We are now at Port Townsend's Point Hudson Marina and RV Park. We have a waterfront site with 50 amp power, satellite and free wifi, so we like this site. After two days we'll have to move over a few sites to a 30 amp site because this site is reserved. It's a gray, overcast day and the water is choppy which makes it all the more interesting to look at. The ferry boat to Whidbey Island (Keystone) is passing by. And a big container ship just came round the corner by Fort Worden State Park and lighthouse and is passing right in front of us. It's probably headed for Tacoma or Seattle. Behind the container ship is another smaller boat which kind of looks like a salvage ship.

Today's quote: “To run and work the law commands,/Yet gives me neither feet nor hands;/But better news the gospel brings:/It bids me fly and gives me wings.”

- Attributed to John Bunyan, quoted by Jason C. Mayer in The End of The Law(Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing, 2009), 2.

This morning Dave got up early (5 am) to go to the pre-game meeting for his semi-final football game at the Tacoma Dome. The game went well, and Dave got some good comments from the state evaluator. Lynden High School beat Archbishop Murphy High School which is located in Everett, WA. Dave got back to the RV around 1:30 pm, had lunch, and is now taking a nap. I am waiting for some laundry to finish and then I am going to run an errand and explore more of the town.

This evening we are going to see the Christmas Zoo Lights at Point Defiance Park. It will be cold, but should be a fun evening if the rain holds off.

We decided to stay in Bellingham until this morning so we were able to spend Thanksgiving with Jonathan. He had to work from 5-10 am and came over to the RV at 11:30. We ordered a turkey dinner with all the trimmings from Fred Meyer. Jonathan delivered the box to us and I was surprised when he came in carrying a wrapped whole turkey. But it was already thawed and already cooked, so I just had to put it in the oven for 2 hours. Still, that's a long time to use our propane oven. I was able to fit the dressing in the oven, too. I heated up the gravy on the stove and heated the mashed potatoes and green beans in the microwave. I brought cranberry sauce along as well as whipped topping (a must!) for the pumpkin pie. We have a lot of turkey left over but not much of the other items. Dave and Jonathan watched the end of the Detroit-Green Bay game and then watched the Raiders lose. After the game we played a rousing game of Rummikub and then Dave and Jonathan played Blackjack while I got the rest of the food ready.

We left Bellingham this morning around 9:15. We breezed through Seattle and Tacoma and got to Gig Harbor RV Resort at 12:15. The park is located in a forested area, so we can't get satellite. They have free wifi, though, which we always like. After lunch (turkey sandwiches, of course) we drove the 1/2 mile to the Gig Harbor waterfront. After exploring the area by car, we parked and went for a 75 minute walk along the historic harborfront. It's a hilly area, so we got a workout!

Today's quote:

“Christian! the only thing that makes you differ from the vilest being that pollutes the earth, or from the darkest fiend that gnaws his chains in hell, is the free grace of God!”
- Octavius Winslow, Jesus, Full of Grace

We are making good use of our time in Bellingham. Yesterday Jonathan and I both bought new phones at the Verizon store at the mall. We both had "free" upgrades and I needed a phone that would work with a hands-free Bluetooth device. Washington, Oregon, and California all now require hands-free cell phones while driving and those are the states where we travel most.

Also yesterday we and Jonathan met Tim and Kiersten for brunch at IHOP. They were on their way home from a hockey weekend in British Columbia, Canada. It was good to have all five of us together again, which hadn't happened since Jonathan was home after his graduation in June.

Sunday night we took Jonathan out to dinner at Olive Garden. It was great to see him!

Today Dave and I went on an excursion to Steveston Village, BC. It's located south of Richmond, which is south of Vancouver BC. Richmond is where the 2010 Olympic speed skating will be held. Steveston is an old fishing village that has been updated into a tourist destination. We ate lunch at Boston Pizza and on the way home we drove along Marine Drive in White Rock, BC, which is across the water from Blaine, WA. We crossed the border both ways at the I-5 Peace Arch crossing and waited only a couple a minutes each time.

Also on the way home to the RV park we stopped at a hardware store in one of our favorite towns, Lynden, WA. It's such a clean, nice town. Dave's football game at the Tacoma Dome is between Lynden and Archbishop Murphy high schools.

Hello from Bellingham RV Park. We have good WIFI at this park. Dave is watching the end of the Raider game on satellite while I catch up on some computing.

Here's a gem of a quote from "Of First Importance":

Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands

“The good news of the kingdom is not freedom from hardship, suffering, and loss. It is the news of a Redeemer who has come to rescue me from myself. His rescue produces change that fundamentally alters my response to these inescapable realities. The Redeemer turns rebels into disciples, fools into humble listeners. He makes cripples walk again. In him we can face life and respond with faith, love, and hope. And as he changes us, he allows us to be a part of what he is doing in the lives of others. As you respond to the Redeemer’s work in your life, you can learn to be an instrument in his hands.”
- Paul David Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands (Phillipsburg, NJ; P & R Publishing, 2002), 16.

