Into Jefferson Park ...

On the last Friday in July Tasha and I decided to take advantage of the great Oregon weather and hike 5 miles into Jefferson Park (right under Mt. Jefferson) on the Whitewater trail off Hwy. 22. The hike is long for an old guy like me (10 miles total) and it involves about a 2000' elevation gain, but the scenery there is spectacular. There was only one problem,
i.e. - There was an invisible sign posted that had this message: "Danger: The Consolidated Association of Mt. Jefferson Mosquitoes has prohibited all hikers from remaining in a stationary position at any time -- sitting, standing or lying. Violators will be attacked with all the resources we have available." We obviously did not see the invisible sign and thus reaped the consequences -- so much so that we had to abandon our plan to sit down and have a nice lunch amid all the beauty!

On the way in we spotted a beautiful lily and a host of other wildflowers. There was one interesting creek crossing, but we made it across coming and going without incident. And, on the way home we stopped for hamburgers and milkshakes at Poppa Al's, an old stand-by "diner" that we'd visited numerous times when the kids were young! - rw

Those last days in Oregon ...

Prior to flying out of Portland for Kuala Lumpur on July 22nd, Nancy had a chance to spend some time with Tasha and also was able to re-connect with the women's Bible study group (The "Ungroup") with whom she had such great fellowship for nearly 15 years here in Salem. The group met for dinner on the night before Nancy's departure at Kathy's place and enjoyed not only good food and fine weather, but also the beautifully landscaped back yard that was mostly a testimony to the care and hard work of Kathy's husband, Gary. Pictured in the photos below are Kathy, Donna and Eileen -- and then, the whole group. - rw

NANCY ... Experiencing Oregon

With only two weeks in Oregon before heading back to Kuala Lumpur for another academic year at ISKL, Nancy agreed that it might be a great idea to spend at least a couple days down on the Oregon Coast at my cousin's beach place in Manzanita. So, on the 13th of July, having invited our good friends Steve and Donna Wood to join us, we spent a great time with them and enjoyed beautiful sunny weather as an added bonus. Of course we had to include a stop-over at Hug Point, our favorite Oregon State Park on the coast. (The long stretch of beach at Manzanita is pictured to the left.)


After returning from the Oregon Coast we took a delightful day-trip to Iron Mountain, known at this time of year for its magnificent display of wildflowers.




The hike to the top of Iron Mountain was only about a mile from the trailhead, but the elevation gain was significant and the view very much worth it. Again, it was a gorgeous Oregon day with clear skies and lots of sunshine. Nine snow-capped speaks could be seen from Mt. Adams and Mt. Hood in the north to the Three Sisters and beyond to the south. - rw

Lincoln, NE -- en route home

Thanks to the good graces of Levi and Ramona Willits who drove us half-way to Lincoln, NE on I-80, we were able to "connect" with my sister Elaine Penn and her husband Jim and spend a couple of enjoyable days with them in Lincoln -- including a tour of the state capitol building which houses the only unicameral legislature in the U.S. While in Lincoln we also had the chance to see Mike and Michelle Penn and their boys, Ethan, Davis and Avery. Both Mike and Michelle are busy architects, with Michelle working mostly from home.

One day in Lincoln we stopped by "Sunken Gardens," a delightfully landscaped garden with shrubs and beautiful flowers. Since our flight out of Omaha on July 8th departed at the unearthly hour of 6:35 a.m., and the airport was an hour's drive from Lincoln, we were most grateful to Jim and Elaine for getting up so early to provide taxi service! - rw

On the farm in Bangor, Iowa ...

In our journey from Malaysia to Oregon via Switzerland and Washington D.C., we had an important stop at the Willits' Iowa farm for Nancy's family reunion. Levi and Ramona Willits hosted the events in grand style and we were so grateful that Tasha could fly in from Portland, that Doug and Tracy and kids could drive out from Toledo, OH, and that we could ride out from Silver Spring with Mark and Marta and boys.


All of Nancy's immediate family was present along with spouses, sons and daughters and grandchildren. A great time was had by all -- especially since Grandpa Levi had arranged for horseback riding to the delight of great-grandkids, and a lawn tractor was available for hands-on experience.

Of course, for G'pa Ron and Grandma Nancy a real highlight in the experience was watching Daniel, Eli and Micah interact with Reeve, Gabi and Rania. It was great fun! So, we have a deep sense of gratitude to Levi & Ramona Willits for making it all possible. - rw