Tree at Crater Lake

I don't have anything very profound to say about this photo from our recent trip, I just thought it was cool and I wanted to show it off.

Home Group

a.k.a. Bible study, small group, cell group, etc.

Sometimes the time together gets tedious, or frivolous, or too long, or too silly, etc. On the other hand, when there, I know I am cared for.

Insult to Injury

I was already feeling down today when I got a phone call from Planned Parenthood asking me if I wanted to keep abortion legal.

We live in such a messed up world.

Bloom Where You're Planted

I guess God must have some kind of sense of humor to plant these daisies here. Or, maybe he put them here as an object lesson for people like me who sometimes need a reminder of who's in charge of the universe.
They don't seem to even notice that it is nearly 300 feet down a perpendicular cliff to put one's roots (or feet) on solid ground.


Taken at Salt Creek Falls in Central Oregon, from the top of the falls.

I Wish I Were There

I have no idea who these children are, I just couldn't resist taking this photo as we strolled through the redwoods one day on our recent trip.

But the photo reminds me that the sons of two of my good friends are being married today, and I can't be there. One wedding is in Pennsylvania and the other is in North Carolina. I pray God will bless those marriages, protect them from divorce, and let them live happily ever after. (Do you know how seldom that happens these days?)

I should also add that there was plenty of squabbling going on between these two children, but in the end, they decided to go it together.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

I'm starting to feel somewhat caught up with all the details that were left unattended while we were traveling. I've managed to do such exciting things as empty the cat box, clean the bathroom, get all the wrinkles out of the clothes that were stuffed in the suitcase, replace the door knob on the front door, pay a couple bills, go to work, and buy groceries. I still have a pile of stuff on my desk to deal with that needs some serious attention. I've also uploaded about half of my photos to my online photo album .

While in California, I visited an internet friend named Lisa. Turns out she and her family know a bunch of people that I know. The Christian world isn't all that big. Photos of my visit to her bamboo farm are on in my photo album too.

Oregon Wildflowers

Columbine
Yarrow
?? at Odell Lake
aster sp.
petite bluebonnet
white bluebonnet
paintbrush

Trip Summary

We glad to be home safely. Here's the statistics for our 15-day trip:

• 1 - night at a resort with the bathroom down the hall
  
• 2 - miles walking in an underground cave
• 2 - rental cars
• 4 - meals at gas stations
• 4 - times the laptop was on the internet
• 5 - waterfalls
• 5 - times Gary preached his sermon
• 7 - sets of relatives we visited
• 8 - beds slept in
• 13 - homes we ate in
• too many to count - times we made wrong turns
• too many to count - times we yelled at each other for making wrong turns
• too many to count - photos taken of cool places
  
• too many to count - good conversations with friends and supporters
  

Pie for Breakfast

It is OK to have pie for breakfast when you're on vacation. If it had been Labor Day weekend, I could have had huckleberry pie.

Redwood

There's nothing like a redwood forest to put life into perspective.
(Click the photo to get a better idea of what I mean.)

Driving

I hate driving. I hate getting lost. I hate not knowing where I am. I hate not knowing how to get from A to B in the most direct and efficient way. I guess that makes me a control freak.

In spite of that, we did enjoy a few cool sights yesterday.

If you are interested in more photos and details, check my other blog.

I'm Off

I am about to go to bed because I have to get up very early tomorrow to fly to San Francisco. I'll be joining my husband who has already been there for a week. We'll get a rental car and attempt to make our way around to visit friends, family, and supporters. Gary will preach at church next Sunday.

Then we get on the plane, fly to Oregon, and do the same thing over again for the following week.

I hope to be able to read email and do some blogging, but it is hard to tell how much that will be.

If anyone thinks of us, pray we will be safe and not yell at each other too much while getting lost during all the driving we have to do. :-(

Gary has gotten an invitation to come have lunch at the Google headquarters on Tuesday, but he'll take the BART in, and I'll sit around at Aunt Helen's house.

