The Patrolman

My An Arkie's Faith column from the October 24, 2018, issue of The Mena Star.

The Datsun pickup was loaded, and Duane was finally ready to head out into the night. It had been a very long day at work. He had a job that had to be completed before he could leave for a family function in Salt Lake City. He hadn’t made it home until after 2 A.M. In an hour, all of his tools and equipment were unloaded, and he was ready to go. As he headed west out of Denver, there was unrelenting darkness in the mountains. The night was starless, and the moon was covered with clouds that blended in with the rest of the sky.

Duane was tired and worried. The Datsun’s engine was grumbling and straining as it made its way up into the mountains. The little pickup didn’t have enough power, and the engine would sputter and cut out as it climbed in elevation. Because the engine was running so poorly and couldn’t keep the pickup traveling at normal speeds, the trip was taking a long time. “What is wrong with the engine,” thought Duane. “Is it going to quit and leave us beside the road?”

By the time he reached the town of Craig, it was 8 A.M. He pulled into an auto parts store that had just opened. He thought that possibly the carburetor was dirty and causing the engine to run poorly, so he bought a bottle of carburetor cleaner. To make sure that the cleaner went directly to the carburetor, he took the gas line loose and filled the fuel filter with cleaner. He then poured the rest of the carburetor cleaner into the gas tank. As he headed west out of Craig, the Datsun’s engine began to run better, and before long it was purring along on the lonely country highway. Duane was relieved that the little pickup was once again running as it should. It was running so well, that soon they were traveling down the deserted highway at 80 miles per hour.

“Finally, I will be able to make up some time,” thought Duane. He hadn’t seen another vehicle for half an hour when suddenly he noticed a patrol car approaching in his rear-view mirror. He looked down at his speedometer and saw that he was going over 80 miles an hour. “Oh no,” he thought, “I’m going to get a speeding ticket.” He slowed the pickup down and expected the patrolman to stop him, but instead, the patrolman pulled around him and then slowed down. “That’s odd,” thought Duane, but he was thankful that he hadn’t been pulled over.

“Why is the patrolman driving so slow,” thought Duane. “I don’t need anything else slowing me down,” But he wasn’t going to pass him, so he followed behind. In a short while, the patrolman slowly pulled off the road into the shallow ditch. Duane could then see that there was a bridge that had washed out during the night. He saw a work crew putting up barricades on the opposite side of the bridge, but there were no barricades on his side. He followed the patrolman through the ditch and across the dry creek bed. As he made his way back up onto the highway, the patrolman was nowhere to be seen.

As Duane recently told me this story, I could hear the emotion in his voice even though the event happened thirty-five years ago. He is positive that God was watching out for him and sent the patrolman to keep him from hurtling off a washed-out bridge at 80 miles per hour. I believe that God was watching out for Duane, and I believe that he does the same thing for you and me. But most of the time I am unaware of what God is doing for me.

There is a story in the Bible about the prophet Elisha that shows that I am not alone in being unaware of what God is doing for me. You can find the story in 2 Kings Chapter 6. The King of Aram is at war with Israel.  Somehow the King of Israel is aware of every move he makes. The King of Aram thinks he must have a traitor in his ranks passing information to the Israelites. His men tell him that it’s not one of the king’s men, but it is Elisha, the prophet from Israel. They said, “Elisha even knows what you say in the privacy of your bedroom.” The king sent horses, chariots, and many troops to Dothan to capture Elisha. They arrived at night and surrounded the city.

We pick up the story in 2 Kings 6:15-17 (NCV), “Elisha’s servant got up early, and when he went out, he saw an army with horses and chariots all around the city. The servant said to Elisha, “Oh, my master, what can we do?” Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid. The army that fights for us is larger than the one against us.” Then Elisha prayed, “Lord, open my servant’s eyes, and let him see.” The Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

We are often totally unaware of how God is protecting us. When things aren’t going well for us, we are very aware; but when things are going smoothly, we don’t stop to think about God and how He is blessing us. “God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence.” 2 Samuel 22:3 (NLT)

Gentle Reader, “He has put his angels in charge of you. They will watch over you wherever you go.” Psalms 91:11 (ICB) Whenever my Momma saw evidence of God working in her life or the life of others, she would refer to it as a “God thing.” Be on the lookout for “God things” in your life; It may even be a patrolman.

