Family
Ornithology
On our last day in Cameroon, one of Anna’s best friends stopped by for a visit, and I got some video (through the screen):
Anthropology
Rough Air
I was intrigued on this trip to see the euphemism “rough air” replace the long used “turbulence.” Probably some focus group somewhere preferred it, but anyway, I thought it was not a bad description of some of the chaos we’re going through these days —whether you see it as turbulent, Read more…
Family
Joel’s Drums
Joel has always been a drummer. I noticed it first in his high chair as a toddler. This past three years he has had his own drum kit in his bedroom (sorry, neighbors!) and he loves to jam out to his favorite songs. He was first chair in Symphonic band Read more…
Family
Selling All
Over Memorial Day weekend we held the biggest garage sale of our lives, and I confess – I am not a garage sale person. We have never lived in one home as long as we have in Texas, so every closet was full. We have never lived in such a Read more…
Anthropology
Senior Year Abroad
It doesn’t make sense on paper to uproot a teenager for the final year of school. But we were questioned about taking him to France as an infant, or to Congo as a kid; much about our life looks like foolishness to some people. But there are a number of Read more…
Family
Observations on a Sidewalk (of a Solar Eclipse)
For all our friends in Oregon, who observed a total solar eclipse yesterday, this is what we saw in Texas: You can see that direct light of the sun shining through just on the edge of my head, but not when you block just a bit more of the sun: Read more…
Family
Treebeard and Quickbeam
Joel just finished reading the Lord of the Rings, and today he decided to put his love of fantasy into Lego. He had found kits online for $200+, but decided he could do it himself. Anyway, here he is, proud of his creations. For those that don’t remember Quickbeam, Read more…
Congo + Culture
Congo Project
Anna has been studying Ancient History in homeschool this year, including African history. She chose to do a month-long research project on the Zaire /Congo River. Today she will present what she learned, so I sewed her a new outfit. She chose the kitenge pattern.
Holidays
The Content of Our Character
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. -Martin Luther King, Jr. Life in the Pacific Northwest basically persuaded me that civil rights Read more…