Allison Sangree's Latest

We're almost ready to move in!

2010-01-25T20:26:00.006-05:00

Well, as promised here are some pics I took quickly of our new house. A few touch ups and we're ready to move in. We got the occupancy permit at the end of last week - Yippie!

This 12 foot high sky is in our living room (not the best picture) and was painted by both Al and me. It's a real miracle because neither one of us could have done it on our own. Soli Deo gloria.

Taken from the living room. Al looks dwarfed by the eight foot doors which lead into the guest bedroom & bath. The entryway is on the left.

I praise God for my husband and the amazing job he's done. What hard work and perseverance! In my eyes he's a giant.

Entryway or foyer.

Looking into the living room from the foyer. The breakfast nook is in the far right. The kitchen is behind the right wall.

The dining room, right of the foyer.

Laundry room.
Stairs leading to the bonus room.

Our walk-in shower.

Soaking bath, with toilet a separate room on the left

I love the light fixture. It looks like droplets of water.

Master bath with shower entry at end.

From the Master bedroom looking toward the bath. His & her closets on the right and left of hallway.

The bed and nightstands will go against this wall inside the niche.

(The turquoise ladder is part of the decor for contrast :)

Almost everything has a story of God's amazing provision.

This mosaic was mounted on a display board so we paid very little for it. Al was able to soak it & carefully remove and mount it behind our stove. He also made a plaster chimney above it all the way to the ceiling, which is the focal point of the kitchen.

God provided inexpensive good quality tiles for the backsplash to match so well. It's hard to tell they were not the same tiles. What a faithful God He is in every way! This has been an awesome journey!

Looking into the laundry room and back door leading into the garage. The French doors on the right lead into the dining room.

The French doors on the left of the fireplace lead to the library. The fireplace is two-sided or see-through and can be viewed from both rooms. The same carpet is in both rooms also. There is plastic on it until we move in. The few pieces of furniture are the new pieces we've purchased as we have not moved anything in as yet, but should be soon. I'm not sure how, but God will provide.

Library ceiling. We'll be putting stained wood crown moulding when we do the built-in book shelves at a later date.

The guest bathroom. This wall over the tub has a plant shelf on top. I stamped the design in metallic gold onto the painted walls. We've since installed curtains as well.

Arched niche with bookshelves and a writing surface in the guest bedroom.

Guest bedroom - not huge, but we have loads of space in the bonus room for wall to wall sleepovers for grandchildren :)

This is the living room and library carpet up close. It's quite subtle.

Taken at night, hence the strange lighting.

Laundry room sink. Washer & dryer etc. are on the opposite wall.

This granite is God's artwork - amazing!

Sorry this took me so long. I hope the next time I post we'll be moved in.

We praise God for the great things He has done, and especially for bringing the right people to help at the right time!

New House progress

2009-09-13T15:11:00.004-05:00

Hi folks, here are some new pics of the house we're building. I have been working on our bedroom ceiling and the niches, doing some "shading" (faux painting walls, not canvasses :), and promised you some pictures.

It's slow, but we are enjoying the process - no hurry really!

This first picture was taken as I walked into the foyer looking into the living room (which will be carpeted).

The windows on the right is the breakfast nook, with a door to the back patio hidden by the pillar.

The view from our Living Room.

The dining room going into the kitchen

These colors are not quite so intense, esp. the red.

We're in the process of putting in the kitchen.
This gold is an accent color, and the half wall will be a bar area with two stools facing the kitchen.

A niche in the foyer (I 'm thinking of painting a tree inside of it)

This recessed area is one of two in the living room that will have glass shelves and lighting for nick-knacks. (The color is darker and more intense toward the center).
French doors lead into the guest rooms- bathroom on the right and bedroom on the left .

Looking from the living room to the main entry or foyer. The dining room is on the left.

Looking from the kitchen into the breakfast nook.

The master bedroom ceiling I have been working on - a blend of the colors around the room.

This recessed area will be for the bed and nightstands.

Looking from the bedroom into the bathroom, with his and her closets on either side of the passage.

The master bedroom ceiling. (Sort of a hazy sky effect from dark to light in the center)

The master bathroom ceiling with a Roman tub beneath. Walk-in shower to the right (dark, since I did not put the fan/light on to take this picture).

I'll try to post more pictures as we make progress.

Love you all!!

ART SHOW AT PCCA GALLERY

2009-06-04T14:48:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone,
Just a quick note to mention that I'm having an art show for the month of June at the Perry County Council of The Arts (PCCA) Gallery in Newport, PA, (approx. 25 mins. north of Harrisburg off #322 W).
There will be an Artist's Reception on Friday, June 5 from 6 - 8 p.m. with complimentary refreshments. All are welcome!
I've really enjoyed being a member for years when we lived in Perry County, and was thrilled to still be a member even though we now live in Harrisburg. It's a great art gallery and the people are wonderful, especially Jasmine who runs it.
Drop in sometime, even if you can't make it on Friday, and see for yourself.

THANKSGIVING CRUISE Nov, 08

2009-01-31T19:19:00.014-05:00

Finally I'm posting pictures of our Thanksgiving cruise...but it's still only January...at least when I started =)
(Click on any picture for a larger image) This is the ship, The Monarch of the Seas with Royal Caribbean Cruise line.
We left from Port Canaveral, Miami, for a four day cruise with friends I had not seen for thirty plus years.
We came from all over. Rosslyn and Marc from France, Charlotte and Richard from Canada, Beth and John from Miami, and most of the others from Trinidad, which is where we knew each other as children and teens. (The red tee shirts for our group of over thirty said "The Trini Connection").
Al and I had no idea what to expect, having never been on a cruise before, but we LOVED every minute of it and are ready to go again - this time for longer. (My only complaint is that I wish we all had had more time together). It was so wonderful being with my old friends and meeting their husbands, and getting reacquainted with others I had not seen for nearly forty years.
Wow! Could we be that old?
The neat thing was they were all recognizable, (we only had a few wrinkles here and there), and the very things I loved about each of them were still there - they were the very same people, only more "mature" lets say =)

Al and me the first morning in the center of the ship - maybe five stories high, with glass elevators etc. It was hard to believe we were on a ship.

The first night at dinner. We ate every night in the "fine dining " restaurant.

We had so much fun together, and the food and service was fabulous.

Love that wig Gay.. (just be happy I did not put up the pics of you with the Billybob teeth =)

The first day on deck. Rosslyn was one of my dearest friends and my only bridesmaid when we were nineteen. How many years ago is that?...I've stopped counting.

I'm so glad we've kept up the relationship over the years. I think we should get together every couple of years, after all we may not have too many left - we certainly can't do this every 35 years or we may not remember each other's names, maybe not even our own =)

Al and I at the front of the ship - you can see the bow below.

The second night we all got together in one cabin before dinner with our battery operated disco glasses that sparkled - what a neat gift! (See pic below - we turned off all the lights, and what you see are the glasses blinking in all different colors).

Only Trinidadians would do this.. and enjoy it!

Like sardines in a can =)

This night was the Captain's Dinner - the most formal affair of the cruise.

It was lots of fun dressing for dinner each night.

Here we were in the theatre for the Captain's welcome. (We incidentally had the only female captain in this position ever- I believe she was Scandinavian).

Beth and John who arranged it all. Thanks guys... what a great job, and such a fabulous time!
Beth and I go way back as well. We went to St. Joseph's Convent for years together and graduated from the same class. We were all friends and did lots of fun things - like carolling at Christmas, and even went on moonlight sails on my dad's boat, Beth reminded me.

