Harvey Travel Arts

Happy New Year! Here's wishing that the snow melts into spring, and God's seasons bring you new joy.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 Merry Christmas to all of you and yours!

Inside the caves at Valkenburg, we found evidence of their history all over the walls. These silhouettes were taken of American soldiers during WWII. The soldiers used these caves as a hideout from enemy forces. Jews were also hidden in the caves at various times during the War. Today, they have to have grating over the silhouettes in order to protect from graffiti. It is sad that others do not have a respect for history, and cannot understand that if history is not preserved, it could be repeated. So here's a prayer in time, thanking God for protecting our men and women in uniform, and for their dedicated service, no matter what conflicts they may be a part of.

The theme of one of two Christmas Markets in Valkenburg, Netherlands was "A Christmas Carol". For the next couple of weeks, I'll show pictures from these caves. The entrance was decked out with scenes from long ago, and it brought me along a trip down memory lane. More on that in a moment... Anyway, above you can probably barely see the silhouette of the "Grim Reaper" or death in the center window. If you've read or watched "A Christmas Carol" you will remember that the "Ghost of Christmas Future" comes bearing a Phantom reminding Ebeneezer Scrooge of Death. This marks the turning point for Ebeneezer, where he decides to keep the Spirit of Christmas alive within him. As far as my trip down memory lane? When I was in the 6th grade, we read "A Christmas Carol" and acted out the story in a mini-play for the school and our parents. I think my part included coming to the table as one of the Cratchit children.

Last week I posted about giving thanks in all circumstances. This weekend, my sentiments were tested when we went to Valkenburg, Netherlands, to see the Christmas Markets. What you have is a view from our hotel. The actual Christmas Market photos will come starting next week. Right now, though, I want to tell you it was difficult to give thanks at this hotel. Now I'm usually a laid back traveler, and I love European hotels in general. I like the unique buildings, the tasty breakfasts, and cozy rooms. But when we arrived and they told us that we needed to let them know if the room was too cold, I knew I was in for an adventure. The room was too cold for Brian, if that tells you anything. Usually he's the hot natured one, and I'm the one who is always cold. This attic room, though cute and cozy, was not warm. We froze, and turned on the shower at one point to let some steam from the hot water to heat the room. I thought of my blog, and giving thanks in all circum

Sunday morning the Chaplain gave his Thanksgiving message. The main point? Be thankful in all circumstances. I am reminded of Corrie ten Boom's The Hiding Place , where she is thankful for the fleas. Yes, fleas! The fleas on the prisoners allowed them to safely avoid the detection of the guards and get Bibles, medicines,supplies etc to those who needed them. Those guards certainly didn't want to "catch" the fleas. Sometimes life feels like that, doesn't it? That everything is going wrong, your health is bad, loved ones are dying, and what could there to be thankful for? Sometimes finding thankfulness requires digging deep within ourselves and may even mean looking for what appears to be a negative on the surface (fleas, anyone?) and realizing that there could be a reason. Something, perhaps, to be thankful for. You're probably wondering why the pictures of trash and crowded cities on a post about thanksgiving. These are pictures from Brian's rec

Every fall I enjoy the autumn colors of orange, yellow, red and purple that spring forth. I have to admit, one of the things I loved living on the East Coast of the US and now I enjoy in Germany are the beautiful leaves turning. The time frame is so brief; only a couple of weeks it seems, and then they fall, leaving a barren tree in their wake. You can probably look through the blog and see similar pictures. I never tire of taking them, or having Brian take them, because every tree, every scene, is different. Just a couple of weeks ago, Brian and I were driving near Worms (it's a town, not a creepy crawly) and happened across this park area. It's actually the grounds of a former schloss (castle or palace in German). The sky was bright, the reflections were beautiful, and the tree above looked like the perfect place for climbing.

One of my favorite exhibits at Vienna's Natural Science and History Museum was the butterflies. I have never seen such a wide variety; there were cabinets and rows full of the vibrantly colored creatures! It was difficult to get a clear photo with the reflection from the glass, but you can see here that there are unique patterns, colors and sizes to be found. Only a Creator with an unlimited imagination could have created these beautiful creatures. The very first verse of the Bible tells us, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1 To think that these butterflies are only a small part of what He created amazes me.

