Hoh

Last Friday we did a hike in the Hoh rain forest and then spent an evening watching the  sunset back at the Kalaloch beach.

First it should be mentioned that henceforth, Emily and Chad are invited on all camping trips.  They were doing gourmet cooking over the campfire - in the first picture you can see them making the fancy frittata with a dozen eggs for breakfast.  And at dinner time there was grilled steak, grilled zucchini, baked potatoes, salad, steamed asparagus, grilled sausage, grilled peaches and bananas...  Jared and I brought a bunch of boring ol' canned stuff with the intention of not cooking.  Chad took the opposite tack, and there is certainly some overlap between our whole-foods plant-based vegetarian diet and Chad's Paleo diet.  And conveniently, Jeff and Linda are omnivores who didn't have time to pack food, and they were richly fed.  Anyway, that's not the only reason Emily and Chad should come on all camping trips - they also happen to be wonderful company.  :-)

After breakfast, we set off to hike in the Hoh in our two cars.

This is a picture in the Hall of Mosses, looking down into an unbelievably clear stream at the plants which live under water.

Some moss in the Hall of Mosses

Photo time!

Quite a bit further up the trail, we found a lookout over the Hoh River.  Two cuties take in the scenery.

As usual, Anne throws rocks into the water.

Shortly after this, the Bridge/Perry car tired of trail mix and decided to turn around to head toward lunch.  The Ballance car also tired of trail mix, but was rather hungry for more of a hike, so we continued deeper into the woods, just the three of us.

Another view out across the Hoh

Anne stops in front of a giant fern to talk to Jaja and Boomvee on her cell phone.

There was a place where we could ford bits of the braided river and get some different views, and also where backpackers were setting up camp for the night.

Between strands of the river, we found a large tree stump to sit on and enjoy the view back toward Mt. Olympus.

Then we headed back to our car and returned to the campsite in time to hang out on the beach for a while and watch the sunset.

Anne wanted to touch the water with her fingers.

Building with sand, rocks, and seaweed.

Windblown trees on the cliff, atop which we were camping.  I'm so glad we didn't have one of the campsites with a view but were a couple of rows back, so that we had a nice shelter of trees.  The wind seemed to be fairly constant at the front edge of the cliff.

People have stacked up the logs which have washed out of the forests into various structures, which made fun places for a toddler to play and also a nice windbreak for the adults.  This one was our "house" according to Anne.

And this one was our "airport".

We watched the sun set over the Pacific.  Watching this one particular sunset, I had the sudden strange feeling of being on a planet somewhere far, far away, and watching that planet's alien star sink beneath the horizon.  It was the sense of being a tiny, sentient speck in a huge, huge Universe.

Kalaloch

It's pronounced CLAY-lock.  The beach and the campsite up the cliff are property of the Olympic National Park, and it's where Anne, Jared, and I headed last Thursday in the early afternoon.  Because of all the mountains and water between us and there, it was a rather windy three-hour drive.  It was good we went before Jeff and Linda got off work, because then their tent got set up while it was light, rather than after dark during campground quiet hours.  Emily and Chad rented a car and drove the four of them out.  They slept in the rental car.  After we arrived and got set up, we spent some time on the beach.

This tree is hanging on for dear life!

Sea gulls in their native habitat.  (We have plenty that scavenge dumpsters around here.)

Tons and tons of little jellyfish washed up - every wave brought more.

Approaching the cliffs blocking further northward travel at Kalaloch

I would love to know the story of all the geology which happened here.  The rock layers tilt at wildly different angles just a few feet apart.

A tiny waterfall, spit really, sends a little stream from the cliff across the sand.

Jared climbs on the rocks.

More fascinating questions about geology for which I don't have answers

Standing on a nice, safe rock

Big wave coming in

Jared gets wet on his little island!

Peering into a little cave

Headed back south

Three sets of footprints

Rays of sun break through the clouds.

Riding with Daddy in the Ergo.  Lots of that happened over the weekend.

Sunset

Lots more pictures to come from the Hoh Rain Forest and from Ruby Beach.

Bigoted Religionists, Tenderness, Matchless Love, Freedom

I have been saving up several posts for when I have a chance to do a little writing.  Today I have for you four passages from Desire of Ages which have nearly knocked me over in their beauty.

This from pp. 309-310 in the chapter called Sermon on the Mount:

The greatest deception of the human mind in Christ's day was that a mere assent to the truth constitutes righteousness.  In all human experience a theoretical knowledge of the truth has been proved insufficient for the saving of the soul.  It does not bring forth the fruits of righteousness.  A jealous regard for what is termed theological truth often accompanies a hatred of genuine truth as made manifest in life.  The darkest chapters of history are burdened with the record of crimes committed by bigoted religionists.  The Pharisees claimed to be children of Abraham, and boasted of their possession of the oracles of God; yet these advantages did not preserve them from selfishness, malignity, greed for gain, and the basest hypocrisy.  They thought themselves the greatest religionists of the world, but their so-called orthodoxy led them to crucify the Lord of glory. 

