If you've been following our blog you know that I'm a member of the cast of the show Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which we (the thespians of the First Colony Church of Christ) will be performing on the Saturday and Sunday evenings of the last weekend of September and the first weekend of October. We had rehearsal last night until 10:30 and a group of us spent all day today building some fairly elaborate props for the show. Although we're a bunch of amateurs (some more than others) it looks like things are really starting to come together in rehearsals and this show should be a lot of fun. We (the cast) are all committed to showing up for every show, but in order for the show to be considered a success it is essential that an audience show up also. So, if you're in town on either of our performance weekends I would consider it a personal favor if you'd consider showing up to cheer us on. I may have mentioned this, but I actually have the lead in one of the scenes, which includes a four-minute solo, and my performance alone will be worth be the price of admission. Speaking of the price of admission, tickets are $8, $10, and $12 and there isn't a bad seat in the house in our new auditorium. And, if you buy a ticket and you don't love the show I will personally refund the price of your ticket. This is a bold commitment from someone who doesn't even have a job.
You can buy tickets on any Sunday morning at the First Colony Church of Christ. While you're there you may as well stick around for church. Or, you can buy general admission tickets online at www.firstcolonychurch.org. Click on "Resources" and then "Event Calendar". There is a $1 per ticket service charge of online tickets.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Today, a Texas History Lesson and a Word About Volumizer
Vicki and I drove up to Round Rock on Thursday for a quick visit with Bethany and Cody. In addition to just wanting to spend some time with the semi-newly-weds, we also took them a chair and ottoman that formerly resided in our den until it was replaced by the new furniture that arrived this past Tuesday. [I'll discuss the fascinating details of the new furniture once Vicki picks out the rug that will "tie it all together." You won't want to miss that.] We went out to dinner at a place called Z Tejas. I'm sure that there's some historic significance to the name, but I forgot to ask what it was. The food was good, but not great. I'd give the place about a seven on a ten-point scale. After dinner we watched ACU whip up on Northwest Missouri State.
I have a few things to report on the job front. I mentioned a week or so ago that I was working on the possibility of an interview for the Benefits Director of a large Houston hospital chain. The VP of HR there is planning to retire in two years and they are looking to hire someone to work their way into her job. My recruiter did his best to get me an interview, but was finally told that they were looking for someone who could take over in two years, not someone who could take over right now. Hmmm. On a more positive note, I heard from a friend who works for one of the big HR consulting firms about a company that is moving it's corporate headquarters from Pennsylvania to Houston, and is looking to hire someone locally to be their Benefit Director. This is a pipeline company, which could be good for me given that I spent almost fifteen years in a past life with Transco, which was at one time one of the largest pipeline operators in the United States. I'm having lunch with my consultant friend on Tuesday to discuss the possible opportunity. I'll keep you posted.
This morning I had an interesting experience in the shower (no visualizations, please). Upon entering the shower I noticed that there was not a bar of soap to be found. I remembered that Bethany mentioned that there was a large plastic bottle of body wash instead of soap. Unfortunately for me there were actually eight large plastic bottles in the shower, which wouldn't pose much of a problem for a sighted person, but for a person such as myself with 20-1,000,000 vision and no glasses it brought about a slight problem. Try as I might I could not definitively make out what any of the bottles said. The first one I tried left me feeling as if I had rubbed butter all over myself, which I decided wasn't a good thing. So, I did my best to find another bottle that would produce a better outcome. This one smelled like coconuts and also left me feeling a little slimy. After my shower I returned with my glasses to determined exactly what I had bathed in. I discovered that by first coat was conditioner, and my second was volumizer. I thought I looked like I had a little more volume after my shower.
Have you ever wondered how the city of Round Rock got its name? I'm sure many of you have laid awake many a night pondering this very question. Well, you're in luck because I'm going to let you in on the secret of the Round Rock name. In the middle of Brushy Creek (that's really the name of the creek), at a spot where wagons used to ford the creek back in the 1800's before there was a bridge, is a round rock that marked the low water point of the creek. No kidding, there is actually a rock that is almost round. Not round like a ball, but round like a circle. It seems that when the time came to assign a name to the newly established post office, the newly named postmaster was a local boy who had fished from the round rock as a lad, and based on his fond memories of all the fish he caught he more or less forced the residents to abandon the name Brushy Creek in favor of Round Rock. Vicki and Bethany are pictured on the bridge near the famous round rock of Round Rock.
For breakfast on Friday morning Bethany took us to the "World Famous Round Rock Donuts" which is a bakery that has been in operation in Round Rock since 1923 (I think). We showed up around 9:00, and unlike most donuts shops that are deserted after the "pick up some donuts on the way to work crowd" has come by, this place was hoppin'. There was a long line at the drive-thru and another line inside. As first-time guests (Bethany lied) we were each given a complimentary donut to munch on while we decided what to order. We ordered an assortment and opted to enjoy our delicious junk food in the ambiance of a concrete table about four feet from the street in the blazing sun. If you're ever in Round Rock you need to definitely stop by this place. They're open until 9:00 p.m. I considered buying one of their tee shirts, but the cowboy riding the donut wasn't really happening for me (see picture of authentic Styrofoam cup below).
