Archive | December, 2009

Kayaking in the Mangroves

Early Monday morning our family headed over to Commodore  Creek for a kayaking escapade. This was the first time in my life that I had ever experienced the thrill of kayaking. We enjoyed being so close  to God’s fascinating creation. At one point, Robert and I were just a few yards under an Anhinga! The […]

On the Beach with a Camera

Taking pictures at sunrise and sunset on the beach is one of the most enjoyable experiences for a photographer! Or, at least that is the conclusion I have come to after spending the past few days here in on Sanibel Island in south-western Florida. This is the first time in my life I’ve ever done […]

Swimming on Christmas Day??

You know something’s wrong when everyone walking to the beach has their hands in their pockets wishing they had umbrellas. It was also a little disconcerting when we suddenly realized we were the only ones headed TO the beach – everyone else was going the opposite way! (We passed one lady wearing shorts, a  t-shirt, […]

The Wonders of Ding Darling N.W.R.

Another unusual aspect of this vacation is the fact that watching wildlife and identifying new species was not our primary objective. But we still set aside some time for it, and the trails of the J. W. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge proved to be an excellent place to see a diversity of wildlife. As […]

Christmas Day 2009

Praise the Lord! The adventure continues. We look forward to making more pictures available and reporting on the shells, wildlife and birds we’ve been able to identify here in Florida, but it is enough for now to say that the Lord is showing how many “surprise packages” He has for us when we wait on […]

Lakeland

When Rev. McEntire first moved to central Florida, he was asked which of two offices he would like for his own: the large one or the one with the view. He chose the one with the view and has never regretted it. True to it’s name, Lakeland is full of lakes and while visiting the […]

After Seven Years…

It had been seven years since the last time we had seen Duong and Lisa. Our reunion was like a taste of heaven with one big series of hugs after another. The visit seemed way too short as we reminisced about past escapades together over a delicious lunch of  Japanese food, including calamari (squid), California […]

Southern Hospitality Continues!

What a delight to experience the hospitality of the Stelzl family over the past couple of days! It was beautifully demonstrated from the time we pulled up into their driveway. Inside awaited delicious soup selections, grilled chicken, terramazzu, and peanut butter pie, just to mention a few of the fabulous wonders brought forth in the […]

More Carolina Cousins!

A beautifully-decorated house, a delicious lunch, an exciting game of “Tarheels UNO,” a dynamic piano duet, and lots of good conversation made our next stop in North Carolina fun and memorable. We spent the afternoon with cousin Julie, her husband Derek, and their three children, Ryan, Michael, and Anna.   

Snow Much Fun!

The huge snow storm turned our original 6-hour trip to North Carolina into an exhausting 20 hours on the road. What a joy and refreshment it was to finally reach our destination, the Altizers! It was 10:00 in the morning and Karen had a feast prepared for us, which energized us for an exciting snowball […]