Summer Happenings Theme: Pic #5

Another annual summer happening is very recent: Shenandoah Christian Music Camp - Ontario. This was the second year for Camp in our area. Yesterday was program day. Six different choirs contributed several songs in afternoon and evening performances. The children's choirs were outstanding! Something about their simple, sincere message brought me to tears. I was privileged to sing in Mass Choir with most of my family (and at least a hundred more people), giving "alleluias to the Great I Am".

Summer Happenings Theme: Pic #4

An (almost) annual summer event for our church family is the July biking social. This year the location was London, Ontario on some very nice paved trails following the Thames River. And we couldn't have asked for a nicer afternoon weather-wise. 

Summer Happenings Theme: Pic #3

One of my favorite parts of summer (I have lots of them) is harvesting garden produce. When I brought in this mess of greens and set it in the kitchen sink for washing, it looked like I had arranged a bouquet: the green onion stalks were the flower stems and the lettuce and spinach leaves were the blooms. 

Summer Happenings Theme: Pic #2

A week ago...we were privileged to attend a wedding! The ceremony was held outdoors on a perfect summer evening, at the home of the bride. What a gorgeous setting it was with the beautiful lawns and flower arrangements as well as wheat fields surrounding in golden splendor. Here is a pic of the newly-married couple - Trent & Amber Martin - in the reception tent at dusk.

Week #22 Theme: Summer Happenings

Water Colors (or Water Coolers) is a great game to play outside on a hot summer day. One team decides on a color, and the members of the other team take turns guessing what the color is. When someone guesses correctly, the opposite team quickly tries to pour water from their cups onto the feet of the person across from them. Lots of shrieking ensues, if it's anything like the game pictured above. Note: If you decide to try this game, see if you can keep it from developing into an all-out water fight! 

Flowers 2 Theme: Pic #7

Need some cheerin' up? Strolling among flowers such as this one may well be what it takes to brighten your day. I don't know what kind of bloom it was, but it smiled up at me when I walked by. Its home is one of the gorgeous flowerbeds at Queen's Park in Stratford, Ontario. 

Flowers 2 Theme: Pic #6

The flowers in a surprise remembering-your-birthday bouquet, designed by a good friend of mine, lasted for almost three weeks. Since I took a picture of them to send with my thank-you note to her, I can look back now and enjoy the bouquet again and again. (Thanks for the on-going pleasure, Cor!)

Flowers 2 Theme: Pic #5

This is just a glimpse of the flowers and other décor at my nephew Trent & Amber's lovely outdoor wedding on Friday. Trent's parents weren't able to be there since they left this earth almost 18 years ago, in a tragic car accident. They were remembered much on this special occasion, and their presence in spirit added to the beauty and joy of Trent & Amber's ("Tramber's"! :) ) day. 

Flowers 2 Theme: Pic #4

Flowers like this are dear to a fruit farmer's heart. This year's apple crop is shaping up to be beautiful. In spite of getting some light hail twice already, we are optimistic the crop will be bountiful as well. 

Flowers 2 Theme: Pic #3

Impatiens sparkle in the sunshine after a summer rain.

Flowers 2 Theme: Pic #2

Can't you almost smell the summer, feel the lazy heat and hear the buzzin' of the bees? This graceful wildflower goes by the name of vetch, and is the sweet pea of the meadow. The bees, butterflies and birds like these flowers, and so do I.

Week #21 Theme: Flowers 2

I figure it's time to do another week of flowers. Summer is such a perfect time of year for getting pics of brilliant blooms. I spotted this stunning gazania (I think that's the kind) in a flower garden near The Big Fish in Hayward, Wisconsin one day last summer when we were touring my old stomping grounds.

Old Theme: Pic #7

"The lines have fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly (and godly) heritage." Psalm 16:6

My Grandpa LeRoy Schrock often quoted this verse. He was devoted to God and he valued family, and it showed. I treasure this pic which captures a meeting of the old and young. My sister took it when she introduced her little Jewel to Grandpa mere months before his death in June 2015. Yes, I love this photo of Grandpa, but it certainly makes me miss him!  

                                                                   (Photo credit - Faye Eby)

                                                                                    

Old Theme: Pic #6

"You don't stop having fun when you get old, you get old when you stop having fun." (Ritu Ghatourey)

I was intrigued by the décor above the beverage counter at Camp Andrews when we visited there in April. The old-timey kitchen items gave it a whimsical look. 

Old Theme: Pic #5

“When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?” (Psalm 8:3-4 KJV)

Here is the old moon, looking like it was hung fresh and new for one orchard evening. Maker of the moon is Mindful Master of me, and the Maker of all things new in my heart - what a marvelous mystery!

Old Theme: Pic #4

“If you had never jumped from one couch to the other to save yourself from the lava, you did not have a childhood.” (source unknown)

For me, that's about like saying if you never rode on a bike much too big for you over the hand-hewn trails in the woods or on a two-seater with your twin sister or a friend along the back roads surrounding Great Uncle Sam's place, you did not have a childhood. The sight of this old bike brought back a powerful lot of memories!