After the donut feast Vicki and Bethany dropped me off at the Texas State History Museum in downtown Austin. With the exception of Ellis Island, this is probably the best museum in the world, especially for a Texan. This was actually the second time I've visited there in the last few months. The first time I was accompanied by Bethany and Vicki and I didn't quite make it all the way through the museum before they were ready to leave. I would highly recommend a day-long visit for any true Texan (such as myself) who has a desire to learn and know as much as possible about our great and beloved state. I suggest allotting at least seven hours to get through the museum, unless you're a luke-warm run-of-the-mill Texan (like Vicki and Bethany), and then you should plan on about 45 minutes to blow through on your way to the gift shop and then the snack bar (I hear they have Blue Bell). My favorite exhibit was an audio rendition of a letter written by a little girl whose pet turkey - which she "loved as much as any boy loves his dog" - was commandeered for a banquet honoring the Confederate soldiers from her home town who were home on leave. In her letter she expressed her wish that the soldier who ate her turkey would choke to death on a bone, or evading that fate, would be stabbed to death with a Yankee's bayonet. She admitted that her attitude was "not very kind and certainly not very patriotic."
After the donut feast Vicki and Bethany dropped me off at the Texas State History Museum in downtown Austin. With the exception of Ellis Island, this is probably the best museum in the world, especially for a Texan. This was actually the second time I've visited there in the last few months. The first time I was accompanied by Bethany and Vicki and I didn't quite make it all the way through the museum before they were ready to leave. I would highly recommend a day-long visit for any true Texan (such as myself) who has a desire to learn and know as much as possible about our great and beloved state. I suggest allotting at least seven hours to get through the museum, unless you're a luke-warm run-of-the-mill Texan (like Vicki and Bethany), and then you should plan on about 45 minutes to blow through on your way to the gift shop and then the snack bar (I hear they have Blue Bell). My favorite exhibit was an audio rendition of a letter written by a little girl whose pet turkey - which she "loved as much as any boy loves his dog" - was commandeered for a banquet honoring the Confederate soldiers from her home town who were home on leave. In her letter she expressed her wish that the soldier who ate her turkey would choke to death on a bone, or evading that fate, would be stabbed to death with a Yankee's bayonet. She admitted that her attitude was "not very kind and certainly not very patriotic." 
I have a few things to report on the job front. I mentioned a week or so ago that I was working on the possibility of an interview for the Benefits Director of a large Houston hospital chain. The VP of HR there is planning to retire in two years and they are looking to hire someone to work their way into her job. My recruiter did his best to get me an interview, but was finally told that they were looking for someone who could take over in two years, not someone who could take over right now. Hmmm. On a more positive note, I heard from a friend who works for one of the big HR consulting firms about a company that is moving it's corporate headquarters from Pennsylvania to Houston, and is looking to hire someone locally to be their Benefit Director. This is a pipeline company, which could be good for me given that I spent almost fifteen years in a past life with Transco, which was at one time one of the largest pipeline operators in the United States. I'm having lunch with my consultant friend on Tuesday to discuss the possible opportunity. I'll keep you posted.Monday, August 24, 2009
A Chariot, A Museum, and A Book Review
This afternoon I finished the Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat chariot. Well, I almost finished it. There are still a few minor paint-related details to take care of, but basically it's finished. I decided to go with a modified version of the Superman logo, replacing the "S" with a "J" (for Joseph, get it?). I also added eleven stars, representing one of the dreams Joseph had regarding his brothers becoming subservient to him. I hope Director Pam likes the finished product, especially the license plate.
The story of Joseph and his eleven brothers is found in Genesis chapters 37 through 46.
I need to update my last post. I failed to mention the final event of Kayla's "Week of Fun" schedule. In addition to breakfast at the Breakfast Klub last Friday, we also visited the Holocaust Museum. Now, visiting this museum isn't exactly what anyone would can fun, but it is a very interesting place, and well worth a visit by anyone who's interest in 20th century history. The museum is in the Museum District (who would have guessed) but it's a little difficult to find. Our GPS actually gave the wrong address, so unless you enjoy driving around taking in the sights while you're lost you might want to call for directions before you go. If you go make sure you visit the exhibit on "Muslims Who Saved Jews" which is in a hall off the main exhibit area. The exhibit consists of photographs and stories of Albanian Muslims who sheltered Jews during World War II. The stories are interesting in that they all have a central theme with very similar quotes by the Muslim protectors, which was "We are all children of the same God. To allow any of God's children to die at the hands of the Nazis would be a sin against God." I wonder if contemporary Albanian Muslims continue to feel this way?
One of the nice things about not having to go to work every day (or any day for that matter) is that I have gotten to actually read a few books this summer. Last week I finished an interesting sports books titled Horns, Hogs, & Nixon Coming (Texas vs. Arkansas in Dixie's Last Stand). The book is about the 1969 football "Game of the Century" between the University of Texas and the University of Arkansas. In addition to the expected heavy dose of football, the book details the strife and tension that existed on both campuses over the war in Viet Nam and the continuing racial segregation that continued to exist in the football programs of both schools. Horns fans will find a happy ending.
