I've questioned God several times over the last several weeks as to why he set the chromosones for "boy" instead of "girl" for both of our children. I've also been extremely grateful, hilariously so, that he set them to "boy".
Camping with boys has been a memorable experience for me. I've often been envious of Kiley setting off to the shower or restroom alone. Every time I head for the shower, it seems, it's with an armload of paraphernalia, and two boys in tow. It's been an experience trying to wrestle two naked boys into campground showers, get them cleaned up, dry, and dressed again while they insisted on wrestling, bickering, whining, getting soap in their eyes and so forth. (By the way, I didn't know feet could get THAT dirty!!!! I needed a putty knife some nights just to clean the dirt off!) I look forward to not having to share the showering experience with my boys for a while. :-)
That being said, there have been some great and laughable moments. (Sorry if the following offends anyone, but it's the reality of having boys, and I have to share it because it makes me laugh, so just skip to the next paragraph if the first sentence bothers you.) Brendon and I decided to teach Ian the joy of being "a man" and pee standing up during this trip. Brendon is much more graphic in his teaching for Ian, which caused me to bite my tongue in many a bathroom to keep from doubling over in laughter. One of the more printable teaching moments from Brendon went something like this, "No Ian, hmph, you don't take your pants all the way down! You have a zipper and a hole in the front of your underwear. It's there so that you can go to the bathroom without showing off you bum. Now...grab a hold of your private part (his real words) and hold tight to aim. Aim up so you don't get your shoes. Make sure you don't drip on the front of your pants because that's real embarrasing, trust me, I've done it....there you go." Suddenly, whether a bathroom had urinals that went all the way to the floor or were up off the ground became part of Ian's rating system for acceptability (his other one was how it smells -- see previous posts)...when we find one that has them to the floor, it's cause for a little "man party" among us guys. I'm not looking forward to the mess I've just caused us for cleaning back home now...
Today was a good, grunting, guy moment for us boys as we walked through the Redwoods. The boys spotted a hole near the bottom of a Redwood stump. After some investigation, we discovered that it led to the center of the stump (this stump was at least 20 feet high) and the stump was hollow. Without much hesitation, we got down on our bellies (this was not a big hole...I had to squeeze, which caused some minor clausterphobic moments for me) and squirmed through the hole to the center of the stump. All of us fit inside this stump with lots of room to spare and could see straight up through the top a long way above. We were pretty proud of ourselves, but Kiley was looking at our dirt covered clothes, faces, and arms as we wriggled our way out...it was a great guy bonding moment. (insert grunt here)
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Friday, August 1, 2008
A Lifetime of Memories
As I type this, I'm sitting over a fire that is blazing at the base of a Redwood Tree stump that's bigger than most trees. The mist is rolling in around me...
Just yesterday morning we left SeaQuest State Park in Washington where we'd spent two nights and explored the destruction of Mt. St. Helens. Ian is in love with volcanoes and so seeing a real one up close was pretty cool for him but he was disappointed that there was no lava spewing at us.
As we left Seaquest, we headed for the coast and drove down the ocean. I found myself getting excited to see the ocean again. We've experienced on this trip, as I've posted before, almost every kind of geography there is in the Western U.S., except the ocean...now we were almost there.
The Oregon Coast always takes my breath away, there's nothing like it and the Northern California Coastline. We soon found a beach and just played for a while. Kiley caught what, I think will be, my favorite photo of the entire sabbatical. I'll post it below.
Finally, we were slaves to the clock and got back in our "land yacht" and continued our cruising down the coastline. The boys were begging to play more on the beach and so we started hunting for campgrounds along the beach earlier than we planned on stopping. We chose one at random as we turned around a hill and, again, it was an amazing "coincidental blessing." This little camping spot had us overlooking the ocean and listening to the crashing waves. Once we set-up, we answered the boys' begging and headed down the path for the beach.
As the sun set, we searched the tidal pools, climbed rocks and gathered shells. Ian was ecstatic to watch a crab bury itself in the sand, play with a live starfish and watch an anemone curl up on itself as he touched it.
We fell asleep last night to the crashing of the waves and the soft drizzle of rain you find so often on the coastline in the Northwest.
This morning was wet, but the boys begged to visit the beach again. So the boys and I dawned our rain coats and beach shoes and trekked down to discover that the tide had gone out...way out. Where water would have been over our heads last night was a whole universe of discovery for the boys.
For the next hour we got soaking wet in the thick mist exploring hundreds of new tidal pools, discovering hundreds of starfish, watching a starfish pull apart a mussel shell, climbing rocks and so much more that our boys will talk about for a long time to come.
Finally, we reluctantly pulled ourselves away from the beach to tear down the camp and head South. We stopped at more beaches along the way and played until arriving here in the Redwoods.
Tonight, they road their bikes around the campground with new found friends and played in the "caves" inside old Redwood trees.
Like I titled the post...a lifetime of memories...and that's just in 48 hours...
Just yesterday morning we left SeaQuest State Park in Washington where we'd spent two nights and explored the destruction of Mt. St. Helens. Ian is in love with volcanoes and so seeing a real one up close was pretty cool for him but he was disappointed that there was no lava spewing at us.
