The Pictoral Tale of a Sunset

The sun has gone
To bed and so must I

 So long, farewell
Auf Weidersehen, goodbye

 

Adventure: The Trail of 101 Steps & Agates at Oceanside

Saturday afternoon we headed off to the beach to hunt for agates. We had endured several years days of rain and on Saturday the sky was a brilliant blue and the sun was bright and warm. And the day was just made for exploring!     We headed first to a new beach to explore-Short Beach.  This beach is only reached by descending the more than 100 steps down over the steep hillside to the beach below. There are built in  benches to rest and a odd little wooden building.  (If one was blessed with an over-active imagination, then one could cook up all sorts of strange, odd, and eerie happenings in the little wooden building.)

Beginning the descent.

 

 Here's the odd little building that you pass through.... we didn't linger long.

Short Beach.   I love the trees growing right out of the top of the rock.

 

 





Bracing himself for the wave to come....

Love this picture! 

Cape Meares Lighthouse 

Of course no trip to the beach is complete without a good log "rescue". 

"Rescue" complete!

On our return, I stopped for a moment in the odd little building and took a couple pictures of a some of the graffiti that caught my attention.

The trail of 101 steps was sure a good cardiac work out!  And it was fun to explore  a new beach.  We plan to return when the tide is low, and we can do a bit more exploring.

 

On to Oceanside in search of agates.  This is the first one we found.

I find it very relaxing to wander slowly up and down the beach looking for these "treasures".

 

 Here is part of the collection:  I found 11, Andy found 3, and Carson found 3. Such a fun afternoon!

 

Then we headed towards home, but since it was nearing sunset we had to stop and watch the big orange ball dip slowly into the deep blue sea.  But, I will save that for another post.

 

 



Guest Post: "Trouble on the Nestucca Bend Ranch"

Today I am very proud to announce that we will be having a guest blogger.  Please welcome my oldest son, Carson.    Each day for school he is required to write a short composition, usually about two or three sentences.  The subject is about something we are learning or discussing.  The following is his composition from Friday.  We are in the middle of a cowboy unit and had a lot of fun putting this story together.


"Trouble on the Nestucca Bend Ranch"

I am, Carson, the number one cowhand on the Nestucca Bend Ranch.  My favorite bull pushed out the fence, and headed for the river.   He went to the river, got a drink, then crossed the river and wandered into the logging zone.  He climbed through the forest and headed up the mountain.  When I realized he was missing I ran to the barn and got ready my horse Rocket.  We galloped down the rocky road toward the river.  I spotted my bull’s hoof prints on the far side of the river, so Rocket and I crossed over.  I followed the hoof prints left by my bull.  Then my horse started getting antsy and snorting and I was thinking a wolf must be near.  I noticed that there were wolf prints following my bull’s hoof prints.  I pulled my gun out and continued on quietly and cautiously.  That’s when I saw a wolf slowly circling my bull.  The wolf was growling and having a mad face and my bull was snorting and pawing the ground.  I climbed quickly off my horse and tied him to a tree, then I climbed up the tree so that I could get a good shot at the wolf, this also kept me hidden from the wolf.  I waited for a clear shot and then I pulled the trigger and killed the wolf with one shot.   I climbed down the tree, grabbed my lasso from my horse, roped my bull and we all headed back to the Nestucca Ranch.  I think the bull was happy to get back to his safe pasture.   And we all lived happily ever after.

 Carson

Happy Sunday!

A little "man talk" this morning in Andy's office.



 

 

 It's not about a perfect photo....but about documenting the memories, acknowledging the fleeting moments, capturing personalities, and charting their growth.  Enjoy this photo progression of my greatest treasures. 

Happy Sunday, Y'all!

"To The Moon"

Sara Groves has long been one of my favorite musical artists.  I love her simple, folksy style, and her straightforward, heartfelt, transparent lyrics.  I have listened by the hours to her music and whole heartedly believe that God has used her music to bring me much closer to Himself.

The song "To the Moon" has fascinated me since the first time I heard it.  The thought of a church actually taking their church to the moon is absurd and humorous; yet somehow it rings true to what I have observed throughout my lifetime.   Some churches have a "circle the wagons" mentality- keep us all "safe" inside. I'm pretty sure that as a Christ-follower, that is not what I've been called to do.




"To The Moon"    by Sara Groves

It was there in the bulletin
We're leaving soon
After the bake sale to raise funds for fuel
The rocket is ready and we're going to
Take our church to the moon

There'll be no one there to tell us we're odd
No one to change our opinions of God
Just lots of rocks and this dusty sod
Here at our church on the moon

We know our liberties we know our rights
We know how to fight a very good fight
Just get that last bag there and turn out the light
We're taking our church to the moon
We're taking our church to the moon
We'll be leaving soon

If you are not familiar with this song, or with Sara Groves for that matter, look her up on YouTube.  You will be blessed! 


Don't "take your church to the moon" It's time to get busy!
John 4:35(NIV) "...open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest."    
Matthew 28:19-20(NIV)  "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

*the moon pictures are my shaky attempt to capture our very own beautiful moon here in Tillamook county.

 

 

 

Help, It's Melting!

Thankfully the rain didn't start to early, so the kids had plenty of time to play in the snow before it started to melt.

 

They did quite a bit of snow plowing with their heavy equipment.

Good times and great memories; and then the snow turned into rain.