Old Faithful 09

We went to Yellowstone and spent too much time looking at Elk, Bison, etc. and got to Old Faithful just after it "went off". Had to wait an hour in the cold, but here are a couple of videos. During the second (longer) video you can hear our conversations including our meeting Juliano and his daughter (or grand-daughter) from Naples, Italy. Like us, Old Faithful was going off as they drove up and they had to wait with us to see it. But after several tries, the large one doesn't want to load. Maybe when we get home... Or maybe it's too big. So here's a bison picture instead.

WASHINGTON, IDAHO, AND MONTANA

It has been so long since I have blogged that I can't even believe it myself. It's not that I have not thought about it almost everyday and night - oh brother where does all the time go? The TYRANNY OF THE URGENT just about says it all, but alas, here I am at my blog site and I hope I can do it some justice. Right now we are at the Holiday Inn Express in Pullman, Washington, and Steve is teaching at the Veterinary College for two weeks. We are in our second week and time is flying by. We had one week-end to travel which we did, and it was a great experience. Steve and I went south to Lewiston, Idaho (Idaho is only seven miles from Pullman, Washington). The terain in this whole area is very different and amazing. Lewiston and Clarkston Washington, a few miles west, are named after the well known explorers Lewis and Clark. My SPECIAL GUY and I headed east up Clearwater Canyon along the Lewis and Clark trail and Nez Perce Trail through the Nez Perce Reservation to Missoula Montana. WOW - The trip was beautiful! We drove up the west side of the Bitterroot Mountains and down into Missoula. On this same trail and going up to northrn Montana, Cheif Joseph took his people one thousand three hundred miles to try to get away from the U.S Army that was chasing them. But, the U.S. Army caught up with them just as they got to Canada. So, now a certain time of year you can see many, three hundred or so horses and riders following the trail to commerate this event. This (Missoula) is the town that the movie A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT was written about, and later became a film, directed by Robert Redford. It was filmed in and around the area, plus other places, and if you have seen the movie you know the cinematography was probably the most beautiful and magnificent I have ever seen in a movie. WOW AGAIN!!!!!!!!!! What can I say, God has created an amazing and gorgeous world - the trip was breathtaking! We spent the night in Missoula, Montana and on Sunday went to Coeur D' Alene , a tourist town, and had lunch at a restaurant, eating at a table on the sidewalk. That was fun, and then we walked around the downtown area. It was a beautiful sunny day and warm, but not real hot, and just about perfect. On the way here to Coeur D' Alene, I am digressing a bit, we passed where the gold rush began that brought many white men to Indian Country. Every state has a special history, just like every person has a history. Coming back to Pullman we went through another Indian Reservation and onto the golden mountains covered in wheat, barley, and lentils. This was another big change in the terrain. This is all for tonight, but tune in later to hear my SAGA and ADVENTURE at the local Wal-Mart in IDAHO, which is only seven miles from Pullman. You will laugh, and you will cry, trust me on this, it was unbelievable!!!!! By all means tune in for the next episode!!!!!

THE OREGON LANDSCAPE

The Oregon Landscape is magnificent and beyond beautiful!!! Last week-end we went to the ocean and it did not disappoint! In fact we were in awe, the windswept beaches, verdant forests, giving way to sweeping rangelands, towering rock formations (even in the ocean itself) and dramatic river valleys, and streams leading the roads up and down the mountains to the ocean itself, and back to the Willamette Valley, and the college town of Corvallis. It is certainly picturesque!!! No wonder it inspired the largest voluntary land migration in recorded history!!! Steve and I have often talked about the early settlers crossing this country in covered wagons, or riding horses, or walking, and any other means to get here before it was inhabited . I read somewhere that the first settlers would drive their horse and wagons along the ocean when the tide was out, and then climb the cliffs and wait until they could go again. I also read so many of the settlers that came from the east or midwest died along the way, many froze to death in the mountains, or died from heat exposure, or many diseases. Some of the wagon trains tried to follow the streams over all the mountains to the ocean, and onto California where they were hoping to find gold. It certainly must have been a great adventure!!!

So, last weekend Steve and I went to the coast, and instead of taking months to get there, it took us about 45 minutes. We drove along the coast to Florence, Oregon as the cloud formations took different forms and the waves were so high, one of my favorite sounds - ocean waves - and it was definately worth it. We stayed at a bed & breakfast, and upon our arrival they presented us with a box of Belgian chocolates, and I mean y'all it was a BIG BOX with two layers all wrapped up in red paper with a beautiful bow. The owners know how to win a woman's heart!!!

