Flash Back Friday 93

Trick or Treat, 1997 (you see, I'm not a total Halloween scrooge)

Love Thursday

Do you know how every fall tree looks so different? When I saw this group of leaves, I fell in love and HAD to take their photo.


I love my walks through the neighborhood during this time of year.


I can never get enough of this color!


And oh, the amazing ones that are full of color!

Never say there is nothing beautiful in the world anymore. There is always something to make you wonder in the shape of a tree, the trembling of a leaf.

-Albert Schweitzer

(saw this quote and other beautiful leaves over at Red or Gray)

I'm Actually Pretty Witchy About Halloween

What I mean is this: I've never been a fan of the black and orange combo or evil spirits and ugly things. I know, I've said it before. I've seen so many decorations out lately! Last night, I thought I saw Christmas lights up in our neighborhood, but upon closer inspection, I saw they were orange. A couple of years ago, I did put a ghost out on the porch, so I can be a sport about it.

Netherlands Nuesday 50

Green guy in Dam Square, 2007

Essential Beauty

"Nature is not primarily functional. It is primarily beautiful. Which is to say, beauty is in and of itself a great and glorious good, something we need in large and daily doses (for our God has seen fit to arrange for this). Nature at the height of its glory shouts, Beauty is essential! revealing that Beauty is the essence of God. The whole world is full of his glory." -John Eldredge

Westward Ho

This past week, John & I have met with a group from our church planning a mission trip to Rehoboth, New Mexico this January for a week. We are excited to be a part of this opportunity to serve and ask for your prayers as we prepare and go on this trip. I'll be taking photos and blogging for the group and hopefully painting or tutoring or whatever they need.

The above pictures were taken of us in Rehoboth almost 20 years ago when we were considering moving out there and working for the Rehoboth Christian School. We had just found out we were expecting Edward so the timing wasn't right and we didn't go, but now that Edward is in college...

Kitties Looking In

Every day occurences: Leo pops his head in the window when he wants in and that strange little cat comes by the back slider. Happy Saturday!

Flash Back Friday 92

Edward, 5 months old, 1990

A thing of beauty is a joy forever. - John Keats

Love Thursday

I *heart* my friends

As I mentioned before, Bridget & I went to Emily's birthday party a few week's ago in a hotel suite. The room was decked out (by Cathy, the mom) like a big birthday love bomb for 13 year old girls and included a heart shape that would surround you when you looked in the mirror. My bff cathy joined in as I was taking this photo for Love Thursday! Happy LT!

Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart. -Eleanor Roosevelt

Black and White Thinking

Leo looking good in Black and White

Calvin: Dad, how come old photographs are always black and white? Didn't they have color film back then?
Dad: Sure they did. In fact, those old photographs are in color. It's just the world was black and white then.
Calvin: Really?
Dad: Yep. The world didn't turn color until sometime in the 1930s, and it was pretty grainy color for a while, too.
Calvin: That's really weird.
Dad: Well, truth is stranger than fiction.
Calvin: But then why are old paintings in color?! If their world was black and white, wouldn't artists have painted it that way?
Dad: Not necessarily. A lot of great artists were insane.
Calvin: But... but how could they have painted in color anyway? Wouldn't their paints have been shades of gray back then?
Dad: Of course, but they turned colors like everything else did in the '30s.
Calvin: So why didn't old black and white photos turn color too?
Dad: Because they were color pictures of black and white, remember?
- Calvin & Hobbes

Netherlands Nuesday 49

Amsterdam Canal Cruise with bottles of water, 2007

Turning

To everything there is a season

And a time for every purpose under heaven

I went walking this afternoon with the intention of capturing some great fall color. In our neighborhood however, there is still a lot of green. It was a cold, drizzly day along with the strange scent of burning leaves in the air. The tree I always enjoy looking at the most has already lost most of its leaves.



Then, to top it all off, I looked down and like an old man, I was wearing tan socks with my walking shoes.

New England Fall

Photo by A. Boyer

Uncle Alan sent me this panorama he did last weekend of their beautiful New Hampshire fall where it looks like the colors are peaking. I think we have a ways to go yet.

