Archive for the ‘A GIFT’ Category
Friday, November 18th, 2011
Christianoutdoorrecreation.com
Christian Outdoor Recreation: Reporting on: a Few Bumps in the Road!
In 1980 we bought a new Pontiac phoenix that I had been babying mechanical wise every since we have had it. Over time though, I can honestly say I have worked on most every part of that car to keep it in as good a shape as I could to make it last, especially for the cost of another car now a-days! Along with that, the car had three different times of colliding with Deer! In the last 6 months though we decided it would be better to let it go! Not that we had the money for another one but because it needed another Transmission which would have been the fourth one, I would have put in! But I could not find another one around to buy! So I would be forced to take ours out and send it off first; so they could rebuild it and then send it back. So it could take several weeks to have it up and running again! That was why we decided to evaluate what other things should be fixed as well. One thing was the head liner, it had come loose again and I tried several things but I could not keep it from sagging. Another thing we had to consider is I had never replaced the brake lines and the car has over 200,000 miles. Yes, I could keep working on the car till the cows come home or until I get too old to able to do it. But another thing I had to address; was the mileage gotten for the cost of gas per gallon now! So it made sense to let go of it! I cared, but it was something mechanical and could be replaced. I have been thinking how the car story applies to its physical shape and how it affects our mental decision based on its well being. The same applies to a child getting some scrapes or bruises and or an occasional broken something but for the most part heals up and forgets about those times very fast. Yes there are some exceptions; but for the norm, as we get older there are some things that are far more devastating to us than physical. Now I don’t say that lightly, think for a few minutes about life’s potholes and what can come from them. One thing that has affected each of us back in the past and or now is not forgiving others! Remember we are all human and there is a saying that too error is human, that means we all need to forgive or we will continue to let things fester to the place where we will have problems and in the process possible explode and no one likes what can come from an explosion! There is also the other side where we go through life and continue to hit pot holes and are not able to pull out of them, thinking we are worthless and or no one cares and ends up doing something no likes to hear about! I know we can give all kind reasons why we won’t forgive others and have no intention of doing so! But do yourself a favor and think about the results that can take place physically, mentally and personally, if we don’t let go of these things as fast as possible trying to find a solution. This can affect every aspect of our lives and put us in a tailspin that we possibly may not pull out of and end up doing something that we may regret for the rest of our lives. For me there is only one solution to the problems that I have including forgiving others! I have found overtime that we in and of ourselves are not equipped to achieve that inner calmness, peace, or the satisfaction in life that we are all so desperately looking for. They come from one source only! The Creator of all things is the only one that has the answers we are so much in need of! That tells me then, to have a saneness of mind and heart, I must look to our God for the answers I don’t have! The way this comes about is confessing our sins that we have committed in the way we walked in this world, without looking to him to help us in all the hurts and the anguish we have experienced as well as the way we have hurt others along the way! This is the reason for all the hurts in our lives. The only solution is asking forgiven of our sins through the name of our Lord and Savior,( Jesus Christ , GOD’s only Son!) The only one who died for all of mankind that we may live a life worth the living; having possession of those attributes mentioned above! Remember this! GOD will not forgive our sins without a blood sacrifice: that sacrifice had to be holy and that is why GOD’S only SON came to earth in an earthy body and having not sinned; Died on the Cross for you and me! That we might have life and have it abundantly!
Written By Christian Outdoor Recreation:
Tags: Answers, Car, Forgive, Iife, Money
Posted in A GIFT, religious, tips | No Comments »
Thursday, November 3rd, 2011
Christianoutdoorrecreation.com
Christian Outdoor Recreation: Reporting on # 3 A Unique and Gratifying Trip
The next morning we had a late breakfast because of our son and his wife getting home around 2 in the morning. They did not say what we would be doing that morning and we never did ask, for we were there for the ride and whatever they wanted to do! Where we ended up was our daughter in-laws sister place again, with her husband preparing the barbeque and grilling pit to cook on as he had done the day before for the adoption celebration. It was then that we found out how Community minded this couple was and that they loved to entertain. On this particular day they were having their annual pumpkin carving time for their children and the children in the neighborhood. They had also asked a few men from the nearby college if they would come and help carve pumpkins for the children who were not able to do it themselves. Along with that, if the children did not have pumpkins; there was several setting around ready to be carved. It was not long after we got there, that a number of fathers and mothers had opened the gate into the back yard! Upon entering, the children saw things they wanted to play on like the slide and swing and the several other things they found enticing, including a nice sized tree house about 3 ft off of the ground located some 12’uphill, which was all padded inside and you could see quite some distance from there! As far as hospitality their house was opened to all who came and I would say no one went away hungry as there was more than enough food to eat. It was 4:00 before we left, as my son’s family wanted to spend time with just us, as we would be leaving in the morning. As we left, we still saw parents coming in with their children to have their pumpkins carved. I will remember that for some time for I thought that was neat, for normally you don’t see that kind of hospitality outside of your own family or church gatherings! When we reached the curb in front of the house, my son asks us if we would like to take the ferry to Bremerton Washington and eat at a nice Restaurant on the pier. We said we would enjoy that very much as that would give us some time to converse with each other as well. By the time we got to the dock, we had still had close to a 50 min. wait for its arrivial,so that worked out very well!
