Anticipation

Murphy doesn't mind being wrapped in colored lights...as long as the promised liver treat is forthcoming.

Note to Self

Meeting my oldest daughter's boyfriend for the 1st time tomorrow! I'll try not to call him Ian or Ethan (it's Evan)...

LITERAL Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Trailer Parody HD

This trailer is beyond awesome! With the next Harry Potter movie almost upon us (yes, my teen is going at midnight to watch it, but I'm choosing sleep), here's a little teaser.

Costa Rica Adventure

Last month, my father took me and my sister Beth to Costa Rica with him. We went during the rainy season, but fortunately, didn't see much rain until the last two days.

A morning at the butterfly garden. Every color you might imagine, airborne.


Did I mention that we visited the mud baths?


Cartwheel painting is a tradition here.


The crocodiles at Tarcoles River--we stayed our distance. No messing with these critters.

Masquerade Corgi

Murphy wishes you a festive October!

I think he likes dressing up.

At Zell's Cafe in Portland

My lunch companion said, " I should write a sonnet about these scones..."

Goodbye Mom

Today we said goodbye to our dear "Mama-We."
Here's a link to the video tribute put together by a grandson, Andrew, and his wife, Rachel (after we all emailed photos and music suggestions).


It seems surreal to think that I can't just pop over to see my Mom and sit down for a cup of tea with her. She was a feisty, fun, loving, stubborn, adventurous, intelligent, curious, godly woman.

It's Been Awhile

Well, it's been awhile since I last posted...life gets moving and I neglect the blog.

My mother suffered a stroke about a month ago, and I'm driving to see her (and Dad) about 3-4 times a week. Mom's also dealing with cancer that's metastasized, so I want to spend as much time as possible with her. Your prayers and caring thoughts are appreciated.

Fortunately, my parents' town is only about an hour away--not an ocean away! I'd be flying back and forth a lot if we were still in Germany.

Speaking of oceans, we just returned from a weekend trip to Bandon, Oregon. Time on the beach, yay. Here's a quote from Anna:

‎"What's the beach for, if not squinching toes?"

I agree. My vacation wouldn't have been complete without a little squinching of toes in Bandon's lovely sand.

Still in Love

Mom and Dad--at a Mother's Day Brunch a few weeks ago put on by my sister Susan.

I'm so grateful to be living near my folks this year. They're still in love with each other and it makes me happy to see them together.

P.S. Can you tell that we Broses are a food-loving family? Quite a spread. My steamed carrots with honey and ginger felt underdressed next to the brie & pinenuts in puff pastry, smoked apple frittata, and dessert tray with chai cupcakes and mini cheesecakes.

Good Advice from Hank Jones

Hank Jones, jazz pianist, died a few days ago at the age of 91. NPR replayed an earlier interview with him and this is what Hank said about playing piano (as closely as I remember--I was driving the car while listening and wrote his words down after I got to my destination):

"I try to be conversant with the piano... You have to be on good speaking terms with the piano, or the piano will rebuff you."

Seems as if this advice also applies to writing and other art forms. Unless it's an ongoing conversation, not just an occasional thing, the writing will rebuff us too. Daily writing, here I come.

Thanks, Hank! You'll be missed.

Can You Guess?

Can you guess where this picture of Jeff and me was taken?

Ch-Ch-Ch-Change

More than a few changes going on with our three children these days...

This July, Danielle moves back to the US to attend law school. She's worked in Heidelberg, Germany, with Malachi Ministries for three years, helping to support youth groups and youth projects for children of the military. We're proud of Danielle's involvement overseas and interested to see what happens next.

At the beginning of June, our son David marries his fiancee Emily in Grand Rapids, Michigan--the two met during college, and will be moving to Iowa for work and further studies. We're excited for this big step in their lives and eager to gain a great daughter-in-law.

Anna is researching schools and thinking about college scholarships. She lives one more year at home and then off she goes. I'm realizing it will be a big adjustment to say goodbye to our youngest! Jeff and I might need to adopt an international student or something. Truly though, we're happy at what an independent and thoughtful young woman Anna's turning out to be.

P.S.
Oh, and in case you wondered, contrary to some dire predictions (ahem, Jeff), Murphy survived the sixteen hour trip last year on Lufthansa airlines and is currently chasing squirrels and assorted birds in our Washington backyard. He takes pain pills for his joints, but is doing remarkably well for an eleven year old pup. Not bad for a dog whose death has been foreseen multiple times.

I Found A Reason -- Cat Power

South to Sunshine

Last week was spring break here in Washington, so we headed to southern California with Anna for a few college visits and also a requested trip to Disneyland.

Reminds me of the flowers in Burundi--very tropical and bright.


Surf and sand at Venice Beach.


Are your eyes doing funny things? No, just Van Gogh.


Yes, some cliches about California seem to be true!

In A Flash

In a flash, at a trumpet crash,
I am all at once what Christ is,
since he was what I am, and
this Jack, joke, poor potsherd,
patch, matchwood, immortal diamond,
is immortal diamond.

--Gerard Manley Hopkins

Wisdom from Winnie the Pooh

"Some people care too much, I think it's called love." Winnie the Pooh

Too Succinct

TV Click's description of the movie Forrest Gump -- "a slow-witted Southerner experiences 30 years of history."

Excuse me?

Black is Beautiful

It's been so long since I've posted a sign photo. This is one I found in Amsterdam about two years ago. I guess I need to go sign-hunting around Vancouver and Portland. The other day down on Burnside by Voodoo Donuts, I wanted to photograph the "Keep Portland Weird" sign but had forgotten my camera. Good excuse for another trip downtown.

Murphy Monday -- Hiking at Whipple Creek

Yesterday was so gorgeous, I told Jeff we needed to get out and hike. At first, I wanted to go to the Columbia Gorge, but we ended up closer to home after googling various parks in the Vancouver area.


Murphy thoroughly loved the trail, especially with the abundance of horse smells and muck. Several horseback riders passed us at different points and our dog behaved himself. One horse reared back when he saw Murphy, but finally walked past after much persuasion.

Hard to believe much of the US is still under a blanket of snow--another reason to spend spring in the Northwest!

Sylvia Beach Hotel Snapshots

View onto Nye Beach from the Mark Twain room.


Edgar Allen Poe room. I wouldn't want to sleep under this blade! There's a raven on the dresser (out of the photo).


The Dr. Suess room -- one of the more colorful rooms at the hotel.


Tennessee Williams room.

Nye Beach Angel

I've always liked this angel, assembled from a hodge-podge of metal pieces: gears, grates, and random bits of iron. Last night, the sunset cooperated and I'm happy with the silhouette that resulted. The angel is on a cliff overlooking Nye Beach in Newport, Oregon. By the way, the weather was miraculous! No coat on the Oregon coast in January. How often does that happen?

Arachnophobia

For those of you with arachnophobia, this isn't the playground you'd want to visit.