Family Central

This is an Adobe photo arrangement that I did from our recent reunion. The pictures are of my mom, her two brothers and sister.

The color dial in my head....

Recently I pulled out my oil paints. It’s time. They’ve been away for years now. I put them aside in exchange for motherhood. They bring back memories of those first paintings I did. There was something special about oils, the way they stayed wet for days, the way they blended, and the way they smelled. I loved the smell of linseed oil. When I first started using oils, it was like a dial was turned on in my head. My sense of color came alive. It was incredible. I would look at the clouds in the sky and see colors I never saw before-hues of purple and pink in clouds that were always just white and gray. It was like I got new eyes. When I discovered those new found colors I was wowed over and over. My friend, Nancy, who was teaching me, was not surprised. She’d heard that same story from others who were new to painting.
When I took a break from painting today, I went outside to look at the clouds. I was hoping to turn up that color dial in my head. I want to see colors even more vivid then before. It didn't happen today. Maybe it’s turned up as far as it will go.

More pictures

A fake outhouse I found interesting. Why? I don't know.

One of a hundred beautiful pictures

taken at Mohican.

If you ever get the chance,

go there. I was overwhelmed

with photo opportunities.

God gave us two short but

awesome days to enjoy with

our friends Mark and Chris and

family.

I really like this wagon wheel in the flowers.

That's all for now. My son is waiting

patiently for the computer.

New Pictures

These are some recent pictures I'd like to share with you. I hope you enjoy them.

Flowers at Mohican












Hummingbird on front porch















The gang at Mohican



Dave doing Frizbee Golf at Whispering Hills Campground

Music not working properly?

I've been having trouble with the music player. Some songs will just stop playing. I have to redo the player. If songs aren't playing for you, let me know.

Riding a roller coaster....

Kevin Kate, a member of our small group is going to Haiti next week to help drill water wells. I didn’t know quite what he was getting into, so I did a little search on the Internet about Haiti. They are listed as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. God is about to take Kevin on a ride he won’t forget.

I remember another ride God took Kevin, his family, and our whole small group on. We were all introduced to Helen, a widow from Sugarcreek. She had multiple strokes while living by herself. Over a period of time she lacked running water and her living conditions deteriorated. She was afraid to ask for help because she didn’t want to leave her dog. She let our small group into her home and her heart. We wanted to help her, but her situation was so bleak it took an act of God to bring the task to completion. Our small group had the privilege of watching that miracle unfold and being part of it.

Just this week I painted the railing on my porch. I was really sweating it out in eighty-degree temperatures and high humidity hoping under my breath I would be done soon. I’m all for taking care of the gifts God gives us, but you just don’t get the same sense of accomplishment that you do when your helping someone out. It was summer during the time we helped Helen. We all wiped our brows more than a few times. I think we all felt it was a ride worth sweating for.

Even though he’ll be roughing it for a couple of weeks in Haiti, I imagine Kevin Kate will be feeling that same way again, enduring another bittersweet ride. We are praying for him and his family while he is gone.

Here is a link to the Free Methodist Haiti Website http://fmmhaiti.org/project-wells.html
where I obtained the picture and mission information for this blog.