Written By Christian Outdoor Recreation:
Tags: Children, Ferry, Hospitality
Posted in A GIFT, Safety, tips | No Comments »
Monday, October 31st, 2011
Christianoutdoorrecreation.com
Christian Outdoor Recreation: Reporting on: # 2 A Unique and Gratifying Trip
By the time we reached our son’s place in Seattle it was very close to 10:00 and we had not eaten as yet, so they fixed us something to eat. The following morning when we got up, it was much like the previous times we had been there in the past. The back side of their house faces the down side of a hill with a balcony on the main floor, overlooking the back yard. All we could see was a light mist rising in the back yard with giant trees of all sorts. In that particular area they rarely see the sun till about 9:30, then you can see a portion of the park that lies beyond their fence along with Birds and Squirrels and an occasional Raccoon or Possum. About 9:30 we all left to go to our daughter in laws, sister place. This was where they were preparing the dinner that was to be served, celebrating their children adoptions being finalized. That’s for sure there was something there for everyone’s taste buds! There were several different kinds of cheese and meats including smoked and barbeque, vegetable trays, regular and dried fruits plates as well as a variety of nuts and candy’s. A real hit to me was the homemade Chili and lastly, deserts of all kinds. We had never been to a party with so much to choose from. The party ended with the children and the parents sharing with each other how much they appreciated each other as they felt more like a complete family now! It was 6:00 before we left to go back to our son’s place. My son and his wife had gotten tickets some time back to a concert they were going to that night; so we and our granddaughter were going to have pizza later on and play Mexican train. Everything probably would have been great except the TV was on to some kids channel and she paid attention to it once in a while instead of concentrating on what she was doing. Well after about 3 games we should have stopped and played a different game because on the next game she got twice as many dominos so she would have more numbers to choose from. After that game I quit. The next game they played, my wife took twice as many dominos also. She figured if that was what she wanted to do she would do the same thing! Later my wife told my son what she did and he just shook his head, probably because he could not believe my wife would indulge her by doing the same thing instead of correcting her, ha.
Written By Christian Outdoor Recreation:
Tags: Channel, Correcting, Park, Party, Seattle
Posted in A GIFT, Humorous | No Comments »
Monday, October 31st, 2011
Christianoutdoorrecreation.com
Christian Outdoor Recreation Reporting on: # 1 a unique and gratifying trip
Friday was a day we may not forget for quite some time. Several years ago, our son already having two children married a woman who had a young daughter of her own. Over time one of our granddaughters moved out of their home and the married couple wanting to be a more closely knit family with the last two, decided that each of them would adopt the others child. It had taken way over a year, jumping through all the hoops to finally have the adoption of each of them finalized. That same day they called and ask us to come to Seattle for a celebration. So on Friday we left Burns Oregon for Seattle Washington. Upon taking the freeway I-90 we figured it was only going to be a 2 1/2 hour trip; but by the time we were within around 90 miles of Seattle we hit a traffic jam on both lanes. That occurred about 5:30 pm; from then on it was stop and starts every few feet. About 2 hours later our Son called and told us there was construction going on and told us to turn around and go back to Ellensburg and go over Stevens pass as we would probably get there faster. Well we weighted the time going back and going over the Pass could take better than 3 hours, so we decided to stick it out in the stop and go traffic and by that time we had probably covered 10 miles. By the time we were at 78 miles from Seattle, I was flat out tired! A few minutes after that the traffic started to pick up a little as it was funneled through one lane back on to two. When we entered the two lanes, I thought to myself, those poor people behind us were probably backed up clear to Ellensburg. Then reality set in as I still had the task of fighting the traffic in the rain to reach our destination half way through Seattle.