As my unemployment continues I run into more and more people who ask me "Don't you get bored not going to work? What do you do all day?" I've given those questions some thought and come to the realization that with the exception of a few days, I haven't really had time to be bored. I've put together a list of the things I've been doing since my first day of unemployment, which occurred on April 20th. Since that date there have been 89 official work days. During those 89 days I have done the following -
Vacation Trip to Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Sedona, Carlsbad Caverns - 10 days
Vacation Trip to Colorado - 5 days
Kadesh Leadership at Abilene Christian University (Group Leader) - 5 days
Camp Bandina (Group Leader) - 5 days
Installed low-voltage accent lights around the house (very exciting) - 1 day
Installed two new toilets (extremely exciting) - 1 day
Volunteer at Second Mile Mission (every Thursday) - 8 days
Research and write FCCC adult curriculum of Fall session of adult Bible classes - 7 days
Assist FCCC member with household repairs - 3 days
Build Joseph show chariot - 3 days
Read two books - 3 days
Install wall brackets and flat screen TV's in class room at the FCCC church building - 1 day
Visit Bethany and Cody in Austin - 1 day
Played golf - 1 day
That comes to 54 days of doing things I can definitely identify. In addition, I have cleaned the house a few times, done some yard work, gone shopping with Vicki a few times, and spent a lot of hours at Joseph rehearsals. So, I've had a few boring stretches, but not many.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Summer Is Officially Over
Today is the last day of summer. School starts tomorrow, rush hour traffic returns (an unpleasant thing for those of you who work), and Kayla and Lance have moved out and gone back to Lubbock. We're going to miss Kayla and Lance. Kayla was a little nostalgic about leaving, but Lance didn't seem quite too choked up. Don't get me wrong, I think he enjoyed his summer visit and he was appreciative of the free rent and free food, but after almost three months of living with the in-laws who wouldn't be ready to get away?
This past Thursday I returned to Second Mile after a two-week hiatus for Camp Bandina and Colorado. I spent a little time in the warehouse, but I worked the majority of the day in the food pantry, working under the direction of Penny, the food pantry supervisor. Apparently after spending several months laboring in obscurity with the community service kids someone thought I was ready to actually deal with the real people up front. I thought the warehouse was an honest day's work, but it's nothing compared to the pantry. From 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM this place is non-stop activity serving the clients who come for groceries. Penny had one community service kid, one very slow-moving volunteer, and me, and she had all of us stepping and fetching all day. My primary job was restocking the pantry shelves, which involved going back and forth between the pantry and the warehouse to find and retrieve whatever was running low. My secondary job was pushing each client's shopping cart of groceries out to their car and loading it into their trunk or back seat. One lady in particular really stood out. She was not the typical client. Please excuse my racial profiling, but she was not Hispanic, Middle Eastern, or Black. She was dressed nicely in clean clothes, she spoke perfect English, and she was driving an almost new Lincoln Navigator. I don't know her story, but things must be getting to the breaking point for someone like her to show up asking for free food. I spent a few seconds wondering how many other middle class white people will be in her shoes soon.
Back to Penny. This lady is absolutely on fire for the Lord. She's the kind of Christian who makes you feel embarrassed that you're so reserved about your faith. She told me that she was a former barmaid and bartender, and that she "was about as wild and crazy as they come." She grew up in the Church of Christ and had parents that loved her and cared about her and raised her to be a Christian, but she just wasn't buying what they were selling. At some point her lifestyle bottomed out and she realized that her only hope was in Jesus. Now she listens to KHCB at full volume, says "praise Jesus" at least ten times every hour, says "God bless you" to every client she meets, and tells the community service kids that they should give church a try. On top of all this, she has an endless supply of energy and works as hard as anyone I've ever seen. I'm really hoping to get put back in the warehouse next week where I can sweat in obscurity at my own pace.
As part of Kayla's "Week of Fun" we spent Friday checking off the last two things on her list. First, we went to breakfast at The Breakfast Klub, which is a dive (but a nice dive) near downtown on Travis. If you've ever driven downtown on a Saturday morning you may have noticed this place because it always has a line out the door and around the block. We decided that a Friday morning probably wouldn't be too crowded. There was a good crowd, but no waiting. Although ours were the whitest faces in the crowd, it was a fun experience. The staff was incredibly friendly, the food was good, and the portions were gargantuan. The only negative aspect of the morning was being surrounded by Obama pictures on all sides. Maybe that's why I couldn't finish all of my pancakes?
I spent most of the day yesterday putting the finishing touches on my chariot for the Joseph show (see prior post from about a month ago). I've designed a modified Superman logo as the primary decorative feature of the chariot. I'll post a picture of the finished product soon! Don't miss it!
Speaking of the Joseph show, I'm starting to get a little concerned. The show is now just a month away and we (the cast) are not even close to being ready. Our biggest obstacle has been getting everyone at rehearsals. I'm hoping that now that summer is over everyone will be back in town and ready to focus on the show. At least the chariot will be ready.