We had dinner at a 5-star restaurant that the owners told us about and not only was it awesome and romantic, but one of the wait staff came to our table when he found out we were at OSU, he has a daughter in Veterinary College, and believe it or not she is in one of the classes Steve is teaching. Another thing so interesting is that he (the father) and his family lived in Peoria, Illinois and he grew up there. IT'S A SMALL WORLD!!!

The next day we shopped in OLD TOWN FLORENCE and I bought a couple things in my favorite shop "BONJOUR". We were so glad to see that this little town is still doing very well even though the economy is in a mess. This was on Sunday, and we started home late afternoon because we wanted to drive along the ocean as far as we could, and we took lots of pictures and we met so many nice people that weekend. It seems like out here life is much slower, and people are just so friendly. You can be crossing the street to go to the river walk here in Corvallis, or going to the bakery, and start talking and find out about someone's life. Just different - . Then we headed back to Corvallis, and decided to take a different road down the mountain - not a good idea!!! It was very dangerous , even though most of it followed a creek, some of it was covered in dirt , and let's just say we will not be taking that road back here again, even though I saw a whole herd of elk, and several eagles, - I guess that was worth it.

This week Steve has been very busy and happy with his work. I somehow pulled a muscle in my back and have been taking it very easy, but that has turned out to be a blessing too. I have been reading a lot, and resting, and today feel much better, so tomorrow I will probably get out and explore more of this little college town. Some of the books I have been reading are : my BIBLE, UNCOMMON by Tony Dungy (based on the BIBLE and the way he grew up, and being an UNCOMMON man, not a popular man, and so forth). I highly recommend this book , it talks about finding your path to significance, and what THE LORD has for you. Also ,I am reading a mystery by JAMES PATTERSON, and just starting NORA, a book about a woman who came to visit the Wild West. I want to get a Bible Study of some kind to do on my own while I am here, and also I want to read Tony Dungy's first book. The one I am reading now is his second.

Now, I am going to post some pictures that I took, and sign off for tonight. I send my love to everyone back home and pray for ya'll everyday, and miss you very much.

The LOVE OF MY LIFE - Stephen Kent Kneller - and I are having an exciting and dynamic experience and wish all of our family was here to enjoy the beauty of this area. GOD'S CREATION, JUST AS THE BIBLE SAYS, IS BEAUTIFUL BEYOND DISCRIPTION!!!!!

HELLO - GOOD BYE

One week ago this morning (Sat. 1-31-09) our son Greg dropped us off at the Champaign airport in the early a.m. 6:15a.m., and we said good-by (SO HARD!!!), especially after only one hr. of sleep for me. I cried as we walked into the airport and away from Greg , although I was excited to fly to Oregon for 6 weeks. Saying good-by to all our family is so hard, and we knew our first great grandbaby Bruno would be so much more grown up when we get back home.
Steve's first week at OSU was great. Everyone at the Veterinary College gave him a big welcome, and our first week there flew by!
We are now at one of our favorite places in the good old U.S.A., THE LODGE AT SUTTLE LAKE, on the top of the Cascade Mountains. We do love it here! We arrived in the beautiful sunshine with just a little snow, (last year we had 10 to 20 feet of snow here, and when we arrived it was snowing.) This time the sun was out with just a little snow on this mountain top, so it has a whole different look and atmosphere which is just as beautiful, but different. The skiers are having fun in the surrounding snow parks that are filled with snow, which we are going to visit tomorrow.
Tonight we had dinner in the boathouse restaurant on the lake and the food was awesome!!! As we walked out of the restaurant to come back to our room the moon washed the lake and the tree lined snow covered mountains in a silver glow. SO BEAUTIFUL!! THAT WAS BREATHTAKING - GOD'S CREATION JUST SHINED. WHAT A MOMENT WITH THE MAN I LOVE!!! Hand in hand, my love and I walked back to our cozy western-native american appointed suite to find the fire burning in the fireplace. We feel so blessed to have this experience and make these memories. Time to go cuddle!

