Saw this video posted on Facebook the other day and just had to share it. This was where we lived for 2 1/2 years and I find myself dreaming of those days. Chania is definitely one of those places that will always have a hold on me, beckoning me to return. Oh Chania – how I miss thee! Maybe, if I’m lucky, I’ll find myself back there again one day. In the meantime, I thank God for the memories shared with friends – of the people, of the food, and of those oh so beautiful waters.
Today we celebrated Gavin’s 7th birthday with his friends at the Nefeli Taverna in Aroni. We had a great time and the food was wonderful as always and the cake was scrumptious! The sad part is this is our last weekend here in Crete. Only five days to go before we start our journey to Deutschland and the cold weather. We are definitely not looking forward to saying goodbye to all of our friends here, but are looking forward to seeing our old friends in Germany and getting back involved with our church there. Fortunately, with things like Facebook, you never really have to say goodbye anymore…
Here’s us singing Happy Birthday to Gavin:
This past Monday, I set out in my kayak to go from Marathi Beach to Stavros Beach. Both of these are on the Akrotiri Peninsula on the northwestern part of the island of Crete. It was to be my longest paddle yet and the first time I’ve not had to go out and turn around and come back to the same launch point. There was only one good place to stop along the way – in fact, it was a really nice, secluded beach accessible only by boat. The only problem is that once you get around the most eastern point on the peninsula, you get the pleasure of smelling what I can only express as a highly concentrated geep (goat/sheep) urine/feces smell. No joke! It just so happened that the little beach I stopped at must be somewhere near Ground Zero. So, while I did hang out there for a few minutes, I didn’t linger as long as I would have had the wonderful aroma not been there.
After that, it was a long paddle around to Stavros. The scenery was gorgeous and being pretty much the only one out there (other than the odd fishing boat) was very nice – though being a beginning paddler, it is nice to know folks are around in case you get into trouble. Fortunately, I didn’t have any problems and just enjoyed the morning. I only wish I had actually eaten something before starting out – my energy was definitely waning there at the end.
In honor of Father’s Day and just because I love him, I dedicate this post to my awesome husband Matt. He is wholeheartedly dedicated to the Lord, his family, and in helping others in need. Matt is a devoted father to his two children. He is a supportive and loving husband. Matt is also a loving son to his mom and dad. Let’s not forget to mention that he loves his dog Annie.
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It is getting a little warm around here, so this morning we broke out the Slip N’ Slide that I picked up for the boys in Norfolk. I always wanted one of these as a kid, but with nothing but rocks in the backyard, it probably wouldn’t have been as much fun.
Makes you want to be a kid again, doesn’t it?
On Memorial Day the boys and I took a trip to Gramvousa & Balos. Our friend Silvia invited us to go with her, her kids, and her house guest Katie. Our friends Richard and Melanie went too and were so kind to drive us. Unfortunately, Matt had to stay home and work on a school paper. The good thing is… he had the peace and quite necessary to get it done.
After waiting nearly an hour (or more?) the ferry left the port. It was incredibly slow, as compared to our last ferry ride to Santorini. After an hour of boating the island of Gramvousa was in sight. We saw an awesome castle on the hill top, overlooking a sunken pirate ship. The beach was beautiful and we were so glad to have brought our water shoes. Melanie, Richard, and Katie hiked to the castle while Silvia and I stayed on the beach with the kiddos. Gavin discovered some sea anemones living on rocks. They were so cool and sucked to our fingers. That was before we realized that we were probably being stung. Continue reading
As a combination graduation/birthday/belated honeymoon (I really get my money’s worth!), I took Ginger and the boys to Santorini from May 21st through the 24th. It started out as a very early morning drive on the 21st from our home near Chania to Iraklion to catch the ferry to Santorini. After finding our way to the port and getting on the boat, I think the earliness of the morning started to settle in as we sat in the comfortable seats for the 2 1/2 hour ferry ride. Unfortunately, the boys weren’t as tired as we were, so we took quite a few walks around and outside the ferry instead of sleeping. Go figure! Continue reading
Well, Ginger finally made it back from taking her test in Germany. She had quite the adventure making it back here to Crete. A real Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
Oh, and I found out later that the story had even one more twist. When she got into Basel, she didn’t think things seemed just right so she talked with Information. Turns out she got off at the wrong Basel train station (there were 2 – go figure!). She had to make a mad dash to catch a taxi to the other train station. And believe it or not, she shared the taxi with a Greek couple that couldn’t speak any German. Fortunately for them, Ginger knew what to tell the taxi guy to get them all to the right station.
What a ride!
Not sure how, but we tend to get hedgehogs in our yard every now and then. I’m beginning to think that they come to our yard just to die. Not a great thought, right? After checking on him for about an hour or so, I put on some garden gloves and carried him across the street where there is a field. Sometimes when I come home at night, I’ll see them run (if you can call it that) out of the street over to this area. Hopefully he’ll find what he’s looking for.
Another Visitor
Here’s a picture of Gavin and Tristan in the backyard on Easter morning. This was their first time in ties, and for some reason, they really enjoyed wearing them. Go figure!
Easter Outfits