of man against his fellow man. My heart cries out from the senselessness of it all; of the loss; of our loss. May God be with all those who have lost so much this week; may God be with us all.

Note: Please accept my apology for any grammatical or spelling errors. Sometimes I take the time to correct them, but tonight I'm going to leave the post as is. OK? :)

The WORD on Wednesday: New Year's Resolution I

This year, instead of making my usual New Year's resolutions, I'm doing something a bit different. I am choosing a few verses to focus on, to use as a guideline, a goal for my life this year and to serve as a kind of filter with choices/priorities I make. The first of these can be found in James 4:8a (KJV): "Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you."

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But how will I draw near to God and Christ? One way is in reading His Word, the Bible. This time instead of trying to read the entire Bible in one year (something I have done before), I am choosing smaller portions to ponder on a daily basis. This year I will be reading the New Testament only, supplementing this with Messianic prophecies from the Old Testament (prophecies given by God, through Old Testament people like Moses, King David, etc.) I will probably only read one chapter a day--the goal being not quantity but quality of reading.

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Another way I am choosing to draw near to God is by Christian meditation---the type King David talks about. I am currently rereading Richard Foster's book 'Celebration of Discipline-The Path to Spiritual Growth' to help me in this (it is one of the books I 'devoured' when I was staying with my ailing mother last year--I absolutely love it! Another one of his is on prayer and I will be rereading it when I finish this one).

---

Other ways to draw near to God come to mind: fasting, prayer, reflective and uplifting music (some of my favorites are Jeff Johnson, Michael John Poirier, Jon Michael Talbot, Maire Brennan, Libera) praise, time in God's creation, etc.
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Do you have a goal/resolution for this year?

--

Blessings,

Aimee

-

Photo: historic church near Oregon's coast.

To you have been following the blog for awhile and are recognizing pictures, never fear--soon new photos will appear:) Now what cartoon character does that remind you of?

A Look Back at 2010: A Bit More of Summer in the PNW

Brrrr! It is freezing here (well at least I'm cold) so here are a few more photos from this past summer trips to warm me up--and remind me that someday it will again be warmer here!

Foster Lake, Linn County.

Love this area and the mountains east of here.

The millpond at Thompson's Mills--a historic site in Linn County.

The beautiful Queen Anne home there.

Mt Angel again.

And last, but not least, another photo of Tillamook Bay in the Garibaldi area.

~

Still not warn? Me either...but all these photos of warmer days have me planning new trips:)

Blessings,

Aimee