Pictures from Summer Bible School Program

Last night, my church's Summer Bible School put on a program by the children for their parents and the public at large. It was a good program; the children were enthuiastic. Below are some pictures of the children singing from that evening. All pictures are clickable to see a larger view.

Utah, No. 3, Rt. 24, part 2

Back in May 1997, I spent some time in Utah on a Southwestern USA month long vacation. Part of the time, I traveled along Route 24 in Utah seeing many impressive and beautiful sights. Here is a continuation of what I saw.


In the above photo, notice the yellow field just in front of the mountains in the distance. In the picture below, you can see this yellow field of wild flowers close up. It wowed me.

Potpouri - Reflections on Odds and Ends

This week is continuing to be busy, mostly fun, and eventful -- also tiring from too much going on. :) I may not be able to do as much browsing of all my blog friends' pages. If I don't stop by, I haven't forgotten you. Next week should be better. Nevertheless, I have some photos and stories to share below.


My church's lead pastor has been away on vacation. So some of our youth with the consent of what shall remain an unnamed adult decided on Sunday that our pastor's office was in need of some re-decorating. They did a thorough job tinfoiling just about everything in sight. This particular picture shows the pastor's desk and computer station behind the desk. They covered large and small - pencils, pictures, phone, books, and more. If it was there, it was destined to be covered. Great job, youth! :)


Some of you may remember me posting this picture back in February describing some of my work in a scratch bakery. This picture shows the cooker in which I make the sweet goo for our shoofly pies. But the reason, I am posting it again is because of what happened yesterday.

I needed to heat a mixture of molasses and water to a boil. While doing that, I customarily walk away and do other tasks. This time, I came back, lifted the lid to the cooker, and it immediately started boiling over and out. I had put in two and a half five gallon buckets of molasses and three gallons of water; I probably lost a third of that onto the floor.

You can imagine what a sticky mess I had! Fortunately, my supervisor and two other coworkers helped me clean it up. All one could do was laugh especially at the moment I opened the lid and it started pouring out. Other than turning the heat off, all of us were powerless to stop it. They tell me this never happened before in the history of the bakery.

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Our church is holding Summer Bible School this week. During Summer Bible School week, the junior youth customarily camp out in tents at the church Sunday night through Thursday night. They come early each evening for games and work projects as the weather permits. This year due to the weather though it is mostly recreation in the evenings and camping out in the church gym. Then in the morning they participate in the regular Summer Bible School program. This year I've been designated the evening camera person for this event. Two of the pictures are posted below.


This is a picture from Sunday evening showing one of the youth sponsors explaining a beanbag tossing game. The youth have milk jugs tied around their waist and will be paired in twos. Each youth tosses the bean bag into the other youth's jug. If successful, he steps back two feet; if not, they are out of the game. The last pair in wins.


This picture is from Monday evening. For this evening the junior youth are joined by the older youth and some young adults. They are playing a game of crab soccer. Initially, they played with one large ball. Later a second smaller ball was also tossed into the game.

Down a different lane

Maine Scenes, No. 9, Baxter, Water Highlights

Maine has many creeks and lakes. Here's a view of a creek and a lake in Baxter State Park of North Central Maine. These pictures from yesteryears are calling me back there. The call of the wild.

Utah, No. 3, Route 24, Part 1

Back in May 1997, I spent some time in Utah on a Southwestern USA month long vacation. Part of the time, I traveled along Route 24 in Utah seeing many impressive and beautiful sights. Here is just the beginning of what I saw.


In the above photo, I love the beauty of twisted tree limbs. In the photo below is but one sample of the many wildflowers I enjoyed along the way.

All is well

All is well
Blue skies,
Puffy white clouds,
A green expanse below

All is well
Wide horizons,
Awakening sounds,
Asorbent being

All is well
I am known
And know
The wellspring

All is well
Peace thrives.
Even midst tormoil
The wellspring touches

All is well
Though inner conflicts rise
And outer forces scream,
The wellspring dwells within

All is well
The wellspring lives
through ages past and ages yet to come
A comforter, a vision giver.

Sunrise at the Beach

Peace Valley Park, No. 9, Another Day in the Park

These pictures are from about eight days ago. I had an early morning breakfast meeting to go to that day after which I went to the park. The park in this case was Peace Valley Park near Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The morning was perfect sunny and just a nip cool when in the shade. I think the pictures will tell my story of awe better than words.