Twenty Tons of Yellow Trees

My An Arkie's Faith column from the October 10, 2018, issue of The Mena Star.

It was a beautiful September morning as we headed west out of Denver on I-70. The mountain views were impressive as we drove along. When we turned onto Highway 91 heading toward Leadville, there were colorful stands of quaking aspen trees that seemed to stretch for miles. Aspen trees have a golden-yellow fall foliage color and on rare occasions turn to orange. The fall foliage was incredible. Several locals that we talked to said the color was the best it had been in years.

Aspen trees are called "quaking," because the foliage of aspens shimmers or "quakes" when there is a breeze. My wife, who grew up in Colorado, loves the quakies. The smell of an aspen grove and the rustling sound that the leaves make when the wind blows through them are some of her favorite things. The scenery on our drive that day was incredible. There was a deep blue sky, and the groves of golden aspens shimmered on the hillsides. The slender, white-barked aspen painted the mountains with their beautiful yellow, gold, and orange colors.

Aspen regenerate by shoots rising along long lateral roots. Root sprouting causes many genetically identical trees, called a clone. All the trees in a clone have identical characteristics and share a root structure. Each aspen grove includes one or more aspen clones. The aspen trees of each clone will change color at the same time because they are genetically related. Aspen clones can be less than an acre and up to 100 acres in size. The largest known aspen clone is over 100 acres in size and weighs more than 14 million pounds.

The fall color was amazing as we made our way towards my brother-in-law’s cabin above Leadville. Along the way, we stopped at the headwaters of the Arkansas River, where you can jump across the river. Not many people in Arkansas can say that they have jumped across the Arkansas River, but I can. When we arrived at the cabin, the little valley that it sits in was awash with color. The view from the cabin includes three 14ers, that is mountain peaks with an elevation above 14,000 feet.

My seven-year-old granddaughter was with us, and she enjoyed taking pictures with her tablet. After seeing so much beautiful fall color, we asked her how many yellow trees she had seen. She said, “I have seen two tons of yellow trees.” After a night at the cabin, we headed towards the Grand Mesa. Our drive over Tennessee Pass was even more beautiful than the drive the day before. Everywhere you looked there were massive groves of beautiful golden aspens. By the end of the day, as we were stopping once again to take photos of the trees, my granddaughter decided that she had seen enough yellow trees. We asked her how many yellow trees she had seen, and she replied, “I’ve seen twenty tons of yellow trees.”

As beautiful and amazing as the fall colors were, she was tired of looking at yellow trees. She was no longer excited about taking pictures of the trees with her tablet. What had been exciting at first had become boring for her. After seeing “twenty tons of yellow trees,” she had become indifferent. It made me think about my life and how some days I am indifferent to God and everything that He does for me.

The Bible describes this as being lukewarm. “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.” Revelation 3:15, 116 (NASB) Jesus isn’t happy with lukewarm followers. Would you want to be in a relationship with someone who was lukewarm in their feelings towards you?

Following Jesus doesn’t mean believing in Him and then living your life as though He doesn't matter to you. Being a Christian means to follow Him completely every day; not just when you are in the mood. Spending an hour a week worshipping Him is not enough. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21 (NIV)

In 2 Timothy 3:5 (NCV) Paul describes lukewarm Christians, saying that they “will act as if they serve God but will not have his power.” Mature Christians follow God with all their heart. Jesus said, “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30 (NIV)

Lukewarm Christians sit in churches and believe the message of the gospel but are not meaningfully engaged in its mission. Lukewarm Christians don’t really want to be saved from their sin, only to be saved from the penalty of their sin. Lukewarm Christians think that they are “wealthy and do not need anything,” but “are really miserable, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.” Revelation 3:17 (ICB) Lukewarm Christians act like a believer and do “good” deeds to increase their self-esteem, but until they realize that they are miserable, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked, God can’t save them.

