Didn't want to overlook this...

These pictures were taken the day we got back from our trip to Indiana in May. May 22, 2011, to be exact. We had just arrived home and were totally taken unaware by the marvelous colors in the sky. It was as though everything was tinted red. The white gravel on the driveway was even tinted pink. A large colorful rainbow was in the sky.

And as though a powerful painter was painting with vibrant colors (and He was!) the sunset was absolutely splendid!

Oh, and if the date rang a bell with you, this was shortly after the E-5 tornado in Joplin, on the other side of Missouri from us. Amazing!

Reminds me of Psalms 19:1 "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands."

Posted by Pam

Hanging out with Abe...

Our favorite stop during our "mini vacation" was at the Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield, Illinois. This was a fascinating journey with not only a very interesting person, but how his decisions impacted our country during the very critical time of the Civil War as well. I really appreciated how the museum was arranged and how it used high tech means to make you feel almost as though "you were there". In the photo above John Wilkes Booth cuts a dashing figure as a high society actor, hanging out just outside the White House.

Since we were only allowed to take photos in the atrium, we couldn't resist posing with the First Family.

If you ever have a chance to visit this museum I would highly recommend it. Take some tissues with you though.

Posted by Pam

That's our Ryan!

While skimming through these pictures I noticed we have a tendancy to pick on Ryan. Not sure why.... It's just fun I suppose. Saving a choking victim? Just giving a friendly choking? You decide!

Posted by Pam

Creation Museum in Petersburg KY

We enjoyed our visit to the Creation Museum in June. There is a beautiful botanical gardens on the ground and my pictures failed to do it justice. Here are the kids posing for a picture on a wooden bridge. The trails were really neat to walk around and lush vegetation was everywhere.

This very happy triceratops seemed glad to see us. The museum abounded in dinosaurs, both skeletal and "fleshed" out.

There were also quite a few scenes from the Bible with animated people/animals. Here Noah's sons are working on the ark.

I somewhat forget if this was supposed to Noah, or some other patriarch. I liked the intense look in his eyes. The figures were very impressive and seemed like if you reached out to touch them they might be real.

Jennifer hanging out in the garden of Eden.

Cordell being "licked" by a some sort of dinosaur. Yes, this was a bad attempt at an illusion!

Ryan "riding" the triceratops.

Posted by Pam

Now that's big!

Just past the Indiana border in Northwest Ohio we drove through a wind power plant. We were amazed at how large these are. That is a red pickup truck and people standing at the base of it. (You may be able to click on the picture to enlarge it a few times.) We counted at least 50 of these and they are still building more. Only one was turning so far. Interesting....

More pictures from the farm...

The grainery building. There used to be a wonderful tall corncrib behind this building that was great for climbing around in. I can remember sliding down the corn to help push the corn down when loading the wagon. The main risk was coming across mice!

The old Mac Gas Delivery Truck

The barn where I (Pam) spent many glorious hours playing as I was growing up. It had two wonderful big lofts, ladders, walkways, a stable & milking area, ropes & pullies, home to grain trailers, combines, and other such treasures.

Visiting the rhubarb patch is a necessity for our family of rhubarb lovers!

Happiness is cutting rhubarb!

Summer is here....

It has been nearly 3 weeks since we have updated our blog - our apologies about that! Excuses range from we've been out of town, no access to a computer, and the computer we do have has been acting up... Yep, sounds like a bunch of excuses.

Following our very nice trip to Fort Wayne, we tried to finish up our school year, and got pretty close to being done. I (Pam) spent another week with my mom and my sister, Liz, following the death of my dad. Even though it was a sad occasion that brought us together, it was still a pretty neat week. We spent a lot of time going through old pictures, letters, even diaries from the 1940's and 1950's, which was a real treat.

My family spent a few days vacationing after the funeral. We went to The Creation Museum, in Petersburg, OH, and the Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield, IL. They were both pretty neat in their own unique ways, and I'm glad we had a chance to visit them. I will try to post more about them later - when our computer is straightened out!

Since we have been home Jenny has been busy with lifeguarding at LPBC - our nearby church camp, and volunteering two mornings a week at the hospital. Walter has started cutting hay and we will be doing that as the weather allows over the next week or so, or until we get it done.

Our house building project is moving forward. We have selected a builder and are scheduled to begin this fall. We also have started working with an architect to draw up better house plans that will be easier for the builder to follow. We were pleased with the ideas he had for us, and it is getting easier to start feeling good about this process!

We have 3 new additions to our family - kittens! Chloe the calico, Dixie the gray tiger striped, and Rika, the orange tiger striped. They are so much fun to watch.

It has been a lot of fun to watch the activities on the lake this spring and summer. The most boats we have counted at one time have been 7, and our favorites are the kayaks and sailboats. There are also a lot of people who just fish from the edges, or just come to eat a picnic lunch it seems. It is really a beautiful lake to live near, and we feel blessed to have such nice views out the front porch.

That pretty much sums it up here. Will try to get some pictures posted soon.
Posted by Pam