As we left Seaquest, we headed for the coast and drove down the ocean. I found myself getting excited to see the ocean again. We've experienced on this trip, as I've posted before, almost every kind of geography there is in the Western U.S., except the ocean...now we were almost there.
The Oregon Coast always takes my breath away, there's nothing like it and the Northern California Coastline. We soon found a beach and just played for a while. Kiley caught what, I think will be, my favorite photo of the entire sabbatical. I'll post it below.
Finally, we were slaves to the clock and got back in our "land yacht" and continued our cruising down the coastline. The boys were begging to play more on the beach and so we started hunting for campgrounds along the beach earlier than we planned on stopping. We chose one at random as we turned around a hill and, again, it was an amazing "coincidental blessing." This little camping spot had us overlooking the ocean and listening to the crashing waves. Once we set-up, we answered the boys' begging and headed down the path for the beach.
As the sun set, we searched the tidal pools, climbed rocks and gathered shells. Ian was ecstatic to watch a crab bury itself in the sand, play with a live starfish and watch an anemone curl up on itself as he touched it.
We fell asleep last night to the crashing of the waves and the soft drizzle of rain you find so often on the coastline in the Northwest.
This morning was wet, but the boys begged to visit the beach again. So the boys and I dawned our rain coats and beach shoes and trekked down to discover that the tide had gone out...way out. Where water would have been over our heads last night was a whole universe of discovery for the boys.
For the next hour we got soaking wet in the thick mist exploring hundreds of new tidal pools, discovering hundreds of starfish, watching a starfish pull apart a mussel shell, climbing rocks and so much more that our boys will talk about for a long time to come.
Finally, we reluctantly pulled ourselves away from the beach to tear down the camp and head South. We stopped at more beaches along the way and played until arriving here in the Redwoods.
Tonight, they road their bikes around the campground with new found friends and played in the "caves" inside old Redwood trees.
Like I titled the post...a lifetime of memories...and that's just in 48 hours...
Thursday, July 31, 2008
A Whole Month?!
A whole month. It’s odd to think about the fact, that for the whole month of July our family has been away from home.
That being said, it is with great reluctance and mixed emotions that we turn our truck South and make the last few legs of our journey. This last night will probably be our last multiple night in a campground.
Don’t get me wrong, we still have some of the best sites in front of us as we drive the Oregon/Northern California Coast, but there’s something that drains a little of the color our of the view when we think about returning to what we’ve called “Normal Life” (I’m not so sure it’s normal, or should be normal, it’s just the non-Biblical dysfunction that we’ve all decided to settle into).
And so we begin the journey South…
More Rambling Reflections…
• I am thankful for 24/7 time with my family. Spending this much uninterrupted time with my boys has allowed Kiley and I to gain insight into their personalities, character and world that we might miss when we share their time with school, work, etc. We’re better parents, I hope, because of this time, even though I have felt, more often, like a worse parent this summer. (How many times do I have to say “No” to buying another tacky overpriced souvenir?!)
• The Holy Spirit has done some serious overhauling inside me. I’m not ready to talk about much of it yet to anyone but Kiley, but I pray that it’s permanent. Saying, that, there are a few things I hope to follow-through on:
o Listen more, talk less.
o Keep my soul well fed and my emotions and body increasingly healthy.
o Put my ego and pride on the cross and keep them from poisoning my thinking and causing me to open my mouth.
o Remember that I really am not smart enough to think that I know how God wants His church to move. I am utterly dependent on Him because every church is uniquely designed by Him.
o Encourage and express my belief in people more and inflict the weakness of my personality to give suggestions as to how they might be better less.
o Give priority to my relational world, beginning with my family, no matter what the cost or price.
o Practice Sabbatical living (engage in Biblical patterns of rest, celebration, and relationships – by the way, those are three different kinds of time off, not the same)
• I am thankful for an extended family that we enjoy…on both sides of the family.
• I love our camper. Yes, we’ll probably sell it this year to replace the savings we’ve drained, but we’re hooked. ☺ (my friend Jim said we would be).
• Our family is called to be in the ministry. It’s in our blood. It’s who we are. It’s the way we think.
• I need to read more of the books that the world around me is reading and less of those that keep me trapped in Christianese-thinking.
That being said, it is with great reluctance and mixed emotions that we turn our truck South and make the last few legs of our journey. This last night will probably be our last multiple night in a campground.
Don’t get me wrong, we still have some of the best sites in front of us as we drive the Oregon/Northern California Coast, but there’s something that drains a little of the color our of the view when we think about returning to what we’ve called “Normal Life” (I’m not so sure it’s normal, or should be normal, it’s just the non-Biblical dysfunction that we’ve all decided to settle into).
And so we begin the journey South…
More Rambling Reflections…
• I am thankful for 24/7 time with my family. Spending this much uninterrupted time with my boys has allowed Kiley and I to gain insight into their personalities, character and world that we might miss when we share their time with school, work, etc. We’re better parents, I hope, because of this time, even though I have felt, more often, like a worse parent this summer. (How many times do I have to say “No” to buying another tacky overpriced souvenir?!)