Gentle Reader, Christians often become lukewarm because their Christianity has become routine and mundane. They look at all of the amazing things that God does for them, and they say “I’m tired of looking at trees. I’ve already seen twenty tons of yellow trees.” We are often totally unaware of how God is blessing us. When things aren’t going well for us, we are very aware, but when things are going smoothly, we don’t stop to think about God and how He is blessing us. Don’t be lukewarm, remember that “God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8 (NIV)

Running the Rapids

My An Arkie's Faith column from the June 20, 2018, issue of The Mena Star.

The little group gathered on the banks of the Yampa River. You could see the concern on their faces as they prepared for another day on this wild river. The Yampa River is the only major tributary in the Colorado River system that still runs wild and free; without a single dam along its course. It flows free with run-off originating from the melting snows and glaciers of the Colorado Rockies. The river is only runnable for a few weeks each year and permits are very limited, which gives the canyon a feeling of secrecy and surprise.

Today was the day that they would run the most challenging rapids on the Yampa, Warm Springs. Before 1965, the Yampa River was as a family-friendly river with only a couple of big rapids that were pretty straightforward. But on June 10, 1965, a flash flood created a huge rockslide that filled the river near Warm Springs with boulders and transformed a minor wave train into one of the most famous river rapids of the West.

Warm Springs is one of those rapids that everyone has a story about; you don’t just run it, it’s always an experience. It is the most talked about rapid in the main Yampa Canyon and inspires fear in even the most veteran boaters. Beneath a towering 1,700-foot sandstone cliff, Warm Springs Rapid drops through boulders for about a quarter of a mile, creating intensely churning whitewater. It is rated among the ten biggest drops in the country. The little group were not experienced whitewater rafters. The knew the reputation of these class IV rapids but were not sure what to expect. As they gathered on the banks of the river before taking off in their six rafts, they prayed for safety, guidance, and help from God.

From a distance, Warm Springs is just a band of whitewater on the river’s horizon line. But as the group got nearer, the sound of the rapids reverberating off the cliff roared louder and louder. They pulled to the right bank where the passengers were dropped off so they could walk around the rapids. But each boat had to be piloted through the rapids. While they were preparing to run the rapids, they were approached by a group that said they were with a joint search and rescue training exercise between the National Park Service and the Moffatt County Sheriff’s Office. Would they like some assistance as they ran the rapids? They were relieved and happy to accept the help.

The most dangerous aspect of the rapids are two roiling holes where submerged boulders make the current churn backward. The first boulder in the middle of the rapid has been dubbed, Godzilla. The last hole in the rapids is named Maytag and can flip rafts and work over boaters. According to the website riverbrain.com; “If you miss the entrance and setup on warm springs, you are guaranteed a white-knuckle beating in Godzilla and probably Maytag holes.”

My son-in-law piloted the first boat into the rapids. He said, “that feeling when you see the rapids up close is an adrenaline rush like no other.” When he tried to navigate the turbulent waters of Godzilla, he was thrown out of his raft. As he was being swept down the river, the rescue team was yelling at him, “swim, swim to shore.” He said, “as soon as I hit the water, it seemed that every ounce of energy was sapped from my body. Even though I knew that my life depended on it, I couldn't find the energy to swim to shore.” After what seemed like an eternity to my son-in-law, someone from the rescue team was able to throw a rope to him and pull him to safety. After getting to shore, he collapsed and just lay there for several minutes before he had enough energy to stand. The ordeal had sapped every bit of energy from him.

Four of the remaining five boats, including the one piloted by my daughter, made it through. But one of the boatsmen was thrown into the water and had to be rescued. After getting all of the boats through the Warm Springs rapids, the group got back into the boats and made their way on down the river. As they floated on through the canyon and looked at the amazingly beautiful scenery, they thought about their prayer that morning. They had prayed for safety and God’s help. They had made it safely through the rapids even though there had been tense moments. After being rescued, my son-in-law found out that the joint search and rescue training exercise was a yearly training and had been scheduled a year ago.

