Karen was busy harvesting green peppers from their garden all day,and here you can also see Andrew & Benjamin enjoying a ride in Jeremy's truck. :) (click to enlarge)
Two sets of twins were born during our visit! Wow!
And the kids found time to stage a play as well. :)
We also had a nice visit with Dave & Willy in August, and met their new daughter Abigail! We had already met their cute new puppy. :)
(just had to sneak this in here!)
Also, Rachel turned 13 this summer! Ralph bought her roses. :) Having a teenager in our home has truly been a blessing thus far -- we thank the Lord for His work in Rachel's life! We praise Him for giving her to us, and for each one of our precious children!
Last (for today) a trip to Ching. Park with Cher & her kids!
I've always loved wandering through the greenhouse there...
You are worthy, O LORD,
to receive glory and honour and power;
For You created all things,
And by Your will they exist and were created.
Revelation 4:11
5 comments:
Beautiful pictures, Sharon. :)
I love that greenhouse at Chinguacousy park, too. BTW, that is a passion flower, not an orchid, I believe.
Thanks for pointing that out, Lisa! I've never seen one before -- gorgeous! I looked them up on Wikipedia just now & found this interesting:
The "Passion" in "passion flower" ...refers... to the passion of Jesus Christ. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Spanish Christian missionaries adopted the unique physical structures of this plant, particularly the numbers of its various flower parts, as symbols of the last days of Jesus Christ and especially the Crucifixion:
* The pointed tips of the leaves were taken to represent the Holy Lance.
* The tendrils represent the whips used in the Flagellation of Christ.
* The ten petals and sepals represent the ten faithful apostles (less St. Peter the denier and Judas Iscariot the betrayer).
* The flower's radial filaments, which can number more than a hundred and vary from flower to flower, represent the Crown of Thorns.
* The chalice-shaped ovary with its receptacle represents a hammer or the Holy Grail
* The 3 stigmata represent the 3 nails and the 5 anthers below them the 5 wounds (four by the nails and one by the lance).
* The blue and white colors of many species' flowers represent Heaven and Purity.
The flower has been given names related to this symbolism throughout Europe since that time. In Spain, it is known as espina de Cristo ("Christ's Thorn"). Old German names[12] are Christus-Krone ("Christ's Crown"), Christus-Strauss ("Christ's Bouquet"[13]), Dorn-Krone ("Crown of Thorns"), Jesus-Leiden ("Jesus' Passion"), Marter ("Passion"[14]) or Muttergottes-Stern ("Mother of God's Star"[15]).
Yes, I've read an explanation like that before. :) But I haven't seen all those other names for it. I first saw a passion flower at the Smedes' home soon after we first came to Hope Reformed back in 1992. Corrine had a passion flower vine growing in her living room. I looked up information on it then, and have taken special notice of it whenever I've seen one since. My mother-in-law had a passion flower vine with many flowers on it growing outside her home last summer. I think she had it in a pot and took it with her to her new home--I hope so! They are beautiful.
Beautiful pictures Sharon! Glad to see Ralph got home safe too!
Post a Comment