• The Holy Spirit has done some serious overhauling inside me. I’m not ready to talk about much of it yet to anyone but Kiley, but I pray that it’s permanent. Saying, that, there are a few things I hope to follow-through on:
o Listen more, talk less.
o Keep my soul well fed and my emotions and body increasingly healthy.
o Put my ego and pride on the cross and keep them from poisoning my thinking and causing me to open my mouth.
o Remember that I really am not smart enough to think that I know how God wants His church to move. I am utterly dependent on Him because every church is uniquely designed by Him.
o Encourage and express my belief in people more and inflict the weakness of my personality to give suggestions as to how they might be better less.
o Give priority to my relational world, beginning with my family, no matter what the cost or price.
o Practice Sabbatical living (engage in Biblical patterns of rest, celebration, and relationships – by the way, those are three different kinds of time off, not the same)
• I am thankful for an extended family that we enjoy…on both sides of the family.
• I love our camper. Yes, we’ll probably sell it this year to replace the savings we’ve drained, but we’re hooked. ☺ (my friend Jim said we would be).
• Our family is called to be in the ministry. It’s in our blood. It’s who we are. It’s the way we think.
• I need to read more of the books that the world around me is reading and less of those that keep me trapped in Christianese-thinking.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
The Makings of a Perfect Campground
Brendon and I were talking this morning on the way back from our morning trek to the restroom about places we’ve been this summer. He said, “Dad, this campground is the best one all summer.” That got me to thinking…we’ll have stayed in aprx. 10 different campgrounds by the time we return home, so that puts us, I think, in a place of being able to somewhat effectively evaluate what makes a perfect campground by Skor family standards. There’s a difference between a nice campground and a perfect campground:
• It has to have trees and foliage. It has to feel like you’re in the woods.
• It has to have a fire ring and nice picnic table close enough to the camper that it feels like an outdoor room extension of our camper.
• It has to have space to set up our awning/screen porch and no wind to force us to tear it down.
• It can’t be swarming with bugs. Some, we don’t mind, it’s part of camping, but we’ve stayed at places that have had so many bugs that I’ve wondered if we were in some Alfred Hitchcock movie.
• It has to give the boys a sense of adventure. Trails, stumps, mystery and other things to engage their imagination.
• Bathrooms that are close, quiet, and not feel like something in a 3rd world country. We don’t mind rustic, but gross is unacceptable.
• It has to have electricity. Call us comfortable campers, but we like our lights, heater, and fans.
• It has to have a parking pad that makes it possible to get the camper close to level. This doesn’t have to be the perfectly level cement pad of a Seniors’ RV Park (we’ve stayed in some of those), but it does have to make it possible to keep from rolling out of the bed at night.
• It has to have people who like to camp and not scream and yell all night. Call me picky, but I want to listen to the wind, birds and rain, not drunken screaming all night long.
• It has to have trees and foliage. It has to feel like you’re in the woods.
• It has to have a fire ring and nice picnic table close enough to the camper that it feels like an outdoor room extension of our camper.
• It has to have space to set up our awning/screen porch and no wind to force us to tear it down.
• It can’t be swarming with bugs. Some, we don’t mind, it’s part of camping, but we’ve stayed at places that have had so many bugs that I’ve wondered if we were in some Alfred Hitchcock movie.
• It has to give the boys a sense of adventure. Trails, stumps, mystery and other things to engage their imagination.
• Bathrooms that are close, quiet, and not feel like something in a 3rd world country. We don’t mind rustic, but gross is unacceptable.
• It has to have electricity. Call us comfortable campers, but we like our lights, heater, and fans.
• It has to have a parking pad that makes it possible to get the camper close to level. This doesn’t have to be the perfectly level cement pad of a Seniors’ RV Park (we’ve stayed in some of those), but it does have to make it possible to keep from rolling out of the bed at night.
• It has to have people who like to camp and not scream and yell all night. Call me picky, but I want to listen to the wind, birds and rain, not drunken screaming all night long.
Finally, I stopped thinking about...
It just hit me the other day. I’d gone several days and had tried to put together a to-do list for when I get back. I hadn’t tried to think about what part of my job description it would be best to pick back up and what I shouldn’t. I hadn’t thought about sermons, computers, what’s happening while I’m gone, problems over the last two years, future worries, lack of land, plans for discipleship, strategy…OK, I’ll stop my list, but you get the idea of what’s been going through my head over the last 5 weeks. It’s not that I haven’t rested…I have in a huge way, but it’s been incredibly difficult for me to not think about when I have to re-engage.
Part of the problem is that there’s always a few things left unresolved when you leave, so your brain goes to them. But, honestly, much of the problem is that I haven’t been faithful in Biblically disengaging as God prescribed, so it’s taken longer. I’ll confess, I was over-tired, and empty when we started our time. I don’t know if my tanks are full, but I do know that the things that drained me…aren’t draining me like they were the first few weeks. They aren’t even an involuntary thought. I have to WORK to make myself think about them.
