THE ANNUAL BEACH RETREAT

Here is a shot of our 2007 humble cottage for twelve. And there was room for a few more!

One of our favorite Vancouver traditions is the Annual Beach Retreat of our Wednesday evening Bible Study group. this event began long ago in a year when almost every individual attending had a major medical condition within the same few months, and many were struggling with ongoing conditions. Cancers, back and facial surgeries, illness, ongoing vision loss, nerve damage, heart valve replacement, and more: as a group we were hammered and as weary souls fighting our individual maladies and medical woes, we were exhausted physically and spiritually.

We formed a united front, rented a beach house, went to "escape, and to pray. It was a wonderful weekend, and we have gone again every year to recapture the effect.

Well, the group membership has changed some over the years, the purpose has become more recreational than remedial, and the location has started to move around a bit. Nevertheless, we are still committed to a weekend of fun and fellowship together celebrating our friendships and mutual blessings. There is always time allowed to go "antiquing" or hunting local garage sales, bookstores, curiosity shoppes, or such. But some of the tradition has remained constant: Great food, a variety of games and activities, and the Saturday night Balderdash Tournament we wouldn't dare to miss. In the picture below/right, our aeyrie is front and center on the bay.

Whether we were playing games or napping on the couches, we were relaxing and enjoying a trip-out-of-town, and some (mostly) phone-free vacation. An afternoon of strolling the little fishing port of Garabaldi and Sunday morning worship with the tiny congregation in Tillamook all made for a wonderful get-away weekend. Come join our group and qualify for next year, OK?