Clearing Our Heads

Actually, only one of us needed head-clearing, but both of us needed a good walk. We did our four miles (give or take) but took it a little easier than usual. I stopped to take pictures, and the Rufus took those opportunities to get his paws wet, hunt tiny woodland critters, and look for more tiny woodland critters to hunt. He's such a... well, a dog.

The head-clearing was much needed. Eldest son is moving ahead in his journey, trying new things. Middle son is currently on a plane to Tokyo for an 18-day adventure. Youngest son turns 18 next week. It's time for me to fully, finally, relinquish the parenting reins and let these young men be young men. All of them.

It's not that I don't want them to grow up. I look forward to them someday finding their soul mates and starting families. It will help when they're able to leave my house, eh? But when I got married, my parents didn't exactly know what to do with themselves. Dad called me almost daily for the first several months. There was nothing much to discuss, but that's how it was. I won't do that to my kids, but that means I'd better do what I can to grow up myself into this new adulthood. I think I can do that.

While I'm growing, here are today's photos for your enjoyment. Note Rufie's concentration on the meadow view. He was thrilled.

Hey, does anyone know -- is this a Nootka rose? Sorry the photo's so washed out. I'll try to fix it later. There are two varieties of wild rose on my walking trail; the other one is darker pink.

I Need to Write, But...

The other night at a 12-step meeting, I bemoaned the fact that I haven't used up even a quarter of my personal journal pages this year. In 2009, I filled a whole notebook, and it felt good to know I had written (and processed) that much "stuff". I like to journal; I like the feel of pen on paper, the look of my words on the page. It's a great way for me to mull over the half-formed thoughts blobbed in my brain.

This year has been different. I still have a lot of stuff to process. But I'm talking about things a little more, and Rufus and I have been walking a lot. We try to get out at least three times a week for about an hour of fast walking. It's a great time to be a little closer to nature as we walk on car-free trails. I'm working on remembering the plants my Gramma told me about many years ago, and I hope to learn to identify more bird songs. But mostly, it's relaxation for the minds and exercise for the bodies, and the Ruf and I love our walks.

I guess I'm a frustrated photographer. I love to capture the moment, but a cell phone camera isn't the best tool. Many of my attempts fall short. Once in a while, though, I hit on something beautiful. When I get a really good shot, it often ends up either on my computer desktop or on my cell phone screen. Here's what I've got on my phone right now:

And this is a shot I took tonight, now blown up on my desktop:


Back to writing about writing, as my title suggested. I'd like to leave a legacy in words, a written account of my journey. But these pictures represent the song of my heart. Maybe I'll write more and explain this more fully later.

Just for Diane

I don't have a fetish for this kind of thing or these places. No matter what my friend thinks, I don't spend my days checking out new and unusual facilities. But...

In our quest to find non-automobile walking routes, Rufus and I took The Dad to a park in Seattle. We walked a 2.5 mile loop along the lakeshore and saw wonderful old vegetation and a panorama of civilization. At the beginning and end of the walk were these facilities for our convenience. I love old, unique architecture, so here they are:



This reminds me of the witch's house in Hansel & Gretel -- which is why Rufus was afraid when I disappeared.

And a detail from the other one:

A Solid Foundation

Last weekend I went to a conference with 170 other folks. (The photo here is my favorite scene from the conference grounds.) I had met just two of them beforehand, but didn't know either of them well at all. Unlike many of the other conferences I've attended, the purpose of this one was not relationship-building, so I met a lot of people but didn't form lasting bonds with them. It was easy to focus on the training, so I learned quite a bit and it was well worth my time.

On the personal side, I learned a few things, too. According to all the tests I've taken in my life, I'm an abstract-random learner, a Golden Retriever personality, and have strong co-dependent characteristics. All of these traits come together to make me generally very patient with other people. In fact, I can be tolerant to a fault, but I digress.

