The More the Merrier!!

May was full of picnics and out-of-town friends!

Ann and Mariana at a baptismal party, in from Maryland...

And here's the big picnic of the month, Jeanette's birthday!

Bridget...

Considering the swingset options...

Uncle Mark & Anna with the newest cousin!

Snuggles from mommy Wendy for Catherine

Kyle serves up the strawberry shortcake -

It's sooooooooooooooooooooo good, Daddy!

Lots of cuddles for the new babies in town.

Jen & Mary, always in good company!

Gianna ~ aka,

Perpetual

Motion and Smiles!

Mom on Mission Retrieval


Jenny, Gianna and Joey-in-tow

Laurel & Anna in the sun!

Oohh - I love my cousin Rosemary

Tinier than me!

Sisters....!

Happy Birthday, Jeanette!

Blossom Time

... in Central Illinois

The Forest Park Nature Center is a 500-acre little surprise, nestled into the western hills overlooking the Illinois River Valley just north of Peoria. Established as such only 40-some years ago, the land was a Girl Scouts Camp for the preceding ten years; before that it was a tranquil sanitorium for tuberculosis patients. And before it took on that role in 1917, the area - initially cleared by French and British families for farming - hosted hops fields and large vegetable farm. The latter actually persisted side-by-side with the sanitorium until 1950.

Wild Flox were taking over the groundcover...




If you can make it down the 45degree hill on the main road, you can walk in the woods and take in the beauty - with plenty of company you may not find elsewhere.

"Hide!!"

and seek...



"Hide?"

and seek!

May 18, 2008

McNaughten Park ...

... otherwise known as Potowatami Trail, an 850-acre hilly creek-cut area of oak-hickory woods and little prairies. It is rumored the same lively company that made an appearance in the nature center are abound in McNoughton, but on this excursion, they kept well-concealed.

(Perhaps because of little Caracu, ready to take on the scent!)

We, on the other hand, abandoned the trail for the creek!


Eastern Redbud just sprawling...

- endless lavender-pink was in abundance on all over the park on our hike!

Common bluebell, maybe? (Don't quote me on this!)

Again, they were thick on the woodland floors, beautiful!

Apple blossoms!

Look carefully - there is a reason for this picture!

The Sunday afternoon hiking crew... aka - Mary, Matt, LaDonna, genially regarding the photographers' statement,

"Smile - your in the way of the picture!"

Pied Beauty

(Gerard Manley Hopkins)

GLORY be to God for dappled things—
For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;
Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;
And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spare, strange;
Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:
Praise him.

May 4, 2008

Winter in Retrospect

My little place all cozied up for the holidays...





Then out to NYC for a conference - the first morning I looked out the window of my room...

the beautiful NY skyline across the Hudson, glimmering in the sunrise.

By night...

Some of the sparkle and clarity is lost via cellphone, having left my trusty digital behind!

One month later, my aunt and uncle kindly welcomed me to stay a few days and visit with my grandmother. I looked out a different window on the opposite coast to a walled garden...

- mist, mountains and insanely springlike California sunshine!

Even the flowers were bursting out already...

I was much in need of rest and indulged in reading and naps in the warm breeze...

...listening to the sound of the garden fountain..

and stories from Grandmother Clair.

This is my favorite wall in her apartment, the brides!

Grandmother and Aunt Nancy

and Uncle Kevin

Last warm hugs before the airport!

Joie!

La joie est une émotion exprimant le sentiment d'exaltation agréable et profonde.
Thoughts on a Journey, October 2007

I can't explain why the French Joie! captures the essence of fullness and human warmth better than an English description of the same. So I won't. I'll leave that to your own efforts at translation, using your intuition over a dictionary.

There was, in my tour de force through New York and Ohio last October, a sense of bursting happiness. The joy of being ~ renewed and flourishing.

(Very Enthusiastic Apple-Pickers in training.)

I love you. What does this mean?

My heart reaches out

Lending of myself that you may blossom
And I, captured by a Presence

Stay, and pour forth even more
To be

To delight

And blossom too

Finally! Elizabeth located an almost-perfect speciman.

From tree to pan in less than 12 hours!

(The new chefs learning the art of making apple crisps AND keeping toddler siblings at bay.)

"Brothers and sisters...

Over all these things, put on love, that is, the bond of perfection...

...And let the peace of Christ control your hearts...

the peace into which you were also called in One Body...

And be thankful...

And whatever you do, do from the heart

as for the Lord and not for others...

... and be thankful..." (Col 3)

A sunlit coffeebreak back home, after visits with Sherine & Scot and their daughters Cecilia and Hannah, with "Aunt Emily" (all formerly companions of the grad school year at Trinity East). Finally a little visit with my small friend Gianna here in Peoria.

True friends ~ and a constant source of Joie!