Cruising around Phang Nga Bay, Thailand

Rudy and his girls enjoying the dramatic coastline and islands!

In the Bat Cave . . . Hong Island, Thailand

This picture isn't the best, mainly because it was taken in a DARK cave. I had to add it though . . .it was quite an experience to look up with a flashlight and see hundreds of bats on the ceiling of this cave. Here is a little slice of what we saw. Click on the picture to get a closer shot. When I put the flashlight on them they wiggled . . .how cute is that?

Making "Krathong" flower arrangements, Phang Nga, Thailand

While on the boat, the crew taught us to make "krathong," which is an offering to "Mae Khongka" or the Mother of the Waters. Each guide took three of us and taught us to make these beautiful flower arrangements using a stump of a palm tree for the base (to pin the leaves and flowers on), then using banana leaves and orchids we finished it off. I thought it had an origami feel to it, since we were folding banana leaves over and over again. Each arrangement was different than the others; the girls really enjoyed this.

Lauren is collecting one of the arrangements that we made. This comes from a tradition that occurs on the twelfth lunar month, when the moon rises. These arrangements are made and floated on rivers and canals in the central region of Thailand. How's that for a little Thai culture?

We were seacanoeing into the evening, so it was beautiful to see all of these floating in the dark, all lit up. By the time we rounded them up again, the candles were out, but they were still beautiful.

Funky Fruit!

I regret not taking pictures of all the fruits that we encountered that I had never seen before, even with the traveling we have done to other tropical destinations. Abby has one in her hand that was served to us while on the boat to see the different islands near Phuket. It had a hard skin that had to be split open to reveal a soft fruit (a little like like Kim Chee) that had a pit in it, but it was tasty!

We saw these at the market in Phuket one evening. Apparently the fruit inside is good, but these things did not smell very nice. These things are prickly and large!

Phuket, Thailand

I couldn't get over this palm tree (if you can call it that) . . .like a palm tree but the fronds were spread like peacock feathers! They were all over the resort and I thought they were beautiful. With the girls in the picture, it really shows the scale.

Here is the "tuk tuk" (think open air taxi) that we kept getting to take us around in Phuket.

I'm not so sure what Abby is fishing for here, but the girls sure loved the pools!

Upon arrival to our hotel, we were greeted with beautiful flowers which made me think of getting leis in Hawaii. These didn't go around the neck, but on the wrist and were made of tuberose and orchids. Lauren is loving hers!

Bangkok, Thailand, New Years Day '09

Noodles anyone? Here are some of the heaps of noodles that are sold at the market, all different types.

Abby and Tui checking out all the fun stuff that can be bought in Bangkok. We discovered quickly that the shopping here was fantastically cheap! Having Tui around to help bargain was also a nice bonus.

Courchevel, France, Christmas '08

Caroline resting on top of an igloo after a long day of skiing, outside our apartment.

We spent a week over Christmas skiing in Courchevel with our friends, the Princes. It was beautiful!

Abby and Lauren riding "the bubble" up the mountain

Rudy deciding whether to do black or red . . .

Pink evening skies!

View from Nyon Castle

Caroline and Lauren with their cousin Rike, from Germany during a recent visit. We live close to the castle and enjoy the view frequently.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

The beautiful coastline of Dubrovnik, one of our last ports of call.

Istanbul, Turkey

Turkish Viagra? Who knew that Pfizer was pushing their product in the spice markets of Istanbul?The sun setting in Istanbul, taken while Rudy and I were running back to the ship!

More variety in the spice market . . .

Matt and Rudy at Topkapi Palace--the tiles were beautiful!

Ephesus, Turkey

Jeanie's family in Ephesus, Turkey, during a November Mediterranean cruise. We started in Venice, stopping in Greece, Turkey and Croatia. The ruins in Ephesus were fantastic--here we all are standing in front of an ancient library, predating the time of Christ. This is where Paul would have traveled as well.

Halloween, 08

Abby and Caroline lookin' a little witchy . . .

October skies in Switzerland

These pics are taken from our house: after a rainstorm from the driveway, and early one morning from Abby's bedroom window. I still need to get a good picture of Mont Blanc which can also be seen nicely from our house . . .

Shopping in Bellagio is "Molto Buono!"

Lauren looking for some Italian merchandise--she ended up with a beautiful scarf.

Bellagio, Italy

When Mom and Dad came for Caroline's baptism, we decided to take them on a little trip to Bellagio, one of our favorite little towns on Lake Como. Here's some of the shots by the lake . . .

Leukerbad, Switzerland

Dad and I enjoying the fresh air in Leukerbad . . .more Swiss horn blowers in the town square!

First Day of School

Smile for the camera: Lauren starting 9th grade, Abby starting 5th grade, and Caroline starting 2nd grade.

Happy Birthday Caroline

Caroline turns 8 !

Ice cream by the lake

Lauren and Tui (our good friend from Holland) enjoying ice cream on a slightly chilly August evening close to home.

Disneyland July 08

Our characters with the Disney characters . . .


Our girls with cousins Caleb and Austin
Indiana Jones adventure seekers !