More summer fun, Part 5

OK, I promise, this is the last installment in the summer vacation series. After our adventures in Washington, Idaho, Colorado, and Utah, we headed to Southern California for a few days. First we stopped in Santa Barbara for two nights to spend some time with my mom. One of the many things we did together was go to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. We had been there before, years ago, and since that time the library has added Air Force One to its collection. They built a special room to house this huge airplane, which served seven presidents, including Reagan, until a new Air Force One was built. It was so impressive to walk into this room and see this massive plane. We were able to go inside of it, too, and look all around, although pictures were prohibited in the interior of the plane.
This is the car President Reagan used when traveling from place to place during his term in office. Note the license plate!
Also on display was his presidential helicopter.
And here is his final resting place. He had not yet died the last time we were there, so this part was new to us.
Upon seeing this sign in the garden, Mark was inspired to show off his hat with the genuine rattle snake head band.
We had a great visit with Mom. At 80 years old, she is in the midst of building a brand new house, and we were able to go to the site and check out the site prep work that was going on. You go, Mom!
Next on our agenda was to stay two nights in San Francisco, the city of my birth. On the one full day we had to tour around, we went to several places that were important in my early life. The gray building below is where my parents lived when they were newly married. It was a series of rooms that were rented by various people, with a shared bathroom. I don't know what it is used for today, but we had to take the picture as we were driving down the road, as there was nowhere to stop and park, and it didn't look very safe to do so anyway.
Next is the house where I lived when I was born. Located at #3 Prospect Street, it hasn't changed much at all over the years. Take a good look at this house, and then at the next picture.
The picture below was taken when I lived in the house 57 years ago. Doesn't it just look almost exactly the same?
You will notice in the black and white picture above that there is a mail slot in the lower right-hand corner of the building. Yep, it's still that way today!
A close-up of the mail slot.

Next we set out to find the hospital where I was born on July 13, 1952. I was born at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Hospital, which of course still exists, but I was interested in finding the exact place. The "building of my birth" is below. Mark hailed down a maintenance guy (Mark said that those guys always know everything!), and sure enough, the guy was able to tell us which part of the hospital was there in the 1950s, and which portion was added later. We went up to the 15th floor, and lo and behold, it's still the maternity portion of the hospital.
The sign welcoming people to the labor and delivery area of the hospital:

Then we went to the gift shop, where I bought a teeny tiny t-shirt celebrating my birth:

My dear sister-in-law Laura was able to be with us on this journey of discovery.
Finally we went on a double-decker bus tour of the city, just to get a tour guide's perspective of the culture and architecture of the city of my birth. This guy was our tour guide, and he did a great job.





The clouds gave way for a brief time so we could see the Golden Gate Bridge in all its glory.
My brother Chuck and me.
Chuck and Laura. Love you guys!
This is Cookie, Chuck and Laura's dog. Many, many years ago, when their family was visiting us in Philomath, Chuck and Laura got Cookie as a tiny puppy from a family that lived near our home. She is getting very old and frail now, but is still such a sweet dog. Love you, Cookie - our Oregon cousin!
After our days in the Bay Area, we headed back home. All in all, it was for Mark and me a wonderful two weeks of beautiful scenery, special people, and time together with each other.

More summer fun, Part 4

Several years ago, Mark and I toured Zion National Park. At that time, we went to the places where all the usual hoards of tourists go - the south and the east areas of the park. Little did we know that there is a much smaller portion of the park, inaccessible by car from the more heavily-visited portion, that is tucked into the far northwest corner where few venture: the Kolob Canyons. And since our route to California last month led us right by the entrance to Kolob, we decided to explore. First stop - the Visitor's Center.
Everyone who knows me knows that I love cactus plants - and they were everywhere!
The scenery was breathtaking - but wait - I already said that about the Colorado National Monument a few posts ago. What a beautiful world God created - there are breathtaking sights all over the place!
To explore the Kolob Canyon, you just take a five-mile drive into the heart of the canyon, where the road dead-ends, and from there you can take a short hike to a wonderful viewpoint. You can also hike clear across the national park to the south east (most visited) portion. We later found out that David had hiked that very trail when on a backpacking trip years ago while he was a student at Corban. We were quite content, however, to just hike the shorter trail this day.
We were awestruck by the beauty and drama of the area. It was well worth the detour off the main highway.
Everywhere you look, there are massive red cliffs and narrow canyons.


