A funny thing happened on the way to Multnomah Falls.
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icetsarina [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)] |
Back to that in a minute.
I haven’t seen my daughter since the few days leading up to and the day of her wedding nearly two and a half years ago. I have lived several states away from her for many, many years and don’t get to see her often. So when she and her hubby planned a trip to Oregon—a mere three and a half hours away—my hubby and I jumped at the chance to drive down to see them. Due to time constraints on our part, we couldn’t stay overnight and needed to drive down in the morning and back that same evening.
But it was well worth it.
Steps? A waterfall? My daughter? Let me connect the dots.
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| Daughter and son-in-law at their wedding. |
So we agreed to meet at Bridal Veil Falls down the road.
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| https://www.goodfreephotos.com/ Bridal Veil Falls in Oregon. Photo by Time Mossholder |
As we neared Multnomah Falls the sign on the highway said that the EXIT to Multnomah Falls was even closed. We couldn’t even exit there. We continued on and loop back around on an old narrow two-lane historic “highway”. No shoulders, not even a white painted line where the blacktop ended. The guardrails were gothic stone and cement archey things. They were really quit beautiful. Then the guardrail would end and there would be a section of curb. Yes—curb with a row of one-and-a-half-foot stone henge behind it. We couldn’t figure out how that would stop a car from going over the edge. It was quite a ways down the steep embankment. The guardrail really needed to continue. There didn’t seem to be a rhyme or reason to where they decided to put the curb portions. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take pictures in the moving car.
So we continue on this narrow winding road and needed to pass a family riding their bikes, one with training wheels. We (and the line of cars ahead of us and behind us) can’t get around them because we can’t see if an oncoming car is around the corner, and the family can’t get off the road because there is no place to go—the beautiful guardrail or curb and then straight down. We finally managed to get around them on a little less of a winding portion.
We get to Bridal Veil, and the lot is closed because it too is full. So we all agree to try for Latourell Falls. That lot too is full. So we continue on to a portion of the road that has some shoulder patches where cars are parked. We find a space big enough to squeeze our car in. But where will our daughter and son-in-law park? And how will we find them. They could end up parking anywhere.
After some doing—and telling my daughter to stand out in the road—I finally saw her. I waved my arms and she waved her arms. Even from a distance we knew each other. After many hugs, we began our hike up to Latourell Falls.
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| Me and hubby with Latourell Falls in the background. |
Not as big as the Multnomah or Bridal Veil, but still beautiful. We hiked up to the top and around to the other side of the falls. The trail up and down and switchbacks and very uneven. My daughter braved going out to the edge of this precipice—that you can see has no guardrail and my son-in-law followed her. EEEEEK.
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| My daughter went to that very farthest part you can see, a few more steps from where she is. But I couldn’t look. |
I was feeling muscles I didn’t know I owned anymore.
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| Weird tree that the trail switchbacked around. |
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| That's my son-in-law! |
But we made it back down to where we started.
After our hike we went to the Japanese Garden. Much easier walking around there. It was beautiful. Lots of little pagodas tucked in between various bushes and trees…
…zen gardens…
…and ponds with mini waterfalls.
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| These coy fish were big. |
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| This guy seemed friendly. |
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| I thought the other coy were big until I saw this huge guy. |
We ate in the Japanese cafe and shopped in the gift shop.
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| My dinner, delicious! |
I got a Buddha Board Mini. You draw your stress and troubles on it with water on a paintbrush. As the water soaks into the board the marks turn black. As the water evaporates, the marks disappear, so, too, do the troubles the brushstrokes represented.
Our time was far, far too short with our daughter and son-in-law.
At the end of the day, I had nearly 10,000 steps and great new memories.
NEW!
THIMBLES AND THREADS: 4 Love Stories Are Quilted Into Broken Lives
Love Stitched into Four Women’s Lives
Enjoy four historical romances that celebrate the arts of sewing and quilting. When four women put needle and thread to fabric, will their talents lead to love? #thimblesandthreadscollection
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“Bygones” by Mary Davis
Texas, 1884
Drawn to the new orphan boy in town, Tilly Rockford soon became the unfortunate victim of a lot of Orion Dunbar’s mischievous deeds in school. Can Tilly figure out how to truly forgive the one who made her childhood unbearable? Now she doesn’t even know she holds his heart. Can this deviant orphan-train boy turned man make up for the misdeeds of his youth and win Tilly’s heart before another man steals her away?
Other stories in this collection:
“The Bridal Shop” by Grace Hitchcock, “Mending Sarah’s Heart” by Suzanne Norquist, and “Binding Up Wounds” by Liz Tolsma
THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT (Book 2 in the Quilting Circle series)
Can a patient love win her heart?
As Isabelle Atwood’s romance prospects are turning in her favor, a family scandal derails her dreams. While making a quilt for her own hope chest, Isabelle’s half-sister becomes pregnant out of wedlock and Isabelle--always the unfavored daughter--becomes the family sacrifice to save face. Despite gaining the attention of a handsome rancher, her parents are pressuring her to marry a man of their choosing to rescue her sister’s reputation. A third suitor waits silently in the wings, hoping for his own chance at love. Isabelle ends up with three marriage proposals, but this only further confuses her decision.
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The Widow’s Plight (Book 1 in the Quilting Circle series) by Mary Davis
A single mother steps out of the shadows of abuse and into the sunshine. But will a secret clouding her past cost her the man she loves?
Finding Love In Last Chance, California by Miralee Ferrell
Dreams of My Heart by Barbara Scott
Hills of Nevermore by Janalyn Voigt
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MARY DAVIS s a bestselling, award-winning novelist of over two dozen titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her 2018 titles include; "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection (January), Courting Her Amish Heart (March), The Widow’s Plight (July), Courting Her Secret Heart (September), “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection (December), and Courting Her Prodigal Heart (January 2019). Coming in 2019, The Daughter's Predicament (May) and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads (July). She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.
Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of over thirty-four years and two cats. She has three adult children and two incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at:
1 comment:
Hi, I am so very glad and happy that you got to spend such a very good time with your daughter and your son in law! And got to make awesome memories, I know when I spend time with my loved ones, the time just goes by too fast, but we have got to make the Best of it and enjoy every single second of it. Thank you so very much for sharing your Beautiful pictures, I enjoyed reading this and looking at the pictures. Your books sound awesome also. :) Have a Great week. God Bless you.
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