Mt. Rainier-fact or fiction?

How can you not see a 14,410 foot mountain when you are standing on it? I don't know, either, but that's what happened to us when we took a drive to view our beloved Mt. Rainier. I would have thought in August not only would you be able to see the mountain, but you wouldn't encounter any snow. Bizarre. Anyway, we had an enjoyable time viewing the beautiful area, complete with August snow.

Stella is happy to be hiking (Tatoosh Mtns. in background)

the Skyline Trail seemed almost surreal


Normally, Mt. Rainier provides a beautiful backdrop to this view of Myrtle Falls


I just thought this was an interesting photo


What a surprise to see a UFO land on the road to Paradise!
(Some would say it's the Visitor's Center, slated for demolition)


In November 2006, 18 inches of rain fell in 36 hours
The Nisqually River filled this entire area and caused much destruction


Here we are at Narada Falls--we just love being together

Flora, Oregon--ghost town

Stella and I were recently in Enterprise, Oregon visiting Stella's mom and some of her family. One of the things we wanted to do was visit Flora, a "town" about 40 miles North of Enterprise and about ten miles from the Washington border. My brother, Roger, joined with us for that little expedition to explore the area where my Grandma Jessie Shumate (Botts) grew up with her parents and seven siblings. The last time we were there was when my family went there in 1964 to visit my Uncle George, who was still living in the old family home. The town wasn't much then, and is even less now. In fact, after the post office shut down in 1966, the town became un-incorporated. It is officially a ghost town now. Anyway, the purpose of our expedition was to see what was left of the town, see if we could find where the Botts homestead was, and check out the cemetery for grave sites of ancestors.


On the way to Flora, there was a beautiful viewpoint of Joseph Canyon. I would guess the canyon is 2000 feet deep and was the winter home of Chief Joseph. He would go down into the canyon every winter, where it was warmer. He couldn't figure out why the homesteaders would stay up on the plateau in the winter, where it was so cold. The homesteaders, in turn, couldn't figure out where the Indians went every winter. This photo in no way shows the grandeur of the canyon. I dislike the word "awesome," so I will say that it was awe-inspiring.


The first thing that Roger, Stella, & I did was to visit the cemetery. The Flora Cemetery is overgrown with all sorts of vegetation, and is very small, about the size of a football field. It was established in 1891 when a frontiersman donated a corner of his homestead for the cemetery.




















These are the headstones of my great-grandfather and great- grandmother. It was quite a reverent feeling to be at the graves of so many of my ancestors. To think of what they went through was very humbling. It was a good feeling to know that their temple work has been done and that I will one day have the opportunity to personally thank them for their lives.


After the cemetery, we went on the hunt for Uncle George's place. We went down some little dirt roads that seemed to go nowhere. Actually, we were in the middle of nowhere, which explains roads going nowhere. The old homestead was not where we thought it was, but I'm guessing it collapsed some time ago. However, we did find the Lost Prairie School (pictured above). It was built in 1910 and opened with a total of six students! The building off to the left is the wood shed. We found many similar one-room school buildings out in the middle of obscure fields. Most, like this one, had metal roofs on them and are now being used as storage buildings by the owners of their property.

We then went back to Flora to "take in the sights." Here are a few of them.

The Flora (Methodist) Church. It was built in 1896

A couple of old houses located on what used to be Main Street

1908 Blacksmith shop of Durwood Conley (the husband of my grandmother's sister)

It was quite a unique experience to go to a place which remains pretty much the same as when my ancestors lived there. It helped me to appreciate their lives just a little bit more and the legacy they left. I hated to leave there, but at least I have the knowledge that if I travel there again, the town will pretty much be the same.

Enterprise, Oregon

We just got back from spending a week away from home. One of the places we went to was Enterprise, Oregon, which is located in the very Northeastern corner of Oregon, to visit Stella's mom and PJ and Shawna (Stella's niece) and their family. Enterprise is a beautiful town located at the foot of the Wallowa Mountains. There would be worse things than to wake up to this view every day.