Written By Christian Outdoor Recreation:
Tags: Adoption, Seattle, Son, Traffic
Posted in A GIFT, Humorous | No Comments »
Friday, October 14th, 2011
Christianoutdoorrecreation.com
Christian Outdoor Recreation: Reporting on: Meeting a need
A couple of weeks ago I felt like I needed to go fishing again as our hunting season was coming up very shortly. Most of the other people I normally go fishing with were busy on the day I chose to go, so I invited a fellow I had gotten to know some time back, when had we worked for Louisiana Pacific. He was single and had not worked for a long time and was always looking for a job in welding or whatever he could get as he has not had any money coming in for quite a spell. I have empathy for him for I have been there many times over the years. So I ask him if he would like to go fishing with me and from my past experiences fishing out at Alnoe, I told him, you definitely will catch fish and I will pay for the trip out there. He replied he would very much like to go and ask how much would a fishing license would be. I explained to him that we would be fishing in a private pond so he would not need a license and I would pay for us to fish there. The next morning we took off at close to 5:30 and through the course of our conversation I found out that he had not fished for years and in his earlier years had few opportunities to go. When we arrived at the lake the fish were hitting the surface of the water along the edge and there was a cloud cover; so we never did see the sun for about two and half hours. But, by the time my friend and I had rigged up with Crappie jigs we had decided it was a little too cool to sit in the boat as we had quite a time tying on the hooks. So we fished from the bank for an hour or more and only caught 2 Blue Gill. I was amazed for I had never seen fishing this slow at Alnoe as we were not getting hits at all! The only thing I could think of that was keeping them from biting, was the much cooler weather we were to have in the next few days. Some other people we knew came and put their boat in so we decided to do the same as we were sure not getting any hits from the bank! As we put out into deeper water we got hits with our crappie jigs and flies along with just a little worm on the end, but the way they hit reminded me of the year before in early spring. I and a friend were at a lake where the fish would hit lightly and mouth it all the way into shallower water and let go. We even just let it set but we never caught one fish in the four hours we were at that lake. To say the least this is something I sure didn’t expect at Alnoe! After an hour of just pulling our lines in and throwing it back out; the sun came out and the temperature started rising. It was then, that the fish decided to start taking our lures. No, I can’t say we had excellent fishing after that but we did fair, considering the amount of time we were catching fish and left Alnoe went with about 45 Crappie. The most important thing about the day though was giving the friend I had taken with me a day he could remember and just allow him to get his mind off of his worries for a while! So I praise GOD for giving me leading to take him out with me! We all need people to rally around us at times just to give us the feeling that people do care!
Written By Christian Outdoor Recreation:
Tags: Bank, fishing, Praise
Posted in A GIFT, fishing | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011
Christianoutdoorrecreation.com
Christian Outdoor Recreation: Reporting On: Men’s Retreat: Description of the Area
A week ago a number of men from our church body went on a men’s retreat. Most every year we are allowed to go into an area that very few people ever see, for it is on a large ranch that has 3 different creeks running through it which eventually runs into the Silives River some 3 or 4 miles downstream. The terrain in the area is amazing and very beautiful. Most all of the trees in the bottom area had been taken out many years back and small diversion dams were put in to water all the land that is level in the area. That gives them a lot of wild hay to cut which they leave on the ground as they leave their cattle in the area right up to snow fall. Just before the snow falls, they come in and round up the big calves of a certain weight and will truck them to some other place to sort them out! Then they will start a cattle drive which will take them to a lower elevation which normally takes two days to complete. On the far side of the valley, approximately 2 miles across the meadows, are huge flat top mountains and canyons leading into the forest country with only just a few juniper trees scattered here and there. Now as I turn around, I see a number of wood buildings fairly well preserved over time. One was a two story house built at the turn of the last century that the new owners set on large beams of wood and put metal on the roof and put in plumbing for water at the kitchen sink and up graded the kitchen some but it has no electricity. Other than that, the house is original including the old siding. About 30 yrds to the west of front of the house are a number of corals and beyond them is the remnant of an old cellar built in the side hill that had collapsed. Then 75 yrds to the north across the old road is a horse corral and barn along with two fairly large sheds with one being mostly open on the front which was for machinery. The other shed was very tightly enclosed and waterproof. Across the road from them to the south is a couple of fairly good sized wood granaries with one of them being converted into two bed rooms. One room will house 4 people and the other 2. Further up the hill from those is an old meat or curing house. All of these are set out about 125 yrds from the front of a mountain immediately rising some distance into the air with juniper and ponderosa pine on it.
