The WORD on Wednesday: Fear Not

 

Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

I Peter 5:7 NIV

 

 

There is no fear in love;

 but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment.

 He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

I John 4:18 KJV

 

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

 I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10 NIV

 

Have not I commanded thee?

Be strong and of a good courage;

be not be afraid, neither be thou dismayed:

for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Joshua 1:9 KJV

 

Never worry about anything.

But in every situation let God know what you need in prayers and requests while giving thanks.

Then God's peace,

which goes beyond anything we can imagine,

will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus.

Phil 4:6, 7 GW

 

 

The LORD is good unto them that wait for Him,

 to the soul that seeketh Him.

Lamentations 3:26 KJV

~ 

So much I could say today.

New concerns and challenges;

 old burdens.

So tempting it would be to give in to fear

(that great enemy of serenity)

and trudge down that well-traveled road

(a journey I know oh so well).

 

I know I started to...

but then chose instead a different course.

 For my heart only has room today for ONE God--

the ONE who made the heavens and the earth--

and I choose not to let fear take His place.

 

Blessings this Wednesday morn!

Aimee

 

Photos:

October 2013.

Willamette Valley.

Central coast range.

Northern Oregon Coast.

Bible Verses Info:

(KJV) King James Version. Public Domain.

 

(NIV) THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

(GW) Scripture is taken from GOD’S WORD®, © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations.

Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

 

Of Seagulls

Just like my mom before me,

I've always LOVED seagulls.

Yesterday we were treated to a very special visit from two of them while waiting for our

oldest granddaughter to join us...

it was not our only wildlife encounter that day.

 

 

Yes, he (or she) was really this close!

 

 

Ah! So cute. Mr. Seagull has an itch:)

 

He entertained us for many, many minutes....

 

and then, finally, went on his way.

 

 

Whereupon we had another visitor...

 

The coast,

even on a foggy day,

 can be a very exciting place!

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Photos:

central Oregon coast,

October 2013.

 

O Perfect Day

O gift of God! O perfect day:

 

Whereon shall no man work, but play;

Whereon it is enough for me,

Not to be doing, but to be!

 

 

Through every fibre of my brain,

Through every nerve, through every vein,

I feel the electric thrill, the touch

Of life, that seems almost too much.

 

 

I hear the wind among the trees

Playing celestial symphonies;

I see the branches downward bent,

Like keys of some great instrument.

 

 

And over me unrolls on high

The splendid scenery of the sky,

Where though a sapphire sea the sun

Sails like a golden galleon,

Towards yonder cloud-land in the West,

Towards yonder islands of the Blest,

Whose steep sierra far uplifts

Its craggy summits white with drifts...

O Life and Love! O happy throng
Of thoughts, whose only speech is song!

O heart of man! canst thou not be

Blithe as the air is,

and as free?

~

A birthday party,

a trip through the coast range adorned in all its autumn finery of yellow, orange and red,

a meal shared with loved ones

followed by

an afternoon at the coast on a day that felt more like summertime then autumn.

A perfect day indeed!
And I hear a sweet, sweet rumor that the next week or so will be just as perfect:)

Have a great week!

 Blessings,  Aimee

 

 Photos:

central Oregon coast

© 2013 http://aimeeonthemountainside.blogspot.com

 

Text:

A Day of Sunshine

From Birds of Paradise.

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

(in the public domain)

 

The full text of Longfellow's poem can be found here:

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Day_of_Sunshine

 

And you can see this page for use of the poem:

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
(If I understand it correctly, the text of the poem may be used--but check it out)

 

And for those of you who made it to the end, here is a little bit of Aimee trivia.

1) I have several poets in my lineage,

including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

I am also related to Noah.

But then so are you:)

2) My favorite, and I mean favorite, sorbet flavor is lemon.

Mmm!

 I love lemon SO much that I used to suck on raw lemon slices when I was little.

(something I wouldn't recommend by the way).
I also love to chew ice.
(ditto above remark).

