Hibiscus in Bloom

Our hibiscus plants are so pretty this time of year.  Duk-Sun is learning how to make tea from the flowers.  They are supposed to be very good for keeping blood pressure down.

Riding Rio

Hannah and Naomi got a special treat today when our neighbor and friend Julia let them ride her horse, Rio.  The girls really like horses these days.  Makes me wish I had some acreage and some horses of their own to ride.

A Cicada Emerges

How can you not like a bug like the cicada. You hardly ever see them. They spend most of their flying days high in trees singing to you, and when you do get close to them, they don't bite, sting, or feel gross when you pick them up (at least not to me). Here's one we actually saw fresh out of its exoskeleton.  It was on our front deck!

Switching from Gas to Electric

Most folks we talk to would rather cook with gas than electricity.  Duk-Sun and I would agree, if not for glass top ranges.  They make clean-up so quick compared to cooking with gas.  They also cook better to us.  Our gas stove would melt the handles of our pots because so much heat gets away from the bottom of them.  And the oven can make the handles of pots so hot if they are on the back burners that you can get burned trying to pick up a pot with the oven on.  But keeping the gas stove clean was the hardest thing.  There were so many parts that got dripped on when everyone came to see what was cooking in the pots.  Anyway, it took me a while to do it, but Duk-Sun got her a glass top cooking stove!  Yeah!

Fellowshipping with the Rose's

Here are a few photos from the times the Rose's and the Spillers' visited each other's homes.  It was a wonderful time of fellowship.

PDK Good Neighbor Day

Hannah and Naomi saved their money for a year so they could fly on an airplane today.  It cost $30 to take a trip around the area near the airport.  Duk-Sun went, too, and when they returned she said Hannah had announced, "Hey, there's H-Mart!" when they flew over Doraville.  Ever since Hannah was a tiny thing, while riding in the car she would point out planes and birds flying in the sky that we could barely see.  So it's no surprise that while in the air she recognizes a familiar landmark.  Last year, Naomi and I went up in a helicopter.  It was nice to see all the girls go up this time.  It's just too bad that the camera battery died right when the ride started.

Family R & R

Our family, like yours I'm sure is in need of some R & R.  R & R is an old military acronym which means "rest and relaxation".  We got a little this afternoon, and I'm looking forward to many times like we had today.  Ever since Duk-Sun and I were dating, I've wanted a canoe or a kayak to go exploring in, but I never got one.  It's been on my wish list for a long time.  If my budget allowed, I'd like a ski boat or something larger and faster, but I'll be content just to get into the water and paddle.  One thing that held us back was the cost and the clutter.  Our family has 2 adults and 2 kids.  Hard kayaks or canoes for each person, or even two of them to carry 2 persons each would mean we'd need a trailer to haul them and a large place to store them when we weren't using them.  Plus, they are not cheap.  The solution?  A soft, inflatable, portable kayak that can hold our whole family.  We got it the other day, and today we tried it out.  It is not as fast or as maneuverable as a hard canoe or kayak, but it wasn't too slow or clumsy either.  It's a go-anywhere Sea Eagle 370 Pro kayak that holds 650 lbs.  Use anything you can, but by all means, get outdoors with your family and enjoy the summer!