An Afternoon in Morro Bay

In between all the rain and wind of the past few storms there have been a few days here and there where the clouds have parted and allowed us to enjoy a day in the sunshine.  We took advantage of one of those days to spend an afternoon in Morro Bay. This has always been one of my favorite places to visit on the Central Coast. 

We set off with our friends to walk out all the way around the bay to Morro Rock and then to the beach on the other side.

Of course I had to stop and say hello to the seagulls.

 Following our walk, we found ourselves in a cute, not so little, gift shop and nursery filled with a wonderful array of visual treats.  There were lovely indoor and outdoor spaces filled with displays of different ways to showcase plants,

 Themed spaces, each filled with decorating ideas and pictures,

 and delightful culinary books of all kinds.

 I could have spent an entire afternoon and not seen everything, but after an hour the boys said it was time to move on.

We finished our day back in the bay enjoying the sunshine before having an early dinner by the water.

It was the perfect ending to one of those wonderful days that make you smile when you look back on them.  God willing, we will be making many more of them in the weeks ahead.  Blessings to you.

Oregon Coast Travels

After spending a bit of time on the road we have finally landed in a place where I can stop and review these first days of our journey.  It has been a bit of an adventure for sure and we have had to keep our sense of humor and perspective a number of times.

An unexpected snow storm delayed our departure date but we finally made it out after the ice melted off the roads on the following day.

In our efforts to avoid the icy road conditions in the mountains we elected to take the coastal route down the Oregon Coast and were making good time until we blew a tire on the fifth wheel just 10 minutes from our destination for the night.  It's a little scary changing a tire on the side of a busy winding road just as it's starting to get dark but the Lord protected us and we were soon on our way again.   Our second day we ended up getting caught in a huge wind and rain storm in Newport, Oregon where we had to hunker down for a couple of days.

Even though it was windy, rainy and cold, that didn't stop us from getting out, in spite of the rain to wander a little bit along the old waterfront in the Newport Harbor and enjoy a nice warm bowl of clam chowder and some fresh fish and chips.

It didn't stop the seagulls either.

Finally, the winds died down, the sun came out and we could be on our way again.

A view of the Newport Bridge in the early morning after the storm taken from our camp site.

Those of you who have traveled the highway along the Oregon Coast know how magnificent the scenery is.  Around every corner is a spectacular view of waves crashing to the shore and splashing up against gigantic rocks jutting up from the water. The clouds and storm would blow in and out making the afternoon look like night was drawing in, and then the sun would come back out and sparkle on the water. 

Our fourth night out we landed in the little seaport of Brookings, Oregon, the last town before crossing into California.  We found a cute little RV park in the harbor right across the street from the beach where ...

  I finally got my first walk along the seashore.

 We could see where the sea had thrown up bits and pieces of wood  and debris and left it all along the water's edge including this little bit of burl wood which I picked up and almost brought home with me before resisting the urge and leaving it where it lay for the next treasure hunter. 

   

   Much of this wood looked raw and new, freshly washed up from the storm.  But with time the winds and the sands will polish it into the smooth and whitened patina of aged driftwood much like this little piece.

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There is still so much more to share, especially about the sea, but I must leave you for now.  We are still experiencing some large winter storms but we are nestled safely with dear friends who are are keeping us busy and helping us to stay cosy and warm.  I pray that each of you are safely nestled in the place that you are as well. 

I'll be back

Without going into a lot of detail this has been a crazy, crazy couple of weeks.  Lots of family stuff in the midst of packing up and getting ready for an extended road trip.  Nothing is wrong. I even had a few photos to share, but tomorrow we will be shutting down the internet and I have run out of time.  I hope to be able to connect and post from time to time and I will definitely be checking in and commenting when I can.  Meanwhile, I wish each of you every blessing and I will be in touch soon from our little home away from home.

Sensible Shoes

Last night was my turn to host my monthly book club which is always a lot of fun.  A little wine, some fruit and cheese, and a few bites of chocolate, what goes better with a good book discussion?

This month's selection, Sensible Shoes,  turned out to be a really wonderful choice.  Part novel, part bible study and part personal spiritual revelation, there is so much in this book that I know I will be keeping it on my shelf to read over and over.

  
The story is about four different women from four different walks and places in their lives who come together at a Spiritual Retreat center in order to learn ways to grow personally and spiritually. Each one has experience brokenness in their lives. Over the course of several weeks they begin learning some of the ancient spiritual practices such as walking a prayer labyrinth in order to release and receive and using Lectio Divina to go deeper into God's word.  I found it all very interesting.  It's written in such a way that the reader can choose to take the spiritual journey along with them if they wanted to.  In fact, I discovered there is an 80 page companion guide that can be downloaded Here for those who might want to use it as a bible study.   While anyone can read this book and enjoy it, I think it has been written for Christian women who are ready to challenge themselves to go deeper into spiritual practices.  Whether you choose to just enjoy it as a novel or use it as a study I don't think you will be disappointed.

Happy Reading!