Rappelling!

Bill and I enjoy a young adult group we work with in our church. Yesterday we went rappelling with them at Shellburg Falls. It was a beautiful location, and everyone had a great time!


David Ward is reassuring me that my husband will be O.K. :)











Bill begins his descent...











































































Coming up the steep bank is no easy task!


I decide to give it a try. This is the hardest part for me. I need to trust Dave and the equipment, but that doesn't keep me from shaking and it doesn't keep my hands dry!



You can see the beautiful falls I am next to as I descend the cliff.




The group tells me to wave, but I'm not too sure I want to let go with my left hand!

















Almost at the bottom...












I tell Blair Bird, "I really can't believe I did that!"
Coming up the steep trail...



If you are interested in seeing more pictures of the area, or the group we work with, go to www.slm3rdbr.blogspot.com.

A Visit to Grace and Phil Okesson's

It is wonderful to enjoy extended family! I recently visited my cousin Grace and her husband Phil. We worked together to preserve and label pictures from an old family album. Grace and Phil live on Fern Ridge Reservoir near Veneta, just outside of Eugene. Many geese and their goslings can be seen on the way to their house.

These geese were in a little rougher water.

This beautiful little marina is just a short distance from Grace and Phil's home. It was great to have the day together!

Kate's Mission Call!

We have a very happy daughter! She just received her Mission Call to serve in the Texas McAllen Mission. It is Spanish-speaking, so she is excited to become immersed in the language. She will leave for the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah on August 5, and she will serve for a year and a half. We are very excited for her!

Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden in Portland, OR

I ran into a good friend of mine and we decided on the spur of the moment to visit this beautiful rhododendron garden. It was well worth the time we took to drive to Portland!



This is my friend Colleen who loves flowers and knows the location of almost every beautiful flower garden in the Willamette Valley!


If you click on this picture to enlarge it, you will see an artist in the center and a father and son stepping on stones across a pond :-). How could a day be spent in a more wonderful way?









We encountered splashes of color around every bend in the trail!

























































































Some flowers were vibrant in color, and others were more subtle, delicate and lacy.





















The interplay of light throughout the garden enhanced everything we saw!

















































There were beautiful ponds, waterfalls, and delightful water fowl!














There were many wonderful flowers in addition to the rhodies.




















































This poppy looks as though it has been painted!



I LOVED this tree! The flowers were most unusual...just two white petals.










I believe this was a very old birch.

I fell in love with its gorgeous textured bark!






















We saw many azaleas in addition to the rhododendrons.





The layout of the garden, its streams and flowers, and the interplay of light were truly nurturing to the soul!