Today we remember the OSO Mudslide and the 43 lost.

Memory Eternal.

 

 

Awesome Mushrooms

Amanita Muscaria,  I think. Know its an Amanita but not sure if Muscaria. Some talk about eating them, ok or not ok. Me, forget it . Just look at them.

These mushrooms are happily living in green space along the highway.

 



New love!

I have a new love. He is 13 lbs now and 2' tall. His name is Milan Gary Wright and is the son of my

youngest niece Brittany. She and her husband just returned to Darrington (well the end of June before Milan was born) after a very long year in Eastern Idaho. Missed them so much.

 

Milan was born July 24, 2014   8.1 lbs and 21". He is doing well. So cute. I am more like his gramma than great auntie. His gramma, my youngest sister, pretty much choses to be absent. Its a sad story but I must admit I really don't mind stepping up to the plate. Having not had children myself, it's pretty nice to have a grandson without having to raise a child. (Though it took quite a while to resign myself to not having children, and that's another story!)

 

At 1 week! So bright eyed.

 

 At 13 weeks. REALLY filled out. He's already has that "not another picture" face.
 

His usual sleeping position.

 

Such fun times. He is smiling so much, recognizing people's voices and makes the best faces ever. I am inclined to believe he already thinks his "gram-auntie" has lost her mind. He is learning(with a few hints from me) that I am his favorite person, besides his parents. I tell him about how I will help him find the mud puddles to jump in, the dirt piles to play in and that bubble bath is not just for girls. How his parents wear funny clothes that they can't be seen in and then sometimes bright orange hats and vests. (Hunting season has begun.) That I am pretty sure they will want him to wear the same funny clothes someday.

 

In fact they have ran off to Idaho last night for a week hunting. They took him!!! Brittany is not planning on hunting much at all. She can leave Milan with Lisa a bit, but she is not too excited about that option. She has only left him with me once to run to the store. So it will be interesting to hear how they made did..

 

I am going to miss them very much. Already do and they are NOT in cell range!!!!!! Ugh

Just a barn

I love this barn. Get to see it twice daily.

Hwy 530 reopens May 31, 2014, two months after the devastating slide on March 22, 2014.

 OSO slide memorial tree. Kris Regglebrugge has not been brought home from the slide and God willing she will be recovered soon. That makes the journey on the hwy tough.

 

 West side meets east. The group from OSO walked to the west side and met at the Memorial Tree.

 

The pastor from the OSO Community Chapel led a prayer and then a moment of silence. Then everyone from the tree walked to the west, walking the OSO folks home.

 It was total respect, humility and amazement that carried people across the hwy. I could not have imagined the first trip across would be by car. This made it all so meaningful.

A new elevated hwy will be completed hopefully by Oct 2014.

 

 One of two flags hanging at the slide.

 

 A portion of the people who walked the road.

 

 The Slide

 

 The Stillaquamish river on the east.

 

A car door. Lord have mercy.

 

 Popular shirt. The mt is Whitehorse in Darrington,the Bridge is in OSO and Arlington is on the other side of OSO and the chain links us all together.

 



Oso Mudslide

 At 10:37am the morning of March 29, 2014 a moment of silence was observed by those at the mudslide site. This man brought his pipes. I can't imagine a dry eye!

 I do not know who made this sign, but the High School students were absolutely amazing during that week following the slide. They were on Spring break that week and pitched in everywhere possible. Thank you students!

 This is Gail Moffet's house directly across from the OSO fire department. Great sign.

 Darrington Mayor Dan and Arlington Mayor Barbara.

 

Signs along SR 530.

 



Enough said.

 

A Horrible Tragedy

At 10:37am March 22, 2014 there was what must have been a horrible roar and a mountain broke lose from itself and buried over 50 homes in about a 2 sq mile area. It took the lives of 43 people. So far they have recovered 41, identified 39. The youngest was a 3 month old baby girl and the oldest was a 91 year old woman.

It is an event that has connected 3 communities like none other. Arlington to the West, Oso to the West and Darrington to the east. The slide covered SR 530 making it impassable.

There are two alternate routes, one over the very rough narrow Mountain Loop Highway and the other Hwy 20 to interstate 5. What was a 30 mile trip to Arlington has now become an 85 mile trip.

But that is of no consequence when one thinks of the loss of life and displacement of a handful of people who survived. ness

May God have mercy on everyone.

 The enormity of the slide is shown here. It is totally incomprehensible. I can not wrap my mind around its enormity. My brother and his two sons and his son-in-law spend many days on site searching. They were searching mostly for 14 year old Denver Harris. A close family friends son.

 One of the units who were searching the area pulled out the other day and left this as a memorial. How sweet of them.

 Small example of the mud.

 Chaplins were with every unit.

 This is Denver.

 Flag raised by a local man the first day.

 Destruction

 Stillaquamish river on the left, SR 530 on the left. The slide completely blocked the river for a time, then as a river will do, began to cut a channel. However, there is much flooding upstream.

Spring Break has just begun for the Darrington School District. The high school kids were remarkable throughout the week. Worked wherever needed. They even went and washed the trucks a the fire department. A great group of kids.



A parts been missing

 This is a big part of my life, however it's been missing since my Dad passed away nearly 4 years ago. I've been very hit and miss with my attending church and that has got to stop. I have been very busy but that should not be an excuse for "laying out" of church as my family in the south would say.

 This is the Nave decorated for Pascha or Easter in the western world. You see I am an Eastern Orthodox Christian. Many groups all the same, Greek, Russian, Serbian, etc. My Parish is under the Patriarch of Antioch headquartered in Damascus, Syria. The Church in the Middle East is being hit hard these days. Egypt's Coptic Orthodox people are suffering tremendously as are those in Syria. Please pray for Christians in those areas as well as all over the world.

Its 5:00am and the weather is telling me there is a bit of rain going happening out there but it's mostly dry. Hmmm, Mostly white at my house. Been dumping since before 4:30am (that's when I first got up). AND they are saying it could get quite warm by end of the week. Sure could have fooled me.

I live in a beautiful part of the world!