As my son-in-law and his family were recounting their experiences on the Yampa River raft trip, and especially their struggles at the Warm Springs rapids, I thought of the scripture found in Isaiah 65:24 (NKJV). “Before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear.” The little group had no idea when they were praying that morning that God had answered their prayer one year before they asked for His help. “Before they call, I will answer.”

Gentle Reader, David wrote about his near-drowning experience in Psalms 69:1-3 (NIV). “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched.” Every one of us has experienced the need to be rescued. God has made a promise to us. "Call to Me, and I will answer you." Jeremiah 33:3 (NKJV)  When God answers our call, he will bring us to a place of safety. “He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me.” Psalms 18:19 (NLT) When you call on God, you can count on Him to answer you, rescue you, and save you.

Algebra Concepts - 2/17/16

My An Arkie's Faith column from the February 17, 2016 issue of The Mena Star.

I spent my first two years of high school at a small private school in Boulder, Colorado. I still remember the teachers there and the impact they made on my life. There was Principal Stafford who drove a Volkswagen Bus. Ms. Shirley Nightingale was fresh out of college and we boys enjoyed embarrassing her. I think we were just a bit disappointed when she became Mrs. Cole. Mrs. Carlisle was the band director and taught me to play the trumpet. She is still teaching music at the same school.

My most unforgettable teacher was Elder Siebenlist. He was older and had spent his life as an educator. He had been the principal of several high schools both public and private. He was the principal of the Solusi Training School in what is now Zimbabwe, Africa from 1946- 1954. In 1994 the Solusi school became a university, the first private university in Zimbabwe. I loved hearing Elder Siebenlist tell stories about his time in Africa. When he told stories about encounters with lions and traveling in Africa I was spellbound. I had grown up reading books and stories about missionaries and now I had a teacher who was a real life missionary.

When I started high school my hardest class was algebra. My grade school math classes had not given me even the basics of algebra. I was confused and did very poorly for the first quarter. But then all of a sudden it seemed to make sense. There were rules and if you followed the rules you could get the right answer even if you didn’t understand why. One of the first rules of algebra that I learned was the rule of symmetry: If a = b, then b = a.

I was reminded of this rule recently while listening to a sermon by my pastor. He asked us to do an exercise that made an impact on me. It is a short easy exercise. I would like to share it with you.

The Bible calls John, “the disciple that Jesus loved”. Jesus had a best friend.  The best friend of Jesus wrote in 1 John 4:7,8 (NCV) “Dear friends, we should love each other, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has become God’s child and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love”. From this statement we can safely deduce that the following equation is true: God = Love.

Remember that in algebra we have the rule of symmetry: If a = b, then b = a. So if God = Love, then Love = God.

In the exercise my pastor had us turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 13 and read verses 4-7 (NLT).   "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance."

Now since Love = God, we were to replace love in the passage with God.  It read like this. God is patient and kind. God is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. He does not demand His own way. He is not irritable, and He keeps no record of being wronged. God does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. God never gives up; He never loses faith, He is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

What a beautiful picture of God. We can say that God is love, but what does that mean? Through this use of an algebraic axiom we can get a clearer understanding of God. We can see that many of the ways that men have portrayed God simply don’t measure up to the picture of God shown by this simple exercise.

Gentle Reader, I hope that your life will be blessed by this concept of God. Maybe you haven't looked at God this way before. Remember that God is patient and kind. God is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. He does not demand His own way. He is not irritable, and He keeps no record of being wronged. God does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. God never gives up; He never loses faith, He is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Local Woman Conquers Pike's Peak

My article from the August 26, 2015 issue of The Polk County Pulse


Local Woman Conquers Pike's Peak
by Richie Lawry

Local woman, Betty Sobeski , 67, ran the Pike’s Peak Ascent which took place in Manitou Springs, Colorado on August 15, 2015.  The Pikes Peak Ascent is a racing event that begins at the base of Pike’s Peak, in Manitou Springs, Colorado, and over the course of 13.3 miles climbs over 7,815 feet to the top of the 14,115 foot peak.  Runners consider the Pike’s Peak races America’s ultimate challenge.  Eighteen hundred runners from all over the U.S and from as far away as Japan participated in the 2015 event.

