Top 24 2021

In past years, I've summarized my years by having a "Top 12", with a favorite photo from each month. This year, I've decided to do a "Top 24" with two photos from each month: one photo with people and one without. It's always a challenge, and this year perhaps moreso than others because we have seen so many new places in Thailand this year.

January - Birthday Pie

Birthday Blueberry Pie

For the significance of this first photo, one has to go back about 28 years. At that point we were fairly new in California, having been there less than a year, and took our first trip out of the Bay area. It was a time of tumultuous transition for us. In the middle of this, we attended a conference at the Vineyard Christian Fellowship flagship church in Anaheim.

 I had just applied for a job, and one of the possible locations was Bakersfield / Kern County. The trip would give us an opportunity to see that area along the way. It would also give us opportunity to visit with a cousin I had not seen since my high school days and who was then living in Kern County. More about that here.

The conference was an amazing time of spiritual refreshment for us. While there, we stayed at a hotel near the church that was adjacent to a Marie Callendar's restaurant; being new to California, we had not heard of it before. We went there for dinner one night and decided to take back to our room with us a Blueberry Sour Cream pie—which we ate over the course of the conference. We had never had such a thing before and we really liked it. Perhaps the flavor was enhanced by all the good stuff happening while we were there.

Now to 2021. We were less than two weeks out from returning to Thailand, and we were trying to empty out the fridge and freezer. One of the things in there was frozen blueberries that Ingrid had picked during the summer. For my birthday, Ingrid asked what I wanted, so I suggested something like the pie we would get a Marie Callendar's. I think her pie was better than Marie's.

January - Rooftop of Quarantine Hotel

Rooftop of Lohas Residences

The process for our return to Thailand was a bit different than in the past. We were picked up from the airport in a special van which had a full shield between the driver and passenger section. Upon our arrival at Lohas Residences, which was our quarantine hotel, we met with hospital nurses who administered a COVID test. Then we were led to our room which we were not allowed to leave for six days. On that sixth day, our COVID test from the previous day was negative, and so we were allowed onto the rooftop for 45 minutes a day. It wasn't big, but there were lots of plants and views of the city. I found I could walk about 2 km in if I worked at it.

February - Homecoming

House in Phon Phisai

On February 1st, we were released from our internment. It was required that we travel directly to our next destination. So hopped on a van to the airport where we caught at plane to Udon Thani. From there we had contracted with a taxi service to take us straight home. It was great to see our place again, even though we knew it would take a lot to get it ready to live in since it had not been used for a year. But the first order of business was to get my bicycle in order and then go check in with the public health department.

February - Outreach in Phon Phisai

Outreach in Ban Tua Yang

It was great to see that the church had a regular program of making visits to homes on Saturdays to share the gospel and pray for the sick. What was especially nice was to see the students that we had sent to Bible School were now taking the initiative to share scripture with people without depending on missionaries, as in the photo above. I just had to watch, listen and enjoy what was happening before me.

March - Rice Paddies and Dirt Roads

Field Road in the Rice Paddies

A new location meant having new roads to explore. Our last home did not have a lot in the way of hills, Kamalasai has even less so. But what we do have everywhere across the flat landscape is rice paddies. So I get to enjoy hopping on my bike and exploring new pathways, paved and unpaved.

March - Making Tortillas

Making Tortillas

When we arrived in Kamalasai, there was already an intern working there named Goong. She was engaged to be married to a fellow in Arizona and was hoping to move there in a few months (this has happened already since then). We figured she needed to learn to appreciate Mexican food. Ingrid invited Goong and one of the local ladies, Ngok, to help make a Mexican meal. They really enjoyed rolling out the tortillas.

April - Asian Golden Weaver

Asian Golden Weaver

On one of my bicycle rides, I discovered this small lake with a paved road all around it. The lake was shallow and was filled with water lilies and lotus plants. There were lots of different kinds of birds swimming or wading in the lake. I made it a point to come back with Ingrid to enjoy the wildlife.

On that next trip back, I decided to walk the 3.5 km road around the lake. While I was expecting to mostly study the birds in the lake, I was surprised by a small tree full of the pendulous nests of the Asian Golden Weaver birds—and it happened to be nesting season, so there were lots of birds there.

