Saturday Snapshot - Postal Book Club

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by 

West Metro Mommy Reads 

To participate in Saturday Snapshot: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post to West Metro Mommy Reads!   Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

I participate in a 'postal book club' which is made from members of the Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club, which I am also a member of.  In the postal book club, there are 5 in my group and each of us chose a book and a notebook to send to the next person in the group.  We have two months to read and write and send on....I, of course, will be sending right before the deadline, because that's my MO, so right now I have the book/notebook for the next two months and also the one I'm supposed to be sending by March 30.

It's been so much fun to see what others tastes are and--important to me---what their notebooks look like. I think I agonized over the notebook as much as I did the book. 

Just another old book club photo.

I'll be reading "Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight"  in the next few days and mailing it on.

That's my snapshot for today.

Saturday Snapshot

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by

West Metro Mommy Reads 

To participate in Saturday Snapshot: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post to West Metro Mommy Reads!   Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

You've seen my happy place before...

Wallowa Lake?

We have a cabin there and the Handyman and I went up to spend a week in October.

It was wonderful, as there was no one there--no tourists.  We got to walk and relax and read and really enjoy ourselves.

So, once again, photos of my favorite walk--down to the lake.

We saw a ton of deer!

Meanwhile back at our cabin-- Bailey doesn't ever see this big buck. 

Ever.

And those are my snapshots for today!

Saturday Snapshot

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by

West Metro Mommy Reads 

To participate in Saturday Snapshot: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post to West Metro Mommy Reads!   Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

I am famous!

Okay, so not really famous--- but I now have a column in a  quarterly community magazine.

It was fun to do.  

and that is my Saturday Snapshot for today!

Saturday Snapshot #2

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by

West Metro Mommy Reads!

To participate in Saturday Snapshot: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post to West Metro Mommy Reads!   Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

This is Saturday Snapshot part II for me.

I didn't know where to put my other love(s)-- my bookclubs!  Complete with friends I love!

So I am putting them here in another Saturday Snapshot post.

This is my Totally Lit Book-club

There were about 3 people who weren't there --and 2 who left before we got this picture, so altogether we have about 12/13 people in this group.

Our book was:

It got very mixed reviews by the group. I had originally given it 3 stars a few years ago.  I did not reread it, but enjoyed the discussion.

They all love it when I make them gather to take a photo!

So then---they call a husband out from beyond and make me be in it. 

At first I told them--NO, see I can be in it.  I'll do a selfie!

They didn't fall for that one and made me be in one.

(the first one)

Sigh. 

I like to be behind the camera.

 Those are my book club snapshots from last week.

Book clubs are my happy place!

Saturday Snapshot

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by

West Metro Mommy Reads!

To participate in Saturday Snapshot: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post to West Metro Mommy Reads!   Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

I'm reading a book (Imagine that), This is Where you Belong by Melody Warnick, and in one chapter she talks about place attachment and how we come to love where we live and/or where we are from--where our roots are.

Data suggests that people from rural communities form more place attachment than those from urban communities.  I don't know if that is true or not, BUT I do know that while I'm not a HUGE outdoor activity person, when I look back and think back to "my place/my people",  it's likely to be the mountains or the desert. Wide open spaces or forests--different, yes, but both the outdoors, quiet, no crowds, nature.

I don't want to live on a farm or ranch -- there is too much work involved--but I love them so much whenever I see them.

I love the country, but I'm not country!  Does that even make sense?  What am I? 

Kind of late in my life to try and figure that one out 😍

Here is what I love--Wallowa County, Oregon, where my great grandparents came out  in a covered wagon from the Midwest, where they fell in love with a place,  homesteaded a ranch, raised cattle and grew wheat, where they raised a family,  and that family became part of a community.  And all of us-- 3, 4 and 5 generations removed feel a sense of 'place attachment'.  Lucky us!

Interesting tho... my great grandmother always said she felt claustrophobic because of the mountains, she felt closed in after being raised on the plains.  That's a huge argument --- trees and mountains or wide open spaces?

