Fairy Garden part deux

Meanwhile, back at my friend Desiree's place in Oregon...

Angel in the Arbor

My friend Desiree has a wonderful garden and some adorable kitties.  They are currently enjoying their summer garden in the Pacific Northwest.  This grey cat (above) is Angel.  Angel is posing for the camera by the wrought iron arbor.  Angel is also carefully blending in with her surroundings.  She is a stealth cat.

I love garden walks with seats in them.  Doesn't that look inviting?

I think Angel is scoping out a spot for a nap.  Shhhh.... pretend you don't notice.  Kitties prefer to believe they are so sneaky that we don't notice when they move.

They really do.

Just ask Jack.  He is a veritable ninja kitty.  We get along because I keep letting him have that illusion.

Pink Roses

Okay, the above photo is for everyone who has ever wanted a little cottage with a white picket fence.  Like me. Isn't it great?  I love the pink roses.  Pink roses are my favorites.  The world should have more of them.

Pink roses make me happy.

I really like that photo.

Purple Bellflowers

Aren't these bellflowers lovely?  They are just cheerful.

Silhouette hanging out amid the roses

Ohhh, I like these roses, too.  'They are a paler pink than the ones by the picket fence.  Looks like Silhouette likes them, too.  My friend says the blooms are too heavy for them right now, but as the bushes grow and get more sturdy, they won't droop like that.

Isn't it nice to know that even something as beautiful and delightful as a rose, has to grow and develop and drag on the ground a bit before it matures and fulfills the measure of its creation?

That gives me hope!

And I can't wait to see them next year!  They'll be amazing.

Lady's Slippers

Shoe lovers should like the Lady Slipper.  They really look like slippers, too, don't they?

I'm so glad God didn't just provide for our needs, but created things to 'delight the eye and gladden the heart'.

I hope these photos have brightened your day.

Thanks, Desiree!  We love seeing your garden grow.  And have a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY, my dear friend.

Fushun Ocean Park Aquarium

Our little Fred at the Aquarium at Fushun, China

I didn't know that China had their own version of Sea World.  This one is not far from Shenyang, China, where my nephew Daniel and his family live.

Curiosity on both sides of the glass!

Fred enjoyed the penguins

Livia thought it was pretty cool, too.

This gi-normous penguin graciously let Holly pose with him.
Okay, I know, it isn't real...

This exhibit of seals doesn't look real

Daddy had to do a lot of driving to get to the park

According to Daniel, the traffic can be pretty crazy.

This is north eastern China's version of Sea World

Holly and Livia

Daniel said the Chinese part of the sign behind Holly and Livia translates to "Protect the Planet", despite the English sign which proclaims, "Protect the Seal".

Holly with the world's largest rat

An ROUS! (Rat of Unusual Size.  Name that quote!)  Why the world's largest rat is on display in an aquarium is interesting to me.  Perhaps they are large, Norwegian rats?

Fish feeding time at the park

It was a feeding frenzy!

Fred munching popcorn

There was popcorn for sale for the kids.  The snack bar lady who sold the popcorn was so intrigued by little Hapa baby Livia that she came around the counter to meet her.

The snack bar lady meets Livia

These mixed race children cause quite a stir, and attract crowds, wherever they go in China.  I'm glad people are not only curious, but kind and genuinely excited to see them.  Evidently the snack bar lady closed down the shop for a while just to be able to meet little Livia.

The kids riding a giant croc!  Yikes!

Fredrik Dundee, Crocodile Hunter

Do you think this croc goes, "Tick, Tock", just like in Peter Pan?

Daddy, feeding the walruses

 That's a sentence I never thought I'd ever write:  Daddy feeding the walruses?  Seriously?

A-Yup.

The amphitheater.

Here the Dolphin trainers are considered superstars, and their movie star-style posters grace the amphitheater.  They are celebrities here.  I love the poses in the photos.

Dolphin Trainers - Super Stars!  Who knew?

A good time was had by all

It looks like our little family had a fun day at the Ocean Park.  

And on a side note, I can't believe how big these little kids are getting.  Livia is just a little over a year now, and Fred will be 3 next month.  They're both big kids!

I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into parts of China that I didn't know existed.  I'm learning so much vicariously through Daniel and his family.  

Thanks for sharing your window on the world, Daniel!

Visiting Hogwarts

If you've read J.K. Rowling's marvelous Harry Potter books, or seen the movies - and who hasn't? - these images will seem all too familiar!

A friend recently visited Hogwarts, the famous school of wizardry, and took these photos.  I'm happy he was willing to share them with me.

The ancient school looks pretty imposing.  The grounds are very beautifully kept.  

There were lots of other muggle visitors there on the day my friend visited.

I'm not sure what this is a photo of  (above) - but it's a cool study in chiaroscuro, (aka light and shadow) so I had to include it.

It's fun to see there is still snow on the houses in the village below the school.

The village streets were filled with happy shoppers and sight-seers, who look scantily clad considering the snow hasn't melted yet.  Hmmm.

This is one train that would be fun to ride!

This mini-vacation into fantasy has been brought to you by my friend Mark!
Great pictures. Thanks, Mark.


Anyone for Quidditch?

Via Con Dios!

President and Sister Spannaus
AKA Presidente y Hermana Spannaus

My nephew sent me the above photo of his Mission President, President Spannaus, and the President's lovely wife.  They were just released following Brother Spannaus' call to the Seventy in April, 2012 General Conference.

Yes, his name was read by President Uchtdorf from the podium and you raised your hand to the square to sustain him in his new calling, remember?

No?

