Singing the Blues

The blue of the winter sky seems bluer when you see it after so many days of not seeing it that you almost get the blues. (and this sentence structure is enough to make any grammarian blue!)

Falling For His Beauty

The mighty, thunderous Niagara Falls are beautiful in every season. I stood by them yesterday and felt moved in two ways..."moved" with that sensation one gets from standing by a swiftly-moving object and suddenly the object is stationary and you are the one moving along at a rapid pace...and moved to worship the Creator of the Falls.

Fantastic Weekend

I got to spend the weekend in Niagara with this wonderful bunch. The house we rented was within walking distance of the Falls, so we spent some time outdoors, but that was only one great aspect of our together time. We played games, told stories, sang, read books, celebrated Rolin's birthday (which was 2 weeks ago) and cooked some mighty fine meals. This pic was taken during the pancakes-n-sausage brunch on Sunday morning.

My Good Man

This man of mine! One of the things I noticed early on when I was getting to know him all those years ago is that he's good with children. He still has that trait - he values them and pays attention to them. Yeah, his big voice scares the youngest ones sometimes, but he has a way with those little people. Add to this interesting stories, and they practically flock to him. 

Exam Week

This girl takes her studies seriously, and it shows - on her report card and elsewhere. This week (Tues - Thurs) she had three exams, one per day, and they went from easiest to most difficult. The good news is that this is the last time she'll write exams for Semester One in high school at CCS. My guess is, though, that she'll never stop learning in life.

Farewell to Grandma Bru

The memories table at Mary's funeral yesterday held a few tangible items that reminded us of the wonderful woman she was. Countless intangible reminders, though, collected in the hearts of her family and friends. I am in no way related to her by blood or by marriage...not really, unless it counts that my dad married her son's widow after my mom died. What means a lot to me is that Mary counted me as a granddaughter, called me such and treated me as family when she certainly didn't have to. It was her way. Dear spunky, forthright, fun-loving and godly "Grandma Bru" - I miss you already. 

Picnic in Pink

Coming to Uncle Ken and Aunt Dani's house to play is a lot more fun than standing (or trying to stand still) for several hours in a receiving line at Great-Grandma Mary's viewing. Especially if you get to use all those dishes and foods to go on a "pinknic", as your cousin calls it!

The Bleak Mudwinter

Perhaps the sight of all the melting snow and mud around here presently should be giving me spring fever. Um...it's not. While the mild weather has been easier for adjusting back to winter in Canada since returning from the south, I long for bright sunshine. We haven't seen the sun for a week! When I went outside to get a pic for today, I was surprised to see the frost-like designs in the mud on our driveway. It reminded me that God has a pattern and purpose in things that I think muddy up my life. If anything is beautiful in my blahness, it's got to be of Him.

Friend of Books

When a brother brings his young family to our area and we get to host them for a few days, we are treated to cute, cozy scenes such as this.

Ladies of Grace

Playing games was only one of the delights of the weekend with my church sisters at our annual retreat. How I love my friends with whom I can offer my genuine self and receive acceptance and grace in return.

Trini Cook Wannabe

There are several Trinidadian recipes I'd love to try in the next few weeks. I began with this chicken dish that has turmeric and curry in it. (that's what gives it the yellow look) It was quite tasty, but next time I'd be braver and put more chopped jalapeno pepper in it.

Fristy Frosty Morning

Although the weather and flora here are very different from what we experienced in the tropics last week, there's something outstanding and beautiful about the plant life in our own back yard, too, these days.

Hearty Photo Collection

In January it's always a pleasure to go through the stack of photos we've received throughout the Christmas season. I take heart at the thought of the variety of gifts and encouragement these friends and relatives have brought into our lives through God's orchestration.

Anniversary Gift Orchid

I began the TriniTrip series of photos with a pic of orchids, and I will close the series with a pic of this large and unique one. Yesterday in our travels over and around the mountain, our guide suddenly stopped the pickup beside the road and exclaimed over this orchid. The large, single bloom seemed to float in the air among the leaves and branches of a tree, creating a beautiful, unexpected sighting on our excursion. Since we're home, I wondered what orchids symbolize, so I googled the question and was astonished to discover that one of the descriptions under "a pink orchid" is that it is considered a gift for a 14th or 28th anniversary. The anniversary that Ken and I were celebrating on this trip is our twenty-eighth! Call me deep into sentimentality, but I will continue to think of this orchid as a symbol of unexpected gifts - on this trip and in our marriage.

Mountain Top Experience

Today, on our last full day in Trinidad, we visited one of our orchard workers who lives on a mountain in northern Trinidad. He drove us around in a 4-wheel-drive pickup. The roads and lanes were so winding and steep, I don't think we'd have made it without such a vehicle and the expertise of the driver. We saw many breath-taking views of the mountainsides, the valleys and the ocean. This, along with the commentary of our guide, the tour of his house, a delicious lunch cooked and served by his wife, meeting some of his relatives and friends and eating an afternoon snack of doubles (sandwich sort of thing with a hot-n-spicy chickpea filling) he purchased for us at a streetside stand, gave us an authentic Trinidadian cultural experience. We found out that today is our friend's birthday; I can only hope he had as great a day as he gave us.