Marc and Ros on the left, sitting with Charlotte and Richard on the right.

(Charlotte and I had lunch almost every day together at school, and get this...every day her mother gave her a Kit-kat candy bar in her lunch.....Yes , she did share =)

I also remember one particular weekend in Toco (on the beach) when Mary Jean Hart (bless her heart), terrified me with a cricket. I remember screaming at the top of my lungs until Charlotte's mom came to my rescue. I was scared of crickets for years after that =)

We had some wonderful talks with Simon and Ann. She told me things I did not know about my relatives, and some other good friends I had lost contact with, like Marlene. It was great!

Al really had some great conversations with Gordon as well, and it was so good seeing these "girls" again.

Great haircut Peggy! (My sister Peggy in Trinidad cuts Gay's hair)

Gay (front center) was such a delight and so real and refreshing - thanks for making it so much fun Gay - you all did! We laughed a lot and really enjoyed our dinners together. They put our group in the far corner of the formal dining room, and for good reason. We were a pretty rowdy bunch - but then nobody had as much fun as we did, I don't believe.

The "Dancing Queens".

(Literally, this is the song by Abba that was playing and we were all singing along - it was our song!)

We had a blast, or is it a "ball"?

Arriving in Nassau in the early morning, this is what we saw from our cabin window.

Starbucks coffee =)

We loved the colors of the houses - everything was so bright in the sunlight!

The City (Resort) of Atlantis in the background.

What a view ! Taken from the ship's Windjammer Cafe over breakfast.

Al and I were so excited to be there - warm, beautiful turquoise water and white sandy beaches.

Who could eat at a time like this? But eat , we did!

(Although we soon were having oatmeal for breakfast, with stewed prunes =)

Getting off at the dock in Nassau. (My Honey, in front of our ship).

We walked through the "world famous" straw market, and purchased some things for the family. Then we walked to this quiet gorgeous beach where we swam and soaked up some sun.
(Our ship is the first in the background).

Then Al and I took a walk through the old section of Nassau. It was great sightseeing, but almost got run over a couple of times. What narrow winding streets, traffic jams, and so few sidewalks!

Some of the old chapels and places we saw reminded me of my childhood in Trinidad, and especially my school, St. Joseph's Convent.

Eating again - Lunchtime!

Here we were at the very front of the ship.

The Atlantis harbor.

The Atlantis Resort which Al and I took a taxi to that afternoon.

(We got a tour of parts of downtown Nassau and some very informative history from the cab driver).

This was quite the place!

This was the aquarium underneath the Atlantis Hotel which was to depict the "Lost city of Atlantis". It was quite fascinating to say the least.

All that glitters is not gold =)

Local police in white, just outside the resort in a lovely but very touristy area. We had quite a walk to get the water taxi back to the ship, and enjoyed every minute of it.

Taken from the water taxi - our ship is on the right.

Goodbye Atlantis!

Now for a nice nap in our cozy little cabin before getting ready for dinner.

"No worries mate"!

New towels were brought in while we were out. These were cleaverly folded in the shape of an elephant.

WHAT A BLESSING!!!
We had a lovely time dining with Marc and Ros. I believe Marc ordered almost everything on the dessert menu - we could order anything and everything we wanted. It was all included.

What a great time we had.... and NO, we did not plan what we were going to wear.

After dinner there was a midnight Caribbean feast outside around the pools. We saw someone create an ice sculpture in a matter of minutes with a chain saw - fascinating!

There were at least four beautiful ice sculptures decorating the food tables, and loads of food - all kinds. We wondered who would be able to eat it all.

Such a variety of desserts - you name it!

Even a suckling pig!

Michele (Beth's sister) on the right, Beth and myself - it actually was getting a little cool as we left Nassau that night.

"It's a beautiful day for Cococay", they announced that morning, and we were excited as we were being "tendered" to the island of Cococay for fun and frolic.... and of course more food - this time a barbeque they were preparing for us.

Two days ago the weather was so rough that they abandoned the entire trip to the island, and who knows what they did with all that food for 2,500 people. Apparently there are only a handful of residents living on the island.

This was taken into the sun, but what a gorgeous place!

This is the color of the water, and crystal clear!

Here we are on Thanksgiving Day on this gorgeous, warm, sunny island, Al and I together, and with good friends......we have so much to be thankful to the Lord for! AMAZING GRACE!!

Beauty and the Beast! (Don't ask =)

Our group had a lovely spot for the day under some trees complete with lounging chairs.

Don't look now Marc! (Ros with her dreadlocks, complete with beads).

What a Thanksgiving to remember!!

We felt like a honeymooning couple, even after all these years.

(Note our ship in the background)

Our group had already left for the ship, but we did some kayaking, and then Al decided he wanted to go out snorkling again, while I swam in this lovely little bay.

(That's our towel on the right). What a gorgeous island!

We were too busy eating to remember to take pictures, but the food was served in these colorful little cabannas, and lots of them.

Drinks anyone?

This was so funny!

Al was towed in by a lifeguard on a jetski because the last tender (boat) was about to leave.

Here he is holding onto the basket in the back AND STILL SNORKLING!

We did make it back to the ship, although it might have been wonderful for a time, being marooned on this island.

Look at that face - happily exausted!

Another "tender" coming toward us, exactly like the one we're in, taking us out to the ship.

Well, here we are all dressed up for our last dinner on board - taken outside around the pool.

Some of "the Trini group" .

The real honeymooning couple are in the center back. (Beth and John's daughter). They called it a "familymoon".=) A really sweet couple, and it was lovely meeting and getting to know his parents.

Love that face Richard! - (and don't try to get even!)

The girls after dinner saying our goodbyes.

Beth and John on left, with Al and Gordon still talking in the background. (Al and Gordon were having a great time talking,and it was difficult getting then to leave the table) - We all had a hard time saying goodbye. What a blessing it was!

What great memories!

We were all up bright and early the last morning, and Al and I actually had two breakfasts since we did not leave the ship until almost midday.

Everything was so well organized that there was never a moment's concern about anything. The staff was exceptional, and every aspect of the cruise was so enjoyable..... we're ready to do it again!

What a fabulous time we had!

NEWPORT, RI.

2009-01-19T20:30:00.002-05:00

Every year we go to Newport, RI in the Fall. We just love it in any kind of weather.
Here are just a few pics of beautiful, awesome Newport. I love this picture of Mary Kate.
We took a walk in the wet grass while Grandad took the other four children down to the water's edge as soon as we arrived. Her shoes and jeans got soaked, but as usual Dana was so understanding and easy going - she's wonderful! We sure enjoyed our time with them all, (our seafood feast of fresh catch from Bannister's wharf), as well as our time together, just the two of us =)
This is where we stay - downstairs on the right. It's called Oceancliffe, and it's right on scenic Ocean Drive, and that time of the year there are very few tourists. We love it, and feel so blessed to be able to go each year. This year with the GPS, it only took us 6 1/2 hours.

Taken the following morning from our patio.

Castle Hill lighthouse at dusk, within walking distance.

It was extremely windy for a lot of the 10 days we spent there, and very very rough.

This is one of our favorite spots, just a little way down Ocean Drive called Brenton Point State Park. We had never ever seen it this rough - it was amazing (made us think of our awesome God who created it all).

Here is Al feeding the seagulls - this one was going for the entire bag =)

Just look at those waves.

