Dune Bashing

Our friends from Australia and New Zealand call it dune bashing. I don't even know what we call it in the U.S. but I found out Saturday that I LOVE IT. We spent the morning driving over the sand dunes in the southern part of Qatar. I found out that the Xtera we have is particulary adept to the sand dunes - even better then the Hummer. Thanks Ephriam for being our guide. Thanks Wayne for pulling this together for us. I'm hooked.

So - I have started painting again. It feels really good to be doing something I love so much. I feel very fortunate and blessed to finally have the time and resources to do this. The other day I left my pallet out. I thought to myself that maybe I better cover this up so Cici (our cat) doesn't get into it. Then I thought that we have so much space in this villa and so many rooms that the chances of her finding my pallet were small. Well, as you can see from the image above, she found it. I wonder if she just wants to express herself through a visual medium. The inner artist is trying to get out.

Stoner Crowned MotoGP Champion

Guest Post:

This is Dianna posting for Brett. He got to attend his first MotoGP World Championship Race last night. Because the final race was rained out on Sunday night, he got to tag along with some "blokes"and catch the action. He mainly went because our son Ben is such a fan. What an unselfish dad, right?! Typical Brett.

So here are a few photos and a video clip. The action was difficult to capture because of the speed and the sound, so sorry for the poor quality. Brett's final analysis of the evening was that it was "so cool." He said the bikes were "super cool," (I guess the awe of the experience was beyond description), but he didn't catch any up close pictures, sorry Ben. Enjoy!

Wish Day

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I wish that there were "no poor among us." I often imagine what the world would be like if we all lived as if we cared as much for everyone else as we did for ourselves. I wish that we didn't have to "charge" for our services. I think that if we all cared about humanity and thought a little less of ourselves there would be no hunger. There would be no anger. We would be so technologically advanced because all our research and inventions would be for the betterment of mankind. There would be enough life-saving medicine and procedures for every person on this planet. Everyone would know how to read because the thought of one person not knowing how to read would be enough to make the whole world stop until that person could read. I wish that we would all wish that every other human being had everything we had - that every other person on the planet were loved like we were loved. I wish we could all truly love the Lord and love our neighbor like we love ourselves.

Thanks Kristy for initiating wish day. Thanks Dianna, Abbey, Ben, Mary, Jared, Kristy, Thomas and Kimball for giving me so many of my wishes. I wish that one day you will live in a world like this. Maybe there is an Enoch among us now.

Bockwurst and Wine Flowers

Dianna and I were fortunate enough to spend 6 days in Berlin and other parts of Germany. I titled this entry Bockwurst and Wine Flowers because it captures some (not all) of the exquisite experiences we had. Bockwurst - simply stated - I ate a lot of it while I was there. The bakeries were amazing as well. Wine flowers is the term Dianna's cousin used when she was trying to think of the English word for grape vines. I thought that was so descriptive.

This photo of the Victory Column, commemorating Prussian victories between 1864 and 1871, was taken from the taxi on our way from the airport to our hotel.

This is the entry lobby of the Ritz-Carlton in Berlin. The hotel was amazing. I ate a variety of German sausage for breakfast each morning at the breakfast buffet. You can see a theme developing here.

After we arrived we wandered out of our hotel to see what we could just see by walking in the vicinity of our hotel. Our first stop was dinner. We stopped in a deli and I had, you guessed it, bockwurst. Dianna had soup which was very comforting considering the temperature never rose above 2 degrees celcius while we were there. Here Dianna is standing on the line the marks where the Berlin wall used to be. Behind her is the famous Brandenburg Gate and to her left is the Holocaust Memorial. Dianna is facing the direction of our hotel.

This photo is taken across the top of the Holocaust Memorial. The contrast of the warm sunlit columns and the cool shaded columns seemed to speak the words that cannot be found to describe a place like this.

The most famous landmark in Berlin, the Brandenberg Gate. We felt so fortunate to be there as the sun was setting to get this striking image. It's not hard to imagine the processions of Prussians, Nazis, and Allied troops that marched through those columns. What an amazing piece of history. The Victory Column is just beyond the gate. It is blocked from view by the columns.

I couldn't resist this photo op for 2 euros. The lady looks very Russian but I'm not sure the guy looked like the typical American officer. I had a navy hat, there were no American Air Force hats.

As we were walking about, the sun went down and it got really cold really fast. We were in Berlin's most expensive shopping district looking for hats, gloves and scarves. We couldn't afford the expensive brands. We got Dianna's hat from a souviner shop. I think she looks great in it. It was hard to spend any money on winter clothing knowing we had closets and drawers full of them at home in Utah. When leaving home for Doha we just didn't pack many winter clothes.

This is a shot down the street of the most expensive shopping district. We went into a mall to look for some scarves and gloves to find that the mall was an indoor auto mall. It had three levels of some of Germany's finest automobiles. They were displayed in shops and behind glass like anything else you would find in a mall. We knew we were out of our league.

While I was in my conference Dianna went on a bus tour of Berlin. Then while she was traveling to Castrop-Rauxel I took the same tour. The historic architecture of Berlin is absolutely breath-taking. It is another thing I don't think I could describe. This is a picture Dianna took of the Reichstag building. The original construction was completed in 1894. The inscription over the building, Dem Deutschen Volke, translates to "To the German People". It was the seat of the freely elected government. It is just on the west side of where the Berlin Wall was. It was damaged by fire and by the Red Army. The restored and adapted building is once again the seat of government for a free Germany.

This building is the most intreiging one to me. I'm not completely sure why but it seems to say a lot about the history of Berlin and Germany. The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church was damaged by a bomb in World War II. To me it is a story - a story of time, of place and of people. This picture was taken from the tour buss.