April - Big Jar and Rototiller Trailer

Towing the Big Jar

The street we we live on can be quite noisy. It's not that it has to be noisy, but it happens that many of the vehicles here have worn out or insufficient muffler systems. My office is back from the road slightly, but one day I was sitting at my desk when I was disturbed by a rather loud motor churning at a fairly low engine speed. I got up to investigate just in time to watch as this rototiller passing by stopped to buy something from a vendor across the street; it was  pulling a trailer with a large, concrete water jar on it.

May - Fried Frogs

Fried Frogs

In May we made a trip to visit the church in Phon Phisai. As is typical, they serve a meal after worship service on Sunday. One never knows what will be served, because it partially depends on what is being hunted, gathered, or harvested at the time. This must have been the season to gather small frogs, because someone had deep fried a bunch of the crispy treats.

May - Loom

Weaving a Mat

On the Saturday while we were in Phon Phisai, we went out with some church members for the visits to people's homes. In one village, one of the members of the church has a loom with which she makes thin floor mats. These mats, called suea, are typically what people sit on. Traditionally, they are made with a type of sedge called phue (Cyperus sp.) In the fancier mats, some of the sedges are dyed different colors and woven into patterns, such as the one here. It is also possible to find mats made without dyed sedges, and these are usually cheaper. These days, they also make the mats with plastic which, unfortunately, is much cheaper, as they are made with machines.

June - Sunset Over Lake in Kamalasai

Sunset in Kamalasai

One evening, we looked out from one of our windows and noticed that the clouds were shaping up to form a colorful sunset. So we took a quick drive to a pond about 1/2 km away from here to get a better view. When we noticed how nice it was, we decided to try to make it to another lake across town for even a better view of the evening skies.

June - Fried Crickets

Snacking on Crickets

In June, our team leader, Ajan Nat, came up to visit from Chachoengsao Province. While she was here, we took a drive, along with Goong, to visit some friends of ours in the next district to the west. These friends have a coffee shop. As Yai, the husband, was preparing our coffee, Rung, his wife, brought  out some snacks to go with it. Now, I don't know what you usually eat with your coffee, but we had fried crickets. They actually go well with cold coffee.

July - Storm Clouds Over Rice Paddy

Storm Clouds Building Over the Rice Paddies

The flat landscapes in the southern part of Kalasin province are great for watching the cloudscapes. In the wet season, the billowing mountains of moisture can be quite impressive. As the cumulus clouds build to cumulonimbus, we wonder if the they will pass our way and bring us some rain. The clouds can be especially pretty when they are reflected in lakes, rivers or rice paddies. On this day, we took a quick drive about 5 km west to see the rice emerging from the clouds in the water.

July - Well Drilling

Well Drilling

Since the public water supply is unreliable at Ajan Nat's house, and since we wanted to plant some fruit trees and other crops in her yard, we decided it would be a good idea to put in a well. Before doing so, we needed to consult with some people to find out about probabilities of finding water and at what depth. So who better to ask than the well driller. We found him in the process of putting in a well about 1/4 km from Ajan Nat's house. They used a combination of machine power and man power. In some layers, the driller would put all his weight and muscle to try to push the drill down by leaning into the long pole-handle.

August - Huai Lao Waterfall

Huai Lao Waterfall

The end of rainy season is a great time to check out some waterfalls, and this is sometimes what we will do on our day off. We will comb Google maps, looking for possible waterfalls to visit. On one trip, we had already been to two waterfalls—though one was barely a trickle—and we were driving down the road when we saw a sign for another. So we followed a dirt road for about 1/2 km to a parking area, but there were no signs anywhere as to where to go. We followed the most beaten trail and eventually saw a sign on a side trail. This trail led to some rapids and we were a bit disappointed. But then we noticed a track going downstream and following that we got to a place where we could scramble over some rocks to see the waterfall. More about that trip and the other waterfalls here.

August - Making Muffins

Making Muffins

It is not unusual for Ingrid to invite some of the folks from our church when she does some baking. But this time was different, one of the ladies also invited some of her friends. So we were able to meet some new people as well as make muffins.

