Riverglow-Anniversary 2010

Porterville to Kernville and back again…
After scheduling and cancelling and rescheduling our annual Anniversary Trip due to Chris’ work schedule and Mom’s health, we were ecstatic to be able to get away after all. We had finally settled on one overnight, but were blessed with three nights away by ourselves. Even though Chris worked over a few hours on Saturday, we would not be deterred. The forecast of rain did nothing to dampen our intentions either. The promise of a few days alone with one another, tucked away in a mountain inn, spurred us on. We hopped in the car, (as I had everything packed and awaiting his arrival!) and headed north.
We rolled into Porterville around nine o’clock and ate at the Black Bear Diner. What a place! Besides delicious food, (I even ate all my steamed veggies first!) the atmosphere was comfortable and the décor was fun. Upon further investigation, we discovered that there are many of these diners from California to Washington and Colorado through Arizona. The menu was that of a country kitchen, a vast but simply prepared feast and was printed upon what appeared to be an old newspaper from 1976…too fun! Too full to take advantage of the huge bear claws, we would return in the morning for breakfast on our way out of town. These pastries had to be four of my paws put together and yummy, yummy, yummy!
We spent the night in a Motel 6 just for kicks. I will say that there is much to be said for “sneaking away” to a small but clean cheap motel with one’s spouse. Of course, the small but vivacious beds are also a lot of fun! Accustomed to a firm Queen sized bed, snuggling and rolling into one another throughout the night definitely made for a “Good morning.”
The roads were closed the back way through Sequoia National Forest so we drove up through Glennville into Kernville. Even on a gloomy day, the wildflowers colored the hillsides of the sprawling pastures and fields. Purples and yellows splashed the landscape similar to the purples and oranges of the valley area which we visited last year at this time. I snapped a picture of what looked like a tree full of caterpillars on my way back to the car after photographing a sea of purple. Climbing the scenic mountain road, the winter barren oaks blended amethyst with the pines and the awakening foliage and shadows brought to mind, “For purple mountains majesty.” Smaller versions of the giant Sequoias rose alongside the highway and snow seemed to dollop the decadent landscape like whipped cream atop dessert. Through Alta Sierra and then down into Kernville, we stopped to visit the mother of a childhood friend. I knew I could not visit the area without stopping to hug Mama Phipps!
Our accommodations for the next two nights were furnished by the Kern River Inn. The Bed and Breakfast is located directly across the road from the Kern River. We could hear and see it from our bedroom windows. The hostess, Miss Virginia, serves a different appetizing breakfast each day. Our first morning, we dined upon individual baked egg dishes. Quiche was the main entrée the following day. Most interesting was visiting with the other guests each breakfast…a couple from England and another from Canada. Chris enjoyed a lively conversation with a gentleman who served in the British Army around the same time Chris was in the ARMY.
We walked to dinner the first night and enjoyed a delicious feast of lasagna and angel hair pasta at the local Italian Restaurant. We giggled to one another as we could not help overhearing the conversation of a group of hunters and their wives…one gentleman in particular thought red wine was served in a glass with one’s meal when the menu read, “ in red wine.” He also thought that he had to specify red wine and not white wine in place of red or white sauce. They were in town for a local hunting tournament and I found them fascinating. The mountain village of Kernville is quaint but not primitive. Within walking distance from the Inn, we found everything we needed.
However, we did take a drive up the road a piece the next day in search of Murray’s, which locals claimed to make the best steak and burgers around. We will have to return as they are closed on Mondays during off season. The eighteen mile drive was well worth the effort as we stopped for a smooch on the Johnsondale Bridge! A little shopping before lunch at the Cracked Egg Café and then we grabbed some snacks for dinner and headed back to our room. The weather was turning gray again and the fireplace was calling our name. As we walked through town, we glanced up at the surrounding mountains and it was as though a great hand was sifting powdered sugar as the snow began to blanket the hills around us.
I was surprised at the changes the weather brought to the river which flowed just across the road from the Inn. Clear skies and sun streaming seemed to clear the river of all its rumblings and murkiness from the day prior as I awakened on our last day of the trip. I intended only to step outside on the porch to snap a few pictures, but the river seemed to pull me closer and before I knew it, Chris came looking for me as breakfast was ready.
Before leaving, he and I walked the river shore. I searched as I always do for heart shape pebbles and rocks. I thought I was unsuccessful, but would realize upon uploading pictures to the computer that I did indeed find one. I had snapped a picture of litter along the Johnsondale Bridge, intending to add it to my kaleidoscope project. Next to the beer can lay a perfectly heart shape rock…what a testament to the fact that God’s love is there whether or not we see it at the time!
I recall thinking about that morning by the river how no profound messages were spoken that trip, but I did feel God was all around us. He was like that river…gently and faithfully flowing even throughout the murky and sunshine in my life. He was refreshing and calming as He surrounded us with His peace and softly whispered renewal into our tired bodies. Washing over us like a bath of strength, He replenished our relationship and our individual souls as Chris and I spent precious time together carved out of schedule again this year.
Sun bathed the wildflower strewn hills and granite as we made our way home down the canyon. We stopped every now and again to pick a few blooms and snap pictures. I hoped to capture the awesome beauty of the landscape and wished that I could bottle the sounds and scents. Hugs and smiles awaited us as Mom and the girls welcomed us home.
Upon returning home from our annual Anniversary trip, I pondered how we did not always fathom how important it is to prioritize our time with one another. It is almost crucial to our relationship and there really are no excuses not to as money can be spent and wasted many ways just as easily as saving up for this every year. We do not always have finances to do anything extravagant as the year we went to San Francisco. Our first anniversary was spent dining on our combined family china and depression glass, a meal which Chris prepared for me. Comparatively, we do not always have the ability to go on dates, but we have found that time together even behind closed doors is so important. Just as we must stoke the embers to keep a log burning, so must we make effort to keep our love life kindled. A simple walk around the neighborhood together does much for a tired relationship and a warm kiss hello goes a long way towards making your mate feel missed when returning home. When the girls were younger, finding the time and where with all was a bit more difficult. Chris put it well when he voiced the other night how we were getting to be an “us.” Needless to say, even in strong marriages, valleys accompany hilltops. This was evident the year we spent our anniversary apart…Chris was working out of town, but that was merely a symptom of our rocky relationship that year. It is very easy to forget ourselves in the roles we play as it is just as easy to neglect one another as we strive to be good Christian mothers and fathers, forgetting that we are first and foremost husbands and wives. Our yearly getaway gives us time to ponder and enjoy with one another as the time and adventure heal us, renew us and make us stronger for yet another year together as we go through life hand in hand.