Meanwhile the Holy Spirit has been re-forming my values, dreams, priorities, desires, and ego. I know I won’t be able to say that I’ll come back changed. I’m far too slow of a learner and changer for that. I have a long history of thinking I’m changed and then changing back in the blink of an eye. And, when I am back in the thick of things, who knows what will happen? He forms me there as well. ☺
I love my God. He is faithful. He is True. He is working on me despite my sin and ragged edges. He has blessed me far beyond what I should have been. I don’t know why. There are others He loves who I think deserve so much more.
I don’t know much, but this I do know.
• He has shed His blood to transform me completely.
• He has given me a family to lovingly pursue Him with together.
• He has called me to be part of His work and my dreams of success and ego mixed with a misunderstanding of my priorities are the most poisonous things to Him being able to use me.
Part of the problem is that there’s always a few things left unresolved when you leave, so your brain goes to them. But, honestly, much of the problem is that I haven’t been faithful in Biblically disengaging as God prescribed, so it’s taken longer. I’ll confess, I was over-tired, and empty when we started our time. I don’t know if my tanks are full, but I do know that the things that drained me…aren’t draining me like they were the first few weeks. They aren’t even an involuntary thought. I have to WORK to make myself think about them.
Meanwhile the Holy Spirit has been re-forming my values, dreams, priorities, desires, and ego. I know I won’t be able to say that I’ll come back changed. I’m far too slow of a learner and changer for that. I have a long history of thinking I’m changed and then changing back in the blink of an eye. And, when I am back in the thick of things, who knows what will happen? He forms me there as well. ☺
I love my God. He is faithful. He is True. He is working on me despite my sin and ragged edges. He has blessed me far beyond what I should have been. I don’t know why. There are others He loves who I think deserve so much more.
I don’t know much, but this I do know.
• He has shed His blood to transform me completely.
• He has given me a family to lovingly pursue Him with together.
• He has called me to be part of His work and my dreams of success and ego mixed with a misunderstanding of my priorities are the most poisonous things to Him being able to use me.
Being Thankful
I’ve just been overwhelmed the last few days with thankfulness. Our Heavenly Father has blessed us on this trip far more than we could ever, and I mean EVER deserve.
We have had no accidents, no major repairs, no major problems with the trailer, etc. Now, I know we aren’t home yet, and, if something were to happen it wouldn’t change my appreciation for His generosity and blessing.
Plus, we’ve been gifted with so many moments, memories, “coincidences”, etc. that only He could arrange. I was listing them in my head as I was driving today:
• Almost perfect campsites (that’s a bigger blessing than you may understand) – well, except that FIRST night. ☺
• So much meaningful relationship time. Someone, before we left home asked me, “Are you sure you want to spend so much of your Sabbatical seeing family and friends? How could that be restful?” Well, we’re blessed with great family on both sides. We’ve had so many moments that I wouldn’t trade for all the world. Plus, believe it or not, I get far more rest when my boys are playing with their grandparents than if it was JUST our family. Plus, we’ve connected with other friends along the way.
• A sentimental Spiritual journey for me. We’ve had a few stops along the way that were at or near places where I made, by God’s grace, significant commitments in my relationship with my Jesus. Visiting these places for me has had a huge impact on what the Holy Spirit has been saying in my life for several months now.
• A camper. It’s raining out right now and I’m sitting, warm and dry in a screen porch. If we were tenting, I’d be miserable. If I was in a hotel, I’d be broke.
• My mom and dad. They loaned us their pick up for the summer. They didn’t have too. They paid more money than they had to get it fixed. We would not have been able to take this trip without their generosity. In so many ways, they’ve taught me the meaning of generosity.
• My beautiful bride. We’ve always enjoyed a great loving relationship, but it’s deepened this summer. It’s been fun to parent side-by-side, which we don’t always get to do in the busyness of the American lifestyle (which, by the way, is seriously wacked and non-biblical, but that’s for another post). We’re a great team and I would have no one else to partner with in this life.
• Creativity. We’ve listened to about 13 books on tape together as a family (all of the Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, The Emperor has no Clothes, and a few others by Roald Dahl). Man, this world has some creative people in it Then, you add the amazing creativity of our Creator – which is beyond imagination. We’ve seen desert, mountains, high plains, low plans, sand hills, black hills, badlands, canyons, geysers, mud pots, dinosaur bones, tons of animals, waterfalls, the Columbia River Gorge, and more. (and we’ve still got the Oregon Coast and the Redwoods to go!). No amount of random evolution could have produced that kind of creativity. I don’t care what you say…it takes more faith to believe in that than a Creative Creator.
I’ll stop this post is already way too long. ☺
We have had no accidents, no major repairs, no major problems with the trailer, etc. Now, I know we aren’t home yet, and, if something were to happen it wouldn’t change my appreciation for His generosity and blessing.
