My husband discovered this morning that three of my photos from the last blog post were not working.
When I went into the post I noticed that the html for each of the three seemed to be sort of duplicated with slight differences. So instead of the usual chunk of a few lines of html for one photo it was two chunks of html for each of those three. Their html was also mostly underlined in red. I don't think that is normal. It was certainly different from the html for all the other photos.
I don't know for sure why. But I wonder if it was because I may have moved them around while I was creating the post. I know I did a few photos and those may be the ones. I've done that before without any trouble though and these worked at first so it doesn't make sense. But I've always felt that computers are not really always logical whatever my computer whiz husband and friends say!
Anyway, I think I fixed them. I deleted the broken ones and reinserted them. You can of course go back to that post or just look at them here:
Broken Bow Lake at Beavers Bend State Park, Oct 2019
I thought it would be fun this week, in lieu of week two of our 2020 vacation, to play catch up and finally post about the last part of our Sept/October 2019 vacation. (See the end for links to posts about the first part.)
Beavers Bend State Park, along the shores of Broken Bow Lake and the Mountain Fork River in Southeastern Oklahoma, was the third park we went to. Since our first two weeks of vacation were more stressful than restful, I was--to be perfectly honest--wanting to go home by the time we got to Beavers Bend. When I told John, he said we could leave if I really wanted to but that of the three parks Beavers Bend was the one he was most looking forward to.
So I decided we should stay and I would make the best of it and enjoy it for his sake. I did enjoy it, mostly. It helped that the weather cooled down eventually and it started to feel like Fall at last. I was also thankful when some of the plethora of people cleared out after a couple of days and it was more peaceful.
At least it was peaceful when the sirens weren't going off.
We arrived on a Sunday afternoon. On Monday, the next day, a loud siren went off several times. John said it was to warn everyone that the hydroelectric power plant on the river, near our camp site, was about to release additional water into the river to generate more power.
I wanted to see it. So, we jumped into the car and went looking. When we couldn’t find the place, John asked at the office. The lady told him where to go but said, "it isn’t very exciting.” I wanted to see it anyway--after all what is vacation for if not to be whimsical?
By the time we got there the water was already being released. We were surprised how little water they seemed to be releasing given how loud the siren was and how many times it went off to warn everyone.
But we enjoyed it anyway. It was a beautiful day and the river was stunning. Here are a few pictures.
I also took this little video:
After that first day the sirens got annoying. John said it was like being in a horror movie. Thankfully they never did it at night! Given all the fences, warning signs, and rules to not ever swim or boat in that stretch of river, it seemed like overkill to have such a loud siren going off for such a small amount of water being released. I wondered what they would do in case of a real emergency--like the large dam on Broken Bow lake giving way for example. I'm glad we never had to find out!
The next day we took our inflatable canoe out on part of the river where they do allow boating. Being Fall it was the off season so the canoe and kayak rental office was closed. But since we have our own canoe that wasn't a problem.
A weir and bridge where people were fishing in the background. We didn't get very close as it didn't look like there was a safe way through
Broken Bow Lake was also really pretty. We intended to go out on it in our canoe sometime but ran out of time (and energy to be honest).
The water really did look this blue. The other two photos above were with John's camera. It doesn't always capture the colors quite the way mine does.
On the other hand this photo is one John took and it is much better than I got despite several attempts!
We only saw a few of these amazing little flowers in one spot near the river. I don't know what they are called.
John also caught this deer peering between the trees
John enjoyed several hikes. I think I only managed once but it was really fun and pretty.
There were many stunning sights. Maybe that's partly why it is such a popular park.
Another weir. The river was full of them. I loved the fall colors reflected on the water.
They have a small but impressive nature center. The staff were friendly, knowledgeable and helpful.
I was surprised to learn that there are actually alligators in that corner of Oklahoma. We didn't see any. I think they were only in the more remote areas.
We ate dinner one night at the camp restaurant. The meal was delicious and the atmosphere charming.
We celebrated the first really cool fall-like morning by wearing flannel shirts and taking photos of these fun decorations. A nice couple offered to take our photo.
