Tag Archives: travel

Longwood Liasion

Posted on by under Photography, Travel, Uncategorized
Water Gardens

The Walk to the Water Gardens

A few times a year I try to break away for a time of solitude and prayer. Such times help me to refocus and gain some much-needed perspective on life. Sort of like climbing to the top of a high hill and being able to see the lay of the land below.

Rose Wall

The Rose Wall

A few weeks ago I had the chance to break away for a day a prayer at Longwood Gardens just outside of Chadds Ford PA.

My son and I arrived at Longwood after a late breakfast.  We walked the gardens together through lunch time and then he headed off to work leaving me with a six-hour block of time to read the Bible and pray.

Joe at the waterfall

Joe at the waterfall

Lately I have felt a bit overwhelmed by the scope of work I see God opening up before me. I brought many of my concerns about my own ability to Him that day. In response He took me to the words of Hebrews Chapter 11

” Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.”Heb. 11:1

 

 

The Webb House in the Meadow Garden

The Webb House in the Meadow Garden

As I pondered how I should address my current responsibilities in faith I took a long walk through the meadow garden.  During the course of that walk I stumbled upon this sign.

New Image

I realized then, that every time I begin to get a handle on the pace of life the pace of life seems to quicken. The answer I was left with was to rest in the flow.  God also reminded that I am not alone in the boat. If the work is increasing then the labor force has to increase as well.

Eye Of Water Brook

The night is coming on fast and there is still much to do. God showed me that while I might see a corner piece of some of that work even that much is not mine to do. I don’t have to do everything I see, only those things I see my Father doing.

Evening At Longwood

When my son met me at 9 that evening I felt ready to take on these new challenges facing me in ministry.

When was the last time you took a day to pray and get your bearings? What has the Lord been telling you in your prayer time??

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Orangeness

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This post is written in response to Sue’s A Word A Week Challenge which this week has to be on the topic : ORANGE

Check out Sue’s other subscribers at

http://suellewellyn2011.wordpress.com/2014/05/31/a-word-a-week-photograph-challenge-orange/

 

Here is my orangeness! Oompaloompahs arise!

Perhaps not what you meant but this is the tomb of William of Orange and the Orange family

Perhaps not what you meant but this is the tomb of William of Orange and the Orange family

 

Sort of orangy red in the yellow

Sort of orangy red in the yellow

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The Bull Dog decorated for the coronation of the Netherland’s new king

Soylent Green Is People

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OK so maybe nobody who missed the seventies sci-fi scene (that’s how it was spelled then) will get this reference unless of course you happened to see the equally arcane scyfy movie from 2012 (that’s how they spell it now) Cloud Atlas; But the line kept coming to mind as I walked through Keukenhof Gardens last year.

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It was forty-five degrees and raining. Still people chose to show up with no coats. So Keukenhof staff were handing out these green rain ponchos. The hood of this very economical rain gear came down just below the eye line; So people were walking around half blind trying to look at flowers ,cutting each other off at every turn.

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After three hours of nearly being trampled upon by the men and women in green, my sister and I began warning each other of oncoming danger with the buzz words “Soylent green is people!” We’d laugh hysterically and that made getting stepped on almost all right.

When I came back to the states and downloaded my pictures I thought maybe I should just delete these but they make me laugh every time I see them. I haven’t the heart to let the joke go.

To see other odd ball photos go to:

http://ceenphotography.com/2014/04/13/cees-odd-ball-photo-challenge-week-7/

Sunday Stills: Witloaf

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This week’s Sunday Stills challenge is all about international cuisine. 

As soon as I saw the theme I knew  the picture I was going to post.100_2163This is witloaf (pronounced Vit-loaf). It’s  chicken wrapped in bacon on a bed of endive and baked in a cheese crust smothered with a special red sauce. YUMMMMY! But what I remember about the meal beyond the great taste was the wonderful company. Thanks to Willem and Mirjam Jackson for the memories!

To discover other international dishes go to:

http://sundaystills.wordpress.com/2014/04/13/sunday-stills-the-next-challenge-international-food/

So What Qualifies As Pink?

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As I started to compile  photos for this week’s travel theme from Ailsa which is: Pink

I came a cross a bunch of photos which I labeled “pink” but as I looked at them I had to ask myself, “Are these pics really pink?”

Row house in Amsterdam

Row house in Amsterdam

Or are these shudders more of a magenta?

How about this portrait of Queen Beatrix by Andy Warhol which hangs in the Rijks Museum

100_0118Is she pink or more of a lavender with red highlites?

Brenda in St. Bavo's

Brenda in St. Bavo’s

I am praying that what my sister is wearing here is pink but y’know  it just might be salmon.

Cornerstone Church

Cornerstone Church

I used to be confident that the color of our sanctuary was dusty rose but after this morning’s search I am a little shaky. It just might be pink!

But of one thing I am pretty certain… when the sailors of old looked for a red sky at night I am pretty sure they meant pink.

