scenes from a toronto retreat

We took the children to Toronto to attend a retreat with the Indian saint, Amma. She is like Mother Teresa but she travels the world. The experience was wonderful. We were able to listen to talks by her and her monks, called swamis, and experience her famous hugs. The food was great -- homemade Indian cooking, one of our favorite cuisines. The music was rockin'. Being in Amma's presence is pretty amazing, especially knowing that she almost never sleeps or eats. She sits day and night and receives people in an embrace, talking to them, helping them with their problems, wiping their tears, laughing with them. Mostly she laughs and smiles. Her message is simple -- be joyous, appreciate your blessings, share what you have, don't waste, care for the earth, develop a connection with God, and care for the poor and suffering (for they are the face of God). Her charities are numerous - there are 32 categories, and probably a hundred actual charities.

I turned in a book about Amma to her that I have been working on for almost two years. She looked at the 200 page manuscript and was very happy. So we shall see what is next. The intention is for the book to be published by her organization and for all profits to benefit her various charities.

No cameras are allowed but here are some shots of our time. Gary had a great time too, but he isn't in any of the pictures. He loved the tabla player's rockin' playing!

laughter

We managed to see all of my siblings this summer, although not at the same time. I was happy nonetheless, and so were our parents. My brothers came in from Chicago, at separate times. Uncle Tim and Aunt Eileen brought our nephew Robert to spend a week with Grandma and Grandpa. Then Robert's parents came to pick him up. We had a lot of laughs, and, as my grandfather called them, some pretty "good eats."

My grandfather saw humor in most everything. "It doesn't cost anything to laugh," he used to say.

Jill, Henry, and me

My dad, older brother JP, me, my mom


Jill, Tim (my younger brother) and me

JP, his wife Angie, and Robert

henry is blessed

We were lucky to be in town for Henry's baptism. He was so handsome and good during church. So were our kids, I was happy to note. We all got dressed up...attended the service, then went to Jill's for lunch.

Kress and Karn families

Sky the built-in babysitter with Henry on his new chair

my brother Tim and wife Eileen

baseball at mom and dad's

My brother Tim and wife Eileen came into town and brought my nephew Robert with them. The highlight of our time with them was the impromptu baseball game played in my parent's front yard. This is becoming a tradition and in a few years we will have enough for 2 small teams. Both Shawn and Rob are quite the sluggers.

10 fellows road

This is the house I grew up in. It is now owned by a Chinese family who owns the only Chinese restaurant in town. You can't get a good photograph from the front, because the trees are too large now. These are trees my father planted many years ago. I took the kids on a ride down memory lane, through my old town. There are more houses, bigger malls, and certainly more people living there. But many things remain the same...

The goose lady is still there, or at least one of her relatives, or a person who bought her house and has the same hobby of keeping pigeons. Why do people keep pigeons? Well the house is no different. This was a half mile walk from our house. Whenever we walked by her geese would come after us and hiss. We learned to hiss back.

Our address was 10 Fellows Road. A friendly name

for a street. Much happier than Stoney Lonesome!

farmhouse down the street

barn on our street

The infamous Furman hill, where I used to ride my bike when I wanted a good workout. I took the kids to the very top and came to the house of Wayne Bortle, a boy who had so many siblings, that he was an uncle at 12 years old! His house hasn't changed at all.

stoney lonesome

We drive pass this road every time we leave the neighborhood. We have discovered that it is a good shortcut, in fact, to both my parents and sister's house. Gary and I love the name. We imagine that it was named after some old guy, Stoney, the town loner. Some wise folks say there is a gift in being alone, and even in suffering loneliness. Well, wherever you are, Stoney, I hope you have found some loving folks to keep you company. Meanwhile check out the beautiful sights in this area!

a quiet house

I was a little under the weather on my actual birthday this summer. My siblings had given me a getaway to take Gary on, but it worked out better for us to stay home. (We have plans this coming week for dinner and a movie instead.) We dropped the girls at my sister's and Shawn at my parents. We had a nice night out, watched a movie at home on the big screen tv, and got to sleep in on my actual birthday. Gary made me breakfast, pictured above. :)

The view out our back deck. The rejuvenation did me good.

The next night we had a sitter and my parents took us out to dinner to a canalfront restaurant. Above is pictured a sculpture someone made out of a tree trunk.

happy birthday to me!

Aunt Jill loves a party. She is a great hostess. She had us all over for my birthday party and made a great meal of pasta, salad from the garden, bread, and ice cream cake for desert! Yum! Thanks Jilly!

Shawn getting a Japanese beetle lesson from Uncle Keith

rain rain don't go away

We were planning to take the kids to the local park and play and shoot baskets. But right as we were getting ready to leave it began to rain. Another novelty, as where we live it rains maybe 10 days a year. And when it does it usually lasts all day. So Gary encouraged the kids to play in the rain.Just as we were going to call it quits, and give up the park idea, the sun came out and we went to the park. Good things come to those who wait. No one even changed their clothes!

cousin memories

Growing up, we spent a lot of time with my father's brother, Uncle Tom; his wife, Aunt Cathie; and their gang of kids. We were all close in age. With four children in our family, and five in theirs, the gatherings were a lot of fun (and I am sure chotic, but of course I only remember the fun). They lived in the city of Rochester in a large, old house. They had a garden in the back and Uncle Tom could grow anything. He was the first person to teach me about composting. Aunt Cathie is very artistic, and is an amazing seamstress. She was always making something. Much of who I am was formed in absorbing two concepts that I got from my aunt, uncle and parents:

1. Use your creativity, making everything as beautiful as you can.
2. Reuse stuff.

All of our parents were nuts about antiquing. It seems like we spent most weekends when the weather was warm driving both of our station wagons all over creation, hunting for treasures - often boys went in one car, and girls were in another (before seatbelts were required). Consequently, many of our homes are filled with gorgeous pieces now, some that my dad and uncle refinsihed themselves.

As a child though, more than the antiques, I remember sitting in the "way back" of the station wagon reading through piles of Archie comic books and Mad magazines. After a day on the road we would stop at a park to run around and eat a picnic. I loved having time with all females in a car, which was a rarity. I also loved going to their house, with all of the antique furniture and decorations, their finished huge attic room for the boys. There was one girl in their family, Marcie, who is a few years younger than me. When she was a baby I liked to pretend I was her mom. When she was a young girl, I loved to organize her room and arrange all of her dolls.

When we were all together there was always the inevitable comment, "Look at all these kids!"

After Gary and I were married my parents moved to a smaller house, and so did Aunt Cathie and Uncle Tom. Pictured above is their current home, decked out for the fourth. They hosted a family reunion where we got to see much of my father's side of the family. I'm sorry I didn't get a photo. Next time.