God's creation never ceases to amaze . . .

First we sat by the ocean, drinking in the pristine air, watching the bald eagle soaring overhead. It was funny to watch the school of little black fish next to the shore feeding on who knows what and the bubbles made by either crabs or oysters or something under the sand. Of course there were the noisy gulls - everywhere. We found sea shells and cool rocks and yes, slimy sea-weed. And out in the distance, we could see Mt. Whistler, it's snowcapped peaks towering over British Columbia, Canada. And the water that went on and on and on. There were elk and deer and there was quiet and peace. It was hard to leave such a beautiful place, and we will miss it.

As we drove through Tacoma, we could see Mt. Ranier straight ahead of us, surrounded by thick clouds that made it look like it was floating or just hovering there. It was huge and seemed so close and almost terrifying. We just marveled at how majestic it was.

Soon we were surrounded again by evergreens, tall and foreboding. Slowly we crept along a 10 mile stretch on the interstate for 2 hours due to construction, at times not moving an inch. On the top of the summit, creeping over the pass, we could see through the trees - a magnificent site. Clear, deep, blue water, with sparkling crystals bouncing off it with the setting sun. It was a large lake set back against the timbered trees and clear blue sky. And it was spectacular. And it was something we wouldn't have ever noticed had we been zooming along at the regular speed limit.

What wasn't so thrilling to look at was a guy, with, um, more than a bit of a pouch, in tan pants, and no shirt, jogging up and down alongside the traffic on the shoulder, grinning. (He too, was made by God - just a little differently I suspect!!) Yet he was running faster than we were driving. A couple of other people got fed up and just pulled their vehicles over and sat there chatting with each other while the cars crawled along. We got to hear everyone's musical tastes as we passed each other, windows down, taking in the cool breeze. It seemed like it was taking forever.

Then suddenly we decended out of the mountains and the entire landscape changed. The trees disappeared and brown, dull, rolling hills took their place. It was like walking through a time warp into another world. Not a speck of green to behold, except a little splotch here and there on some of the scrub brush that dotted the countryside. I felt like we had landed on the moon - barren, cold, dry, and lifeless. Not completely ugly, just incredibly different.

And then as you come over the hill and enter the valley, you see the acres of orchards that blanket the valley floor and line the sides of the hills. The vivid green set against the harsh, tan earth is a stark contrast. You continue on and meet up with mighty Columbia, Snake and the Yakima rivers, that join together as one as they wind around the cities, before heading west to the ocean.

It's all so amazing - the variety, the beauty, the wonder of nature that God has placed all around us. If we would just take the time to just look at it, really look, and take it in and enjoy it. It's all so diverse and marvelous and breath-taking. No matter where we are, we can see His handiwork and we should, at least for a little while, absorb it and appreciate it if we can. It tells of His glory and power and His fantastic artistry. And I am truely in awe.

And yes, this appreciation is fleeting, as we must stop looking at some point, and get absorbed in this thing called - life. The hustle and bustle, the mundane and the aweful, the regular routine of our lives. The needed part, really - as we can not, though we may wish it, sit amongst His creation and ponder forever without a care to the flow of our work, family, laundry, bills, school, cooking and cleaning, stopped-up toliets, broken arms, flooded basements, and the rest. But, if we can, when we are able, to notice what's around us - the things He has made, be it flowers and trees, animals and people, and rivers and stars. It may just give us a bit of joy and perhaps a sense of calm for a time. Don't you think?

Well, that's my introspective moment of the day! Yeah, I know, I'm no Robert Frost, but I can pretend, can't I?! (I know he wrote poems that rhymed, and this mess, well, doesn't - but he's the only deep-thinking guy that wrote about nature that I could come up with at the moment) :)

Anyway, I really do thank God for his awesome creation, and I guess I just wanted to share a bit of it. I'm sure that some of you are in the middle of the spectacular color-changing fall season now. So - get out and enjoy it!

Blessings,
jill and all