3) I once ate a dog cookie
thinking it was an animal cracker.
It wasn't (gag, gag),
but now I have a little more understanding as to why dogs beg when they see us eating our food.

4) I once had a whole lot of people looking for a room that didn't exist at a very famous
National Park Lodge.
It's funny what can happen when you don't realize you're holding a room key upside down.

5) The best pineapple are the ones you get right in the fields.
I am NOT lying!
Ditto strawberries.
Speaking of Hawaii,
In addition to eating fresh pineapple and papaya there, I've had poi.
It was at its best -- I thought -- followed quickly by big bites of pudding
(no offense meant to any Hawaiians who might be reading this post; it's JUST me).

6) I grew up loving International food because when we ate out that was what we generally had...
one of the first restaurants, I remember, was a Japanese one where we sat on pillows around a low table. It wasn't until years later that I learned there was a pit under the table for your legs.
LOL.
I still LOVE International foods;
my DH on the other hand 'tolerates' them.

7) Of all my ancestors, the ones I would most love to meet are the women.
I am amazed at them!
How did they find the courage to sail to America to start a new life,
when I am scared of hiking in the mountains by myself?
How did they find strength to go on and not give up when they lost not one, but several children?
I SO wish I could just have all of them over for a chat and some tea...
If you could have an ancestor over for tea (or coffee) who would you pick and why?

Argh. One thing they couldn't answer is why is my html going crazy this week:(

 

 

 

Amidst the Pumpkins: Bauman Farm

It isn't autumn for me,

 until I've had at least one pumpkin smoothie

(slurp, done!),

enjoyed a cup of hot apple cider

(VERY yummy with a splash of salted caramel as I found out recently),

toured a kiwi farm

(baby and fuzzy kiwi--nom nom),

viewed my favorite tree adorned in it's fall finery

(aspen, Sunday under a blue sky)

AND

been to a pumpkin patch!

Yesterday was my day to checkout the latter,

as well as spy out places to take the grandchildren--should the 'need' ever arise.

LOL

AND

it just SO happened a friend had business to take care of in the Woodburn area

AND has some grandkids of her own so wanted to check out the place too:)

So that's how we found ourselves at Bauman Farm in Gervais, Oregon!

 

 

After some long chats with a couple of staff there

(these people know the meaning of GREAT customer service let me tell you) and a bit of browsing,

we went into one of the buildings to admire the gorgeous display of ornamental corn...

I felt like a kid in a candy store!

 

In addition to the ornamental corn,

the farm had tons of squash, sweet corn,

pumpkin (yep I bought a pie pumpkin), gourds...

well the list just goes on for they have a farm store with a bakery and a whole lot of apples and veggies, jams and more!

 

I NEED me another scarecrow,

and this one was adorable--

but I restrained myself

(at least on this -- my first visit there).

Wonder if I could make one?

Or more then one...

has anyone done so?

 

This little ornamental plant caught me eye!

It's called 'pumpkin on a stick'.

LOVE it!

Mmm. Love those mums too:)

 

It's a very happy place!

Everyone seemed to be having a good time--

kids and adults alike.

 

Of course we had to stroll by the famous Pumpkin Hill.

 

And being an animal LOVER--the barn was a MUST!

 

And I had to check out the

BIG,

BIG

and

BIGGER

pumpkins!!

(for a comparison check out the fire extinguisher on the wall)

 

 

Lots of activities to do on a weekday

but even more on a weekend--

one that I would LOVE to do is some 'gem mining'.

Just like my grandpa--well sort of:)

 

I just have to go back--

because

we have a maze to conquer,

more apple cider to buy,

a bug train to catch,

a fort to explore--

after all autumn and pumpkin patches come just ONCE a year:)

 

In addition to exploring the joys of autumn we've been hard at work on my little dream-come-true

(hence the fewer blog posts),

 

doing some autumn cleaning

(ditto the above statement),

 

and trying to get healthier

(ditto, ditto).

Helen of http://lifestylehelen.blogspot.com/ 

has got me motivated to do some walking daily

(ditto, ditto, ditto).