Written By: Christian Outdoor Recreation:
Tags: Cattle, Forest, Mountain, Remnant, Retreat
Posted in A GIFT | No Comments »
Thursday, July 28th, 2011
Christianoutdoorrecreation.com
Christian Outdoor Recreation: Reporting on: # 5 Time with our Great Grandson
Two days later we went to New Port which had enough things in that area alone, to keep a person busy experiencing new things for month or more. This time though, we chose to see the aquarium they had there. The displays there were real eye catchers with both salt and fresh water species to enjoy. I guess for me, the one thing I enjoy more than anything is seeing the displays of the tidal pools with so many diverse varieties’ and colors of star fish and other marine life that inhabit the sea floor. Along with that, seeing the tide come rushing in at times; enables a person to really get a glimpse of what is actually taking place on the bottom of the Sea. Of course every display has a beauty all its own whether it’s a fish that looks like a piece of wood or a jellyfish that has neon colors and or a fair size octopus that can squeeze into a small enough space that seems unbelievable. Talk about the diversity of our God’s Creation; it is amazing! As far as fish tank displays; we saw a lot of them but the one I always enjoy the most is the Glass tunnel that you walk through. Being in that tunnel is the closest you may ever be to a full sized shark along with a good size sturgeon and quit a number of other fish I do not know the name of. Of all the displays we saw that day, the only one my Great Grandson showed some real interest in was the Neon Jellyfish! After we left New Port we stopped at the Yaquina Head light house which was built in 1873 and 1890 they were required to show people through the light house in the traditional clothes of that day. It is located 3 miles north of New Port. It’s a place you may want to go to if you ever get over that way for there are a number of things to see right in that area. It is known as one of the best places to spot whale’s and we found out that some Gray Whales can be seen the year around as some of them do not migrate to the bearing sea like some do, instead they stay around the Oregon coast. A real oddity there is Cobble Stone Beach, where when the conditions are right you can hear the stones moving over the top of one another which is extremely unusual! Another thing that is out of the ordinary is Quarry Cove which is an area built by Blm. It was built to encourage sea life to populate in a much more protected environment as their numbers were diminishing. There is also an observation deck to view the wildlife and sometimes their pups! Once again, it is time to leave; of course before leaving the Ocean, we must consummate our time here by a wade in the surf and a walk on the beach!
Written By Christian Outdoor Recreation:
Tags: Area, fish, Life, Sea, Surf
Posted in A GIFT, Humorous | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 27th, 2011
Christianoutdoorrecreation.com
Christian Outdoor Recreation: Reporting on: # 4 Time with our Great Grandson
The evening my daughter and her husband returned from Reno after being at their Daughter’s wedding. We all decided we would go to the coast the next day! Upon entering Lincoln city we spent several hours walking the beach along with wading in the surf looking for title pools where we could see sea life and just generally looking for shells and other oddities that wash up on the sand. Upon leaving there we stopped at a noted Whale watching location that had to be 600 ft or more above the Ocean located between Lincoln city and depot bay. Most of the time we were Whale watching the wind was blowing in gusts but we had a number of sightings in the hour and half we were there. One time we got to see most of a complete whale on top of the water! All of us really enjoyed the time there except our Great Grandson, which wanted us to move on right after we got there. We had been there for quite some time before I noticed a fellow fishing from the rocks some distance down to the right of us. I would have liked to talk with him but I knew that my wife would frown on me doing that with everyone there. After we left there we went to Depot Bay and went through the Whale sighting station, which had quit a history of whale sighting along with seal, walrus and sea otter. We then went across the highway to the many beach front stores that are in Depot Bay. They all had the same theme in mind but each shop had their own individual taste in products which were different from another, so it was not boring going through them as I suspected they might be! Of course my Great Grandson was always looking around for something his grandmother would buy for him as she had proven herself to be a real soft touch every since he was born!
