Kings Canyon

Went to Kings Canyon Nation Park the other day. I have never been there before, and after living here since 1993 it is about time. We took a picnic lunch and just enjoyed the day. However, I must say that if I am going to do any hiking where there is still snow (packed by tourists) I am going to have to get some boots that have traction. I really don't like sliding when I didn't intend to. The first is a view from the road. We went to "Roads End", which is the name of the end of the park. Beyond that is hiking and you need a permit for many of the areas. Below is the Kings River.

I took this one of Dan, while I was inside a fallen tree.

He wanted to get close to the river for some good shots. I need to download his pics now. You can see how treacherous the river is, and this is not the worst we saw of the white water.

Saw lots of the bear signs.

This is the famous "General Grant" tree. The trees were impressive, but after living in and amongst the 'Big Tree's in the sierras, they are just as impressive. I can honestly say I have seen the largest trees in the world, and my family also.
Grizzley Falls.

All in all it was a great day. The caverns opened the weekend after we were there, so we are thinking when my niece comes out this summer (from Ohio) we may just take a trip there a explore the caverns.

Garden items

Planted some carrot seeds earlier in the year. Thought it might be time to pull some. We have been using them, and they are good. However, since we haven't planted carrots before we did not realize they need to be thinned in the garden. You can see the results. We even got a white carrot (albino). Needless to say as it is void of color, it is also void of any kind of flavor, totally tasteless, not even a hint of any flavor. That is a first for us. I will get a little more ambitious next week and pull some more.

This is one of my favorite roses. The blossoms are big, when fully opened. This one is about half way open. I heard a knock on my door last weekend. A gentleman and his young son were driving by and saw the roses, he asked if he could cut one for a bouquet he was putting together for his mother-in-law as it was her birthday. That was admirable of him since most people just take one as they walk by. He was, also, teaching his son a lesson about asking (the boy was around 7). The rose is on the corner, next to the street.




On a more somber note.
We were going downtown to purchase a book. It had rained quite a lot on Tuesday so I didn't want to go out, it was quite a storm. Wednesday they said more rain, but we weren't expecting the same. As we left the house it was beginning to shower some, but not to heavy. By the time we got to the freeway it was a very heavy downpour. Fortunately for us the traffic was light as the shock we were about to get was incrediable. Shortly after entering the freeway Dan made a commet and started to slow down, I looked up and saw this car coming right at us as it was spinning on the freeway. I just knew it was going to hit us, but it didn't it went right by us by a foot and hit the guardrail then bounced back into the middle of the freeway. We had stopped by now, and waited a minute or 2, the car slowly drove to the side of the road. Dan got out to see if she was ok, another truck stopped behind us to see also. I told him I didn't know and that I was calling 911. We were near another exit, I stayed on the phone with 911 as we followed her to a gas station where she pulled in. The dispatcher said there would be an emergency vehicle going to the gas station to make sure she was alright. The car was a mess, the rear end completly smashed in on the left side where she hit. People need to realize when driving in rain like that, slow down. I remember seeing cars going off the road left and right when I lived in snow country. Sometimes even a 4-wheel drive won't help. Caution is very real and senses need to be used. As we drove away from the gas station (after D. got out and talked with her again) D. said "Praise the Lord!" amen to that. God is good!

Rain storm

We had quite a rain storm on Monday. We didn't get any hail, however many surrounding areas did. It was quite a down pour with lots of thunder. You can see the rain on one side of our house, and an amazing rainbow on the otherside of the house. Because the sky was still very gray you cannot see the vivid colors.

Whenever I see the rainbows it reminds me of Gods promises!

Fun, random pictures

I think this is a fun picture of the truck in front of the "Calistoga" bottling plant in Calistoga. They don't have it on, but in the past the 'radiator' had a large spray of water coming out of it. {If you click or double click on any of the pictures they will enlarge} We had a good time at the lake (last week), my brother and his son were there. It rained Sunday night and into Monday. We then had a real good rain early Tuesday morning. Sat. thru Tues. without TV or internet, we did get some radio. We got some reading in, went to see "How to Train Your Dragon" (real cute), drove around and got some work done around the place. It was relaxing. The lake level is up, this is at the county park where we launch the boat.

This at Lakeport park, and this goose isn't just talking, he was going up and really hissing at any and everything that walked by him. Maybe he was protecting his female, there were several other geese around him, plus many ducks in pairs~~ probably mating season.

This gnarly old tree is in the State Park. When my older children were little it was a nice full tree that I used to place the playpen and blanket under and we could enjoy the shade as we played in the water. I believe that many of my family, kids, cousins, parent, grandparents, etc. have memories of being under this tree in the summer. Sad to say it sure doesn't look like it produces much shade anymore, it looks hacked (probably because the large branches were dead and it was a safety issue).

In my front yard the pigeons come to the bird feeder. This is a first ~~ an albino pigeon.

Off to the lake until Tuesday.

Prayer please.