 

I LOVE autumn!

What aspect of autumn do you enjoy the most?

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Notes:

A HUGE thank you to Bauman Farms which gave me permission to take

"hundreds" of photos and post them here:)

Here is their link should you be in the area

(or just wanting a great day trip)

http://www.baumanfarms.com/pumpkin-weekend-activities.aspx

 

As always, I am not associated with the farm except as a happy visitor:)

 

Sorry guys and gals, because of the number of places we went to

 yesterday, I didn't have my DSLR with me. Hope you still enjoy the photos!

Of Kiwi Vineyards

The other day I was thinking about kiwi--

specifically our kiwi--

and wondering if they were ripe enough to harvest yet.

 

And then a combined business/pleasure trip took us into the so called "Wine Country" region.

And on one of the many roads we found ourselves on,

I saw a sign,

and knew we would have to make a detour.

So after time on a ranch near Trask Mountain,

time on part of the Nestucca River Back Country Byway

(both definitely God's country),

a visit to a wonderful bakery

(yum!),

and time elsewhere in this pretty area,

we found ourselves at the awesome kiwi farm we first found about 4 years ago...

 

 

The weather was not as a sunny as when I took these photos in 2011,

but the baby kiwi looked just as yummy!

 

 

 

And, this time I didn't stroll through the kiwi vineyard--

but my friend did and picked me some baby kiwi

BIG time yummy in a little, completely edible package).

 

 

The owner, as always, was informative and gave me the information I needed about harvest time--

yippee I can wait awhile longer!

 

 

He asked me, did I prune my kiwi vines this year?

No--but I promised to do so this winter:)

 

 

 I asked him about his magnificent and most delectable kiwi honey--

Yep, this coming week! 

 

 

And, then, we drove out --

making our way through wine grape vineyards and forests...

but we knew we'd be back soon to get more baby kiwi and kiwi honey.

 

 

Mmm, kiwi--it's one of the best things about autumn!

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Note:

A BIG thanks for HB + K Farms for their continued hospitality

and for allowing me to post the photos taken on their farm in 2009 and 2012.

They are open daily, 9 AM-5PM through the harvest season

(which is now through sometime in November if it's like last year).

Their address is 10794 Worden Hill Rd, Dundee, OR

 

Coming at some point (LOL):

Scandinavian rosemaling

Mt. Angel and other misc. late summer trips--a few pictures

(saving this for those REALLY rainy days I know that will keep me home)

Autumn Colors in the SUN

(I should save this for those rainy days too--to lift my spirits)

First Autumn Journey of 2013

(part sun, part storm--always filled with blessings)

 

Have a great weekend!

If you're in the western PNW stay warm and dry the next few days:)

 

Last Journey of Summertime

It was a very busy end to summer

and autumn is off to a busy start too--

thanks to a dream of mine that came true not too long ago:)

(thank you God)

 

But that dream-come-true is not the subject of today's post.

Instead the last crazy, busy days of summer--

or at least ONE of those last crazy, busy days of summer is!

 

It all started with a busy evening and early morning on the Internet-

which was followed by a wonderful, but sometimes chilly day in one of my favorite coastal areas

where we enjoyed the best fish and chips EVER at Bowpicker

(nom, nom--yum, yum)

and found this little guy:)

 

 

We ate it (no, not the little guy) on a bench overlooking the Columbia River

from where we could see the huge Astoria-Megler Bridge

(I have a love-hate relationship with this bridge.

Love to take photos of it; HATE to cross it--so I don't anymore)

 

 

the state of Washington

(right across the river from us),

the river traffic

(always fun to watch)

and more!

I ADORE Astoria!!!

 

 And, of course, since we were so close--

we had to make one of my favorite side trips a bit to the east to the island....

 

There is just something about this place that draws me in and captivates me--

and being the very determined genealogist I am,

 led me to hours and hours of research on the Internet till I solved the mystery of how it came to be.

 

Of course, since we were already in the area another stop was called for...

unfortunately no eagles were in sight though!

