Rich and Ronda Dolan

These are pictures of 3 of the Water Festival floats. They are actually large barges that float down the river after it is dark. They represent the King and several different government branches. All around the base of the barge are huge bouquets of flowers, which I thought was funny since after dark, you can't see them. So, after the day's boat races, the people stay packed in all down the riverbank and wait until dark where they watch the barges as well as fireworks. Its very pretty! We feel very fortunate to be able to live here and experience all of this culture. Much love, Ronda

(This picture is just one I took awhile ago...shows how much they can haul with one little 60cc moto and a flat wooden cart) Now the funny part...As I have told you in the past, the Khmer language compounds words to make other words. And they do it a lot! The word for "elder" as in a church elder are the words for: person-old-ripe(like ripe fruit). So, that gives you something to think about, whether you are a "ripe old person" or trying to deal with one! Much love, Ronda

Unfortunately, we didn't get to see much of the Water Festival this year. We did go to the south end and see the end of the races. The first picture is of the finish of one of the races. We took 19 people in our car to a little get together at the PIP house before we all walked from there down to the river. The 2nd picture is of Dalan, one of our students (in brown jacket). Her brother, in yellow, is on one of the boat teams. Her mother and sister are also in the picture. There are approximately an extra 2 million people in Phnom Penh for the races - people everywhere. The 3rd picture is of Rich giving Pisay, another one of our students, a hard time for her small stature. The last picture is of part of the people at the PIP house. We took some time to sing and have some snacks before walking to the river. There was probably 60 people that met at the PIP house. Since there are SO MANY people around the river area, we quickly split up into smaller group. It tooks us 1 1/2 hou

I know I already told you that my sister and I went to the coast for our birthdays. Here are some pictures I took. It is rainy season, so the water wasn't as clear as normal, but still beautiful. I am so very thankful that God chose to make this world beautiful for us to enjoy! In the picture of the 2 girls walking down the beach, they are selling bracelets, key chains, etc. Many of the sellers carry their items on their heads. It was a wonderful peaceful time. I enjoyed it immensely! Much love, Ronda