Plus, we’ve been gifted with so many moments, memories, “coincidences”, etc. that only He could arrange. I was listing them in my head as I was driving today:
• Almost perfect campsites (that’s a bigger blessing than you may understand) – well, except that FIRST night. ☺
• So much meaningful relationship time. Someone, before we left home asked me, “Are you sure you want to spend so much of your Sabbatical seeing family and friends? How could that be restful?” Well, we’re blessed with great family on both sides. We’ve had so many moments that I wouldn’t trade for all the world. Plus, believe it or not, I get far more rest when my boys are playing with their grandparents than if it was JUST our family. Plus, we’ve connected with other friends along the way.
• A sentimental Spiritual journey for me. We’ve had a few stops along the way that were at or near places where I made, by God’s grace, significant commitments in my relationship with my Jesus. Visiting these places for me has had a huge impact on what the Holy Spirit has been saying in my life for several months now.
• A camper. It’s raining out right now and I’m sitting, warm and dry in a screen porch. If we were tenting, I’d be miserable. If I was in a hotel, I’d be broke.
• My mom and dad. They loaned us their pick up for the summer. They didn’t have too. They paid more money than they had to get it fixed. We would not have been able to take this trip without their generosity. In so many ways, they’ve taught me the meaning of generosity.
• My beautiful bride. We’ve always enjoyed a great loving relationship, but it’s deepened this summer. It’s been fun to parent side-by-side, which we don’t always get to do in the busyness of the American lifestyle (which, by the way, is seriously wacked and non-biblical, but that’s for another post). We’re a great team and I would have no one else to partner with in this life.
• Creativity. We’ve listened to about 13 books on tape together as a family (all of the Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, The Emperor has no Clothes, and a few others by Roald Dahl). Man, this world has some creative people in it Then, you add the amazing creativity of our Creator – which is beyond imagination. We’ve seen desert, mountains, high plains, low plans, sand hills, black hills, badlands, canyons, geysers, mud pots, dinosaur bones, tons of animals, waterfalls, the Columbia River Gorge, and more. (and we’ve still got the Oregon Coast and the Redwoods to go!). No amount of random evolution could have produced that kind of creativity. I don’t care what you say…it takes more faith to believe in that than a Creative Creator.
I’ll stop this post is already way too long. ☺
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
In the Shadow of St. Helens
Every day I catch myself saying at the end of the day, “Wow, it feels like we experienced a lifetime today.” Today was another one of those days.
We began it lazily at our huge hotel room in Kennewick, WA. It was another one of so many undeserved blessings on this trip we’ve received…for a whole $10 extra we got this suite with three beds and the space of about three hotel rooms, plus a fridge, microwave, etc. It made last night’s supper very fun with stuff I bought from the store across the street. We sat on the beds, had an indoor picnic, and watched a movie after the boys had swam for a couple hours.
But I digress…back to this morning. When we finally got up and around, we went downstairs for the free breakfast. Brendon and I had fun with their waffle irons and made us huge waffles. He watched it cook like it was the perfect meal.
Once on the road, we headed into the Eastern Mouth of the Columbia River Gorge. Around every corner was a new site for us to talk about. We saw dozens of windsurfers, three huge dams, tug boats, cliffs of lava rock, forests of Huge Western Cedars and so much more. Our favorite moment was coming around the corner and having Mt. Hood framed in our windshield. Ian wanted to know where the lava was though.
We stopped at Multnomah falls, which was one of the things on Kiley’s list. She had sentimental memories of going there with her family as a kid and wanted us to share them. Multnomah Falls is tall and just breathtaking. We hiked, the full mile switchback trail all the way too the top and Ian and I leaned out to look straight down (Kiley and Brendon stayed back up the trail – the edge was a little much for them.)
From there, we drove through Portland and Vancouver – two of the more beautiful cities in our country I think and North to Mt. St. Helens. I had done some research and found one state park campground that we really wanted to stay at, but they don’t take same day reservations (guess I should have done my research sooner). When we arrived, they had one site left that would accomadate us so we took it. We were just blown away again when we discovered that we could not have chosen a much better campsite. It’s fairly secluded and there’s a play structure at the end of the site surrounded by trees – it seems none of the kids in the area have discovered this one yet and are playing on the others (it’s not easy to find unless you’re in our campsite). So the boys have their own private playground. There’s a ton of trails through the trees, so they’ve been playing games and having their own fantastic adventures.
As we’ll be here a couple nights, we set up the awning and the screen porch. It adds so much extra room to the camper and allows us to eat outside even on evenings like tonight when there’s a constant kind of drizzle. Some may not like the light rain while camping…but I love it at night. It puts me right to sleep!
We began it lazily at our huge hotel room in Kennewick, WA. It was another one of so many undeserved blessings on this trip we’ve received…for a whole $10 extra we got this suite with three beds and the space of about three hotel rooms, plus a fridge, microwave, etc. It made last night’s supper very fun with stuff I bought from the store across the street. We sat on the beds, had an indoor picnic, and watched a movie after the boys had swam for a couple hours.
But I digress…back to this morning. When we finally got up and around, we went downstairs for the free breakfast. Brendon and I had fun with their waffle irons and made us huge waffles. He watched it cook like it was the perfect meal.
