Seasons change, again.

Last January I blogged about the seasons of life.

http://jbrownflash.blogspot.com/2010/01/seasons-of-life.html

And today,

the first day of Autumn, and the eve of a Full Moon,
I am experiencing what feels like a drastic change in seasons.

It feels like I am falling into Autumn after a very long spring and a barely recognizable encounter with summer.
How did summer slip past me so easily?

Oh, I remember! 

I wasn't home to experience the lazy days of summer.
Or I should say, I wasn't home long enough to get bored with the lazy days of summer.

However, there were a few lazy moments...

May was filled with lots of travel as we attended a graduation, a wedding, an anniversary and bought a car in Colorado.

June included more travel, getting the car home, the move of daughter, and the end of the school year...

July brought the largest amount of travel with the Adventure Trek 2010, the move of a son, as well as visits from friends.
(You'll have to check out my blogs from July for the full story.)

August required another long distance trip as we assisted in completing the move of our son from NE to WA but we made it an adventure for our 30th anniversary by exploring some National Parks slong the way.

Finally, September has been filled with more family and friends, sightseeing and exploring.

Its all good and I have no regrets.

But today, after watching Aimee & Mike leave for KS,

I stepped back into the stillness of the house.

I stepped back into the stillness of Autumn.


I am not in summer anymore with the hustle and bustle of family, friends, adventures, travel, and the joy of flowers and gardens.

So what's next?

What will this next season hold for me?


How will life grow in the stillness of the season ahead?

I am curious.

Let's Go Fly a Kite!

Last Sunday the family headed to Lincoln City for a day at the beach.


And to let Laura T. blow a glass float.

Since the glass blowing only takes 30-40 minutes

we had lots of time to play in the sand, the sea, and fly the stunt kites.


It was fun to watch everyone working together to get the kites up and flying with just a slight breeze.

I especially enjoyed watching Laura Jayne. 

We had one kite that was determined to stay grounded,

and a young 13 year old equally determined to see the kite up in the air with the others.

Laura was persistent and tenacious, focusing all her attention on getting the lazy kite up and flying.

She ran the length of the beach countless times,

until,

finally,

she got the kite to stay aloft.

I am proud of her for sticking with it and not quitting.
Its not always easy to stick with something difficult.
Many times we think of giving up, throwing in the towel, writing it off.

But not Laura!

The big smile on her face let me know she was as proud of herself as I was of her.

I am often encouraged by my children,
learning from them, and sometimes even
given the kick in the pants I need to get motivated.

I love my family!

Trip to Nehalem Bay

My good friend Laura is visiting from Kansas.

Along with Aimee, we are trying to show her some sights along the Oregon Coast.

Yesterday we headed up north and then west along the Sunset Highway.

Our first stop was Camp 18 near Elsie, OR.

Camp 18 is an old logging camp, museum, and also has a great restaurant too!

We had a nice lunch and a chance to stretch our legs before heading on to Seaside and Cannon Beach.

We were lucky enough to stumble upon some guys building sand castles.

From there we continued on south to Nehalem Bay State Park were we spent the night in a YURT.

I have been trying to get the time to explore this option for 'Camping Lite'.

And it did NOT disappoint!

Outside of a few clouds in the sky, the weather was delightful and the campfire was just enough to take the edge off the cool night air.

Our visit from a young deer during dinner was quite fun!

I am already looking for opportunities to go back for a longer stay!

Tomorrow....

lass="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">more adventures!

Our National Parks

Someday I hope to make time to share about my recent trip through Yellowstone National Park,
Devils Tower, and Mount Rushmore.

But I don't seem to be able to fit much time in for writing lately.















































































A few more photos from my trip.