Moving on ....Faster than a Roller Coaster

Everyday seems a little longerEvery way love's a little stronger
Buddy Holly


Today is moving day . We leave Lee and Corrines , pick up our rental car ,
pack it with our luggage ..Lori has a shopping list and we will stop off at
Winco and pick up food stuffs and personal stuffs , then we will drive over the
Oregon Coastal mountains , into the Seaside town of Lincoln City then turn South
for Depoe Bay.

While staying in St Pauls , we have taken a few trips , but without a car
we have been dependent on the grace and time of our Hosts. This has been
difficult ...I am used to having control over my actions ..this is easily the
longest period I can remember since I Graduated from High School that I have
not had the ability to go where I wanted to go.

I am used to being mobile ..and by mobile I mean being able to travel
further and faster than my legs can carry me .

In our lifetimes we spend much of our lives in motion , we travel a lot .
And most of us resent it when we are forced or complelled or limited in our
ability to travel. Somewhere along the way we as human beings feel we are
entitled to our freedom of motion and even more importantly to us that with out
our efforts we would get no where at all .

I Know I am far more comfortable doing something for the Lord even if its
wrong , than waiting on His commands to me .

This kind of me centered thinking ..the Idea that I would get no where
unless I am the one initiating the movement eventually deadens our understanding
of the complexity and the glory of Gods creation ...For with out our cars and
our motorcycles and our boats , or any sort of self imposed and directed
mobility we are traveling ...and traveling faster than we can ever imagine
...

We are on a planet that is rotating ( spinning ) ...the speed of that
rotation is 1041.7 MPH. This planet is also rotating around the Star itself
..at the speed of 69,360.73 MPH
.

Not to be outdone the Sun dragging the earth with it is spinning in its
cluster of stars and planets at the speed of 483,000 .
And the Galaxies our Sun is part of is itself moving through space at the
astounding speed of 1.3 million miles per hour . As our Pastor remarked once
" No wonder we are so tired " . Although the reasons for this motion are not
fully understood, astronomers believe that there is a huge concentration of
matter in this direction. Some people call it The Great
Attractor.

The "Great attractor "
Interesting.

Today Lori and I are " choosing " to drive to the
Oregon Coast , but the intersting and complex question hangs like the bank of
clouds over the Mountains to the West. Why have we choosen to do so . Are our
choices independent of the forces compelling the earth , the Sun the Galaxie ,
and the cosmos ..or are they somehow all in conformity ...pulling us faster than
we can even imagine toward the " Great Attractor ".
Isaiah 64:8
Yet you, LORD, are
our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of
your hand.

Community

Yesterday was a pretty quiet day . We confirmed where and when to pick up
the rental car , took a short trip to a where Corrine works..Several hundred
Geese where hanging out in the pasture adjacent to her office , possible photo
opportunity.

I was able to get a few photos, Lori was able to get a few photos of me
trying to walk on mud ..The recent rains had turned the pasture into a quagmire
.

This morning I would normally be in fellowship with many of the men from
our Church. We have a weekly gathering early Tuesdays mornings where we praise
God , share His word , and share our Testimonies . It is a very important part
of my life ...Better late than never I have heard said , and it has been quite
late , but in the past few years I realize just how important we need the
fellowship and friendship of others .

Like the geese in the soggy pasture we are social creatures . We were meant
to have relationships with each other , to live together in groups .

I believe that there is divine math involved in the power of community .
One plus one is greater than two , and the combined wisdom of the group is
greater than the sum of its parts .

While I believe it is true that people as groups can be far more
destructive than individuals , I also feel the opposite in quite the truth as
well .

As a community of believers our impact on the world is exponentially more
forceful than our impact as one.

The Geese were easily startled ..and as one they would rise to the sky , a
massive group each seeking safety , yet there were no mid air collisions...with
out any apparent leadership the birds would move as one in a general direction
, then again with out any apparent leadership they would do a right about face
or even a full reverse of direction , closely packed , with no winged accidents
. In the chaos there was Harmony and purpose .