When we were in Vienna, Brian and I visited one of the most comprehensive natural history and science museums I have ever seen! On the top floor there were rooms and rooms of animal, ocean, fowl, and insect specimens. The live bee exhibit was the most fascinating. They had two places in the exhibit for live bees: one was a hive behind a sliding magnifier and the other was a treed in hive encased in glass. You can see in the picture below that there is a tube from the hive to the outdoors where bees can come and go. Let me make this clear: there was nothing between the bees and us but glass. So naturally my thoughts wandered and I thought: what if someone breaks the glass? We're going to have a museum full of bees! Fortunately, things went as they should and no glass was broken, no bees escaped. I have to admit, watching God's creation up close in a new way was pretty cool. And to those who are wondering, no, there were no honey samples. Fortunately there are grocery

A few weeks ago, Brian and I had the opportunity to visit Vienna, Austria. Vienna is a beautiful city most known for musical history: classical composers and musicians such as Mozart and Beethoven. However, as we walked through an old part of the city, we came across an unexpected archaeological dig. The Roman ruins and foundations of the city were dug a few years ago, and you can look down today and see ruins of ancient homes and streets I have seen similar digs in Rome and other cities in Europe and the same questions always remain in my mind: how does so much modern architecture get built on structures that are later excavated and found to be in structurally original condition? Also, how much of these underground ruins were destroyed when subways and other modern infrastructure were put in? Just a few well placed rock blasts, and you've left history in the dust to make way for the future. It kind of reminds me of our lives. We are temporarily on this earth, only to die and

Stress has been a recurring theme in the lives of many friends and family the past couple of weeks. Some of my friends have lost loved ones, others are facing medical issues, some are just overwhelmed with major changes in their lives, but no matter what, it seems to be affecting many people. I saw this photo when searching for blog ideas and had to smile. This panda is certainly not stressed. Laying on a cool bed of stone, one giant paw swooping toward the water, the panda at the National Zoo in DC appears very relaxed and comfortable with its surroundings. I assisted with a women's conference this past week, and received a book that tells 100 things we can do to feel better. There were a lot of good suggestions in the book, such as exercise and eating right, getting a massage, or just spending time with loved ones. These are all great ideas, but I have to add one more: pray. God can ease our mind, troubles, and help us work through our stressful times. The Lord IS my Sh

Just after leaving the John Lennon "Peace" wall in Prague, we continued on our walk to discover a bridge with these locks on it. We didn't see anything telling what they were, or why they were there. I didn't find anything in the guide book. Thankfully, a Segway tour was going by and the guy stopped and talked to his group about it. The tour was in English, so we listened in. They are "love locks" and it is a trend that occurs in other cities as well, but something I had not yet seen. The idea is that you and your love come put a lock on the wall and throw away the key (some toss it into the water under the bridge). I have to admit, I think the lock part is a neat idea, although I would hesitate throwing the key into the water for environmental reasons. These locks were of different shapes and sizes, and have been painted or marked on with the couples' initials and various colorful designs. I couldn't help but wonder, how long have these loc

About a month ago, we were in Brussels. The city is known as the "capital" of the European Union, and of course the City of Brussels is the capital of Belgium. Translation: a lot of government and business goes on in this modern city. Although I have more pictures that more accurately describe the history and culture of the area, these statues grabbed my attention. The inner part of the city has had so much money poured into the modern clean architecture that the whimsical figures almost seem out of place. We never found out about these statues; who created them or why, but they still found a place in our photo album. It's almost as if the two women featured here have been sitting in the city for centuries and are looking up amazed at what all has changed over the years.

