Cute Home Pics!

Enjoying another fun trip to the Brownsville Park!

Ryan in Ashley & Amanda's apartment- it's been great for the 'girls' to have their own place so that when the young folks want to stay up late for visits, music, singing or whatnot, they don't have to worry about keeping us awake! :-)

Grandma Barb came for a visit for Ashley's birthday

Spoon competition at the dinner table. I won. :-)

My sweet husband loves to bring me flowers... we have a wonderful neighbor who sells cut flowers on the side of the road. His

Dahlias are *still* blooming!

Grant, engrossed in 'Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secrets'

The girls have been enjoying learning how to crochet. Right now they are working on fun gifts for their grandmas

We love the Charlotte Mason Method of schooling. Here Gracie is doing copy work. Probably a poem by Robert Lewis Stevenson. We have been memorizing his poems close to 2 years now. Its almost time to move on to a different poet.. but his are just soo good! lol

Laura is keeping right up with Miss Gracie in schoolwork. At 7 years old, she is reading at a grade 5-6 level and is doing 3rd grade schoolwork easily. Here she is working on math-Teaching Textbooks Grade 3. We so enjoy the lifestyle that homeschooling affords us. The freedom to tailor- fit curriculums and activities per student and learning style. Happy Fall!

The Olders Take a Hike :-)

                                                                                  

 

Ash, Mandy, Ryan & Grant went with some close family friends on a lovely hike! The fall colors were just gorgeous! They arrived fairly late in the day so they ended up traveling the 4 1/2 mile hike fairly quickly so as to get back to the car before dark! :-) Even so, they took the time to snap these lovely photos! Our whole family tried heading back up there the next weekend to see the fall colors before the weather change.. but when we checked the weather report there was already a forecast of snow! Maybe next fall! :-)

 

Ashley & Amanda enjoy these sweet friends!

 

                                        

Fellowship, Volleyball & A Birthday!

 

A few families from a local church in the area invited us to come over for Volleyball and a birthday celebration for their daughter. We have known them all for years and love them all so much! 

 

The little girls had a blast being thrown into the mix!

 

Being very practiced, they were all very tolerant toward our players who aren't quite as experienced. A sign of a truly fun game-having fun even when there are mistakes and fumbles!!!! :-)

 

We had such a fun time watching the games! A few of those guys are seriously into it!

 

Becky entertains the crew!

 

She had them all line up in age order and played 'school'. She is a wonderful babysitter!

 

Time to head inside for the little ones! They enjoyed a snack and organized games

 

Kristin and I always have a ball together! (no pun intended!)

 

 

Ryan was able to come join us after work! He enjoyed visiting with the guys. He was even able to play Volleyball for a few minutes before it got dark.

 

 

Amanda had made her own cake! It was beautiful & delicious!!!

                                The birthday girl enjoys opening her gifts..with lots of lookers!

 

These girls are such great friends to Ashley & Amanda! We are so appreciative of our friendship with this super fun and precious church-body! Thank you for the invite! We had a great time!

Heceta Head - We LOVE the Oregon Coast!

 

Heceta Head Lighthouse State Park is an unbelievable place to visit on the scenic Oregon Coast 

http://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=86

 The lighthouse was constructed between 1892 and 1893 and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The head lightkeeper’s  house was demolished and the lumber purchased for $10 in 1940 following the move from kerosene to electricity to power the lighthouse. The salvaged wood was used to construct the Alpha-Bit Café in nearby Mapleton. The state of Oregon was granted a license to use the lighthouse and surrounding property by the Coast Guard in 1963, the same year that the lighthouse became fully automated. The assistant lightkeeper’s house, which still stands, is now a bed and breakfast operated by concessionaires of the U.S. Forest Service.

 

Before hiking up to the beautiful historic lighthouse we enjoyed playing on the beach a while. The forecast had called for cloudy skies and wind.. instead it was clear and warm. Lovely!

 

Grady & I with our youngest blessings

 

Laura 7, Grace 9, Grant 15, Ryan 19, Mandy 23, Ashley 25

 

We decided to hike up to the renovated lighthouse and  old assistant light keepers home

 

The main Lightkeepers home had been torn down decades before but the Assistant lighthouse keeper's quarters have been converted to a beautiful B&B

 

Of course we had to stop at the gift shop half way up the hill!

 

Much to Rye's delight!! mmmmm!

 

The view from the pathway up to the lighthouse was breathtaking!

 

We were able to enjoy the last tour of the day. It was very interesting to hear how the Lightkeeper families had lived their lives in the late 1800's here at Heceta Head. Essentially isolated from other people they enjoyed library books that would be brought in monthly on horseback, along with the local and national news.. and occasionally at a very low tide, the families would hurriedly hitch up their buggies and travel via the sandy shore to Florence where they could get supplies. Haste must be made however or they would be stranded in town after the tide came in! 

 

It was facinating to hear about the specialty glass that is used even today for the reflecting light of the lighthouse. Once it was illuminated by oil lamp now is electric. (much easier to keep clean now than in the era of kerosene!)

 

We hiked up the hill behind the lighthouse to get a closer look at the glass and windows.

 

Then it was time to head back down the path to the car!

 

The boys taking one more look from above.  While we were standing there Amanda noticed a large splash out in the ocean.. upon further observation a nearby Park Ranger told us they were Orca whales that were migrating! It had been the first time this year they had seen the Orcas.It was spectacular to watch them surface and splash back down!  

 

"race ya!"

 

Laura, spoiled with her gifts and ice cream from the gift shop (which of course we *had* to visit again on our way down!)

 

Sweethearts, enjoying their blessings

 

It was a glorious day...

 

To be together as a family...