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Mel11Find some real pink…I think at

http://wheresmybackpack.com/2014/03/21/travel-theme-pink/

 

But I Really Need A Big Wood & Metal Bucket!

Posted on by under Photography

This post was created for Cee’s Oddball Photo Challenge

Take a gander at her other submissions here

http://ceenphotography.com/2014/03/20/cees-odd-ball-photo-challenge-week-4/

Y’know, I could very easily be a hoarder…I mean collector of odd items. 🙂

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So when I saw this big old square bucket at a market in Haarlem I thought “that would look really cool on our dining table.”

Never mind that our dining room is decorated in turn of the century  Victorian fashion…well except for all the other junk my mom and I have put in it….

Honestly the only thing that kept me from buying it was the knowledge that I would have to use it instead of my suitcase as my one carry on. It makes me think I should maybe never vacation in the States. Who knows what I would come back with?!?

What Grows In Your Garden…

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The seeds for this post came from Ailsa at Wheresmybackpack.com

Her travel theme this week is: Gardens; So let me begin by encouraging you to stop on over at her place when you are done here to see some absolutely gorgeous grow spaces.

http://wheresmybackpack.com/2014/03/14/travel-theme-gardens-2/

Gardens are places where things grow intentionally, cultivated spaces. Unlike a happenstance forest a garden does not spring forth by accident. What grows there grows by choice of the gardener. My heart is a garden. Life does not accidentally happen to my heart. I choose what seed I let fall in that soil. I choose what weeds get pulled out. The condition of my heart like the condition of my garden is entirely up to me.

“The many great gardens of the world, of literature and poetry, of painting and music, of religion and architecture, all make the point as clear as possible: The soul cannot thrive in the absence of a garden. If you don't want paradise, you are not human; and if you are not human, you don't have a soul.” ― Thomas More

“The many great gardens of the world, of literature and poetry, of painting and music, of religion and architecture, all make the point as clear as possible: The soul cannot thrive in the absence of a garden. If you don’t want paradise, you are not human; and if you are not human, you don’t have a soul.”
― Thomas More

“Gardens are not made by singing 'Oh, how beautiful!' and sitting in the shade.” ― Rudyard Kipling, Complete Verse

“Gardens are not made by singing ‘Oh, how beautiful!’ and sitting in the shade.”
― Rudyard Kipling, Complete Verse

“God made a beauteous garden With lovely flowers strown, But one straight, narrow pathway That was not overgrown. And to this beauteous garden He brought mankind to live, And said "To you, my children, These lovely flowers I give. Prune ye my vines and fig trees, With care my flowers tend, But keep the pathway open Your home is at the end." God's Garden” ― Robert Frost

“God made a beauteous garden
With lovely flowers strown,
But one straight, narrow pathway
That was not overgrown.
And to this beauteous garden
He brought mankind to live,
And said “To you, my children,
These lovely flowers I give.
Prune ye my vines and fig trees,
With care my flowers tend,
But keep the pathway open
Your home is at the end.”
God’s Garden”
― Robert Frost

Sunday Stills On Tuesday: Murals and Graffitti

Posted on by under Photography

This is a new one for me and I know I am a little late. To be honest the way my week works I will probably never get a Sunday post out on Sunday unless I can write it on Friday (Which is what I do with Seven Word Sundays). For most clergy Monday is  our Sunday so Sabbath comes a bit after Sabbath for us. I hope y’all will understand if my Sunday stills come along as the caboose for this train.

100_1209I caught this mural in Coeur D’Alene Idaho last year when I was out visiting my Aunt and cousins.

Catch up with some other murals by going to

http://sundaystills.wordpress.com/2014/02/09/sunday-stills-the-next-challenge-murals-or-graffiti/

 

I Ain’t Yellow….Well Maybe a Little.

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This week’s travel theme given by Ailsa is: YELLOW.  My dad used to accuse people he disliked of being yellow, cowards. I got the brunt end of that accusation a few times myself. It’s not a color I ever wanted  to be.

The Pancake Boat, Wormerveer

The Pancake Boat, Wormerveer

Still, not all that is yellow is full of fear. The sun is yellow and no one thinks of fear when they gaze into that orb.  I  guess how you view yellow…any color…any aspect of life for that matter is really up to you. You can let others define it for you or you can choose to make something new of it for yourself. Pablo Picasso said,  Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot, others transform a yellow  spot into the sun.

Me!

Me!

There is no blue without yellow and without orange.

 Vincent VanGogh 

Keukenhof

Keukenhof

Of all the possible ways to think about yellow though I like best this thought, I really just want to be warm yellow light that pours over everyone I  love.

 Conor Oberst 

I guess in light of all these words I wouldn’t mind being called “yellow” after all.

Hey, have some fun with the other yellow posts at Ailsa site here

http://wheresmybackpack.com/2014/02/07/travel-theme-yellow/