This, my friends, is the "John Lennon Peace Wall" in Prague. I hesitated to post a photo of the wall, for fear that it would indicate my endorsement of the messages scribbled in colorful madness. Finally, I found a photo of the wall that blurs most of the messages. Just know that I'm posting this for a different reason. This otherwise normal wall became an outlet in the early 1980s not long after John Lennon's death. The messages have transformed over the years, but the general secular ideas of "peace" remain. However, there isn't much peace, in my opinion, in a wall filled with disarray. The peace that is so often referred to is not a perfect peace. The peace desired by society is unattainable; someone is always challenging another person's rights and beliefs. Perfect peace, peace in our spirit, no matter what is going on in the world, comes from Christ. Galatians 5:22 & 23 " But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsu

We've completely upgraded our computer system. Earlier this summer, you may remember my posts about the computer virus on the PC laptop. We purchased a MacBook with the idea that we'd eventually get a Mac desktop computer (whatever the name of it is). We saved up the money and I'm now typing this from the new desktop. All of the thousands of pictures are on here, but I haven't yet figured out how to efficiently search photos. I prefer to do so by folder and view them, but I just haven't learned the Mac way of doing this. So, I picked a random "blind" photo from the "miscellaneous Germany" files and posted. I think this is near Garmisch, perhaps the tip top or edge of Hohenschwangau. If so, this would have been taken many years before. Perhaps it was my mom's first visit: she was amazed at the snow that came down as we traveled to the mountains in June.

I'm not sure where in the city this photo was taken, but it gives a beautiful glimpse into the world of Prague. My "history" with the Czech Republic is an interesting one. My fifth grade teacher had each of us study a different European country, write a report and display a booth at a "fair" in our classroom. I don't remember how exactly we got to choose our countries, but I do remember all the "cool" countries were taken when it was my turn to make the choice: Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Ireland. Our sheltered fifth grade class knew about Italy. After all, who hadn't had lasagne and pizza, right? And who didn't know about French accents? But Czechoslovakia (as it was still called then) was nowhere on our radar. That's the country I picked. I learned about the country, did the report, but was disappointed that I didn't get something I was more familiar with. Little did I know that I would someday live in Germany and h

Some of you may have read my entry about the Jewish "ghetto" (that's the actual word, it originated there, I'm not being crude) in Venice. There were Jewish quarters like this all over Europe. The Jews were segregated, lived by curfews and many other laws. One of the Jewish quarters was in Prague, where I recently visited with Brian and my mom. We saw some of the synagogues, the Jewish museum, and learned a lot about their history. The old Jewish cemetery was something that I was not quite expecting. Most modern cemeteries bury the dead in neat rows, sometimes stacked a few deep, but this was unlike anything I had seen before. The Jews were only allowed so much land in their quarter for the Jewish Burial Society to, well, bury the deceased. This meant that people were stacked, tombstomes were crowded and it's more like a hill. I know that the people who died and were buried are no longer in this place, but for some reason the cemetery saddened me. Perhaps it was b

We see so many elaborate libraries on our travels: at palaces, castles, schools, churches and museums. On our recent visit to Prague, this delightful antique filled library caught my attention. I wonder sometime what it must have been like to live or have constant access to a place with so many books. When I was in college, I remember the cozy feeling I got when I was able to work in a quiet carrel secluded from the busy day around me. Unfortunately, I was usually researching a paper rather than curled up reading for pleasure. It seems today's libraries are filled more with people searching the internet than those who are looking for the written word--that is the words that still fill paper. Today most of my library is in electronic form and I take it with me. I have access to as many volumes as I could possibly read all in one device. However, it still makes me happy to think of a library, full of tomes waiting to be discovered, waiting to take me on an adventure.

The above photo depicts Magdalenenklause which was built on the grounds of Nymphenburg Palace in Munich. Despite its aged appearance, the small chapelesque dwelling was only built around 300 years ago. It was built to intentionally resemble ruins. For me, that's an interesting lesson in historic architecture. If a building such as this resembled the ruins that remained in the 1720s (remember, they likely had based it upon ruins elsewhere), then we can have a good picture of how buildings were constructed long before then. Stepping inside, the outbuilding looks even stranger: Yes, that's the ceiling; a shelled mosaic masterpiece. I cannot fathom the time that went into such a place. On a more practical note, think of the guys who had to set the shells and rocks into place. I'm sure their backs must have been sore after all that work. Just so someone could have a bizarre place to stay.

