Blog Your Blessings Sunday #41

If you care to join us acknowledging our blessings go here: Blue Panther
CLICK on any photo to enlarge for better viewing. . .

This is a photo of two friends who took me camping last week on Mount Rainier in Washington state. They are crossing the bridge on our return after a hike. (Please excuse the sun spots in the photo.) These two wonderful people are my blessing that I write about this week. But I am getting ahead of my story. . .

These special people have shared their beloved mountain with me this year, not once, but twice! I first visited Mount Rainier for my birthday in January when they took me snow shoeing for my first time. I wrote about that back in January and had wonderful snow photos too. (See index if you missed it.)

This time, they picked me up for camping on Monday afternoon and we arrived at Mount Rainier in time to set up camp and enjoy a wonderful salmon dinner grilled on a campfire to perfection.



The next morning, I woke up to blueberry pancakes made on the campfire. (I had to buy fresh blueberries at the Farmer's Market Saturday so I could make myself some more!)

Then, we went on a hike with a Ranger and other people in a group and learned about the area up behind the Paradise Inn and we were lucky enough to see deer





a marmot (I think)
and beautiful flowers too.



I will share more of them in another post later this week.

Then the guided walk was over before we knew it and, just the three of us -- well, mostly me -- wanted to continue on over another bridge on the Skyline Trail

to see the remaining snow near the Nisqually Glacier. We went over one bridge

but the second bridge was out and not feasible to cross the river in my eyes so . . . can you believe it, I voted to pass up the snow near Nisqually Glacier! (I did see pockets of snow in the landscape.)


We went back to the old Mount Rainier Visitors Center after a brief stop at the car for our picnic lunch.


We enjoyed wonderful turkey sandwiches, Pepsi and cold soup which turned out to be quite wonderful and I have asked Katney for the recipe.

They are in the process of building a new visitors center that will be better suited for the amount of snow they get each winter.

There was so much more to my wonderful camping experience on Mount Rainier but that will be for another day. Thanks, dear friends for being a blessing in my life.

This is the same bridge I started out my story with. Crossing it the first time before our hike in the woods there didn't bother me too much but when we returned, I was scared to death with that rushing water and I clung to the railing and closed my eyes partially until I reached the other side. Did you notice that we had blue skies part of the time?

Blog Your Blessings Sunday #40

If you care to join us acknowledging our blessings go here: Blue Panther

One might say my blessing this week is that I am feeling better and trying to fly around to blogs I used to frequent daily/weekly to catch up on my reading and leaving comments. I found this Tiger Swallowtail at the park when I went to take photo of the Kiggins House re-model a couple weeks ago. It reminded me that I am able to flit around and visit blogs once again so that is definitely my featured blessing this week. Thanks for all your kind notes, prayers and thoughts. I hope to catch up on old blessings of yours and today's current ones also.


First, I saw it land on the grounds of the park.

Finally, it went up to a tree. Isn't it something how the same butterfly can look different colors on different backgrounds?

Blog Your Blessings Sunday #39

If you care to join us acknowledging our blessings go here: Blue Panther

To read about my blessing for this past week, read the post below that tells about my accident and the two angels who cared to stop and help. Click on this link and it will take you there: HERE Taking it easy for Sunday's post and hope to be back blogging regularly Monday. I will try to visit as many as I can Sunday afternoon if not before.

Blog Your Blessing Sunday #37

If you care to join us acknowledging our blessings go here: Blue Panther

My blessing this week are the free concerts in the park each Thursday evening during July and August. This week it was our pleasure to hear Patrick Lamb and his Band again -- they also performed at our 4th of July event.

A bank here pays for most of the expenses and we have a Pepsi distributor and the local newspaper supporting it also.

It all takes place at a park in the middle of downtown. There is a beautiful bandstand there to use for performances. The mayor attends each one and always has a few good words to say about that night's band and always puts in a plug for Vancouver also. They even have prizes given out at half time to lucky ticket numbers which we are given free of charge.

OK, so now you know the setting. . . get your imagination going and sit back and listen to two hours of great tunes. What else can it be but a blessing? ONE that has been going on each summer for the past 8 years. If it is Thursday night, you will find me at the park! Thank you, Lord for the gift of music you have given to so many and for the sponsors who make it possible!

Blog Your Blessings Sunday #32

If you care to join us acknowledging our blessings go here: Blue Panther

I had a hard time thinking which blessing I could use for today because I didn't have a "matching" photo. Finally, I thought about using this "poor" bench photo to point out the blessing of endurance. "I have fought the good fight, I have run the good race, I have kept the faith." These words come from Paul in The Second Letter to Timothy in the New Testament.

I have another blog with two other people and we post photos of the benches we see along our daily paths. We all have a penchant for benches and photographed them even tho we didn't know what we would do with the photos until recently when I developed our blog called For the Love of Benches.

Last night. before it got dark outside, I went for a walk in the neighborhood to mostly photograph flowers and get some exercise after our ice cream social that we had yesterday. (I had a yummy banana split.) When I spied this bench hiding on a porch, I was disappointed that I could not get a great photo of it. For some reason, I decided to take it anyway. Perhaps it was to remind me to go back and try again another time. Perhaps it was to remind me that if I endured, I would be successful in the future. Perhaps it was a way to remind me of the personal RACE I am running in my Christian faith. Whatever it was -- maybe all of them -- it reminded me that ENDURANCE is a blessing and it was just the thing I needed to blog about today while counting my blessings.

I spied this unique bench on a porch but there was just no good angle to take a photo of it unless I went up on the porch. It also had a bunch of things on it, covering the beautiful seat that was peeking through and while I might have asked to come on the porch to photograph it, I wasn't about to ask them to remove the "litter." Thus, hoping for the blessing of endurance so that I can go back to this part of my neighborhood and try again in the future.