This past Thursday I returned to Second Mile after a two-week hiatus for Camp Bandina and Colorado. I spent a little time in the warehouse, but I worked the majority of the day in the food pantry, working under the direction of Penny, the food pantry supervisor. Apparently after spending several months laboring in obscurity with the community service kids someone thought I was ready to actually deal with the real people up front. I thought the warehouse was an honest day's work, but it's nothing compared to the pantry. From 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM this place is non-stop activity serving the clients who come for groceries. Penny had one community service kid, one very slow-moving volunteer, and me, and she had all of us stepping and fetching all day. My primary job was restocking the pantry shelves, which involved going back and forth between the pantry and the warehouse to find and retrieve whatever was running low. My secondary job was pushing each client's shopping cart of groceries out to their car and loading it into their trunk or back seat. One lady in particular really stood out. She was not the typical client. Please excuse my racial profiling, but she was not Hispanic, Middle Eastern, or Black. She was dressed nicely in clean clothes, she spoke perfect English, and she was driving an almost new Lincoln Navigator. I don't know her story, but things must be getting to the breaking point for someone like her to show up asking for free food. I spent a few seconds wondering how many other middle class white people will be in her shoes soon.
Back to Penny. This lady is absolutely on fire for the Lord. She's the kind of Christian who makes you feel embarrassed that you're so reserved about your faith. She told me that she was a former barmaid and bartender, and that she "was about as wild and crazy as they come." She grew up in the Church of Christ and had parents that loved her and cared about her and raised her to be a Christian, but she just wasn't buying what they were selling. At some point her lifestyle bottomed out and she realized that her only hope was in Jesus. Now she listens to KHCB at full volume, says "praise Jesus" at least ten times every hour, says "God bless you" to every client she meets, and tells the community service kids that they should give church a try. On top of all this, she has an endless supply of energy and works as hard as anyone I've ever seen. I'm really hoping to get put back in the warehouse next week where I can sweat in obscurity at my own pace.
As part of Kayla's "Week of Fun" we spent Friday checking off the last two things on her list. First, we went to breakfast at The Breakfast Klub, which is a dive (but a nice dive) near downtown on Travis. If you've ever driven downtown on a Saturday morning you may have noticed this place because it always has a line out the door and around the block. We decided that a Friday morning probably wouldn't be too crowded. There was a good crowd, but no waiting. Although ours were the whitest faces in the crowd, it was a fun experience. The staff was incredibly friendly, the food was good, and the portions were gargantuan. The only negative aspect of the morning was being surrounded by Obama pictures on all sides. Maybe that's why I couldn't finish all of my pancakes?
I spent most of the day yesterday putting the finishing touches on my chariot for the Joseph show (see prior post from about a month ago). I've designed a modified Superman logo as the primary decorative feature of the chariot. I'll post a picture of the finished product soon! Don't miss it!
Speaking of the Joseph show, I'm starting to get a little concerned. The show is now just a month away and we (the cast) are not even close to being ready. Our biggest obstacle has been getting everyone at rehearsals. I'm hoping that now that summer is over everyone will be back in town and ready to focus on the show. At least the chariot will be ready.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Odds and Ends
Okay, Camp Bandina and the Colorado vacation are now in the past. It's time to get back into the daily routine - whatever that is.
This is the last week for Kayla and Lance to be with us. They'll be heading back to Lubbock and Texas Tech this Saturday. It was fun having them here for the last few months and we'll sure miss them. I think it was a productive summer for both of them. Kayla picked up some good experience during her externship and Lance had the opportunity to make some money working for Jeff Simmons. I understand that they'll be back to attend the Joseph show the first weekend in October, and we'll also see them at a wedding in Dallas the following weekend.
Over the last few days I've had some good conversations with Thom Besso and his group regarding a Benefits Director position with a major hospital organization in Houston. I'm hoping to find out about an interview in the next few days.
This morning I put the finishing touches on my Life of Joseph curriculum for the Sunday morning adult Bible classes at FCCC. As I mentioned before, this will be a five week series of lessons - starting September 13th - that will cover chapters 15 through 50 of Genesis. I'm looking forward to teaching again.
Vicki is very excited about the sudden progress of her home redecorating project. This morning she brought home the new bedding - comforter, pillows, etc. - for the master bedroom. The new couch and love seat are also in, and will be delivered next week after the painters are finished with the master bedroom, the master bath, and the study. In addition, the fabric for recovering two of the living room chairs also arrived today. We still need to make some decisions on some new rugs, which will certainly be the most difficult part of the entire process. The last time we bought rugs we made at least three trips between the rug place and home with every rug, and those rugs are heavy! It's one thing to pick out furniture (which is easy) and another thing to find the perfect rug to match that furniture.
I'll finish with a short rant and then a movie review.
My rant involves people who smoke while being eligible for food stamps. On our trip to Colorado we frequented the Westcliffe Super Market on several occasions. During one of our visits we got stuck in a check out line behind two women who were paying for their purchases using a combination of food stamps, cash, and personal checks. I'm not exaggerating when I say that it took them at least fifteen minutes to check out. This would have annoyed me under the best of circumstances, but on this particular trip I had a case of altitude sickness and the accompanying headache, dizziness, etc. When we finally made it out of the store into the parking lot there were the food stamp ladies sitting on the hood of their pickup truck smoking cigarettes. Is it just me, or does it seem that people who can afford to spend $6.00 for a pack of cigarettes shouldn't be getting free groceries that you and I are paying for? I think part of Mr. Obama's health care reform should include mandatory nicotine testing for food stamp recipients.
