Ward Wanderings

Father's Day 2013

We spent Sunday the 16th at Patuxent Baptist Church. The entire place was decorated for Vacation Bible School with a theme of teaching about man from Genesis and the founding of America. It will be a fun time for everyone starting Monday night.

After evening service we went to Brusters Ice Cream...yummy daily hand-made ice cream.

This last one is strawberry shortcake for me--but I thought it would be more the size in the red cup! I shared with Henry and Sara and we managed to finish it. It was soooo good.

California

Antelope Valley Indian Museum. The items came from a private collection.

Opening service at the Spiritual Leadership Conference. "Power of the Cross" by the Getty's was sung--something uplifting and fantastic.

We met retired pastor Carl Herbster--dad to Matthew, Mike and Mark who visited Japan two years ago.

Sara turned 15 on June 15 and this is the cupcake party we had for her.

We had the privilege of meeting Ron "Patch the Pirate" Hamilton at the Conference. Our kids, like so many others, grew up on his songs and Christian character CDs.

June 6, 2013 trip to CA

Our flight from Kansai airport to San Francisco, then Los Angeles, was really uneventful. A very smooth ride, thankfully. Here are some shots on the way to LAX.

Before the afternoon flight we are a late lunch at an okonomiyaki restaurant at the airport. Just heavenly--cabbage and veggies with shrimp, sauce and mayo.

This photo is of SFO airport a few minutes after takeoff.

We rented a car and drove to Simi Valley where we are at a Motel 6. Not the best hotel going, but it will do for the night. The lady in the next room had three (3) huge either Dalmations or Great Danes. The coloring and spots were like Dalmation, but the size was a Dane. It was a family--mom, pop and junior dog. They kept me up until after 2:00 a.m.

More May Flowers

This deep purple iris is the first year in my garden. The above was taken with a flash.

The same flower taken without the flash, same time of day. Gorgeous either way.

Don't know what this little gem is but they are pretty. Below is how they opened up.

The Japanese call this Flannel; I think it is a Lamb's Ear, myself. The leaves are velvety.

Sakuranbo update


We have been harvesting Japanese cherries since Monday and so far have collected about 15 kg as near as I can figure. About half that we have given away. I cooked some and dried them in the oven. So delicious. In the process of getting these cherries, Henry has taken over the tree cutting. The tree is getting its pruning but we will probably trim and shape it up later this summer. There must be at least another 4-5 kilos on that tree. Reminds me of the abundance blessings of God. This harvest will need to be completed by Monday as the fruit will start to rot shortly. The ones at the top are really sweet.

New Dress

Sara is wearing the royal blue bridesmaid dress for big brother's upcoming wedding. It was custom made and fits well. Big sister Teresa will wear the same style. Mom will have the same color, but a Mother of the Bride style that currently needs a little neckline adjustment. Just a few short weeks until the big day.

Flowers in my yard

This is a large peonie I think

Don't remember the name, but they are about 2 feet tall and look like firework balls

This iris looks blue, but is actually a lavender like the ones above

One of the many purple flowers in the garden--similar to an orchid

This is the center of our Japanese cherry tree or sakuranbo. There must be 8 kilos this year; the most we've had ever. These cherries are more pit than cherry, but the reddest ones are especially sweet. Matthew planted this tree back in 1999 or 2000. It's on the back slope making it difficult to reach the top branches; however the tree is in need of a good pruning...

May Iris

Lavender and purple iris are blooming in abundance here in May. As is custom, each of the mother's that came to Sunday services received one along with a gift. This year I made covered notebooks for everyone using all sorts of fabrics from my stash.

This is the newest composter we found at Costco. It rotates on ball bearings and is supposed to turn yard waste and such into rich soil in about six weeks. You turn it once a day. It looks either like a huge bowling ball or a bomb, not sure which. Maybe with the tree trunk from below poking out like a fuse, it is more like the latter. :-)

Hatacho, Kobe, Japan

A multitude of photos in and around Hata Cho. Marvelous sunset.
The fish flags are for Boys Day on May 5. The house roof has the kanji for water. In the country area about three miles from us there were fields not yet plowed that had clumps of purple flowers; a happy budda in front of a restaurant, one of dozens of purple iris ready to bloom in my garden--this one has a crooked stem. Then an experiment by Sara involving air pressure in which the soda can collapsed with a bang. There's little Karen and her big smile; and a t-shirt that says When God made me He was just showing off.

Happy Parade

This is the front of my latest sweatshirt.

Laugh on the horizon. Looks like smiley faces that have been paint balled.

This little critter was on the dining table one morning this week. How it got here is anyone's guess. It got put outside. but isn't it cute?!

Another bird in our yard, but I forgot what it is called. :-( I need to get a good English-language bird book about Japan birds.

These are a pair of gray herons that live in our little valley. I've never seen two together in the same place. Awesome.

This is the latest science experiment by Sara. It has to do with cold and hot pressure inside a bottle, which inflated the balloon.

New road crews

Traveling on the toll roads there were numerous road construction sites. I noticed a new flag man at several of them. See if you can spot what is different about them.