Betty completed the Ascent along with her daughter, Joan Rendon, 50, of Waldron, Arkansas.  They trained together for six months.  They did all of their training on Rich Mountain, simulating the steep Pike’s Peak course.  Due to the heat they trained with very early morning runs.  Betty has been running for 25 years and Joan has been running for the last 10 years.

2015 was the first time that Joan ran the Pike’s Peak Ascent.  Betty had previously run the Pike’s Peak Marathon five times from 2001 to 2007. In 2003 she brought home a trophy for placing second in her age class, just two minutes short of first place.  The marathon course is to the top of Pike’s Peak and back down again.

Reunion - The Mena Star

This is my article as published in the July 3, 2014 issue of The Mena Star.

Over the past several months I have enjoyed attending several reunions.  In July I went to Tennessee for my aunt’s 85th birthday celebration.  Then in August I was able to attend my cousin’s 50th wedding anniversary.  He was the best man at my wedding.  I had a great time with relatives I seldom see.

Two weeks ago, my wife and I attended our 40th High School reunion. We both attended Campion Academy in Loveland, Colorado and graduated in 1973.  It had been 30 years since we had seen most of our classmates - we attended our ten year reunion.  As we pulled onto the campus of Campion Academy we were a bit nervous.  What would our old classmates be like?  Would we have anything in common? Would we recognize them?  Would they recognize us?

As I parked the car and walked up to the registration table my apprehension was confirmed as I couldn't place the first person who spoke to me.  But within just a few minutes all uneasiness melted away as old friends greeted us.  I was amazed as classmates bridged the forty years like it was no time at all.

While we were there, I looked up an old friend I hadn't seen in years. When I lived in Campion, he lived just a block away. He was a great friend and we spent a lot of time together. It was nice to be able to be together again like old times even if it was only for an hour or so. We reminisced about many things including our “muscle” cars; his six cylinder Ford Falcon and my Nash Metropolitan.

As we were leaving his place, he turned to me and said, “I need to apologize to you.  I was out of line”.  I wasn't sure what he was talking about.  It had been over 35 years since we had visited with each other.  I told him that even the best of friends disagree sometimes and all was forgiven.  I really had no recollection of a serious disagreement between us, but something had been eating at him for years.

I had forgiven him years ago and couldn't even remember what the disagreement was about.  It reminded me of the verses in Micah 7:18,19.  “Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?  He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy.  He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea”.

God want to forgive us.  He longs to forgive us.  He wants to reconcile with us.

In Romans 5:10,11 the Bible tells us,  “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation”.

Some versions use the phrase “restored our relationship” or “made us his friends” in place of reconciled.  God wants us to be his friends; he wants to restore our relationship.  He wants a reunion.

Just like I was a bit apprehensive before my high school reunion, sometimes we are apprehensive about a reunion with Jesus.  We know that we aren't worthy.

In Luke 15, Jesus tells the story of a man who has two sons. The younger son asks his father to give him an early inheritance. Once received, the son goes to a distant land and begins to waste his fortune on wild living. When the money runs out, the son finds himself in dire circumstances. He takes a job feeding pigs. He is so destitute that he even longs to eat the food the pigs eat.

The young man finally decides to return to his father and ask for forgiveness and mercy.  Realizing he is not worthy to be a part of the family he hatches a plan to ask to be a servant in his father’s house.

Let’s pick up the story in Luke 15:20, “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.”

The son was focusing on how unworthy he was – and with good reason.  But all the father could think of was the reunion and how happy he was to have his son back.

Luke 15:22-24 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry”.