And now, my movie review. Yesterday Kayla, Lance, Vicki and I went to see the movie The Time Traveler's Wife. Kayla assured us that this movie was "appropriate for all genders", meaning that it was not a chick-flick. This is a movie about a guy who is afflicted with a genetic disorder that causes him to make random trips through time. His time travel gene acts up whenever it feels like it, and he never knows when he'll disappear, or for how long. An interesting twist (not really) is that when he travels his clothes stay behind, which only makes sense when you think about it. Clothes cannot have genetic disorders. This story would have made a good episode on a sixty minute installment of the Twilight Zone but it definitely was not enough to carry an entire feature length movie. Also, I'm not too sure about the "gender appropriate" thing. It definitely bordered on chick-flickedness.
The remainder of this week will be dedicated to Kayla. She is done with her externship and will be using the rest of this week to have as much fun as possible before they go back to Lubbock. Lance, on the other hand, will be using the rest of this week to make as much money as possible before they go back to Lubbock. I noticed earlier today that Kayla has actually written up a schedule for the week, appropriately named the "Week of Fun Schedule" (not a joke). Today was "movie and hang out at home", tomorrow is "chill at home in the morning and go to the Galleria in the evening", and Wednesday is "Breakfast Klub [a downtown breakfast dive] and George Ranch", etc., etc. for Thursday and Friday. Have fun at work Lance.
This is the last week for Kayla and Lance to be with us. They'll be heading back to Lubbock and Texas Tech this Saturday. It was fun having them here for the last few months and we'll sure miss them. I think it was a productive summer for both of them. Kayla picked up some good experience during her externship and Lance had the opportunity to make some money working for Jeff Simmons. I understand that they'll be back to attend the Joseph show the first weekend in October, and we'll also see them at a wedding in Dallas the following weekend.
Over the last few days I've had some good conversations with Thom Besso and his group regarding a Benefits Director position with a major hospital organization in Houston. I'm hoping to find out about an interview in the next few days.
This morning I put the finishing touches on my Life of Joseph curriculum for the Sunday morning adult Bible classes at FCCC. As I mentioned before, this will be a five week series of lessons - starting September 13th - that will cover chapters 15 through 50 of Genesis. I'm looking forward to teaching again.
Vicki is very excited about the sudden progress of her home redecorating project. This morning she brought home the new bedding - comforter, pillows, etc. - for the master bedroom. The new couch and love seat are also in, and will be delivered next week after the painters are finished with the master bedroom, the master bath, and the study. In addition, the fabric for recovering two of the living room chairs also arrived today. We still need to make some decisions on some new rugs, which will certainly be the most difficult part of the entire process. The last time we bought rugs we made at least three trips between the rug place and home with every rug, and those rugs are heavy! It's one thing to pick out furniture (which is easy) and another thing to find the perfect rug to match that furniture.
I'll finish with a short rant and then a movie review.
My rant involves people who smoke while being eligible for food stamps. On our trip to Colorado we frequented the Westcliffe Super Market on several occasions. During one of our visits we got stuck in a check out line behind two women who were paying for their purchases using a combination of food stamps, cash, and personal checks. I'm not exaggerating when I say that it took them at least fifteen minutes to check out. This would have annoyed me under the best of circumstances, but on this particular trip I had a case of altitude sickness and the accompanying headache, dizziness, etc. When we finally made it out of the store into the parking lot there were the food stamp ladies sitting on the hood of their pickup truck smoking cigarettes. Is it just me, or does it seem that people who can afford to spend $6.00 for a pack of cigarettes shouldn't be getting free groceries that you and I are paying for? I think part of Mr. Obama's health care reform should include mandatory nicotine testing for food stamp recipients.
And now, my movie review. Yesterday Kayla, Lance, Vicki and I went to see the movie The Time Traveler's Wife. Kayla assured us that this movie was "appropriate for all genders", meaning that it was not a chick-flick. This is a movie about a guy who is afflicted with a genetic disorder that causes him to make random trips through time. His time travel gene acts up whenever it feels like it, and he never knows when he'll disappear, or for how long. An interesting twist (not really) is that when he travels his clothes stay behind, which only makes sense when you think about it. Clothes cannot have genetic disorders. This story would have made a good episode on a sixty minute installment of the Twilight Zone but it definitely was not enough to carry an entire feature length movie. Also, I'm not too sure about the "gender appropriate" thing. It definitely bordered on chick-flickedness.
The remainder of this week will be dedicated to Kayla. She is done with her externship and will be using the rest of this week to have as much fun as possible before they go back to Lubbock. Lance, on the other hand, will be using the rest of this week to make as much money as possible before they go back to Lubbock. I noticed earlier today that Kayla has actually written up a schedule for the week, appropriately named the "Week of Fun Schedule" (not a joke). Today was "movie and hang out at home", tomorrow is "chill at home in the morning and go to the Galleria in the evening", and Wednesday is "Breakfast Klub [a downtown breakfast dive] and George Ranch", etc., etc. for Thursday and Friday. Have fun at work Lance.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
At Last! I Am a Trout Fisherman
Today was a big day for me! After three days of trying I finally caught at trout! A rainbow trout. Two of them, actually, but one was about the size of a pickle so I threw him back. The keeper I gave to a guy from the Denver area (I didn't catch his name) who gave me some instructions on how to catch a fish. He had already caught about ten fish by the time I asked him for some pointers. With my 5:43 deadline rapidly approaching the pressure was on and I rose to the challenge.