Like Family

Today we were able to begin accomplishing the second most important goal of this trip - meeting some of our orchard workers. We spent five hours with this chap at his house, met his lovely wife, daughter and granddaughter, ate a splendid lunch of rice, beans and fresh vegetables prepared in his kitchen and sat on his porch to visit in the refreshing mountain breezes that wafted through. We laughed a lot. At one point, Ken told him that he and his people are like family to us. His daughter protested and said, "Not like family, we are family!"

                         (Photo credit: The Granddaughter - 6 yrs old, and with the cutest black braids galore)

Flowering Delights

I have been enjoying the beauty and uniqueness of the flowers in Tobago. Some of the kinds I recognize and most I don't - but I'm intrigued by them all. They are so lush and vibrant. Beside the same kinds we have in our living rooms in North America, the Tobago varieties would appear to be on steroids!

Waterfalls Tour

Today we set out to drive around the island of Tobago and had an adventurous time. We kind of happened onto hiking in a rain forest with our own personal guide, who was very knowledgeable and likable. His favorite saying was "Why cry when you can smile?" It wasn't hard to be happy surrounded by all that beauty of flora and fauna on our trek. The waterfalls and other tropical scenes were phenomenal!
                                                                               (Photo credit: "Birdman" Michael, tour guide)

View From Balcony

One of my favorite ways to watch the sun set is to see it slip out of view and be swallowed gently by the ocean. Last night the sun's departure was particularly spectacular in color, sky patterns and foliage silhouettes in the foreground. Besides, the company I had to sit with me on the deck and enjoy the view couldn't have been better!

Banana Babies

When I tried the bananas available in the fresh fruits section of the breakfast buffet at our resort, I thought, "These are so delicious they taste like someone picked them off of a banana plant in the back yard this very morning!" Later on in the day, I saw these tiny bananas on a banana plant in "jungle" on the hotel grounds and I realized my thought at breakfast could very well be true.

Bacolet Beach

Ken did it again - found us a small, secluded resort at which to relax and rejuvenate on an anniversary trip. This one, Bacolet Beach Club, is on the southern shore of Tobago and has amazing oceanside beauty.

Gearing Up For TriniTrip

While "the weather outside is frightful", Ken and I are reading the Trinidad & Tobago section of travel books and I'm thinking about tropical flowers in abundance when I see my windowsill orchid in bloom against a backdrop of snow banks. Our flight departs tonight, God willing. My next blog photos should depict warmer climes.

In But Not Of

From yesterday's message by Pastor James at Grace: Object lesson on the Church's relation to the world. The motor oil cannot mix with the water because the attraction of the water molecules to each other is stronger than their attraction to the oil molecules. Likewise, the Church does not blend with the world because it is highly attracted/tightly "glued" to Christ, which overcomes the attraction to the world. It was a good illustration of the "in the world but not of the world" concept.

Downhill From There

Four of us from here went to Blue Mountain yesterday: three braved the challenges (and cold!) of the slopes and one was quite content to hang out in the ski lodge to read and write. Oh, and to take photos of the skiers at dusk.

Puzzle Pals

It's never a puzzle to figure out what to do with Mom-Ruthie when she is around during the holidays. My parents' stay at our house this week was very short, but it was long enough to make hauling out a puzzle worthwhile. We also made time to get caught up on each others' news (gabbing goes quite nicely with working on a puzzle) and listen to live piano music and eat cashews. And then when The Sons & Co. were still here, Dad got the idea for all of us to sing some hymns together. He'd sooner work on choral pieces than puzzle pieces. All put together, "a good time was had by all." 

More Kitchen Art

Yesterday I blogged about my love of creating things in the kitchen, and since then, it has been confirmed that I'm not the only one who enjoys it. Proof: Kerra made an indoor picnic lunch with a young friend of hers who, by all appearances, knows the secret of food tasting better if you have fun with it first. (I dare you to look at this pic without grinning!)

Sandwiches To A Tea

I love doing kitchen art! I knew this before yesterday but it was confirmed as I planned and mixed and shaped "dear little sandwiches" for Mom M's birthday tea.

Great Relatives

Birthday celebrations are wonderful even if belated. Some weeks back, my mom-in-law (the young lady in the green dress) reached at least a half-way milestone age and some of us relatives gathered today to honor her. We had a fine time with a great mom and great aunts. These four surely do have a sisterly resemblance, don't they?

Signs of Celebration

The marks are quickly fading in all this January the Third rain and mildness, but the memories remain. They were here, those snow-angel-makers and year-markers were. With much merriment they went out and branded the deep new snow just minutes into the new year. And etched some good memories in my mom-heart while they were at it.

Fruitful Addition

It's hard to go wrong with adding fruit to the menu at a family gathering, or for any meal, really. It's a blessed change from all the cookies and candy that accumulate during the holidays, and it's fairly easy to prepare and serve...a food that is good and good for you!

Happy 2017!

Getting acquainted: smelling their new books after our gift exchange at The Kenites Gathering. Maybe that's how we're approaching the New Year, as well. It's a brand new story we've been given...haven't read it yet...have a bit of an idea what may be in it, but largely unknown...for now, we'll gratefully receive it and hold it in our hands and inhale the scent of its newness in anticipation of what delights it will bring...