The same danger still exists.  Many take it for granted that they are Christians, simply because they subscribe to certain theological tenets.  But they have not brought the truth into practical life.  They have not believed and loved it, therefore they have not received the power and grace that come through sanctification of the truth.  Men may profess faith in the truth; but if it does not make them sincere, kind, patient, forbearing, heavenly-minded, it is a curse to its possessors, and through their influence it is a curse to the world.

And this from  p. 353 in the chapter entitled The First Evangelists:

"Behold," said Jesus, "I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves; be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves."  Christ Himself did not suppress one word of truth, but He spoke it always in love.  He exercised the greatest tact, and thoughtful, kind attention in His intercourse with the people.  He was never rude, never needlessly spoke a severe word, never gave needless pain to a sensitive soul.  He did not censure human weakness.  He fearlessly denounced  hypocrisy, unbelief, and iniquity, but tears were in His voice as He uttered His scathing rebukes.  He wept over Jerusalem, the city He loved, that refused to receive Him, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  They rejected Him, the Savior, but He regarded them with pitying tenderness, and sorrow so deep that it broke His heart.  Every soul was precious in His eyes.  While He always bore Himself with divine dignity, He bowed with tenderest regard to every member of the family of God.  In all men He saw fallen souls whom it was His mission to save. 

The servants of Christ are not to act out the dictates of the natural heart.  They need to have close communion with God, lest, under provocation, self rise up, and they pour forth a torrent of words that are unbefitting, that are not as dew or the still showers that refresh the withering plants.  This is what Satan wants them to do; for these are his methods.  It is the dragon that wroth; it is the spirit of Satan that is revealed in anger and accusing.  But God's servants are to be representatives of Him.  He desires them to deal only in the currency of heaven, the truth that bears His own image and superscription.  The power by which they are to overcome evil is the power of Christ.  The glory of Christ is their strength.  They are to fix their eyes upon His loveliness.  Then they can present the gospel with divine tact and gentleness.  And the spirit that is kept gentle under provocation will speak more effectively in favor of the truth than will any argument, however forcible.

The third passage is on p. 480 from the chapter The Divine Shepherd:

"He calleth His own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.... And the sheep follow Him: for they know His voice."  The Eastern shepherd does not drive his sheep.  He depends not upon force or fear; but going before, he calls them.  They know his voice, and obey the call.  So does the Saviour-Shepherd with His sheep.  The Scripture says, "Thou leddest Thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron."  Through the prophet, Jesus declares, "I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee."  He compels none to follow Him.  "I drew them," He says, "with cords of a man, with bands of love."  Psalm 77:20; Jeremiah 31:3; Hosea 11:4. 

It is not the fear of punishment, of the hope of everlasting reward, that leads the disciples of Christ to follow Him.  They behold the Saviour's matchless love, revealed throughout His pilgrimage on earth, from the manger of Bethlehem to Calvary's cross, and the sight of Him attracts, it softens and subdues the soul.  Love awakens in the heart of the beholders.  They hear His voice, and they follow Him. 

As the shepherd goes before his sheep, himself first encountering the perils of the way, so does Jesus with His people.  "When He putteth forth His own sheep, He goeth before them."  The way to heaven is consecrated by the Saviour's footprints.  The path may be steep and rugged, but Jesus has traveled that way; His feet have pressed down the cruel thorns, to make the pathway easier for us.  Every burden that we are called to bear He Himself has borne.

And the final passage is found on pp. 487-488 in the chapter called The Last Journey from Galilee:

It is no part of Christ's mission to compel men to receive Him.  It is Satan, and men actuated by his spirit, that seek to compel the conscience.  Under a pretense of zeal for righteousness, men who are confederate with evil angels bring suffering upon their fellow men, in order to convert them to their ideas of religion; but Christ is ever showing mercy, ever seeking to win by the revealing of His love.  He can admit no rival in the soul, nor accept of partial service; but He desires only voluntary service, the willing surrender of the heart under the constraint of love.  There can be no more conclusive evidence that we possess the spirit of Satan than the disposition to hurt and destroy those who do not appreciate our work, or who act contrary to our ideas.   

Every human being, in body, soul, and spirit, is the property of God.  Christ died to redeem all.  Nothing can be more offensive to God than for men, through religious bigotry, to bring suffering upon those who are the purchase of the Saviour's blood.

Tricycle

Last Sunday my mom and brother went out to Fred Meyer and got Anne a tricycle.  There are a whole pile of kids from our building who are out evenings in the parking lot on scooters, tricycles, and bikes, and Anne's Scramble Bug was not up to the competition, especially when Christian says, "Anne, let's race!"

She was quite delighted with the new purchase, and had to take it to the bath with her the first night.

She happily filled the trunk with water.

Monday her friend from next door asked her to come out back, and he pushed while she pedaled until she got the hang of it.

She keeps practicing and it gets easier and easier.

Need to grow

I read a passage this morning.  It's an area I believe I have grown in, but *WOW* I have some more growing to do.  Tough stuff:

"We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves."  Romans 15:1...

If one of these... shall be overcome, and commit a wrong against you, then it is your work to seek his restoration.  Do not wait for him to make the first effort of reconciliation....

