Road Trip: Portland, Oregon

We just got back from our vacation! We had a great time, relaxing, checking out the zoo (The zoo has over a thousand specimens representing two hundred species, 21 of which are endangered) and Portland Art Museum to check out the fantastic works of M.C. Escher! The Portland Art Museum is the oldest museum of its kind in the region founded in 1892.

And of course there was ... Munching out ... watching TV ... You could say I was "happily slacking" on lots of stuff while we were away.

I'll be back to what passes for regular posting soon ...

Vacation!

Melissa, the kids and I are packed and ready to go on a mini vacation to Portland, Oregon! We've been looking forward to this for a few weeks! We will be checking out the Escher exhibit at the Portland Art Museum and also the Zoo on Monday. (Hannah is head over heels about the latter!) We'll be back late Tuesday evening. I said mini vacation after all. See you then!

Tim

The Peace of Wild Things

The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry

"When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free."


Tim, heading to the woods on another hot day ....

Road Trip: Spring Creek/Winema National Forest

Time for yet another beat the heat mini road trip, this time with my son Shay. We drove around awhile before deciding on trying this place out about 7 miles from home! The campground has five campsites & a picnic area on the headwaters of Spring Creek. Unfortunately the campground itself is in disrepair due to 'thinning' of tress, but a short jaunt outside the place gave us a primo spot right on the creek.

Spring Creek is an underground river that rises to the surface here. Oux-Kanee, the nearby overlook offers a view of the headwaters of Spring Creek & a sign to help you identify landmarks. On most days you can see raptors soaring just below the cliff!



Sunset from our camping spot.

Wildflowers abound here at this time of year growing on the logs in the water and on the shoreline.

Camping can't be camping without a campfire right? This was our view of the creek right before cooking up some vittles! Methinks we found yet another "secret site"!

Road trip to Canby, California

Spring fever has hit with a vengence! Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day and I just had to go out on a mini road trip!



First stop was Lower Klamath Lake in the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge. Klamath and Tule Lake is known for all sorts of migrating birds. The area provides overwintering grounds for scores of bald eagles, and others. The picture above as taken from Stateline Road which goes through the refuge.



After spending some time in the refuges I headed over to the Lava Beds National Monument. Thats how these road trips go, I just keep tacking on to it until the day is done! Anyway ... I forgot about the wildfire that was there a year or two ago, so I was surprised about how black it was in its Northern parts! The Lava Beds is a stark landscape ( And I like these landscape, seemy link below for pictures of my trip to the Oregon Outback a few weeks ago.) Anyways the fire really turned the place into a surreal landscape! Here is a picture of "Captain Jacks Stronghold" with Mt. Shasta in the backgound.




Here is a picture of the Canby Hotel. Mind you, I wasn't really aiming for Canby but out in the middle of nowhere I suddenly heard this thump, thump, thump and lo and behold I had a flat tire. I only had this "temporary tire" and Canby was the nearest town and I was hoping to get a new tire there. But alas, no tire shops here and I had to limp along to the thriving metropolis of Alturas (Actually a favorite place to visit of mine) to find a tire shop. Canby turned out to be a friendly place and I got a bite to eat before heading out. I will have to stay at this Hotel some time!





On my way home I took this picture of an old barn outside of Canby. I kind of have a thing for old barns as my wife will tell you, so I couldn't pass this one up! All in all this was a great little tripeven with the unexpected ... Maybe BECAUSE of the unexpected! Life is like that sometimes isn't it?lol

And ... How was your day?

http://thundercatt99.blogspot.com/2009/02/going-to-ouback.html

Now Thats A Vacation!!!

This is one of those things I found looking for something else ...

BUT ... Imagine taking a year off from your job! It sounds really cool to me! Then to extend it further ... imagine the entire country putting work on the shelf for twelve months.

An interesting thought, but one God told Israel to do in Exodus 23:10-11.

"And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof:

But the seventh [year] thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, [and] with thy oliveyard."

All work on the land was to be suspended on the seventh, sabbatical year, which in an agricultural society means the people were to rest from their ordinary work. Servants were set free, debts suspended ... Imagine what a person could do with a year of time on their hands. God promised to bless the harvest during the 6th year, enough to last until the harvest of the 8th year. However ... there was one condition to this gift ... that Israel faithfully follow the seventh year sabbatical regulations. And there is no indication they ever did though ...

But hey ... Now thats a vacation!