The place is Dercum Mountain, 11,640 ft. above sea level in Keystone, Colorado. There is a Snow Fort, and we all enjoyed it!
Ski School: February 27, 2012
No one in our immediate family skis!
I wanted the family (Sean, Carter,Ammon, and me) to begin some winter activities that we could enjoy and share together for years to come.
Sean and I had tried to ski in 2005 with a group lesson in Breckenridge, Colorado. It didn’t work. However, I knew I wanted to try to ski again with a private instructor. It was fantastic.
Our instructor was a 23 year old professional skier named Jenny Lucas. She loves children, and it showed. Carter and Ammon skied a lot for her on Monday. Jenny said Carter’s best attribute was his sense of balance, and that Ammon’s best attribute was her willingness as a “go getter”. They both skied and skied in their learning area. At the end of the day, we felt that they would do better and better as the week went on.
Keystone, Colorado: Winter Adventure Feb.27-March 2
The “Snow Angels” LOL
We had a safe and eventful week in Keystone, Colorado. I plan to write more in the days ahead, but this photo seems to epitomize the trip: Happy children enjoying the snow and winter sports. Everyone have a great Sunday.
Ash Wednesday
Genesis 3:19. “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
Luke 9: 23: “Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
Ash Wednesday
How bold Christians must be to wear ashes on their foreheads, and I love, appreciate, and admire those that will today! By no means does an outward form of appearance show what is in the heart of a person, but it is one of the few times in the year that people in droves of numbers actually show that they are followers of Jesus Christ as they go out and about with an ash cross on their foreheads.
I will be at work with Sean then go home to make dinner for Carter and Ammon, so I will not have ashes on my forehead this year. Maybe, just maybe we will be able to get them next year. I hope and pray so.
Sunday 2-19-2012
Have a great Sunday, Everyone!
Rhodes, Greece
October 17, 2011
It was the first rain of the autumn in Rhodes. It had not rained for MONTHS!
Rhodes, Greece
I think we were all surprised how Medieval Rhodes was. The crusading knights who went to the Holy Land to deliver it from the Muslims decided to hang out there for several hundred years, and they built some medieval structures..
Rhodes City
One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, The Colossus, stood in the harbor several thousand years ago. It only stood for about 50 years, and it was toppled by an earthquake. Historians are saying that it did not strattle the harbor as depicted in many drawings because it would have hampered trade while it was being built, so, they say it probably stood at one side of the harbor.
Happy Friday
April 2013:Come visit me on some new projects, friends!
I hope everyone’s Friday is Fantastic!
Carter & Ammon: Driving
Ammon and Carter with their cars
Carter and Ammon’s grandmother, Nana (fondly called Nana Claus during the month of December) gave Ammon and Carter battery powered cars for Christmas. Carter and Ammon have become quite good at driving.
Enjoy the brief video, and enjoy your Thursday as well.
Valentine’s Day 2013
In the late 1990s, an article appeared in the Diario de Yucatán (The Yucatan Journal http://bit.ly/12jViAi). It was my favorite newspaper when I lived in the Yucatan in 1994, but I used the electronic version frequently from 1995 to 1999 when I was teaching English as a Second Language. The students I was teaching were all Spanish speaking, so I would use the articles to translate into English. The article that appeared one Valentine’s Day during those years was absolutely spectacular. It covered the three Greek loves: eros (sexual), phileo (brotherly), and agape (self-less).
The lines about eros were not illicit, but very appropriate for that passion a person has for a boyfriend, girlfriend, or spouse especially on Valentine’s Day. My students and I appreciated the lines regarding the phileo due to the fact they were all pre-teens or young teens who had absolutely NO USE for eros. The Mexicans use the term “day of friendship” embedded in Valentine’s Day, and it’s nice to remember our beloved friends on February 14. For me, the most touching part was when the columnist wrote that Jesus Christ was the perfect example of agape on Valentine’s Day!
Okay, so folks, be sure to tell your significant others you love them today. Folks, tell your friends you love them today (Friends I love you!!!), and please tell Jesus Christ you love him today as well. There is no price tag on love, and it doesn’t cost one cent to say, “I love you.”
Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone.
Monday Serenity
I have never been one to post my music preferences on here. I did mention last year that Carter and Ammon really enjoyed Lady Ga Ga, but that is about it. Our friend and Kindermusik teacher, Anne Hendrix, had written a Facebook post regarding a Saint-Saens’ piece, and it inspired me to find this piece with Yo Yo Ma on Youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNbXuFBjncw
I heard the legendary flautist, James Galway, perform “The Swan” (Le Cygne) from Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals (Le carnaval des animaux) live in Nashville, Tennessee quite a few years ago, and I fell in love with the movement.
Maybe whatever you have on your mind this morning, you can turn off the televisions or CD players or whatever may be causing noise, and listen for these almost 4 minutes and kind of relax, clear your mind, and picture a serene lake in the spring or summer with a graceful swan gliding on it. Have a great Monday you all.
