Project #31 GHOST TOWN

This is the abandoned ghost town of Molson, WA. (USA). It made for a fantastic photo adventure!.  

You can go into all the buildings, the bank,  the lawyers office, the shingle mill, the mining company's shop, and a couple homesteads as well. 

I added a few photos so you can see it as well.....

The bank......

The printing press....

A homestead.....

What was probably the main (and only) street.....

A typical one room cabin homestead....

Inside the cabin....  I'm sure the historical society thought that adding the mannequins would make it somehow more realistic,but I personally thought it would have been better without them.....  

This sign made me laugh.....

Not the very first schoolhouse, but still an original structure from when the town was functional.  It now exists as the historical society's museum.

I hope you enjoyed coming along on this historical adventure,  a step back in time to the year 1901.

Ghost towns and distant ringing school bells,

-J

Project #30 - Bell Tower

This very bell tower once graced the top of the very first schoolhouse in the pioneer town of Old Molson, WA. (USA) in 1901.

Now it sits alone in the center of the abamdoned ghost town.

Which leads me to my NEXT project.....

-J

Project #29 :Vintage

Doesn"t it just make you want to reach out and plunk a few keys, just to hear that clickety clack sound? As much as I adore this vintage typewriter ( from the year 1900!) I'm not sure I would have gotten along with one of these very well, I use the backspace button on my computer far too regularly, hahaha.  They didnt have white-out liquid paper back then either, so it probably would have taken me an hour just to type a paragraph the size of this post here!

Well, I'm off to post another photo project for you, and type a post to go with it,  while probably hitting the backspace key at least 2,467 times, hee hee =)

Wishing my computer keyboard made loud clickety-clack sounds,

-J

Project #28 The Randomly Bizarre Part II - the Tin-man!

Once again, it was a case of driving along when I saw this and went "whaaaaaaa....?"" So I pulled over to get a closer look. Yep, its a tin man alright. It was an advertising gimmick. ( which I have to say, it caught my attention! )   and no, I did not follow a "yellow brick road" to get there, hahaha.  

Tin Men and regular asphalt paved roads,

-J 

Project #27 - Rooftop Statues

This is one of many statues which can be seen around the Spirit Ridge Resort.  I was up on the roof to get this photo, which was sort of fun in itself. 

Since I am posting alot this week, adn since it is getting late I will be keeping these posts short and sweet.

(I'm pretty sure I just heard a cheer go up, hahaha)

Rooftops and Statues,

-J

Project #26 Waterfalls Part II - Helmecken Falls

I took this one not specifically because of the waterfall itself, but becuase of the awesome looking bowl shaped cavern behind it, caused by thousands of years of erosion.

I will be posting all week to catch up on my projects here, as has become my usual frantic pace when I realize I've done a little too much gallavanting and not enough posting!

I hope you are all enjoyng your summer, or in other parts of the world, your winter! 

Project #25 The Steam Engine

Train travel has always been my favorite transportation of choice.  But a vintage STEAM ENGINE?  Now we're really talkin'! I can't explain my endless fascination with steam trains. I love the sound of that whistle too! 

My sons loved trains from a very young age also,  Partly because when my oldest son was barely a toddler, a train went by our house almost 6 times a day.  So to keep him from being afraid of the loud racket and the house shaking, I would run him to the upstairs window so he could watch the train go by.  He loved waving and yelling ``choo choo``as it went by, and this began his childhood obession with trains. Of course when his brother was born, he naturally followed suit.  They still have their wooden track  and train set ( thank you, makers of |Thomas the Tank Engine, hahaha) and  all their 6,452 trains and accessories that went along with it , hehe.

I took the boys on a 90 minute train ride just a couple weeks ago, and they loved it!  They were given "bingo" cards and pencils to try to spy as many things along the trip on the cards as they could.  There was also a guy playing the banjo for entertainment as we rode!  The view through the valley we rode through was breaktaking. Wine country really is stunning.  Here are a few more photos of our train adventure day

I`d love to sbare more about our fun train adventure, but it:s 12:30 am and I`ve already accidently selected and erased this entiire post TWICE already, and I have a killer headache already that I just don`t feel I can stay up to deal with any longer: hahaha

 I need to get to bed before I fall asleep with the computer on my lap.

