The Mantel

Some of my favorite things are on my mantel -- my kerosene lamp, my candles, my tea things, with my Rockwell plates hanging above.

Tulips....

Last spring I planted four tulips, two fuschia and two red. The reds didn't come up this spring, but both of the fuschia ones did, including this one in the front flower bed. I took this yesterday afternoon, and by today when I got home from church, the blossoms were gone. Either the high winds or some critters must have beheaded my beauties. At least I have a photo to remember them by....

Saturday: First Watermelon of the Season

The kids certainly enjoyed the first watermelon of the season, and a little silliness, too.

Friday: Holy Saturday Icon

B and I attended Easter Week Holy Eucharist on Friday. I was mesmerized by the icon on the side wall, the one showing Jesus descending to Sheol to rescue the captives. I love seeing the gates of Sheol, symbolizing death, crushed under His feet....

Window Progress

Keith's been working away at the stained glass window for our doctor. Can you believe that this area has approximately 200 pieces?



The tools of the trade....

The Heart of the Park

I spent all day either working with photos and blogs from T's birthday yesterday or grading essays for Class Day tomorrow, so I didn't take my camera out of my purse at all. So enjoy another Balboa Park photo that I named "The Heart of the Park" -- looking from the Timken Art Museum to the Museum of Modern Art with all of the wonderful Spanish architecture and capturing the center fountain turn-about (and the very annoying news truck!).

Tuesday: Balboa Park

For T's 13th birthday, we drove into the city to Balboa Park for an art museum children's workshop with some other homeschoolers in the morning and a trip to the San Diego Zoo in the afternoon. We had perfect San Diego weather for the trip.



All four kids pose in front of the Botanical Building where we later ate lunch with the homeschooling group and the boys played a raucous game of "Capture the Flip Flop" (kids learn to improvise when flags are not available).

T enjoyed his birthday very much; you may see more details of our day at my Meditative Meanderings blog. I also have additional photos on my 365 Extras blog.

The Last of the Daffs....

I collected the last of the daffodils for a final bouquet. I love them, so it's always hard to say goodbye to them for another year. They're still blooming in nooks around town, but the ones in our garden are officially DONE.

Happy Resurrection Day!

E's egg came out the prettiest as we celebrate the symbolism of the egg: new life, and for us who believe in Christ -- New Life in Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour!

I have further entries and photos on my Meditative Meanderings blog and egg-stra photos on my 365 Extras blog -- see top of sidebar for both links or click links here.

Saturday: The Great Vigil

At the opening of the Holy Saturday Vigil, Father Acker lights the Paschal Candle with fire started from flint and steel before we process with candles inside to read Scripture and pray together in perhaps the most solemn and ancient liturgy of the Anglican Tradition. It's simply beautiful to read Scripture together by candlelight as we prepare for the coming Resurrection!

Good Friday

At noon the kids and I attended an ecumenical Stations of the Cross with five churches, Protestant and Catholic, in Alpine. A total of about 150 people walked the fourteen Stations alongside Queen of Angels Catholic Church, singing verses of "Were You There?" after each Scripture lesson which was read by the different participating pastors/priests in turn.

I'll post on our other Good Friday activities on my regular blog as well.

Maundy Thursday Service

As part of the Maundy Thursday service, Father Acker washed the feet of each person who attended; fortunately, we only had nine people attending besides Father so it didn't take as long as one would think. It's always such a touching part of the service as Father washes one of our feet, then kisses it and says, "Thank you for your service to our Lord." It's so personal that I sometimes feel like saying like Peter, "No way, I'm not gonna let you wash MY feet!" But that's the whole point: to recognize how Christ abased Himself in washing the disciples' feet, showing them how they should serve others rather than argue over who was going to sit on Jesus' right and left in the Kingdom....

Wednesday: Seder Meal

On Wednesday evening I joined the Anglicans for their Instructional Seder. My friends Luke and Sheri came along, and we had a lovely time sharing in a great meal and learning the parallels between Passover and the Last Supper.

We also had to fill our wine glasses FOUR times ... well, we didn't fill them ALL the way each time, but it was still a lot of wine for me as I drink so seldom.

Tuesday: Town in Bloom

The trees along the main highway going through our town are in full bloom. There's a mass of them in the post office parking lot, and a row of half a dozen on the "main drag" plus another grouping next to the library. I don't know what kind of tree they are (will have to ask Judith sometime as she's made friends with most of the trees in town), but they are certain harbingers of spring in our little mountain town.

Monday: E's Accomplishment

E has finished her first stained glass projects: three butterfly hangers, one for each of her cousins whom she was supposed to visit this week. Unfortunately, my brother-in-law's plans to travel to Southern California have changed, so the trip to Phoenix has been postponed indefinitely. E is extremely disappointed, but we hope that Jim can drive through next week and take the butterflies home to Phoenix with him for the girls.