Yesterday began again with a rainbow in the West , but this time the storms
had passed , it was a beautiful day ...Today we plan to listen to last weeks
sermon from Springhouse ...we will probably get our luggage together ...its the
last night in St Paul before we spend that month at the beach we have been so
looking forward to ...

Our God Brings the Rains

Yesterday began with a storm front moving into the valley , The Sunrise was
beautiful , towering clouds pushing in from the Pacific Ocean lit by the Sun as
it cleared the lofty spine of the Cascade Mountains to the East .
The Sun dissected clouds expos, differences in the density of the clouds ,
revealing a palette of striking colors , orange , red , magenta , and pink
filled the sky. And then in the west a rainbows Appeared.
I would have missed all this if Lori had not alerted me . We have fell into
a habit of using ht early morning hours to quietly write our blogs and journals
, from her vantage point at the kitchen table in the home we are being hosted in
, she could see all this beginning to take place.
When I saw the Rainbow I called to her and she came outside to join me in
watching and photographing the rainbow. Lori is a very good photographer , her
hand is much steadier than mine and she has an excellent eye for composition .
My only advantage over her is I shoot so much more , I understand the camera and
how it works a little better than she does . And as I said I shoot so much more
. Its Lori's attention to detail , her planning and taking care of the " Nuts
and Bolts " of scheduling and correspondence that gives me the time and
flexibility to do so much photography.
At one point in the morning a double rainbow appeared , then the rains set
in earnest ..It rained hard for the rest of the day.
Last night the news was about the rain and the dangerous level the rivers
in the valley are at . Authorities were warning people to stay out of the rivers
..there have been an unprecedented number of water rescues in the area
......
But it is winter, it is the Willamette Valley , and its supposed to have
some rain.
Sometimes it seems to me that most of us think there are only about 5
perfect weather days in the whole year ..too hot , too cold , to dry , to wet ,
to windy ....And yet this is the weather God has planed for us . In this case
without the clouds there would have been no rainbow.
The day before we tried to force good photos out of our plan to go to the
Columbia River Gorge ...the lightinhg conditions were less than favorable. And
then this morning the Lord delivered great lighting and subject directly to us
..sometimes you simply need to wait on the Lord .

Road Trip The Columbia River Gorge

Sunday , missing church ...and our Church family. we have had some
correspondence with Jim and Becky .Lori's parents who have graciously shared
their home with us for most of our 12 years in Nashville . And they plan to
call us today , looking forward to that .

Our stay here in St Paul is winding down , Wednesday we pick up the rental
car , and head to the Beach. I suspect the nature and substance of this travel
Journal will change a little bit then .

Initially I had planned to use this as a template for a " visit Oregon in
winter " travel endorsement . IT seems to have moved in the direction of self
introspection and nostalgic reminiscing . I have Lee part 2 to finish, and
perhaps some final observations on how so much of what and who I am has been
forged by the place I lived most of my life in . But that will be tempered by
the realization that who I am seems to be more affected by who I grew up with
much more than where I grew up. Much more about who I met along the way , than
the way I journeyed .

Yesterday Lee , Corrine , Lori and I took a short drive. We headed North
then turned East at the Columbia River. We traveled on the Columbia River Scenic
Highway , http://byways.org/explore/byways/2141
.

Crossed over to Washington at Cascade Locks on the Bridge of the Gods ,
then headed west back to Portland on the Washington side of the Columbia river . Past Washougal, and the Paper Mill town of Camas Washington then into Vancouver .

ON the way back we stopped at one of our favorite Thai Resturant's in
Vancouver called : Arawan Thai Cuisine. Along the way we stopped for some
photos at our favorite waterfalls .

It wasn't a very long trip , the Columbia river Gorge scenic area is only
a few miles from Portland . Oregon is really blessed to have such a diversity of
Beauty with in a few hours drive from its major population areas . We filled up
the car on the way out and probably did not use more than a half a tank of gas
for our day trip.