It has been real touchy lately, for our friend, the one who had open heart surgery a few weeks ago. I spent a couple hours with her on Monday, while her husband was at the doctors. She is very tired and doesn't really feel well~~just not doing well. She had another heart attack on Tuesday. Apparently there is nothing more they can do surgically, they will treat her condition with medicines. Two of the arteries they replaced are plugged again. She will come home tomorrow. At this point I ask for prayer for her and her family. Her daughter is a missionary in Indonesia and she will be coming in on Tuesday.
She is a strong Christian and in the past has been very active teaching Bible Studies and ministering to other, now it is time to minister to her and her family.
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I spent part of my day driving a friend from church around and about, delivering Easter Lilies to shut-ins. She is such a blessing to these people, and I feel privileged to be able to drive her to their houses.

Nice Day

It was in the mid 70's yesterday, and right now it is 74. Yesterday and today Dan decided to work on his Studebaker. He put in the passenger seat today, so now 2 people can ride in his car. Yes, it is drivable and it is insured. In this picture he is doing some adjusting work where the pedals are.



The kitties are not allowed in the bedrooms, however, they still like to give gifts. This was outside my door when I got up this morning. I suspect it was a "gift" from Chloe. At least it isn't a real mouse.
More then one of the kitties made their way outside. Jonah looked both ways and at me as he hid behind the bushes. I let him play a little outside, with Chloe yesterday. It was so nice I didn't want to stay inside, nor do I today.
My purple iris's are blooming. Some are done already.

A friend of mine, at church, is "helping" me to sign up for quilting classes. Bless her, it is something I have wanted to do since the mid 1970's and just haven't quite gotten there yet. So, while sorting through some of my mom's things we have come across some nice fabrics. However, since they have been in storage for sometime I am in the process of washing what I want (to get the musty smell out). I have sold some at yard sales in the past, so what I don't keep will go there. We have, also, found a wealth of sewing supplies, so I am in the process of organizing what I am going to keep. I have not sewn all month, and am wanting to finish some dresses for my granddaughter, do some mending and do some sewing for myself. When the weather is sunny here, I have much more energy and have the gumption to sort. When it is just gray and dull I seem to be listless. Rain, I love, it is just those dull, gray, cold days the central valley is known for.

Today, Keith found out what the insurance will pay him for his bike. They totaled it, so he gets a pay off. I feel bad for him, he so was into his motorcycle. I am grateful that he is alright, and not banged up to bad. God is good.

Have a Blessed day!

Prayer

For those who read this, I am asking for prayer for my son Keith. He has a motorcycle, which he got last spring. He layed it over this afternoon, going around a corner, I don't know all the details as of yet. He is pretty beat up, no broken bones he says. As I type this he is on his way to the doctors so I don't know exactly the extent of everything. He is driving himself to the doctors. He is pretty shaken up. Pray for his physical well being as well as his mental state. What's done is done, I pray nothing more serious will show up at the doctors. Also, for his sake (& mine) pray no one takes the bike and that it is still fixable. He really likes his bike. It is still in the mountains where the accident occurred. Apparently there was a couple that are camping up there somewhere that helped him. They were a God send, God Bless them.

I have a Bible Study tonight, and my husband is going to call me with Keith gets back to him. Until then my stomach will be in knots, as it will be for several days to come. Tomorrow is Friday, if he isn't so stiff he can't move, hopefully he will be able to take care of the insurance, etc.
It is really the pits that we are 4 hours away and waiting, well that stinks.
Doesn't matter how old your kids are, the anxious feelings never go away when they are hurting. You still want to take the pain away.

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Update

Just got off the phone with him. He is bruised up and going to be very sore. If he is still in pain in a week, the doc. said he may need some physical therapy. He is on his way to the bike and will call AAA to pick up the bike (tow) and take it home. The bike is not ride able at this time. God is good, he is ok.

Asked prayer

A dear friend of ours had triple by-pass surgery on Monday. I am asking for prayer for her recovery from her surgery. We went to visit with her today, after church. Her twin sister was there, we missed her husband. She is still in a lot of pain from the surgery. God willing, we pray her healing goes well and there are no complications. Her name is Marge, and she just turned 80 last month.

Amazing!

Since my last post, both my husband and I have had a birthday. I am still coming to grips that I am in my 60's. What is that suppose to feel like? I have no answer. I read somewhere that "It isn't how old you are, it's how you are old." We are experiencing that and more. The gym we went to has closed, so we need to walk more.

The kids are all grown and living on their own, God is gracious. We are enjoying our "empty nest" and are reinvesting in each other, not that we didn't before. We do miss our children very much and wish they lived closer, but that is not in God's plans at this time. We look forward to visits when they can, and I am planning on going to S. Korea sometime this year to visit with my youngest. My niece is planning on coming for a visit from Ohio, and my oldest and her children are coming out from Colorado, also. We will have the picnic basket and boat in order by then.