God wants a reunion, he wants reconciliation, and he wants to restore his relationship with you.  He wants to be your friend, but you have to come to the Father.  Don’t miss the reunion!

Unread

U is for unread.  I love books and the way they feel and smell and look. I collect old books.  It is so much easier to buy books than it is to find the time to read them.



When I was a kid my favorite place was the Public Library. During the time I was in school I read just about every book in the kids section of the public library in the town of Longmont, Colorado. I still remember being disappointed that I was only allowed to check out three books at a time. I also didn't understand why I couldn't check out books from the adult section on my kids library card. I would take my three books home and have them read in a day or two and then begged my Mama to take me back to the library. I kept a flashlight handy for reading after I was supposed to be asleep. The Longmont Public Library was my access to knowledge.


My house is full of books, many of them unread.  I have resolved to stop buying books since I have so many unread books already.  Even though I have slowed down on buying books, a few years ago I bought a Kindle e-reader.

Buying the Kindle only made my unread book problem worse.  There are a huge amount of free books that are available for e-readers. There are over 6 million free books that are available to read on my Kindle. There were so many books that I have never even seen a copy of, yet are now easily available. I love history, and the amount of historical material that is available is staggering. To get an idea of what is available go here.

I'm  not sure what I can do to solve my unread book problem.  There are too many books and not enough time to read them.


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Dress Barn

One of my wife's favorite places to shop is Dress Barn.  The first Dress Barn was opened in 1962 in Stamford, Connecticut.  There are now over 800 locations in the U.S.

We live in a small town in rural Arkansas with limited shopping opportunities.  When we do go shopping we make a day of it and travel to either Fort Smith or Hot Springs which are both over 80 miles away.  When we make these shopping trips my wife likes to stop at Dress Barn.  I enjoy not going in to the store and instead like to sit in the car in the parking lot.

One day while I was sitting in the parking lot, I took a photo of the Dress Barn Store and posted it to Facebook and said, I'm at my favorite place - The Dress Barn Parking Lot.  I received many likes and comments.  It became expected for me to comment on my favorite thing.  Comments such as, "who needs the NFL playoff games when you have the Dress Barn parking lot" and "no place I would rather be than the Dress Barn parking lot.

Last fall we attended our 40th high school reunion.  While we were visiting with old friends, they insisted that we go to the Dress Barn and take photos.  We really didn't have time but we did it.

When we are travelling I make sure to stop by any Dress Barns that we come across.  This year I have been to Dress Barn parking lots in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Colorado and Oregon.  My dear wife puts up with my little obsession even though many of the Dress Barns we have stopped at she hasn't even been inside.  During a recent visit to Oregon I stopped at three Dress Barns but she didn't shop at any of them.

While in Oregon we stayed at Glenedon Beach near Lincoln City.  I had several Facebook friends point out that there was a Dress Barn in Lincoln City.  I posted a beautiful sunrise photo and got the comment, "What, no Dress Barn in the proximity?!?!"

How many Dress Barn parking lots will I eventually visit?  I don't know. With over 800 locations I will be kept busy for a long time.

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Coast

C is for coast.  Last week my wife and I were able to spend a few days on the Oregon Coast.  My wife's siblings all met for a reunion.  We had a great time and the weather was beautiful for January.  Family from Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Arkansas came to the coast and we had a great time together.

While we were there we visited places along the coast from Tillamook to Newport.  There is beautiful scenery all along the coast.

Some of my favorite memories of our time on the coast are of the sunsets.  We had beautiful sunny days, and incredible sunsets every evening.

On of our favorite stops was at the Sea Lion Caves.  This is a natural sea cave that is the home to many Stellar Sea Lions.  The attraction has been open to the public since 1932.

Later, while we were in Newport, we saw a couple of sea lions right beside the pier.

There are so many beautiful sights along the Oregon Coast.  If you ever get a chance to visit I highly recommend it.

Of all the fun and interesting things that we did, my favorite thing was walking on the beach with my best girl.

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