We also get some beautiful sunsets.

And no vacation in Newport should be without a traditional plate of "ultimate nachos" down at the wharf. In fact this is one of our family's favorites year round. It's layers of nachos, chili, and loads of cheese all toasted and then smothered in salsa, sour cream, black olives, jalapenos etc.

yummmm!

Building Our New Home.

2009-01-19T19:39:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone!
It's been a while since I posted anything and it's mid Jan. already, so I have lots of pictures to upload. I'm going to try to do this in chronological order. These are some pics of the new house we're building on the golf course just 2 minutes away, taken around October 08. We've done quite a bit more since then. Will try to update soon.

This is the back view overlooking the golf course - loads of windows (grills will go in some of them).

It's not a big house, but it's very open and bright.

The garage doors and lamps are in, and all the stucco is finished. It's a pretty variegated buff color, and Al did the whole house with Max, his employee before the cold weather set in. The stonework will have to wait until the spring. Now they're working on the inside, when there's time, and I'm working on a kitchen design - fun!

Al is really enjoying the building process, and we have seen so many miracles from the Lord - from bringing the right people just when he needs the help, to awesome bargains (like all our 7 ft high interior doors on sale that weekend for an amazing price...Thank you Father!!)

Our Timber Trail Cottage

2008-12-21T22:25:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone! Sure hope you are enjoying the season.
Here it is almost Christmas, and I know that if I don't get some pictures posted and update this blog now, that I'm probably not going to until the new year (like our "New Year's" card - we'll hopefully send one out in the New Year with a picture of the family, since Christian's family and Sean will get here on Christmas day).
We'll be enjoying our family, having all our children and seven grandchildren together - GLORY!!!!

Below are some pics of our home where we live now. (For the house we are building see Al's blog sangreeconstruction.com and click on "blog". Maybe down the road I'll post some myself)

"BEFORE"
Well, here is our little Timber Trail Lane cottage the day we bought it.
It is only 2 mins. away from the land that we bought, and so we thought we would live in it while we built.
We finally got permission to fix up the outside, since we have a stream on our property within 50 feet of the house. (This was nothing short of a miracle).

The great day arrived and Josh Jorich came to work. Al took this picture - I was so excited!

Now the front and the outside would match the interior. It's awesome having a contractor for a husband!

After having waited for so long I felt that someone should have shouted into a loudspeaker "Good morning Sangrees", because it was an "extreme makeover".

"AFTER"

This is now our little cottage but it does not appear so little any more.

We love it here, with the sound of our little stream and waterfall - it is so peaceful and scenic.

We're not sure what we're going to do since this little place is so easy to heat and maintain, and we also love where and what we're building two minutes away. A double blessing! - we'll see how God leads.

I just ran out and took this tonight with our Christmas decorations, this is how it looks - so cozy!

From our home to yours,

"Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!"

DEVINE REVERSAL

2008-11-21T10:01:00.002-05:00

I awoke to a blanket of snow on the ground today, and the Lord revealed some things to me through it that I thought I'd share.
Things are not how they appear!

Jesus said, the kingdom of God is not what you expect in this world. "It's like a farmer who plants seed and goes away, and later it sprouts."
The farmer in Pennsylvania who plants the wheat at the end of the summer would be very discouraged now if he did not know one thing; it is God who causes the seed to grow. Even though the seed may appear dead now, covered by the cold snow, he has to do nothing but wait, and he will reap a harvest later.
What the Father planted will be harvested and nothing will get in the way. Not governments, financial or natural disasters, persecutions or nuclear holocausts - nothing will obstruct God's Kingdom. Human effort is as nothing compared to the sovereign plans of God.

This morning I was reading in the book of Esther how the Jews were heading for sure destruction and even annihilation because of Haman, the Persian prime minister, the highest office under the king. In a matter of one day, it all turned around because the Jews found favor with the king. Their enemies became the king's enemies, and Haman became a public display of utter humiliation and was himself destroyed.
Jesus, in His humble obedience on Calvary's cross, "disarmed principalities and powers (and) made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them," even though at the time it seemed like such a defeat.
Things are never what they appear to be when it comes to God's kingdom!

Camping with Dana and the kiddies

2008-10-27T16:34:00.000-05:00

These are some pictures of our camping trip back in late September to Cape Henlopen. Our husbands could not come, and Timothy was already back at school, but Dana and I went for a few days with the four youngest children and had a great time.
It was extremely windy, and the water was quite cold, but we enjoyed it nevertheless!

Beautiful Cape Henlopen State Park, DE.

Sleeping in the little RV was fun. Megan and Mommy slept in the top double bed, with the two boys, Andrew and Owen on the pull-out couch (left), while Mary Kate's pack-n-play fit perfectly at the foot of the dinette (which became my bed, on the right). AND we still had room to walk to the bathroom in the middle of the night - very important =)
Or should I say "waking up" in the RV was fun. Here's Owen in Mary Kate's "bed" getting jumped on and laughing hysterically.

Princess Megan with the boys playing on the beach of (what they call )"the calm side" or the Bay.
I love this picture of Dana.

We sure had a sweet time!

Thanks Will for staying at home with Tim to make this possible.

Beach bums=)

"Look what I found!"

(We took tons of pics of Mary Kate, and I just deleted the best one by mistake)

What a cutie!

Back on the "rough side", the boys did have fun in the cold surf - for a while anyway.

Megan, the wave-runner. Just look at those huge waves!

(It was so much fun just watching them have fun)

Mommy and Mary Kate getting "cozy, cozy"

At the end of the day this was one tired little girl, but even as she was nodding off she held on tightly to her sand bag and would not let it go.

(I just had to take this picture).

One last little clip (video) to hopefully give you a glimpse of what it was like.

We had never seen it so rough nor so windy before. It was awesome!

He is an awesome God!!

Myrtle Beach, SC - visit with good friends

2008-10-19T19:12:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago we took four days off and drove down to stay with some really good friends, BK and Donna Guy in Myrtle Beach, SC.
We sure had a wonderful time! We were so refreshed by our time together, and were so grateful for those long days on the beach relaxing, fishing, swimming and just hanging out together laughing and chatting.

Al & I on the pier.
Al and Donna in the background with her new rod. What fun we had together. It was so good seeing Al enjoy himself fishing and relaxing.

On the pier. Donna (left), BK in the middle (bating Donna's hook no doubt), and Al on the right.

It was quite a walk out there and back.
THE CATCH!

We could not have had a better time. We ate out at some great places - here we are having breakfast on the river in Conway. What great memories we have of our time together. It was so comfortable and relaxing.

Thanks "Guys" for all that you did to make it so very special, and for being such good friends.

We sure do miss you, and are really looking forward to Donna's visit next week.

BK, we'll miss you, but look forward to us all getting together again soon.

Thanks again for such a great time. I wish I had taken more pics - especially of us in the rocking chairs laughing. God is so good, and provided what we all needed - lots of laughs.

Precious little Mary Kate & her baby

2008-10-10T13:36:00.000-05:00

I just love these pics of Mary Kate and her baby. (She had a big 'boo boo' bless her heart!)

2008-10-05T19:46:00.000-05:00

(Click on any picture to make it larger).