Old Theme: Pic #3

“Old age is like everything else. To make a success of it, you've got to start young.”  (Theodore Roosevelt)

Judging by his contribution to art class, I think this student is on his way to success.

Old Theme: Pic #2

"New friends may be poems but old friends are alphabets. Don't forget the alphabets because you will need them to read the poems."    (William Shakespeare?)

I became friends with this young-at-heart woman soon after I moved to Ontario so I think by now we can be called old friends even though we didn't grow up together. Recently my alphabet friend Mary had me to her house for tea and a catch-up chat. I loved it!

Week #20 Theme: Old

“A new broom sweeps clean but an old broom knows the corners.” (Irish proverb)

This corner-knowing broom took my eye as we toured one of the village houses at The Plimoth Plantation in Massachusetts last spring. 

Mirrored Theme: Pic #7

I took this picture of the woods in spring, as mirrored in a pool of collected April rains. I love the wavy, rather ethereal effect. In other info regarding this photo: It is actually upside-down, and it also has the distinction of being the pic of my 500th post. (in that many consecutive days) That's a lot gifts on which to reflect in gratitude...

Mirrored Theme: Pic #6

The Bible is tattered and mildewed, but I still have a special place for it in my heart. I received it from Rural Bible Crusade as a reward for completing their memorization program back in 1979. I wrote in it a lot; it's kind of like a spiritual journal of my teen years and early twenties. In the margin beside this "Mirror of His Word" passage in James 2, I have written "If there's jam on your face, do something about it. - Ron Shantz".

Mirrored Theme: Pic #5

We won't see this kind of mirrored mountain beauty when we go hiking around here, but we're looking forward to visiting the region where we can. We plan to head out West at the end of this month to spend some time with my twin and her family who live in Oregon. On July Fourth, they hiked in this gorgeous setting: Mirror Lake, with the majesty of Mt. Hood in the background. Do you think they sent us this pic to ramp up our excitement for the trip?                          (Photo credit: Nolan Bechtel)

Mirrored Theme: Pic #4

This fantastic piece of Creation - involving limestone cliffs and glacial potholes - was found at Rockwood (fitting name, eh?) Conservation Area during a Thanksgiving weekend hike we did with our church family last Fall.

Mirrored Theme: Pic #3

This welcome bouquet of dried roses in our entry looks twice as full with its mirrored addition. Plenty of welcome in our home - come check it out!

Mirrored Theme: Pic #2

I wonder if these goosey two look at each other or at their own reflection in the water when they want to see themselves. In this pose, they were out for a swim on the orchard pond one calm morning this Spring.

Week #19 Theme: Mirrored

I took this picture while we were at a park somewhere in Maine last year. It is one of those shots in which the reflection actually looks brighter/deeper than the real scene. 

Canadian Theme: Pic #7

This winter pic shows another decidedly Canadian scene: enjoying a beavertail on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa, Canada's capital. These sisters shared the tasty pastry during a break from ice skating on the canal as part of our family trip to Ottawa a number of years ago. 

Canadian Theme: Pic #6

Today we are about as far away from outdoor ice-skating weather as we can get, but during this Canadian theme week I did want to post something depicting a very Canadian pastime: playing hockey on a backyard rink. 

Canadian Theme: Pic #5

Happy Birthday to my favorite Canadian! To celebrate Ken's bday tonight, Ken and I and the girls ate supper at a restaurant located practically a stone's throw from our place. The name of the restaurant is The Crazy Canuck. (Canuck is slang for Canadian, and can be used as a noun or adjective.) When the waitress took our orders and found out it was Ken's birthday, she promised us free desserts after first course. Sure enough, each of us got served a snowshoe dessert - a small cinnamon-and-sugar sprinkled donut-type mound with rhubarb and berry (maybe raspberry?) sauce on top and whipped cream - delicious, and on the house. Nice birthday treat!

Canadian Theme: Pic #4

Many and varied stories could be told of experiences at this type of location. Probably this birthday weekend is one of the busiest times at the entrances to Canada, partly due to the fact of the neighboring country doing its birthday celebrations only three days after Canada's. I'm grateful for the ease of passing between my country and Ken's. And I will even admit that by now Canada seems like my country, too. 

Canadian Theme: Pic #3

Happy 150th Birthday, Canada! These flowers are birthday tulips in more than one way. The celebratory Canada flag (see the maple leaf?) tulip bulb was designed in part by The Netherlands, representing their gratitude and the long-standing friendship they have with Canada. The tulips in this photo were planted by my mom-in-law in memory of Sandy, the son who (along with his wife) died in a tragic vehicle accident 18 years ago. Mom Martin planted 50 special tulip bulbs in her flowerbeds last fall, and they bloomed in May over the time of what would have been Sandy's 50th birthday.