Well, actually, I missed it, too.  There were so many of them, and even though I chide myself now for not recognizing the name, I missed it.  It took a post from our intrepid missionary in the field to let us know that it was his mission president who was called, among others.

From all the things I've heard about them, they are wonderful people, happily serving the Lord.  Elder Nils has sure enjoyed working with them, while they were in charge of the Mexico, Cuernavaca mission.

As a Seventy, a General Authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he'll be traveling a great deal.  What an exciting calling!

Their last words to their missionaries:

Una última nota sólo para recordarles cuánto los amamos y que esperamos que todos seamos fieles hasta el fin!!!

(Translation:  Just a final note to tell you all how much we love you and hope that you will be faithful to the end!)

Elder O'Dell and Elder Nils posing with another choice family

In the meantime, Elder Nils is still baptizing good people, as shown in the above photo from last month.  He now reports he has a new companion, a native Mexican (his first!), named Elder Parra.  I can't wait to hear more about him and their new Mission President!

The work is still going strong in Mexico.

However, the way time is flying by, we'll blink twice and Elder Nils will be home with us again.  He's in the homeward stretch - 6 or so months left to go before he returns in all his earthly glory.

You go, Elder Nils!

Happy Birthday, America!

That Star-Spangled Banner still waves!

Have a wonderful 4th of July holiday, everyone here in the land of the free and the home of the brave!

(For all of you who live in other countries, I hope you can enjoy the day, too.  For all of you who are citizens of other countries, please excuse this bit of patriotism and indulge me for a moment.) 

I love this country.  


I love the spirit of America. 


It is different from any other place on earth. I love all the things that are still good and true about this country.  We have a noble heritage and a constitution inspired by God.  May we live up to our responsibilities as good citizens of a free land.

This is a Choice Land. Rah! Rah! America!


(And now, I'm going back to enjoying my day off!)

Tar Pits!

Meanwhile, back in America...

I know we visited the Page Museum not too long ago on this blog, but a couple of my friends recently visited, and I really enjoyed Elaine's photos and begged to be able to blog them!  

Elaine loves dinosaurs.  As there are none at the Page Museum, I must only conclude she enjoys Woolly Mammoths and Sabre Tooth Tigers too!

She is also an excellent photographer.

Mammoth skeleton from the Tar Pits

Those are some gi-normous tusks!

 I like the shadows on the wall in this photo composition!

The Page Museum is a lot of fun to visit.

Thanks for sharing your photos, Elaine!

Qing Dynasty Sight-Seeing

Tomb of the first Emperor of the Qing Dynasty

Part of the fun of living in a foreign land is checking out all the historical sites.  Daniel said they wanted to go to the fun Ocean Park in Fushun, China one day, but the traffic was so bad they ended up stopping half-way to Fushun and visited some ancient Tombs of the Qing Dynasty instead.

These are three Imperial Mausoleums located in Liaoning province, outside of Shenyang where Daniel and his family live, which were added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites in 2004.

I'm glad they took this side trip.  The pictures Daniel took were rather beautiful.

One of the fun things Daniel and Holly did while visiting the Qing Dynasty Tomb complex, was to purchase traditional Chinese costumes for the kids.  They look adorable, don't they?

Penny!  Penny!  Penny!

Fred attracts females wherever he goes!  This is a picture (above) of Fred and his "girlfriend" Penny.  She thought he looked pretty good in his traditional dress.  Ah, the allure of a man in uniform!

Livia got this cute outfit while visiting

Think pink!

This looks like an interior shot

I wish I knew more about this to post about it!  It looks like the first emperor was pretty well set up for his trip to the afterlife!  Or this may be a spot to offer sacrifices.  I tried looking it up, but didn't find anything conclusive.

Tomb Marker

I love all this spectacular architecture (see below)!  And the delicate stonework is just wonderful.  Can you imagine how long things like this would take to create?  The artistry and patience of ancient craftsmen always blows me away.

In contrast, we live in a plastic, throw-away, society.

This looks pretty formidable a structure (below).  This is how I used to think everything looked in China.  I'm glad Daniel is educating me!

The Fancheng, Square Castle

The Qing Dynasty was established in 1644 A.D.  To compare and contrast, the Pilgrims just set sail for the New World in 1620 A.D.  In England there was civil war during the 1640s, and then the rule of Cromwell until the Restoration of the Monarchy with King Charles II in 1660.  In France, Louis the 14th had just become a boy king (age 5) in 1643.  He would go on to build Versailles and be called "The Sun King".

Back in China, the Qing Dynasty was to rule until 1911-1912.  The end of the Qing Dynasty marks the beginning of the Republic of China.

Fred got this Chinese outfit while sight-seeing

 I think they are brave to take their small children to all these places.  However, I think Fred really enjoys seeing and doing things like this, despite being only 2 years-old.

Okay, he'll be three in August, but you catch my drift.

An ancient stone marker

This ancient stone marker was inscribed in two different languages: Manchu on the left, and Chinese on the right.

The Qing rulers came from an area of northeastern China known as Archaic Manchuria.  They were part of a clan known as Manchu Aisin Gioro.  The time period when they established their rule was also the period that Christianity came to China.

Holly and the little tourist

Daniel posing in the courtyard

The ornamentation above the courtyard is pretty spectacular!

The grounds of this site look beautiful

Holly, Fred, Livia and her Ayi

These stairs seem to go on forever!

... and ever!

All those stairs look pretty intimidating to little legs.  Heck, they look intimidating to me, too!

Getting a history lesson and some culture can be exhausting!

I love these mini-vacations!  I hope you do, too!