Sunday's Psalm--17th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,

for you have heard the words of my mouth;

in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;

I will worship at your holy temple

and give thanks to your name.

Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

Because of your kindness and your truth;

for you have made great above all things

your name and your promise.

When I called you answered me;

you built up strength within me.





Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

LORD is exalted, yet the lowly he sees,

and the proud he knows from afar.

Though I walk amid distress, you preserve me;

against the anger of my enemies you raise your hand.

Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

Your right hand saves me.

The LORD will complete what he has done for me;

your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;

forsake not the work of your hands.

Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

 

 

from Psalm 138

Photos: Zion NP, Eastside Trail, Mt. Rainier NP, Alaska mushrooms, Olympia marina

BBS

Hey, guess what? Hiking gear is packed and we're about to get on an airplane. There are a few posts set for the next couple of weeks--mainly Sunday's Psalms, but don't expect to see much of me around otherwise till we get home, okay!

your wandering blogger,

Katney

A is for Adventure--ABC Wednesday starts Round 7

We are going on an Adventure, so this is a perfect start for the seventh round (my sixth) of ABC Wednesday. I do not expect to be back till the letter D, and will catch up with B and C then. I imagine that this adventure will present me with lots of ABCs--perhaps I should watch for them particularly.

One very special part of the adventure--well, I think I might save it for the letter D.

hehehehe

Not telling.

Find ABC Wednesday here.

Be back in a few.

Rosy Geometry

I was looking for something recent that was geometric for Geometry Monday.



The new Rose Garden Gazebo is an octagon.







...and it has a view.

Sunday's Psalm--16th Sunday of Ordinary Time

He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.

One who walks blamelessly and does justice;


who thinks the truth in his heart


and slanders not with his tongue.

He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.

Who harms not his fellow man,

nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;

by whom the reprobate is despised,

while he honors those who fear the LORD.

He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.

Who lends not his money at usury

and accepts no bribe against the innocent.

One who does these things

shall never be disturbed.

He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.

from Psalm 15

Photos:

some of my grandchildren walking

chapel in the vineyard

granddaughter at the pond

Always looking for the mountain view...

When we visit Mt. Rainier there is always the long view to the mountain (assuming the weather permits) and the near view to the wildflowers, the critters, what's going on in the river....

And then suddenly, as you are looking at the near view, the mountain looms again.

Weekend Reflections is hosted by James at Newtown Daily Photo.

Happy Anniversary SkyWatch

Mt. Adams

The third anniversary homepage of SkyWatch is here.

ABC Wednesday---Z

Coming to the end of another alphabet--Z is always a little more difficult than some of the other letters. I must thank Dina from Jerusalem Daily Photo, whose Zones of Silence post suggested the idea of some other zones to me, the ecological zones of Mt. Rainier National Park.

We start at the lower elevations, with the Forest Zone, where abundant rainfall and melting snowpack from above provide for a lush dense growth of a wide variety of green plants.


Hiking through the old growth forest on a warm day is a cooling experience. Ferns, fungus, mosses, lichens, and a variety of cool weather wildflowers carpet the ground. Nurse logs provide a new base for new saplings.

Critters in the forest include some you might be squeamish about.

So, now lets go up to a higher elevation--the Sub-Alpine Zone. Once the snow melts, the lush meadows are home to a rainbow of wildflowers, starting with these Avalanche Lilies and their companion yellow Glacier Lilies, the first to pop through the snow.

Further up the slope we reach the Alpine Zone--conditions so severe that the few trees are only a few feet tall after a hundred year's growth. The soil is thin and rocky.

The area is similar to Arctic tundra. Growing season is so very short...

So, as you see, are the plants. The variety of lupine that grows in this area has leaves that measure--yes, those are centimeter marks, not inches, on the walking stick. Lupine leaves in the sub-Alpine zone measure three to four inches across.

In the rocky reaches of the Alpine Zone, we saw dozens of pika the other day.


So thank you again, Dina, for suggesting that Z is for Zones. Thank you to Denise for another successful round of ABC Wednesday. Thank you to the team for keeping us going. You will find the other ABC-Z entries listed here.

On Top of My World

My fortune cookie last week said I would be on top of the world.

I felt that I was when I took this picture near the Fremont Lookout.

Some others were closer to the top and had been even closer.





Do you see them?



















How about now?

Approximately ten thousand people a year attempt the summit of 14,410 foot Mt. Rainier.

About half of them make it. the others turn back becasue of weather (not an issue this past weekend when these were taken), altitude sickness, or fatigue. Many go with guide services. Others do the climb with friends. Many do it more than once. It requires proper equipment, training in climbing skills, and determination.

For those forced to turn back because of weather or other dangerous conditions, it may be a disappointment, but the mountain will be there another day. We saw a helicopter airlift an injured climber off the mountain yesterday. He was injured on the way down, so after a successful summit.

And that's the story from the top of my world, where among other things, we shoveled some snow this weekend and marked trails to make them safer for those of us whose top of the world looks more like the first picture.

My World Tuesday can be found here.

Ski Geometry

Packed skis form triangles on the backs of these hikers looking for extreme adventure in the back country. They didn't really want to be hikers--a week or two earlier there had been even more snow and they could ski into their adventure site.

Sunday's Psalm--Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.

I pray to you, O LORD,
for the time of your favor, O God!

In your great kindness answer me
with your constant help.

Answer me, O LORD, for bounteous is your kindness:
in your great mercy turn toward me.

Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.

I am afflicted and in pain;

let your saving help, O God, protect me.

I will praise the name of God in song,

and I will glorify him with thanksgiving.

Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.

"See, you lowly ones, and be glad;

you who seek God, may your hearts revive!

For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not."

Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.

For God will save Zion

and rebuild the cities of Judah.

The descendants of his servants shall inherit it,

and those who love his name shall inhabit it.

Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.

from Psalm 69

roses from the Grandview Rose Garden

Working

I took this a couple of years ago as we were waiting at the flagger for some road construction. the guy who went up to talk to her looked pretty annoyed. What body language! The lane opened up pretty quickly after this picture, so he didn't get a chance to act on his anger. We didn't mind the wait, the previous summer that road had been closed after being washed out completely in the winter's storms and you couldn't get through at all. The detour, if you wanted to get from one end of the Eastside Road to the other was three hours over two passes.

Isn't it enough that the flaggers and other road crew have to contend with the hot sun or the rain to do their job, but also crazy drivers and angry ones. Give 'em a brake!


I post pictures of people working on Thursdays.

SkyWatch Reflection in the Work Zone

Those green lights aren't doing anybody any good since the road behind me is closed. No traffic the morning I chose this as my walking route, but it was early. I walk early to get my miles of training in because it is getting pretty hot in the afternoons.

This will serve for SkyWatch Friday and for the Weekend Reflections hosted by James.  I could have used it for my Thursday Working feature as well, but I've been waiting to use the flagger picture.

ABC Wednesday--Y

I used Yarrow in Round Two--my first round of ABC Wednesday--but I have a nice yard full of YARROW right now. Our lawn in front masquerades as a meadow. Most of the more colorful meadow flowers in the meadow/lawn/yard have faded. Some of them were yellow.

Oops! I see a couple of nasty weeds that I had better deal with.

Each individual flowerlet is perfect in itself.

~

We also have a YELLOW rose in bloom--well mostly yellow. On another bush the buds are yellow but are pink when they open out. Interesting.

Almost the end of ABC Round 6. What will Round Seven bring?

A Study in Red and White Parallel Lines

...or the flag on a breezy Fourth.

It's Geometry Monday!