Keith helped E with some of the process, but E really took to the stained glass work: she jumped ahead of him in her eagerness to complete the project and did most of the cutting, foiling, and soldering herself. She needed a boost or two over the "hard parts," but now she feels much more able to work on her own stained glass projects. I'm very proud of her, and she's quite proud of the beautiful butterflies she has created from scrap glass.

Surprising March Weather

I don't know why we consider March snow as surprising as it always seems to happen each year. Just as we arrived home from our Orange County trip last night, hail was pelting our van. Within ninety minutes, snow was actually falling and remained on the ground this morning. I took these just as we left for church and showed the top one to several people in Sunday School.



Yes, our Southern California house in mid-March. Yes, it happens most years.



My daffodills are rather weighed down by the reemergence of winter weather.

Saturday: Discovery Science Center

We have always driven past the "black cube" in recent years on our trips north into Orange County, and we've always mentioned wanting to check it out sometime. As we debated as to the best way to spend our third day before going on home, we decided to forego Universal Studios (at $50 each for admission -- with discounts, mind you -- we decided it was too expensive with not enough for the smaller kids to do) and check out the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana. With admission for all ten of us for under $100, we were much happier and had so much to do! The kids played a laser harp, climbed rock walls, made their own animated films, created small and large bubbles, climbed on cement reproductions of dinosaur fossils, experienced the magnificent tiger in a huge exhibit, and learned many other scientific principles via hands-on experiments. We stayed there for over four hours and then drove on home with a quick detour to drive past the San Juan Capistrano mission (I will get out and explore it some day!).



Cousin M blows bubbles at one of the bubble centers in the Science Center.



Cousin M also creates the largest bubble of all the kids. It's huge!



B is surprised by a fog curtain as we entered the special tiger exhibit.

For a few extra photos of our trip, click here.

So now we're home from our rather exhausting but extremely enjoyable three days ... ready for Holy Week and all of the experiences ahead of us.

Saturday: "Independence Hall"

Across the street from Knott's Berry Farm, Walter Knott built an exact replica of Independence Hall which includes a life-sized replica of the Liberty Bell as well as a replica of the room in which the Declaration was written and finally signed.



The six cousins pose in front of "Independence Hall."



A long shot of the front of "Independence Hall," with my mom on the left and my dad with the kids in the doorway. My brother was backing up with me to take the same shot with his camera.

After this last excursion in Buena Park, we drove south to Santa Ana to check out the Discovery Science Center.

Friday: Second Day at Knott's

J, Cousin T, and B ride for a second day in a row (and twice in a row today) on La Revolucion in the Spanish Village part of Knott's. This huge swing also twists in circles as it swings higher and higher. I was postive that B would blow his lunch the first time he rode this yesterday, but he came off laughing and begging for another go. In fact, our little guy proved himself a real daredevil, riding every coaster for which he was tall enough multiple times. And somehow he never even turned the slightest shade of green until he tried the black licorice offered by his grandfather. The least said about that incident, the better....



Getting ready to go, shoes removed and strapped tightly in....



Watched by my parents and brother as the swing twists in circles faster the higher it goes....



Higher, anyone? (Ugh, I couldn't even watch it without feeling my breakfast readjust in my stomach.)

Thursday: Knott's Berry Farm

In celebration of several birthdays, each spring my parents treat the whole family (myself, Keith, our four kids; my brother, his wife, their two kids; my sister, her husband, their two kids) to 2-3 days at either Disneyland or Knott's Berry Farm which is just a few miles north of D'land on Interstate 5. For several reasons, this spring a much smaller group than our usual 16 was at Knott's, the oldest amusement park in the west. Started as a berry stand (Knott bred the first Boysenberry, named for his best friend), Walter Knott all kinds of California assets such as a train, a log ride, a mine tour, panning for gold, a stagecoach ride, and during the Depression, his wife started serving chicken dinners on her wedding china; a restaurant just outside the park gates still fries chicken according to Mrs. Knott's recipe. Then roller coasters were added in the 1970's and since, some of which definitely can make one lose that chicken dinner in a very embarrassing way. Following are photos from our first day at Knott's Berry Farm:



All six kids "pan for gold" and come away with gold dust floating in little vials of water.



Just outside the Ghost Town area, my dad and B pose where they apparently shouldn't.(They're covering up the rest of the sign.)



Near the back of the park one can see many of the roller coaster tracks seemingly intertwine....

NOTE:

I'll be away from Thursday morning to late Saturday night. The kids and I are trekking up north for some fun times with my parents and my brother and his family. Keith will be holding down the fort here, taking care of Dash and Ronnie and the fish (that's singular, as in ONE fish).