We got there in the evening and were having a barbecue on their back deck when dark clouds started to roll in. Fast! In a few minutes it was raining in a way that it doesn't rain in Tacoma, and we had the added pleasure of lightning and thunder. It was beautiful. And powerful. It makes me think of the power of God who creates all of those things. Shawna and PJ are wonderful hosts and we are grateful for the generosity of them and their children. It is also more fun to visit Enterprise than Wendell, Idaho, which is where they lived before.

The next day we went to Wallowa Lake, which is also beautiful. We rented a pontoon boat and explored the lake. It was fun and nobody fell overboard.


OK, so we look kinda weird or bored, but we were having a wonderful time. Honest.


Because of the large amount of snowfall this past winter (it snowed last month), and the hot weather, the Wallowa River, which feeds the lake, was near overflowing. In fact, some of the campgrounds were flooded. We are planning on having a family reunion here next year, which promises to be a lot of fun. There is a tram which goes 3700' up the side of a mountain. It is said to be the steepest in the nation. I honestly want to try that one out.

On the way to Wallowa Lake, we went through the town of Joseph. It is a little bit touristy, but in a tasteful sort of way (?). We had a nice lunch at a 60's diner and checked out most of the stores. The town has a western feel and is known for its bronze sculptures. I am not a great fan of western art, but I thought these were impressive.

I Love To See the Temple

We had the opportunity to attend the temple today. It is sure nice to be able to go to a place where I can focus on eternal things and not be bothered by the things of this world. It is wonderful to be able to go to an oasis of peace and solitude to escape the loudness and confusion of the world. I have been blessed to have always lived near a temple. It caused me to think about all the temples which have had an impact on my life and the life of my family.

Logan Temple-where our family was sealed in 1958

Salt Lake Temple-first temple I went through


Ogden Temple-first temple Stella went through


Manti Temple-where Stella & I were sealed


Provo Temple-the temple we attended as poor students


Seattle Temple-our "home" temple

Portland Temple 1989


Seattle Temple 2002

Sound to Narrows

It's been kind of a tradition for our family to run in the Sound to Narrows every year, and although not everybody is able to participate every year, enough are there so that we can consider it an official family tradition. This year, Matt used his graphic design skills to design a logo so that we could all wear shirts proclaiming our pride and athleticism. Maybe that's overstating it just a little bit. We really loved the red color, as it helped us find each other with a minimum amount of difficulty. This was especially important because we all participate in indifferent events. Matt and Dacia took part in the 12-K run, Travis and Jaqui did the 5-K run, Reagan, Kelsey, Tanner and Anson (with Devin and Matt running as the support team) did the 2-K run, Ella and Gwyn ran the Diaper Dash, and Stella and I did the 5-K walk. Gina, who happens to be one of the more serious runners in the family, had to sit the race out, as she was feeling very ill before race time.

Reagan, Kelsey, Tanner, & Anson--The 2-K medal winners

One of the neatest things was that in the 2-K run, Reagan finished well ahead of the others. As the other three neared the finish line, Reagan ran back to be with them so they could all cross the finish line together. They have a very deep love for each other.

Team Shumate 2008

Gwyn & Ella--the Diaper Dashers

Anson Call Shumate--future Eagle Scout

Tacoma News Tribune, June 14, 2008, page A-12

We take a lot of family pictures and one of the things we do is bribe the kids by telling them that if they act good in a "normal" picture, we will take a picture of them making funny faces. We had finished taking our "normal" pictures and were taking the promised "funny face" pictures, when I heard somebody behind me taking a lot of pictures. I looked around and noticed it was a photographer from the Tacoma News Tribune (the local newspaper). After getting all of the names, he included this photo in yesterday's newspaper.

It is interesting to note that five years ago, Gina and Reagan had their picture on the front page of the News Tribune after Reagan had just finished running the Diaper Dash. Soooooo, if you want your picture in the newspaper, it may just pay to apply to be part of Team Shumate. Worse things could happen.