The conference was populated by folks from all walks of life, and from all parts of the state. Some of them probably have a spiritual outlook similar to my own, but many of them come from very different traditions and perspectives. That's okay, and I like to hear about others' life journeys, but last weekend I ended up feeling quite alone. I needed to know that my God was there, and I needed to be reminded of the depth of relationship I have with Him.

It has become my practice to read a Psalm on Saturday night, to help prepare myself for the Sunday morning worship service. The passage last weekend was Psalm 51, and I felt drawn to a topic that I usually shy away from: my sin and God's judgment.

Be gracious to me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness;
According to the greatness of Thy compassion blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,
And my sin is ever before me.
Against Thee, Thee only, I have sinned,
And done what is evil in Thy sight,
So that Thou art justified when Thou dost speak,
And blameless when Thou dost judge.

It was totally comforting to contemplate the absoluteness of God. He is holy and will not abide by sin. He punishes transgressors. And yet... He has extended His loving compassion and mercy to all who ask. The Father sent the Son as Savior of the world, not to condemn but to claim. What struck me last weekend, in that very beautiful setting, in the midst of some who are working out their own opinions of god, was the solidity of my faith. The foundation of my spiritual journey is the God of the Bible, who has set forth His expectations and has punished sinners according to their due. But the hope and joy of my faith is that this same God condescended to make a way for sinners -- especially me -- to be near to Him now and forever.

I am so very thankful that this is not my opinion, but my belief and the rock on which I stand.

Sunny Day at the Locks

One of the advantages of having my car serviced on the other side of town is that I get to go to the other side of town once in a while. When I was up there a couple of weeks ago, I decided to spend time at the Chittenden Locks in Ballard.

I saw sculpture...


...and water (from the fish ladder viewing room)...


...and an interesting bird...


...and other interesting subjects.

I don't like being a tourist, a visual consumer if you will. But there I was, next to a class of Asian preschoolers on a field trip, gawking at the sailboat as it came up to the level of the lake:

From this angle, you can't even see the boat -- only the mast and some lines. But as the water lifted the boat, there was a young-ish couple on board who were rather amused at being the center of attention. The lady and I exchanged shy smiles, and she waved politely at the children. I didn't want to include her photo on the blog, as I have no idea who she was and I don't like to post images without permission. You'll just have to imagine her little inflatable life vest (more like an elongated collar), the bandanna holding her dreadlocks, and her gentle manner. The boat was registered in Alaska. Imagine that! It's only May -- do you suppose they made the trip down already this spring, or was this a practice sail on Puget Sound to train for the return trip up the inside passage?

While watching the boats come up, I overheard a little chatter about a log boom on its way from Lake Washington out to the Sound. This was a few days after opening day of the boating season. As part of the festivities, a temporary moorage* is anchored out on the lake. Pleasure boats can tie up to it to watch everything from their own front-row seats. When the party's over, the boom has to go. Very interesting. I didn't stay to watch the log boom go through the locks, though. I had another place to visit, and I'll post those photos in a few days.

Cheerio!


*P.S. Blogger wants to correct this word to be "moo rage". Yep, if cattle were forced aboard yachts, there would be moo rage indeed!

Why I Was Tired This Weekend

Or should the title be, "Where I Went This Weekend"? Or maybe, "What I Ate This Weekend"?

Our bi-annual church women's retreat was terrific. We had wonderful accommodations in Leavenworth, Washington, great speakers from Arizona, and delicious food from Bavaria. Want to see some photos? First, here I am with three of my four roomies:


There were fun activities, good photo opportunities (scenic ones!), but for now I'm skipping to today's lunch at the Tumwater Inn:


German sausage, bratwurst, und sauerkraut. Ausgeseichnet! And then we had to try some dessert:


Do you recognize my friends from the first photo? Yep, all the same gals. Yep, we were very polite and didn't stab each other trying to get to the cake.

There was a lot more to this weekend, but this is enough to post for now. I think it's time to vegetate.

We... are... exhaust... ... ... ed...

