Tuesday, May 18, 2010

may 18

Today is the 30th anniversary of the big Mt St Helens eruption. Back in 1980, we were in Forest Grove, Oregon attending optometry school. Here is a picture we snapped from campus. (That's one of the dorms in the foreground.) The photo wasn't taken during the initial eruption, but during one of the ash eruptions that followed shortly thereafter.



Little did we know that we would eventually be living even closer to the volcano...

7 comments:

Hot Cup Lutheran said...

a woman, a parishioner from washington had once given me to nickel size pieces of ash from 'helen' that had been fired and produced these emerald green stones... i gave them to a couple i married, to let them know there would be times when the relationship would be tested, brought down to ashes almost... but then god can bring new life and will... if you're willing to pass thru the fire...

or something like that... i gave them each a 'stone' as a reminder to pray for the other...

and bonus... they still have the stones! he's in the army... and my goodness with 2 deployments under hsi belt a 3rd coming... a wife and 2 daughters at home... *sigh*

Barbara B. said...

wow, what a cool story, hotcup!

Elaine (aka...Purple) said...

I remember watching about "Helen" and the drift of ash...and now Iceland. I admit I don't know much about volcanos...but I am working on a Pentecost sermon right now and this post may have given me "in"...we will see...it is still early.

thanks.

Terri said...

I remember this so well. Later that same summer I went on a long distance bike ride across Wisconsin that was washed out because of heavy rains caused by the eruption - or so they said...

and, yes, HC, cool story!

David B. said...

that's really cool to see that photo, I've never seen that one before!

Jennifer said...

Sorry I've been gone.
Glad you're back!

Jan said...

I remember when that happened. My mother was visiting us down here in TX, and my dad called to tell us. He'd heard the explosion way up in Bellingham!