GRANDMOM'S CAMP

2008-10-05T18:15:00.003-05:00

Grandmom's Camp this year was at Lake Heron again, and we had the whole side of the lake to ourselves once more (Thank God =)
We had a wonderful time!
During the days Al was working, but joined us after work (it's only 45 mins. from home, thankfully). The weather was great, and the Lake warm - perfect for swimming, diving off the dock etc. The children went non-stop until bedtime, and then were up bright and early in the morning before Grandad left again for work. Our little RV nestled in the trees, taken from the other side of the lake.

Grandad swimming with all four children just before supper.

The fishing was great. Tim caught this is no time at all. (Trying not to look TOO proud =)

They all painted on canvas and each had a nice painting to take home. Owen needed a little encouragement, but liked his in the end.

The boys have become good swimmers, and little Megan with her life vest did everything they did. She's fearless!

They love kayaking, and it's safe on the lake since we could see them wherever they go.

They had quite a lot of freedom and loved every minute of it.

Here's Andrew (not yet 10) coming in at quite a speed. They amaze me how well they can handle the kayaks.
Even Owen at 8 does a great job kayaking, and loves swimmimg and diving.

This is Megan's kayak. What a smile!

S'mores over the campfire.....yummmm

Grandad and the fearless members of the "Polar Bear Club". It's about 6;30 am and they all took the challenge. Wow!
....but not before Grandad got in.

When it was all over I was left with these beautiful "hand-picked" water lilies, a precious gift from Tim, and then not to be outdone, Andrew. I had just the vase in the RV and enjoyed them, and the quiet for the rest of the day.
"Not a creature was stirring, not even a Bass".

Father's Day & Timothy's Birthday

2008-09-28T17:17:00.004-05:00

I've been meaning to get these posted for a long time now. So sorry it took me so long.

This is Camp Hebron where we took Tim overnight for his birthday, and then celebrated Father's Day with three generations of Fathers (Al's Dad, Allen, and Will). We had a great steak dinner on the open fire (Al's specialty - yummm) and ended with Mom's fresh homemade strawberry shortcake - thanks Mom! (We missed you guys; C&H, A&S, and of course Sean).

We had a lovely time. Check out Al's special Father's Day gift (the recliners - we nearly slept under the stars that night)

Four generations.
At the lake after dinner. Owen's describing the turtle he saw.

Tim catching critters with his new net.

Getting snagged is no big deal when you have a Grandad like this :-)

Talk about "out on a limb"!

OK, down to some serious fishing.
Tim with his catch. Good job Tim!

Happy 11th Birthday! We sure are glad you're our grandson, and we had a great time with you.

Mary Kate on the carousel with Daddy.
On the night of June 9th, Tim's actual birthday, we went to Hershey Park after dinner and got to go on some rides free of charge (for the last half hour until they closed). This was what Tim wanted and we all had a blast! We almost ran from one ride to the other, but there were "no lines, no waiting!"

This also was the night that the thief cleaned us out at our building site, but we were celebrating!

Stay tuned....more summer pics to come!

My Trinidad Trip

2008-06-06T13:46:00.008-05:00

Trinidad here I come!!
Come to Trinidad with me. Grab a cuppa tea - WARNING: this will be a long visit. Trinidad from the air. (Double click on any pictures to enlarge them)
I came back from two wonderful weeks in Trinidad, and was able to see and spend time with my family there, (my dad,my two sisters, and their families). What a blessing it was!!

This is where I stayed (on the 4th floor) with my sister Joanne and her family - a gorgeous five star condo that my father had just moved out of but had not sold yet. (While we were there the first people who saw it bought it).

What a blessing to be able to stay there while Joanne's house was being remodeled. (One of the main reasons I went was to help them with their huge remodeling and decorating job of the entire first floor.) I had no idea where I'd be staying - I was ready to sleep on a couch if necessary in the midst of the remodeling mess. God is sooo good! Thanks Dad!!

This was a gated community and I felt completely safe. I could even go down for a swim after dark alone.(Especially since there were guards, and the people who lived in the penthouses had two bodyguards per person. . . no kidding! )

Crime in Trinidad has escalated in recent years. While I was there my sister's friend was kidnapped for a rather large ransom. This is very common now. It's really a shame because Trinidad is a beautiful little island with some lovely people.

The swimming pool was gorgeous with an island (left) in the middle.
It was right on the sea. As you can see there was a huge ship going by in the distance.

This was the entrance to the condo (I should have used a flash). The colors were lovely - this entryway was a rich salmon color.

The living room. (Sorry it came out so dark - it really was extremely bright in every room).

It had three bedrooms and fully furnished with AC)

My sister Peggy enjoying the view from the balcony as we chatted.

It was so wonderful to see them all, and to have sisters again.

The view from the balcony.

Joanne's house. The new dining room, after the walls were broken down and new floors, and ceilings put in. It's now a very open and beautiful floor plan.

I never got to see her kitchen finished, but she says it's wonderful. (The door blocks the rest of it, but it really is a lovely kitchen, with a bar area to the right of where Joanne is standing).

It's all open now, and there's always a lovely breeze coming through. I just love when those French doors are open and she is in the kitchen she can now enjoy her beautiful garden and all the birds.

She chose some great colors. The furniture is new also - not unwrapped yet as the kitchen still was not finished. We pushed it by putting everything in place before I left. What fun we had!!

OK> This I just could not resist. I whipped out my camera as fast as I could =)

We were in a traffic jam when I saw these construction workers walk by.

Check out the one with the "dread locks" piled on top of his head, and then the required safety helmet on top.
("dis eh no joke - is fa reel" as dey say).

We had a lovely time and a delicious meal together at the Yacht Club - right on the water. The moon was full and the night was perfect.

I had spent so much time at this Yacht Club while I lived in Trinidad, and it was good to be back.

From left to right is Russell (Joanne's husband), my sisters Joanne & Peggy, then Dad at the head, Nicholas (Peg's youngest son), me and Rebecca (14, and a beautiful young lady - what a delight she is).

I sure miss everyone!

The pool from another angle.

Below are vacation homes "Down-the-Islands". These are small islands off the NW tip of Trinidad.

Dad has a nice speed boat, and we went all around the islands and ended up at Scotland Bay where we always went swimming. It was all delightful!

We stayed here a couple of times - remember Marguerita Bay guys?

Look Timothy, there's Jo's boat =) It's been totally remodeled though, and the family has stayed there since and says it's gorgeous. It even has a courtyard in the middle apparently.

I love this one. It's beautiful on the inside too. The very top is the master bedroom, and the view is amazing.

See the small house on the top right? That's the caretaker's house. You'll see small houses close by these big island homes, because the owners must pay "caretakers" to live there, or they will be vandalized, as most of the time they are vacant.
This is one of my favorites too because of the location.

Sorry - fast moving boat =)

Not all of them are huge.

In the boat. Dad and Russell with Rebecca between them, and Joanne in the back.

Pulling into Scotland Bay with Rebecca in the bow.

Swimming in Scotland Bay. The water is crystal clear and maybe 15 feet deep here.

We just anchor and jump overboard.

I learned to water-ski here when I was 7yrs old. This place holds so many memories for me, as I spent so much of my life in Trinidad enjoying this lovely bay. There are no houses or buildings here, and you can only get to it by boat. There are Howler monkeys in the hills surrounding the bay however =) We've heard them at night while sleeping on the boat many times.

This bay is also special because there is a lovely beach just to the left of the photo.

Rebecca had us all sticking our toes out of the water for the pic. (Dad took these from the boat)

To top off the day, on our return we saw dolphins - a rarity in Trinidad.

(Thanks Lord for Your many, many blessings!)