GOOD BYE - HELLO

We arrived safe in Laramie, Wyoming and had a good time there. After a good night's sleep we "did the town" so to speak. Went shopping at CORRAL WEST, and met two cowgirls that were minding the store. Had fun and bought a few things,we were in at CORRAL WEST at least 2 hrs. the longest the man in my life has shopped with me since I can't remember when. If you ask him "did you have fun shopping?" he would say "no, but I found it satisfying". Need I say more? Only that his RIDGE RIDER VEST he bought saved the day today and that's all he talked about. So, in hindsight he did have fun - remember it was a cowboy and cowgirl store. After that, we went to one of our favorite restaurants in Laramie - CORONA VILLAGE - where we both ate one of our favorite Mexican meals. As we were sitting in the booth my husband said "I think we should have bought the western floor mats, so guess what, back we went to CORRAL WEST, and surprised one of our new friends, THE RODEO QUEEN with the engraved belt buckle to prove it, and purchased a few more very special items. I LOVE LARAMIE WYOMING!

Then we headed south to Ft. Collins, Colorado, and took a 2 lane highway to see the country side. As we headed out it started snowing and a storm was brewing. Steve stopped in at the Veterinary College and said hello to some of his old friends, and when he came out it was pouring down rain. Did I say when he was inside meeting friends in the Radiology Department,that it was sleeting outside for awhile? Crazy Weather. But, we are so glad we took the 2-lane highway and saw the beautiful countryside. We saw many ranches, and some ranchers, and the mountains around there were totally different than in Wyoming. Unlike the Wyoming mountains, the Colorado mountains are filled with thousands of trees, fir trees, and cedar trees, and so much forest. Thousands of perfect CHRISTMAS TREES were all around us. What a beautiful place, plus more white snow, AMAZING!!!!!

Our next destination was Loveland, Colorado which turned out to be a bust because we didn't recognize the village it had grown so much. We also wanted to go by the LOVELANDER BED AND BREAKFAST where 19 years ago we had such a good time (on Valentine's Day) but, we were told it wasn't there anymore. Later after we had left we found out that it was still there, and I think the Church we attended 19 years ago when we were there is still there to, we just couldn't find it. Nineteen years can really make a difference. In fact, at that time we had no grandchildren. Wow!

Then on to Denver, Colorado where we spent the night and woke up to snow. As we left we noticed the snow was getting worse and by the time we had driven about one hour WHAMMO- we drove right into a blizzard that lasted pretty much most of the day. It was a total WHITE OUT with cars and trucks off the road and winds up to 70 miles an hr. I was definitely praying by this time and thought we probably would have to get off or pull off for a few hrs. but remember I was not at the wheel and so we pushed through the mess. You could not see 2 feet in front of you and there were times when you couldn't see ANYTHING!!!!! NOT FUN!!!!! Finally we drove out of the snow and arrived at our destination in Kansas for the night. I think we put in 6 or 7 hrs. of driving today and are planning on driving 5 or 6 hrs. tomorrow. However, the girl behind the desk at the hotel tells us that the storm is on it's way here and will hit about midnight. We will see tomorrow when we awake. And as I am journaling in my blog I hear the wind blowing harder and harder outside. Only God knows at this point.

Colorado was beautiful with magic of it's own. What a paradise. There is the Scottish heritage of Estes Park and the Front Range, Pikes Peak, Mesa Verde, the Northwest and it's charming towns and treasures of that region , then there is Vail, and Aspen with their resorts and winter events, beauty beyond compare, shopping, and a million other activities you can think of because you are in the ROCKY MOUNTAINS!!!!! I've heard that Steamboat Springs' beauty,and Boulder's outdoor adventure, and colorful western heritage is a sight to behold also. So, Colorado - ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH - is definitely on our list for a vacation in the future - GOD Willing! There just wasn't time to do everything this trip, as it is I think we have crammed in so much that it BOGGLES the mind. Every time we get outside or in the SUV we have camera's in hand trying to capture the beauty we have seen. GOD IS GOOD, and HIS creation is amazing!
Yesterday we saw so many beautiful horses, and today lots of buffalo. We have also seen eagles in the mountains, and white snow owls, and so many special birds it is unbelievable. The bears are also just coming out of hiding and sleeping for the winter so, perfect time to leave!!!

Just like my EUROPE TRIP this WESTERN TRIP has been the trip of a lifetime!!! I hope the love of my life has had as much fun as I have!!! I am so grateful to him for all the planning and everything he has put into this trip. What can I say? - - STEVE KNELLER is the BEST!!!!! Thanks honey ( or should I say big hunk) for all the MEMORIES - I LOVE YOU!!!!!