I downloaded a better picture from a google search.


Here it is in it's original condition.

I don't remember the name of the square but this is where the Nazi book burning took place.

A momument to Friedrich the Great. We visited his palace in Postdam a few days later.

This image above and the images below are from Dianna's trip to Castrop-Rauxel. Even though I didn't go I loved these images. This is the oldest building in Castrop built in the 19th Century.

Dianna is standing in front of a remnant of the original Berlin Wall. This is just outside our hotel. Although it is the original wall and it is located on the original location, this part of the wall was put here after the plaza was reconstructed. On our last day we visited the only spot where the original wall stands.

This shot was taken in Postdam. Potsdam is where the summer palaces of the Prussian kings, including Friedrich the Great, are located. We felt like we were in a winter wonderland.

Another shot in Postdam.

This is Sanssouci Palace, summer home of Friedrich the Great. We saw the chair he died in.

We decided to walk from the palaces to the train station. We were so glad we did because we saw some amazing things. We called this our gift for that day.

In one of the chapels we came across a replica of the Christus - definitely one of the highlights of our trip.

I loved this image of the shadow of the head of Christ framed in the archway as it rested on the wall behind it.

We also found a shop filled with the handmade wooden things Dianna's father loved - Cuckoo Clocks. . .

. . . and Christmas pyramids to name a few. We bought some Noah's ark animals for Abbey here.

This shot was taken on the same street. I think I will have this one enlarged and framed.

On our last full day in Germany we traveled by train to the Freiberg Temple. If you are ever in Germany and want to travel by train to Freiberg be certain you pronounce it correctly or you might find youself in Freiburg. The pronunciation between the two is subtle for the American ear but they are in completely different parts of Germany. Fortunately, our train tickets were for Frieberg. This is a shot from the train.

. . . as is this one.

The absolute highlight was being in the Freiberg Temple. Not only was it important to us because there is not a temple in the Middle East but it is significant because of its history. I want to read President Monson's book that talks about the building of this temple in Communist East Germany. We were filled with emotion.

On our taxi ride from the hotel back to the airport we stopped at the only originally standing part of the Berlin Wall.

As you can imagine it was an amazing trip. We missed Abbey terribly and are glad she was so brave.

What made the trip most meaningful was the connections to our family and the church. What an amazing world we live in. And what is most amazing are the people that are in it. The places are a record of history of the people who lived there. What a history Berlin and Germany has. For more on our trip, see Dianna's blog.

Kenneth J Kearney

A tribute to Kenneth J Kearney

I remember the photograph of dad with the long striped 1920's retro swimming suit. He would only do something like that for mom.

I remember the time he laughed so hard when I asked him a question a young boy would ask. I asked if he brushed his teeth when he was little like George Washington had. I had just learned that George Washington had brushed his teeth by chewing on a stick to make it soft and then using that stick for a toothbrush. I had never before, nor have I since, heard my dad laugh so hard.

I remember the time when I was about 16 or 17 when he gave me one of the many preisthood blessings I had received, and was to receive from him. That was the first time I had felt close to him since he and my mom were married.

I remember seeing the creative, fulfilled Ken Kearney in his advertising office leaning over his drawing board, with scraps of paper all over the floor and a desk filled with art supplies.

I remember a discourged and probably depressed Ken Kearney after moving to St. George and trying his best at Real Estate.

I remember the delicious homemade bread he made. He used his mother's recipe. He sold his bread to the retired, snowbird community in Washington, Utah. I'm sure that helped him maitain some of his dignity while he struggled with his career in St. George.

I remember that the one thing that dad did consistantly for as long as I have known him. He was constantly driving his children places they needed to go. He did that until just a few years ago when he finally was forced to slow down.

I remember the unique and special bond he had with my younger sister Sommer. Sommer, as most of you know, was our blessing from heaven. She was severly handicapped with Down's Syndrom. She had a special love for her dad.'

I remember the very few times when Dad was able to pursue the interests he enjoyed - painting and golf. I hope he is doing lots of both of those things now.

I remember that Dad's life revolved around his family. Yes, he could be grumpy and most often was. But he raised two families and came from an era when you just got things done and didn't complain about it.

He served as a bishop, he served his country in the World War II. His life was literally spared many times. He touched many lives.

I am proud to be his name sake - Kenneth Brett Kearney. I am proud of my natural father, Kenneth Roy McLean and am fortunate to have two wonderful fathers who I know love me and my family.

I heard Dad say one time that his favorite hymn was "I Need The Every Hour." What I will remember most about Dad is that although he was imperfect he understood the Lord's plan of happiness. He knew he needed the Lord's help to raise and provide for his family. He knew he needed the Lord's help during the war and while serving as Bishop. I'm glad that he taught me that I don't need to be perfect to obtain the Lord's blessings - I just have to try.

I love you Kenneth J Kearney. Thank you for accepting me as one of your own.

Dianna

Dianna is in Utah for her dad's (Grandpa Drawe's) funeral. Abbey and I are rediscovering how much she means to us. Abbey and I were invited to a New Years Eve Party by one of the families in our ward. We showed up at the right time and the right place to discover the party was the night before. This kind of thing doesn't usually happen when Dianna is here. So, as a tribute to Dianna below is a list of some of the things I love and appreciate about her.

She knows where, what time, and what day we need to be to places.

She is always thinking about the needs of others.

She makes our house a home.

She has a simple and elegant way of saying things - I love her writing.


She knows just the right thing to say to make Abbey feel better when she is sad.

Her cooking is fantastic.

Her presence is soothing to me.

I can "really" talk to her.

Her kisses really send me.

I love you Dianna