Papa and Aunt Fran

Almost ready!

Pretty table :)

Happy Easter!

We celebrated Easter with Grandpa and Grandma, along with our adopted 'Arizona' family, yet again this year. Aunt Fran brought the pretty fruit basket above, and 'the girls' decorated eggs for namecards. It was a lovely day!

Visiting with relatives

After a hike among the red rocks, we stopped in to visit great-great-aunt Barbara. We chatted with her, and we girls played the piano for her too. Then we had a delicious dinner, and evening of talk, with her daughter Linda.

Off to Sedona!

The van was packed with all of us and our various stuffs, as we hit the road for a trip to Sedona! Home of artisans and crafters of all kinds, Sedona is a great place to visit. Take a look at the shops and galleries, take a jeep tour, try some food, and don't forget to take a walk, or hike, among the amazing red rock formations! As you can see, we found our state rock! Most of the formations have names, but as we didn't know any, we made up our own!

Rembrandt & Rain

We went to the Phoenix Art Museum to see paintings by Rembrandt and other Dutch artists. The still life paintings by the Dutch usually have morals hidden in them. A timepiece or skull would represent the brevity of life, and a pipe or glass of wine would warn against indulging in sinful pleasures. Families were held in such high esteem in the Netherlands, that family portraits were painted strictly for the family's ownership and use. If in later years, there were no more descendants to pass the painting on to, the portrait would be burned rather than sold to another person who was not related! This is why there are very few family portraits that have survived the years. Also, many times the family would be painted gathered around a piano, and seated with instruments, to portray family unity and harmony.

Upon leaving the art museum, Annick, Evvie, and Catrina found themselves caught by a bit of rain....