the two months since coming back from Uganda have been full of many rich experiences: friends, family, and lots of miles on my car. here, a mostly chronological [except the last two photos should be a little earlier] smattering of photos...
24 hours in the u.s.
jet-lagged, but feeling oh-so-loved:
alicia brought a picnic to akron.
[PA]
.
jonathan's flat, up the street from mcc,
was a great place to hang out
and make brownies.
"don't be sad, jonny,
they'll be out of the oven soon!"
[PA]
.
my journal got a lot of ink during re-entry week.
it was a rough time for me.
[PA]
.
again, at jonathan's:
here, christa shucks the sweet corn
while liz smiles in anticipation.
fresh garden produce was certainly
one delight of coming back to this part of the u.s.
mid-summer.
[PA]
.
the returning salters at our re-entry retreat in akron,
the end of the beginning of our transition
"home."
[PA]
.
august brought lots of opportunities to experiment with
the eggplants my parents grew.
this one's facial expression just demanded a photo op.
best eggplant dish:
eggplant parmigiana.
[VA]
.
my sisters and i have a bit of a reputation among family friends
for our "lewis cookies."
shh, don't tell:
mom says they're actually a buel recipe.
[VA]
.
carson michael lewis.
he's grown up a lot since the last time i saw him.
i watched him grow up during my college years.
[PA]
.
and his younger sister,
cami jo,
who was definitely still a "baby" when i left.
[PA]
.
driving around harrisburg,
it occurred to me once again to wonder
why they insist on "fixing"
perfectly good roads.
[PA]
.
visiting my grandparents in rexville meant
lots of time with the younger lewis cousins,
who seem to be growing and multiplying
faster than i can keep track of.
[NY]
.
riding four-wheelers through the woods at dusk
brings back so many memories
of childhood innocence and joy.
[NY]
.
sunset over king hill.
[which was renamed "lewis road" a few years back.]
this is beauty.
[NY]
.
john deere.
i can't remember quite how old i was
when i first learnt to drive tractor.
[thanks to rachel for this shot.]
[NY]
.
the view from my grandparents' dining room window.
shop on the right, silo on the left,
new manure pit being dug in the background.
how many deer have we counted from here?
[again, thanks to rachel.]
[NY]
.
aunt pam was pretty excited when
the last of 10 blueberry pies for lindsay's wedding reception
came out of the oven!
[was there mention of making this a family tradition?]
[NY]
.
my beautiful cousin, lindsay,
was introduced alongside her new husband,
jeff brown.
[NY]
.
welcome to the buel family,
mr. brown.
[NY]
.
all but two of the buel cousins.
i'm on the far right, second oldest.
we're a good-looking family, methinks.
[NY]
.
sisters may never be too old for dress up.
[VA]
.
first day of school 2009:
nate's in 8th grade,
rachel's in 10th.
i remember both of their births,
and yes, i feel old.
[VA]
.
jonathan and i helped melissa move back up to school,
then spent a few days "friend-hopping" across maryland and DC.
we were pretty peopled-out after that.
[VA--PA--MD--DC--VA]
.
visiting messiah necessarily meant going back to
some of my favourite places:
jordan 3rd is the keeper of so many memories.
[PA]
.
i took a couple boxes of fresh produce when
i visited melissa in her lovely house in grantham.
pennsylvania is a cold and rainy place:
i thought i might develop hypothermia.
so, we made delicious vegetable soup.
[PA]
.
melissa's super crazy busy schedule meant that
i got to go stay with one of my old roommates
and dear friends, miss alicia.
[PA]
.
we convinced christa to come out and cook with us too.
just like old times in the apartment we shared.
except, alicia has a warm house.
[PA]
.
jonathan and i just happened to
visit the historic section of philly
on constitution day:
here, posing with mr. washington, himself.
[philadelphia is cold.]
[PA]
.
i made the mistake of drinking coffee
a few hours before attending jimmy carter's lecture.
[note the crazed look in my eyes at
the mere thought of sitting still so long].
[VA]
.
messiah college.
it felt strange to walk the grounds of this place
that has been so much a part of my growing up.
[PA]
.
the breeches quite possibly seem even more peaceful and serene
now that i don't live right up the hill.
[PA]
.
.
.
home... is where love is.
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