First Light Morning Musing

Its been two days of wonderful shooting weather ....My plan is to take as
many photos as the weather allows , try to be selective in my subjects ..and
return home with lots of images to work on through the next few years .

It also seems as if I am going to have a lot more to work through as well
. For one thing the Oregon Snapshots Blog will not end when I return to
Tennessee ..these photos will remind me of this trip and my daily encounters
with God . I have lots of questions , very few answers . God has been quite
merciful with me , allowing me the time to shoot and compose without much time
for prayerful contemplation . But at night as I go to sleep and in the morning
as I awake I am aware of His poking me and prodding me .

I remember well near the beginning of this year when I prayed that I know
Jesus Better . as part of that Prayer I found myself saying " I have a pretty
good understanding and relationship with God , but I want a better relationship
with Jesus ". Gods response seems to be .." you don;t know me that well " . In
my reading I ran across this quote from Jonathan Edwards : " The Son is the
deity generated by Gods understanding , or having an Idea of Himself and
subsisting in that Idea " That quote , that idea has really been bouncing
around in my mind as I climb on rocks , walk ocean beaches , watch the sunrise
and sunset ...Could it be that I am in fact getting to know Jesus better through
the works of the Father ?

Or is there something else at work here ?

This morning I woke to the Sun just beginning to light the waves on the
horizon . there was a pink hue to the sky , the water a pale blue , streaked by
the white of the cresting waves . Each moment the angle of the Sun brought the
waves closer and into more precise definition . I could see the east wind was
pushing back the waves the spray headed backwards would catch the glint of the
sun and seem to dance in the air.

The Houses on this bluff for a brief time obstructed the angle of the sun
but between the houses there were streaks of light heading west ...The waves
are always here ..day and night they push into the shore , but they are
illuminated by the Sun . the Son gives the Light to see the majesty of the ocean
...

Lori is awake . we are planning to do some touring and shopping today
....Thank you Lord for a beautiful Morning ..and a Beautiful wife ....

Present Moments

In a word its been Wet here for the past two days . And it may seem
strange but Lori and I have been looking forward to wet. The first days we
were here the weather was perfect for gong out and finding vistas and subjects
to photograph . Now its perfect for organizing , working on , and saving those
photos .

I tried to go out yesterday and take some interior shots of the lighthouse
, but it was too dark for what i had in mind . Latter Lori and I went to Newport
to get her Medicine. That was a failure of mine in the grace department ...I
have a difficult time with the Bureaucracy of all things Pharmacy . Let it
suffice to say I was somewhat irritated after three trips to Newport ( 15
miles ) over wet and foggy roads to get Loris needed and non mind altering
Insulin ..then to hear on the TV how people in the state have been obtaining
hundreds of oxy Pills at a single time with relative ease .

Ok I am over that now .

Lori and I are now starting to verbally communicate our sadness of leaving
Oregon . While we both are definitely looking forward to returning home to
Family and Friends , we are almost equally saddened by the thought of our
departure .

We leave the Coast in eight days . for many that would be a compete
vacation and we have been here for 21 days .We have been blessed in so many
ways ...but there is something about our nature that we want more ...For many
the idea of a vacation is to experience something out of the ordinary ,
something different , but it seems to Lori and I that we have turned that upside
down . We are here because it is familiar. I grew up here. Lived here for over
50 years .But I realize how little I appreciated it while I was here . How many
days I squandered , days I would love to have now .