Once on the road, we headed into the Eastern Mouth of the Columbia River Gorge. Around every corner was a new site for us to talk about. We saw dozens of windsurfers, three huge dams, tug boats, cliffs of lava rock, forests of Huge Western Cedars and so much more. Our favorite moment was coming around the corner and having Mt. Hood framed in our windshield. Ian wanted to know where the lava was though.
We stopped at Multnomah falls, which was one of the things on Kiley’s list. She had sentimental memories of going there with her family as a kid and wanted us to share them. Multnomah Falls is tall and just breathtaking. We hiked, the full mile switchback trail all the way too the top and Ian and I leaned out to look straight down (Kiley and Brendon stayed back up the trail – the edge was a little much for them.)
From there, we drove through Portland and Vancouver – two of the more beautiful cities in our country I think and North to Mt. St. Helens. I had done some research and found one state park campground that we really wanted to stay at, but they don’t take same day reservations (guess I should have done my research sooner). When we arrived, they had one site left that would accomadate us so we took it. We were just blown away again when we discovered that we could not have chosen a much better campsite. It’s fairly secluded and there’s a play structure at the end of the site surrounded by trees – it seems none of the kids in the area have discovered this one yet and are playing on the others (it’s not easy to find unless you’re in our campsite). So the boys have their own private playground. There’s a ton of trails through the trees, so they’ve been playing games and having their own fantastic adventures.
As we’ll be here a couple nights, we set up the awning and the screen porch. It adds so much extra room to the camper and allows us to eat outside even on evenings like tonight when there’s a constant kind of drizzle. Some may not like the light rain while camping…but I love it at night. It puts me right to sleep!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Random Memories
Just some of my random memories that make me smile from the trip so far:
• My Nephew, Rylan, opening up the fridge in the Shop at the Cobb Ranch which they keep stocked with Pop for the grandkids and saying, “Now this…is heaven!”
• Floating down the Niobrara River with Brendon on Inner Tubes. Actually, it was more like dragging Brendon on his inner tube because the stinkin’ river was too shallow, but we had fun. Oh, and narrowly sliding under an electric fence spanning the river.
• Watching the boys learning to drive and swerving off into the pasture.
• Sitting by the fire at the Mystery Mountain campground and watching our neighbors play cards with flashlights on their forheads.
• Carrying Ian up and down stairs through Wind Cave with both of us covered with puke. His head was on my shoulder, and when something cool came up he’d whisper in my ear, “That’s cool daddy.”
• Driving through Yellowstone and hearing the boys say, “Oh, just another Bison.” They’d seen too many evidently.
• Jason and I tying at four games to four playing the card version of Settlers of Katan.
• Helping Tom lay the flooring that we brought with us from Ikea in their bathroom floor.
• Going through the maze in Rapid City with Kiley’s parents and hearing the boys giggling all the way across the maze as they ran through with their PaPa.
• Saying, “We’ll never see a grizzly bear in Yellowstone. They’re rare!” and then seeing two.
• Skipping rocks on the Bitterroot river in my home town with the boys. I still hold the record at 8 skips.
• Going down the two story water slide at the Holiday Inn Express in Sturgis, SD and it sounding like a Water Buffalo was in the thing as it rocked back and forth all the way down. Then having Kiley go down and the end of the slide catch her so off guard she tried to breathe in as she went under the water (it was funny later). ☺
• Sitting in our screen porch late at night in West Yellowstone visiting with the Anderson family.
• Eating Ice Cream on the 2nd floor deck of the Old Faithful Inn watching Old Faithful go off and make a rainbow in the setting sun.
• Laying in the hammock and taking a nap as the evening breeze rocked me to sleep at the Cobb Ranch.
• My Nephew, Rylan, opening up the fridge in the Shop at the Cobb Ranch which they keep stocked with Pop for the grandkids and saying, “Now this…is heaven!”
• Floating down the Niobrara River with Brendon on Inner Tubes. Actually, it was more like dragging Brendon on his inner tube because the stinkin’ river was too shallow, but we had fun. Oh, and narrowly sliding under an electric fence spanning the river.
• Watching the boys learning to drive and swerving off into the pasture.
• Sitting by the fire at the Mystery Mountain campground and watching our neighbors play cards with flashlights on their forheads.
• Carrying Ian up and down stairs through Wind Cave with both of us covered with puke. His head was on my shoulder, and when something cool came up he’d whisper in my ear, “That’s cool daddy.”
• Driving through Yellowstone and hearing the boys say, “Oh, just another Bison.” They’d seen too many evidently.
• Jason and I tying at four games to four playing the card version of Settlers of Katan.
• Helping Tom lay the flooring that we brought with us from Ikea in their bathroom floor.
• Going through the maze in Rapid City with Kiley’s parents and hearing the boys giggling all the way across the maze as they ran through with their PaPa.
• Saying, “We’ll never see a grizzly bear in Yellowstone. They’re rare!” and then seeing two.
• Skipping rocks on the Bitterroot river in my home town with the boys. I still hold the record at 8 skips.
• Going down the two story water slide at the Holiday Inn Express in Sturgis, SD and it sounding like a Water Buffalo was in the thing as it rocked back and forth all the way down. Then having Kiley go down and the end of the slide catch her so off guard she tried to breathe in as she went under the water (it was funny later). ☺
• Sitting in our screen porch late at night in West Yellowstone visiting with the Anderson family.
