Hoamatland, Hoamatland

Hoamatland, Hoamatland, i han di so gern ...

(first line of the anthem of the province of Upper Austria, in dialect)


  Went to visit my old home province and dear relatives, and had a wonderful time.




flying into Linz last week.  A pretty view, eh?

          
 More pretty views --

The little Mühlviertel village of Schlägl - home of some of our ancestors



Lunch in Linz with my wonderful cousins Liesl and Gitti

      

and this was last year at Gitti's (with my dear brother and Gitti)



                                         
          

Where are you?

Spring, where are you?  We're still waiting for you. 

The blossoms finally started coming out this week, but we can't really enjoy them like we usually do, with all this rain and cold and cloudy skies.

          "Spring in Kentucky is a time of beauty and renewal.  The bluegrass glistens in the sun with a greenish blue hue after a shower.  The thoroughbreds frolic with their foals in the neatly kept farms that line the pikes throughout the green rolling hills and meadows.  The mountains are alive with flowering trees of all kinds and sizes.  The redbuds and dogwoods usually steal the show, especially in the east - where the bluegrass meets the mountains."

                                                           "Where The Bluegrass Meets the Mountains" by S & S White

          

                pictures I took for our sisters-blog, a springtime or two ago - -

Self-portrait in Bernheim Forest, a favorite place.  Springtime + reading & writing = happiness.

98 years old!

My father-in-law turned 98 years old today.  We invited a few good friends and had a little party. It was great. Roy H composed a wonderful country song for the occasion, and called it "The Charles Hymn".  He also sang some others for us, including "Today I Started Loving You Again".
So fun.



caption

              Jean has a special fan in Jamie -

Sorry, these pics are terrribly blurry, but you get an idea

 

This picture is from almost six years ago

. 

photo by Julee

Jean and his sister June and their mutual close friend since their childhood, Laverne.  The occasion was June's lovely, surprise birthday party (90th), given by June's daughter Julee in southern California, where they both live.  LaVerne lived in the Bay Area.  Jean flew out, rented a red sports car, picked up LaVerne, and together they drove down Highway 101 to the party.  Jean and LaVerne were 92.  I love that story!  It tells a lot about Jean.

They're back!

Our merry band of adventurers has returned from India, safe and sound!

"We survived!"  was the first thing Amelia said, laughing, as all four kids piled into the house, with their huge and beautiful smiles.

We followed their family India blog with fascination, and enjoyed the gorgeous images and text.

Welcome back!  Sorry it's so cold here. That would be quite a shock.





Strangers always asked to take their picture, and be in the picture with them.

New York, New York!

        Celina and I are in New York City, and it's the best possible place to be on this birthday weekend!

 
     I like train stations, big and small, and the history of this gorgeous, Beaux Arts one is AMAZING!

 

Celina had a party with good friends, and birthday wishes even came from the far - away Taj.

Happy Birthday, dearest Celina

with Tanya at  Hoelzlisberg 

missionary in Pisa

Happy Birthday, dearest Chris

my mom sent the little Austrian cape for him

first day in Sunbeams at Primary!

Chris mowing our lawn in Oregon

 Jamis's baptism day at the church in St. Gallen.