This seems to be the Theme , the message , the teaching I am here for . To
enjoy this moment , this time this second ...to hold each carefully crafted
moment that is God given and praise Him for it . Too often I live one day ahead
of myself . Unable to enjoy the moment I am in because I am looking forward to
the moment that I anticipate int he future ...I Look forward to going to Church
, only to find myself thinking about Tuesday Morning , On Tuesday Morning I am
thinking of Golf on Wednesday , and on Wednesday at the 3rd Tee I am thinking of
the Play of Friday .
God in His mercy and Grace delivers us the Tuesdays and the Wednesdays and
the Fridays , till one day we have only that last fraction of a second ...when
its over . As the playwright muses " do any of us really enjoy life as we
live it " ? Am I truly hearing the sound of the surf a scant few feet from
this table ? am I really enjoying the left over Chinese from yesterday . Am I
enjoying the movements and vibrations of my wife waking up ? is the coffee
refreshing ? does the heat from the fireplace warm my legs ? what doe sit feel
like to be full and warm and blessed ? Or am I traveling now ...headed
somewhere else looking for a photo ...its Wednesday February 22 , 8:16
Pacific Time ...but am I here, or am I already living ON Thursday ...Feb 23 at
10:00 am ? This Moment I am Graced with , it is the moment I am in ....I
presume on His future grace to even consider tomorrow or October , or
....
May I Learn to grow in His Grace , to be thankful for All things ..to be
thankful for the moment of now ..and the promise of tomorrow . And may I be
content and thankful to enjoy the next eight days here ..in a place where some
will never have the opportunity to see ...
Morning musings , morning prayers ....Old habits are hard to break ...
May I learn to be content in this moment ....

Lessons Learned

Kaisa and Jeff left yesterday ....its a long drive for them , about 16
Hours. Was sad to see them go ...My Hay fever manifested itself by the weeping
of my eyes .

I know that I can always call my daughter , that she will always be my
daughter. I know we both love each other. I have pictures of her ..everyday I
see her in my minds eye ....but there is something special just being in the
same room with her . Even if we are not speaking .

Usually when we first get together we go through a period of being silly ,
and goofy. When she was younger i would tease her....and make her laugh. As she
has gotten older she teases back , she gives as good as she gets , and as bad as
she gets . I think this behavior is a shield , a defense mechanism that
separates our real feelings .

As her visit lengthened we had some meaningful conversations , on a wide
variety of topics and what struck me is how intelligent and well spoken she is.

Behind the mask of the goofy child there is a real person , a caring loving
person . I am familiar with Masks because I have worn one for so long ...

In many ways I am reminded of my prayer life .....I kid around with God a
lot ...I Know who He is , but I choose to offer Him my Mask ...I " pretend '
that to be in His creation , is the same as having meaningful conversation with
Him . God and I can be in the same room , but this is not the same as spending
quality time with God ...I think God desires real conversations with us ...and
that is what our prayer life is , a daily conversation with God .

It may seem like an Odd and inappropriate Metaphor , but I act and behave
with God the same way I behave with my daughter ....I joke , I am cheerful , I
am so glad to be in His presence ...but I often miss the richness of the
conversation and fellowship by refusing to move in that direction. I nibble
around the edges of God. Unlike my daughter and her Husband driving away to
their home though ..it is me who leaves the presence of God ...

I know God is there I have His songs I sing ...I have His word I read , I
have His creation in front of me testifying to Him , I know in time I will be
with Him in Heaven , but for right now often , and too frequently I am
inclined to leave God standing on the porch while I head off from one location
to another .

I know if I need I can call on Him , I know He is always with me ..but
there are way too many times I am not with Him . The Scriptures say He is long
suffering toward me , He is patient towards ,me He loves me with an unfailing
love , His mercy to me endures forever . And way too often I simply leave Him
standing on the porch waving goodbye ...I Miss the tear in His eye ...

Most of the day yesterday I kept asking myself what brought me to tears as
Kaisa left , and I believe the answer is that I did not involve myself fully
with her while she was with me ...we had a wonderful visit , but my mask and my
nature got in the way of spending so much more time with her in deeper
fellowship.

And not only her ..I do that with my wife , with my friends as well. I
know I should be as transparent with my Family and Friends as I am with God
...God knows I wear a mask ..He sees past it and through it He see's into my
heart ....but the only way my Wife , my Daughter , my friends ....and those
others around me will ever know me ..is if I take the time to share with them
and allow them to share with me .

As this vacation winds down ..I will go out and spend time when weather
allows photographing the beauty of His creation , but I need to also spend
time enjoying the creations that speak back to me . Its not going to be easy
...but with God all things are possible

Pleasant places

Was a very busy weekend ...My daughter and her Husband arrived late Friday
afternoon from Lancaster California . This is the first time in almost 5 years
that Lori has seen Kaisa and Jeff and the second time for me .