Dad is still a master at maneuvering a boat. He backed it right into the spot next to the "jetty" for us to unload. Then a huge forklift came and lifted it out of the water and placed it right into his storage garage. The boats were stored in "shelves" two and three stories high as you can see at the right of this picture. It was fascinating to watch, as well as how quickly this was done.

Dad's boat being lifted out of the water.

On Mother's Day I went with Joanne's family to Russell's sister's house in Central Trinidad.

It is gorgeous here and each person owns around 10 acres of beautiful land. The tropical vegetation and landscaping was so lovely and different from what we have here in PA.

Below are some pictures of their home, where there is no "burglar-proofing" (bars) and of course no screens (only in the US). It's apparently quite safe here in "Central".

Russell and Jo, with his family on the right. (Covered area next to the pool)

We had a great time (except for the little lizard in the car when we went for a drive around the neighborhood =)

I wanted to show you their doors just open onto a gorgeous view ( which you cannot really see in the photo) - even their master bedroom is like this.

There is a 12 foot drop or so, but you sure enjoyed the indoor/outdoor feeling and the view.

Pretty amazing! (They don't have grandchildren as yet =)

Take a look at the Trini vegetation - so lovely here!
The following pics were taken around Port-of-Spain (North) driving with Peggy.

We spent a beautiful day together, but I wish I had taken some pics of us together at Cruz Inn having their wonderful buffet, as well as all the other things we did together that day.

We had so much fun. (Peg, I thoroughly enjoyed our time together - doing our "colors" around the pool with Dad, Jo and Rebecca with the neighbors joining in, having the delicious local lunch together that you prepared for us - thank you, thank you - it was all loads of fun!)

Real tropical bamboo.

Look at the size of the fish these guys caught. (The sea is in the background).

Peggy & I were just driving through Carenage when I took this.

The following are some Trinidad homes. I love all the woodwork on this porch (friends of Joanne).

What colors! "Hot fa so!"
I'm sure this one would stand out on Google earth. (No need to "pin" it =)

Typical older home. My grandparents lived in one like this only larger.

SISTERS!!!!

Jo on left with me on the right, swimsuits on, and we're heading to Maracas Beach.

We are actually on the lookout point on top of the Northern Range and...

This is the view!
Maracas Beach is in the right top of the picture.

Bourganvillia - all colors!
The following pics are of Maracas Beach which I frequented all my life in T'dad.

Lots of memories here!

Jo and Russell. (Thanks guys for such a lovely time).

The water was warm and clear.
We swam outside of these big ones, and got tumbled by some, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

The "bathing beauties"

Russell and Jo
Yes Sean, "Shark 'n bake" - except they now call it "bake 'n shark" =)
These venders sure do a great business. It is sooooooooo delicious!
What a treat! I think I put all the fixings on mine.

In case you're wondering where are all the people - it was Tuesday morning.

The village at the end of Maracas Beach. I just love all these boats.
..and this lady just sitting and watching the sea. I'm hoping to paint something from these pics.

See the sein (fish net) in the background drying?

If you'll look closely on the cliff you'll see some of the best real estate anywhere - and I'm sure living there is free. Lots of times they just build their little houses wherever they want, and after a while they have "squatter" rights, and they are allowed to stay. ("das de life man!!")

Back to P-O-S and Bayside Towers, and another swim, in the pool this time.

I felt like I was on Gillian's Island =) I so enjoyed this pool with the sea in the background.

Where Peggy and Dad now live there is also a pool. (They each have a condo in the same development, a stone's throw away from the other.) I think Dad is much happier there, as it's more of a community. I seldom saw anyone here.

I'm in Heaven...... but after two weeks - ready to get back to my hubby and family.

There were always birds, especially Pelicans on the pile-ons
Snapshots of the Northern Range on the way to the airport early in the morning.

Thanks guys for all that you did for me. I love and miss my Trinidad family very much.

The Trinidad flag.
Heading home. (This flight will take me to Miami, where I get another flight to Chicago, and then onto Harrisburg - I got there at 10:45 pm after travelling all day)

HOME SWEET HOME.

Easter and my birthday

2008-06-06T11:58:00.003-05:00

These are some pictures I wanted to post for a while now of my birthday when we had all the PA grandkids, and of Easter. From left to right is Tim (10), Mary Kate (1 ), Grandmum, Megan (5), Owen (7) and Andrew (9)
They were staying with us for a couple of days.

Me with my Birthday flowers and cards. I was so blessed! (Tim got me the ones on the right, and they sure smelled good)

Whenever I take out the camera everybody makes their "picture face"

Mary Kate thought I wanted a picture of her mouthful of banana =) So cute!

The gang with Grandmum. (Nice pic Al)

Owen - pretty scary eh?
Easter Sunday. A very serious game has just begun, but Megan still has a smile for me.

Chess is one of their favorite things to play, especially Andrew (besides lego).

Chocolate face - after the frantic Easter egg hunt! (Aren't they beautiful??)

It's always great fun at our house. I'm not sure who enjoys it more the adults who get to hide them, or the kids who get to hunt for them.

Below is a picture of the calm after the storm =)

Mary Kate, with Mom & Dad (Dana & Will) behind her, me and Al (my Honey), sitting chatting after dinner.

I know this is not in order, but I thought these worth posting. I especially like to keep you all up to date with pictures since Dana & Will do not have the time for a blog.

They just recently added a puppy to their family ("Jackson" - the children named him - cute!). He really is adorable, but lots of work to train, as all puppies are. He's a Golden Doodle, which is a cross between a Golden Retriever and a standard Poodle. They are supposed to be fantastic dogs. I'll find out soon when I have them all for Will and Danes to get away. I hope he's at least potty trained by then, (although this is a good time before they lay their permanent flooring - they are still in the midst of remodeling & putting on the addition). Also the kids are now off on summer vacation and are able to spend the time training him. (They promised to do "everything" for him, I'm sure =)

Owen wrote the cutest heart-warming story entitled "The Boy Who Wanted A Puppy".

Well, maybe with permission from the author I'll post it at a later date with pics of "Jackson"=)

Our painting trip to Bedford County

2008-06-06T11:31:00.003-05:00

I have so much I want to post so I thought I'd better put aside some time today and just do it.
I had mentioned going away for a few days at the beginning of April with an artist friend of mine Sharon Jenne who has a lovely cabin in Bedford County. Well here are some pics of our trip. We painted for a few days together though the weather was not too cooperative. We nearly froze one morning while painting (we had layers upon layers of clothing as well as gloves on ). What a day, but we set up our easels and painted.
My reward? I got three (almost four) nice little paintings done. The sad thing is I sold one I really wanted to keep =) Ah well! This is the gorgeous view from Sharon & Bill's cabin of Shawnee State Park and lake.

(Can you tell how cold it was?)

I'd like you all to meet Sharon Jenne. She is a wonderful artist. I especially love her 'still life' paintings. She's a real blessing to me and we had a fantastic time together.

Thanks Sharon! I always enjoy being with you. You are a great encourager!

The cabin from the inside - out!

ART SHOWS

2008-05-28T02:51:00.005-05:00

I know I haven't posted anything in ages. Well it's been a busy time, but good!

After the Hummelstown show (which went well), Al and I headed out to Oklahoma to spend some time with Christian, Holly and the Children....and do another show there.

What a great time we had with them. We miss them terribly!

