BENGAL KITTY GOES TO THE BEACH

 

 

"Come on! We’re going for a walk today."

 

 

"I’m waiting for you at the bottom of the stairs."

 

“No fair taking a picture of the water.” 

 

 

  “Don’t you know it’s all about ME?”

 

 

“I’d better keep at it or we’ll never get anywhere.”

“Yes, I know this is the bridge Mike built. Just keep up."

 

 

 “We’re on our way down now, you’d better hold on.”

 “You’re not as agile as I am. Old people have to be careful!”

 “So, here we are on the way home already.”

“This path should be concrete. Soon the weeds will take over!"

 

 

  “Boy, I’m in need of a rest. I see a bench. Let’s stop.”

 “I’m sitting here on this bench. I don’t care what you do.”     

 

 “OK,OK! You are getting ahead of me now, so I’ll have to run

to keep the stickers out of my feet."

" Yeah! This is the kind of sidewalk we needed back there.”

“Wait, wait – I have to check out this culvert. Could be something in there.”

 

“It looks like m-i-l-e-s before I get home..........”

“I can hear my mistress calling me. I had better keep on going.”

“These steps never seemed so high.”

"Lead me to my water bowl! Quick!"  

“Now – for a nice long nap!”

CHURCH OF A DIFFERENT SHAPE

This Lutheran church on Long Island was a source of much interest to both my husband and me. He recently ran across this shot and asked me to share it on this picture blog. Here it is:

This  35 mm slide was taken in 1983.

Matt. 4:19
And He saith unto them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” King James Bible (Cambridge Edition).

“Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fishers of people!” International Standard Version (2012)

Mark 1:17

And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. King James Bible (Cambridge Edition)

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” New International Version (2011)

 Luke 5:4-6

And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. English Standard Version

 

UTTUM - OSTFRIESLAND

SPRING, 2011
May Day found us at the Uttum church.

This is the church where my Great Grandfather grew up and from which he departed to America. He probably sat in pews there (if they went to church more back then). I’m sure he knew about an “A. Plükker” whose name we saw on a plaque in the church as one of the men who died in the war of 1870-71.

See the name there on the top row, second column.

From Gene: "When we went inside and talked with a couple of laymen – and a lay woman.  None could speak English so I carried on in Platt.  I told them Jean was a Plükker from Uttum. One guy ran into the sanctuary and sure enough, there was A. Plükker on the wall. He, along with about a dozen others, died in combat in a war fought in 1870-71. That plaque was not on the wall when we were here in 1997. In fact, there was no sign of Plükkers then - anywhere. When Joe and Lydia Mihelic were in Germany and visited Uttum in about 1955 or so, they had a picture of a plaque from this church with Plükker on it – it may have been the same one, refinished."

 

"This church is probably nothing like the church was when Menne Plücker attended. It has been newly refurbished and is very beautiful inside –all white and purple. The organ is beautiful, too, and was   played by a young man who did a good job."

"The sanctuary had been redone. The high pulpit is on the east wall midway between either end of the church. Most of the pews face the pulpit, and that is where most of the congregation sat. On either end of the church there are a few pews that sit normally as in most other churches. Those who sit in them look at the preacher from the side. This church with its re-do is now very “Reformed” with the high pulpit, the communion table at ground level along with the baptismal font." 

Here you can see just a bit of the organist.

"The organist, I thought, was better in this church than the others we have visited. He was a very young man. I didn’t know that until the service was over and I saw him come down from the balcony.  Amost all the organs we have seen are in the balcony at the back." 

 

 

"There were 16 people in church - four were American. Unusual, I thought, was the eight men and eight women in attendance. It is usually two or three men and the rest women. The pastor didn’t read everything, but was animated. . . .  It [must] have been a good sermon."
 

Every town has its May Pole and Uttum's was here,
in the church parking lot.

And, of course, because this is a Reformed church,
The steeple carries a rooster!

 Many thanks to my husband whose comments I used from our picture book on Ostfriesland.

MANSLAGT - OSTFRIESLAND

Gene's Great Grandmother, Geeska Wilken Wagenaar, was born in Manslagt, Ostfriesland. She was confirmed in the Evangelical Reformed Church there and her

marriage to Brunke Siebolds Stratemeier was proclamed in 1855.

Brunke was 35 and Geeska was 22 when they married.

 

Geeska died in 1870 and Brunke, at age 64,

WITH his four children, made the decision to move to America 

where he finally settled in South Dakota.

 

 

Thanx to Homeland Security

This is what we see when we are directed to the "security" lane prior to getting on the ferry.
It does seem to happen with a bit too much regularity, but
what can we say except - "OK."

It's our turn now. We pull up to the line on the pavement and the inspector
comes over to walk around our car. He checks under it all the way around.
We must open all doors and glove compartments as well as the hood.

It's all finished, and Gene is back to being happy. Our inspection this time is
just as it is every time - a pain in the patootie. However, far be it from me
to complain too much. This may save us or someone else from
a BIG BANG!

Water Nymphs at The Big Store

Who would have thought that right here, in Crystal Beach, somone leaned toward the artistic when they refurbished the largest grocery/hardware/gift shop/bank and pizza spot on the Peninsula. Keeping the proximity to the water in mind, someone had these wonderful sculptures installed. Of course, this all happened in 2007, completed just before Hurricane Ike changed this town forever. These two figures, the lighthouse and the representation of the fish were the "frosting on the cake" of the renovation.

The storm took one of the statues away, but these two remained and The Big Store is back, better than ever now.

LOVE - ON THE GALVESTON FERRY

These two pigeons looked to us like they were a "couple." They were resting near one another on the ferry ride today and seemed unfazed by passengers walking by. We usually don't see pigeons on our trips, so this little scene was a pleasant surprise.

 

These are the guys we always see - doing this, or

 

doing this.....