September - Shelf Clouds

Shelf Clouds

An eerie darkness had descended on the town. We stepped outside to check out what was happening and saw a cloud formation like we've never seen before. We grabbed our cameras and drove down to the lake for a better view. This unusual cloud reminded me of lenticular clouds that I've seen over the Sierra Nevada mountains and the Swiss Alps. But this was different. For one thing, this area is really flat and there are no mountains anywhere nearby. Secondly, these clouds were set in a very dark, foreboding cloudscape, whereas the lenticular clouds I have seen tend to stand out from the blue sky around them.

September - Making Khao Tom

Making Khao Tom

Often we will post pictures of when Ingrid invites people to make cookies, cake or muffins. This time around, Ingrid was invited to make some Thai goodies. On the menu was khao tom. Khao tom means "boiled rice" and is used to describe soup made with boiled rice or, as in this case, treats made with rice, wrapped in leaves and steamed over boiling water. There are many variations of khao tom both in the ingredients used to make them and the shapes that they are wrapped into.

October - Ba Luang Waterfall Park

Ba Luang Waterfall

For this day off, we headed for a waterfall in Khon Kaen Province, just across the line from Kalasin. We had not lad a lot of rain, so our expectations were low. But we were surprised at the amount of water flowing down the creek at Ba Luang Waterfall. We were also impressed that this park also had a nice forest trail, which led to a small, ephemeral waterfall weeping off a little cliff. You can read more about that trip here.

October - Baptism

Baptism

We made another trip to Phon Phisai, this time taking a couple men from our church to see how the church in Phon Phisai does their outreach on Saturdays. One of the people we visited was getting baptized that Sunday. The leaders of the church convinced Oeng, who was one of our group, to get baptized also. I had been unable to convince him prior to this.

November - Wat Khao Chong Kracok

The Stairway

In November, we finally got away for our first vacation in 1-1/2 years. We went to Sam Roi Yod, which is a favorite hangout of ours. Even though we have been here many times before, we are always discovering new things. One day, we drove south to the town of Prachuap Kiri Khan to see some of the sights there. While driving back, we noticed a prominent hill on the north side of the city that appeared to have stairs going up to a shrine on top. Never one to turn down an opportunity to climb a hill with a good view, we snaked through town until we found the bottom of the stair case. We rented some bamboo sticks to ward off the monkeys (there were lots of them) and made good time climbing the 396 steps to the top (at least that's what the sign said, it seemed like more). One could actually climb some more steps to go to the back of the hill, which I did.

I was impressed with Ingrid persevering to the top—and also back to the bottom, as it was not easy going down all the stairs either.

November - Cave at the Golden Pavilion

Cave at the Golden Pavillion

One day while we we in Sam Roi Yod, we decided to go around to the back of the mountains to visit the largest freshwater marsh in Thailand called Thung Sam Roi Yod (Pictures here). Part of the national park there includes some of the marsh, and they had put in some meandering boardwalks so that one could appreciate the flora and fauna up close. We had been there before, and had enjoyed it. But this time, we were disappointed, because it had not been maintained. Very little of the board walk was usable and the stairs to the viewing tower were completely rotted out, so we did not spend a lot of time there. Instead, we took an alternate route back to our hotel, looking for other sightseeing opportunities along the way.

Google maps showed a pin for something called "Cave at the Golden Pavilion" and by judiciously ignoring some of Google Maps directions, we finally found the place. There was no sign anywhere along the way saying there was a cave. The only sign was indicating the presence of a cave was at the bottom of a stone stairway saying that the cave was closed. However, some people there told us that there were three levels to the cave, and that the first one was open. Because of COVID, it had been closed completely, but they were gradually reopening. They told us that in just a few days, the upper two levels would reopen, so we went back later to see more of the cave. However, before that second visit, a storm had shorted out the lights in the cave and we only had one headlight with us, so we only made it to the second level. One of the features of the cave is a green "waterfall," pictured above, which is actually rock formation that is green with algae.

December - Giant Fishing nets on the Pao River

Fishing Nets in the Pao River

Our home in Kamalasai is located on the banks of the Pao River. It is a sluggish, serpentine river, and there are lots of old, abandoned channels that are now sloughs. One day, we went for a walk about 2 km from our home to one of these sloughs. It is very pretty because they have left a lot of ancient dipterocarp trees along the waterway. When we got to where the slough met up with the present river channel, we spotted a small trail leading through a bamboo thicket. Following that, we ended up on the riverbank adjacent to some fishing contraptions. Using mostly bamboo for construction, they build these structures to lower and raise fishing nets into the river. The lighting and the reflections played tricks with our eyes. In the photo above, the net on the left is about 50 meters behind the one on the right.