Earlier in the day Vicki and I went for our final foray into nature and took one last hike to the top of a small mountain. We hiked along the ridge until we came to an outcropping of rock that overlooked Lake Isabel (the site of my famous fish encounter a few hours later).
Today was our last day in Colorado and we had a great time. We leave for Sugar Land tomorrow morning bright and early after one last stop to visit our new best friends at the Amish Bakery downtown. Greg, if you're reading this - thanks for letting us hang out at your new crib for a few days. It was awesome.
After three days of trying I finally hauled in this behemoth. 
My second catch was actually legal size. 
Vicki at the summit overlooking her favorite lake - full of childhood memories.
Earlier in the day Vicki and I went for our final foray into nature and took one last hike to the top of a small mountain. We hiked along the ridge until we came to an outcropping of rock that overlooked Lake Isabel (the site of my famous fish encounter a few hours later).
Today was our last day in Colorado and we had a great time. We leave for Sugar Land tomorrow morning bright and early after one last stop to visit our new best friends at the Amish Bakery downtown. Greg, if you're reading this - thanks for letting us hang out at your new crib for a few days. It was awesome.
After three days of trying I finally hauled in this behemoth.
My second catch was actually legal size.
Vicki at the summit overlooking her favorite lake - full of childhood memories.
Yesterday We Got Gorged
This is Thursday morning, the last day of our Colorado vacation. Tomorrow we make our return trip to the blast furnace that we affectionately call Sugar Land, Texas.
I'm not sure what we have planned for today, but there has already been some real excitement! As I was sitting down to type up this installment of "The Hood" I heard some clomping sounds coming from the back patio. I turned around to see six cows staring at me through the patio windows, their noses pressed against the windows, smearing cow snot across them as they moved their heads from side to side. Greg warned us that in spite of the low voltage electric fence surrounding the house that this would probably happen. I went out and ran the cows off, resorting to throwing a few rocks at them to get the last of them to leave. I discovered that cows apparently don't really care much about being shocked by an electric fence, as evidenced by the fact that they walked right over it on their way off the property. I also discovered, however, that they do apparently mind being hit in the head with a rock the size of a baseball. Keep this in mind the next time you are shooing electricity resistant cows.
Yesterday we spent most of the day at the Royal Gorge, which is about an hour's drive from here. For those of you who don't know, the Royal Gorge is the site of the world's highest suspension bridge, which sways (literally) 1,053 feet above the surging Arkansas River. Vicki and I had been there back in 1986, and we couldn't believe how much things there have changed. Back in the day you drove up to the bridge, paid a few bucks to drive across, drove across, did a u-turn and drove back, and then left. If you so desired there was the option to buy a ticket for the tram ride across the abyss, or to take the inclined ride to the bottom of the gorge. Now the place is like a theme park, complete with a $24 admission ticket. For the price of the ticket you not only get to ride the tram and the incline (both definitely worth doing), but you also get a burro ride, a petting zoo, multiple gift shops and admission to a cheesy "mountain man" town where it seemed that most of the mountain men, and mountain women, were relaxing in the shade and trying not to make eye contact with the paying customers. Which reminds me, Royal Gorge broke our consecutive day streak of not basking in 100 degree temperatures. Our car thermometer read an even 100 when we left (although it was in the 70's within an hour or so of leaving).
After we left the Gorge we headed south, back down to Lake Isabel. Based on our observations from the previous day of so many people catching so many rainbow trout at the lake we decided that we'd try our hands at fishing. On the way to the lake we stopped at a hardware store (there are not Academy Sports and Outdoors in small town Colorado) and bought two deluxe fishing poles and two lawn chairs. When we got to the lake be bought some essential fishing tackle, some worms, and some "fire balls" which are salmon eggs that trout are supposed to really like. We made our way to the lake shore, found a spot among the fishing crowd, set up our lawn chairs, affixed a worm to one pole and a fire ball to the other and waited for the fish to show up. A picture of what we caught is shown below.
Here's Vicki at the bottom of the gorge.
Here's Vicki on the world's highest suspension bridge, 
Rafters on the Arkansas River at the bottom of the gorge. 
Vicki at the bottom of the gorge.
Me contemplating the abyss.
Everything you could want to know about the Royal Gorge
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A picture of all the fish we caught with our Ace Hardware fishing poles.
I'm not sure what we have planned for today, but there has already been some real excitement! As I was sitting down to type up this installment of "The Hood" I heard some clomping sounds coming from the back patio. I turned around to see six cows staring at me through the patio windows, their noses pressed against the windows, smearing cow snot across them as they moved their heads from side to side. Greg warned us that in spite of the low voltage electric fence surrounding the house that this would probably happen. I went out and ran the cows off, resorting to throwing a few rocks at them to get the last of them to leave. I discovered that cows apparently don't really care much about being shocked by an electric fence, as evidenced by the fact that they walked right over it on their way off the property. I also discovered, however, that they do apparently mind being hit in the head with a rock the size of a baseball. Keep this in mind the next time you are shooing electricity resistant cows.