A Cute Squirrel and a Study in Design

The picture of the squirrel above was taken at Peace Valley Park near Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania; but it could have been taken almost anywhere. I just like the way it is perched on a limb with a eye on its surroundings and perhaps expecially on me.


This is the same photo as the first one but processed with a hot wax filter. It intrigues me in its larger size which can be seen by clicking on the picture. I like to sit back and let the picture just soak into me gazing in silent reverie at the evolving patterns. You have to have an appreciation for the abstract and the unreal in order to appreciate this one. :)


This, too, is the same photo but processed by a kaleidoscope filter. I like how it geometrically reproduces recognizable parts of the picture to give a whole new feeling.

The Road Before Us

Earthsea

Unity in diversity
in the midst of adversity
persisting in pursuit
of one's higher calling

That seems to describe the DVD movie Earthsea I watched on my computer Saturday night. The story is a mix of wizardry, religion, and good old selfish ambition for immortality and power. It kept my attention during all 172 minutes of it. If you like fantastic tales, I recommend it.

Sid Meier's Civilization III

I don't play many computer games. But one that I have enjoyed at different periods in my life was Sid Meier's Civilization - a strategy game that has come out in several different editions. Some years back, I had bought Civilization III but had too slow a computer for it at that time. This past week, I decided to try it again and am once again mesmorized by it - growing a civilization that meets the test of time. :)

There are five major aspects to growing a civilization in this game. They are exploration, growing a healthy economy, increasing knowledge, conquest, and growing a culture. The game player as leader of his civilization competing with several other civilizations has the challenge of determing the right balance between these five aspects. The game also allows for several ways of winning - conquest, coming out top in a space race, use of diplomacy for world peacemaking, or by overwhelming the world with your civilization's cultural achievements.

The game is a challenge however one plays it. And I'm relearning the hard way some things I've forgotten over the years. But refiguring out the proper strategy again is part of the fun of it. Civilization III is not the most current version. I think Civilization IV came out a year or two ago. But for now, Civilization III is satisfaction enough for me.

Pennypacker Mills, No. 7, A Civil War Enactment, Part 3

This is the last in my Civil War Enactment series; but to some it may be the most interesting as it shows more of the culture of the Civil War times than of any military action per se. To me personally I found it fascinating to see how many people dressed back then. And I enjoyed listening to the banjo player that I have pictured further down below.


The young lady in blue was knitting away when I took the picture.


Here they are finishing up a meal. Unfortunately I came by too late to see what their meal consisted of.


The banjo player


I am not sure what they were doing here other than having a good conversation.


A local Bucks County Civil War poster


Soldiers at ease

Pennypacker Mills, No. 7, A Civil War Enactment, Part 2

Below are six more pictures from the Civil War Enactment at Pennypacker Mills, Schwenksville, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. These pictures show a bit more of the smoke and action of the re-enactment. In an upcoming post, I will present some pictures that show some of the dress of Civil War times of both women and men.


The Blues packing a cannon with gunpowder

Here the Grays are firing their cannons from behind their front line soldiers as evidenced by the smoke.


The Blues firing from the tall grass


The Grays advancing


The Blues firing a cannon on the Grays


The Grays firing their guns in formation

Pennypacker Mills, No. 7, A Civil War Enactment, Part 1

Today, I went to Perkiomen Mills near Schwenksville, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania for an American Civil War Enactment. The skies were cloudy which probably was good for photography purposes. I didn't have to worry about the sun being in the camera angle. Due to the positioning of the troops and the viewing area, most of my best shots are of the Grays. I will probably make one or two more posts of the battle enactment and certain other shots. All pictures are clickable for larger views. The best is yet to come.


A Pre-Enactment Staged Group Photo (Gray)


Initial Scouting (Blue)


Moving towards the Grays


Moving towards the Blues


The Grays preparing to fire
[In these last two photos, the cloudy or foggy appearance
is from the gun and cannon fire.]


The Blues positioning

Sometimes I like to play with pictures

Sometimes I like to play with pictures. This is a transformation of a picture shown within the last month. Anyone care to guess what picture it came from? :)


And for those who may wonder, this transformation was done by the Kaleidoscope function of Corel Paint Shop X. From time to time, I may post more such transformations. Patterns fascinate me. And if one has the right sense of humor, it can be especially amusing sometimes when the photo is of a person or group of people.