1 King 15-16b

I backtracked and filled in a hole I had left previously. Chapters 15 and 16 are now complete and can be found here.

Cups from 7-11

The best cups in our house are from the Slurpies we buy at 7-11. Do I complain because we have cheap dishes? Or do I rejoice because we have Slurpies? I choose to rejoice. Thank you, God, for the little things.

Pictures: Shopping for Umbrellas

One day was devoted to shopping, and one of the things Chiang Mai is known for is handmade, painted umbrellas. Several factories we visited showed us all the steps of making umbrellas, from start to finish. Many were quite ornate and beautiful.

Pictures: Queen's Botanical Gardens (pt 3)

Ok, here's the rest of the pictures from the Gardens: a colorful caterpillar, an outrageous orchid, and a wavering waterfall.

Pictures: Queen's Botanical Gardens (pt 2)

We found a couple trees, the grass tree and the bottle tree, that were imported from Australia.



And we found some banana plants where the flowers were easy to see:

Pictures: Queen's Botanical Gardens

We took my folks to the Queen's Botanical Gardens north of Chiang Mai. It was a leisurely day of walking around, admiring the many plants and flowers, and taking many pictures. Here are a couple pictures of the flowers:





If you're interested, I have previously blogged about the Gardens here and here.

Pictures: Warorot

While each part of town has a neighborhood market, Warorot is a giant market that attracts folks from all over town; no other market is quite like it. So we took my folks there one day to have a look. We bought dried fruit and clothes, sampled a coconut shake, and took pictures, a fun experience.





In case you forgot, I blogged about Warorot last Feb.

1 Kings 16b-18

I continue to work my way through 1 Kings. This week I finished God's initial attacks on Baal through the prophet Elijah. You can find my commentary on my website.

Fender Bender

To experience the complete Thai lifestyle, one must participate in a car wreck. Given the way they drive here, it almost seemed inevitable, and a couple weeks ago we had a wreck. Well, wreck is too strong of a word; it was just a fender bender. Traffic stopped suddenly, but the guy behind us didn't stop in time and rear-ended us. Fortunately he wasn't going very fast and had a car smaller than our truck. No one was hurt. Also, the Thai people in the other vehicle were very kind and pleasant; we chatted amicably while the settlement negotiations took place. No police. No lawyers. No insurance companies. I suppose if one must be in a wreck, this was the best kind to have.

Pictures: Christmas Part II

When James' folks came to Thailand for a visit we had second Christmas (kinda like second breakfast for all you hobbits). Jasen's big present was a camera, while Emmy got clothes and a WebKinz. Ann's big score? Dr. Pepper flavored Jelly Bellys.

Pictures: Prince Royals College

I went to Prince Royals College here in Chiang Mai, Thailand, recently to do a bit of photography. Well, either kids in Thailand are *way* ahead of their American counterparts, or "college" doesn't mean what it means in America.



But doughnuts are good no matter country you're from:

Pictures: Jacen's 11th Birthday Party (part 2)

So after watching several hours of Clone Wars, the boys naturally headed outside to practice. That meant lightsaber fights with sticks, of course. Luckily, no blood.

Pictures: Jacen's 11th Birthday Party

Wow, it's hard to believe, but my son is already 11. We celebrated his birthday a few days early with a birthday party. Four of his friends joined him for some chocolate birthday cake and presents as well as several hours of watching Clone War Season 1 cartoons. They had a blast.

Pictures: Our Family

A friend recently took some family photos for us. (Thanks, Will!) Here are the two we liked most:

Pictures: A Photoshoot

Another family in town that we are friends with asked me to do a photoshoot for them. Below are a few of the pictures.

Love the eyes:



It can be tough to get a good smile from kids, but this one is spot on:



Ah, siblings: