Baby Luke!

Our new grandson, born to Tim and Juanita in the back of a van on the way to the hospital! For those who haven't heard that story, check Juanita's blog. He weighed in at 6lbs 10 oz.

All is well with mother and baby.

I spent a week with them and can testify that he has been a good, content baby.

No lack of hair, but no, it's not red!

Big brother checks him out.

Boy and dog.

I spent a lot of time with Kaleb and enjoyed the cute, funny things he says at his age!

The Altar

Laid on your altar, O my Lord divine,
Accept this gift today for Jesus' sake.
I have no jewels to adorn your shrine,
nor any world-famed sacrifice to make;
But here I bring, within my trembling hand
this will of mine - a thing that seems small,
but only you can understand how,
when I give you this, I give you all.

Hidden therein your searching gaze can see
struggles of passion, visions of delight;
All that I have, or am, or hope to be.
Deep loves, fond hopes, and longings infinite,
it has been wet with tears and dimmed with sighs;
Clenched in my grasp 'til all beauty is gone,
now at your footstool, where it vanquished lies,
the prayer ascends, "May your will be done."

Take it, O Father, before my courage fails,
and merge it so with your own will, that even
if in some desperate hour my cries prevail
and you give me back my gift, it may have been
so changed, so purified, so fair have grown,
so one with yours, so filled with peace divine
that I may not know or feel it as my own,
but gaining back my will, may find it yours.

Author Unknown

Day in Nordegg

We were home on the long weekend and took a day-trip with our friends Travis and Joanna to Nordegg, a historic coal-mining town that closed in 1955. It's in the Rocky Mountains.

Joanna's grandfather plus several of his brothers were some of the miners who worked there. The town is being restored.

We looked up the house where her grandparents lived.

We checked out old buildings...

and old cars...

and old bridges and barns and mine shaft entrances, etc.
All in all, it was a great day!

More pictures below.

Nordegg Collage

Click to enlarge.

Happy Anniversary to Darrell and Jess!

Ten years ago!

It was a happy day and a great wedding.

Hope you have a great day today!

Photos by Bill Ginther

Spring in the North

We were in Slave Lake area this weekend and I enjoyed photographing some birds like this purple finch. I noticed this year, as in some other years, that the leaves emerge earlier in the north. Their elevation is lower than the foothills and their weather not as erratic.


Red-breasted nuthatch.

They are fun to watch as they walk upside-down.

Blue Jay.


Evening grosbeak.
I always enjoy these big, colorful birds.

Happy Mother's Day to our Daughters-in-law!

To Magan...
who bore our first grandchild,
who promptly had her life turned upside-down
by a baby who didn't seem to need sleep,
and through it all mothered with love and devotion
and has emerged a confident mother of two.

To Juanita...
for whom pregnancy meant extreme illness,
weight loss and hospitalization,
yet has counted motherhood worth the cost
and has mothered with ease, practicality and humour.

To Jessica...

whose longing for motherhood set her on a long,

heart-wrenching and terrible path,

yet has endured until she was called "mama",

and this year for the first time we can say, "Happy Mother's Day"!

We love you all and are thankful that God gave us

daughters-in-law who value motherhood

and who love our sons and grandchildren.

Have a wonderful Mother's Day!

Love,

Mom