Breaking News . . .
Thanks to our friends who have not given up checking our blogs. We have been very busy and when I get a break, I did not have the frame of mind to write something although I have been taking pictures with the intention of blogging. My friend Fred once said that not everything needs to be a masterpiece. We just need to keep in touch. Even if it is just a picture with a short caption.
So picking up from last summer, Ed and I went to the Big Island during Labor day week. We enjoyed the beach and snorkeling. Ed got the chance to swim with a tortoise while I had a couple of encounters with some eels. They really looked scary baring their teeth at me. We had fun driving around the island and exploring the waterfalls at Hilo, the Kilauea volcano craters, and lots of beaches.
We spent Thanksgiving in Belgium and had "Moules et frit" instead of Turkey and cranberry! We rode the train to Brugges and met a couple of Filipinas who told us about the start of the Christmas market in Aaken, Germany. You guessed it - Ed and I took the train to the border, met the two Filipinas again on the short bus ride to Aaken. Our first Christmas market was fun - roasted chestnuts, potato pancakes, warm gluek wine, and the sweet smell of pine and berries.
We hosted the neighborhood Christmas party where the Gingerbread House building from Graham crackers is starting to be a tradition.
Raquel, Chad and Nathan spent Christmas and New Year with us. Nathan had a great time with all the snow that fell that week - building a snowman, sledding in the backyard, helping his Lolo (Ed) fill the birdfeeder, and playing with his Tonka truck while his Lolo shovels the snow in the driveway.
Most of my January and February was devoted leading my company's first international technical conference. We also welcomed our third grandchild, Sarah Nicole Karp, on February 13. Mila enjoys being her big sister.
We spent a couple of weeks in the Philippines. We spent three day in our cottage in Camotes Island during the Holy Week. Angel, our brother-in-law, did a great job overseing its construction. The main house and furnitures are made from local native materials - bamboo, wood, and thatched dried palm leaves. However, the kitchen and bathroom are modern with running water and flushing toilets.
We spent some time in Los Banos with our IRRI friends. We stayed with Totong and Ruth. We had a potluck lunch and dinner at the Mandac's resort, went swimming, and just shared stories with lots of laughs in-between. I even managed to get some work done with one of the UP scientist.
Ed and I also got together with my UP Diliman friends - Vangie, Nennen, and Jun B. We had dinner and went to listen to Area 1 group singing a lot of Beatles' tunes. The following day, we went ballroom dancing and this was really a blast. Ed had three ladies for partners.
It is really amazing to see how we and our friends share the same interests inspite of the years and the distance separating us. We really have our roots in the Philippines and eventually, it will be home.
So picking up from last summer, Ed and I went to the Big Island during Labor day week. We enjoyed the beach and snorkeling. Ed got the chance to swim with a tortoise while I had a couple of encounters with some eels. They really looked scary baring their teeth at me. We had fun driving around the island and exploring the waterfalls at Hilo, the Kilauea volcano craters, and lots of beaches.
We spent Thanksgiving in Belgium and had "Moules et frit" instead of Turkey and cranberry! We rode the train to Brugges and met a couple of Filipinas who told us about the start of the Christmas market in Aaken, Germany. You guessed it - Ed and I took the train to the border, met the two Filipinas again on the short bus ride to Aaken. Our first Christmas market was fun - roasted chestnuts, potato pancakes, warm gluek wine, and the sweet smell of pine and berries.
We hosted the neighborhood Christmas party where the Gingerbread House building from Graham crackers is starting to be a tradition.
Raquel, Chad and Nathan spent Christmas and New Year with us. Nathan had a great time with all the snow that fell that week - building a snowman, sledding in the backyard, helping his Lolo (Ed) fill the birdfeeder, and playing with his Tonka truck while his Lolo shovels the snow in the driveway.
Most of my January and February was devoted leading my company's first international technical conference. We also welcomed our third grandchild, Sarah Nicole Karp, on February 13. Mila enjoys being her big sister.
We spent a couple of weeks in the Philippines. We spent three day in our cottage in Camotes Island during the Holy Week. Angel, our brother-in-law, did a great job overseing its construction. The main house and furnitures are made from local native materials - bamboo, wood, and thatched dried palm leaves. However, the kitchen and bathroom are modern with running water and flushing toilets.
We spent some time in Los Banos with our IRRI friends. We stayed with Totong and Ruth. We had a potluck lunch and dinner at the Mandac's resort, went swimming, and just shared stories with lots of laughs in-between. I even managed to get some work done with one of the UP scientist.
Ed and I also got together with my UP Diliman friends - Vangie, Nennen, and Jun B. We had dinner and went to listen to Area 1 group singing a lot of Beatles' tunes. The following day, we went ballroom dancing and this was really a blast. Ed had three ladies for partners.
It is really amazing to see how we and our friends share the same interests inspite of the years and the distance separating us. We really have our roots in the Philippines and eventually, it will be home.
posted by edalicia | 7:51 PM
1 Comments:
Hello Alicia,
Welcome back to the world of blogging. I will be looking forward to more regular updates in the future. Do you have any of the fish left?
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