Dingman Family Photo Album

It's a little past December, but this is such a cute picture that I wanted to display it, anyway. The granddaughters enjoy our stairway landing and the stuffed animals I keep there for them.

St. Nicholas (our dear friend Fr. Methodius Clausing) visited our Church on his special day. It was fun getting a family picture with him. Last year Mary wouldn't even willingly sit on his lap for a moment.

Mary gathered her "friends" for a tea party.

Sophia with the birthday cake Mama made for her.

Mary had a lttle "tea party" with her stuffed friends during Sophia's party.

Mary with Sophia and her special balloon for her "Princess Birthday Party."

Taken Jan. 26th - Both the of the sweet daughters-in-law are expecting this April and everyone is very excited.

The girls enjoy their new bunkbeds.

Maria and Nancy visited Seraphima and the Sisters at the Monastery in early February. The snow was beautiful!

Maria grew fond of the Monastery cats and was sure they needed some of the salmon she had saved from her dinner.

Maria was sure that I needed to be in a picture, too.

Another view of the Monastery, the driveway here (and in above photo) is just off Hi. 97.

I "grabbed" a quick shot of bundled-up Seraphima coming to join me in the snow.

The Monastery taken from the Chapel side, with one of the Sisters out for a walk.

Seraphima tried her hand at decorating their gift shop windows this year.

Last year Father Luke helped her paint them, but he couldn't make the trip this year.

A cozy trio nestled on our window seat.

This huge, diseased oak limb was hanging over their driveway, so Aaron decided it needed to come down. The Chain saw was fritzey so he labored with a hand saw.

Mary doesn't like the loud chain saw, but she made sure that we knew she wasn't actually afraid, "Just mine ears are."

The chain saw works, for awhile, to cut up the huge limb that now block the driveway.

Sophia spotted a fast-moving worm, but PahPoo told her it was the smallest salamander there is - and she wanted to hold it!

This reminds us of how excited Sarah would get when Daddy found a lizard, snake or salamander, she liked to hold them, too. Mary is interested, but still protecting her ears from chain saw.

One of Sophia's special birthday presents.

Mary loves to look at pop-up books."

PS. Update (8/25/02): After the initial year in navy blue, Novices then dress in black. There is no regular "schedule" for a novice to become a tonsured (permanent) Nun, it depends on each individual and it is usually many years so there is no question or doubt.

We're leaving these pictures of Seraphima here, for the extended family's sake, but we've told her we won't "publish" any more . . . though we didn't tell her we would take everything off. . . . . .So, if you visit the Monastery and see Seraphima do us all a favor and please DO NOT mention that you saw her picture on the internet - it makes her feel uncomfortable and her mom may end up in the dog house.

Fr. Luke (Rolland) painted this view of St. John the Forerunner Monastery in early 2001. Some of the Sister's "cells", the kitchen, dining & living room, are in the long section behind the upper covered walkway. Some "cells" are in the two story section, some in other sections. Seraphima's is ground level, just before the roof overhangs.

This is another of his paintings, showing the blue roof of the guest quarters from across the beaver pond.