Grandson Cole - His First Birthday

Today is my birthday (Sharon) and as a present to myself I am writing about my wonderful trip to see my children and brother for Cole’s first birthday!

We had a great time with Ron and Sally, Dan and Ali, Jeff, Heather, and the birthday boy, Cole. We grandparents were like paparazzi photographing the momentous occasion of the lit candle in the birthday cupcake!! Cole needed a bit of help to blow it out. He got great toys, clothes, and books. (Dan road tested the toys for him. :) )

While in Ohio we also went to a local park, hung out at the mall, went to a special park full of amazing flowers, and I spent a large amount of time just watching my precious Heather with her beautiful son. It was a very satisfying thing to do! My time with Ali was so nice, especially at the end of her visit when she picked up her precious cargo and headed home.

I got to spend time with my brother, Bob, too. So, it was a very nice, but short, visit. I’m looking forward to the next one! For Photos go to: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31594&l=5d334&id=617928368

Pilgrimage Video

My daughter has taken some of the photos shot on my recent trip, plus a few from Baha'i Media and added a background song from some friends of mine. The group New Creation created this song Let All Associate a few years ago and we all love singing along with it. I hope you enjoy -Allan Go to:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OSAqyh7qXs for better quality - Select "view in higher quality" directly below the video on the rightside.

Pilgrims - July 2008 - Baha'i Holy Sites

Over 30 different counties were represented among the 400 Baha'i pilgrims and almost 100 were children and junior youth - I have tried to capture a few of them. To see their pictures follow this link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29454&l=a5cf6&id=617928368

The following accounts will hopefully give you a brief overview of what a Bahá’í pilgrimage is all about. For those of you who do not know much about the Bahá’i Faith, I would suggest the following web site: http://www.bahai.us/

I began my journey as a Bahá’i 18 years ago. Bahá’is cherish learning and independent investigation of the truth. And while a pilgrimage is a visit to a holy place, it also is a long journey or search, especially one of exalted purpose or moral significance. As you will see the Bahá’i holy places are beautiful they are also available for all of mankind. In fact while we were there the following happened:

Baha'i shrines chosen as World Heritage sites
July 8, 2008 - 2:24pm
The resting places of Baha'u'llah and the Báb, in Acre and nearby Haifa, Israel, respectively, have been designated World Heritage sites by UNESCO. Considered the two most sacred sites for Baha'is, the shrines of the founders of the Baha'i Faith possess “outstanding universal value” and should be considered part of the cultural heritage of humanity, said members of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.Other World Heritage sites include the Great Wall of China, the Pyramids, the Taj Mahal, Stonehenge, the Vatican, the Old City of Jerusalem and the remains of the recently destroyed Bamiyan Buddhist statues in Afghanistan.
The Baha'i shrines are the first sites connected with a religious tradition born in modern times to be added to the list, which is maintained by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.The shrines are noteworthy for the formal gardens that surround them, blending design elements from many cultures. In addition to Baha'i pilgrims, they attract hundreds of thousands of visitors and tourists every year.The shrine of Baha'u'llah is the focal point of prayer for Baha'is throughout the world, giving it an importance comparable to the Western Wall in Jerusalem for Jews and the Kaaba in Mecca for Muslims. Born in Iran, Baha’u’llah was banished to Acre in what was then the Ottoman Empire, where he died in 1892. The Báb was executed in Iran in 1850; his remains were later moved to Haifa for burial.

Very exciting news! What I have done is break the posting into two parts one for the Bahá’í Holy Places and one of the Bahá’í pilgrims. So for a few pictures of the Holy Places go to:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29421&l=d0064&id=617928368

Arrival in Israel

Welcome to Israel! One long journey over 7,000 miles and many forms of travel, car, mini-bus, plane, tram, plane, train and taxi to get to a hotel bed; only to be awaken a few hours later by a loud party going on at the next building over. The party was a street level and I was asleep on the 10th floor with the air conditioning running and it still woke me up. I had a hotel in the “party” district of Tel Aviv by the beach. It turns out the Israelites live in a constant state of “tomorrow may be war” so let us enjoy tonight.

This really was my only day as a tourist. The next day I begin my pilgrimage to the Bahá’i holy sites. – Allan For pictures go to http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29404&l=59e07&id=617928368

July update

Well I just returned from Israel last night and hope to edit the photos soon. I still have several days of photos from Holland to post. Luckily for me I don't have a job till next Thursday - so between cutting back all the weeds I hope to catch up!
Love to you all, Allan

Weekend in Amsterdam

Well, what can you do in Amsterdam on the weekend and stick to the straight and narrow. You soon find out just because a business says it opens at a certain time, it may not. And just because it says it is open to the public, it may not be that day. My attempt to visit the Hermitage which is linked to the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia, ended with me only taking pictures of the outside. Then on to the University of Amsterdam to look at a public exhibit--no one was there to open the door. It seems a warm spring morning after a beautiful Friday night brings out the casual attitude of all, except German and American tourists.

Well I still found much to do. I bought a great book on art and started reading it. Found great inexpensive food, opened my hotel window and took a nap. Hey I’m on vacation. Headed out at night and took a few acceptable pictures.

Sunday was more successful as far as getting to and actually going into open museums and such. The Science Center called NEMO was fun--a great way to begin the day. NEMO is very hands on and I suspect in constant need of fixing. As the children arrived it became very active and the adults stepped aside.

The Museum Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder is a good Sunday event as it has many nice rooms, but the highlight is a hidden Catholic church. There was a period in Amsterdam history where it was difficult to practice as a Catholic, thus the hidden church.

Next stop was The Old Church, it is just that very old - built around 1250, and it still has concerts and display and services. The church is in the "red light" area – so a good time to go is on a Sunday early in the day - don't have to see the sex trade.

I must say I did go into the Sex Museum, and photos were allowed, but it actually is somewhat amusing. It has very old stuff (1890 – 1940) and a major collection of Playboy magazines. Oh well, Amsterdam is somewhat like this – Church going next to Sex shops, but people still seem respectful of one another.
For pictures from the weekend go to: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=27258&l=d315a&id=617928368