• Eating Ice Cream on the 2nd floor deck of the Old Faithful Inn watching Old Faithful go off and make a rainbow in the setting sun.
• Laying in the hammock and taking a nap as the evening breeze rocked me to sleep at the Cobb Ranch.
A Night In a Hotel
It's so hard to believe our seven weeks is drawing so close to its end. The
first two weeks crept gloriously slow; however the weeks since have simply
flown. It was difficult to say "goodbye" to my family. The boys don't get
much time with them and enjoy the time they do have to the full. This stay
in particular was a very rich time with their "other" grandparents. Whether
or not they remember much of this trip as they age, I will hold dear the
memories of experiencing Yellowstone, the Badlands and the Black Hills with
my children and my parents. My dad is somewhat of a siren for children and
the boys aren't immune to his charms either. They had so much fun shooting
the 22, catching turtles and bugs, playing in and climbing through the
canyons, driving the car and truck, eating cookies and drinking Dr Pepper
for breakfast and as a culmination, doing the life-size maze in the Black
Hills with him. Brendon insisted he, dad and Ian would be one team and
Michael, mom and I would be the other team. I can still hear the boys
laughing as they ran to stay ahead of us. I called mom on the phone
yesterday and apparently, they had quite an effect on dad as well. He said
it was pretty quiet around the house and that he misses hearing little boys
around the place.
first two weeks crept gloriously slow; however the weeks since have simply
flown. It was difficult to say "goodbye" to my family. The boys don't get
much time with them and enjoy the time they do have to the full. This stay
in particular was a very rich time with their "other" grandparents. Whether
or not they remember much of this trip as they age, I will hold dear the
memories of experiencing Yellowstone, the Badlands and the Black Hills with
my children and my parents. My dad is somewhat of a siren for children and
the boys aren't immune to his charms either. They had so much fun shooting
the 22, catching turtles and bugs, playing in and climbing through the
canyons, driving the car and truck, eating cookies and drinking Dr Pepper
for breakfast and as a culmination, doing the life-size maze in the Black
Hills with him. Brendon insisted he, dad and Ian would be one team and
Michael, mom and I would be the other team. I can still hear the boys
laughing as they ran to stay ahead of us. I called mom on the phone
yesterday and apparently, they had quite an effect on dad as well. He said
it was pretty quiet around the house and that he misses hearing little boys
around the place.
Saturday evening/Sunday morning was bitter-sweet as we took a slight detour
and spent about 18 hours in Hamilton, MT (Michael's home town). I have
memories of Hamilton over the years as well, though I only visited for a
week or so at a time about every two years. It's situated in a beautiful
canyon along the Bitteroot river. We stayed at a campground along the river
Saturday night (after a quick drive through the town) and then went to
Michael's home church Sunday morning. Many things have changed, many others
are the same. It was fun to see things and have Michael point out his old
schools and where his friends lived. This was the first time we've been to
Hamilton since Jon and Esther moved to California. It was quite strange to
be there and not have Jon and Esther living on the hill outside of town,
running the DQ. While it left a melancholy feeling, I'm grateful the boys
are able to spend more time with them since they're so close to us.
Sunday morning was an interesting experience and fun. Many people at the
Hamilton Wesleyan Church (now called Mountain View Wesleyan) are the same
people Michael grew up with and many have been there long enough to know my
family from when we held revival meeting there. When the pastor introduced
us during the service, someone piped up from the back, "Tell them they can
go back to Sacramento, but they need to send Jon and Esther back." Everyone
laughed quite a bit. After church, we went to Perkins with several old
friends and I was reminded that so many in that church are simply the salt
of the earth. We had such a great time visiting and catching up on their
lives and many other people who are mutual friends that we've lost contact
with over the years.
Sunday night ended up more tiring than we planned. We didn't get out of
Hamilton until well after 2 and had a hard time finding a campground for the
night. We finally found an RV park in Post Falls, ID sometime after 8, when
we were all completely whipped. It was a pretty fussy place with decorator
rocks of various colors marking different areas (not a spot of bare dirt
could be found in the entire campground) and loaded with large, expensive
motorhomes and fifth wheel trailers. I felt rather red neck/white trash-ish
as we pulled the 'ol tent trailer in and our loud, pent up, wound up
children tumbled out of the truck running and screaming full speed and
volume. It took a while to get set up, it seemed and I was more worn out,
body and spirit, than I've felt in a long time. Within the first two hours
of getting to the campground, I managed to drop a cement block on two bare
toes, overflow a toilet, put a huge crack/gash/hole in the trailer's table
and lose 75 cents in a soda machine without getting the caffeine I so
desperately longed for. I don't know that I've cried like that in quite some
time. Everything was a stupid, non-important issue, but lumped together when
I was so worn out anyway, it was just too much. This morning went fairly
smoothly, except that darn toilet overflowed for someone else while I was
trying to get my hair and make-up done, so I got chased out of the bathroom
and had to finish up elsewhere.
