Portland Trip

Last weekend, we ventured to the beautiful city of Portland. It was so lush and green there! Accompanied by great places to eat, stellar coffee, and a morning on the Oregon coast – it was a fantastic trip. We were able to see old friends and family along the way. Some friends we last saw exactly one year ago to the weekend when we were driving through with a U-Haul moving from Seattle to Montana. A year goes by way to fast.

I was hard to sift through our hundreds of pics from the trip – but here are a few!

Tree Farm along the way

Very cool to see the field of trees. Straight, tidy rows. Numerous fields with baby trees up to these mature giants.

Western Seminary where Jason is going to school

Met a few of Jason’s colleagues and profs. Dr. DeYoung coming out with with a great book on June 1 – looks like it will be a good one!

Mount Tabor

Extinct volcano. That’s reassuring. :) A beautiful park with a great view of the city.   (This picture makes me smile…note Nick in the background.)

Tillamook Cheese Factory

I would love to make cheese someday. (Although Nick thinks I am crazy.) This cheese factory tour was OK – interesting, but only showed the last step of the process. I wanted to see the curds and whey! But it was free and we got to sample squeaky cheese at the end!

Oregon Coast

Brrr but beautiful. I love seeing the ocean and chasing the tide. Top it off with fresh chowder and seafood on the beach – lovely time.

Pine State Biscuits

Mmmmm. Biscuits done right. Yes Jason – the Reggie Deluxe was everything you said it would be…and more.

The Albina Press

Great coffee. Yes.

Other highlights in Downtown Portland - Powell’s Books. Hive Modern. EWF Modern.

And last but not least….IKEA. Overwhelming, yes. But we made it out alive and with a few good bargains!

Box Elder Tree

It has been a while since you have heard from me! I bet you can guess it – yes, we’ve been busy. Spring brings excitement for outdoor projects and great weather to work in. I love spring. Most definitely my favorite season.

We had to cut down our Box Elder Tree – it was a weak tree and was splitting in half over our house and our neighbors. Not good – plus we found the majority of the root system was rotted along with the core of the 2 main trunks. But all in all, it allowed us to stock our basement with wood for future woodworking projects!

Box elder wood is light in color and develops interesting red stains where the wood has been injured. Here and here are some great pictures of what the red staining can look like. In ours, the rot, past tree injections, and multiple nails & metal things made for some great red stains!

After it was cut down, we loaded up the wood (thanks Scott for your help!) and hauled it to a guy Nick knows that owns a saw mill. Is was just a one-man-operation with rusty old machinery. Is was entirely exposed to the weather and it looked as thought it may never start. But it was well-oiled and ready to work. This whole production had good ole’ Montana charm and character about it. It was a neat process to see! He would position it just so with hydraulic levers and use a band saw to cut slaps of whatever size we would like. So far, only one log has been cut up – many more to go!

Here are some pictures of the process:

Lime Green and Grey

We went on a hike this weekend in the beautiful Beartooth Mountains near Red Lodge, MT. It was wonderful to catch the morning sunrise over the mountain tops, breath in the crisp fresh air, and smell the dewy earth. To hear nothing except our own echoing voices. To feel the crunch and squish of snow and mud under our feet. To spend time with my hunny – talking and laughing and dreaming. It was great.

As we hiked, I couldn’t help but notice this natural color combination. I love the stark lime green against the subtle chalky grey with delicate rust accents. 

 

Now I’m seeing this color combo all over the place! Here are a few examples I found recently:

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{images sources}: 1 & 2. Here 3. Here 4. Here (Lovely fabric from Mod Green Pod!)

Things in a Row

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1. Apples apples in a row. Crisp goodness. apples

2. Garden on the mind. Why not bring it inside? Fun use for extra tea tins. tea tin garden

3. Light bulb simplicity. bare bulbs

4. Back on the farm. Scrambled sounds nice. fresh eggs

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Peddlers Station, 645 Custer Ave., Billings, MT 59102

By the way – last Saturday we rode our bikes down to a local antique shop called Peddlers Station (6th & Custer). We had never been there before, but when we walked in they mistook us for a couple that came in a year ago on their bikes and bought a chalkboard. Hmm…who could that have been, our good friends S & L perhaps? Hilarious!

Here is a picture I bought for $5 – and they even delivered it to our house! Awesome little store – must ride your bike there to visit.

Have a wonderful Saturday! Great day for a bike ride!

Tucked Away

Imagine climbing the hill and standing at the top of the cliff. Or sledding down it in the winter. Or fishing off the edge. Wow! I am in awe of God’s beautiful creation and landscapes! What a neat little home nesting place. Can I go visit?

::via pixdaus