Candid Moments

Horsetail Falls

Horsetail Falls, Oregon
Old Scenic Hwy
January 2014

 The day i was out with my beautiful friend Carol we traveled down the scenic hwy to several of the falls along the old hwy.

Horsetail is one of my favorites. 

It is so beautiful!
But I guess one of my favorites is always the one I'm at.

But my two favorites in the gorge on the scenic hwy are Multnomah Falls and Horsetail Falls.

Many of you know how I love trees so this one above was a great shot for me as I centered the Falls inside the barren branches of these trees.

Horsetail Falls, Oregon
Old Scenic Hwy
January 2014

 As you can tell the falls does appear to look a lot like a horse's tail.

Again I wanted to get snaps of the falls with the trees as the frame work of the beauty of the cascading water.

It was very icy around the falls and on the roads. 

My hands were so numb from the chill of the day.

Horsetail Falls, Oregon
Old Scenic Hwy
January 2014

 It was such a great day out taking photos of the beauty surrounding us.

I am so grateful to live in such a beautiful area and to be able to enjoy it.

It is nice to be able to hop in the car and just drive about 15 minutes into the most amazing beauty created by our Lord for us to enjoy.

Horsetail Falls, Oregon
Old Scenic Hwy
January 2014

 The wonderful pool of cascading water.

This was another swimming hole of mine when I was a child.

You can still get into the water here.

As you see there is a staircase leading down to this pool of cold water.

Lots of rocks!

Horsetail Falls, Oregon
Old Scenic Hwy
January 2014

One more view of Horsetail Falls.

This one was taken a little to the left of it.

Making huge cold splashes into that water pool below.

What an adventure it must have been to come through here as a pioneer.

To you have special Winter adventures you like to go on?

http://ussminnow1964.blogspot.com/

With all my post this year I will be adding my "Joy Dare" as part of my post.

You can check out "A Holy Experience". 

Ann is an amazing writer and so up lifting and has many helps to help you grow spiritually.

January joy Dare
Day 7 3 Graces from people you love

1. You are special to me and I love you
2. Thank you
3. I miss you

www.marykay.com/ehernandez1

Candid Moments

Tunnel Beauty

Old Scenic Hwy
Columbia Gorge Foot trail
January 2014

Last week on one of my many adventures I was out with my friend Carol and we stopped at the foot trail head at the tunnel on the Old Scenic Hwy.

I love this bridge as it use to be actually the original Hwy. To preserve it they restored it and made it a foot trail. Which they have done in many spots on the Old Scenic Hwy in the Columbia Gorge. Some of it you can still drive. Other parts are now made into walking trails. What a great way to preserve the past and enjoy it in the present.

Old Scenic Hwy
Columbia Gorge Foot trail
January 2014

Both photos are in the same tunnel just taken at different depths and love how the lighting came out in both yet so different. I think this one is my favorite. I am learning so much as I play with my camera. I really think taking a class would help me so very much. 

Do you like taking several photos of the same thing to see what you come out with and which one you like the best?

http://ussminnow1964.blogspot.com/

With all my post this year I will be adding my "Joy Dare" as part of my post.

You can check out "A Holy Experience". 

Ann is an amazing writer and so up lifting and has many helps to help you grow spiritually.

January Joy Dare

Day 6 

One thing in your bag, your fridge, your heart

My bag has lots in it! So I think I will say Im thankful for my ID inside my wallet that needs to be renewed this year.

Inside my fridge Im thankful for the meat that we were blessed with at Christmas. It will see us through the month. Thank you thank you!

Inside my heart is over whelming joy and love for all those in my life that add so much to life everyday by just being apart of it. Thank you Lord for blessing me with amazing family and friends.

www.marykay.com/ehernandez1

Kyah And I Wrote A Poem

Found this in a pile of papers.

  I wrote this with one of my grandchildren Kyah for a school assignment, we did it together.

We actually did it over the phone. 

As she lives in one state and I in another.

But was so honored she had asked me to help.

Glad I found this and had kept it.

1. There is a piece of paper in my pocket

2. Crumbled with thoughts

3. As i reach inside pocket

4. I feel my phone 

5. Which holds all my information

6. With jiggling coins

7. Nestled inside my pocket

8. Along side my crumbled piece of paper

9. I grab my crumbled paper

10. I read my notes

11. That contain my poem

12. Which reads

13. The diamonds of dirt

14. With nine players on the field

15. Batter up!!

16. Home runs come in one by one

17. One two three your out!

18. Nine innings to play

19. Who's the winner?

20. The girls of Summer

21. I'm the winner

22. My crumbled piece of paper in my pocket

~Kyah & Mema~

Kyah

My amazing beautiful granddaughter Kyah!

She does play baseball and loves it. 

She plays year round.

Do you keep papers for to long and then have to go through them and find surprises in them?

www.marykay.com/ehernandez1

Candid Moments

Birds In Flight

Tampa Bay Florida
December 2013

As I have been going through several photos.

 Cleaning the cameras up getting ready for 2014 photos.

I have found many beautiful photos that I didn't even know I had taken.

This one I took well in Florida on my surprise gift vacation to see my dear friend Crystal and her hubby.

What a delightful time I had too.

I love this photo of Tampa Bay the bridge and the seagulls in flight.

