On our fall visit to the east coast and DC, we strolled down Pennsylvania Ave in front of the White House. Lafayette Park and its protestors at our backs, we saw the above pic of the WH undergoing construction of some sort. Likely external security on the fence, but the Secret Service wouldn’t tell. Can’t figure out why. 😉
We’d toured a traveling WH model a few years back at the Reagan Library, and the lessons there and the fence combined to make me see the White House as a Work in Progress, or WIP to writers. Here’s its story…
Read MoreWe all face sources of stress. Jobs. Relationships. Family. Finances. Neighbors. Life isn’t always a stroll in the park, but perhaps we can extract a lesson from my bike trips. The pic above came from the ride from SoCal to Alaska in August 2019 with Rich. The stretch of road between Kitwanga Junction and Stewart BC, right next to Hyder, Alaska, held chances to spot grizzlies and moose and deer and glaciers. But no one mentioned it ranks among the most…
Read MoreI’ve seen this post multiple times, and can’t express how profoundly these words impact me. From Sir Winston Churchill as it claims? Likely not, but that’s immaterial. The purpose, often put up by people whom I know love Jesus, attempt to justify bad and offensive language by leaders and ourselves, and this can be from both political persuasions. However, this Unconventional rant is NOT political—but essentially spiritual. The question: do these words represent or oppose how Jesus and the Bible view words? Good words…
Read MoreOn our recent east coast trip we left DC on a warm October morning heading for a Hampton Inn in Danbury CN, leading to our return flight in Boston. So I loaded the address into Waze on Sheila’s cell, those marvelous silicon chips did their work and spat out the directions, with a distance of 286 miles. I hit start and followed what it told us. I trusted Waze; she’d never led us wrong. But…
Read MoreFive years back, Mick thought the right time had arrived to stop riding his bike. He looked back on many miles and a lot of trips with no problems, and a slew of great stories and memories. So he decided to quit while he was still ahead. To show his commitment, he gave his Honda Goldwing to his son-in-law. His riding days ended. But his wife…
Read MoreAn encounter with a squirrel opened up an interesting discussion about God and worship.
During a friend’s retirement party, while standing under a tree and talking to another old friend, he gently mouthed, “Squirrel.” I slowly turned, about one foot from my face was who I later learned was Albert. Apparently he wanted some of the food so freely available, and I held a finger up for him to sniff. He promptly yet gently bit it, almost as if to say, “No, squirrel food. Please.” Quite used to humans, he never flinched when I reached down for my phone to snap some pics of him. He seemed to pose. But yet another brief conversation with the wife of another old friend…
Read MoreDodging Obstacles
On the recent Alaska ride, Mick, Brad and I visited the most majestic cathedral I’ve experienced. HiWay 1, NorCal, The Avenue of the Giants. We slowly cruised through the redwoods that crept to the edge of the road and provided a canopy of boughs that kept us cool. And in awe. Then Brad spotted a sideroad we’d never taken, Mattole Road to the Big Tree Grove, so we yielded to temptation. If HiWay 1 was narrow, Mattole was just a faint…
Read MoreTrout, much like the cutthroat in the pic above (by usgs.gov), have taught me much about the finer aspects of the spiritual life. Honest. When fishing for the hatchery-raised idiots in California’s roadside streams, Power Bait works well with fish who don’t recognize genuine trout food. Scientific research has blended the scent trout love with a consistency that will stick on a hook, yet with no nutritive value. But I most love hiking into the backcountry to find…
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