Intricate

I really don't like spiders, and I for sure don't like them in my house, but I have to admit to a begrudging admiration for them and their web craft. How can such a tiny and insignificant thing as a spider build something so clever, intricate, strong, and flexible, to say nothing of beautiful? And if I tear this one down (because it is blocking my back door), he just gets right back up and builds another one.

Proverbs 6:6 says to go to the ant and observe her ways to become wise. We could probably learn something from the spider too.

Here is a link to a site that shows step by step how a spider builds a web. (Of course, they don't admit to a Creator giving spiders such ability, but the illustrations are informative.)

A Stack of Bibles

My "paralyzed" friend, Melchizedek, made a post recently about his inventory of Bibles. That got me to thinking about my life a long time ago. I think it was the spring of 1972. I was in Bible college, on tour with a womens' singing group, visiting a church in Minnesota. Or was it Wisconsin? This poster was on the wall of their church. I was so moved by this poster, which went on to have a profound effect on my life, that I asked someone at the church if I could have it and they obliged.

I know you can't read it (this is a scan of a photo taken in 1974 of the poster as it was a couple years later on my bulletin board). On one side is a stack of Bibles in English. On the other side is a blank sheet of paper. One one side it says, "Dozens of translations of the Bible in English." On the other side it says, "Hundreds of languages without one single verse of the Bible." If I remember correctly, the poster was actually advertising for New Tribes Mission, which I didn't join.

I stayed in that womens' singing group for the three years I was at that college, and each spring we toured. Year three we returned to the same church where I had found this poster two years prior. This time, there was a poster advertising Wycliffe Bible Translators.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Our Integrated Lives

The conversations this morning went something like this:


He: Can you print off a couple things for me? Here are 7 urls, 1 pdf and 1 word file. And then I need 50 more color copies of the flyer--duplex, please. No don't bother folding them, I'll do that later.
Me: Grrr.
He: You know, if you had a real job, you couldn't complain like that.

Me: Your lack of planning does not constitute my crisis.
He: What lack of planning? I've been planning this for weeks. And what do you mean, "last minute"?? The plane doesn't take off for another four hours.

He: Did you pick up my business cards from the printshop?
He: Yep, and you're not going to like the mistake they made on them.

He: Where's my favorite shirt?
Me: I just finished your laundry.

He: Where's my new pants?
Me: I just finished hemming them.

He: You know, I don't think I have room in my suitcase for my tennis shoes, jeans, dress shoes or dress pants. Could you put them in your suitcase when you come?
Me: Sure. When I join you next week all I'm bringing is my toothbrush and a change of underwear.

He: Photos. Don't you think I should take some photos of the family with me?
Me: Have you ever heard of the internet? Let me write down the URL.

He: Could you make a back up copy of my Powerpoints on a CD? The one for the keynote lecture at Stanford and the one for the sermon I'll be giving 5 times. Don't mix them up.
Me: Mix them up? Hmm, that could be instructive--in both cases.

Me: Would you like some salad? It might be your last chance for vegetables.
He: I know California is full of fruits and nuts, but do you think there are no vegetables?

Yum

Looks like I'm not the only one who likes these roses.

Pizza

Grilled burgers is the typical food for July 4th, but with all the rain, it seemed more like a time to make homemade pizza. With Rachel's help it went pretty fast.


When I used to make pizza there were hardly any leftovers. But now, we'll be eating this the rest of the week.

Lurkers

I don't get very many comments on this blog, but I have a counter, so I know some people must be stopping by. I've thought a little bit about lurking, and wrote about it here. We'd be happy for you to join the conversation there, or just leave an anonymous comment, or, just lurk!

Happy Birthday to Me

I think I want one of these for my birthday!

Life Goes On

I take lots of photos, but I don't get in the photos too often. Yesterday we were happy to celebrate 60 years of marriage with friends from our old church. I want to be like Laurel when I grow up--always kind and cheerful!


Gary's day brightened up when he discovered marshmallows could be dipped in melted chocolate!