Thankful for the Break

Leo illustrating the Thanksgiving Break

Second Saturday

Don't you just love how it feels the day after Thanksgiving when you think it's Saturday and you keep realizing it's only Friday?


Edward, home from college, graces our dining room table.
He went for a run and put the Christmas tree up.

Flash Back Friday 97

Bridget at the Kindergarten Thanksgiving Feast, 2001

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Love Thursday!

Three of the many things I'm thankful for walking through the woods

Have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving Day!

Chicago Photoshoot

John told Bridget that when we went to Chicago, I could take her 8th grade pictures there (which I was more than happy to do.) This made the idea of walking around in the Windy City with older people much more appealing to her. These are a few of our favorites:

Arrrrg!

Yesterday morning, I looked out of the window at work at a new winter wonderland. Sharon seemed a bit envious of me going home to walk in the snow, but she could have been egging me on.

I set out for an afternoon walk determined to enjoy the day. One old man behind a snow shovel asked me if this was Merry Christmas or Bah Humbug. I thought it was too soon to tell. I forged on. The snow was really packy and did not seem one bit icy. It was also laying very gently on the tree branches.

Then, I had one of those feet out from under you moments where you think a thousand thoughts in one split second - oh, this is going to be a bad one, oh, oh, my leg doesn't bend that way, oh, what does the casting situation look like when you've broken 10 bones, and oh, how will I get all the way to the hospital from here? When I hit the pavement though, I sort of bounced - you know, before anyone could see me. I think the need to remain anonymous at this point actually turned the road into rubber. It's going to be a long winter.

Clouds

Sander by the sign for the Fermi Institute at the University of Chicago (near the statue of a mushroom cloud which wasn't very photogenic). At the bookstore, we saw a book called "How Math Explains the World" and Sander & I decided it sounded like a fun book!

Part of our fascination with downtown Chicago centered around the Cloud Gate in Millenium Park. This structure provided endless angles and opportunites for photos and below are just a few.


Sander & the Blogger to the right, our reflection to the left


Yes, that IS me in the background getting the shot at the left. John took the photo on the right.

In the next one we look like the Fab Four or some kind of superheroes.



And this next one, we look like we have just won the Nobel Prize.



Yes, you can see how fun this is!!!

P.S. Happy Birthday to Aaf :) God bless you always!

Scenes From Chicago

Something about me + chicago + memory cards = disaster

But thankfully, we have been able to recover all of the important pictures from our recent trip. (Thank you John :) )

We first went to the University of Chicago and walked around the Physics department: me, John, Bridget, and my dear Dutch physicist cousin Alexander Ranier, aka Sander. We had a lovely coffee time at Starbuck's while there that I shan't forget.

To round out our Chicagoland experience, we went to Grant & Millenium Parks and walked a long way up Michigan Avenue in the bitter cold (very fun).


John, Bridget & Sander in Grant Park

Most importantly, we took him to Giordano's for Chicago-style deep dish pizza.



We all so enjoyed this time together! We looked around many of the shops and Sander loved hearing about life in the US. We told him all about the American Girl doll phenomenon and took him to the new American Girl Place on Michigan Ave. I thought it was so cute when I heard him say "Felicity", so I took his photo by her.



We also took one by Samantha since that was Bridget's doll.

We stayed in a hotel near the airport, and after a leisurely breakfast in the morning, we brought him to the airport. We look forward to seeing him again someday!

And tomorrow, I'll post a few more photos that have been secured from the card onto John's laptop.

Chillin' in Chi-town

What is left of our beautiful leaves

We took our cousin Sander to see Chicago yesterday so he could see the city and so we could take him to O'Hare Airport Saturday morning. We've been having a great time despite the icy wind of the Windy City!! Everything is 100 times more exciting when you see it again with a foreign born relative, you know. I'll post photos tomorrow!

Flash Back Friday 96

John, 1988, Honeymoon at Cape Cod

Love Thursday

Nature is too thin a screen; the glory of the omnipresent God bursts through everywhere.- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Happy Love Thursday Everyone!

Cathy and the Crow

At Emily's 13th birthday party, Cathy had a little run-in with a big black crow and it got stuck in her hair!


Entertainment provided by Cathy, October 10, 2008

Netherlands Nuesday 53

Dutch cousins Sander & Cory, 2007

Last year in Groningen, we met our cousin Sander at the family reunion. Last weekend he did a presentation at MIT in Boston and today, we will be welcoming him to our house in Grand Rapids. We are so excited!

Yet Another Post About Leaves

The other day, Sharon & I were walking outside on a leaf-strewn path and we saw the biggest leaves ever. Look at them!

Since I knew that wouldn't do much for you, I had Leo model with one for you.

Beautiful Golden Blankets

This past week on my walk, I took this slightly overexposed photo of the neighbor's tree across the street. It was a sunny day and I was loving the brightness. The next day, there was a golden layer beneath the tree that was so thick and soft that it reminded me of a warm blanket. By the time I got home from work, it had been raked up into bags. I "facebooked" my neighbor to say that I was so sad to see the beautiful golden blanket gone and she wrote back to say that even though it was so much work, she couldn't help but stop to see how beautiful they were and how sad that their job was done.

I'm hoping their job isn't quite done if I put this picture on the blog.

Blogger Award

My friend Annette from Head and Heart has passed this award along for "her stunning photography, witty takes on family life, her cat Leo, and because she, like me, is from Ohio." I now have to share 6 things about me that you don't know and pass the award along.

So... are you ready for some excitement?

1. I grew up in a town of 250 people called Celeryville. They had to stop growing celery there in the 80's because of a celery disease.