This motorized bike, an early prototype of today's motorcycle, looks painful to me. Who wants to sit on what is an uncomfortable, unmoving saddle and have to lean over, holding on to handlebars that surely will give you blisters? I don't know if this thing ever actually worked, but could you imagine this thing trying to whiz around through traffic? I'm sure the helmets were just as awkward back then. This vehicle on display at the Mercedes museum reminds me of my own life. Sometimes I feel awkward, like I'm just not quite there yet. I stumble and fall, make bad decisions. Compared to today's sleek machines, this bike certainly hasn't arrived , but for it's time, it was a stepping stone toward better transportation. Then I realize that, as human beings, we're a constant work in progress. We should be relying on God to help us grow. If we don't study His word and pray for guidance, we'll be stuck with our lives resembling a stiff, unben

I want to take this time to share with you what summer sometimes looks like in Germany. Unlike my home state of Texas, where summer is generally HOT...my family and friends have been seeing temps in the 100s...Germany's summers are a bit unpredictable. It does get into the 80s and 90s here for a couple of weeks during the summer, but that quickly changes into an irregular rhythm of warm, then cool, rainy, then cloudy, a little sun, etc. In other words, it's more like early spring in Texas. This particular evening, we had our camera as we traveled downtown, and I'm glad we did. The beautiful gray covered hills are a perfect description of a cool summer day.

Brian enjoys Starbucks. Before we met, I had only been to Starbucks two, maybe three times. I don't drink coffee, and I didn't really have a reason to go. Now I have grown to enjoy our regular trips to Starbucks; I can get a wide variety of non-coffee beverages: tea, hot chocolate, steamed milk, cream frapuccino. But the point is, the stores have become commonplace and mostly trendy little boxes that all look somewhat identical. However, this Starbucks on the Hauptstrasse in Heidelberg is the most unique location I've seen. I'm not sure what the building was in its history, but the architecture is still preserved. The round loft is the most popular spot; so much that we have never seen it empty. Even the rest of the store is usually full of people, but we found a rare moment to get some photos of this great little spot. Enjoy the view!

Escalator etiquette...Try saying that five times in a row! This fun picture was taken at the Porsche museum in Stuttgart. The museum itself was as beautifully designed as the car. Something about this photo made me want to post it, but what could I write about the subject. Then it came to me: Matthew 7:12 "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." KJV Where does this verse fit in with the escalator, you might ask? I think from time to time, we all become impatient with others who trample on our pet peeves. You know, the person who steps off the escalator and stops without first getting out of the way. They may not know where they are going, so they stop, looking around. But the escalator keeps moving people up or down, and soon there will be a big clog of people. Patience comes to mind in these situations, so you're probably wondering why not a verse on patience. There are

This is one of the many beautiful vehicles that Brian and I saw this weekend at Stuttgart's Porsche and Mercedes Museums. When I was a kid, I wanted a Porsche someday. I didn't know anything about the car other than it was beautiful, fast and way out of my price range. My first car was a hand me down from my mom; a 1984 Olds Delta 88. It was big, brown (I preferred to say "cinnamon") and was definitely a hooptie. The radio only worked when you banged your hand under the dash, and eventually stopped working at all. However, God used this big, ugly vehicle to save my life in a head on collision with a drunk driver who had no license and no insurance. He drove off and was later caught by the police. The car was totaled, but all of us in the vehicle were okay. I've since driven many different vehicles, but I am always thankful that my first car was built for safety. Safety ratings are still an important factor when I choose my cars today; even so, any vehicle can be

A while back, I created a "Home Again" post where I wrote about our return to Heidelberg. But let me give you some history on how we fell in love with this area in the first place. Brian had been stationed in Germany before we ever met. He loved the country and wanted to bring me here. My first trip to Germany was a visit; we planned our trip and spent lots of time looking at castles. We drove through Heidelberg, and although we didn't have time to stop here, the view was breathtaking. I said, "I want to live here someday!" Little did I know, that a short while later, we'd get the opportunity to move here the first time. When I asked Brian about the area, he reminded me of the breathtaking valley we had driven through, and he remembered my comments about wanting to live here. Well, folks, the first time was great and we are here in the area for a second time. While we don't live in the heart of Heidelberg, it is a short ride away on the Strass and