Oregon has one peculiar trait when it comes to " filling up " In Oregon
you cannot pump your own gas ..all service stations have employees who pump the
gas for you ...Just a heads up if you are traveling in Oregon , don't reach for
the Nozzle .

We were tired by the end of the day , for me the hikes down to the
waterfalls and up to the " perfect" vantage points wore me out .
Photo Credits : Lateroul Falls Lori Stilger

Kenn and Lori Corrine Arehart

Lee and I enjoyed a very pleasant day trip yesterday. The purpose of the
Trip was to reacquaint ourselves with a High School friend we had lost touch
with. Phil lives Northwest of St Paul on the Southern Washington Border ...near
a town called Cathlamet .
The trip was wonderful , the scenery was outstanding . There are several
ways a person can make it over to the Oregon Coast and this is probably one of
the least traveled . Stands to reason its out of the way ...most people leaving
for the Coast from Oregon take one of more direct routes from where they live .
If you live in Portland you take the Sunset Highway , if you are going to the
Northern Coast you take Highway 30 and end up in Astoria . The route we took was
Just north of Highway 30 , on the Washington side of the Columbia river . We
were on Washington Route 4 . this road will also take you to Astoria .
We headed North from St Paul , up Interstate 5 ..through Portland and over
the Columbia river . Just west of Portland the Columbia river takes an Abrupt
turn to the North .. Interstate 5 continues North out of Washington with the
River on its Left hand shoulder , then when you arrive in Longview Washington
the River Turns West again , I 5 continues sending cars and trucks North. We
turned left at Longview .
Longview is a working town , the largest town in the area it is a Lumber
town ...the smoke from several Lumber mills can be seen clearly on a clear day .
When I was going to College in Astoria , I Lived just across the river in a town
called Westport ...Longview was the closest large city to Westport , I spent
many wonderful days on the Longview Public Golf Course ( mint valley ) ..Turning
Left at Exit 39 Lee and I joined Washington Route 4 ..the route wound through
the town a Longview for a few miles ...the usual assortment of Burger King ,
McDonalds , Thai and Chinese restaurants , Les schwab , and Fred Meyer stores.
Nation wide Burger King , Mcdonalds , Wendy's seem to me a part of the
collective American Landscape . These are restaurants for people who know what
they want ...don't surprise me , I Just want a bite to eat and be on my way
...But Oregon and Washington also have some wonderful dinning opportunities
...that you may not be familiar with . There is something special and delightful
about most of the Chinese restaurants in the Northwest . I cant quite describe
it but the food is excellent , it is fresh and savory ...and well worth a try .
This trip we didn't try it , we settled on a corn dog going out and the dollar
menu at McDonalds coming back home .
IN just a few minutes we were through Longview and headed West along the
Columbia River , the Road follows the river for several miles and you have some
lovely views of the Broad Columbia River. The Channel actually comes very close
to the Washington side here . Salmon are easily caught by bank fisherman on the
Washington side . Highway 4 wanders over small coastal mountains and into
valleys and wetlands. On our Trip I saw Herons , Cormorants , Several
varieties of ducks including the beautiful wood duck , Geese and cranes.
Driving home I saw several seals in the channel .

You will see some interesting communities , the largest is Cathlamet , the
site of the Largest Native American encampment West of Portland ..Cathlamet is a
small community on the banks of the Columbia river, you can take a Ferry ride
from the town to the Oregon town of Westport and then continue to Astoria up
Highway 30 if you would like .

Phil had 300 acres along the Grey's river , a very productive salmon and
steelhead stream . We have a very pleasant visit , recounting the High School
years . Both Lee and Phil served in Viet Nam so a few war stories where shared
as well ...Lee and I discussed several possible return routes ...but decided to
simply return the way we had came .