Pictures will be added tomorrow because it is now 1:24 a.m. and I want to go to bed. So, GOOD BYE to the WEST and HELLO to the MIDWEST. Over and out, and more later y'all!

NAPA VALLEY AND BEYOND

Crossing the Sierra Nevada mountains, here near Squaw Valley in California, we reminisce of the past few days; my love and I. Even though the vineyards in Napa Valley were not in bloom they were breathtaking; a site to behold. Never disappointing , Napa Valley lives up to it's reputation and we were amazed at it's beauty. The vineyards grow on the flowing hills and as we dove across the mountains we saw many flowers in bloom. As we drove through a vineyard we also saw fields of tulips in bloom, and they were beautiful, so many gorgous colors. Wisteria was in full bloom, fields of lemon yellow mustard, poppies, hot pink azalias, spirea bushes so full they fell to the ground, magnolia trees in full bloom, and grass as green as velvet. It is so hard to believe we are really here and at times you feel like you are in a movie watching it.

Reluctantly we had to leave Napa Valley and wine country and were able to head out to Placerville, hometown to Thomas Kincaid and his art career. This is a happening place and so busy we could

hardly believe it. Placerville is very picturesque and the homes are all built on the mountains and rolling hills. We visited the T.K..Gallery and viewed some of his original paintings that were valued at $300,000 dollars and up. The lady that helped us with our questions knew Tom and Nanette personally and told us about a movie being made of his early years that will probably be titled HOME FOR CHRISTMAS. The interesting thing about this is it will be a movie, or on television, but is not being advertised as being his story. It will probably come out around the holidays, or maybe before. We purchased a painting of Napa Valley and the big yellow house - where the last time we were in California 19 years ago we had lunch and it was a very special time for us but, could not find it this time because we were in a different part of the valley. We wanted a painting to remember our trip and it was perfect. It looks exactly like where we were this time, plus it has the big yellow house that is such a special memory for the two of us . God is good and as my better half says Life is good!!! After Placerville we continued the memory hunt in Davis, California. We did find the Davis Inn location where we spent our sabbatical 19 years ago, but guess what? - now it's a bank. We had lunch in a quaint resturant and then found the library, where I spent a lot of time 19 years ago, unfortunately everything else in campus town and Davis looks different. The Veterinary Collage looks much the same and it was easy to find, but they have added to it and it does look great. Steve was able to go in and spend a morning there with old friends and that was fun for him.

This morning a new friend told us about Old Town Sacramento and being curious we couldn't miss that, so, we headed out. My husband and I seem to have discovered a lot of "old towns" on this trip and that has been a great blessing. The LORD has really guided us and blessed us with many surprises. We have really looked to him and each day had our time with him and prayed and HE has totally blessed us and we know HE is the navigator of our lives.
We ended our day near Squaw Valley California to find ourselves again in a rustic, western ski village. We left Sacramento and it was 70 degrees. Here it is 40 degrees and dropping, and yes many people are skiing, and unfortunately we have seen several people on crutches and with broken bones. The goal for tomorrow is Salt Lake City, Utah, and that is a BIG ORDER. As I close for this night my thoughts and prayers are for home and all the family and people we love. As an end to this day we send this scripture to all of you with all of our love. "Let the rivers clap their hands. Let the mountains sing for joy together." PSALMS 98:8.

A DEDICATION

Our deepest sympathy, and our love and prayers are with the Hogan family at this time of great loss. When Rod called, we were devastated, shocked, and heart-broken that this tragedy had happened to such a kind and loving Christian family. We have lots of great memories of T.J. - woodcutting weekends come to mind and our latest memory at Blaine's blessing party. When T.J. went up front that night and shared so honestly, it touched us all deeply. We caught him afterwards and told him and he gave us that big Hogan smile, and was so humble about it. As he left, he turned and said goodbye and waved to us. And we will never forget. What a guy he was. TJ always had time for everyone and always stopped to talk with us whenever we were together. May the Lord Jesus, Himself, comfort their hearts and surround them with His presence and hold them in the palm of His hand. Isaiah 61:1-3 kjv. We are truly so sorry we can't be there with them. We will continue to lift them up in our prayers. We were privileged to have known and loved T.J. Hogan. Today was a sad day and a very hard day for everyone who knew and loved T.J. , and tomorrow is the funeral. My husband and I have very heavy hearts tonight as our thoughts and prayers are with the Hogan family.