Zion

Good things grow in barren-looking places.  In the crevices of the red red rock sprouts life abundant, pressing out through where there is no soil to where there is only glaring sun.  Hanging from the rocky ceiling, the gardens creep along the cracks fed by misty drips from the last rain. 

I am reminded of home, where maybe it sometimes seems like no good thing could grow but a where really a veritable garden of good things are rooting and pressing upward and outward.  

Taken on our trip to Zion National Park in April 2019

pleasant surprises

  

I am so amazed when I think about all the natural beauty we are surrounded with here in central Washington.  We can drive just a fairly short distance and reach oceans, mountains, plateaus and prairies, glaciers, river gorges, waterfalls, and more.  Today was a day off for Jesse so we hopped in the car and drove an hour and half to the Columbia River and planned to visit a museum I had known about but never really researched.  I was so pleasantly surprised by the experience!  Since we were able to get in free because our library provides a free family pass to the Maryhill Museum of Art (which meant I really wasn't sure if it would be that great since free doesn't always equal stunning), it was well worth the plan and if it was a bust we'd just head further down the Washington/Oregon border to some little hike or something.  No hike needed.... the art museum was incredible, housed in a mansion atop the Columbia Gorge, right above the river rushing by below.  The museum had a big variety of exhibits, but our favorites were the Native American articles from all over North America; Plateau tribes, Coastal tribes, California tribes, Southwest tribes, Inuit tribes.  The collection of baskets and baby boards and tools and photographs was beautiful and I wished I had more time in there but the kids were getting antsy.  I had no idea there was a pretty large collection of Rodin sculptures as well which was my other favorite.  Many of his plaster casts were there which was fun to think about - practice models for the marble work later.  There were also several Greek artifacts from several thousand years ago!  The grounds contain several outdoor sculptures and a picnic area, so we enjoyed relaxing in the grass and since I am recovering from a sinus infection, I rested while Jesse took the girls around to see the sculptures.  It was a sweet day and the girls were sad to leave. It was quiet and calm with no crowds, and we really only got through half of the museum or so, so another trip is in our future.

While I rested I worked on my newest knit:  a little short sleeved shirt (pattern: Sorello) for Millie in some gifted Fancy Image Yarn yarn from a sweet reader here.  Isn't the yarn stunning?!  I am thrilled by the bright vibrant colors as they unfold in each row and Millie says, "Oh mom!  Is that for me!!?"

tidbits

  

   

We loaded up and headed a little ways toward the mountains again on daddy's day off, this time going to Rimrock Lake and although another group came and parked themselves right next to us in an otherwise empty park (I think they were hoping that if they were loud enough maybe we'd move so they could take over the picnic table or something - we didn't) it was still a restful time.  It was hot even up there so the lake dips we took felt incredible and the girls practiced their swimming.  It is so beautiful there and I love spreading a blanket out and diving in to cool off, coming up for a snack or lunch, and settling on the blanket with my knitting needles until the heat is unbearable again.  Lyddie decided to work on her knitting with goggles on, and Rosie practiced sewing with lacing cards. A military jet flew by overhead so close that I thought my ear drums would burst.  So loud. 

Last night we enjoyed an evening at the college-league baseball game in town with our church family and staff.  I got to sit next to two sweet friends and it was so lovely to joke and watch and catch up with them while keeping a wary eye out for fly balls into the stands.  

You know, nothing really exciting happening here but tidbits of good.  

I am planning to complete the KonMari method of "tidying up" by Christmas so I dug in and got my entire wardobe piled into the guest room today and worked through each category of clothing as she recommends.  Although I frequently purge through my clothes, my drawers and closet have truly never looked this... well, empty.  Great.  Devoid of junk.  I can see now how freeing it would be if I felt this way about all our belongings.  I love it.

I have been teaching Millie how to cross-stitch.  She couldn't be more thrilled in spite of the fact that it's almost completely hand-over-hand and will be for quite some time.  No matter!  She was begging to learn after seeing some of my unframed samplers so when we stopped into Hobby Lobby, we picked up a beginning kit, which in turn has caused me to begin again on my own needlework, a really beautiful needle roll kit from Shepherd's Bush that my mom gave me last year but which has been sitting largely unattended while I have focused on knitting.   

We have been watching Once Upon a Time and are fully hooked into season two.  Who knew that fairy tale characters could be so creatively interwoven?  The writing on the show is really very good so far. I started listening to a new podcast that was recommended by Alicia recently and it is a nice fiber-y podcast that makes me want to start dyeing yarn for fun but instead I am ripping back row upon row of a lace-weight shawl and dreaming about the day I get to start knitting forward again.  I am really missing weekly CraftLit podcast releases since Heather understandably decreased for the summer but it means I have to wait two weeks between each episode of Sense and Sensibility!  

Those are the tidbits from my end; any tidbits you care to share?