The show was three days long, and we had some challenges with OK winds, but it was worth our while. Al and I drove our RV there and back to PA, and I tell you what.... It is a BIG country! It took us 26 hrs of driving each way, and that was pushing it. We 're glad we did not go to CA as we previously thought of doing. We'll be flying out to see Sean instead. My booth.

I had lots of help for the three days. Thanks Al, Christian and even Holly got involved and brought lunches and the girls to visit. We sure enjoyed then.

Oklahomans are very friendly people and we met some wonderful folks.

I could not do a show without Al. He not only got me set up, but was able to help a number of other people whose tents were demolished with the strong winds. God blessed a lot of people through Al during those three days.

We started building our house before we left for OK, but this was priority - like Holly says "babies don't keep" - houses do!

(For updates on the house-building go to ssconstruction.blogspot.com)

We really enjoyed our visit with our OK family. (We're missing you all already - we need to get on Skype soon).

For great pics of our OK family go to addieandstorie.blogspot.com

All the children were together in Oklahoma for a few days over Memorial weekend (except Will, who stayed back together with the kids - thanks Will for your unselfishness in letting Dana go to OK, especially since her flight was cancelled and she's not home yet).

Sean just called tonight to say he was back in CA and they had a great time together.

There''s nothing like family!

Art Exhibition in Hummelstown

2008-04-04T14:36:00.002-05:00

I just got back home from a three day painting trip to Shellsburg, PA (in Bedford County) with my artist friend Sharon Jenne, who has a really lovely log cabin there. I did not have time to update my blog before I left, but I should have - so please forgive me for this last minute post.

I have forty-six paintings presently on exhibition at the Frame Connection in Hummelstown , (Hershey, PA) for the month of April.

There is a reception today from 6 to 8 pm, April 4th, for anyone who did not get an invitation but would like to attend.
The address is #18 East Main Street, Hummelstown, PA 17036
Phone: (717) 566-5757

Well, I've got to get ready - hope to see you there!

I will be posting some of my recent paintings soon, as well as updating my website!

"ENOUGH IS ENOUGH"

2008-03-11T22:06:00.007-05:00

Well, as my friend Gillian says, "Enough is enough!"
It's time I got on the blog again.
I'm posting lots of pictures all together, and I'll have to post again soon - so stay tuned!
Life's good and God's doing lots!

Grandmom with some of her darlings; Owen, Mary Kate and Megan at their home.

My favorite pastime - kissing our little precious gems.
Two little darlings, Mary Kate (on left) and Megan Kathleen

Look at that sweet little face, with the "boo-boo" under the eye - HOW PRECIOUS IS THAT!

She calls me "Gra-gra", (along with Grandad and her other grandnother), and gets sooooo excited when she sees us.

What a precious gift from the Lord they all are!

Mary Kate loves her baby doll. This one was Dana's when she was little.

Megan and Grandad snuggling before she was out like a light. Megan sure loves her Grandad!

I couldn't resist putting this one in. What a sky!

Nor this!

A sunrise - very rare picture, since I'm usually asleep=) This morning I had to be at Tim's school by 8:30 to help his class paint "castle walls" on refrigerator boxes.

Al and I joined the Felicita Fitness Center and can walk there since the resort is next to us.

It's been great being so close, and the facilities are wonderful!

Here is Al working out on one of the many machines.

Can you believe this??? (And he's only been working out for a month here =)

This is more my speed - 4 mph =)

We've been adding a little spice to our lives - Al made Sushi a couple of times and it surprised me how good it was.

Here he is: the Sushi chef sampling his speciality. (It's always a good sign if the chef eats what he cooks, makes me feel a little safer =)

We're all looking forward to spring I know, but I just had to include some of these shots of our last snowfall - so beautiful!

See our little creek? It's actually not so little now since all the rain we've had lately washed away some more of it's sides.
Our driveway and Timber Trail Lane. It's really been a good winter (so far) - we can't complain!

The view off our little front porch.

The view from our guest room window.

Taken from the Study (or Al's office) window. We still can't get over the view.

From my kitchen window. I feel so very blessed!

This was taken from our Living room window and it was really snowing and blowing. I just love this view of the mountain in the background, although you can hardly see it here. Beyond that is the city of Harrisburg. We're in a valley called Fishing Creek Valley.

We really love it here.

The view out the front door. (Yes, I still have my "winter" wreath up).

These two pics were taken the day Sean went back after the Christmas holidays.

This is Sean's friend Greg who stayed with us for a couple of days, and Sean went home with him to visit some friends in Virginia, and left for CA from there. We sure enjoyed them!

"I'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again" (for all those our age who remember that song =). It was very sad to say goodbye.

We sure enjoyed your visit Sean, and look forward to driving across the country and visiting with you and Christian, Holly and our precious Oklahoma girls, Addie and Storie.

We'll see you all in May - if it's God's will. Can hardly wait!!!

(And who knows, maybe a huge family reunion on a Cruise next=)

CHRISTMAS 2007

2007-12-28T23:29:00.000-05:00

For the sake of time, I'm going to group all the pics together over the last couple of weeks.

(Above is little Mary Kate in her car seat - the five arrive!!!!!)

The weekend before Christmas we had our grandchildren (Dana's & Will's kids) over for the "annual" gingerbread house making (& eating =), baking "Christmas tree" cookies, etc. They are arriving here on Friday afternoon and are spending the weekend with us. What excitement!!

Owen (7) brought his latest creation to show Grandmom & Grandad. He built it all by himself. Dana says he'll disappear (in the shed) for a couple of hours and then appear with a new bench or barbaric tool or candle in a log, whatever he's inspired to build that day. He's really extremely creative, but sometimes his creations can be dangerous, in which case Will either hides it (I think he has a museum of Barbaric tools by now) or he destroys it, like the pen Owen put a needle into at the point.

That's Andrew (9), the cowboy, in the back, moving with lightening speed.

It does not take them long to get the toys out. Tim (10) loves building with tiny Lego pieces. Here he is with Christian's space Lego from when he was young. It's given them hours & hours of pleasure, and some of the things they build are amazing. (Thanks Christian!)

So sorry, but some of the pictures are blurry. Hey, it's not easy to even remember the camera when they're here - I'm just glad I took it out and had it in my hand when they arrived =)

This is little Megan (5) with her larger Legos. (They think these toys are ours, and Al & I play with them when they are not here =)

Owen and Andrew love playing chess and are becoming quite good - especially Andrew who beat me fair and square. It amazes me that they understand the moves. It seems like just the other day they would tramp the chess pieces all over the board like checkers, and then proclaim themselves winners. Al is the one who spends the time playing chess with them and teaching them.

Sean is now an excellent chess player because of all the games he played with his father and brother. When he was little, he'd ask me to play a game with him whenever he got beaten, because he knew he'd win =)

This is the same old chess set that we've had for years, and that every child played with - even Sarah & Meghan, the Aguilar twins, when they could barely walk. Whenever we lost a piece we'd always find it, even if it was a few days later down a vent or in between a cushion. This may seem like a little thing, but I know it's the Lord. He spoke to me years ago about this chess set (which was symbolic to me), that if I would let go and not worry, He'd be in control. We've never lost a piece! Even little Mary Kate walks around with chess pieces in her hand as well as her mouth =).

A quiet moment - and there aren't many of those =) Grandad is trying to take a map. Shhhh!

I stopped playing Chinese Checkers with them to take this picture.

Timothy with his creations. (What a face!! "Do I have to smile?")

Here's Grandad trying to take his nap - and impossible task with five little grandchildren around. Rather than covering his head, he should have had earplugs.