When we were searching for a new home here in Germany, one of our requirements was that we didn't want a lot of stairs up to the place. We knew we'd have some stairs, but the flights within our unit are much better than having to take three or four flights up just to get inside. Carrying groceries in is much easier. The last time we lived in Germany, we had an elevator ride up to the fourth floor. Thankful for the elevator, but there was the possibility of it breaking. Fortunately it never really broke. So, why, then, the photo of the Eiffel Tower? Gustave Eiffel built a small apartment in the top of the tower. On one hand, it was neat to see. You would definitely have the best view and the most privacy. But I can't imagine climbing all those stairs. I wonder if he liked the solitude. The next time you complain about the flight or two of stairs in your building or house, just remember, you could live at the top of the Eiffel.

So, Brian has uploaded a lot of our photos onto the new MacBook. If you don't already know the story, I'll share it now. Our PC laptop contracted a virus when we arrived in Germany. After a virtual lifetime of being PC users, and ONLY PC users, we have purchased a Mac and absolutely enjoy it! So much that we'll probably update our desktop once we have the money set aside to do so. Anyway, there is a bit of a learning curve. I have not yet figured out how to preview photos before posting them to the blog. I'm sure there's a way, and I'll get to it. In the meantime, please enjoy a photo number 1,000 from the England files, an antique bedroom of some palace or other. Ha.

This cute yard is ours. Our new yard while living in Germany. The first time we lived here, we didn't have a yard, but our outdoor space was a large deck on top of a building. This time around, we have a little green. It was overgrown when we got it, but the manual (yes, manual!) push mower and a little weed eater action took car of the mess. Now we have to start tending it; trimming back trees, taking out the dead ones, pulling weeds, planting... The list goes on and on. It's perfect for us. Funny, if we were living at home in the US, we'd want a large yard, privacy, etc. But somehow, having this petite, simple to care for yard is perfect for us here. It won't require a lot of upkeep, but we can still have a space to see God's creation and relax.

We have been in our new place almost a week, and yesterday the phone and internet were hooked up. This afternoon I'm going to try to get some photos to post. Anyway, Brian accidentally left his cell phone at the house this morning. The phone rang a little while ago, and a woman was on the line, speaking German (this is Germany, after all) asking for Herr Harvey. I told her (in English) that I'm Frau Harvey, Herr Harvey is at work. Then said, in German, "Sprechen Sie Englisch?" She hung up. I called Brian at work and gave him the number to call her back. Ahh. One of the fun things about living in a foreign country is trying to learn the language. I am a firm believer that one should make an effort to learn the language of the country you are living in, but I also know from experience that it's easier said than done. The learning by immersion that one hears about so many times is not as easy as it sounds. Despite the fact that we live on the economy (of

We are moving into our new place tomorrow! We chose the three story town home. It is close to public transportation, so I can go everywhere I need to go. There's a garage and a parking spot, so if we wind up with two cars, we'll have a place to park. If not, there's plenty of room for visitors to park their cars there. I am thinking about planting a garden. I told my mom this and she kind of laughed at me. I don't know why? Maybe because I've never shown an interest in gardening before. She has always had beautiful flowers every year, and has even grown a few tomatoes here and there. But I've always been more of an arts & crafts person. Well, there are seeds, and we have a yard. Of course I don't know where to begin, but I'm sure someone around here can teach me. When we move in, we'll take photos. I'll post them as soon as possible, hopefully next week. We are supposed to get internet service on the 21st. I'm looking forwar

Sorry, I don't have any photos yet. But, I have had an interesting day househunting here in the Heidelberg area. Brian and I looked at three properties today. The first was a townhome with garage. It has a beautiful yard that is large enough to entertain but small enough to mow in about 10 minutes. Lots of bright windows. There's even a loft space for me to paint from! The second reminded me of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," except in place of stone lions out front, there were Sphinxes. The interior was large and dramatic with lots of shiny finishes. Emphasis on the shiny. The living/dining room space made me think of ballroom dancing. The third was a sufficient space; clean and neat. Plain, but sufficient. However, the three flights of stairs, sans elevator (hey, we had one last time we were in Heidelberg!), and an extra flight within the unit was quite a lot for grocery lugging. Which one will we choose? One of these, or another still to come? I'll let

