Tree & Me

I painted this a little over a year ago (and yes, that is me cropped, not painted into the picture). The painting doesn't look too bad from a distance, but when you get closer you begin to see the imperfections and it doesn't look much like trees, in fact it looks rather messy. Sometimes we do that with people. We look too close to find their imperfections and point them out. It's good to remember that God is our creator and we are his masterpiece! Enjoy what you see in others...

Less But More

We have decided as a family (with much persuasion from me) to start tossing or giving away 5 items a week! It can be as little or as big as you like. We have all become these pack rats!!! Now is the time to get down and get dirty! Well, get down, anyway. So, I chose my sock drawer. I was amazed at how many socks I had. Perhaps I never really knew, until I pulled it out completely, how packed those suckers were in that drawer. It seemed they grew once I pulled it out (having never pulled it more than 1/3 out to retrieve, for quite sometime). What am I doing with all these socks? Most of them had holes in the toe or the heal. I'm very proud to say that I can now shut my drawer with ease. I'm beginning to feel that the less I have (yes, that includes socks) the more freedom I have. Hmmmmmm, what's next?

Payette River Rafting

We followed the Payette River on our way back to Boise from Cascade, and came across a multitude of rafters. It looked like so much fun and very dangerous at the same time. On the same day and perhaps within the same hour this photo was taken, a tour guide rafter lost his life on the South Fork Payette when he along with the others in his raft capsized. All the others made it to safety, but sadly he got his foot wedged between two rocks from the force and drowned.

Gracious Hosts

Meet our gracious Boise hosts, Gene and Marie (Marie and I worked at the same gift shop years ago). These two are just awesome people and wish all could know them. They treated us like royalty (not just friends) while our stay with them for 3 nights before going onto Baker City. This photo was taken at Cascade Lake where they drove us for a leisure drive. It was beautiful!!! Thanks Gene and Marie for a wonderful visit!

Our journey began and it seemed it wasn’t long before we were traveling the dreaded, desolate desert. While traveling from Reno to Winnemucca, one tries to make the best of the time, and I like to look at the cars, license plates, etc. We came upon a white Cadillac and I noticed there was a bird…a very large bird in the back looking gout of the window. I took a second glance and it was a living crow not caged. As we began to pass the vehicle, the crow turned his head to follow our car. We were amused. Then we passed the people in the front seat and they were a weathered, older Native Indian couple. We live in suburban California and it was an interesting encounter. Some say the Indians believe that the wild life are their ancestors. Because we do not have the same belief, it tickled us to think that that could be grandpa?