(He needed a nap after a hard day's work so he could have enough energy to make the gingerbread house).

OK everybody's ready and it's time for Grandad to get up (of course there was no sleep, but he did get a little rest =)

Did we say eating is not allowed?
Mysteriously holes appeared in the bags of candy.

New rules: Try to leave some for the gingerbread house too =)

Even Mary Kate gets to sample some candy (of course). Amazingly there was still some left to decorate the house with.

This was our best house ever because we had a construction Co. (Sangree Construction Inc., nothing but the BEST) build it.

Last year we tried it when Grandad was at work and it was our worst year - the thing collapsed at least three times, with so many little fingers poking and licking and "building" =)

This year they actually waited until the "mortar" dried and the house was stable before decorating it. They all had a great time, especially Tim who planned the design. He said he thought it turned out great! We all agreed!

There's Mary Kate with Dana's doll when she was wee little. She just loves the "bee bee".
She actually walked around with two a lot of the time. She was a happy camper once she had her "bankie" (blanket), "pacie", and "bee bee", and the boys were not torturing her by sticking her pacifier into the nutcracker's mouth, and holding the leaver down at the back so she could not pull it out. She is so gentle, but sure knows how to get everybodies attention when she wants it.

Talking about nutcrackers, we were gluing them all weekend, and one still has no nose. Soon after they arrived I was in the bathroom when I heard Andrew say in his usual low voice "I didn't break nothing yet!" =)

Finishing touches!

On Saturday night Mommy came to pick them up because Grandad and I had a Christmas party to go to. You would have thought Mary Kate had died and went to heaven when she saw her Mom. She was happy before, but was ecstatic when she saw Dana. It was so precious! She shrieked with delight and laughed as she held her Mom ever so tightly, with her cheek next to hers. (Sorry about the blur - everything moves really fast when the grandkids are around =)

How precious is this!!!

Timothy made and calved a walking stick (for hiking) for his Dad for Christmas with Grandad's help, and here he is carrying out all the backpacks on it. A cute picture!
They are leaving for the night, but will be back tomorrow.

And we're ready to "step out" to a Christmas party that we always look forward to each year. Great food, and we get to dance together! Fun, fun, fun!

Dancing together! We sure enjoyed ourselves!

The really nice thing about this is that we only had to go next door as the party was hosted by the Anginos at Felicita. The weather turned lousy with sleet and freezing rain, but we could have walked home if we had to.
The ice storm that we had. (This is our lane and our house is on the left).

This is our first Christmas in our little cottage and we love it. It is so cozy and quiet, and although we still have quite a bit yet to do to the outside, we are enjoying the beautiful surroundings.

Sunday and the grandchildren are back, enjoying the snow and ice. We all went for a lovely walk together. We sure have wonderful places to walk, and the children sure enjoy it.

We enjoyed them so much, and made memories that we'll probably all remember for a long time. We missed Addie and Storie so much but maybe next year they'll come for Christmas =).

This is our "company Christmas luncheon" and Sean always makes it. This year I believe he only worked for Sangree Construction for half a day, and in fact that was the day =)

We sure are so blessed to have Sean home for the holidays, and for two whole weeks too!!!!

Flibbydibbydoo!!!!!!! (although we really do miss Christian, Holly and our girls =(
Next to Sean is Max, who Al loves working with, and says "he has the gift". We thank God for the wonderful employees He's blessed Al with over the years.

These are our dear friends, Bruce and Vickie Aguilar whom we've known for years.

We went out together for dinner just before Christmas, and what a wonderful joyous time it was. We had such a special time together laughing and chatting over delicious food, and even singing along with the live entertainer who sang and played his guitar for three hours straight without taking a break. Bruce and Al had requested a couple of "oldies" which he played for us.

It was a lovely night out, and we made the most of it!

We sure are blessed with with good friends and family.

Megan all dressed up on Christmas Eve.

We had Will, Dana and the children over ( and of course Sean ) Christmas Eve night and then went to their church with them.

We had a good time together, and after eating, the children opened their stockings.

What an exciting time that was, and to see their little faces light up was enough for us - but they were so grateful and kept thanking us. The boys each got a Dickie camouflage wallet with a dollar in it, and I think this was the biggest hit in their stockings. Megan had different things, so we just stuck a dollar bill in her stocking. Well, you would have thought it was a hundred dollar bill. Maybe next year we'll just put a couple of one dollar bills, and skip the shopping altogether =)

There's Will and Mary Kate, "poulez chopatoulis" alias "boo boo" (as the children call her) all dressed up on Christmas Eve. I wish I had taken more pictures, but as they came in I got all excited and forgot the camera for the rest of the night (this happens a lot I'm afraid).

We had a lovely quiet Christmas Day, the three of us, Al, Sean and I, as we have our Christmas at Will and Dana's with all the kids on Boxing Day, the 26 th. We have always celebrated it as Trinidad, which is where I'm from, was a British Colony and it's a big British holiday. So all my family, in Trinidad, Canada and England, as well as the US, are also off celebrating on Boxing Day . We got a web cam for Christmas and after calling everybody the day before, we were able to see as well as talk to Trinidad, England and Iowa. What a gift that was! They were able to see us and we were able to see them, and the best part is IT IS FREE!!!

I look forward to staying in touch, especially with Christian and Holly and our two precious grandchildren in Oklahoma, and being able to watch them grow up.

I'm so grateful for the technology we have today, although it can be frustrating when things go wrong - like my new video cam that I can't download as yet.

Well, stay tuned.....next time VIDEOS!!

Late Boxing Day at Will and Dana's...watching a video together after all was said and done.

GOD BLESS YOU & HAPPY NEW YEAR ONE AND ALL!!!!!

Trip to the Cascade Mountains

2007-12-22T10:44:00.000-05:00

When I was in Washington, we had one day off a week, and we would take off before dawn and spend a glorious day seeing the sights.

This day my friend Vi and I took off for the mainland and headed for the Cascade Mountains, and a little Bavarian town called Leavenworth. I had no idea the treat I was in for. I'm so grateful for Vi (and one weekend, Marie & Phil) who planned all these wonderful trips since she lived on Whidbey Island. What a wonderful time we had! Starting off early in the morning before the sun was up - on the road!

On the Muckelteo ferry the sun began to rise, and what a glorious day it turned out to be.

All of a sudden we were out of the fog and the mountains were right there.

What excitement I felt being surrounded by such grandeur and beauty.

The road followed the river, and every bend around the mountains was another painting.

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork" (Psalm 19:1)

What amazing beauty for us to enjoy!
We visited Vi's brother and sister-in-law, and this was taken from their dining room window.
The view was spectacular every where you turned. (This picture does not do it justice)

Their property bordered this crystal clear mountain stream. (Maybe I'll paint this one=)

Then we got to the town of Leavenworth, a little Bavarian town nestled in the Cascade Mountains. What a delight this was! We walked around, did a little shopping, went to an art gallery and had a lovely time talking to the artist, ate a late lunch (or early dinner=), and then had the biggest ice cream cone we could buy as we strolled by all the quaint shops.

Hope you enjoy your little tour as well. It was such a delightful place!

Notice the mountains in the background.

It was October, but there were still flowers everywhere!

We just loved the purple flowers on this building.

Just look at those mountains - they were everywhere you looked! Amazing!

The horse was all decorated, and notice the Bavarian hat on the driver. I felt I was in the Alps.