We were hoping to make last night a hotel night, but by the time we found
any kind of reasonably priced lodging with a pool, it was too late for the
boys to enjoy it that evening. The campground had wifi (and an indoor pool,
but the pool didn't open until 10 and checkout was at 11...I hate it when
they do that), so Michael found a great hotel and reserved it this morning.
After a nice short drive, we got to the hotel mid-afternoon--just in time
for a quick nap. The boys swam a good two hours (I got some exercise in and
then was able to sit and visit with Michael while we watched them swim some
more) and then we picnicked in our hotel room. The boys are really worn out
and are nodding off as I type.
The plan tomorrow is to find a nice campground that will suffice for two
nights and then hike Multnomah Falls and take a look around Mt St. Helens
over the course of a couple of days before heading down the coast and taking
in the redwoods on the way home.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Sunday
We woke up this morning to the sound of the Bitterroot River racing over the rocks just outside the camper door. We took our time getting ready, but eventually got everything torn down in time to head over to what used to be the Hamilton Wesleyan Church, but was recently renamed the Mt. View Wesleyan Church. This is the church where I grew up. Many of the people there had a huge hand in the shaping of my adult life. I have only been there a small handful of times, other than a summer internship since 1991.
We had warned no one we were coming, so it was a blast to see the reactions on some of our old friends' faces as we walked in the doors of the small church. We created such a stir that services started late.
When the Pastor got up for his announcements, he welcomed us and Herb Bounds, a long time friend of my folks, yelled from the back "It's nice to have them here, but could they please go and send back Jon and Esther?! We miss them more!" Everyone laughed.
They're working hard to get the church updated. They've put in nice new carpet, chairs, sound system, projector and more.
After service a few of them men helped me repair the jack that I had bent to a 45 degree angle going over a curb in Rapid City (long story that I really don't want to type yet, I'm still mad at myself) in the back yard of the church.
We visited with several families whom I had not seen in a long time, and, of course, they all knew Kiley from her travels with her folks as well as her attachment to me. I think they enjoy talking to her more. :-)
From there, we went out to eat with the David, Rhonda, Bruce King and their two youngest kids. Bruce was my CYC leader for years and had much to do with some of my early value system. David is a few years older than I am and I've admired his faithfulness to Hamilton Wesleyan. He and his wife have been good friends to my folks. Leo and Susan also joined us. I don't know them well, but she worked for my folks for a long time during their last years in Hamilton.
We drove around town and took pictures of my old stomping grounds. I was amazed that the boys were actually interested in where I grew up. We couldn't get up to see our old house, but were able to see it through binoculars across a field. It's been well cared for and they even added more space onto my old bedroom!
From there, we headed West. We had heard about a large Indoor Water Park in Kellog, ID, so we excitedly headed there. Once there though, we discovered that it was VERY expensive to stay. (I explained it to the boys as, "We could stay here and play for one night or we could by an XBox 360 and keep it." -- that kind of put things in perspective.).
So, disappointed, we headed on West and found a nice little campground in the cool evening winds of Post Falls, ID. We arrived just in time for a light picnic dinner and went to bed.
We'll head towards the Columbia River Gorge on Monday, but at a much slower pace.
We had warned no one we were coming, so it was a blast to see the reactions on some of our old friends' faces as we walked in the doors of the small church. We created such a stir that services started late.
When the Pastor got up for his announcements, he welcomed us and Herb Bounds, a long time friend of my folks, yelled from the back "It's nice to have them here, but could they please go and send back Jon and Esther?! We miss them more!" Everyone laughed.
They're working hard to get the church updated. They've put in nice new carpet, chairs, sound system, projector and more.
After service a few of them men helped me repair the jack that I had bent to a 45 degree angle going over a curb in Rapid City (long story that I really don't want to type yet, I'm still mad at myself) in the back yard of the church.
We visited with several families whom I had not seen in a long time, and, of course, they all knew Kiley from her travels with her folks as well as her attachment to me. I think they enjoy talking to her more. :-)
From there, we went out to eat with the David, Rhonda, Bruce King and their two youngest kids. Bruce was my CYC leader for years and had much to do with some of my early value system. David is a few years older than I am and I've admired his faithfulness to Hamilton Wesleyan. He and his wife have been good friends to my folks. Leo and Susan also joined us. I don't know them well, but she worked for my folks for a long time during their last years in Hamilton.
We drove around town and took pictures of my old stomping grounds. I was amazed that the boys were actually interested in where I grew up. We couldn't get up to see our old house, but were able to see it through binoculars across a field. It's been well cared for and they even added more space onto my old bedroom!
From there, we headed West. We had heard about a large Indoor Water Park in Kellog, ID, so we excitedly headed there. Once there though, we discovered that it was VERY expensive to stay. (I explained it to the boys as, "We could stay here and play for one night or we could by an XBox 360 and keep it." -- that kind of put things in perspective.).
So, disappointed, we headed on West and found a nice little campground in the cool evening winds of Post Falls, ID. We arrived just in time for a light picnic dinner and went to bed.
We'll head towards the Columbia River Gorge on Monday, but at a much slower pace.
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