I was reminded how I have often heard there is only one way to God ...but I
think its more like there is only one God , but He makes many ways available to
Him. God gave e me a map that include the Bahai faith ...Lee the Catholic faith
...Some of us choose McDonalds and others an unknown Dinner in a small community
..but we all need to eat. Along the way if we pay attention God teaches us , He
nourishes us , He leads us to understanding ....at least that is the way I see
It . Without the sacrifice of His son , with out this redemptive act we would
have no home to return to. enjoy the journey , take the road less traveled , or
take the freeway , know your final destination ....Its definitly worth looking
forward too .

PS: There seemed to be some concern over my post yesterday. My Apology if I sounded a little too depressed . I am really trying to sort all this out . It seems to me we live in a culture that nibbles around the edges of death. We consider it prudent to have Life Insurance ...we make our " Final Arrangements " Prepare our Wills ....yet actually talking about our deaths is somewhat out of bounds . As I grow older in earth years I sincerly find myself growing " wiser " and more Healthy in Spiritual years . I genuinly belive Heaven is my real home ..and while I am so grateful and so blessed to be here on planet earth , surronded by the most wonderful family and friends , the Love of a wife that surpasses any expectation I have ever had about Love ...I am definitly a man looking forward to Home and caught in the tension of Living as a stranger in a strange land ...Its hard to explain ...Part of why I am writting so much these days ...While I would shudder to compare myself to King David ,,,,I understand much of His angst as he poured out His heart his Joy , His fears , and His deep abiding trust in the Lord ....Long ago in a Christian Youth group at a time when my main concern was skin care and looking hip , I remember a song sung around a campfire with other eager and bright eyed youths ...." this world is not my home I am just passing through , my home is up in heaven somewhere beyond the blue " Strange I have never forgotton that song ...wandering in agnostisim , holding onto the Bahai faith , Challanged in the Christian Church , it has never left me , a reminder if you will of a future to look forward too . One of the hardest things for me to do is to simply live in the present ..to enjoy the moment the precious grace filled moment He gives us . We do not give ourselves these moments they are all Gifts , gifts to be thankful for ...and I am ...Its another beautiful morning, the fog has rolled in , the ground is white with frost , soon the sun and blue sky , but this view this moment this place is the one I have and it is Wonderful and I am so thankful for it .

This is the Day !!!

Its been a good stay ...In the past few days I have been able to do much of
what I had planned on doing . We arrive safely , reconnected with my friend
Lee and his wife Corrine . I have ate my fill of Dungeness
Crab, successfully found one of the last child hood friends I have been
looking for . ( today Lee and I are going to take a road trip to visit with Him
). I have visited the old neighbohood , taken some photos for my blog projects,
I have been faithfully at writting daily ...We still have a month on the Coast
ahead of us and I have seen the Sun and a Sunset . Not bad for a start .
I am very much looking forward to the next few weeks , especially spending
time with Lori . We have dear friend we hope to see ,my brother and sister in
law will be visiting , My daughter will be spending some time with us , and even
a planned trip to visit some people we have not met but corresponded with
through a church connection in Smyrna .
Several people have asked why are you taking such a long trip ? The answer
for me is quite simple . I don't plan to be back here. Now I will admit plans
change . but there are several reasons that I belive this will be my last visit
to Oregon.
First is money . Its costs money to travel .a lot of money ,
Air fare there are all the other costs , housing , food , gas , car
ext. Its very expensive.
I would love nothing better than to be able to say we will be returning
each year. But since we are not even promised the day ..I am going to treat this
visit as if it were my last .
Then there is health and age ...I am almost 65 , its not as easy to get
around , my health is failing . Most of my issues are Asthma relatated , its
hard for me to breath, I tire easily . I know something is going on internally
but I don;t know what ...Lori and I have no Health Insurance ..I qualify for
Medicare later this year ...hopefully that will be a help.
If you read the memoirs of the soldiers in the Civil war , you begin to
notice a word , an idea , a way of life that is not very popular these days .
The word is Providence , the Idea is that God know when we are going to die and
nothing we can do will ever change that . The way of life is one of Submission
to Gods Will , not our own.
I trust God . As the Song implies He has brought me safe this far , and I
know He will care for me when this life is over. When we were in our mothers
womb , we were alive ...we were alive but most likey without an knowledge or
constraints of time . Essentially for the child we were living in eternity. Then
we came bursting forth into this world ..almost immediately the spell of
eternity was broken and we entered the world of expectation and entitlement .
From the beginning we have struggled between the tension of Self will and living
in Gods will. And just as we have no knowledge of the life in the Womb, we have
little knowledge of all of the life about to come ...I just know it will be
wonderful.
Just as I know I did not bring myself into this world , I also know I did
not save myself for eternal life . God has done both . I have no idea why He
brought me into existence , nor do I know why He has purposed to save me for
another life . I do know its not because of anything I have done . Admittedly to
say this about our Natural Birth makes perfect sense , we did not conceive
ourselves . Likewise , I do not believe we save ourselves ...His word says we
are not saved by our works ..it is a Sovereign choice .
How all of this happens ..I don't know ...He asks that we trust Him ..So
here I am this morning caught in my own tension between looking at the " hard "
issues , the practical issues , the frailty of my own earthly body , and yet
knowing that " where there seems to be no way He will make a way ".
Its a beautiful morning , the sun is just rising , the ground is covered
with a thick frost , it wont last long...the frost like a vapor will disappear
as the Sun rises heavenward.
This is the Day ! and I will rejoice and be glad in it
!!!

