About The River

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Five years ago today...

Five years ago today, I ventured out on my own to California, to meet a team of people I did not know, to travel to Ukraine for a missions trip. My boys were little! Sam just turned six and Atticus turned four! I only knew our Pastor's son Jeff,  a little bit. I met him once. (he was leading the missions trip). I had many obstacles to overcome. Fear! Missing my kids and husband! Being the only Wisconsinite in the bunch, the rest of the team was made up of California teens, and two other adults. 
 
God had planted a seed. I have always been fascinated with the country Ukraine. I studied the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl. I felt pain for the people as they continued to fight for freedom. 
 
Stepping back in time, eight years ago, my Pastor's wife was telling me about Jeff''s work in Ukraine. A fire burned in me, I shared with her how I have always wanted to go and help the kids. She said, "you just might be able, I will call Jeff and find out."
 
Five years ago today, I was flying to London, England. 
I will be blogging about this adventure, that changed my life. I will share some facts that may surprise you. Share some photos that will break your heart. As I type my story, tears will be streaming down my cheeks. 
I am thankful to God for letting me be able to go. I am also thankful to live in the United States of America! I was in Ukraine over the Fourth of July 2006...in a country were communism is still very much alive. In a country that has such corruption, Jeff told us not to bother to exchange address, you will never hear from them again. (I did exchange address with both of our translators, I wrote several times, I received one letter from each, and never heard from them again. They too, warned me, they may never get my mail!)  In a country, where most of the time they said to me, " We were taught that Americans did not care, they were not compassionate! You are so kind, you bring so much for us. Thank You, Thank You! We did not know Americans were compassionate."

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Summer Sun

Summer Sun
Our summer days are here this week. We have warm weather! (It has been a chilly past few weeks) We are excited to enjoy them on the water. Today I was able to canoe with a friend up at our Pastor's Cabin on Twin Lakes. It was wonderful to be on the water. We saw a deer, two loons and four eagles. 
This weekend we will be on the water again. During the 4th of July holiday we will be rafting down the Elk and Flambeau River.
Hope you are able to enjoy the Summer Sun too.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Max the Cat!

Jeremy took this photo of Max. I just love it. Max is an amazing cat. He won a Grand Champion Ribbon at the Barron County Fair and he did not even need to show up. :-) Sam did a poster about his cat, Max, he included fun stories and photos. He won. 
Max also loves to read. He will sense that your are reading, and the next thing you  know he is sitting with you reading too.
Lastly, he prays! Yes, he is a praying cat. He crosses his paws over and bows his head.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Unknown

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.
Corrie ten Boom
Corrie will be the first to say this is hard to do. If you have not read, watch the movie or listened to the Radio Drama "Hiding Place" I strongly urge you, to do it this summer. Corrie has an amazing story. Her family has a successful watch business in Holland. Germany invades Holland and the Nazis take over. Due the the family's strong Christian beliefs they help their Jewish friends and strangers. It is an amazing true story. Both of our boys love history, Corrie is one of their Christian Hero's!
 

Friday, June 24, 2011

Friends at Pattison State Park

We made a few friends at Pattison State Park. Up close photos of them are coming up...
This little guy was on our rug in the morning. I was the first to see him, and saved him from being stepped on. We named him Mr. Snail/Slug.
On a hike to the bottom of the river gorge, I found this young lady. I will call her a lady, because I think she will turn into a beautiful butterfly. She just might fly over to Cameron, Wisconsin and sip some nectar from my flowers.
This is a stick...with stuff on it...now check this out...
It really is a caterpillar of some kind. I need to do some research on it. It looks just like the stuff on the stick! I flipped him over to have proof that he was a caterpillar.
If you know what this guy turns into - please share!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Pattison State Park - part 1

The Black River begins its winding journey about 22 miles southwest of the park at Black Lake on the Wisconsin - Minnesota border. As it passes through Pattison State Park, it drops 31 feet over Little Manitou Falls, forms Interfalls Lake, and then reaches the spectacular Big Manitou Falls. After leaving the Pattison State Park gorge, the river meanders another five miles to the Nemadji River, which it joins for the final ten mile journey to Lake Superior.
The 165 feet vertical drop of Big Manitou Falls is the highest in Wisconsin and the fourth highest east of the Rocky Mountains.
Camp Pattison Co. 3663 - Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) - the CCC left a legacy of beautiful buildings. Each night we attended the Nature Program - the staff at Pattison do a great job. They make you feel welcome and at home.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Pattison State Park

We are back from a great camp trip to Pattison State Park. I will be blogging more about the park in future posts. It was a wet and cool trip. We enjoyed every moment...we stayed nice and dry in our pop-up camper and made great memories. Atticus enjoyed the time so much, he cried our last night. He wanted to stay...together. I know how he feels. Daddy gets to be with us all day...we play more...worry less...I am sure you know what I mean. I always miss Jeremy when we come home from trips, so I know how Atticus feels. We enjoyed each other and bonded even more. As the boys grow, this time for us is so precious. I thank our Lord for a great camp trip. I am excited to share more with you.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Fuzz Buzz

Fuzz Buzz
Fuzz Buzz is Sam's rabbit. He is a Lionhead. We think he is cute. Do you?
He was born under a deck, Sam bought him for $10.00 three years ago. He is a special part of our pet family.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Turn to Him

God has put into each of our lives a void that cannot be filled by the world. We may leave God or put Him on hold, but He is always there, patiently waiting for us...to turn back to Him.
Emily Barnes

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day
A special day to say thank you to all the Dad's. 
Happy Father's Day to my Dad, thank you for the wisdom and love you share.
Happy Father's Day to my husband, his love for his boys and me. Leading us with the help of our Savior. Thank You, Jeremy! I love you.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Yum Yum!

