Random Access

So, this post was supposed to happen last weekend and it didn't. I have thrown in a mix of pictures with occassions that will give you a better understanding of where we are at right now in life, all be it enjoying brilliant weather in Southern California. I mentioned to Dad in an email that it is sad we live 20 minutes from the Pacific Ocean, yet haven't actually been down there for a few months. Drove by a couple of weeks ago after dinner with Vicky and Julian just to watch the sunset. As summer approaches I will need to make a concerted effort to work on a tan of some sort. It has been a busy week, which we are always thankful for, but to park the ride for a couple of days and relax is also nice. Having said that relax just means doing something else constructive around the house!

So, some news first up is that Dad has moved from Vorthuizen to Apeldoorn. This is a beautiful city that we lived in when we were in Holland in the 70's. Even as a kid the memories of yesteryear still ring fresh in my mind, and knowing that Dad is back in our old city is quite amazing after all these years. An update on Dad first - he is doing wonderfully! The Lord has touched Dad and restored him in every area of his life, and today he is a man following after the very heart of God. Ok, back to the move. It started out first as a "locating a place" trip first, once a place was secured, Billy and Tante Nel and Oom Henk did some hard work in transforming an empty shell into a livable place of comfort. What Billy didn't realize is the fact that the camera angles of his shots which were I think a month apart match almost identically...could he have planned it that way - I wonder!?! The first two pics are of the shell before the design and work was done, the following two pics are the work of art, truly impressive:


A few weeks ago was Africa Day for the Church, we had Pastor Dan, Kirk and Marilee share on their recent trip to Kenya. They had gone with World Vision to a village to set up a support structure for 45000 people in that area. Imagine good old Africa, no running water, no Doctor nearby, no medicine, sharing the watering hole with cattle. Well, they had a really special time there. They shared how they thought they would go to Africa and be the blessing, yet they returned home with hearts overwhelmed at how the folks there with very little were the blessing instead. I had shared with Pastor Dan that Africa will change your life, the people are beautiful, the experience is life changing. Anyways, as part of honoring the weekend at Church Tammy wore a genuine authentic hand made traditional wedding dress made by Chris Goredema from Zimbabwe. Linda brought it with her on her visit in December. You will see in the pic below tammy indeed looked splendid.

You knew this was coming - I made another batch of biltong two weeks ago. This time the mix was perfect, just the right cure, well balanced, well cured, and seriously delicious. The problem with making your own biltong, is that instead of giving it the correct number of days to hang and dry, one is always tempted to sneak a preview taste, and so the number of sticks and slices slowly goes down. Nonetheless, this batch was mega lekker. There is nothing like sitting down and chomping a seriously tasty stick of biltong. Memories flash back from the good old days of lining up at Tilbar Butchery in Bullies and then selecting your sticks of biltong, heading home to snack on the treat. Well, what can we do...gotta make your own now or order online and pay an arm and a leg for it. So just for the record, the picture looks kind of gross, but this was a picture taken right after the cure was spiced....trust me it was really good!

Little Lotus celebrated her first birthday and we went along for the occassion. Ian and India have the cutest little girl! As you can see from Tammy and Vicky, it does seem to me that mixed couples produce outstanding kids. No offense, don't get me wrong we are all beautiful (are we...?) Nancy insisted I take the camera along, so I did, and managed to get a few decent shots. This is little Lotus in the arms of Vicky, whom she by the way loves big time! And then a group photo from left to right, Zane, Tammy, Vicky and Julian. Wow, just looking and the girls with their boyfriends gave me a real chill! It suddenly dawned on me that time is racing by, and that can only mean we are aging - what a shocker. Well, better enjoy these moments, because they build and shape the memories for tomorrow.

Bill's got talent. Pity I don't have any before pictures but he tackled the downstairs of his home, and redid the entire wallpaper and painting. Makes you wonder what we do working regular jobs instead of doing stuff we are really good at. I do remember what the scheme was before and now looking at this scheme, I am really impressed. So, Bill you might want to make a note of this - next time youare in Southern California there is a small job here that needs your attention. Just kidding, I think this is a great job, and I am sure Linda loves it as well as the kids.

Sorry Snoo, you also had to figure this was coming. This is Nancy setting up the "House Cafe" at Church. She had no idea I was doing pics and so I sneaked this one in. She will soon be telling me to take it off...ummm...how do I do that? Sometimes the best photos are taken when you don't know it! Taske note of the color scheme, wasn't even planned talk about random that is pretty neat don't you think? Hey here is a thought - click the link above, and check out the Church website. There is a resource area that you can browse to and listen to services online. Here is a teaser for you - I am speaking in one of the services...won't tell you which one. Thats the fun of checking out a website, if you come across it let me know. There is some good stuff in there.

Finally - what a pleasure not to ink up a press anymore. This is the way of the future. Two inline fully networked digital machines! The beauty is clients upload their work direct to our server and its a simple matter of converting files to print ready, load the machine, walk away and let it spit the work out. This is the way of the future in this industry. Sounds simple but there is more to it, trust me. I won't bore you with too many details, but let me say for those of you who visited Victory Printers you will remember the mess and fuss of getting a printing press to run. Thank goodness I have done this for over 20 years. Nevertheless the transition from offset litho to digital is no walk in the park. From, points, picas and hairlines, to ftp uploads, pdf and native files...ahhh the beauty of seeing it all come together in an absolute fraction of the time compared to conventional offset printing.

Hey thanks for stopping by here today, at least I have mixed it up and posted a variety today, hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and take care out there.