Nathan & Heather Online

Well, he finally did it. Somehow Nathan graduated from law school. Don’t ask how. But, if you have to ask, the answer is mostly through the wonderful support of a beautiful wife, son, parents, siblings, in-laws, etc. Thanks to everyone!

To preserve their culture, many people here have attached “quilt squares” to the sides of their barns. Each is unique.

Here are some photos we recently took to capture the surrounding area before we leave for California. Particularly poignant is the thought of leaving the peaceful farms of the Mennonite and Amish that surround us. Each Sunday for the past two years we have experienced the luxury of taking a beautiful ride through this countryside that still holds a simplicity and lack of materialism that is not only refreshing, but has almost become a spiritual oasis of sorts. This was the perfect prelude to our Sunday worship in Washington, Iowa.

The landscape is breathtaking in its simplicity:

The next photo is of birdhouses that, if you look carefully, you will see are a small part of the photo above.

I put this next picture in because the red winged blackbird has stood like a sentinel on the side of the streets while we travel. It seems like there is one every 200 yards, alone, keeping watch along the road. It felt kind of eerie at first, until I decided that this was how God kept tabs on things. He just looked through the eyes of these sentinel birds with red and yellow shoulders and thereby saw the whole world.

And, of course, there are the Amish people that add their own kind of magic. The first picture is of a barn raising that we saw a couple years back.

Here is one of my favorite photos. The hats of the Amish men are preserved outside while their owners attend some type of meeting.

While at the local children’s museum I was sitting in one of the play rooms and I hear the Chicken-bone pizza song being sung.  There was nothing unusual about that since Gideon has taken to singing it all the time.  The unusual part was that it wasn’t Gideon’s voice.  The next thing I knew a child from Gideon’s class came zooming down the slide singing Chicken-bone pizza.  I think for ever more that song will be popular with any kids that hear it.

Nathan came out to the living room the other day and Gideon had his toy doctor kit out. He looked up at Nathan (as he was quite heavily laden with instruments) and announced:

“Look dad, I’m multi-tasking!”

The female Cardinal that flies with the male in the previous post.

I have a deep facination with the ice storms and white wonderlands that cover the landscape here in Iowa during the winter months. (particularly when I am inside the house looking out the window) Here are a few pictures I have taken over the last several weeks of our crystal kingdom.

I want to be great photographer. Alas, I am only so so. But the subjects of my photos are spectacular!

King Cardinal

Like a crystal garden . . .

I love watching the bald eagles here. Most of my photos of them are pretty lame, as it seems difficult to catch them. Here is my best so far . . .

Here are a few of the Christmas projects we’ve been doing around the house . . .

Cordial cherries . . .

Christmas bag, hat, and many many scarves . . .

Several Christmas aprons . . .

Many Christmas magnets in little Christmas satchels . . .

Christmas colored play-doh for the neighbors . . .

– caught red handed!

Almond bark . . .

Family picture bookmarks . . .

Christmas blanket (crocheted)

and I finally finished the snowflakes on our Christmas stockings!

• Dec 19 : Christmas traditions!!!
• Nov 19 : A few projects over the last couple of months.
• Sep 28 : www.prosper.com!
• Sep 15 : Giving Back . . .
• Sep 9 : Family Crest Prototype