December - Christmas Day Cookie Making

Decorating Cookies

We finish off this set of photos with one from Christmas day. Ingrid had been doing lots of cookie baking to get ready for some Christmas gatherings we were having. Some cookies we made at home, and some at Ajan Nat's house where we could invite others to come help. Our biggest day for baking and decorating ended up being Christmas day. We had several people come to help out, but I was most surprised how Oeng got into the cookie decorating. (He had help, but in this photo, the others are still baking and cutting cookies.) When we were done, we put them in little plastic boxes, about six to a box—and we had close to 100 boxes (and that's not counting all the cookies we had given away already!


We began the year with pie for me and ended with cookies for all. It was a year full of massive changes in our lives and lots of adventures and new places to explore. It was a year of opportunities to tell people about the love of God through Jesus Christ and see the start of two small worshiping communities in Kamalasai. There could be so many more stories. I sifted through over 10,000 photos to find 24 to display here.

Here's to another year of new adventures and opportunities.

Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith. - Galatians 6:10 (MSG)

Top 12 2020

This is my usual review of the year by looking at my favorite photo from each month. It is a bit different this year because there are no photos from Thailand. This was not how I expected it would be, but with COVID-19, things just did not go as planned. It turns out that Canada and the US have some nice places to photograph as well.

January - Little House on the Prairie

Winter Evening in Barrhead, Alberta

January began as the whole year ended up—not as planned. We anticipated a challenging month as we were preparing to return to North America for a couple of months so there were a lot of things to do to get ready for that as well as challenges related to our visa in Thailand. Then, ten days before we were to leave, Ingrid fell and suffered a concussion. As a result, a lot of prep work never happened. Upon arrival in Canada, things also weren't on schedule, so we ended up switching some dates around and managed to get to Alberta just in time for some really cold weather. Fortunately, I had ordered some winter boots from Walmart, Canada, to be waiting for me when I got there.

We were inside most of the time, but occasionally I would bundle up with whatever warm clothes I could gather and go for a walk. I never did find a good pair of gloves to wear. In that part of the world in winter, the sun sets pretty early in the day. Late one afternoon, I decided to walk to my sister-in-law's house where my wife and father-in-law would later meet us for dinner. Just as I arrived, the light glowing in the windows of their house matched the color that the setting sun had painted the sky. The warm colors seemed so inviting on the the bitter-cold evening.

February - Morro Rock and Morro Bay with Sea Otters

Morro Bay

After leaving Canada, we drove down to California. First thing on the agenda was a long overdue one-week vacation in Morro Bay. Our hotel room was large and nicely furnished. It even had an air-conditioner. But what it did not have was a heater, and we sure wanted one. Fortunately, there were some nice, thick blankets and we had brought along our winter coats.

We appreciated that the days were mostly sunny. The bay was full of otters and it was the time of year when the mothers would be floating around with the babies on their bellies. The orange-red aloes contrasted nicely with the blue waters of the bay. I stuck my hands between the bars of the fence to snap this photo. Sunny days in winter are my favorite time to visit the Central Coast area of California.

March - Drive in the Foothills of Fresno County

Foothill Wildflowers near Tollhouse, California

By March, COVID-19 was all over the news and travel was restricted. We got word that our return flight to Thailand, scheduled for April 15, had been canceled. We learned new words like social distancing and we began wearing masks in public. Many parks and public recreation areas were closed, but not all. So we took a drive up to the San Joaquin River Gorge to go for a walk—Ingrid's first walk on hills since her concussion. On the way home we turned down some side road I'd never been on before, and we passed this field covered with pseudo-snow (cryptantha flowers). Well worth the detour.

April - California Poppies

California Poppies Near Pine Flat Lake

We got tired of being trapped in the house, so one day we decided to escape to the hills, this time going to the Pine Flat Lake area. A lot of the recreation areas were closed so our visit was confined to places where we could park beside the road. Wildflowers were blooming like crazy. Many other people were out enjoying the flowers, so we tried to pick places to park where there were few or no others stopped. We found a nice spot with just enough room for the width of the car on the side of a hill. It had a southwest exposure and was covered with a blanket of flowers, mostly California poppies.