A cute little fungi because I can't resist cute fungi :-)
Thanks for coming along on this "virtual" vacation.
To see posts about the first part of the trip go to:
We were planning to be on vacation in Oklahoma this week and next. But, for probably obvious reasons, we canceled that. In lieu of that I wanted to share some vacation photos from last year. Some are repeats but many are new.
We spent last Easter at Enchanted Rock. (See the end of this post for links to the original posts.) Since this is Easter week I thought I would focus on that this week. (Next week I hope to share from other trips)
John about to climb Enchanted Rock.
A church youth group was putting on this Good Friday display at the top.
Carrying their crosses down.
Picnicking later. Gorgeous views!
I love this fun little wildflower.
Indian blanket and, I think, black eyed susan.
Even the dead trees were beautiful!
It was amazing to see flowers growing out of the granite.
This was at our camp site at Oxford Ranch Campground in Llano, TX. There were acres of gorgeous wildflowers. The butterflies were going mad with delight.
Last Spring, April 2019, my friend Susan and I went to Dallas Arboretum during their Annual Spring Dallas Blooms display. I took my camera and had fun trying to capture the amazing beauty. It's not really possible to do it justice, of course, however I did my best.
I meant to post some of the pictures then but never did.
So here they are a year later to celebrate Spring (in America anyway) and remember fun times when we could get out and spend time with friends. May they soon return!
Sitting outside on my patio journaling and drinking tea is one of my favorite ways to start the day.
I love all the bird sounds. There is such a variety. I wish I could transcribe them. “Chirp, chirp” just doesn’t cut it! Somehow they can even make the sounds of lawn mowers buzzing, cars revving and planes roaring overhead sound pleasant.
Watching birds also reminds me of Jesus's words in Matthew 6.
"Look at the birds in the sky. They never sow nor reap nor store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you much more valuable to him than they are?" Matt 6:26 (J.B. Phillips)
The song "God will take care of you" has also been going through my mind a lot lately.
"God will take care of you. Through every day, o’re all the way, He will take care of you.…"
These words are as true now as they were when Civilla D. Martin wrote them in 1904.
It can be easy to lose sight of that though. Last week after we spent a while disinfecting our groceries* I suggested we should wait longer to go shopping next time because I didn't want to have to do that very many more times. But then John said we'll have to keep doing it for at least a year since it will take that long for a vaccine to be ready. I was horrified! The idea of all of this lasting for a year is too awful. I don't want to do that. It doesn't seem worth it. The saying "eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die" came to mind.** It may not be considered a model for Christian living but it seemed like a more sane approach. Hanging on to life at the expense of really living felt like a bad idea.
When I made the decision to self isolate due to low immunity during this pandemic I imagined it would be like a "stay-cation." A few weeks to maybe even a month, at most two, of not going out much but maybe seeing a few friends and getting lots of projects done at home. I could even spend extra time praying. Here was my chance, I thought, to try out life as a religious hermit like one the ancient "desert mothers" of the early church!
The reality has been very different. Disinfecting groceries and cleaning doorknobs and light switches wasn't part of the fantasy! Trying to keep track of the constantly shifting situation in our city, country and world is probably taking up too much of my attention. Seeing anyone besides my husband is out--doctor's orders--and especially now since Dallas county was put on lock down today. Going to get supplies for projects is out too. I have been praying more, though. So that is one thing I was hoping for that is happening. But it mostly feels like the, "O God help!" kind of prayers.
Later when I was looking up the Matthew 6 passage about the birds I read the rest of the passage and was reminded that Jesus also said:
“Don’t worry at all then about tomorrow. Tomorrow can take care of itself! One day’s trouble is enough for one day.” Matthew 6:34 (PHILLIPS)
Maybe it won't last as long as John said. No one really knows. But we do know that God cares for us and Jesus said not to worry!
A few days ago I started feeling unwell. My Mom, brother and husband have also had some worrying symptoms this weekend. Any other time our various symptoms would not have been at all worrying. But of course now when we have a little temperature or feel a cold or other symptoms coming on the automatic fear is it could be COVID 19! The fear is what is so draining.