At the end of the five-mile road, we parked and hiked a half mile to the lookout. It was well worth the time.
This beast of a rock was right in my way. Too tough to shove aside, however!
Some previous visitor(s) had made many rock formations by stacking lots of little rocks on top of one another. They almost looked like a group of curious rock-snowmen enjoying the view!
The sign said that in the view below, the furthest point on the horizon is the Grand Canyon. Cool!


Below is a short video clip of a panorama of the scenery. As we gazed around us, the only appropriate response was worship.

"You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being." Rev. 4:11

Don't bother to turn up your sound - there is none. For beauty such as this, there are simply no words.

This brings back memories...

Mark was sorting through some papers the other day, and ran across this picture that Ben drew for him long ago - click on it to see the details. I wish it was dated, but my best guess is that Ben made it when he was in fourth or fifth grade (early 90s). I have no idea what the numbers at the bottom represent. Seeing this drawing brought back many memories of our Ben. Always interested in sports, both as a participant and a spectator, Ben's idea of his future, when he was a little guy, included being a professional athlete. He often told us that that when he grew up, he would play football in the fall for the Seattle Seahawks (or maybe the the 49ers, with Joe Montana). Then in the winter he would play basketball with the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan. And of course each spring and summer would find him in Los Angeles playing baseball with Orel Hershiser and the Dodgers. It would all be accomplished (apparently quite easily) just by showing up in the appropriate city at the appropriate time! Such a sweet memory. Love you, Ben! May you continue to dream big!

First date

It was 40 years ago today, September 12, 1969, that Mark and I went on our first date. We were both 17 years old and had just begun our senior year at Mt. Rainier High School in the Seattle area. His dad was the principal of our large high school, but Mark and I did not know each other. We met that fall in our German class, where Mark sat behind me. The teacher would have us turn to the person behind us to practice our dialogue, so I turned around to practice my German with Mark. So, literally, the first words we ever spoke to each other were in German! It apparently didn't take long, however, for the conversation to switch to English, and Mark soon asked me to accompany him to a welcoming party for the foreign exchange students who would be attending our school that year. It was held at the home of one of the host families, and was a fun time. After a while, Mark asked me if I would like to take a walk around the block with him, and so we did. It was just a short walk, but he held my hand, my heart did flip flops, and the rest is history. (The picture above was taken just a few months later, in December of 1969, at a school dance.) Who could have predicted on that evening 40 years ago today, that we would fall deeply in love, marry, raise five amazing children together, and remain very best friends? God knew, for He is the One who orchestrated it all. Thanks, honey, for being mine. I love you so much. And by the way, my heart still does flip flops when you hold my hand.

More summer fun, Part 3

Our drive next took us to the lovely state of Colorado. We took a detour off I-70 for a few hours to tour Colorado National Monument, another one of the grand landscapes of the American West. We drove the 23-mile Rim Rock Drive, where we saw breathtaking views of deep canyons and cliffs. The pictures do not begin to do it justice, although if you click on them to see them in a larger format, you'll have a better idea of the loveliness we saw.
You can see how the road twists and turns as it climbs to the top of the mountains. SO beautiful.
Of course it helps to be in the company of my sweetie!
I love cactus of all kinds (sort of goes back to the 12 years I lived in Nevada while growing up), and this area abounded with them.
Independence Monument, shown above, is 450 feet tall.
Finally we arrived in Basalt. Nikki greeted us, and Dave soon showed up after he got off work. Here he grills our dinner - very yummy! You can see their dog Moose off to the right.
Ben was able to come for the feast, too. Nothing better for Mark than to be with his boys!
Next day found us heading up valley a few miles to Aspen, where my brother John showed us a project his company (for which Ben and David both work) recently completed. It's a restaurant at the base of the ski lift at Aspen Mountain, and here John and I stand on the restaurant's outdoor plaza.
That afternoon, Nikki took us on a tour of her school and first-grade classroom. She was busy getting ready for the arrival of her students the next week.
Below is the sign on the window at the entrance to her classroom, which David made for her.
David took us for a drive around town, showing us various building projects he has been involved with lately, including Lance Armstrong's home remodel, shown below. And yes, he has spent time with Lance as they worked out the details for the project. Funny.
That night, Ben and Christine took us out to dinner at a lovely Italian restaurant. It was so good to spend time with them. It was Christine's birthday weekend, so we were able to celebrate with her.
Happy Birthday, Christine!
The next day it was time to say good-bye to our kids and to Colorado, and head to our next destination: California. But we had a few more adventures along the way. Stay tuned!

