TRAVELS – Page 22 – Skelton Sketches

Covering the miles…

Posted on June 21, 2012April 29, 2017 by lindaskelton

It was that time again…to hop in the car and head east…come what may…to see our favorite grandbabies and their relatives…

We love the bright wide-open spaces after being so long on the coast nestled amongst green giants under so often gray skies…

Out here Angus is more than a burger; it’s scenery!

From pasture to patty they go!

Highway miles have their own beauty on the prairies…

…and their own tonic…

But in the end it’s worth the effort and the wait… just to get a few days to catch up with these little people who have captured our hearts…

And then the trek back home…with happy pictures and memories…of homemade play-doh, and swinging and singing and walks, and books and waking up to “Grandmom!”…

And at last, the final ferry home…

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Ps.127:3

–LS

Blooming Beauties

Posted on May 11, 2012April 29, 2017 by lindaskelton

We took a jaunt up to ‘our’ best loved islands one sunny afternoon this week…

The slopes are abloom with ‘lemon chiffon’ flowers…

But we weren’t the only pair enjoying a get-away….

Meet the Mergansers, diving fresh-water fish ducks trying out the salt-water chuck, just back from wintering in Mexico…

Mr. Merganser… and the Missus taking a look back at us…

What a hair-do she sports eh?!

And in our ramblings we were secretively surveilled by this SKINK until Jim noticed him and called me back to see what I had walked right past….

Then it was our turn to do the staring. He refused to give us the time of day, just stood (yes, he has feet) motionless hoping we really didn’t see him as we got closer and closer with the camera lens… till we were only a couple inches from his face—then he relinquished his spot in the sun and slinked off…

I did a little reading up on this fellow later. Glad not to have tried picking him up. Apparently young skinks do bite and then they drop their BLUE tails to squiggle and squirm while they run for cover! The tails grow back but usually not blue…thus this stoic camouflaged fellow—older and wiser.

But back to the blooming beauties of the place…

…a trailing blackberry(?) gets its start on a rocky ledge…

…and tiny wild things bloom underfoot, miniature bouquets for the passersby…

…tokens of God’s glory,

…and His Love.

–LS

“We love Him because He first loved us.” (I Jn.4:19)

Stop and see…

Posted on May 4, 2012April 30, 2017 by lindaskelton

We are blessed to live in such a place… was out walking (and praying) with a few gals on the weekend marveling that living here is like living in a National Park, only without the signs and the tourists! Any day of the year you can tromp off into the ‘bush’ with no admission fee, and wend your way down endless trails through cedar, hemlock and fir forests glowing chartreuse green with moss on all sides.

But walking isn’t everybody’s favorite pastime… some prefer pedaling. And for this we have a tandem so we can share the experience and the work load ( ; Had a happy easy ride for a change on an antique tandem given to us recently by a friend . We’re good on this one as long as there are no hills! (It has no functional gears) Great for the seaside…

(and no seaside tour is complete without a stroll on the dock and a pic of a stalwart tugboat…)