Where did September go?

Good golly, Miss Molly, it has been a long time since I posted on this blog. There are a couple of posts on Travels With Sadie, but I have been remiss in posting here.


We have been busy, since we returned from San Diego. After a leisurely trip up the coast with stops in Santa Cruz and Crescent City, we took a five day vacation to reconnect with each other. It was a wonderful time in Woodland, WA at the Columbia Riverfront RV park (see Travels With Sadie).

When we returned home, we hosted a potluck supper for our Bible study group. It was a good turnout, and we enjoyed reconnecting with these dear friends. We will switch from summer-potluck mode to "school-year-study" mode soon. In the meantime, members of the group have been busy. Michael has been traveling on business, Kathy L. has been busy with preparing for and participating in a bead show. Kathy makes the most beautiful glass beads. Click on her name above to go to her website and see some of her wares. Ben and Shirley have been off to Wallowa Lake for a combination business/anniversary celebration trip.

Last Sunday was a busy day for us. We went to church at 9:00 AM and then to a marriage ministry meeting. From there it was off to a barbecue, kicking off Dale Ebel Ministries. Dale was the founding pastor of Rolling Hills Community Church, where he served as senior pastor for 31 years. He recently retired from that position and is taking a different approach to ministry. Please visit his website to learn more.

The barbecue was held at the home of friends of Dale. This wonderful couple has seven children, which means it is a blessing that they are able to have a large home on several acres, complete with swimming pool and sport court. They have dedicated this beautiful home to the service of the Lord, and they sponsor similar gatherings from time to time. The weather was lovely and the company even better. Hot dogs and hamburgers were provided, along with beverages. Guests brought salads and desserts. It was an impressive spread. After lunch, nine people were baptized in the swimming pool. I always get a thrill out of watching a baptism, so this was a real treat for me.

After the barbecue, we headed to our friends', the Davises', home, where we joined a party in progress bottling last year's wine production. Steve makes outstanding wine and gets all his friends to help with the process. It is quite interesting and a lot of fun. We had helped with the destemming of the grapes last year, so this was the culmination of the process.

Last week, we headed out to Barton County Park, which is situated on the Clackamas River. There is a post about this on Travels With Sadie, as well. The stated purpose of this trip was to find some blackberries, which abound in the park. In years past, we have gorged ourselves on them. This year we were too late, but we had a great time anyway. The river is so beautiful, and the park is seldom crowded, so we feel like it is our own private resort.

Yesterday, we were invited to Steve's house again. This time, it was for destemming 400 pounds of Pinot Gris grapes for his next batch of wine. Amazingly, it only took the three of us about 2 1/2 hours to destem and press the grapes. This batch should yield about 100 bottles of Pinot Gris wine. Judging by Steve's prior efforts, it will be wonderful.

Today we attended church early and then came home to enjoy the last warm sunny day for a while. Jill puttered in the yard and in the laundry. I puttered in the motor home, making some repairs and improvements. It was a nice, relaxed day. This evening we had dinner on the patio and then sat by the fish pond and chatted and enjoyed each other's company. Life is, indeed, good.

Oh, no! Not again!

Click on Josiah to see a couple more pix.

Today is Judah's 2 week birthday. In honor of the occasion, Grampa uploaded a picture of each of the boys, and one of the two of them together. Judah is growing by leaps and bounds. He achieved his birth weight by day five. Now he feels much heavier, and he has filled out enough that I told Laura, "If his tummy gets any bigger, we can call him Judah Buddha!" She liked that!

Jill and I will hit the road for home tomorrow. We're planning to stop in Santa Cruz tomorrow evening and Crescent City on Friday. Saturday morning we will fulfill an ambition and drive over US 199 from Crescent City to Grants Pass, and then continue homeward on I5.

So, this will be the end of the grandkid pictures for a while. Next, you can probably expect some pictures of Pat and Katie's house. Their offer was accepted, and they should close on the sale by September 30th!