I love the way my daughter is growing up , and I love watching Jeff and
Kaisa .... Friday night we had pizza , and some conversation before Jeff
collapsed from hours of driving. Saturday we did a little sightseeing ,
spending time at the Yaquina Head Lighthouse , and going to Old town Newport for
an almost Obligatory meal at the world famous Mo's Restaurant .

There we met up with Lee and Corrine who had come down to visit with us as
well . After Lunch Lori and lee returned tot he beach house . Jeff , Kaisa ,
Corrine and myself spent more time at the Yaquina Lighthouse. Jeff , Kaisa,
and Corrine climbed to the top of the lighthouse . I climbed to the bottom of
the Beach .

After their climb we reunited at the tide pools . Saturday evening we had
a steak dinner at homemade clam dip . and played a board game called Apples to
Apples .

Sunday Morning we went in search of high waves ...I had already been to
Fishing rock Saturday Morning , and took Kaisa , Jeff and Corrine on a repeat
visit . This weekend the waves have been huge swells over 25 feet .

We got some great shots of the Waves breaking over the rocks , the view was
impressive ! So impressive that Jeff wanted to get closer to see better . An
epic wave broke in front of Him , and I do mean epic this was a Monster and
while safely out of harms way He was not safely out of getting drenched way.

After Kaisa stopped laughing we made our way back to the house where Jeff
could get some dry clothes .
That afternoon we drove into Newport for some shopping and sightseeing . We
wanted to get Crab for dinner one of Kaisa's favorites , but the heavy seas
had kept the fleet in and no crab was to be found . We settled on Fresh
Sockeye salmon instead . which Kaisa prepared quite expertly !
Lee and Corrine had headed home ...and we had a pleasant evening watching
Kung Foo Panda 2.
,
This morning , Kaisa and Jeff headed home . we had a very nice morning with
them just chatting and doing some " formal " portraits of them .

They are gone now ..headed home . Lori and I settling down to enjoying the
last days of our vacation together , its quiet now . Peaceful ...I am a truly
blessed man ..a lovely wife a beautiful daughter a wonderful Son in law , who
truly loves my daughter ...good friends ....looking out at the ocean .

In the next few days I will try to make sense and meaning out of my
experiences here on the Oregon Coast ..but for right now I am hearing myself
repeat to myself ....

"The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance".
Psalm 16:6

*** Photo by Lori

Brookings Visit

A few Months ago I was involved with a Springhouse production of the
Charles Dickens Classic " Christmas Carol " Lori was able to spend some time
with the Mother of one of the Young actors in the show , working the Front of
the House . As they developed their friendship , Lori mentioned our plans to
spend some time in Oregon . The Mother told Lori that she had a Sister who
lived in Oregon that she thought we would enjoy meeting .

Several Emails latter , Lori and I left Depoe bay for an overnight stay at
the Sisters home . They live in Brookings Oregon , at the far Southern Border
of the Oregon Coast . Its far enough South to be called the banana belt . The
beach there is stunning ! Basalt pillars dot the ocean , sandy beaches covered
with Driftwood and waves exposing gleaming agates .

The drive down to Brookings was beautiful . Its a four hour drive , we
took about 8 hours , and I barely scratched the surface ..of the surface of the
surface when it came to shooting . I will have to return ...At least with Gods
Grace I would love to return .

Our Hosts were wonderful !!! We had a great meal expertly prepared , and
we had conversation and watched the sun go down over Brookings harbor . Later
that night we watched the New Star trek Movie on a Massive 73 inch Television
Screen that I was unable the next day fit in the back seat of our rented Hundyi
.

We needed to head back early that morning , so our Hosts treated us to a
wonderful breakfast at a place called Maggies , where we had the best french
toast you can imagine !!! Then we were given a personal tour of some of the hot
spots on the nearby coast ..and bid our new friends goodbye .

The ride back was wet. A steady drizzle was coming down most of the way
. But we found some interesting places to stop , one of which deserves its own
special post which is coming soon !

We returned to the Beach house just after Sunset ...was good to be home !
As we were settling in we had a call from my Daughter , they were able to leave
earlier than planned , so as I type I am eagerly waiting their newest position
.. the Drive for them is about 16 hours ....should be here by this evening
!!