Tales from the Coop

Anyone with a chronic illness celebrates the smallest victories along with the big strides...There have been days when I have not been able to get out of bed and then there are days when I have a seemingly endless energy. Mostly, there are days which I am just overjoyed to function normally and at an even pace, thanking God for His tender mercies. Saturday, was such a day. After Chris and I prepped the yard for new flowerbeds and walkways in the midst of what was predicted as showers but turned out to be a torrential downpour...the sun came out and Mom and I spent the day with a sifter in hand, working in unison to sift the soil within a 3x6 area a bit at a time. Tedious work, but manageable. Calling it a day, we were picking up and heading inside when we noticed the big chickens torturing the little chickens,which had somehow busted through the separating wall once again in their coop. An hour later, covered with hay and dirt and you can imagine what else...I had crawled inside the coop through the back hatch(a small 2x3foot opening) to patch the system which entailed actually lying down amongst the muck. Armed with a drill, screws and scrap wood and my sense of humor, we had it all tied together and secured once again.I teased Chris later that it was a crying shame to roll in the hay and the only action seen was by the drill and boards! I had also climbed in and out over the front more than once to corral and relocate said poultry!
Even as I sat there stinking, I felt a certain victory when I looked back over the past hour and my whole day in fact to see just what this little body had allowed me to accomplish! It was indeed a perfect testament to God's promise that I can do all things through His strength!
(Philippians 4:13) To God be all glory, honor and praise! See ya'll later with juicy tidbits from our anniversary trip!