Yesterday we spent most of the day at the Royal Gorge, which is about an hour's drive from here. For those of you who don't know, the Royal Gorge is the site of the world's highest suspension bridge, which sways (literally) 1,053 feet above the surging Arkansas River. Vicki and I had been there back in 1986, and we couldn't believe how much things there have changed. Back in the day you drove up to the bridge, paid a few bucks to drive across, drove across, did a u-turn and drove back, and then left. If you so desired there was the option to buy a ticket for the tram ride across the abyss, or to take the inclined ride to the bottom of the gorge. Now the place is like a theme park, complete with a $24 admission ticket. For the price of the ticket you not only get to ride the tram and the incline (both definitely worth doing), but you also get a burro ride, a petting zoo, multiple gift shops and admission to a cheesy "mountain man" town where it seemed that most of the mountain men, and mountain women, were relaxing in the shade and trying not to make eye contact with the paying customers. Which reminds me, Royal Gorge broke our consecutive day streak of not basking in 100 degree temperatures. Our car thermometer read an even 100 when we left (although it was in the 70's within an hour or so of leaving).
After we left the Gorge we headed south, back down to Lake Isabel. Based on our observations from the previous day of so many people catching so many rainbow trout at the lake we decided that we'd try our hands at fishing. On the way to the lake we stopped at a hardware store (there are not Academy Sports and Outdoors in small town Colorado) and bought two deluxe fishing poles and two lawn chairs. When we got to the lake be bought some essential fishing tackle, some worms, and some "fire balls" which are salmon eggs that trout are supposed to really like. We made our way to the lake shore, found a spot among the fishing crowd, set up our lawn chairs, affixed a worm to one pole and a fire ball to the other and waited for the fish to show up. A picture of what we caught is shown below.
Here's Vicki at the bottom of the gorge. Note the tram crossing high above her. Yes, we rode it.
Here's Vicki on the world's highest suspension bridge, proudly displaying the Texas colors.
Rafters on the Arkansas River at the bottom of the gorge. We'll definitely try this on our next trip.
Vicki at the bottom of the gorge.
Me contemplating the abyss.
Everything you could want to know about the Royal Gorge [ ]
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A picture of all the fish we caught with our Ace Hardware fishing poles.
(For the official record, Vicki actually caught one trout, but it wiggled off the hook and flipped back into the lake before we could get a picture)
On the job front, yesterday morning I had about an hour phone call with a Houston recruiter regarding an Benefits Director position with one the major hospitals in Houston. We agreed to talk more when I get home.
On the job front, yesterday morning I had about an hour phone call with a Houston recruiter regarding an Benefits Director position with one the major hospitals in Houston. We agreed to talk more when I get home.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Big Day in Colorado
Today was huge. We started early and went hard all day. We kicked things off at the Amish bakery in downtown Westcliffe. I highly recommend the pumpkin squares with vanilla icing, which I'll probably get again tomorrow. From the bakery we headed to the San Isabel National Forest for a nostalgic tour of Lake Isabel and vicinity - the location of Vicki's girlhood family vacations back in the late 60's. As the pictures below clearly show, things have changed a lot over the last 40 years. According to Vicki, this place wasn't exactly the Ritz when she was there as a kid and it's maybe gone down just a little over the last four decades.
After Vicki's memory lane experience we headed out on our hike for the day, which turned out to be awesome. We hiked up onto the local mountain to an old silver mine. At the end of the trail was an old miners' cabin and what's left of the mine itself. Just above the mine was a series of small waterfalls, where we had out picnic lunch.
Upon returning to civilization we checked out Lake Isabel and found it surrounded with trout fishermen, all of whom seemed to be hauling in plenty of rainbow trout. We hatched a plan to come back tomorrow and do some fishing. Maybe we'll have trout for dinner tomorrow night. Or, maybe we'll have leftovers from Monday night.
Upon our return to the metropolis of Westcliffe we had dinner at the Mahone's Poag Irish Pub. We'd heard that they had pretty good fish and chips. What we hadn't heard was that fish and chips are only served on the weekend. Small detail. We settled for chicken sandwiches and fries.
Our final event of the day was seeing a herd of pronghorn antelope crossing the road in front of us just as we got to "our house".
After Vicki's memory lane experience we headed out on our hike for the day, which turned out to be awesome. We hiked up onto the local mountain to an old silver mine. At the end of the trail was an old miners' cabin and what's left of the mine itself. Just above the mine was a series of small waterfalls, where we had out picnic lunch.
Upon returning to civilization we checked out Lake Isabel and found it surrounded with trout fishermen, all of whom seemed to be hauling in plenty of rainbow trout. We hatched a plan to come back tomorrow and do some fishing. Maybe we'll have trout for dinner tomorrow night. Or, maybe we'll have leftovers from Monday night.
Upon our return to the metropolis of Westcliffe we had dinner at the Mahone's Poag Irish Pub. We'd heard that they had pretty good fish and chips. What we hadn't heard was that fish and chips are only served on the weekend. Small detail. We settled for chicken sandwiches and fries.
Our final event of the day was seeing a herd of pronghorn antelope crossing the road in front of us just as we got to "our house".
The Pronghorn Antelope Herd
Vicki and I at the falls above the old mine.
Vicki at the old mine.
Lake Isabel
Me trying to figure out which way to go?
Pine Lodge - Vacation paradise for the Sills clan 40+ years ago.
Vicki and her sister sat at this very spot many, many years ago when they were kids.