However, further west we found lots of singing sea lions

(I have the video to prove it).

And, we did have to stop at my favorite Scandinavian bakery to get some

fattigmann and Finnish pinwheels (tarts)--Mmm!

They were yummy--down to the very last one:)

 

Out to Fort Stevens where my granddaughter and a my best friend's grandson took some time to run

and play in and around the wreck of the Peter Iredale.

(grounded in 1906 with NO lost of lives thankfully--although I found out from the Park Ranger two lives were lost later on from people who were trying to do salvage work there).

 

The beach was actually warmer then the place we had lunch at,

and I had a great time talking to the Park Ranger and seeing some AWESOME photos of the ship after a storm that unearthed a huge amount of the ship. I had no idea how much of the ship is buried under the sand--amazing!

I have such good memories from time spent on this very same beach and it is so much fun to see my grandkids playing in the same area my family once played at:)

 

Life is such a precious gift don't you think?

 

 

What a beautiful world we live in!

 

 

And we're just at the beginning of autumn--

one of my favorite times to explore that beautiful world!

 

What's happening at your place?

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Photos:

September 2013.

Taken at various locations in and around Astoria, Oregon and the northern coast range.

 

Notes:

Just getting back into a semi-normal routine (LOL) so am still playing catch up.

Wish me luck:)

 

A Wee Break from my Beautiful Blogging Break;)

A few photos from the last 10 or so days...

 

 

when we spent time at a favorite bay

(yikes...too late to adjust the color balance now--LOL).

This was a fun adventure with lots of things to see...

and

if you look very, very carefully you might see one thing we saw.

 

A little better on the color balance (yippee!)...

can you tell I LOVE seagulls?

 

A moment in time when I was really, really wishing I had my zoom lens on...

lots going on in this photo!

Hope you can see everything going on...

 

Yep, so LOVE seagulls--so LOVE the blue, blue sky!

 

And, of course, on my beautiful blogging break we have spent some time

 in the mountains,foothills and forests of Oregon...

this, was taken at Jonsrud Viewpoint

(we were on a mission of mercy near there--

delivering some of our organic prunes to family who LOVES our homegrown fruit).

 

I am thinking Mt. Hood needs some snow...it's looking a little 'naked' here;)

BTW, no snow yet,

but there is a bit more autumn color in the mountains and foothills

AND

in the valley!

Yea for all the beautiful yellows and reds of early autumn!

 

Now up to near the point where the great Columbia River meets the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean.

You are looking at Washington state here ladies and gentlemen.

Hum....that makes me think of all the places I have been wanting to visit up there--

Mt Rainier, Seattle, the Olympic Peninsula, the lower Columbia River...

 

Can't forget our time in Salem either ...

Salem is the capital of Oregon for those who may not know.

Here, along the Willamette River,

we captured a photo (OK more than one photo) of the sternwheeler riverboat there.

I am fascinated by sternwheelers.

Part of our family lore says an ancestor

(or was it a sibling of an ancestor)

worked--

or was it gambled--

on one.

 

We also went to A. C. Gilbert Discovery Village,

my first time there,

 where Aimee had AS MUCH fun as

the kids and,

Riverfront Carousel (where Aimee had AS MUCH fun as the kids--

well after she decided she was not going to get dizzy going around in circles)...

Later that day wasn't quite as much fun,

 when she and Little Miss

 got caught in a HUGE rainstorm while getting groceries.

OK it was a little fun,

and very exciting,

 figuring out how to keep water off the granddaughter in the sundress

and out of the car when loading grocery bags loaded with groceries and rainwater!

Teehee--you got to roll with these weather challenges!

 

And last, but certainly not least, a family portrait of all of us at Coffenbury Lake

(Fort Stevens too)

on the northern Oregon coast...

you didn't really think I wouldn't include at least ONE photo of my grandkids, did you?

 

Wishing you a great day...

and now back to my beautiful blogging break--

for awhile longer that is.

 

Blessings,

Aimee