Here I Am

 In Provo. Everything has worked out wonderfully, even better than I hoped it would.

                                                                                                                                                                   photo: angie

                 As their mama says - "strawberry, chocolate, vanilla".  All equally sweet

                                                We visited Anatevka, up at Sundance

and the Swissies celebrated Swiss National Day with their Provo cousins. Could they all be any cuter?

They're grand

Counting the hours until these two show up! They're arriving for their two-week Sommerfrische at Oma and Opa's.

the three of us, last year at our house

Each of our grandchildren truly is grand!  We love and miss them so much. They live too far away, and only the ones in N. Carolina live within driving distance. Skype does help a lot.
But I'll be seeing many of them this summer.  So happy about that.

Oh beautiful, for spacious skies

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, AMERICA!   I like you, and I'm impressed.   Visiting Abe Lincoln's this week has made me think, once again  -  about your history and your ideals.

Fifty-six granite steps (one for each year of his life) lead up to the memorial

Inside the memorial is a replica of the humble log cabin where he was born, on this land, the Sinking Spring Farm

When little Abraham was about three years old, the family moved a few miles down the road to this spot on Knob Creek.  The land has not been developed or changed , so it would have looked much like this when he played in these fields.

Knob Creek is quite dry right now.

                 To quote some of the words from a favorite song:

                          America! America!
                          God mend thine every flaw,
                          Confirm thy soul in self-control,
                          Thy liberty in law.

                   from:  "America the Beautiful"