May - Painted Hills

Hills Painted With Clarkia Flowers Near Pine Flat Lake

Some friends who have an acreage in the foothills invited us to stay in their trailer. They live about a mile past a locked gate off Trimmer Springs Road near Pine Flat Lake. It was the tail end of wildflower season. The earlier blooming species were fading and the late season flowers were in their prime. We left there on May 1st and decided to take the long way back to our temporary lodging in Fresno. This meant heading further away from the city before meeting a side road that would lead us back to Fresno via the Tollhouse area. It was our first time to travel this route. We were glad we made the journey, though, because God had painted the south-facing hills pink with Clarkia flowers, mostly Speckled Clarkia.

June - Big Baldy Trail

Big Baldy Trail

In June we learned that Kings Canyon and Sequoia Parks were partially opened. We took advantage of the opportunity to hike to Big Baldy. They weren't charging to enter the park at that time, but we had to deal with delays due to road construction. It was a beautiful day for the hike. We met very few people on the trail. However we did run into the son of some friends of ours whom we had not seen since we lived in Bakersfield. Back then he was just a kid, now he was out hiking with his wife and daughter.

This was our first high-altitude hiking since 2013, so it was a big workout for our lungs and the five or so miles (round-trip) seemed a lot longer. We had enough energy when we were done, though, to take the long way back through Sequoia Park, Three Rivers and Visalia.

July - Cliff Lake Hike

Cliff Lake in the Sierra National Forest

In July, Ingrid went to visit her family in Canada. I made three trips to the mountains, which ended up being my last trips for the year because later everything was shut down due to the wildfires. The last hike I made was to Cliff Lake. The trail head is near the north end of Courtright Reservoir. One of the reasons I picked this trail was that I wanted to see if the Tioga Gentian flowers were still blooming where I remembered seeing them on one of our first trips to the area about fifteen years earlier.

There were quite a few people camping by the lake, but I headed past all the tents to the far end of the lake where I remembered seeing the flowers so many years ago. It took me a while to spot them as they are low growing and not very flashy. It was nice just to rest and eat my picnic lunch and wade out into the cool waters of the lake.

From what I can tell looking at online maps, a good portion of the trail on the way to the lake was burned over by one of the many wildfires this past summer. So the next time I go back, it may not be as pretty. It appears the area around Cliff Lake was spared, though.

Tioga Gentian

August - Day Trip to Montana de Oro State Park

Mossy Oaks in Montana de Oro State Park

My wife's trip to Canada got extended a couple weeks. During this time, she made several outings to lakes and parks with her father. As Ingrid would describe her outings to me over the phone, I got itchy britches, wanting to make a trip to see some water. So one day, I got up very early to go to Montana de Oro State Park in San Luis Obispo County. My goal was to hike a loop trail that Ingrid and I visited in 2009. Starting at Spooner's Cove, I hiked the Valencia Peak trail, but turned off about half-way up and took the trail towards Oats I ended up on a different trail, this one was a new one put in to accomodate mountain bikes, of which I only saw one. It was quite foggy, so I did not get to enjoy what were probably some fantastic views along the way.

After Oats Peak came the part I was really looking forward to. I remembered from my previous trip that the trail passed through a grove of gnarly, moss-coved oaks in a scene that looked like it came from some fantasy movie. I was not disappointed. One thing I had forgotten about, though, was all the poison oak. Because this section of trail gets little use, it is a bit overgrown and the poison oak plants appeared to be reaching out to get me as I walked past. I did manage to escape its grasp, though sometimes I had to resort to tricky moves to do so.

Most of the trail down was quite steep, and I'm glad I brought my walking sticks to help keep from falling. The last thing I wanted to do was face plant in a poison oak covered rock. Once I reached Coon Creek, the going got a lot easier. The trail was generally flat, except for the last part where it appears we had to exit over a hill due to a land ownership change along the creek. I then walked straight out to the ocean and followed bluff trail back to Spooner's Cove, stopping to eat my lunch along the way. Altogether, probably about a 12-mile hike. I was finished early enough so that I would have time to detour to Gopher Glen to buy some organic apples on the way home.