Well, here we are back at the studio working. This is Vi in the red with me, with Marie (also a good friend now) and Rob behind her (We sure did have a good time, with lots of laughs at times -Rob had a good sense of humor which I really appreciated).

What a blessing it all was!

Photos of our trip to Whidbey Island, WA

2007-12-21T10:45:00.000-05:00

I know this is a bit late, but here are some pics of our trip out to beautiful Whidbey Island, WA.
Both Al and I really enjoyed touring in our rental car before I began art school. This was taken from the plane of the sun setting over (I believe) the San Juan Islands. Later I was able to take a tour by ferry with my (new) friend Vi, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It is so beautiful on a clear day!
This is the first beach we saw the following morning (Useless Bay). It was overcast and felt like we were in Alaska, with all the driftwood on the beaches and the huge evergreens. There was not another soul in sight! We loved it!

By the time we got to Deception State Park (what names they have =), the sun was out, and it was really clear, not to be taken for granted in the Puget Sound. We were very excited to be there - it was so gorgeous!
My Sweetheart!

The water was so very blue - but of course it does not show in the picture.

The seaweed there is so strange. Here is Al playing with a 20 foot piece of heavy seaweed, using it as a bullwhip, before it whipped him - ouch!! We both got hurt - boy would our grandsons have loved this, especially the cowboy, Andrew =)
This is the famous Deception Pass Bridge. The currents are so very strong and fast-moving through there as they have 12 foot tides this time of the year.

Notice the sky - they have the most incredible skies there, and it is constantly changing.

I got some great pics to paint!

It was pretty scary standing on this bridge, as we were so high up and could feel the bridge moving. It was also windy.

Taken from the bridge.

We took this one for Sean. (By the way Sean, is there a sign that says "NO KAYAKING" yet at your pool? =). This bridge looked like an enormous erector set.
We sure enjoyed touring Whidbey Island. It was a wonderful experience. I'm so glad Al came up with me and we were able to spend those few days together before the course began. It certainly is a beautiful place, and everyone who lives there seems to love it.

The New Renaissance Academy - Six week course

2007-12-03T22:24:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone, it's been so long, I may have forgotten how to do this. There's a definite order to this , and I should have posted the pics before I started writing.
Well, it's great to be back home again. The course was absolutely amazing though, and far exceeded my expectations.
It was a very intense six weeks and I learned so very much, and consequently the time flew for me. I was so grateful for cell phones so I could talk to Al each day and keep in touch with my family. It was so wonderful that Al was able to come up with me at the beginning, and we were able to spend a few days together on beautiful Whidbey Island before the course started. (I'll post some pics of Whidbey, WA and my trips on my days off at another time).
I really worked hard, especially on the final piece, which we worked on for three weeks, sometimes I worked until past midnight. (We all did something different for our final paintings). Each day I would tell Al that I could not believe how much I learned that day. It was really an amazing course, and I am so blessed to have been able to do it, and now be a graduate of the New Renaissance Academy. I am so very grateful for such a supportive husband and family. I kept asking them to pray for me to understand and be able to retain it all.
Below are the pieces I did. The first week was mostly academic, and then we began putting into practice what we were learning.
The course was "The Fundamentals of Masterpiece Painting" implementing "The Lost Secrets of the Old Masters".

Section 1: "The Fundamentals of Composition & Light"
This is a charcoal drawing I did of a still life that we set up. It is 18"x 24"

Section 11: "The Fundamentals of Perspective"

This is a pencil drawing that I did in a little town on the water called Coupeville. It is 6" x10"

Section 111: "The Fundamentals of The Natural Laws of Color"

This is 11" x 14" and is done with a very limited oil palette on linen. It was a practice piece we worked on for three days, putting into practice all that we had learned. I chose to do Whatcom Falls which I had visited with friends on my day off. Everyone did something different. The amazing thing about this is that I did not use white for the falls. I used a tinted blue, orange and yellow one on top the other, layer upon layer to make the white falls. Everything has all the colors in it, with certain ones predominating. This is not a very good picture I'm afraid, as I just took it and a part of the top is cut off, but you get the picture =) Look at the depth you get with this type of painting. It takes hours and hours, but it really is worth it! (I'll have a better pic of it put on my website later). Everything is brought up from the shadows into the light step by step, instead of matching the color and simply putting it on the canvas. It's painting the cause of the effect of what you see - not just the effect, ....and everything has all the colors in it.

This type of painting needs to be viewed with the right lighting, like the paintings of the old masters who painted using this sfumato technique, in order to be really appreciated. I'm sorry that my photos do not do them justice.

All our paints, linen (not canvas) etc was supplied for us, and we had the very best quality of everything. The linen is museum quality Claussens linen from Belgium @ approx $100.00 per yard, and one particular tube of Old Holland paint I heard was $69.00 after the discount.
My final painting which you're about to see took me over 150 hours, so from now on I'll have "major" and "minor" pieces. I wish you could see it in reality to see all the colors and the details.

Thanks Al, Christian & Holly, Will, Dana, Tim, Andrew, Owen, little Megan (who missed me so much) Sean and everyone else who prayed for me while I was in Washington. I sure missed you all, and came home to find little Mary Kate not just walking - but running....how wonderful is that!

This was my final piece.
I called it "La Voie" (The Way)
16" x 26" oil on linen

Still on the easel! Under the bright lights in the studio it looks bright, but it is dusk and although not dark, the lamp has come on.

This makes me think of my season of life -it is dusk and hopefully my light is beginning to shine too. (The lamp seems to turn on and the painting lights up under the right lighting - so many analogies - Jesus being "The Light" who shines through us).

It is a place I had been to in France called La Roche Bernard, and had spent a quiet hour and a half there while my group was eating at a restaurant close by. (I had needed some quiet time with the Lord).

I love the contrast between the ancient buildings, the old stone walls, and the beautiful flowers.

It speaks to me of this generation walking in the footprints of their ancestors, living and making it their own by planting flowers (although some are growing there all on their own). They are making the little pathway or "The Way" (La Voie) beautiful , that others would want to go that way as well, and the lamp is on to light the way.

To me it is a picture of my life and what I hope to be, as expressed through one of my most favorite songs "Find Us Faithful" by Steve Green. Here are the words:

"We're pilgrims on a journey on the narrow road,

And those who've gone before us line the way

Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary,

their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace.

Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses

let us run the race, not only for the prize,

but as those who've gone before us,

let us leave to those behind us

the heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives.

(Chorus)

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful,

May the fire of our devotion light their way,

May the footprints that we leave, lead them to believe,

And the lives we live inspire them to obey.

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful!

After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone,

and our children sift through all we've left behind,

may the clues that they discover,

and the memories they uncover

become the light that leads them to the road we each must find.

(Chorus) "

Hebrews 12:1 says,

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses (those who've gone before us), let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God".

Oh may all who come behind me find me faithful!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE

2007-11-22T11:01:00.000-05:00

I'm back safe and sound from the Puget Sound (Whidbey Island, WA). What a wonderful six weeks experience it was, but I sure am glad to be back home and with my hubby and family again.
We're heading out for our annual four day Thanksgiving reunion with Al's family in the Poconos, and won't be back until Sunday.
I have lots to share along with some fabulous pictures, so stay tuned...... I'll be posting when I get back just as soon as I can. Until then, have a wonderful Thanksgiving - we sure have so very much to be grateful for.
Blessings to all my precious family and friends.
Allison