See ya in a few days with some new photos!

My year of photo blogging is nearly up, and I'll post about my 365 journey in a week or so....

Passiontide

During Passiontide, the two weeks before Resurrection Sunday, all images of Christ, the saints, and the cross are veiled with purple or black cloth to remind us of His suffering before and during His crucifixion. Here's my prayer corner with my icons and my copy of an "Old Masters" painting covered with black, awaiting uncovering after Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday. I miss the images of Christ but also look forward to their unveiling as part of the joy that comes with the Resurrection.

For more information on Passiontide, check out the post on my regular blog by clicking here.

Ugh .. Gas Prices

Okay ... this is getting downright ridiculous. It should not take $30 to fill up a measley Corolla. And I don't want to think about how much it costs to fill up the Sienna. And from what I've heard, gas prices will not be improving anytime soon.

Women Singers of the 1930's....

I spent part of the day downloading my new CD's onto my iPod. I love Billie Holiday, and the wonderful double-CD set included a DVD as well, plus it saved me from being charged shipping on my order. I've been listening to it all evening -- every time I close my eyes,I can almost imagine myself in a smoky nightclub.... And the Andrews Sisters are a perennial favorite -- "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" has long been a favorite. Several songs on the CD feature Bing Crosby along with the thre sisters from Minneapolis. I've been enjoying my 1930's women singers very much indeed today and am now ready for our trip up north later this week with my iPod all loaded and ready to rip. I love music from the 30's and 40's.

Sunday: A Mass o' Daffs

Sorry for so many daffodil photos -- they bloom for only two weeks out of the year, and I want to capture them in all their glory as I won't see them again until next March. I love the way that they fill up half of my front flower bed under the porch -- they are truly glorious this year, thanks to the abundance of rain this winter.

"Rock Hounds" Trip: McCain Valley

The Rock Hounding group left our town too early this morning to go on a rock-finding expedition in the backcountry. This was taken at the Salton Sea Lookout of a kind of cactus of which I've already forgotten its name -- like teddy bear cactus but a bit meaner.

I'll have more photos and the story of our adventures and discoveries on my regular blog here.

Holy Communion at Victoria Chapel

For the past three-and-a-half years, B and I have been attending the Friday Morning Prayer and Healing Service with Father Acker, first at Christ the King Episcopal and then at Alpine Anglican Church of the Blessed Trinity. And since the earliest days, Father has been training B in altar serving. So here B pours the water and the wine into the chalice as Father "cleans up" (for lack of a better term) after we all received Communion. The daffodils remind me that Lent is nearing its end and that the Celebration of the Resurrection is not far in the future....

My Porch Steps....

"I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills
When all at once I saw a crowd
A host of golden daffodils....

...When oft upon my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood
I glance upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude
Then my heart with pleasure fills
And dances with the daffodils."

-- William Wordsworth

I didn't have time to take photos today, so here's one from yesterday. They bloom for such a short time that we must enjoy them while we can....

Signs of Spring

This afternoon I noticed that our little peach tree, planted last year, was covered with blossoms. I've never had a peach tree before and so have never seen peach blossoms -- they're beautiful!



My daffodil bed reaches the length of our front porch. They only bloom like this for a couple of weeks a year, so we must enjoy them while we can...

Starting Another Year....

I'm very self-conscious about self-portraits, but I wanted to post one near my birthday. It wasn't the best hair day, and I took over twenty shots before I somewhat liked this one. So here I am, beginning my forty-third year, sitting in my chair at our homeschooling table where I spend many hours each day....

The Daffs Are Back...

The flower bed in front of our porch is filled with these dual-colored daffodils, and they always greet us right around our birthday. I prefer the brighter daffs, but I've become accustomed to the more delicate hues of the dual-colored daffodils.

Sunday: A Wonderful Birthday....

Keith made me a beautiful and delectable Boston Creme Pie for my birthday. It tastes even better than it looks. I enjoyed the best birthday I've had in years -- the only way it could have been better was if it were longer than 24 hours. :)

For details of my day, check out this link to my main blog.

A Toad Named Trevor....

Last night after dark the boys decided to explore the makeshift pond, the result of a rainy winter, as we've been hearing the unusual music of frogs each evening. Apparently B almost stepped on this large toad which T caught and immediately christened "Trevor" (after Neville's toad in the Harry Potrer series). Today I got to see Trevor for the first time, and he IS a beauty.



T kept him overnight in a small "aquarium" made from an old Red Vines container and allowed him to remain in there most of the morning before returning him to his natural habitat.



Here are two galoshes-clad boys, B watching as T releases Trevor into the pond after enjoying his company for about 13 hours, most of it overnight. Trevor is a very cool toad, a wonderful memory of the essence of boyhood fun.