The Lighthouse

 One of the main reasons we believed we were to stay in Wenatchee for the winter was to help with a new ministry to the homeless, recovering addicts, and other needy people. Our friend Bob leased this building, in awful shape to start with. In this photo you see the shell. The partial wall to the right was removed by Bob and his son.

 

Here's the same view, mostly finished, with a stage for musical groups. There will also be a soup kitchen, and Bible studies every day.

 

The outside of the building, a former tavern. It was actually called "The Lighthouse Tavern"!

 

A lighthouse painted on the front window! We're already having a Bible study here, and the grand opening will be December 18, with 2 Christian rock bands performing on the new stage. It's going to be an exciting ministry, put together by God!

Check out the website:
http://wenatcheelighthouse.org/

A memory from childhood

This photo of my granddaughter, taken by her aunt and stolen by me from my daughter's Facebook page, reminds me of something I used to love doing as a child. We lived on a farm, and of course in those days we made our own entertainment. I would make little teepees from construction paper. It's simple—you cut out a circle, any size you want,
cut it in half, and fold the paper to make 2 teepees. More circles, more teepees. I would get some kind of tray, cardboard or otherwise, fill it with dirt, then gather pieces of moss, twigs and little branches and put them in place beside the teepees to make trees and bushes. A tiny mirror made a great little lake, and tin foil would look like a stream. Pathways were pressed into the soil with my fingers, and I would add a few rocks and whatever else I could imagine. Voila! I had a great Indian village, good for hours of fun!

A Fruitful Afternoon

We walked down from where we are parked, through an orchard to the Columbia River, with our granddaughter. This is the mighty Columbia, looking south toward Wenatchee from just below the Rocky Reach Dam.

Here we are looking north, towards the dam. You can barely see it in the distance. (click to enlarge) Nat is always finding sticks to pick up.

 

 Heading home through the orchard. There are still  lots of apples here and there, very tasty, though on the verge of getting rotten from the cold and from being on the ground. You can see our 5th wheel at the end of the pathway.

 

A golden treasure along with some "junk" she found in the field. She ate all these apples in one afternoon!

A Porch Project!

Whenever we know we're going to be in one place for a few months we like to put up our porch. It's a lot nicer than the standard RV steps, which can be awkward and dangerous sometimes. We store the porch, completely dismantled, in the back of BigTruk when we don't want it up. On this lovely day we had a surprise visit from our daughter and granddaughters. Keith asked Natalie if she'd help him get the boards and supports out of the truck so he could start assembling the porch. She did, and then she stuck with him throughout the whole process! Pretty good for an 8 year old!

 In this photo Mom came out and helped with the nuts and bolts, too.

 

 Here is the finished product! A great porch and steps for our RV!

New Digs

 We have new digs! The Wenatchee River County Park closes on November 1st so we had to leave. Our friends have provided a great spot for us to park, right behind their fruit stand and gift shop. This apple orchard, part golden delicious and part Braeburn, has a lovely glow and is enticing me to have a stroll down the rows! The best part is that our door opens right onto this gorgeous fall scene!

 

Here is our 5th wheel from the front, parked between the orchard and the fruit stand.

 

 A view from the back. It's a lovely spot.

 

 Another shot of the tree tunnel. So pretty!

 

And last, this is our view from the back of our trailer. That hill is on the other side of the Columbia River, which is not far beyond the orchard. We plan to enjoy our stay here!

Loved Ones!

Loved ones are always the best subject for photos. Here is Keith, amongst the salmon being led upstream by the Coyote, who is taking the salmon to the Native American people in the area. Will Keith go with them? He looks like a fish out of water! This sculpture is at Walla Walla Point Park  near the confluence of the Columbia River and the Wenatchee River.

What can I say? Is this the prettiest red-headed, freckle-faced girl you've ever seen? She loves to make music on her grandpa's guitar and on her grannie's piano.

Autumn in Wenatchee

What could be more fun than a campfire with a cute granddaughter! Bop, as Katy calls him, is starting the fire.

The fallen leaves are beautiful, covering the ground, fun to crunch through. The fire is almost going!

 Now for the enjoyment. Bop watches, Katy plays. Bring out the hotdogs and marshmallows!

 

 The trees in Wenatchee are especially brilliant this fall. This photo was taken in Riverfront Park near the Orondo Street boat launch.

 

Here is a lovely photo of the red trees, hills in the distance, and an awesome sky.