We had a good trip to Cape Disappointment last weekend. It was strange to be camped next to our old motorhome. I think Charlie and Pam enjoyed the trip, too. Their dog, Dakota, seemed to enjoy the motorhome. We had lots of wind and rain during the weekend, but we got out for a walk every day. We visited the North Head lighthouse on Saturday which we always enjoy. I was surprised that it was open this late in the year. We went to the Ilwaco Marina but didn't stay too long as it was starting to rain and was cold. We also drove up to Ocean Park and drove past the property that Pam's parents used to own.

On our drive home from the beach on Monday, Dave and I stopped for lunch in the RV at the deer viewing area between Skamokawa and Cathlamet. When we started the motorhome again, the windshield wipers didn't work. After spending some time trying to get them to work and making some phone calls which didn't help, Dave VERY carefully drove all the way home in the rain with NO windshield wipers. We were praying hard! By the time we got to I-5 south, the rain let up and it was dry the rest of the way home. Thank you, Lord!

This morning Dave got the windshield wipers fixed at Olinger in Troutdale. It turned out that the linkage from the motor to the wiper blades had gotten stuck. Dave now knows how to fix it if it happens again.

After he got home, we went to DMV to get the new license plates for the motorhome. We are official now!

Every Moment of Every Day

“It’s no wonder that self-help books top the charts in Christian publishing and that counseling offices are overwhelmed. Our pride and our neglect of the gospel force us to run from seminar to seminar, book to book, counselor to counselor, always seeking but never finding some secret to holy living.

Most of us have never really understood that Christianity is not a self-help religion meant to enable moral people to become more moral. We don’t need a self-help book; we need a Savior. We don’t need to get our collective act together; we need death and resurrection and the life-transforming truths of the gospel. And we don’t need them just once, at the beginning of our Christian life; we need them every moment of every day.”

--Elyse Fitzpatrick and Dennis Johnson, Counsel from the Cross (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 2009), 30.

Today we went to Portland to see Tim's new office. He is technical director at The New Group, a digital marketing company. We went out for lunch with him at Macadam Bar and Grill which is located near his office. Yummy food, good conversation. The only thing missing was Kiersten!

Dave and I are going to Bellingham to celebrate an early Thanksgiving with Jonathan. Then we will drive the motorhome down to Tacoma (Gig Harbor) because on Saturday, November 28, Dave will officiate at a semi-final 2A varsity football game at the Tacoma Dome. His game starts at 10am and his pre-game meeting starts at 6 am! There will also be a lengthy post-game meeting. The Tacoma Dome games are a big deal. And then Dave's football season will be officially over for this year.

The day after the big game we plan drive to Port Townsend, WA to spend a few days at Point Hudson Marina and RV Park. The park isn't the greatest, but the view of the Juan de Fuca Strait is spectacular!

This Friday we are going to one of our favorite Washington state parks, Cape Disappointment. Charlie and Pam, who bought our old Bounder, will camp next to us and we will give them the official walk-through and training about the RV. It should be a fun weekend, despite the rain that is predicted.

Okay, I'm over my rant of yesterday. Dave is out in the pouring rain doing a CCYF football game and has another game today, a varsity playoff game at Camas. His rain angel finally failed him.

I just baked a bunch of little loaves of bread. They smell so good. I just have to eat one and then the others will go into the freezer to use for communion. I make the dough in my breadmaker and then divide it into 8-10 small loaves and after they rise again, I bake them in the oven.

I am incensed! We have just had what is probably the worst Islamic terrorist attack on American soil since 9/11/01, and the mainstream, er..., excuse me, "lamestream" media is blaming it on our foreign policy in Afghanistan. Give me a break. People, please quit listening to the lamestream media and tune in to Fox News. I hope I am proved wrong. I hope it wasn't an Islamic terrorist attack. Time will tell.

Last Friday I wrote about reading the book In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and it held my interest to the end. Tonight I just finished watching the DVD version of the book. The movie came out in 1975, so the quality wasn't great, but I was SO disappointed in the movie version of the story. It was so condensed and so changed that I was appalled. Even the names of some of the characters had been changed as well as many of the scenes in the book. Don't waste your time watching the movie, but the book, in comparison, is rich in detail and very absorbing.

This morning I had to wake up early and go to dependency court for a review hearing for my CASA case. Each case is reviewed every six months and oftener if needed. It turned out that neither parent showed up, and the social worker wasn't there because she's on vacation out of the country. So it was just the judge, the assistant attorney general who represents the state, the court-appointed attorneys for each parent, and me. For once my case was heard early and I was done with the whole thing by 9:50 am. That's a new record. Sometimes I have to sit there all day waiting for my case to be heard.

After I got home from court, Dave and I decided to go for an early lunch at Olive Garden. We like their soup, salad, and breadstick lunch special. Well, Dave doesn't like the salad, but I do.

Now Dave is out on top of the motorhome trying to install the dual LNB on the satellite dish so that it will work with our Tivo. Yes, life is tough while camping. Tivo, washer-dryer, convection oven, etc--all the comforts of home. We still need to get the bedroom air conditioner swapped for a heat pump/air conditioner. That is being ordered from the factory and will need to be installed as warranty work which we hope to get done in Troutdale, OR.