It appears that we are getting better. My Mom's temp went down to normal and mine has been normal off and on this weekend and my brother said he felt better yesterday. So we are hopeful all is well.
So each day is an exercise in fighting worry. Even just trying to write a coherent article when things keep changing is challenging. This was written over several days with many changes but it is all still true! Do Not Worry! God Cares For You!
Notes:
*An article in the New York times suggested: a solution of 1 tsp bleach in one gallon of water to spray on things and then air dry. We dipped some things, like grapes and other fruit and veg in a pan of the solution. We sprayed it on other things like boxes. Just a light spray should be enough you don't want the boxes to get too wet.
(**I just looked it up and it is apparently a conflation of a couple of verses.)
Last week WHO declared COVID 19 a pandemic. And about two days later the store shelves were stripped bare of toilet paper, at least in our area.
I'm thankful we stocked up ahead of time. A few weeks ago, John asked me to think about what things we might need extra of if we had to be stuck at home for a while. He had been following what was happening in China and suspected the virus might start affecting us soon. We keep a fairly well stocked pantry but I thought of some things to buy extras of. One thing I put on the list was more toilet paper. He questioned me about it and said he had gotten some recently and did we really need more. We usually get the 12-roll packs. I reminded him of what he said and that I thought we might want to have some extra on hand, just in case. He said, “Ok,” with a sigh like he was humoring me but thought it was silly.
Neither one of us imagined that a couple of weeks later there would be a run on the stuff.
-
But if you didn't manage to stock up in time and you can travel, I know where you can get some. It has beautiful sandy beaches too. A full-time RV couple we watched on YouTube Friday said there is plenty of toilet paper where they are in Baja Sur, Mexico. They wondered if that meant the Mexicans were not as panicked about the pandemic.
It reminded me of the summer I attended a Bible Institute in Mexico back in 1993. Being the only American among the female students it was definitely a cross-cultural experience. I shared a tiny dorm room with several other young women. The six of us also shared a bathroom (toilets and showers) with several others. The school was on a tight budget and didn’t provide frills like toilet paper. So, I assumed we girls would take turns buying toilet paper to keep our bathroom supplied. But I quickly discovered that the others did not have the same expectation. They were happy to use the toilet paper that I put in there but no one else ever seemed to contribute any themselves. In fact, it seemed like every time I went to the toilet there was no toilet paper no matter how recently I had put some in there. I was baffled. I wondered how the others were managing if there was never any toilet paper in the restroom, except when I took it with me. I finally realized it was a strictly BYOTP situation. My roommates each kept their own toilet paper with their things in the dorm room and when they needed to do their business they went and got it. When they were done, they put it back with their things. It felt vaguely selfish. But in desperation I overcame my qualms and started doing the same thing.
As the weeks went by, I also noticed that more and more pieces were missing from the old catalogs and magazines that always seemed to be lying about on a table near the restroom. When I saw a girl tearing a piece off one before going to the restroom one day I finally realized why. For those who didn’t have the means, or weren’t too picky, that was their toilet paper.
Maybe there hasn’t been a run on toilet paper in Baja partly because it is seen as a luxury that they can make do without if necessary. Of course, my summer in Mexico was pre-internet. Catalogs and magazines were all on paper back then. I wonder what they would use now?
Anyway, we are taking this pandemic seriously, as we all should. It's no joke!
I have something called IgA deficiency which is a type of low immunity. It means my mucus membranes throughout my body are more susceptible to infections and can take longer to heal if infected. So I am practicing social distancing. I am not going out much and John has started working from home. We stayed home from church yesterday. We are wondering what to do about our respective small group meetings. My ladies small group usually meets in our home two times a month. And John's men's group meets weekly at a restaurant. We'll have to play it by ear so to speak. In the mean time I don't want to become emotionally distant from my friends and family so I am making an effort to make phone calls more.
What things are you doing to stay healthy and reduce the possible spread? Please comment below. And let me know how I can be praying for you too. God bless.
The God of peace be with you all. Amen. Romans 15:33
