People Get Ready

Tim Riter June 11, 2018

On a seldom fished section of Rock Creek in the Sierras, a bit overgrown with trees. Yeah, nowhere near a campground. The pic above had the caption, “If casting is difficult, you can assume not many have fished there.” My kind of stream. I spotted a nice pool and wove through the tree branches with just about 3 ft of line hanging down from the fly rod tip. Letting out a little line and dropping in the hole, I realized a route was blocked to extract any trout that chose to bite, so I gently moved a branch aside with my left hand, the one that controls the line, that sets the hook.

Just then…

Own It!

Tim Riter June 4, 2018

The 2018 NBA Western Conference Finals. Steph Curry, leader of the Golden State Warriors, had missed a good chunk of the regular season with injuries. Game 2 saw the Houston Rockets blow them out by 22 points, and the game stayed tight at half time of game 3. Then Steph stepped up, with 19 points in the third quarter, leading them to a 41 point margin of victory. After one layup, Curry turned to the crowd and yelled, “This is my…”

Copy Kilauea?

Tim Riter May 28, 2018

The Big Island grows bigger. For several decades, Kilauea safely sent lava on a downward slope to the sea, giving a bit more land to the island. But a new series of eruptions have changed things, with about two dozen fissures, or cracks in the earth’s surface, that allow lava to surge, destroying homes and highways and immolating cars. The earlier cool lava has given way to fresh and hotter lava, creating steam as it reaches the Pacific, and slowly increasing the size of Hawaii. But something struck me. Didn’t God finished creating…

Know Your Opponent

Tim Riter May 21, 2018

Once again, a shooter at a school took lives, and commentators and citizens and officials offered their takes on both the causes and solutions. One US Senator weighed in, with one part of wisdom and another of ignorance. Speaking of Santa Fe High School, Ted Cruz said, “This community has seen the face of unmitigated evil.” Yes they did, and we’d all agree. But he then amazed me with…

Hope Lies Eternal in the Divine Breast

Tim Riter May 14, 2018

The cushy beds in the tent trailer at Convict Lake claimed my son-in-law and grandson as I rose alone at early dawn to entice the trout in the creek. Yes, I caught a few. But better than the rainbows was the reminder of God’s patience. Mountain mornings bring a unique freshness. Something about being immersed in God’s creation makes me more aware of him, and the following flowed from…

image from LA  Times — image from LA Times

Here They Come!

Tim Riter May 7, 2018

Yeah, the pic looks political. The topic looks political. But honestly, they’re not. Hundreds of refugees from Honduras headed north, seeking refuge from gang violence. A week ago, they arrived at the border, and the political discussion over immigrants has grown hotter. But while reading in Mark this week, I came across the passage where…

A Decaying Past

Tim Riter April 30, 2018

I like old stuff. Always have. Dad’s aunt and uncle would escape the Utah winter and snow to stay in Santa Monica for several months each year, and I’d quietly listen to tales of much earlier frontier days. On the bike trips, old farms, barns, and houses entrance me. Two years ago we spent a few days in Deadwood, SD, where Wild Bill Hickok was killed, where Calamity Jane capered, and I was nearly in heaven. Last spring Sheila and I visited an old central California town. She headed for an antique store; I crossed the street to a hotel/bar about 120 years old. So when Roland Peachie…

Stretch Yourself

Tim Riter April 23, 2018

The pic above represents of one the most rewarding and stupid decisions of my life. Back in high school, I got a lot of A’s, but never one in physical education—you had to be a super jock in regular PE, everyone on sports teams got them. Dad had razzed me a lot, so I bet him $5 I would my senior year. Distance running came fairly easy on a regular PE class level, so I checked out cross country. The best 10 ran varsity, the next 10 junior varsity. I figured…

Unconventional

Old Faith, New Following