As John Calvin said and maybe you've read here before as I am a graduate of his college, "There is not one blade of grass, there is no colour in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice".

a self-portrait saturday

The Blogger, October 2008

Don't worry, this is not going to be a regular feature. Yesterday, I just had a small urge to do this, so I set up the tripod. Do you like how the deck rail in back is in more in focus than me? lol! I've had greater urges to photograph the beautiful fall colors, but haven't gotten out much. Here are just a couple though:

Flash Back Friday 91

Edward, Maine, 1990

Love Thursday

Chicago, Sept, 2008, The Blogger with her True Love

I was so so happy to see this photo be recovered after the big Chicago camera trauma resolved because it was such a happy memory. We were walking around Chicago and I was taking John's picture in front of this statue when a professional came up to us and asked if she could take one of both of us. She was holding a HUGE camera and took my little Rebel XT and said, I know what I'm doing. You can see she did.

What Happened in Chicago

Chicago, September 2008

I already mentioned the great Chicago camera trauma. Well, last week when I got a card reader, more of the photos I had taken in Chicago reappeared. Good thing! I probably never would have thought of the time John & I stood in front of the funny mirrors on Navy Pier.

Sharon says we look like the Go Go Gadget Couple!!!

Netherlands Nuesday 48

University of Groningen

Humor in the Ugly, Part 2

We were having a lovely Sunday lunch out on our deck next to the mums yesterday when the subject of their prolonged existence came up.

John: I could probably get a few days off work if I tell them my Mum died.
Maria: She died because Poppy wasn't with her.

Maybe I should go throw them away now.

You Only Turn 13 Once...

I found out I still have what it takes to take part in a slumber party as Bridget & I were invited to Emily's 13 year old birthday bash Friday night. It was held at a nearby hotel where we stayed in a suite with Cathy, Emily & 4 of her other friends. Cathy had a great night planned with swimming, a carousel ride, scavenger hunt, group photo session, pizza, games, cake and ice cream all by 1 am! We were rejoicing together that our babies were teenagers, lol. We also had a huge breakfast and more swimming in the morning. Can you believe we also got sleep in there?




I had a scare when the 174 pictures that I took disappeared from my camera. I got a card reader from Radio Shack and was able to retrieve them after I was pretty much resolved to the idea that some memories are just too great to capture.

Strange Little Cat

This strange little cat has been stopping by and looking in our house every day. She (?) just lets me take her picture, lol! Maybe she likes Leo...

Flash Back Friday 90

Sister Paula playing the guitar for Maria and the ballerinas, April 2000

Love Thursday

Bridget & Maria, with her new fake glasses, after school yesterday

Maria and Bridget, though they are 3 years apart, are the very best of friends. When I get my camera out, it doesn't take much at all for them to put their arms around each other and smile and I am so thankful for this. Happy Love Thursday!

Eggplant Du Jour

Many years ago, I was so fascinated by my neighbor's cooking ability that I called the newspaper! LOL! Wouldn't you know it, a reporter came out to interview her about one of her recipes, a Tuscan soup with eggplant, sausage and tomatoes. A couple of weeks ago, this neighbor called to see if I still had the recipe and I did have a preserved copy. It's so good to make when it gets cold in the fall.

Netherlands Nuesday 47

Inside the Groningen Train Station

Finding Joy

Yesterday afternoon, we went to a good-bye party for some friends at church who are moving to Florida. While there, the ever-fun-loving Cathy told me that I had to pour her root beer and she would pour mine. For the rest of the day, the thought of this little thing made me laugh. I thought of how often joy is found in simple things.


Cathy doing some Lands' End modeling

Leo Drama

Guest Blogger: Maria [Las fotos de España]

These are some pictures I took during my trip to Spain in July.

Alicante, España

Segovia, España

Valladolid, España

Flash Back Friday 89

John & the Blogger at a Chicago Cubs game, 1988

Love Thursday

This past Saturday. Edward ran in his first Half Marathon. He's never run as far as 13.1 miles before in all his years of distance training, so we were happy when he got the 2nd place trophy in his age group. We took pictures of him with his trophy, but I lost them in the great Chicago camera trauma. He gave me this refrigerator magnet to remember the accomplishment and I thought that was very sweet. When we got home from Chicago, I had this feeling all night of expectation that Edward would be coming home soon. As a friend reminded me today, he has been gone a month already.



After finally giving in yesterday to the fact that our mums are beyond help, this same dear friend surprisingly gave me these mums today. She didn't know yet about the mum story from yesterday, but she did know Edward had been away a month.

Humor in the Ugly

Remember the beautiful mums that John planted on Labor Day? They never recovered after a solid week of September rain (see above) The other night at supper, I was wondering why they were still out on the deck.

Me: Why are those flowers on the deck still there?

The ever-funny John to his daughters: Those flowers are making Mum mad.

He's still the funniest guy I know.