I’ll continue with posts of our travels in New Zealand and Australia sometime soon, but
What I’m juiced about right now:
are these gorgeous Lebanese kids, on holiday with their parents. I photographed them a couple of days ago on a boat cruise on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey.
All words and images by Alison Louise Armstrong unless otherwise noted
© Alison Louise Armstrong and Adventures in Wonderland – a pilgrimage of the heart, 2010-2015.
Adventures in Wonderland 
What beautiful children!
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Aren’t they gorgeous! I had so much fun with them.
Alison
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Hi Alison,
Your pictures come on the heel of the picture of the dead little Syrian boy who was found lying face down on the beach of one of the Greek islands (Kos?). He and his brother and their mother all died while the family was trying to cross from Turkey to Greece in a little dinghy that capsized. The picture shook up the world — did you see it? — and the governments of Europe are finally moving to act on the situation of the thousands of refugees from the near East streaming into Europe. The father is now back in Syria, burying his family. It is sad beyond words.
Lovely pictures, lovely kids …… they seem to have a better fate, since they are on holiday, not fleeing oppression and violence. For me, an antidote to the sadness I am feeling about the Syrian refugees. Thank you.
Tanya
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Yes, I’ve seen it. Apparently that’s what was needed for the governments of Europe to act. Tragic beyond words. In a way it’s the reason I posted this, though I didn’t know about it when I took the photos. I was simply delighted to meet people from Beirut who were apparently living normal lives with happy children, and having holidays in Turkey that included boat trips on the Mediterranean. I wanted to share that.
Alison
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I was thinking the same thing as Tanya regarding the kids. They are beautiful kids and we should strive for a world where all kids can be happy and live in peace. The crisis over there is very sad.
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Yes it is. Terribly sad. I think these kids are among the lucky ones. At least their country, for the moment, is relatively safe for that part of the world. We’ve not been directly touched by the crisis even though we’ve been on the Turkish Med coast for over a week now and could see the Island of Kos from the boat on this cruise. I’m so sad for all of them. It must be terrifying.
Alison
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The little child that washed ashore came to mind. I was talking with a friend on the phone last night. Even though we’re struggling, life is still with us.
These children are such cuties. I love the last pic especially. So innocent. They must have been tired from playing all day. Not religious but I have ‘come to me as children’ from the Bible comes to mind.
It takes the mindset of a child to love and celebrate life.
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I guess I wanted to share that – that life is still with us. I have images of countries being nothing but tragedy and horror because the ‘news’ distorts things so badly. I mean in no way to diminish the very real refugee crisis, but it was a heartwarming thing for me to see that ordinary life and happy children happen in Lebanon, and that yes, they take holidays on the Turkish Mediterranean coast. We are so swamped with the negative in the ‘news’ that I wanted to share something positive.
Yes, the two boys, brothers, were tired out from playing all day. I spoke to their mother whose English was limited but I think she was saying essentially that for Beirut anyway, where they live, the news blows things out of proportion.
Alison
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Such beautiful photos, Alison. Thanks so much.
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Thanks so much Ros. The children were so full of joy it was easy to photograph them.
Alison
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Beautiful photos Alison!
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Thanks so much Nicole. They were easy subjects that’s for sure – so full of life and play and innocence.
Alison
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Thank you, your photos feel like a great service to humanity; I teared up with joy. Aloha ❤
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Thank you Ka. It was my intention to show that life and joy and innocence and families on holiday still happen, even and especially from those parts of the world we hold as being ‘trouble spots’. Who knows what the future will bring for these kids, but for now they are full of joy. One of the big things that Don and I have learned from all our travels is that the HUGE majority of people from every country just want to be left to peacefully live their lives, to love and raise their families, and that no matter where we go what we see is people simply getting on with their lives in the best way they know how.
Alison
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Hi Alison,
I can relate to what you are seeing now. When I was traveling around the world during 2001 – September 11 airplane explosions happened in the United States. I was able to see the ‘global response’ and therefore, I was able to put tragedies into a wider perspective. At the time I was just arriving in Japan, but I was also in India, Cambodia, Vietnam +… etc. What you write here is true, “no matter where we go what we see is people simply getting on with their lives in the best way they know how.” Bringing your views and perspectives to our WP community and beyond is helpful in the wake of such tragedies that have been already mentioned in earlier comments. I am grateful to see the children’s faces here, and be reminded: that tragedy is not ‘all-consuming,’ and life goes on living while we do our best as a global village “to get it right.” Much Love, Ka
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You take great people shots!
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Thanks Bela. I had a lot of fun with these kids. They were full of mischief and play, as happy children are. It was a lovely day.
Alison
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I love to take people shots, so am especially drawn to those who can capture the spirit of their subjects. Thanks for sharing!
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‘Three things remain with us from paradise, stars, flowers and children’, enthused Dante centuries ago. Your beautiful pics, Alison, usher those words to mind. May more blessings come your way.. Raj.
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Thank you so much Raj. I had a lovely time with the children, and with some of their parents who spoke a little English.
Blessings to you too.
Alison
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lovely kids, stunning pictures..thanks for sharing 🙂
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Thanks so much Alisha. Loving being able to share such innocence and joy.
Alison
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Thank you for sharing these gorgeous images. The world needs more of this to remind us there is much beauty and innocence and it is our duty to protect it.
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The timing of this post was in a way serendipitous given the refugee crisis – a way to spread some good news. And yes, the world needs more of this.
Alison
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Beautiful children living in a tragic world…..so sad.
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Yes they are beautiful. There is a lot of tragedy in the world it’s true, but also a lot of joy and love.