Yes, endurance is a large part of my Christian life and it shows up in everyday things to remind me of the final "prize."

Blog Your Blessings Sunday #31

If you care to join us acknowledging our blessings go here: Blue Panther


This is the last photo I took of our designated Heritage Tree that stood in front of the Carnige Library, now the Museum. just before it was removed because of a threat of falling.
I don't know how old it is but but in 1998 it was declared a Heritage Tree so maybe that means it was here when Captain Vancouver first arrived.


The previous 3 shots show it's extensive root growth and the reason it was about to topple over.

The upper limbs were twisted in their growth. CLICK to enlarge and see if better.
It's gone but the memory will always be there. . . I don't think I can walk past the old Carnegie Library (now the Museum) and "not see the Heritage Elm tree" out front. It has been a part of my life for 22 years but a part of Vancouver's history for a lot longer. They have planted a new Elm tree which I will get a photo of today and add it here. The good news is that there are plans to use part of the old Elm for a bench which will be placed by the new tree and hold the plaque awarded to it in 1998 so it looks like the Old Elm tree will always be a part of Vancouver's life. I can hardly wait for that to happen. I miss the old tree. What a blessing it has been to me since I first moved to Vancouver, Washington in 1985.

This is the new tree they planted to replace the one they took out. I have no idea if they saved any plant growth from the old tree or not. CLICK to enlarge to see the little tree there now.

Blog Your Blessings Sunday #29

If you care to join us acknowledging our blessings go here: Blue Panther




It has been awhile since I have been awake to see a sunrise. . . but this morning, the light was shining so bright into my room that I woke up. I live on the 8th floor. I grabbed my camera and took these two shots through the window. I wish I had a balcony!

Today - Saturday - was clean up in downtown, and I was one of the 1000 participants. I had to get up very early to meet the rest in the park and be assigned an area to pick up litter, clean up weeds and such. There were tiny kids and senior citizens all working together.

Since I have been retired, I get up when I choose mostly so there was a little grudge in my heart knowing that I had to get up early and walk almost two miles to get to the park. I knew I could do it. . . and I did but my muscles know how hard I worked today. When we got finished, I would have headed straight home but we had a free lunch and music entertainment so I waited around. Long as I found a bench in the shade and wasn't too far along in the line to get the lunch, I was ok. I didn't win any of the "door prizes" but it was nice anyway. I had a nice hot lunch and even seconds and the music wasn't too bad either. Finally, about 1:00 PM, I headed home for another shower and a nap.

OK. So where's my blessing? Well, that arrived with the sunrise I was able to capture. That came knowing that I was a part of 1000 people helping our town to look a little nicer. I also made a few new friends and we all worked together as a team. Our downtown and uptown (where I live) looks terrific! Lots of blessings there.

Blog Your Blessings Sunday #27

If you care to join us acknowledging our blessings go here: Blue Panther



Last Sunday I did not have time to participate blogging for Blog Your Blessings Sunday because I was celebrating our church's GOLDEN anniversary. The week before I had made and laminated 300 bookmarks. Each person was to receive one when they exited the chapel for refreshments. That went well and everyone had lots of nice compliments about the bookmarks. The cake and punch/coffee were good also.

Now we will continue celebrating our anniversary all year by featuring a different Board or group all month for the month. That means I am in charge of doing a small bulletin board to publicize what each board or group does for our church.

I will also be collecting old photos and information about important events the past 50 years so we can put together a Memory Book at the end of the celebratory year. I know it will be lots of work but should be kinda fun also.

My blessing this week is the church anniversary which started last Sunday. Hopefully my work for the celebration this year will be one filled with blessings too! "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on thy own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-7)

Happy Mother's Day!

Blog Your Blessings Sunday #24

If you care to join us acknowledging our blessings go here: Blue Panther



Saturday I did nothing. I mean, I did nothing of the things that were waiting on my "TO DO" list. It was 78 degrees and our first really nice day with beautiful blue skies in a long time -- WITHOUT RAIN. In thinking of which blessing I wanted to share and what photo I would put with it, I decided on this one. It illustrates a picture of rest when I am doing one of my about town walks and comes with the added beauty of the tulips that are open now and in full bloom. To me, this is the ultimate picture of resting in His beauty!

Blog Your Blessings Sunday #23

If you care to join us acknowledging our blessings go here: Blue Panther

I never thought I would ever count rain as my blessing as it hampers me from taking long walks on many days. BUT . . . when I see how the beauty of these flowers is magnified by the water droplets from the rain, I have to admit that rain is a blessing. I know it is necessary for so many other things and that we all need rain. That's not my point. . . I wouldn't mind if it rained every night while I was sleeping! Today, when I visited the Farmer's Market near the downtown park, I walked around and took photos of the tulips and Daffodils as they are in their third week of blooming and there are so many beautiful ones. Using my camera to capture their beauty I almost forgot it was raining even tho I got soaking wet because I stopped using my umbrella in order to use the camera. The things one will do to get a great photo!
Click on photos below to enlarge and see the droplets of rain embracing the spring flowers:




Well, I guess that will have to be it for photos this time although I wanted to share one more. . . blogger isn't cooperating tonight.

Thank you for your prayers last week.

Blog Your Blessings Sunday #22

If you care to join us acknowledging our blessings go here: Blue Panther

CLICK on photo to enlarge.

If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, my blessing today is also yours! I know, I am not worthy to receive such a wonderful gift but it is there for me anyway, just for the taking because I am a believer. That's the wonder of this gift. That's the beauty of this gift. That's the GRACE of THIS gift!

A most blessed Easter for those of you who celebrate.