Merlin, Oregon

Our grand adventure came to a conclusion at the grandparents’ home in Merlin, Oregon. Here we had just a couple of days to relax before the final drive home. I honestly can’t remember much beyond what the photos preserve (one year’s memory blends into the next), but I’m sure it was relaxing and enjoyable. As always, my dad had yet another building project to show me. I probably read some, and the kids played with their cousins. This first photo is of them playing one of my childhood games that I never liked: Life.

I took my camera out for some pictures of the kids playing in the pool. When my parents were looking to buy a retirement home ten years ago, they did not want a pool. In the Lord’s providence, it’s been a great way to get the grandkids over, and my parents often enjoy cooling off themselves.

There’s some kind of game where one kid out of the pool calls out colors and then tries to catch the others as they race away.

I believe that this is practice for the coming Olympics trials for synchronized diving.

This next one is not yet an Olympic sport.

My parents do have their own well on the property, but the display you see on the right is decorative only. In the center are some of the gardens they have planted.

I guess this is what you would call point-blank range.

To wrap it up, I would note a few other activities that we did while driving some 7,000 miles. As a family, we memorized Isaiah 11-12. We also listened to a number of audio books, including One Hundred Cupboards and half of its sequel (at which time we all agreed to drop it; it probably would have been less confusing if we were reading it). We listened to Harry Potter, Book One, though nearly all of us have read it. On our drive home, we listened to The Green Ember. At points along the way, I listened to the first half of The Faith of Christopher Hitchens.

Thanks for traveling along with us! We had a wonderful trip with so much variety. Soon we plan to make a photo book to remember our time together.