I'm so glad I love them both.

Lucky me!

The Handyman and I spent a week at our cabin earlier this month, and I always make him take a drive thru the country side.

(and he always makes me take a  hike or two)

Can you see the rainbow over the little town of Enterprise?

And for some reason, I'm in love with cows.  But I only like them in a pasture.  I don't decorate with them, collect them, or pet them.

I love to eat them (sorry) and take pictures of them whenever I see them.

So, I was taking photos of the cows in the field when all of the sudden the birds arose and took off!  They startled me, as I was not expecting them.

Besides cows we saw a Llama just sitting in a field.

I guess even in the middle of nowhere--Facebook is important.

And always--Deer by the cabin.

And those are my Saturday Snapshots for today!

Saturday (even tho it's Sunday) Snapshot-- Cousin Camp

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by

West Metro Mommy Reads!

To participate in Saturday Snapshot: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post to West Metro Mommy Reads!   Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

In July, we had cousin camp again, at our cabin in Oregon. But this time, the Handyman and I were not alone--we had reinforcements as we had most of their parents along.

One day we took a trip up the Tram. 

The Handyman and I have been up the tram many times throughout the years.  We actually don't go up anymore, but the grandkids had never been up and everyone needs to do it a couple times in their cabin life--next stop 5 years.

(it's kind of pricey to take 14 people up.  Or even one people up!)

     *     I was 13 when they built it and my dad got to be a 'test' subject for the escape route.  They stopped the tram and he had to open the emergency window and repel on a little wooden seat on a little nylon rope!

*     One  year, My friend Theda and her husband John, got stuck up on top, the summit, and missed my parents 50th wedding anniversary party. They had to be rescued and taken down by jeeps the back way.

But nothing like that happened this time.

This time, we had a nice hike, the kids got to play in some snow--and to them, that was the best part--and ate a nice lunch at the Summit Grill.

I chose to ride up with the 4 oldest grandkids and the rest of the family came in the tram behind us.

Uncle Mark gives the thumbs up!

And off we go!

On the way up the mountain, these three little cousins--these sweet little girls, had the nerve to ask me, who my favorite son was.  They said,  come on, tell us.  We won't tell anybody.

Their daddies are brothers, my sons.  There was no way, I was getting drawn into that conversation, not even to defend the 'mothers love all children the same' line.

I thought they might be a little frightened on the ride up, but -- nope. Not at all.

They just made fun of being afraid, as you can tell.

We were high above the lake!

Christopher rode in my tram on the way down the mountain. He wasn't afraid either, but had just realized he left his Nemo sunglasses on the mountain top.

Apparently they love playing scared? It became evident when I asked them to stand by bigfoot when we were playing miniature golf that same evening.

Smart alecs!

And those are my Saturday Snapshots for the week.

Saturday Snapshot

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by

West Metro Mommy Reads!

To participate in Saturday Snapshot: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post to West Metro Mommy Reads!   Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

In May we took a train ride to the Grand Canyon with our oldest son and his family.

We stayed here:

And we rode this:

We were robbed by outlaws!

 But the conductor came to save the day!

They served some great Bloody Marys on the train.

(I must have been  wondering if I should start drinking this early in the morning?)

Words or pictures can't do the Grand Canyon justice.  You just have to see it to experience it.

But I'll share a few pictures anyway.

While the kids had fun, they loved the train ride to the canyon and the swimming pool at the hotel the most.

It's kind of how I do selfies!

I thought it funny the Handyman checking his phone!  Or posting on Facebook or something---even tho he says he doesn't much.

 We saw some teenage girls taking this photo, so Cassie wanted to pose the same way.

It was beautiful and amazing and so much fun to see it with grandchildren.

Okay, okay---it was fun with Luke and Mara too!

(they just don't think I'm as cool as their kids do)

And those are my snapshots this Saturday.