Our favorite part of camping...S'mores!
We love to make them with Reese's peanut butter cups. We have tried using different flavored cookies too. 

Time for a fire and a sweet treat!

Friday, June 17, 2011

Let God have you!

Let God have you, and let God love you-and don't be surprised if your heart begins to hear music you've never heard and your feet learn to dance as never before.
Max Lucado

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Calvin and Hobbes - post by Sam and Atticus

We will be leaving for a camp trip on Friday. One of our favorite things to do at night is read in our sleeping bags. Mom always packs Calvin and Hobbes, we laugh and laugh! Have a good week!
Curled up reading!
"Atticus, look at this!" 


Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Asking for trouble

Let's take a chance.
We just might be asking for trouble!
Gitchi Gumi always wins!
Lake Superior rolls the rocks in to dam up the stream flowing out into it.
The boys had a game going called " Fight the Waves" they lost at Little Girl's Point. Atticus ended up getting wet socks and pants. He did not mind at all. It just made for a great story about "Fighting the Waves on Gitchi Gumi!"

Hidden Treasure

Red Granite Falls is for sure a hidden treasure - we only met one other couple hiking on the trail. We met up with several people on the path to Brownstone Falls and Copper Falls. As we hiked and explored we were thankful that we were the only people. Our family loved the hike to Red Granite Falls. We felt like we owned the area. You are able to hike right next to the falls. The roar of the water is amazing. If you do visit Copper Falls State Park, be sure to take the time to hike the Red Granite Falls trail.
Sam and Atticus loved the woods. It was so interesting as you hiked from wooded areas to big rocky areas in just a few steps.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Superior Falls

Superior Falls
Border of Michigan and Wisconsin - travel to Hurley, Wisconsin and Ironwood, Michigan
Water Source - Montreal River
Superior Falls is dammed. The sign above reads...to get out of the area if the horn blows, they are going to open the dam. We laughed at the sign, because if we had to run, it would have been a hard time. Getting to the falls is a challenge, you have to be fit to make it down the rugged terrain.
Superior Falls is 90 feet
Montreal River on its way to Lake Superior
Can you see the mighty Lake?
Montreal runs into Lake Superior

Sunday, June 12, 2011

God's Bright Sunshine

God's bright sunshine overhead, God's flowers beside your feet...And by such pleasant pathways led, May all your life be sweet.
Helen Waithman

Thursday Post, by Sam and Atticus

We love rocks! We have lots of rocks, my Mom got creative on how to display our rocks. She puts them in her plants and decorates with some of the really cool ones. The fun thing is my Mom loves rocks too. We have some friends that love rocks, and they invited us to become a part of the Northwest Wisconsin Gem and Mineral Society. We meet the 3rd Tuesday of the month. We went to our first meeting in May. It was fun. We got to watch a video about Fire Agates! This coming month we will study Emeralds, you can mine them in North Carolina. We hope to stop at a few Sapphire mines on our trip to Montana.
The top photo shows you what the rock looks like. Slice it open to find a surprise. God has so many surprises for us!
Some more of our fun rocks. My dad thinks the one agate close to where we are typing looks like Lake Superior. The purple one is Amethyst.
Do you like rocks? Do you have a favorite?
Some of the best stories we have of bringing rocks home are... Sam found a cool rock in California. Mom packed it up in her clothes to fly home with us. Sam and Atticus found a cool rock on the shores of Lake Superior, it was big and flat, Dad said it was sandstone. Dad carried it to the back of the truck and made sure it came home safe. My mom has that rock in her outside garden.


The reason for a Thursday Post on a Sunday...we had computer trouble...we got our post up Thursday, but not published.

Have a good week - Sam and Atticus

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

When it is hot outside!

We are experiencing a Wisconsin Heat Wave...we had a high of 101 degrees today. June 7th and 101 degrees! I think I heard this from my husband four times so far today. It is a shocker to the system. But we wanted summer to come, Right!?!
When it is hot outside, an easy sandwich is our choice for lunch or supper. Here is one of our favorites.
TePaske's Easy Chicken Salad
Cook the chicken breast, cool and shred.
Head out to the garden and pick some chives, chop them up and toss them in with the chicken. Add your ranch dressing and miracle whip to your taste.

Get out the bread, lettuce, cheese, tomato...any other topping?
I love this brown and white bread from the Barron Bakery!
Enjoy!