Okay, I still don't have any photos, but those won't be available until we get settled in Germany. Until then, you'll have to settle for words. We have been enjoying our visits in Texas this week. Family and friends that we haven't seen for a while have welcomed us with open arms. We miss our loved ones and our home state; it's good to be home, even for a brief while. Brian and I went to get our Texas driver's licenses back! We are so excited to be able to call Texas "home" while we live in Germany. I know, how can we appreciate two different places so much? I think it's because we enjoy traveling and experiencing new things. Well friend, I hope to be in Germany the next time I post. Until then, auf wiedersehen!

With our desktop computer in a box somewhere, I'm writing the blog from our laptop. I don't have any photos on here, so you'll just have to use your imagination. It stinks, I know. But stick with me and soon I'll have more pretty photos to display. Meanwhile, I'll share where we are with our move. I am writing this from Fort Meade. Tomorrow we check out and make the two day journey to Texas. We'll visit friends and family, and I'll try to post an update from there. A week from this Saturday, we'll be on our way to Germany! I think we're going to be a little busy, life will be crazy, but that's fun for us. More to come later!

Brian and I seem to repeat locations in pairs. Since getting married in 2002, we've lived twice in our native DFW area, twice in New Braunfels/San Antonio, twice in Maryland (well, technically once, but we moved across the state) and now twice in Heidelberg. The only place we've only been once is New Jersey, and I think it may be the one exception. So today I thought it would be fitting for me to post a picture of the outside wall at Braunfels Castle. My very first post on this blog back in 2008 was of the castle itself. I thought it was neat that I had lived in New Braunfels, TX, where the family from this German castle settled almost 200 years ago. I chose the picture today because it has a path, and reminds me that I'm on a journey. I like the idea of walking under the archway to see what adventure lies ahead. Tomorrow they are packing our things. We'll be out of the condo by Friday, and after another week and a visit to Texas, we'll be on our way to Germany.

Our move is getting closer, friends! This is the view Brian and I had from our former flat in Heidelberg. We were just a window away from a train, bus, and a bunch of quaint buildings, churches, homes. From this location in the south of Germany, Brian and I could go as far as Paris or even London--just add Eurostar--without getting on a plane or in a car. We traveled with my mom once from our hotel in Paris, walking first to the metro, heading to the train, switching trains once or twice, and off just in front of the flat. That was so convenient! Brian and I have been praying about our next place in Heidelberg. We will once again be living on the economy and have a small selection that the housing office will assist us with. Will we get a home with Old World charm? Another modern flat or townhome? Heart of the city near the Hauptsrasse? Countryside with more green space (grass!). I was starting to worry, but then remembered that God answered prayers the first time around wit

In honor of our upcoming return to Germany, I've decided to post a series of photos from our earlier time there. This photo was taken on a trip to Berlin that we took. We took the train in; train trips in Europe were some of my favorite. Less hassle than flying, more relaxing than driving, and overall a new way to travel that we don't experience often here in the States. This building caught our eye; all the organic greenery and its stark contrast to the shiny windows. The blue reflection and the green almost provide a calm, serene atmosphere in a city full of life and busy-ness. Sometimes it's the quick moments like this that make the best photos. There's no particular history, no people, nothing particularly fascinating about the scene: just a building that stood out among the rest. How do you stand out in a crowd?

Years ago, Brian and I went on the Sound of Music Tour in Salzburg, Austria. The photo above is the place where many of the exterior shots from the movie were taken. I remember this tour as being one of the happiest bus rides; there's nothing quite like riding a tour bus with the Sound of Music soundtrack playing in the background. The scenery was incredible, too. As fun as the musical and the tour were, there is something more important, and that is the story behind it. No, not the story of just the von Trapps, although their story is important. But the bigger story, that of the times, the War, the political storm in Europe that caused the von Trapps to leave their home and come to the United States. We must never forget history, even the most difficult history. Lessons are there to be learned.

