Master 276: Columbia River Vacation

I was delighted to be able to spend about nine days with family friends up at the Columbia River.  Nine days of relaxing, playing chess, backgammon, bocce ball, and card-games; kayaking and stand-up-paddleboarding; reading The Count of Monte Cristo (the first six hundred pages, at least); enjoying home-made frappes, the warm sun, and the cool water; skipping rocks; playing with the dog; and generally doing a whole lot of nothing was great.

For those with discerning eyes, that is not a real paddleboard set-up in that picture.  We tested out the activity with what we had at hand.  I'm sure that it's even more fun (and easier) with the correct equipment.

The mosquitoes were the principle nuisance.  I think I'm still recovering from a couple bites.  (I was chided regularly for scratching.)

  After spending a whole week with that Australian shepherd mix, the cats at home seem really, really small.

Winning a couple games of bocce ball made up for losing a dozen or more backgammon games toward the end of the week.

We had a beautiful view of Mt. Hood.

It was great to have some other friends of mine visit us on the Fourth of July, with their three kids, the oldest of which is going into junior high.  Time flies!

Up above the campsite at Maryhill is a replica of Stonehenge, built by Samuel Hill (founder of the town) and dedicated in 1918.  It's really something.

Lots and lots of trains and barges.  My goodness.

You'll have to ask the girls about the nest we found in the van--with one momma mouse and four little babies.

It was really great to get away.  Now I'm in the process of getting ready for my summer school class.  Have a great rest of the summer, everyone.

--

God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.