Drum Roll Please

CONTRAST

This is my photo composition of the peanut butter ball event!! His or mine....

Spend the Nite-y!!

Henry came to our house for the day and spend the nite-y! This was a first for him and grams and grandad! It was a beautiful rainy day, however the rain let up for a short time to allow us some swing time and climbing time at the park!!! What fun!!




And of course the Christmas tree!! Such pretty things!
Sorry it's not a wood fire Henry, boy!! There's nothing like the smell of a wood smokey fire burning and the scent of a real pine Christmas tree...oh, yeah, sorry the tree is fake as well....



yeah...he did wake up at midnight..had the whole house awake, even uncle dave and the dogs too!!! well, maybe not deaf abbie!! but we managed!!

Living with Photogs!

UCLA!

A visit to my sister at UCLA, the new Ronald Regan wing! WOW!! Thank you Ronny! We took the folks for a visit, but I think I stole most of their visiting time helping my sis try to set up a blog for her so she may journal her life waiting open heart surgery! It was one of those beautiful balmy warm days that brought everyone to LA! A great trip

Thanksgiving Week

What a fun full week! Thanksgiving with the family small, Margaret and Robert,
Scott, Lorie, Henry, David and Jilly...


Thanksgiving Day with Chris and Chuck, my parents at Jan's place...nice apron Chuck!
Do I drink this before I cut the turkey?
and the boy in my pantry, stacking and restacking!
A stop over from Brett and Emily, and much help with decorating the tree! Thanks!!
Ha! More dogs!
Jilly liked the candy cane!
and Henry...fresh from the mountains and his Thanksgiving Day/Weekend
COUSINS!!! WELL some of them are, well not even really!!

Henry and his boots

Okay, help, I can't rotate this short clip!! just turn your head sideways...it works just as well!

Barefoot Sunday

It was really wonderful to see so many shoes, new shoes, given freely. I loved Barefoot Sunday!
church's idea, have everyone wear new or gently used shoes to church and after service, leave them at the altar to take later to distribute to those less fortunate! AWESOME!



Sorted and displayed and ready for new feet. What a privilege to be a little involved and watch those less fortunate pick out new shoes!!

Yah, these are for my brother, Jeff, said he wanted some red pumps!!

Cousins!

Cousins! I know I have lots of cousins somewhere, spread all over the country, but I truly only know 4 0r 5, ones I would purpose to visit!
We lived a couple streets apart while young children, but mostly my cousins lived in the land of Ohio! somewhere in the middle! Though I knew (actually had a cousin crush) the older brother Larry, he and Duane were great ping pong and fresbie friends, it wasn't until I was married that connections were made again with my girl cousins, Laura and Marsha.
Laura and her husband George, and Marsha and her husband Ed, with their mom and dad came for a visit! It was so great seeing them again!


Enjoying pool time...being from Oregon/Washington the desire was to swim...alas, too cool!


never to old for bunny ears!!



And of course, a trip to ....

so pleasant to sit out on the patio...I have never eaten inside!!


My brother Jeff came for a visit as well!!
Duane and I saw Laura and George off at the train! Don't ya just love that world thingy!!!

Early Will I Seek You

I've been hungering for good food...the kind that makes your soul satisfied. Iwent to my book room to look again at devotionals I have read and re-read and pulled this one off the shelf again...
It is a compilation of Augustines writings put together by David Hazard in his devotional series 'Rekinkling the inner fire"

'If you love earthly things, you wander far from God. Listen also to this warning: The body wanders in places; the soul wanders by affections. To love God is to throw off every spiritual weight that will keep your soul from rising to Him.'

'....Lord, light the shadowy corners of my soul. Show me if the answer I want from you is something I want more than I want you.'

Salute to you Mac!

The Breakfast Lions honor you! And so do I!! What a tribute for the many, many years of service to the community! Thank you for all you have done and continue to do! What a great and generous heart you have! And I love you!!

Taliesin West

The American Architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

This is his home and his school of architecture, of later life, carved out of the Arizona desert. With students or as he called them 'apprentices' he gathered rock and mixed cement, purchased wood and built this 'camp' in the desert. Originally the western home and school, away from the harsh Wisconsin winters, but with each trip west, this 'camp' grew and expanded. At first no glass windows, only stretched canvas to let in filtered light. Let's see, no air conditioning...at first no running water, the group had a bucket brigade that brought water to the area...no windows, this is the desert, with snakes, and creeping things, and things that fly in the night...did I mention he brought his wife and their children? But built with the knowledge of the desert breeze and captured the breeze to help cool the school and home.This was the living room, complete with piano. All the furnishings were his creation.


His bedroom, complete with cooking utensils hanging in the fireplace




He was told there wasn't water, however, he eventually dug for water and w/in 500' found an aquifer which still supplies all the water on site.




The grounds offer two auditoriums. A small dinner theatre, and somewhat larger, more for performing arts. And of course a garden...a sculpture garden with bronze statues.



Today, he is credited with his 'organic' architecture. In a culture where we are 'green' everything, he was one of the first to use natural materials from the area he was building. His new thought of space and lines has had a dramatic impact in our buildings and homes today. He truly was a great architect.