I am enjoying my Beth Moore Bible Study, and it is helping me meet more of the new women at our church. I didn't go last week because our son came up from Santa Barbara to get somethings to furnish his new place. He had been renting a room from some friends and recently moved into a small studio apt. on his own. We helped him to furnish it and get kitchen things together, including a couple basic type cookbooks. His place has a tiny kitchen with no stove. They provided him with a burner (portable) and microwave. We purchased, for him, a toaster/convection oven. We were also able, through the generous donation from on of my husbands dear friends) give him a small couch and dining table. Those, along with his bed fill the place up, so he has told us. We went grocery shopping to get him some very basic items to stock his kitchen, plus some extra. He paid extra for food where he was before and only purchased his lunch stuff, but he did that when he lived at home.

The weather here has been gray and overcast much of the winter, with rain. There has been some sun, but not a lot. We are now caught up on rainfall, however, with 3 years of drought we are still behind.
I am posting these pictures, because I think they are just amazing: the rainbow I took after Thanksgiving. After rainstorms here we can have amazing rainbows, usually two and you can see them from end to end.

This one, taken the end of January. Usually we don't get amazing sunsets, but this one was quite colorful. Not as brilliant on film as seen by the naked eye. Still amazing.
God can make beautiful pictures and we can look at them and be so blessed by His handiwork!

God Bless

Santa Barbara Trip, Jan. 2010

Some of the pictures from our trip to Santa Barbara. Pictures are of the beach clean up of yachts/boats destroyed by Januarys storm. Pictures taken at the Presidential Library. Note the picture of Reagan created out of 10,000 Jelly Belly's. And the Santa Barbara Mission and a couple of fun ones. Check out the massive root system on the fig tree. I took one picture at the mission and the larger one at the train station. The homeless have set up housekeeping between the roots of the tree for protection from the weather, at the train station. Picture 9, with the blue and butterfly is an acutal piece of the Berlin Wall that was presented to President and Mrs. Reagan.

Oh My!

Again, almost a month since my last post. I have started several times but something else always took me away, and when you share a computer it isn't always your turn when you have a thought to post.

Let me back up a bit. Our Christmas was good. Before Christmas my husbands sister and her husband stopped for a visit on their way from Vancouver, WA to San Diego and again in early Jan. on their way home. We had a good visit both times. Our youngest son was here for Christmas and we had a good visit. On the 1st of the year our oldest and her family were here for a few days. Always good to see them and our grandchildren. A week after they left both our boys were here for a few days, and Eric's girlfriend also (we get along well, very nice). So we had an open door for a few weeks. My husbands words after the boys left were "Well, I guess the holidays are finally over for us." I guess so, what could I say.

Toward the end of the month we went to Santa Barbara to visit with Keith and do some sight seeing. I posted a few pictures, of course afterwards I remembered~~ they post backwards from how you put on. So here goes.

The day we went home we went to the Santa Barbara Mission. We had gone in August when we were there, but not inside. This time we went inside. It was a nice visit, but very much like the others we have seen except for the personal touches, and that it is much larger then some of the other missions. Of course, not to mention that when you look out to the ocean the view is still fantastic. It is the oldest mission still in use in Calif. They have mass as well as it is used for "religious" conferences, etc.
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.The second day we were there we went to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. That was amazing. I have not visited any and I wanted to see this after watching a special on TV about it. It is the only presidential library that has an actual retired Air Force One plane housed there.
It is the same plane that Reagan used during his presidency. He flew over 600,000 hours in this plane (don't remember the exact number ~~ though we told it). We did get a chance to go inside, though they allow no photography inside. The reason being is that (even though told not to) people will forget to turn the flash off on their camera's. As you know, flash photography can ruin artifacts, over time. To date, his is the only PL that has an actual sized replica of the oval office, nice. The first PL started with Hoover. There are 2 in Calif. the rest are either in the Midwest or back east somewhere.

The day we arrived, it was to early to check into our hotel room, so we went to the beach to see some of the sights. This is what we saw, clean up of some of the boats/yachts that were destroyed in the previous weeks storm. K posted some pictures on his Facebook the day after the storm that showed many beached vessels. If you click on any of the pictures you can see more detail.

So sad.

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Hit something and lost much of my post.

I am getting back into activities at church. I have recently joined the Thurs. eve Women's Bible study. We are doing a Beth Moore Bible Study, entitled 'Breaking Free.'

I am also going back to SS with my hubby. I kinda enjoyed having a little time to myself Sunday mornings, but my reason for not going (initially) is now going elsewhere. It was someone whose style I didn't enjoy, but that excused ended a long time ago. Besides, since we got a new pastor 2 years ago many new people have joined and I do not know them, so how else but by being a little more social and attending events, etc.

Today I am sorting some of my teacher stuff, getting ready for a yard sale I hope to have in March sometime. I will make fliers and take them to the office, or, my supervisor said to e-mail them and she will make copies to give to all the teaching staff in the Child Dev.

I also list my yard sales on Craig's list.

Later I will do a slide show of some of my pictures from my visit. Much to do today.

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God Bless and have a Great Day!