A Day in Skippack, PA, with my Sister

This past Wednesday, my only sister and I spent a day in Skippack doing window shopping and enjoying the sights. Skippack is a town with many fascinating little shops and restaurants. It was a beautiful warm day great for walking from place to place. Below are a few of the sights we enjoyed. Some of the pictures are not quite the quality I like since I only took a snapshot camera with me that day. But they will give a flavor of the experience of the day.

A flying pig and other crafts

A scene in a doll shop

A scene in a clock shop with other miscellaneous items

Floral and Hardy

I love the artsy cows

A pottery shop where one can paint the pottery one purchases
A beautiful place that seeks to build community

A humorous sign on an old covered bridge

My sister standing next to an old trolly

Love the flamingoes

A window scene

I said we were going window shopping :)

Remembering Uncle George

Yesterday, my wife and I attended the funeral service and reception in remembrance of my wife's Uncle George. He was an avid flower gardener and bird watcher. The pictures below reflect a bit of his life and family.

Uncle George and his flowers at the Lutheran Home

Uncle George's family in 1941

Uncle George is in the back row all the way to the left next to his mother

Uncle George and his wife Ruth in 1966

Uncle George in 1982

Uncle George and Aunt Ruth at the Lutheran Home in the early 1990s

Aunt Ruth passed away in 1996 before I knew the family

Uncle George and his flower garden at the Lutheran Home

In loving memory of Uncle George

The reception in memory of Uncle George

Rice Family Christmas

Monday a week ago, the Rice family got together for Christmas. It was a wonderful time of family, food, and remembering Christ's birth. The pictures below will share a glimpse of that experience.

Mom and all her children

Mom and all her grandchildren

The Christmas dinner table is set with an abundance of food

Singing our Christmas prayer

A story of The Three Trees

Gift time

Conversation time

Playing and enjoying Christmas music

Singing Christmas carols

Playing table games

Socializing

Playing Rummikub

Supper time with delicious apple dumplings on the left,

fruit salad, and many kinds of snacks

Celebrations

In the past several weeks, my wife and I attended several celebrations of varying kinds with family and friends. The pictures below share a bit of the joy of these events.

 One of my nephews displaying some birthday gifts

 First of five pictures from our Thanksgiving gathering on my wife's side

 A bountiful table

 Playing Uno

 Ringing bells

 Playing Parcheesi

The wedding cake of one of my wife's friends

The happy couple eating cake

Reflections

Yesterday afternoon, my wife and I went over to the old family farm house. It was the first time we were there since it was completely cleaned out after the passing of my dad earlier this spring. It was a time of remembering what was and what will be no more. Below is a poem I wrote expressing some of my continuing emotions from that visit.

Yesterday, a house bustling

A home filled with warmth

Kids filling the air with laughter

Home grown meals full of tantalizing aromas

Today, a house empty, forlorn

Silent, barren, crumbling

A large stump decaying

A time lost forever

A time of grief

Missing what used to be

Knowing what was

Is all but gone

Yet knowing

We who remain

Have what is important

Love that thrives above circumstance

Family Gathering - The Food

On July 3, our family got together for the late afternoon and evening time. There was so much good that happen there I'm splitting it into two posts - one featuring the food and one featuring the many other activities. So be sure to check them both out for the full story. :)

Beginning to gather for our picnic supper

The food table - grilled hotdogs, sweet corn, potato salad,

macaroni salad, seven layer jello salad, and a raw veggie & dip platter

among a number of other snacks and cut-up fruit

The sweet corn close up - it reminded me of my growing up days
when we made a meal out of sweet corn, butter bread, and applesauce.

Eating outside - earlier the thunder rumbled but only a few drops came

My nephews' pet dog waiting expectantly at the feet of one of my brothers

Blueberry lemon pound cake for desert made by my wife and I

And homemade vanilla ice cream to go along with the cake
We also had home grown raspberries and blueberries to go along
with it as well as a homemade raspberry syrup. Yummy!

 If you haven't done so already be sure to also check out the post entitled
 Family Gathering - Our Activities from this same event.

Family Gathering - Our Activities

On July 3, our family got together for the late afternoon and evening time. There was so much good that happen there I'm splitting it into two posts - one featuring the food and one featuring the many other activities. So be sure to check them both out for the full story. :)

Playing the hat game but it had nothing to do with the hat
See the purple hat on the left. The goal was to figure out how to
play the hat game by carefully watching those who knew.

 

Playing four square

Playing croquet - a game we played a lot in our childhood days

My wife on the right and one of my sisters-in-law

My sister-in-law on a photograph assignment - a tadpole in
the cup that one of my brothers is holding

My mom and my only sister

One of my strong nieces lifting up my sister on the left

Two of my nephews with their mom's step-mother in the background

We celebrated three birthdays at that gathering. My brother in the center is probably one of the most politically conservative in our family. So as a joke gift, he was given an Obama - Yes We Can t-shirt. He took it very good-naturedly but vowed never to wear it. I have a great family. :)

If you haven't done so already be sure to also check out the post entitled Family Gathering -The Food from this same event.