I didn't even know I did that. So excited about some of my photos that I will be sharing from this past year mixed in with ones that I take throughout this coming year.

I wont have a shortage of photos at all. 

Love it!

Do you find amazing photos that you took and wonder WOW! I did that?

http://ussminnow1964.blogspot.com/

With all my post this year I will be adding my "Joy Dare" as part of my post.

You can check out "A Holy Experience". 

Ann is an amazing writer and so up lifting and has many helps to help you grow spiritually.

January Joy Dare day 5

Something your reading, making, seeing

Not doing much reading right now...but have the book "Like yourself, love your life" by Audrey Meisner I need to start reading. My friend Crystal suggested I read this and I need to get on it!

I'm making some pillowcases that I'm doing needle point on. As well as a secret project for my grandchildren and daughters.

I'm seeing that if I put a little effort everyday into getting this room and house into shale it will get accomplished and I will have room for the things I want.

www.marykay.com/ehernandez1

Candid Moments

Birthday Celebration At 

Multnomah Falls

January 4,2014
Multnomah Falls
Old photo inside Lodge

This photo was hanging in the lobby area of the Lodge near the fire place.

Love the photo and can only imagine the how magnificent it was to look at before man came in and built.

January 4,2014
Multnomah Falls

Still people come in droves to see this magnificent Falls in the Columbia Gorge from all around the world. I am so blessed to live in such a beautiful place in the world where many come to visit to see the beauty that I live in daily.

January 4,2014
Multnomah Falls
Mary

Happy Birthday Mary! It was her day! She loves the falls and everything about the PNW and the Gorge. She had never ate at the lodge before. I had the pleasure of eating there for the first time the other day with my dear friend Carol. She suggested we eat there and it was wonderful. Then another friend mentioned Groupon....which I didn't have when we ate there. So then Edie got a groupon and called and said lets take Mary to the lodge for lunch for her birthday. (So I say it pays to check out groupon) It has snowballed into a beautiful day there.And a week of me spending a lot of my days playing in the Columbia Gorge area. Which I must say I love so much.

So if you missed my post on my trip the other day check on Candid Moments on January 2.

January 4,2014
Multnomah Falls
Edie, Mary and I

 A very nice young couple visit this beautiful country and our region offered to take a photo of the three of us today.So sweet! They did a great job.

I think we all enjoyed snuggling close to get warm. It was truly cold here today.

I think the temperatures weren't much above 37 degrees. It was frosty and slippery everywhere we were.

Frost never went away. In some places it actual looked like snow.

January 4,2014
Multnomah Falls
Mary, Edie

 Pictures with the birthday girl.

Here we have Mary and Edie

I think they are both trying to stay warm. Edie and I were trying to figure out ways to stay warm and hang out until our reservation time for lunch in the lodge.

January 4,2014
Multnomah Falls
Mary and I

 Killing time taking photos with the birthday girl!

I'm sure she was wondering what we were up too. Suggested we go into the gift store to warm up and look around inside trying to kill until it was time to go into the lodge for lunch.

January 4,2014
Multnomah Falls
Edie, Mary and I

Mary always loves to do a selfie when we are out with all of us squeezed in. She does very well at them.

After we Left the gift store told her we wanted to go up and see what the lodge looked like and we could ride the elevator. Her face was "OH Okay" I have never done this before.

 She was so surprised when we went up to the counter and asked for our reservation's.

As they took us to our table she was so taken back. Great surprise for Mary! Loved it!

What a wonderful gift and surprise.

January 4,2014
Multnomah Falls

 I never tire of the beauty here.

 I love sharing its magnificent beauty.

I sometimes forget not everyone has the pleasure of all the beauty around them as I do.

Frosty's Ice Cream
Cascade Locks, Oregon
January 4,2014

To end the day we stopped in Cascade locks at the Frosty for the most wonderful ice cream Two of them were smalls and one is a medium. A large is HUGE! I do believe I have a picture of one somewhere. And these seem smaller than they normally are for some reason. We all agreed that we remembered them much larger then these ones. Still worth it though.

Frosty's Ice Cream
Cascade Locks, Oregon
January 4,2014
Edie, Mary and I

One more selfie with the three of us and our ice cream.

A cold ice cream on a cold day to eat in a hot car to see how fast we can gobble them down before they melt.

Happy Birthday Mary!

Some links to some of the places visited today on our birthday adventure

http://multnomahfallslodge.com/index.html

http://www.oregon.com/attractions/multnomah_falls

http://www.oregon.com/

http://www.cascade-locks.or.us/

Do you have favorite places that you love to go too and surprise your friends with unexpected adventures?

http://ussminnow1964.blogspot.com/

With all my post this year I will be adding my "Joy Dare" as part of my post.

You can check out "A Holy Experience". 

Ann is an amazing writer and so up lifting and has many helps to help you grow spiritually.

January Joy Dare 

Day 4 A gift old, new and blue

Laughing as what I could write about old ........ Old would be the beautiful old lodge that we had lunch at today at Multnomah Falls

New would be the new day and the beauty each one brings fresh and new each one everyday. Thank you Lord!

Blue would be the very pretty blue sky's and the cold that was turning me blue today. I was numb with cold. But.....wouldn't change this day and the beauty it held. Thank you Lord!

www.marykay.com/ehernandez1