Alison
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Beautiful photos!
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Thank you Paul.
Alison
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Kids in their worlds, whispering secrets into one another’s ears, in contrast to what we read and hear about so often (as others have noted already), brings to mind the depth to which what we call “the world” simply doesn’t exist. It cannot be grasped in the way that we think it can. May we all inhabit the richness with such richness…
Loving your photo’s as ever!
Michael
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I absolutely agree, the world cannot be grasped the way we think it can, and that what we think it is doesn’t exist. Although the current news from Syria and Iraq is undeniably horrifying, the media focus on bad news has us believing that’s all there is. This in itself is tragic in my view. If there were at least even just a balance in the presentation then a different world could be seen to exist. Kids in their worlds, the ‘world’ over still play and whisper secrets. What an enlivening and joyous thing that is. Lovers too, the world over. And small, and large, acts of kindness the world over.
Alison
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The first and fourth photo….big brown eyes with so much depth!
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Thanks Mary. Yes, these too little ones had not yet learned any guile and could simply see and be seen. So innocent and beautiful.
Alison
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It is so sad that the media only fixate on the horror and sadness, it takes the blogging world to bring us pictures like these you have shared with us, to show that a large proportion of humanity still have some joy in their lives and though it is very heart breaking for the thousands of refugees on the move to find a new life we must still believe that eventually goodness will prevail.
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I do believe that goodness will/does prevail, and will do so even more if we would only all focus on it instead of following the mainstream media which has us focusing on the bad. Every where we go we find happy playful children, even in poor and distressed places.
Alison
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Strangely I have noticed the poorer the community the more pleasure they get from simple things and family and community life.
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Beautiful shots, Alison. Love that last one best of all!
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Thanks Naomi. I love that last one too. They are brothers, tired out at the end of the day.
Alison
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Beautiful kids. Lucky you to find such willing and splendid subjects.
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Thanks Heather . I had a lot of fun with the kids. They were certainly willing, and playful, subjects.
Alison
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I did see this post come up in hotmail a few days ago, but couldn’t get to it. 10-car pile up, bruised but fine, car totaled (not my fault luckily). May have to move from apartment. Life is a very odd place to live.
These are lovely, as usual, photos, Alison. I love the one of the boy in water, and the girl just before him. Just remarkable. You are getting better and better, and now with close-up shots!
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So sorry to hear about the accident, and your bruises. Glad it was nothing worse than that. Too bad about your car. Major inconvenience no doubt. And you might have to move?! I agree Life is a very odd place to live.
Thanks re the photos. I got a few of the boy in the water – this is the best of them of course. All of them I just click away and hope for something.
Alison
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Thanks. The bruises are fine, nothing significant. But I’m disappointed about the car, I loved that car. And right…now the inconvenience. And the spending time buying a new one.
I click away and hope for something, and sometimes get one or two. You click away and always get good ones.
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Always get good ones? Ha! You should see what ends up in the trash – more than half!
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Half…still, from what I hear from photographers, half is a REAL good ratio.
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I like to exaggerate 🙂
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HA!
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Just had to add to your ‘Life is a very odd place to live.’ . . . but it’s better than the alternative. Pleased to hear that only your car got totalled and not you.
Don
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HA! That’s funny Don. Although, now that I’m thinking about it…we can’t really be sure it’s better than the alternative!! They don’t have car crashes there in the alternative (hopefully).
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They are SO gorgeous, Alison! And they obviously liked you because you managed to bring out so much in them! 🙂 ~Terri
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Thanks Terri. I had a lot of fun with them. They were really playing around. Some I caught unawares, some knew I was photographing them.
Alison
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I love your site! Keep posting! 🙂
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Thank you so much Shenny. New post coming in a few days 🙂
Alison
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A wonderful collection of candid portraits! My favourite is the closeup up father and son – giving him a kiss?
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Thanks so much Michael. The kids were so beautiful, and so unselfconscious, that it was a wonderful photography opportunity. Yes, the dad is giving his son a kiss. A sweet moment.
Alison
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On another note – I read about your “journey of pain” … Thanks for sharing that part of your “adventures” and how you try to rise above it – lots of folks will identify with the frustration and limitations of life as they age. My wife and I are 60/61 years old. Last year I had my first ever surgery – double hernia – I was such a chicken that I waited 3 yrs before finally yielding. Recently, my wife has had frequent bouts of strange nerve pain which is undiagnosed so far. Adding to that, she got out a chair, twisted her foot and broke her toe – so was hopping around in crutches wearing a boot for 6 weeks. But its been good – since she still cannot drive, we go on lots of dates together. But, like you, she was not expecting to start falling apart until mid seventies. Oh well. We are able to find peace with God’s grace and it makes us value and appreciate the little good things that occur each day. So far so good. Also I know it must be very tough for Don to see you in pain. Well, anyhow, hang in there!
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Thanks for your comment Michael. So sorry to hear of your and your wife’s health problems. Good for you for finally having the necessary surgery. I do hope they find and treat the cause of your wife’s nerve pain, and that her foot continues to heal. But you are so right – with grace there is a way to find the positive in everything, and these challenges certainly do nudge us into appreciating what we do have. It has been tough for Don, and he’s been a real hero, but hopefully I’m over the worst of it now.
Alison
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Thanks for your kind response Alison … and now you have endure Vancouver’s cloudy, rainy and maybe snowy weather for the next few months. Sorry about that!
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Lebanese are beautiful people, especially the children of course….
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Yes they are! All the kids on the boat were so delightful.
Alison
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