Was a couple of very blessed days.....

Valentines Day

Lori and I have been " out of Pocket " for the past two days . Unable to
post to FB or Blog , so we both of us have some catching up to do .
Bob and Susan Tuesday Morning . Lori and I had decided that we would
celebrate Valentines Day , by having lunch at the Sea Hag , and then going into
Newport and purchasing some Fresh Crab Dockside . We had some Steaks so we would
prepare a Valentines Day feast at home.
With a few available hours before Lunch I drove down to Fogarty Creek Beach
, the tide was out and I was able to get some nice shots of waves , boulders ,
and tide pool animals . The day was much colder than the past days and there was
an occasional spiting of rain and even a little bit of Hail .
Met some interesting people on the beach and they had some questions about
the Geology of the area which I was able to help them with ...Patting myself on
the back for remembering my College Geology Classes and field trips to this area
.
Oregon Geology is fascinating especially the Coastal Area Geology..and it
has been fun remembering and Googling it just to make sure I have it down right
.
By the time I got back to the house I was really winded ..the long hike
back on the soft sand had really worn me out , especially when I sprinted to
keep the cameras dry when the hail storm hit .
Lori and I drove down to the Sea Hag , its in Depot Bay and one of our
favorite Coastal Restaurants , we had a side of Fried Clams , I had the Grilled
Oysters , and Lori had a Shrimp Salad Croissant ..both meals were consumed and
appreciated .
We drove into Newport to find some fresh crab. Several of the Road side
crab places were closed , and one was way over priced , but we did find our crab
at the Local Safeway store , and also two Lobster Tails at a great price .
...
It was a few hours before dinner so Lori took a bath and I kept a watch on
the weather . Huge clouds were building up over the horizon heading both North
and South ...I watched two storm fronts from different directions collide
almost over my head . what a view .!!!
Lori and I settled down for a wonderful feast of Dungenous Crab , Lobster
and Steak with Fresh Asparagus. Was a wonderful Valentines day !!!

Something for everyone

Yesterday was one of those perfect for everyone beach
days . I got up early and drove down to Seal Rock , another beach area about
25 Miles south of our location , spent some time at Low tide getting shots of
Tide Pool animals and wading birds .

Bob , Susan and Lori had decided at my suggestion to
go out for lunch at a Chinese place Lincoln City . This particular place looks
like its had several bad years , but the food is great . Its one of those places
you would pass by if someone didn't recommend it ,. So we can say we recommend
it . It is at the South end of Lincoln . The name is Foon Hing Yuen .

After Lunch , we split up . Lori wanted to do some
shopping at the Christmas Store , and the factory Outlets in Lincoln City . Bob
, Susan and I returned to the house . ON the way Bob who has a caffeine
addiction stopped off at a Highway coffee stand called . Allie;s Philosophy
Expresso . and it was good !
Returning home , we again went our separate ways . It looked good on
the beach so I took a long walk on the Coast and explored some ancient stumps ,
over 2000 years old exposed by the encroaching ocean . on my way back to the
house Bob and Susan passed me by heading toward Fishing Rock a prominent
headland to the South .
This is
one of the great things about the Oregon Coast , you can actually entertain your
selves ...so many things to do and see , so many places to explore .
I am not
sure what it is about the ocean , but people seem to just enjoy walking one
direction then the other , in the case of the Oregon Coast South or North seems
to work best .

As the
sun was setting I headed out one last time to get some shots of the waves and
the sun . I found I could walk out past the slope of the Beach and from that
perspective the waves were actually over my head . I could wait till several
broke in front of me take the shot then retreat up the slope to avoid getting
too wet . I had mud boots on so an occasional dip in the ankle deep water was
no problem .
I was
surprised by one wave , that seemed to explode in front of me and ended up
directly in front of me , my usual backward retreat failed me and I had to turn
to gallop out of the way still managing to get water above my Knees . A
little discomfort , wet feet , but a small price to pay for a wonderful shot.

.
Lori and
Susan collaborated on dinner , we had Chicken and Dumplings and it was good !
The long
walk the racing with the surf and playing tag with sneaker waves had worn me out
..I was the first to retire .