Visit with Charles, Wanda and Family in Oregon

August 19, 1989

Mark and Rod were on their way to California for a Summit Adventure, but decided to go out early to visit with Wanda and Charles and family in Oregon. We boarded a Delta L1011 for the nonstop flight to Portland. It was overcast in Atlanta and we didn't really see the ground until we got to the Mississippi. Beyond that we were able to watch the changing terrain as we crossed the great plains, the wild country of Montana and finally the Oregon-Washington area. I was impressed with the amount of wilderness country in Oregon. In the last 30-45 min of the flight we overflew vast areas where there was no sign of human habitation.

We got this dramatic view of Mt. Hood on our way into the Portland, Oregon airport. The cloud buildup blocked the view of Mt. Ranier and Mt. Adams to the north, but as we circled for landing at Portland we got several nice views of Mt. Hood. We picked up a rental car and headed south on I205 and then I5 to Albany, about 80 miles from the airport, where Charles and Wanda live. We passed through farming country and across the Willamette (Will-lam'-it) River. We followed Charles' directions to the Calvary Baptist Church and he was there waiting for us. He showed us around the church - it appeared to seat about 200 with nice wooden pews and pulpit. The Jordan River painting over the baptistry was similar to that in First Baptist Church, Newport, Arkansas when I was growing up. As always, Charles was full of energy and enthusiasm.

We followed Charles to the house they had just bought, about 3-4 miles from the church. We went with Charles to buy groceries after Wanda arrived exhausted at the house after an intensive teacher workshop. Then we set up the croquet set in the back yard and played a couple of games.

We were well fed with Charles's work at barbequeing chicken, and well entertained by charming little Emily. Emily is trying on Mark's shoes, which are a tad too large for her!

Bob and his wife Sarah came down from Beaverton for dinner and to spend the night. They have a son William who is about four, I guess, and a tiny daughter Emily who is about 18 months old. We immediately fell in love with tiny, dainty Emily. She was curious and on the go, undaunted by anything. She immediately took to Mark and spent a lot of time with him.

What a feast! Barbequed chicken right off the grill, corn on the cobb and fresh melon. We were joined by Bob and Sarah and their children Emily and William.

Just across the street from Charles and Wanda's house was this small fenced pasture with sheep. We enjoyed watching them and pretty soon Mark was in the pasture with them.

The dozen or so sheep were in a pen with a barn. We fed them grass and pears over the fence. Charles quipped that there were sheep on one side of them, a man named Lamb on the other, and a "shepherd" in between. He was enthusiastic about his neighbors - they had welcomed them with open arms. Mark really seemed to enjoy the sheep and I enjoyed the rural setting.

After an enjoyable dinner with the group, Bob joined the croquet match to make a foursome and we played several games. We had active participation from William and Emily. Then we talked until about 10 PM, which was really 1 AM for Mark and I, before settling down for the night.