Lots of Advil and not-too-loud  train whistles,

-J

Love Can Move Mountains

I have always believed that Love can move mountains. 

In an imperfect world, where there is so much pain and suffering, it is so inportant to have love, and more than anything else, HOPE.  I know that for some of you,  hope is a four-letter word that only means disappoinment and heartbreak.  For some of you, the pain is so deep and so strong, that you feel like giving up. I want you to know that even in these times of hurt,  you are not alone. Please know that.

Peaple have asked me how I always seem so happy. They ask why I am always smiling and cheerful and positive. It makes me laugh when people say I must have such an easy life.  I have been accused of being "fake' at times, even called "insensitive" by people who can't understand how someone can smile during rotten times.  My joy is genuine, but it is not because of my life. My life is so far from easy and perfect it hurts.

 I have been hurting for a very long time. I don't remember a time when I didnt feel pain in my heart from circumstances in my life.  I do my best to not focus on the circumstance, but on the good things in my life:, My beautiful children, my family and friends and for God's merciful patience and grace for me through all of my many mistakes.  

This alone is what allows me to smile in the midst of all my pain. The peace in my heart through it all has taught me that it IS posible to dance in the rain.   At times when circumstances have become almost unbearable, I pray for the strength to carry on.  To just get through  one,   more.    day.  I thank God for all he has brought me through.  

Whether you believe in God or not,  I will not attempt to argue with you or try to change your mind.  I am simply sharing what gives me hope, strength to smile in the midst of my pain, and peace during the storms to "dance in the rain".I believe:

God is Love.

Love can move mountains.

Even the ones we can't.   

I have seen it for myself, so I know in my heart that this is true.  I need to look no further than my own parents,  and all they have overcome,  for a shining example of this.  

To those of you who feel hopeless,  please know that you are not alone, You don't have to carry around all that pain anymore, you can let it be lifted from your shoulders,  Please hang on,  even just one more day. And then just one more day after that.  You never know what opportunities are waiting for you just around the corner.  There is hope. .There is Love. 

And Love can move mountains.  Even this one. 

 I hope that any of the hurting hearts out there, searching for a shred of hope to cling to,  will be comforted by reading this.  And I hope your hearts will find the encouragement to just hang in there.

If no one else has told you they love you,  know that I love each and every one of your precious hearts  reading this.  And now that you know that someone out there genuinely loves you,  share that love in your heart with someone you know who needs it too.

A Big Warm Blanket Right Out of the Dryer for Your Heart,

-J

Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets,

So love the people who treat you right
,forgive the ones who don't,

and believe that everything happens for a reason.

If you get a chance, take it.

If it changes your life, let it.

Nobody said life would be easy,

They just promised it would be worth it.

HANG ON!

I did NOT take this photo, I was in the raft!  This photo is courtesy of the staff photographer at Interior Whitewater Expeditions. Their expert pro guided us through the rapids of the Clearwater river in Wells Gray Park.  And WHOA BABY!  was it ever exciting, hahaha.

This was my first time whitewater rafting, and it was quite an adventure! I will post more photos of my own soon. I camped in the area for the weekend, and did some great hikes in the park trails. I was scared of bears, but thankfully didn't come into contact with any! 

What I DID encounter however, were SWARMS of mosquitos. People had warned me to bring bug spray, which I stocked up on.  But what they SHOULD have suggested was 50 yards of mosquito netting and a Haz-Mat suit!   hahahahaha

I'm so covered in bites that I look like I have the chicken pox!  hahaha.  I'm all out of bug spray, and fully stocked on Watkins Bite Balm, hee hee.

Wishing I'd had a HazMat suit,

-J