September - Red Fox

Red Fox

At the beginning of September we moved into another house in Fresno. This house we were sharing with a Paraguayan family who was also stuck in the US due to COVID-19 issues. Across the street to the south used to be an orchard, but now the land was bare as it awaits a crop of houses to be planted. A red fox lives in the neighborhood—I think it probably sleeps in the small amount of undeveloped land behind our house. Most of this area is rapidly being developed and the fox has an ever diminishing area in which to hunt food. I'm guessing he spends a lot of time looking for gophers and ground squirrels in the yet-to-be developed fields. For water to drink, the fox availed himself to the puddles that get left behind by the irrigation sprinklers, as he was doing when I snapped this photo from the kitchen window.

October - Anniversary Trip to Morro Bay

Long-billed Curlew on Morro Strand Beach

At one point, I had been dreaming of making a trip to New England for our anniversary. But we were in the midst of two online courses and it seemed a bit of a stretch to combine the studies and the travel. So we opted for and overnight trip to the coast. No strenuous hiking on this trip, just strolls along Morro Strand Beach mixed with Zoom calls for our couses. The migratory birds had started to arrive, mixing in with the resident species on the beach. At one point, there was a large flock of Royal Terns and Elegant Terns hanging out in a quiet area of the upper beach. Sanderlings, Marbled Godwits and Long-billed Curlews were chasing the waves looking for snacks. Amongst the curlews, I noticed this cute couple hanging out together, kinda like us on our anniversary.

November - Sunset in Madera County

Madera County Sunset

Even though we are living in the same zip code as we always have in Fresno, we are in a different part of the city and that means we have to figure out different ways to get places. It also means we get to explore different roads. Late one afternoon, we decided to take a break from COVID captivity and go for a drive. We meandered more-or-less north, trying to see if we could get to the San Joaquin River. I purposely did not use a map or GPS to maximize opportunities for seeing new sights (that's a euphemism for "getting lost"). We took one road that headed due north—which was the way I wanted to go. There was no street sign to give me a clue as to where it might end up. Just about when I thought we were getting close to the river, the road turned right and wandered generally east. Eventually we got to a place I recognized just south of Table Mountain Casino. We drove past the casino and parked near the bridge below Friant Dam and wandered the paths by the river for a while. Leaving there, we continued north into Madera County and then west towards Highway 41. We got to Highway 41 just as the sun was setting, so we parked at the convenient Park-and-Ride lot to watch the sun go down behind the trees.

December - Day Trip to Lake Isabella

Reflections in the Kern River

We had really hoped to make a multi-day trip to Kern County to visit my cousins and do some hiking by Lake Isabella. But with COVID numbers just going crazy, we figured we'd try to more-or-less comply with government guidelines about avoiding people and crowds. So we opted for a day trip, as there were some things I needed to get from my cousin's daughter before we head back to Thailand. On the way there, we were treated with a rare sighting of a rainbow over the lake. By the time we headed back, the sun was low enough that the canyon was mostly in the shade. We pulled off to enjoy some last views of the Kern River for a few years. We happened to stop where there was a short path down to a beautiful reflecting pool in a tranquil section of the river. Apparently, this quiet spot has a different character in the spring runoff season as there was a memorial to a person who died there this past year.

We lingered at the river for a while, trying to savor the moment. Memories come back of the many trips I made in through this canyon. Memories of a bygone time when California was so new to us and full of hopes, some which came to fruition and some which died difficult deaths. Memories of a time when my cousin, who was such an inspiration to me, was still alive in this world. So much has happened since we first drove through that canyon 27 years ago. I want to cherish the memories there by the river while I have opportunity, for life will move on and God has some new memories that He yet wants to make in our lives next year.

Top 12 (or so) 2017

Let the whole earth sing to the LORD!
    Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.
Publish his glorious deeds among the nations.
    Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.
Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise!
    He is to be feared above all gods.
The gods of other nations are mere idols,
    but the LORD made the heavens!
Honor and majesty surround him;
    strength and joy fill his dwelling.
1 Chronicles 16:23-27 (NLT)

It's that time of year when I look back over photos from the past year and reminisce.  This year found us spending a significant amount of time on two different continents.  Traveling back to North America always brings back even more memories.

