Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Cruising the Columbia River

We just returned from a week-long river cruise in the Northwest United States.  This is the first time we've taken a cruise and must admit it was very nice!  There were lots of historical outings planned as the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery story plays prominently in this area as well as other local places of interest.  The food was fantastic and, best of all, we didn't have to do any driving!  

I'll share some of the highlights.

We spent the relaxing week on the the American Cruise Lines America West, a small riverboat with working paddlewheel.


There are numerous locks and dams on the Snake and Columbia Rivers.  It was so interesting watching the locking process.  I was surprised how quickly the river boat can go through!  It really is an engineering marvel!



The banks of the Snake River were pretty rugged.  We had a small balcony we could sit outside our room and watch the view go by or one could enjoy the view from various places around the boat.  We also enjoyed meeting many delightful and interesting people.  The boat's capacity was 100 but I believe there were only about 80 passengers.

As mentioned earlier, the Lewis and Clark story was a focus on this trip.  Dr. Rick Chromey, author, speaker and pastor, gave several interesting and entertaining talks on the Corps of Discovery.  These were really good and were very well attended!

One fun excursions we took was to the Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum or WAAAM.  This place has one of the largest collections of still-flying antique aeroplanes and still-driving antique automobiles in the country.  Once a month, several are taken out for a "spin."  We were really surprised at the extensive collection!


We were lucky to catch this view of Mount Adams on our way to the WAAAM.

The Muthlnoma Falls were stunning!  The two falls are a combined 620 feet, 10 feet shorter than our St. Louis Arch.
We walked to the bridge for a closer look.     

We celebrated the 4th of July at Stevenson, WA.  There were lots of fireworks along the river by the locals.  Here's a sample of the celebration-

Cape Disappointment, near Astoria Washington, had the largest collection of driftwood!  This is a state park so all that driftwood is protected.

These two shots were taken by placing my phone in a hollow piece of driftwood.  

One of our last stops was Mount St. Helens.  She was "a bit shy" during our visit which is what the locals say when the clouds cover the summit.  In the 40 years since this volcano erupted, nature is starting to recover.  
As we were driving down the mountain, we noticed the clouds were just lifting a bit!

We were welcomed home by this beautiful flower arrangement from our daughter!  One of her hobbies is growing her own flowers for making arrangements.  Isn't she talented! 

Thank you for stopping by and tagging along on our Columbia River cruise!  Wishing you a wonderful, blessed week!

                                                Zenda



Sunday, June 19, 2022

The Wedding!

Our son, Andy, married his longtime sweetheart, Jamie, last weekend and it was simply beautiful!  We are so happy for this special couple who have literally known each other most of their lives!

Both the bride and groom each chose 10 attendants.  They have lots of friends and wanted to include as many of them as possible.  We hosted the whole crew including their spouses and kids after the rehearsal.



The next morning, the ladies were up early getting their hair and makeup fixed!  
The gorgeous bride

Our beautiful daughter, a bride's maid

The bride and mothers

The wedding was in our small town church.
Our daughter and son-in-law

And the most handsome ringbearer ever!

The reception was in a new venue in our area and was so pretty!
It was two stories with the center open for those upstairs to view the 
toasts to the bride and groom.

Each table was decorated with wooden chargers Andy and J cut from logs on our farm.  The wedding coordinator created lovely centerpieces using these with other elements including a variety of pictures of Andy and Jamie throughout high school and college...and beyond.  Each table had a different photograph.

And let me share the dessert table!  One of their high school friends is a professional baker and she created all the cupcakes and small wedding cake.  A friend's mother also made a variety of handmade candies!  To be honest, people were not just admiring these tables before the meal!  LOL!

Just few more pictures ...
The Bride and her attendants

There was lots of dancing out on the patio.
Mother Son Dance

Jack dancing with Aunt Jamie and Uncle Andy

These photos were all candids taken by family and friends but of all of them, 
this is my favorite!  

We love these two so much and wish them many happy and blessed years together!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a wonderful week!
              Zenda