I have been in knots about our move this past week. If you read last Friday's post, you'll see that Brian and I have an incredible opportunity to move back to Heidelberg. (The view from our old flat is seen above.) Something else happened this past week that caused my excitement to wane. There's a volcano in Iceland that I'm not going to try to pronounce or spell at the moment. The ash from this Icelandic volcano shut down airspace over most of Europe for about a week. There is still uncertainty about other volcanoes, and whether or not airspace will be locked out again. Ash is once again in my life. Seven years ago our household goods became ash in a moving fire. Now ash has stopped hundreds of thousands of people in their tracks, all of whom had to wait and travel an unexpected journey. Some have missed weddings, lost jobs, and missed family. At the same time, I was wondering what would happen if the volcano continued erupting until we needed to fly. Things

Before you read any further, go back to my January 25th blog entitled "Memory Lane." Read it. I had posted a picture of a restaurant in Schwetzingen, a nearby town to Heidelberg where we lived in 2005-2006. Three weeks ago, Brian interviewed for a job. He received a call soon after saying he was selected. Today we received the official offer and we should get the orders next week. You have probably guessed it by now: We are moving back to Germany! His job is in Schwetzingen, but we'll probably seek housing closer to Heidelberg. Talk about answered prayer! The photo above is the palace grounds in Schwetzingen. I cannot believe this amazing timeline! I had no idea when I posted the photo in January that we'd be returning there so soon, or even at all! In Ruth 1:22, Ruth and Naomi reached Bethlehem just as the barley harvest was beginning. In chapter 2, she is able to glean behind the harvesters and have an overabundant supply of food to provide for her and

Before Easter Sunday, I was posting some random storefront signs from London a year ago. They were all the same store, and I think I promised the Rhino storefront before continuing on to blog about something more substantial. So here it is. Now, this one actually has mannequins clearly visible in it, which is probably a good thing, since the point of all this creative marketing is to get you, the mere window shopper, to come inside and update the wardrobe. However, I generally am not on a safari in Africa; and I'm quite sure that if I were, I would not be wearing silk dresses. As much as I like this from an artistic standpoint, I find myself trying to stay true to my blog and find something redeeming to say about it, so here goes my moral of the day: we shouldn't be too focused on material goods. What we wear, so long as it's modest, isn't all that important. I learned many years ago after losing almost all my earthly posessions in a moving fire that what matters

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." He is Risen! This morning we went to sunrise (Sonrise!) service at our church. It was so beautiful to sing Amazing Grace and to hear a message about the love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The morning was full of God's creation; his children, trees, and birds, all singing to praise Him! Thank You, Lord, for your agape love!

I'm going through a bit of a creative dry spell, but that's okay. I have a few more of these storefront photos to show before I return to my usual topics. I hope you are enjoying the creativity of the marketing department at whatever store in London this was. I certainly look at recycled product large cats and think, "Hey, I want to shop in there!" Actually, what I ws really thinking was that it was a neat idea and I wish my artwork looked like that. Perhaps it will, someday. Rhino coming next.

London for Valentine's...2009 We didn't find anything quite this interesting this year, but I remembered these storefront photos from last year and decided to post them. It's hard to tell from the photos, but these store front displays were constructed out of recycled wood, plastic, metal, all kinds of things. Each display had an animal, manequins in various poses, and provided us with great entertainment. There isn't much to say about the art displayed here, so I'll let them stand on their own. Next post...A cheetah!

They just don't build them like this anymore. That's the first thought that ran through my head when I looked at this recent ceiling photo from Kensington Palace. Those ropelike things (don't you like my technical terminology) lead to chandeliers, one of which you can see in the bottom right corner. This ceiling is like one of many I've seen on our travels; so extravagant I cannot fathom the time, creativity and effort put into it. The amount of sketching and planning, starting and restarting; I just cannot imagine completing such a feat. I wouldn't know where to begin. Don't get me wrong, I prefer the clean lined simplicity that is found in modern architecture, but it sometimes looks as though beautiful creativity is waning in favor of cookie cutter neatness. I spend a lot of time looking at architecture, both in person and in magazines. There isn't much out there today that resembles the palaces of times long gone. Every now and then, I'll co