Amazing Sites

We decided to take a little trip over Spring Break this past week. It's only about 5 hours to the Redwood forest in Northern California. As we drove south, we kept wondering how we would know the difference between a Redwood and other evergreens we see all the time in Oregon. We shouldn't have wondered. About 10 miles north of Crescent City (our destination), we came to them. When you see a Redwood - you'll know it! They are gigantic. Thankfully Tim was driving because Ethan and I kept saying, "Whoa! Look at that one. Oh my goodness, look how big that one is!" They are truly amazing!


Ethan is standing in the hollowed out portion of a giant!

We were able to stop at several turnouts along a scenic stretch of road. We walked on semi-groomed trails through the forest. Ethan had a blast! I think he could have walked for miles. It was amazing that the primary plants we saw were the redwoods, ferns, clover and a small white flower.



Outside Klamath, California, we drove through this tree. It's believed to be over 750 years old. They cut it out in the late 70s.


As you can see from the other pictures, it was characteristically rainy for 3 of the 4 days we were there. (The forest gets over 100 inches of rain each year.) So, on one day, we decided to stay inside for a while and visited Ocean World. They had tanks of many different types of fish, bat rays, sharks and marine mammals such as the sea lion below.


Photo-op...

We were even able to pet a tiger shark at the end of the tour. Ethan said he didn't want to until we got there. Then he was the first to roll up his sleeve!



We bundled up against the cold and mist to search for agates on Pebble Beach. Ethan's love of rocks led him to declare this the "Best Beach in the World!" He brought home 2 large ziploc bags full of rocks.





The amazing power of the Pacific Ocean. These rocks were sticking out of the water all up and down the coast.



One day we visited Trees of Mystery. Out front they have HUGE statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe. Here, Ethan's trying to climb up on Paul's boot. Gives you an idea of how big they were!


Ethan hugging a tree. (Certainly not the biggest one we saw!)


The Candelabra Tree at Trees of Mystery. It's really a nurse log. Because the forest gets so much rain, all the water washes the nutrients out of the soil. New saplings have to grow on fallen, dying trees for nutrients in order to survive. Some of the "new" trees here were huge themselves!



One of the best parts of Trees of Mystery was riding the Sky Trail up into the canopy of the forest. We were in an enclosed gondola that took us on a steep ride up. As we neared the top, we could even see the ocean. As you can see, Ethan thought it was pretty cool, too.


The view from the observation deck at the top.




Overlooking the Pacific where the Klamath River flows into it.



Battery Point Lighthouse. It's still operational. (We saw the light and heard the horn.) It can be toured, but only at low tide when we can walk across the rocks to it and up the hill. It was actually sunny our last day in town!


We made one more stop at Pebble Beach for Ethan to look for agates in the sun. He managed to collect another bag full to bring home. Amazing the difference a couple of days can make. This day we were out there in T-shirts!



We discovered that in Selma, Oregon, there is a place called Mooney Mountain. Tim needed a picture!
It was a great trip. We hope to go back some day because all the pictures and video in the world can't capture the majesty of the Redwoods or the beauty of the Pacific. Both reminded us of the mighty Creator who is even greater!

Karate Kid

Check out Ethan at his first day of Taekwondo lessons. Pretty snazzy in the new uniform, eh?







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First in a Lifetime

There have been many firsts here in Oregon, and here's another...mowing the lawn in February!



Everything grows in the mid-Willamette Valley, but now we know spring can also start when it should still be winter. Notice the spring flowers which have been blooming for at least two weeks prior to today.

Happy Valentine's Day

The Magic Tree House book series has been Ethan's favorite for a few years now. For V-Day he received "Leprechaun in Late Winter." While not having read it yet, he promptly added the new book to his MTH collection which obviously takes up the better part of his bedroom floor - at least when he pulls the books out of the bin.




Reportedly, Ethan has read all 43 books and many of the companion research guides that have been published. His personal collection holds 28 volumes. The September release of "Ghost Tale for Christmas Time" is eagerly awaited.

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Reading Fever

Thankfully, Ethan hasn't taken the sickness that Tim & I had during the past few weeks. However, this morning, we discovered that he definitely has a reading fever! I found him laying in bed this morning reading. "What are you doing?" I asked. "Reading. Shh...I'm almost done," he said. Two minutes later he was in our room carrying the book and grinning like a Cheshire Cat. He had finished the second book in the Peter Pan series. He read this entire 556 page book since Monday! Completely amazing. (He said it's a good one!)

More Updates from 2009

Everything, literally everything, grows in Oregon. Look at the size of this jonquil that grew outside our front door last spring.

Ethan participated in an Easter Egg Hunt at a local church. Actually, it was more like a Candy Grab. There weren't many eggs out there!


How do you like this crazy smile? Think he was looking forward to the candy????

Beautiful view of Mt. Hood from town.

All dressed up, but no diploma! My first graduation as a faculty member. About half the faculty on this side of the stage.


Ethan's first try at bumper cars at a local festival.

Scrabble Slam

Ethan has become a Scrabble Slam champion since Christmas. At first he didn't have a chance of beating Tim, who's quite the Word King, but he beat both of us soundly tonight! If you haven't played, it's great for developing vocabulary. Ethan searches and searches for a new, unique word that will work in the game. Much faster paced than regular Scrabble!