SEEN ON THE BEACH

The Shrimpers Are Out!

And so are the birds!

Pelicans and Gulls share the fun.

Columbus Ships, Revisited



I glanced to my right one day sitting at my computer, when I noticed some interesting ships on the canal behind our house. At first I thought they were shrimp boats. But on closer examination, my husband said, "No! Those are the Columbus Ships!"

Left: The Pinta, Right: the Nina

 If you look closely, you will see the two ships motoring down the Intercoastal Waterway. Perhaps they are going to New Orleans or some other port where they will be open for inspection by tourists.

Since we have no deck on the north side of our home, I took these shots from our deck, leaning over the side and pointing to the North.

Highway 87 is visible along with the power lines.

We still have some bare spots in the field right behind our house

left over from the effects of Hurricane Ike.

The Nina

The Pinta

GRANDKID MEMORIES

Back in 2003 our grandkid family looked a bit different from the way they look today.

I love browsing through old pictures.

This 3-year-old is getting the hang of it.

He is memorizing this for later...

 

A quartet of happy kids.

A wonder to think that his girl is now about to be a mother!

 

And this guy is a banker today.

A big brother can always be depended upon.

He's about to start on his Doctoral work in Jazz.

 

And today, this football player is in the Restaurant Business.

Brother & sister, now 16 and 17-1/2.

Apologies to the 9th member of this prestigious group. She wasn't yet born!

KILLDEER

Since June of 2005 I have never seen a match to these two parents protecting their nest.

Here is Papa Killdeer watching over the eggs from afar

And here is Mama Killdeer depending on her mate

The eggs were laid right on our neighbor's driveway

I wish there were a happy ending to this story, but sadly, they were too close to "civilization" to survive

EASTER MEMORIES - FROM LOQUARD

A year ago, we were in Germany, having gone at this time specifically to be there during the Easter season. On Maundy Thursday in Loquard, Ostfriesland, we attended the service in Loquard's Lutheran church. We were among a few worshippers sitting in a semi-circle in the Chancel at the foot of the famous wood carving from the early 16th century.

Not being able to understand the German language used in the service, I spent the time gazing up at the carving and identifying the participants in this Holy Week tableau.

The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

Cheif Priests & Scribes

Coming before Herod

Coming down from the cross

Joseph of Arimathea takes Jesus

Women at the foot of the cross

This was a moving part of the service for me. The words are so simple (even in German) that I understood, “This is my body, broken….This is my blood, shed….” This now became a personal experience in an unfamiliar culture with other Christians -- but also a culture in which my ancestors were raised.

Wood carving from 1520

After the service I asked the minister about its origins and he said the carving was done by an artist in the year 1526 in Southern Germany and then brought to the Loquard Church. The faces are the carver’s perception of those on the scene at the crucifixion of Jesus.

It is remarkable that throughout all these years, this carving has remained in this church with little damage from time. If you look closely, you will see some cracks and one of the soldiers has an arm missing, but for the most part, it is completely intact.