January-Nicolls Peak



I normally say that I don't have favorites of anything, but there are two places I especially like in California: Morro Bay and Lake Isabella.

Lake Isabella has special memories for us. After we left Haiti in 1993 and after I finished up the Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture, I applied for a job in Bakersfield.  I had never heard of the place before, but we got an opportunity to see it for the first time on the way to a conference in Anaheim.  We stopped by there to visit my cousin, Pat, who lived down the street from where this photo was taken.  I remember seeing this mountain for the first time and saying, "I want to climb that mountain," which we did several years later (we each brought some ticks home from that trip).

Our first year in Bakersfield, I drove up to Lake Isabella nearly every weekend.  We put in a garden in my cousin's back yard.  I was a tumultuous year for us.  New job, new town, new church and we were anticipating adopting a child right after we moved.  When the adoption ended up not happening, Pat was a source of comfort and encouragement for us.  She, too, was going through difficult times then.

This was our first visit to Lake Isabella since Pat died (about a year earlier). (More about that here.)  I perhaps felt the impact of losing her the most as I stood to take this photograph and all the memories came flooding back. During this trip, we stayed with her daughter and family, who now live right at the base of Nicolls Peak.

February-Mammatus clouds

During our time in California we were staying with friends in the southeast part of Fresno.  One evening, I was out for a walk and I noticed some strange clouds overhead. I rushed out to an open area so I could get a better view of them before they disappeared.

Turns out these types of clouds are called mammatus clouds which, according to Wikipedia, are are formed by cold air sinking down to form the pockets contrary to the puffs of clouds rising through the convection of warm air.

March-Chinualna Falls trail



My favorite hike to take in Yosemite Park is the Chilnualna Falls trail.  I have been up this trail many times and in almost every month of the year.  Even though my back was acting up, I was determined not to return to Thailand before hiking this trail again.  It was quiet that day, and quite snowy at the top.  Along the trail, except in the dry part of the year, is a spot where a small creek cascades over some rocks before crossing the trail on its way to Chilnuala Creek.  I decided to view it from a different angle this time, stepping off the trail about 50 feet to take this photo.  I didn't have a tripod and had to brace the camera against a tree to get a slower exposure for this picture.

April-Yosemite Valley



The photo for April may be old school and not really awesome as photos go, but it does mark the one time we got to Yosemite Valley during our time in California.  The rivers were running fairly full, and there was snow on the higher parts of our journey.  In a change from previous photos we have taken from this viewpoint, there are the patches of brown trees.  This is a reminder that even if you go back to places you remember from your past, they won't always be as you remember them.

When you live in one place all the time, you may not notice all of the changes because they may be subtle.  But when you only visit every few years, these things can be a bit more obvious.  Time marches on--we change and everything around us changes.

One of the hard things about our current ministry, when we only get back "home" every few years, is that we would like things to be the same as they were when we left.  But they aren't.  This trip to Yosemite made that clear.

May-Move to Phon Phisai



April and May was a time of a lot of movement for us.  Fly back to Thailand to our old home in Wiang Kaen.  Travel by bus to Chiang Mai to pick up our truck.  Drive to Phon Phisai to look for a place to live.  Back to Wiang Kaen to pack our stuff. Drive back to Phon Phisai.  Hop on a bus to Chiang Mai for some team-building activities.  Then bus to Wiang Kaen, pick up our other car and drive back to Phon Phisai.

Then we were home.  Our new home--Phon Phisai at the confluence of the Huai Luang and Mekong Rivers.  Lots of boats.  Lots of different ways to catch fish.

And we were here to catch fish of sorts as well.  When Jesus called his first disciples, his call was, "Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!" (Mark 1:17 NLT)  So we, too, have come to fish for people--not to destroy them but to plant them in streams of life-giving water.

June-Dedicating a new church



What a great time of celebration.  Ajan Nat came up from Chachoengsao for the official kick-off of our new church in Phon Phisai.  After a time of worship and prayer in the morning, we headed to a local swimming pool for some baptisms.  Some of the faces in this photo are no longer in the church--some have moved to other places and others have moved away from Jesus.  But new faces have replaced them.

Some of the young people here are growing fast and it is fun to be a part of their lives as they mature.