In the spirit of meekness, "considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted" (Galatians 6:1), go to the erring one, and "tell him his fault between thee and him alone."  Do not put him to shame by exposing his fault to others, nor bring dishonor upon Christ by making public the sin or the error of one who bears His name.  Often the truth must be plainly spoken to the erring; he must be led to see his error, that he may reform.  But you are not to judge or to condemn.  Make no attempt at self-justification.  Let all your effort be for his recovery.  In treating the wounds of the soul, there is need of the most delicate touch, the finest sensibility.  Only the love that flows from the Suffering One of Calvary can avail here.  With pitying tenderness, let brother deal with brother, knowing that if you succeed, you will "save a soul from death," and "hide a multitude of sins."  James 5:20

...Christ's instruction as to the treatment of the erring repeats in more specific form the teaching given to Israel through Moses: "Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in anywise rebuke thy neighbor, that thou bear not sin for him."  Leviticus 19:17, margin.  That is, if one neglects the duty Christ has enjoined, of trying to restore those who are in error and sin, he becomes a partaker in the sin.  For evils that we might have checked, we are just as responsible as if we were guilty of the acts ourselves.  

But it is to the wrongdoer himself that we are to present the wrong.  We are not to make it a matter of comment and criticism among ourselves; nor even after it is told to the church, are we at liberty to repeat it to others.... While we seek to correct the errors of a brother, the Spirit of Christ will lead us to shield him, as far as possible, from the criticism of even his own brethren, and how much more from the censure of the unbelieving world.  We ourselves are erring, and need Christ's pity and forgiveness, and just as we wish Him to deal with us, He bids us deal with one another.

That's from a chapter in Desire of Ages called "Who is the Greatest?" by Ellen White, pages 440 and 441, for those who are interested.

1. It is very tempting to make the wrongs of others a topic of discussion for the purpose of making onsesself feel superior, or frankly, just to have something "exciting" to talk about.

2. It is very tempting to retreat from making a loving and gentle rebuke, even when it is clearly needed.  It is easier to make a harsh rebuke or to avoid helping another in this way at all, even when they might afterward be grateful to see something they'd missed.  I have received rebukes in my life which did nothing but hurt, but I have also received some kind and gentle suggestions which have led me down wonderful new avenues.

A Week of Mom

...And then we got Mom for a week.  The last time she was here was right after Anne was born.  Jared was at Japan-Seattle Suzuki Institute for six days this past week, and I was there for four, teaching in the mornings.  Anne needed some babysitting.  There was pounding sleep deprivation for all, hours a day in the car, and wonderful visits with friends and relatives.  Plus our first ever flash-mob group class at the park.  That was fun, and we brought along my Afghan neighbor and her two children.  Also, we tried out several new restaurants along the way.

It all started with the grandparent overlap for breakfast on Sunday.  First time these three have been in the same place since our wedding, I'm pretty sure.

We spent some time at the playground down the street:

Art installation at the same park:

 (And this is also where we had the flash-mob group class.)

Washington sunset from our parking lot

Anne dragging her wagon at an outing to Clark Lake Park

Mom drawing the fireweed in her notebook while standing in what shall henceforth be referred to as Snake Field.  There were two ribbon snakes that we startled.  Neither of them crawled up Mom's leg, only because she was quick to move.

Sketching thelLake and environs while standing atop an art installation made by Ruth Marie Tomlinson, no relation to me.

Constructing in the back yard

Anne is delighted with the dress my mother made for her!

Wednesday we visited an old friend of my mom's in Renton.  Great fun, but I didn't take any pictures.

Thursday the three of us hauled up to Bothell to meet Mom's cousin Jan, her friend Rusty, and their dog Ernie, half way.

Friday we hauled up to Lynnwood to visit Mom's second cousin Penny.

Penny watches her two granddaughters on Fridays.  That makes Raiya and Brooke to be Anne's fourth cousins.

If you didn't know, Anne LOVES shoes.  Any time I take her in a store with shoes, she is immediately and delightedly trying on every pair she can reach, regardless of size.  My mom was quite tickled and bought her two new pairs, including this excellent gem with flowers on the toes.

Saturday was Jeff's birthday, and we went out to dinner at an Italian place overlooking the Sound.  Afterward we returned to our apartment and ate coconut cupcakes while the neighbors threw an amazing baby shower for a lady who lives a couple of buildings down.  There were plenty of jobs for the men at this shower, too:  running the grill, setting up the rented tables and chairs, and keeping the kid's bounce house on the playground inflated.  I was invited to the shower as well, although I watched most of it out the window since I was running my own much smaller party concurrently.  Two elementary-aged friends of Anne's who moved away last summer were back for the shower, and they took Anne in the bounce house.

Dad's cousin Karyn came for cake.

Sunday involved the purchase of a new tricycle, which deserves its own post.  Also, a trip up to urgent care at Seattle Children's in Bellevue, since we needed to add another long drive to the week.  No worries, Anne's fine.  And we squeaked back home in time to see Mom before she headed off to the airport for her redeye home.

This week Jared is up at the Dalcroze institute in the U District all week, so Anne and I are again fending for ourselves while teaching.  This post is brought to you courtesy of a rather long nap time.