2. I spent 2 weeks of my life in a coma when I was 12 years old after getting hit by a car.

3. After coming out of the coma, one of the first things I asked for after holding up 2 fingers in answer to the question, "What is 1 plus 1" was a Snoopy book thus fulfilling my need for humor at such a perilous time. I went on to collect over 3o Peanuts books which I thought was quite a feat at the time.

4. Every day I'm thankful that I was able to live and have such a wonderful family, but maybe you knew that one already.

5. My favorite food of all time is the 3 Cheese Olga from Olga's Kitchen but I don't love eating all that much due to only having 1/2 of a stomach as a result of #2.

6. Thanks to my adventurous husband, I once stood in 4 states at one time.

Ok, I would like to pass this award on to Red or Gray for her very artistic photography and to Gracie for the way she describes the situations common to us all and how we experience grace in them all. Congrats dear friends! I can't wait to learn 6 new things about you all!

Flash Back Friday 95

Bridget, Apple Orchard, 1999, 4 yrs. old

Love Thursday

Tea Time Through The Viewfinder

Do you want an adventure now or shall we have our tea first?"- Peter Pan.

Every night after supper, if I don't have to go anywhere, I partake in the ritual of tea. I love this ritual. I have a big mug of Celestial Seasonings mint green tea which settles my stomach along with my 2 nightly Wintergreen Tums. I might sound like an old lady, but I have been doing this for years.

Once

This past weekend, I saw the movie Once. It was a gem. Yes, it was SO good, I watched it TWICE! It's about an Irish street musician and a Czech immigrant who strike up a friendship based on their mutal love of music and it was filmed on the streets of Belfast. It came out last year, but we're usually on a bit of a movie delay here, ie. we don't see it until it comes out in DVD. Well, I couldn't find it in the video stores, but I did find it at the public library.

Netherlands Nuesday 52

Light Fixture at Het Loo

First Snow

Each year
Our beautiful changing seasons
Descend
So suddenly
Into winter's death

During the first snow, I always think of my first winters in Michigan. The first, I remember looking out of a hospital room and my mother bought me a blue coat with fake sheep fur insides to wear home. During my next first snow in Michigan, I looked out of a dorm room eating donuts and drinking hot chocolate. At least I always stay warm.

Someone is 57 Today

Oma Boyer (who I have mentioned several times this week already), Uncle John, Uncle Alan & the Queen Mother as a child

It's a little hard to believe they had color photography like this back in the olden days, isn't it? But yes, the little toddler in this photo is Uncle Alan and he's 57 today! He wrote me yesterday how my mom had gotten him his first camera, a Kodak Duaflex II almost like the one I just got for my birthday. SO I would say this camera-love-thingy runs in the family.

Go Alan, get your game on, it's your birthday, hey Alan...if I was there, I would do this cheer for you and it would be so fun wouldn't it?

Falling Leaves

TTV, Backyard, November 7, 2008

This past week has been so beautiful - 60's-70's and sunny - that I've been able to do a lot of raking in shorts, thus feeling very much at one with nature. Yesterday, I don't know why, but I felt like Oma Boyer as I gradually talked Maria into bagging 5 leaf bags with me. I think because she thought it was only going to be 2 bags and before you knew it we had done 5. I just kept talking about how we were always going to remember this time together, and it was really fun.

Now, as I write this on Saturday morning, snow is falling. I don't think it will stick though.

Flash Back Friday 94

Edward & Maria with the Queen Mother, 1992

Love Thursday

I knew Sharon was up to something for my birthday this past Monday at work. Well, I arrived Monday morning to find 5 heart shaped leaves on my desk! I had a feeling it was going to be a great day.

I soon found out that she made a red velvet cake - from scratch - just like my grandma, of twins lens reflex fame, made for me every year. Sharon remembered this and made this work of art:



Oh, and the part that makes it extra -worthy for Love Thursday? She made it in the shape of a heart! Thanks Sharon and Happy Love Thursday!!!


The blogger in her red velvet birthday shirt and the red velvet birthday heart cake.

The Toy I Got for My B-day

When John was asking for birthday present ideas, I suggested he go on an e-bay expedition to find an old twin lens reflex camera. He scored the one below which I realized as soon as I opened it that it is the exact same camera that was in my grandma's toy box back in the 60's - a Kodak Duaflex III. This model was made from 1954-1957 which means I got a present that is older than me.

My mission for this camera is not to shoot film with it though - although you can respool 120 film onto the 620 spools that it uses. I want to try through the viewfinder (TTV) photography where you shoot your digital throught the viewfinder of the old camera, by means of a contraption you make. Last night I tried a couple even though it was really too dark. Interesting.

Today, when I got home from work, I took this little peek out our front door with my contraption. I was in a rush to pick up Maria from school, so I didn't fuss too much.

I think the camera itself is so darling that it's okay if I don't take a billion pix with it.

Netherlands Nuesday 51

Fountain at Het Loo

I Love Birthdays

How's that for a birthday candle? We use our imagination here.

Today is actually my birthday, but since Edward came home from college on Sunday, we had to have a little celebration yesterday. The kids gave the greatest present again to their photographer mom: With totally willing hearts, they went out for a photoshoot with John & me. John drove us all around and brought us to settings which inspired us all. So it was a good day. Sharon is cooking something up for work tomorrow and the rest of the week's celebration will include lunch and hot tubbing with friends...

Sunday School 1970

"Aunt Senetta's" Second Grade Sunday School Class

"Point your kids in the right direction— when they're old they won't be lost." Proverbs 22:6, The Message

Humor in the Ugly, Part 3

Old Mum still enjoys the fall color. For Mum's background, click here.