Life.

Lately more and more of my blogging buds are "taking a break" or have confessed to being tired, suffering depression...etc. Take heart my pals, God is near and He is loving you to health and refreshment for your soul.

Ed's and my get-a-way was wonderful. We enjoyed the no phones, no jobs, nothing but each other for 3 days time that we treated ourselves to. Sunday we got up early and headed out, had a wonderful breakfast in Roseburg, using a gift certificate that I had won earlier this year. The drive from Roseburg to Diamond Lake was just beautiful, I really wanted to stop and take pictures of the leaves that are changing colors but also wanted to keep going so we could check into our cabin, I figured we could always stop on the way back down the mountain...which of course we didn't do!

Diamond Lake is where we went on our honeymoon 28 years ago, and we have been back several times since. It is so pretty, so restful. When we arrived we were surprised to see it was FULL...people everywhere, which is kind of unusual this time of the year. In the summer it is a great place for camping and fishing, in the winter there are all kinds of winter/snow sports to enjoy, but in the early Fall we expected it to be deserted...not so. ESPN was filming a "Dock Dogs" competition as well as there being a fishing tournament. But all of that ended by 5 pm on Sunday so the lodge cleared out really fast.

Dock Dogs was so fun to watch. Most of the dogs were labs, but there were other breeds as well. The winning dog, Zorro, jumped 6'4" off the end of the dock to claim his prize. I had never seen anything like it, but since my nephew and his bride have a new lab puppy I was interested. Zorro is only an 11 month old dog. Not sure what the out come of the fishing tourney was...we did not hear anything while wandering around the grounds and lodge.

The lodge had a note posted stating that the North entrance to Crater Lake would open at 11 a.m. The next morning at breakfast we found out that that entrance was closed (due to ice and snow) but we could get in through the South entrance, only it would add a bit of time onto our journey...no biggie, although the drive from Diamond Lake to Crater Lake is usually a 30 minute drive it took us almost 2 hrs due, but the drive was beautiful, the sky so blue and the air was just hinting at the Fall crispness, the company couldn't be beat.

Although Crater Lake lodge and village is undergoing major renevations, we enjoyed the lake and the view. We had planned to eat at the lodge but it was closed...next time we will do a better job of checking all the details, but our spirits were not dampened and we managed to survive on the snacks we had along, which we shared with the chimpmonks and camp robber jays.

Here is a picture of us at one of the overlooks. You can never tell how large this lake is until you have seen it with your own eyes. You never know what you are going to get when you hand someone else your camera...but you can sorta get the idea.

And a picture of the lake with Wizard Island.