Lately this blog has been going through a number of major revisions. Because of this fact, the posts have been lacking or erratic of late. I apologies and hope to have regular daily posts up when the sight is fixed and the new version is online. Thank you for sticking with me through this transition.
A big thank you goes out to the In Between the Presses team that is working hard to make this site the best it can be. I couldn't have done any of this without them!
~ From the Columbia River Gorgeous
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Friday, September 27, 2013
Ephesians 5:1
Ephesians 5:1 Be ye therefore
followers of God, as dear children;
It is fun to watch a little guy
follow his dad. He will imitate him
every way he can. He has complete trust
in his dad, in the son’s eyes dad is perfect – he wants to be just like
him. He wants to be as close to him as
possible. He obeys him as much as he
possibly can.
THAT is the attitude God wants from us.
The little one gets older and one
day he finds that dad is not perfect, slowly he sees that while his father is
worthy of his love he is not as perfect as he once thought he was, the
relationship changes. There are those
that try and say the same thing about God, they say they have ‘grown up’ and
see God for who He really is and He isn’t who we think He is; or He doesn’t
exist He has been made up by people to keep others dependent – who can’t think
on their own and need a crutch. They
don’t want to place God in His proper place, because then He will have a right
to have a say in what they should or should not do.
God does exist and He doesn’t want
us to believe in Him as a child to ‘lord’ it over us. He wants us to accept his dominion that we
might have an eternal life with Him and a more purposeful life here on
earth. But not only us, He wants us to share
His love with others that they too, might accept Christ as their Savior and God
as their Father.
As we get older we want to be
independent, we want to be our own person and show that we don’t have to rely
on someone else. Strong traits and ones
we can admire and aspire towards.
Unfortunately it is that attitude that also keeps us from growing closer
to God. We need to look on God as that
little guy looked on his dad and accept His guidance and love without question.
~ From the Columbia River Gorgeous
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Wedding Part 4
Without a full photo it will be hard to describe how the
field was divided up for the wedding- but of course I shall try. Where we held the service and dinner the
pasture is almost square. There are
several bushes almost dead center in the field.
We had a canopy set up on the north side of the pasture, in it was the
guest book manned (womanned) by my granddaughter. Guests walked down the long driveway onto the
north side of the field, through the canopy and then a path around some small
trees and then an aisle between the seats of straw (covered with my wife’s
quilts) to the arbor which was on the east side of the trees. The path had the buckets of flowers spaced
out alongside of it.
In the foreground is their garden, the canopy is on the
north end of the field. There is a trail
to the left that goes around the garden area to the canopy and then on around
to the right to get to the ceremony area.
The ceremony took place in front of a small stand of shrubs
that separated that area from the eating area.
My son in-”love” to be made an arbor from trees on the property. His mother brought a lot of plants from her
place in Idaho to put around the arbor, some brought to her by my son in-”love”
to be from Germany. My wife and his
mother did not want to put anything on the arbor itself, it was naturally
beautiful. My son in-”love” to be did a
good job of building it and keeping that rugged beauty
The barbecues were set up on the other side of the shrubs
that were behind the arbor. My oldest son got a
crew rounded up and started the barbecuing.
The large spool tables were set up a few feet south of the grills, these
tables held the food buffet style. The dining tables were set up to the
southwest of the spool tables. All of
this, except for the umbrellas over the spool tables, was in the sun. After the ceremony bales of straw were moved
over to the tables and the quilts put back over them. Some of the attendees moved some bales into
the shade of that large pine tree which was about 75 feet east of the grills.
The weather was nice, not too hot, but a tad warm in the
sun.
My daughter in-"love" had brought up a number small Styrofoam boxes and ice
packs. After making such a beautiful cake and cup cakes she wanted to make sure people were able to take food with them. These were used, along with aluminum foil and
plastic containers for attendees to take home left overs. If anyone left without some, it was their
fault as there was plenty. Our family
has the philosophy that we never want someone to leave our table hungry and we
cook for leftovers to send home with guests.
Then after the meal we had to clean it up – not people
hired, but family and friends – working because they want to, out of love for
My son in-”love” to be and My daughter.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Wedding Part 3
My son in-”love” to be smoked nine racks of pork ribs at the
end of the week for the Saturday celebration dinner, finishing the last three
Saturday morning. Here is one of the
ribs, that’s a five pound sack of sugar in the background, and the lock on the
freezer, to give some perspective – they were delicious:
Cannot begin to list the number of people who made salads
and barbecued the steaks and chicken; who cut shrimp, mixed up a concoction to
go with it to stuff dozens of miniature bell peppers which were bbq’d on the
grill Saturday. We had a number of
salads, baked beans, tomatoes, carrots and I can’t remember all of it that were
fixed by members of the extended family – and the cookies that were brought in
by a friend, a newer part of the family.
The pasture is to the east and several feet lower than the
house. To get to the ceremony and dinner
area requires a walk of about 400 feet, both ways. It is steep and the ground is uneven – as you
would expect a pasture to be. Everyone
had to walk the walk several times a day as they prepared the area for the
wedding. Below you can see the dog running with ease, and me trying to catch up.
Lots of logistics for an operation this size, porta potties,
how much of what do we need to feed up to 70 or so people, getting the stuff
down from the house to the pasture.
Getting enough barbecues to cook all the meat for the wedding attendees,
and then actually doing the work. Where
to place the food so it doesn’t get too hot and start spoiling (large bowls
with ice for the bowls of food to fit into.
Doing a lot of the work in a 1500 square foot home with a standard home
kitchen. (Fortunately people did the
salads at home and brought them to the house.)
My son in-”love” to be built a good cooler on the back porch using
ingenuity and Styrofoam sheets, adding dry and regular ice to keep the meats
cold – it worked too.
Romans 8:32
Romans 8:32
He that spared not his own Son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us
all things?
The very most difficult fatality I ever covered happened
near Shaniko. I was close so responded to the accident and arrived about
the same time the ambulance did. It was an automobile accident where the
car had run off the road, if I recall correctly it was late at night and the
driver probably fell asleep at the wheel, happens often in that neck of the
woods. It is about an hour from any community of any size and in wide
open spaces so there is little (other than paying attention to the road and
curves, etc.) to keep a driver occupied late at night, there isn’t all that
much traffic either.
I looked down at the body of a 16 year old boy, Ken was
16. They looked very much like each other and both played the bass.
Hair style similar, size similar and it really hit me, this could be Ken.
This could be my son.
I have never had to face it, and I hope I never do. To
lose a child is one of the most traumatic things that can happen to a
parent. It is difficult enough to have it happen because of an accident,
illness or violent act. I can not imagine saying this is my son, take him
as payment for your sins.
God did not love His Son any less than I do my
children. Yet, He allowed Him to go through humiliation and let Him die
on the cross that we, His wayward and very much not worthy children, could once
again come to Him. He wants the very best for us, He wants to see us grow
and become strong children in service for Him, not because we have to, but
because we want to please Him. To accomplish what we need for that
service He is waiting to give it to us, all we have to do is ask and trust Him.
~ From the Columbia River Gorgeous
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