We are grateful for the work God has done in the lives of these people and are thankful for those who have remained faithful to Him.

July-Mekong Sunsets



There are a lot of things not to like about rainy season here: flooded roads, mud, oppressive humidity, and everything getting moldy, to name a few.  But there are some positives.  One of the nice things about rainy season is the cloud formations.  Often we go for sunset walks along the Mekong River to enjoy the sunset clouds over Laos. There is a lot of variability and it does not seem to get boring.

When I look at these awesome clouds that bring massive displays of energy in lightning and thunder, I am reminded of the awesome power of our God, which dwarfs all these things.

August-Phu Tawk

When you come to the main intersection in Nong Khai, there is a sign listing a few of the tourist attractions up ahead.  What it does not tell you is how far away they are.  One of the ones listed is only a few kilometers ahead.  Phu Tawk, on the other hand, is a few hours ahead in a different province.

We were unaware of this place, until we drove by it one time on the way to check out a waterfall in adjoining Bueng Kan province.  As we drove by this steep sided hill, we noticed the walkways on the side of it and we decided to go back on another occasion.

What an interesting place.  It is a Buddhist holy site with a temple on the main level and lots of shrines in various places.  there are several levels of walkways, and some look more sturdy than others.   I have no idea who came up with the concept, but if you aren't afraid of heights, it is a fun place to visit.

August-Sunrise in our backyard



I cheated and added a second photo for this month.  Adjoining our yard to the east is what was supposed to be a rice paddy.  However, due to changes in the land drainage, it is too wet for rice (more about that here), and so became a pond throughout the rainy season.

One morning I was sitting at my desk doing my Bible reading, when I noticed this pink glow in the living room.  I decided to investigate, an discovered this awesome sunrise display over the pond.

September-Than Thip Waterfall

One thing we have lots of in rainy season is water.  It's a great time to visit some waterfalls (though some are too dangerous and it is better to visit them when things dry up a little).  On this occasion we traveled to the western extreme of Nong Khai province to find Than Thip Waterfall.  We arrived at the small park to find a deserted parking lot.  Apparently mid-week during the school year is a great time to visit.  We climbed the short trail and waded up the creek a little to get to this spot.  I set my tripod up in the water (happens a lot when you photograph waterfalls) to snap this photo.


October-air plant

Shortly after our arrival here in Phon Phisai, we bought some hanging plants to decorate our window exterior.  We found these interesting combinations of air plant and Spanish moss attached to the seed of a pong pong tree (Cerbera odollam).  Both of the plants belong to the same genus: Tillandsia.  We had no idea that the air plants would ever flower, but were amazed at the purple and yellow combination when they came out.

November-Meeting Lai



I didn't take this photo, but I wanted to include it as an extra for November, because it marked a memorable occasion when we were able to visit our friend, Lai, for the first time in over a year.

More about this encounter here.


November-Sam Roi Yod Beach



November is not the greatest time to visit Sam Roi Yod, because it can be the stormiest time of year.  Indeed, the red flags were flying on the beaches during most of our stay.  Still, it is our favorite place to hang out in Thailand because it is quiet and mostly undiscovered by tourists.  There is a nice mix of mountains, beaches, mangroves, freshwater mashes and rivers.

It seems like there is never a good time to take a vacation, but I learned during our last term that burnout comes too easily if we're not careful.  This was our first break since returning to Thailand and all the stress of moving, saying goodbye, making new friends, learning our way around new places and learning how to work with new team members had caught up to us.

While we stayed in Sam Roi Yod, we got to meet missionaries from other countries and even some fellow missionaries from another part of Isaan that we had not met before.

December-Christmas Celebration



One of the interesting things about our job is that you never know who you may end up working with.  Here in Phon Phisai, God has placed in our lives a group of pre-teen girls who have been interested in learning English, learning about Jesus, baking cookies and, for two of them, learning to play guitar.

On December 27th, our church had its first-ever Christmas outreach event.  About 60 people came that evening.  What a joy it was to hear there girls get up and sing some songs about the birth of our Savior in both English and Thai (and even a little Spanish).  And while the vocals may not have been the highest quality (we still have time to work on that), there was lots of enthusiasm. (Some more about that evening here.)

What a great way to finish up a year.