More summer fun, Part 2

Next stop on our trip was my cousin Adalaide's cabin on Cascade Reservoir, near Donnelly, Idaho. Over the years, Adalaide and her husband Steve have repeatedly invited us to visit them at the cabin, and this year we made it happen. The "cabin" is in reality a very nice home on the lakefront, where Mark and I had our own luxurious quarters upstairs, with a private balcony overlooking the water. Steve and Adalaide are such kind and generous people, and they treated us to a lovely time. There is a sign hanging in their garage that says "Camp Never Rest," a nickname the family has fondly given their lake home. The reason is that there is so much to do, so many things to try, that one hardly has time to catch one's breath! All in the name of good fun and fellowship, of course! The picture above shows just the cabin, while the one below shows the garage as well.
The morning after our arrival, Steve suggested that we go golfing. Fun, you say? Well, while Mark has been golfing many times, I have never even attempted the sport. But did that stop us? No - after all, we were staying at Camp Never Rest, so they all talked me into trying golfing for the first time. Was I any good at it? Not hardly, but I must admit that I had a lot of fun making a fool out of myself.
Above, Mark takes a nice smooth swing, and below you see me botching my swing, while Adalaide watches with amusement. Steve kept encouraging me to "hit the little ball, not the big ball" (the little ball being the golf ball, and the big ball being the earth, of course).
Later, we went around the lake on a big boat. Lots of fun - and gorgeous scenery.
The next morning, Mark enjoyed a lesson in rowing a scull. There is a couple that live across the lake from Steve and Adalaide, and the woman has coached scull teams at several colleges and for the U.S. Olympic team. She graciously taught Mark the basics, and he picked it up like a pro. Very fun for him. He also got to kayak during our time at Cascade Reservoir.
Below, Steve drives the boat on our last day there.
Then, in the name of trying yet another thing I had heretofore never done, Steve had me take the helm of the craft. I was freaked out, but reluctantly got behind the wheel. Then he told me to push down on the lever that makes the boat practically fly over the water. I gulped, did as I was told, and found that I didn't die after all. In fact, it was a blast. Thanks, Steve, for pushing me out of my comfort zone several times while we were with you. I gained some confidence that hopefully will translate to other areas of my life where I need to conquer my fears!
Finally it was time to leave. Thanks, dear cousin Adalaide, for hosting us at your lovely cabin. It was such a blessing to be with you guys! We love you so much.
And don't worry - we'll be back!
Time to head on to our next destination - Colorado!
On our way, we stopped in Boise to take a peek at Steve and Adalaide's new home. It is a beautiful Tuscan-style house on a hill overlooking the city. Lovely!
We then stopped by Guerdon Homes, the company that is building my mom's new home (which will be shipped to Santa Barbara when completed). We had hoped to take some pictures of the work in progress, but unfortunately they were not allowing visitors. At least we tried, Mom!
Then, I stopped to do a workout at Curves in Boise before we headed east. I actually visited six different Curves on our two-week journey. It was fun to meet and visit with many different women along our way. Everyone was so kind and welcoming.
Next - Colorado!!!