TRANSITIONS

Summer is fading into Fall. School has started again for everyone except for Sara, since Walla Walla doesn't start Fall Quarter for three more weeks yet. Andrew came home from his summer job at Big Lake Youth Camp for one day and was off to Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska, the very next day. Sara came home from her summer at the Marine Biology Station at Rosario Beach and is doing some volunteer tutoring at the SDA school while waiting for WWU to start (check out her blog for some good pictures of her "academic activities"). Aaron, Zsa, and Kinnon were with us for nearly a week before going back to Loma Linda for Aaron to start his second year of med school. My sister Betsy, and her husband Rick and son, Jon, with his wife, Missy, and son, Korbin, came last weekend for a friend's wedding. It's been nice having family here.

The weather has been getting a little cooler, and the sun setting a bit earlier. There are many gorgeous sunsets. It's a nice time of year before the weather goes a bit less desireable.
Sammy, our Swiss exchange student, honing his skills for the basketball season.


What we see on our evening beach walks


Miller - Cress wedding on the beach


Rick and Betsy Claridge (and Sara distracted by Rommel) at the beach wedding.


Jon and Missy Claridge with their little energetic one, Korbin


Kinnon with great-grandma Force


Zsa and Aaron with Kinnon. Nice family!


Falling asleep on grandpa


Kinnon and Rommel get better acquainted


Seth helping Kinnon get the hang of that walking business


Sabbath afternoon relaxation


Life's pretty good as long as you have something in the tummy.


Kinnon dancing with Auntie Sara


We love having this little guy around!


Seth, Andrew and Sara, during the brief period of time when they were all home together.


Lookout point at Deception Pass, the weekend we went to visit Sara at the Marine Biology station at Rosario Beach where she enjoyed her best school ever.


Deception Pass, on the north Washington coast.

Other Wanderers with the Saunders

This weekend we had a couple of extra wanderers at our house. Thompson Clifford, a friend from our Nigeria days, showed up as a suprise on Friday morning. We had no idea he was in this area, or even in the U.S., so it was one of those "wow" events. On Saturday afternoon, we temporarily expanded our family with Sammy Christen, who is an exchange student from Switzerland. He will be with us for the school year and will be a senior at the local high school. It was a beautiful weekend, and we did get down to the beach a bit. Here are some pictures.

Yes, we think he's good looking

Here's a picture of Kinnon that Aaron and Zsa sent us. Seemed like it ought to be posted here. We're looking forward to them coming to visit us in about three weeks.

Into and Out of Africa

Since Andrew was graduating from Maxwell Adventist Academy, in Kenya, we planned a trip to include some time in Ethiopia. Originally the plan was to help out at the hospital in Gimbie while their surgeon was on furlough. Unfortunately, that surgeon had to leave altogether and, by the time we got there, another local temporary surgeon had been brought in to fill the gap. So I wasn't as useful as I had thought I might be. We did have a good time, anyway. We spent a couple weeks in Gimbie, then went for the graduation, and came back to Ethiopia (with Grandma and Andrew this time) to see more of Ethiopia. Apart from the long hours in Ethiopian aircraft (both in flight[17 hours from D.C. to Addis Ababa] and waiting for flights), I highly recommend it. Here are some pictures from our journey.

A special welcoming ceremony from the Gimbie Pathfinder Club

The hills of my childhood around Gimbie, Ethiopia.

My little sister's grave in the Gimbie cemetery

The new Gimbie Adventist Hospital building

The house I lived in as a child in Gimbie, Ethiopia. Part of the new hospital can be seen rising behind it.

The Dadessa river, one of the tributaries of the Nile.

Rock climbing in Kenya after Andrew's graduation

The beautiful green countryside of western Ethiopia

One of the amazing tomb excavations in Axum. Precision stone work with huge pieces of dressed stone.

At the site of the ancient obelisks in Axum. Nobody knows how they transported and erected those massive pieces of stone. The largest, seen here fallen and broken, is estimated at 560 tons.

800-year-old worship book on goatskin parchment. Still in use.

This is where the ark of the covenant is kept (the one built at Mt. Sinai). Our guide is quite sure of it. Only one person is allowed to enter the building.

Kids, they're everywhere

A Lalibela church with a special covering erected with UN assistance after being declared a World Heritage site.

Our guide explains the symbolism of the crosses the priest is holding

St. George's Church, one of ten carved out of solid rock

Andrew emerging from one of the tunnels at Lalibela

At Tisabai Falls, near the origin of the Blue Nile. Not so impressive during the dry season.

Excursion on Lake Tana


One of many beautiful birds around Lake Tana at Bahar Dar

Back on the beach in Lincoln City, Oregon, with Rommel

Andrew's Graduation Pictures

Maxwell Adventist Academy, Class of 2008

Just "the guys" with their deans

Our good friends, the Skaus, with whom we spent many years in Nigeria

The whole Saunders contingent

Andrew with little friend, Amber Salibio

Class president, Eunice Nguru, gets spiffed up by her mama

Egidia, Gwiza and Elena waiting for the Friday evening service to start

A tribute to parents

Andrew gets his diploma

With the proud Mama

A hug for Grandma

Andrew with Erome and Deborah

Tina and Andrew

Special faces from different places

Brothers reunited

Moise, Chappy and Andrew with their Class Night performance as "Milkshake"