The big deal today was a hike up to an amazing viewpoint on Rattlesnake Ledge with one of my very favorite guys in all the world. Four miles total, but the equivalent of five miles straight up (well... actually, only 1000 feet elevation gain) and two miles down (the actual distance). Wet, sometimes rainy, cool, but the trail was still well-populated with hikers and dogs.

Rufus had a marvelous time, except that Andy keeps him on a much shorter leash than I do. He learned pretty well, though, thanks to Andy's supreme strength and persistence.

I had a fantastic time with my son and the dog, but MAN did I get winded on the uphill climb. Poor Andy had to adopt a snail's pace so I could keep up, but he was ever so patient.

And when we finally reached the top...

Today's Exercises in Musing

I've taken quite a few photos on my walks with Rufus, but when I get home and start looking at them, I don't have any that are good enough. Not good enough to post on the blog, not good enough to print, not good enough to send out. And yet, several of them are too good to delete. But if they aren't blog-worthy, what should I post here? Drat. A conundrum.

Therefore, without further picking and perfectionizing, here are some shots and thoughts from today's walk.


The air was calm today, and we couldn't pass up the pond reflections.


I love to look at the sky, and I love the texture of faraway trees.

Today was the first time I've seen the new fiddleheads this spring.

I watched two herons in flight. It was date night and they were heading to a dinner spot. So graceful, and such amazing wingspans. I didn't attempt to take pictures of them.

Up ahead, I saw a little critter run across the trail. It held its skinny tail up off the ground, so I think it was a chipmunk. When we came back to that spot, we saw it again, but carrying something large and brown in its mouth. Maybe a mama chipmunk, taking the baby for a swing in the park? Rufus didn't get excited about seeing her, but he sure did pick up on her scent each time. If I hadn't seen the critter, I wouldn't have appreciated his olfactory sensitivity. Later, he trotted nose-down for a good 30 feet, obviously on someone else's scent. Interesting.

Rufie was very pleased that I let him drink some pond scum. Ah, cold and wet, that's the ticket. He also got to go wading a couple of times when I stopped walking to take photos. I wonder how my car is going to smell tomorrow... Oh, well. We spent a fine hour together, and both of us came home refreshed.

A Place With a View

I was blessed, privileged, and honored to join a few friends for a get-away at the beach last weekend. It was beautiful, uncrowded, and fun -- and those ladies can COOK! Here are a few photos for you to enjoy.

The Hiccup Cure No One Seems to Know

As noted a while back, this blog continues to get one-shot readers from all over the world. This week, we've had visitors from Egypt, Romania, Spain, Italy, Brazil, Germany, and Finland. This amazes us, and we've wondered what marvelous thing we could post that would be of benefit to our reading public. If we thought they'd be regulars, there wouldn't be pressure to come up with one amazing post. But chances are, there are tens of people who will drop in this week and never find (or seek) this blog again. This could be our big opportunity! What should we write?

It came to me tonight. There is one thing I know, which apparently very few others do, that could change one moment of one person's life. I know how to stop hiccups, and Rufus can attest to this fact.

Yes, that's right. For many years, I have been afflicted with occasional flares of diaphragmatic spasms. I have never had the hiccups for more than an hour or two, thanks to the efficacy of this family cure.

Get a glass of water, but make sure it's only half full. (Even a pessimist should be able to measure this.) Try to make sure no one is watching, as they may develop their own conniption fit when they see what you're going to do next.

From a standing position, place the inside of your upper lip on the far outside rim of the glass. You'll have to lean forward and tip your head out and down. Continue to lean forward, so your head is almost upside down. Let a little water dribble into your mouth, then swallow it carefully. Take a few more sips, breathing slowly and carefully.

Check to see if the hiccups are gone. Stand up and breathe slowly but normally. If you hiccup again, repeat the upside-down drinking technique for a few more sips.

There you have it. To all our international fans: Rufus and I are pleased to present today's post for your education, and we invite you to wander back here any time to see if we've written about our extensive research into migraines, ingrown toenails, and post-natal separation anxiety.