Written By Christian Outdoor Recreation:
Tags: Coast, fishing, Proven, Whale
Posted in A GIFT, fishing, Humorous | 1 Comment »
Monday, July 25th, 2011
Christianoutdoorrecreation.com
Christian Outdoor Recreation: Reporting on: #3 Time with our Great Grandson
The next day we decided to take our Great Grandson to the Carnival as he had money of his own to burn. Once there, all he wanted to ride was the hammer head and after that one ride and hitting a counter weight with a large hammer several times trying to hit a bell at the top of the machine, he figured he would save the rest of his money to buy a game. That same evening we decided to go to the Portland Zoo the following morning which according to my Great Grandsons sleep habit is 10:30 or later. By the time he was ready to go, we had packed up some goodies as well as water and plugged in the GPS and arrived at the Zoo about 11:30. But did not get parked till about 11:55; the reason for that was the traffic coming in was unreal even for the size of the huge parking lot they had. So people keep driving around behind a line of cars until it was their turn to move into a space where a car is just backing out. About the time we entered the zoo I turned on my camera and found out that the battery was down so I had to walk the quarter of a mile back to the car to get a fresh battery and reset the date before I could take a picture. The Lord gave me a good attitude though, but I can’t tell you what the attitude my wife and Great Grandson had by the time I got back to where they were sitting. But we all took it in stride, as we stopped at each exhibit. I took several pictures of each animal at times because there were several portals to look though. By the time we were about ¾ of the way through my Great Grandson was trying to hurry me up but he never did tell me so. Instead, he ask me how many pictures are you going to take of this one? I just smiled and said I think we have just 3 or 4 more animals to see then we will leave! About the time we were getting ready to leave my Great Grandson said he was hungry, so we ask him where he would like to eat once we get on the road, he replied the Burger King. We knew if we did not ask that question we would be eating something at the park. By the time we reached home my Great Grandson went right to the computer and started playing games so it was hard to tell whether He enjoyed the zoo or not.
Written by Christian Outdoor Recreation:
Tags: Camera, Carnival, Portals, Sleep, Zoo
Posted in A GIFT, Humorous | No Comments »
Monday, July 4th, 2011
Chistianoutdoorrecreation.com
Christian Outdoor Recreation: Reporting on: Breaking away from the norm
I don’t know about you, but I thank God for the warm weather we have had for the past 2 1/2weeks! Before then it rained most every day with the temperature still in the high 30’s and low 40’s. Most of the streams and river reservoirs were at flood stage for quite some time! Because of that, there was a lot of sand bagging going on trying to keep the river in check from over running its bank on a large scale. A few weeks before that our newspaper had an article and a picture showing the water flowing over the top of the Warm Spring reservoir dam in south eastern Oregon. Of course, it has receded some now from the reports I have gathered from a number of friends who had fished there! Listening to Their stories though gave me the desire to go fishing somewhere, but there was so much water in most of the reservoirs and rivers in our part of the state that I decided to go to a private pond which would not break my gas budget to get there! The ponds name is Altnow and is located near Drewsey Oregon. In order to fish there you have to make a reservation and the second is, it cost $10.00 a pole. It is fed by warm and cold water springs so consequently produces some fairly good sized bluegill and bass. The size of the pond is about a ¼ of a mile across any way you look at it. It has excellent bedding grounds for both species with cattails around half of its perimeter. Most shore line’s start out at about 2 ft deep and others drop off in a hurry! The deepest spot I found with my anchor is about 23ft. But I have no doubt there are deeper places in there! Most people just fish from the bank and get a fair number of them along the dam with mainly bluegill being caught. Really it depends on the day if there is lot of overcast you may go home with a hundred or more. But if it is extremely warm and clear like the day I just went out, you would do best to have a boat or float tube and use flies or a small jig head with worm or just worm on a hook. Then place a small spinner about 16” above the hook and attaché a bobber 6 ft to 8 ft above the bait. If you can’t catch fish on a lure, give bait and a small spinner a try! A little flash at times can sure draw them to your bait in a hurry! Sometimes, we just have to break away from our norm if we want to take some fish home!
Written By Christian Outdoor Recreation:
Tags: fishing, Picture, Spot, Weather
Posted in A GIFT, fishing | No Comments »
