Good Times with Old Friends and a Visit to Mount Rainier

This weekend was a special one for our family.  We traveled a few hours west to be with a dear friend who was getting married.  Years ago she suffered the loss of her husband.  We connected on such a deep level when she experienced this loss, because our husbands were both gone for extended periods of time, and our children... my son and her daughter ... were the same age.  It was a crushing blow for her to lose her husband to a heart attack at the age of 50.  Yet the years have passed, and we could not even believe that 8 years had passed since that time of loss.  The Lord has kept her and been good to her, and now has brought a kind and loving man into her life who lost his wife to cancer several years ago.  The Lord is so faithful.  Such joy abounded in all our hearts as we celebrated with them on this weekend.

As we traveled to the wedding, we took our time, and stopped to enjoy the sights as we traveled.

We traveled by the Columbia River in Washington, and stopped at the scenic overlook to stretch our legs and enjoy the view.

The vastness of this river is incredible.

The barren hills covered in shrub brush had a wild beauty to them.

Massive windmills dotted the landscape.

We were getting close to our destination!

We saw the classic sign welcoming visitors to town.

The wedding was incredible on so many levels.  So happy for my dear friend to have found love again.

The roses scattered around the venue were vying for my attention.

Can you spot something between the barrels?

Oh! How I loved the splendiforous roses as they overlooked the green valley below.

I couldn't pick any favorites, but this one might have been right up there at the top if I had to choose.

The day after the wedding, we traveled an hour or so west towards Mount Rainier National Park to spend the day.

We made this time a little family vacation and getaway. It was an incredible sight to see this mountain up close!

Unfortunately, the clouds were playing peek-a-boo all day.

We watched the clouds move very quickly across the mountain, and the scene constantly changed before our eyes.  You have no idea how massive Mount Rainier is until you get closer to it! We still were not in the park yet, but enjoyed the views as we drove.

Finally we arrived in the park.  We knew we were on a limited time budget... so we did the "hit and run" thing... we would stop at view points, get out, snap a few pictures, and back in the car and off we went.

We promised ourselves that we would come back someday with more time to spare than just one day!  I could have sat and listened to the music this creek was playing for hours!

And the waterfalls... oh they were magnificent!

There was an abundance of waterfalls throughout the park to enjoy.

Around Mount Rainer sit a line of mountains that are pretty impressive all by themselves.

We were told to be sure and go to Paradise and hike the trails.  Unfortunately, this is what met us when we went to hike this trail... a wall of snow! LOL!  We were not prepared to hike in the snow, so this is a sight we will have to come back to later.

Up on Paradise, you could see the damage done to the trees from all the snow!  You could see that a ton of snow had melted, but yet, there was still a LOT of snow left!  We were told that Mount Rainier gets 400+ inches of snow a year... wow!

The walkway leading down to a closer view of Narada Fallas.

I wished I could have captured a picture like the one above, but we did not have time to walk all the way to get this grand of a view.

However, we were lucky to see the rainbow at the bottom of the falls!

Amazing the amount of water coming off the mountain.

The gorgeous Nareda falls made me think of a long flowing bridal train... but maybe I just had weddings on my mind, lol!

Finally the clouds parted with some blue skies long enough for us to capture a few pictures of Mount Rainier.

And then... they closed back up again, within seconds, I might add!

It is amazing how fast the weather changes on this mountain.

We sat on the ledges and waited for 15 minutes or so, and just watched the action above.  I never cease to be amazed at how fog is so deceptive.  You really cannot tell that the mountain is there when the fog veils it... but then as the fog and clouds part... you can see just how massive and impressive this mountain is.

The peek-a-boo moments continue...

Using my telephoto lens, I was able to get a shot of the summit of Mount Rainier when the clouds parted long enough for me to zoom in.

That was about the best picture of Mount Rainier that we could get.  I have fallen in love with this beautiful place.  The majesty of this mountain is incredible.  I want to come back when the wildflowers are in bloom, as we were told by many there at the park just how amazing that sight is to witness.

The abundance of waterfalls always delights!

The next day as we headed home... we saw a beautiful sight... Mount Rainier in all her glory was easily visible for many miles as we drove.  Too bad that the weather had cleared up the day we were leaving... but it did "whet our appetite" for more, and someday we want to return to explore this beautiful place more than one day will allow.

As we passed by the Columbia River, we stopped at the scenic viewpoint to see the Wild Horses monument.

We needed to stretch our legs, so off we went to climb up to the top of the bluff.  Huffing and puffing... we made it!

It was well worth the climb!

The wild horses were a work of art, and it was quite something to see the work and skill that went into making these horses visible from the road far below.

I think the trip back down the bluff was a bit more tricky than going up due to all the loose sandy rocks. But we were glad to get out and stretch our legs for a while before we continued the drive home.

It was a very special Memorial Day weekend for our family, memorable in so many ways.  It was wonderful to reconnect with our dear friends, and to celebrate with them the new life beginning together, and then as we traveled to Mount Rainier to see such an incredible mountain up close, even if it was a quick "hit and run" visit, it was an enjoyable one.

After returning home, our kind neighbor had taken such wonderful care of our animals, and all was well with them.  I still haven't spotted any new little chicks yet, and am hoping that they will come out soon so we can meet them :)

Our house continues to be painted, and it is looking wonderful!  I hope to show you some pictures of it in the next day or two.  I will be planting my garden in the next couple of days as well.  Local gardeners around here say that June 6 is the date to plant warm weather plants, but I think we will be safe to go ahead and plant this week - our temps are supposed to reach up into the 90s by Sunday!

So much going on, along with a graduation party being planned here too... as our dear son graduates next week.  I keep thinking that "next week" I will have more time, but then as I look at the calendar, I realize that's not even true... spring is rolling into summer, and it is the time to be busy, outdoors and enjoying the glorious beauty around us.

Enjoy your days, my dear friends, and remember to live each moment to the fullest ... for we cannot get a lost moment back.  :)