Coffee Cup Perspectives: Another Good Year

No doubt about it- it's cold out there!

I do love the propensity of winter weather to create pause in life. Holiday gatherings and events notwithstanding, the chilly weather here in Central Illinois has relegated most of my optional errands and activities to the "do another day" list. Maybe "do another month" is more accurate. After the several thousands of miles we covered this year, having family come to our home and then having a long weekend at home over the past few days of deep freeze has been very welcome.

January 5th, 2014

As I've been sorting through photos of our travels, many other events surfaced which did not make it to the blog but left their mark on 2013. Here's a bit of reminiscing... especially of warmer zones!

Sunset in February

We didn't have much snow last year, but it was quite frosty most of the time. Since we live near farmland, watching the changing scenery and sunsets has been a favorite way to recollect myself at the beginning or end of the day.

Happy bride and groom - March 2013

We love weddings!

Later in March, Vin Luong, the husband of our friend Jessamyn and a very talented painter in Peoria passed away suddenly from cancer. Vin's family is Chinese, but he came from Vietnam as a teenager shortly after the war and found his way to Peoria through the help of Catholic Charities and his older brother, who sponsored him and his family one by one. His painting is a fusion of Chinese art and his own abstract art concepts- but always beautiful. This is what Vin loved, Jessamyn would say, to help people see beauty where it was not expected: whether it was tenderness in a moment of suffering, the grace of a feminine figure, or eyes that light up a face.

Vin, the Painter

Honorarium

Double Vision in a Self Portrait (above). This was Vin's last full painting, his work halted by the double vision itself.

At Vin's studio


Vin loved this shade of blue. Also windows and water, a symbol of art and eternity.

Portraits of Experiences

Later that month, we had a gathering to appreciate Vin's art. The mayor of Peoria declared "Vin Day" to honor all that Vin had done (public murals, many business' unique decor) to add beauty to the city. Many business opened up special rooms for anyone to walk in and see his work.

Running t-shirt sales

Grateful students

Sept 11th Memorial. The apple was always a symbol of the soul for Vin. An inside that exceeds the outer appearance, and hides the seed of life.

Vin often also tried to capture the soul's longing for the light and purity of truth.

From Vietnam to the Muses

Baptism of Christ, Overshadowed by the light of the Spirit

Late March and April also always come with many reminders of new life... Easter celebration and the reappearance of wildlife activity in the back yard.


Sisters! Easter, April 2013 in Chicago

We seem to be a rabbit haven. Birds are a bit more scarce, since our neighborhood is a bit light on shrubs and large trees. However, a pair of cardinals and a robin come back to our maple every year now.

Guilty of nibbling on the blueberry shrubs!

Unmistakable

Thinking about nests

Then we were off to Florida, most of which was pretty well chronicled. Here are a few memorable moments along the way that did not make it to the blog, starting with our walking tour of Evansville, Indiana.

Magnolias

Surprisingly Southern feel

The old theater - redone, but still waiting for an entrepreneurial owner

Reviving Evansville - a great idea!

Our B&B. We would go back! April 10th, 2013

The Corvette Museum, Bowling Green, Kentucky. April 11, 2013

Must love a good ol' time in car history

The Quintessential Corvette

Ah, materials are so fun!

Mosaic of thousands of tiny pictures of Corvettes and their owners

Thinking outside the standard

A thrill for Jeff as both an engineer and car enthusiast, and enjoyable education for Teresa.

April 12, Birmingham, AL: Oldest baseball diamond still in use

Jeff Loves Baseball

Big names no longer play here, except for an annual special game

Appreciating the old-fashioned detailing

Throwback to a different century

Lovely morning.

Same morning, walking in Birmingham's Civil Rights Park

Memorial to the first African American registered nurse in AL

Children's March Memorial. 2013 marked its 50th Anniversary.

The profile that speaks for itself.

A good lesson in history, too easily forgotten

Arrived in Apalachicola Florida, April 12

Boathouses for rent!

Full of oysters from Apalachicola Bay, and content now that the midges are gone

Natural Curiosities abound

Apalachicola is reportedly the image of "Old Florida". This might be why.

Old and charming

April 13th: Apalachicola National Forest, Florida

So still

Hiking a side road

Evergreens you've never seen up North

Spanish Moss, central Florida

Hiking into the humid, glacial valley

Ah, the beach at last. Homestead, Florida

With Uncle Dave

Well, look at that. We belong here.

April 13, 2013

There she is: The African Queen. We had just watched this classic over the winter.

Tourist traps galore along this warf. We headed out on a glass bottom boat towards the coral reefs instead.

Brown Pelicans frequent the docks

Great White Heron over the salt water marshes

Perky little terns

Cormorants have attitude. It's just that simple. And funny.

Beautiful day!

This excursion = Happy Teresa Day. April 15, 2013


Made2Order - the best breakfast in Islamiralda Keys, FL

The old Creekside Inn, owned by Jeff's mom's family at one time.

Still a beautiful view in the morning

A little sun-beleaguered. Nothing a good breakfast can't cure, though.

It must be good if the Coast Guard eats here.

Mmmm. Sunny April 16th.

Uncle Cazi - we were blessed to see him before he passed away just after Thanksgiving.

The famous split Bahia Honda Railroad, and the quietest white sand beach in Florida.

The Florida Atlantic coast. April 17th.

Destination Key West, Florida. Why does only the south have second story porches?

Never-ending ocean side entertainers in Mallory Square

Nautical themed everything, and beautiful wood.

You have to go to the established places, at least for one beer.

Key West Lighthouse.

If you were Ernest Hemingway....

You would live in a very cool house in Key West...

Naturally, you would have books everywhere...

...you might bargain with an abbot in Spain to take their monastery gate for the head of your bed

...and have 15th c chairs in your bathroom.

But we aren't Hemingway. It was a fun visit, though.

Most of the remaining pictures from our Florida trip are back in the April 2013 entries, including the Everglades and the Space Museum. It was a great trip and then we were so glad to be home.