Just a Bit More Stitching In June

Little Rosie tries to keep up with her older sisters, but running through the sprinkler takes some careful consideration... 

although my great niece, Laura, who was visiting from Nebraska, Rosie's mom, Mary Kathrine, and I were there to cheer her on.  Before we took Laura to the airport to fly to visit her G'ma [my oldest sister] in California we had to get a picture of Laura with some of our clan at one of our favorite local sight-seeing sites :) :) :)

 Jonsrud Overlook, to admire Mt. Hood, and imagine how Native Americans and Pioneers traversed the terrain to establish homes for their families.

I am so pleased that the pretty primroses that were blooming in February when my good friend Fran gave them to me for my birthday are blooming again in June!  I did not know they could do that.

The fuschia starts we planted in Spring are showing more and more ballerina blossoms dancing down to delight us.

One day after Laura left for California, I headed off to my favorite park, but when I saw this view, I knew I had made a wrong turn.  Mt. Hood and the foxglove and daisies were all very pretty to see, but I was lost.  There was NO traffic, so I stopped at the top of a hill and asked the 
"Google Map Girl" to tell me how to get to the park.

I managed to follow her directions and found my way to the peaceful Sandy River.  One day I want to set a chair in the shallow water and enjoy the cool rushing water running over my feet ~ ~ ~ 

Then my good friend, Teresa, invited me on an adventure, to cruise on the mighty Columbia River with her and some of her family members. As you can see, to get to the sternwheeler we had to bravely pass the wooden carving of Big Foot, a giant hairy beast who reportedly roams the forests of the Northwest!  Have you heard of him?

Isn't the Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler beautiful?

I admired the paddle wheel made to resemble those used on paddle wheel ships of the 1800's .

Teresa had me stand at this angle for an interesting view as we floated further from the dock.

Teresa, Travis, Dayle, Hayden, and Caleb all helped me feel most welcome to enjoy adventuring with them.

For more details about what we saw up and down the river, check Teresa's beautiful and interesting post.

We are trying to grow a hydrangea bush at home like this gorgeous blue one we saw when we got off the ship. 

Then while driving through  beautiful Cascade Locks Park, Teresa stopped and took this photo with my camera of the bronze statues of Sacagawea her baby on her back and her dog who were made to commemorate the valuable help they gave Lewis and Clarke in the early 1800's on their journey to explore what is now the northwest USA;

and Teresa took this photo too of this statue made to remind folks of one of the very real dangers the expedition faced.

As we left the park, we enjoyed a parting view of the sternwheeler headed to the West, so that other passengers could enjoy the fresh air, sunshine, and natural beauty  like we did.  The memory of which will surely linger for them and for us, beckoning us all to come back as often as possible.

The next day I could not bear to stay inside, so my oldest daughter, Mary Kathrine, and her girls [Rosie and Molly in this photo] and I headed to another nearby favorite park.

Hayley enjoyed playing with two girls just her age.

I was thrilled to snap a photo of Joy smiling while she jumped for joy on the wonderful wobbly bridge!

We loved seeing the friendly tree roots reaching out to greet one another,

as we followed a path by the clear running creek over smooth brown rocks by the sturdy bridge on the way back to the car.

The next day I attended Vespers at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Portland.  With all my galavanting around and car troubles it had been many weeks since I had visited there.  It was good to worship with folks I have been missing,  but the next day found me homebound and unwell with some sort of achey flu [?] that I am praying I don't pass on to anyone.

Now several days later I finally have felt well enough to read, and hone my posting skills.  I signed up for PicMonkey.com and made my first collage!  So far I am still blogging not as means to earn an income, but because for me it is a creative pursuit that combines many of my artistic interests.  When I link to a site it is not because I am seeking income or favor with anyone, I'm just sharing my interests with others who have similar interests, and trying to give credit where credit is due.

In the process, I am building cyber friendships that have amazingly sometimes become face to face friendships!  I feel that God is blessing me tremendously in the process, and I am praying my interaction with others is a blessing for them as well.

Currently I am working on a red headband for Molly using Sue's pattern and using Stylecraft acrylic yarn from my Lucy [Attic 24] pack stash that I still want to make a blanket and bag from ........someday.......sigh.  Many of you Makers inspire me to not give up on my To Make List.
Thank you!

I have nearly finished reading "No Place of My Own" by Christine Laennec and am enjoying it on many levels.  The general locations mentioned in the book are places I have been near and my imagination is fired by May's [Christine's Great Granny's] description of living in those locations mentioned in her diary entries in the early 1920s, mainly in northern California.  Her life story is unvarnished [except for the pages that were never printed because she ripped them out!]  She was a physically hard worker with a poetic streak.   Her account of working on a river boat for a time and then on a mining camp make for adventure driven reading! Her wrestling with her sense of her place as a woman in her part of society worried and or frustrated me; but her appreciation for beauty and her humor are lively and propel her story forward, and I don't want the book to end.  In fact I have already re-read parts of it to savor her viewpoint or puzzle over her choices.
The author, Christine, lived in Portland, Oregon, and taught in several schools in the USA before she and her husband moved to Scotland to teach.  You can [and I hope you will] read more of Christine's writing on her blog Writing From Scotland.  

As I finish typing to you I hear "ka-thunking" on the roof above me!  Ripe wild cherries are falling from our massive tree!  So far various family members have climbed on ladders and up on the roof to try to gather ripe cherries; but maybe now the cherries are ready to fall into waiting buckets below... 

What do you think?

Wishing you Happy Summer Days and hoping you'll share some of your news with me, too :)

Gracie xx