Lee and I revisited our child hood neigborhood yesterday . We lived .in a
small suburb of Portland Oregon called Multnomah . Mutnomah is a native American
Name . at one time very near by a tribe called the ilkak'mana lived and
prospered in the area that is now Portland. One of the Chiefs of this tribe was
named Multnomah.
Multnomah is a popular name in the area . Portland is in MUltnomah county
and the grade school I attended was also called Multnomah Grade school . Apart
from His name being used so frequently there is very little information that can
be found about the Chief .
Here is an interesting article I ran into on the Net for all who may be
intersted :
http://pdx.edu/magazine/news/chasing-the-multnomah-myth
I spent several years in Multnomah . From Kindergarten to well past High
School . We lived at first at 7403 sw 32 in a very small two bedroom house ,
later my father would purchase a home in Northeast Portland , and have it moved
to the vacant lot next door and we would continue living at 7415 sw 32nd.
For the most part my stay in Multnomah went by unoticed . no statues , no
buildings or counties named after me ...my tenure was not the stuff of legends
or myths , with the possible exception of the Great Girdle raid ;
http://snapshotsandmusings.blogspot.com/
But for me this was the place where I grew up . From here I learned and was
inspired in in ways I know and in many ways I do not know or fully understand
.
Here I went to school , learned to read and write , learned the joy of
exploration wether in the forest next door , or in the aisles of the local
Library. Here I learned about friendships and met a life long friend . Here we
played games of cowboys and Indians games of war and conquest.
I earned my Cub scout merit badges here . Learned to slide into a base ,
catch a ground ball , and bunt.
It was here I came home giddy from my first kiss . Went to my first dance ,
parked my first car . It was in the house at 7415 that I first murmured "I Love
you " and felt the pain of love lost .
I learned the upside and downside of hard work .
IN the basement we took shelter from the Columbus day storm and stocked
the place with food in case of nuclear war .
In my room I listened to Simon and Garfunkle and the beach boys ...hid
playboy magazines , and did my homework.
Here I felt the sting of the belt on my backside , and the warm embrace of
my fathers strong arms ...
Here I showered and shaved one day and went off to Peace Lutheran Church
and my Bride.
And it was here that I saw my father for the last time a few hours before
He passed away.

I grew up here ...in a little place called Multnomah in a City named
Portland in a county Named Multnomah. In the State of Oregon , In the United
States , in the Northern Hemisphere on a Planet racing through the cosmos .

This was the center of my world .

It was a quick trip through the neighborhood ...I captured some photos of
this place that has captured my heart ...its changed some and stayed the same
some ....it is embraced and confined and conformed to my memory ....It was a
good day .