The Bishop's Castle - I forgot to mention this place in my narrative above. The "castle" has been under construction since 1969. It's being built by a guy named Bishop (image that) who has been working on it single-handedly for almost 40 years! The guy is well-known throughout southern Colorado as a certified nut case. If you're ever in the area make sure to stop by and see this place. Admission is free but donations are accepted. In addition to the castle itself, it's very interesting to read Mr. Bishop's rants against the state of Colorado and the U.S. federal government, both of whom are involved in a conspiracy to subjugate and enslave the population of the U.S. Call Mr. Bishop for more information about why it is unconstitutional for the states to require driver's licences of their citizens. Power to the people! By the way, that's me waving from high atop the castle, which is definitely NOT OSHA compliant.
Bishop's Castle(Check out the dragon's head on the front)
Another Rocky Mountain SunsetMonday, August 10, 2009
I Think I Have Altitude Sickness
Well, here we are, high in the Sangre de Christo Mountains in cool and refreshing Colorado. We had a great day, but am I tired! I think maybe the altitude got to me a little. This morning Greg and I went fly fishing. Actually, it was Greg who did the fishing. I pretty much spent a few hours tossing my line back and forth into the water, listening to the fish laughing at me. We were on the the Arkansas River about 60 mile north of Greg's house (which I will henceforth refer to as "our house" now that Greg has gone back to Houston).
After we returned from our fishing trip Greg left for the airport in Colorado Springs and Vicki and I headed out for our first hike. We hiked one of the trails in the lower reaches of the mountains behind our house. The combination of 9,200 feet elevation and uphill walking made for a fairly challenging two hours. Tomorrow we're going to drive over to the mountains on the other side of our valley - the Wet Mountains - and check them out. The majority of the trails on this side are hikes of at least five miles (one way) and they are very steep. Word on the street is that the Wet hikes are a little easier and a little shorter. We'll find out tomorrow. Our plan is to get started early, with our first stop at the Amish bakery in Westcliffe for sustinance.
Taking a break from our extreme hiking expedition.
Horn Peak - 13,250 Feet - An ominous presence out our back door
After we returned from our fishing trip Greg left for the airport in Colorado Springs and Vicki and I headed out for our first hike. We hiked one of the trails in the lower reaches of the mountains behind our house. The combination of 9,200 feet elevation and uphill walking made for a fairly challenging two hours. Tomorrow we're going to drive over to the mountains on the other side of our valley - the Wet Mountains - and check them out. The majority of the trails on this side are hikes of at least five miles (one way) and they are very steep. Word on the street is that the Wet hikes are a little easier and a little shorter. We'll find out tomorrow. Our plan is to get started early, with our first stop at the Amish bakery in Westcliffe for sustinance.
Sunset from our back door.
Taking a break from our extreme hiking expedition.
Horn Peak - 13,250 Feet - An ominous presence out our back door
and everywhere else we go.
From the less exciting news department, yesterday Greg and I spent most of the day building some shelves in the living room. He wanted the shelves to look "rustic" so we built them with 2x12 boards. I'm not sure that they came out exactly as envisioned. Possibly a little more rustic than anticipated. We had issues with tools, and not having the ones we really needed to finish the job correctly. I was making cuts with a circular saw that should have been made with a skill saw. It was a little like doing surgery with a chain saw.
Tonight just after sunset there was a thunderstorm across the valley with some spectacular lightning strikes. Apparently the Wet Mountains get their name because it tends to rain more on them than on our side of the valley. We tried to take some video of the storm with Vicki's camera, but neither of us could figure out how to do video instead of still shots. We'll study up in time for the next storm.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Greetings From Colorado!
Before I get started on the Colorado leg of our most recent trip, below are a few photos from Camp Bandina earlier this week.
Morning gathering at the amphitheater. We also got together here each evening for speakers, singing, and some fantastic drama presentations.
The crowd in the mess hall/cafeteria. The cook staff - composed 100% of illustrious members at FCCC - did a truly amazing job of keeping everybody happy in the calory department. The only people who were disappointed were the ones who didn't like burgers, chicken, spaghetti, bacon, eggs, pancakes, breakfast tacos, peach cobbler, cookies, brownies, more cookies, ice cream, and rolls. In the words of Matt Davis, "If you were hungry this week it was your own fault."
The following shots are from our first day in Colorado. We'll be here through next Friday morning. We plan to be home either late Friday night (if we mad dog it back in one day) or early afternoon on Saturday.
Here's the view from the back porch. Those peaks are about a mile or so away and they're over 14,000 feet high. We'll be doing some hiking up there this week.
Here's the view from the front porch showing the moutains on the other side of the valley. Westcliffe is over there somewhere, but it's hard to see.
The drive up from Lubbock today was uneventful, except for Vicki getting stopped by a DPS trooper. As many (or probably only a few) of you may be aware, Texas recently passed a law that requires drivers to move to an inside lane or reduce their speed to 20 mph under the posted speed limit when they pass a police officer who has pulled one of his or her victims over to the side of the road. This morning as we sped north on Interstate 27 between Lubbock and Amarillo we came upon just such a situation. As Vicki went by the trooper she not only didn't reduce her speed from the posted limit of 70 mph, she didn't make much of an attempt to move to the left lane either. As a matter of fact, I estimate that she came within about four feet of Mr. DPS. I noticed the scowl on his face as we passed, and made not of such to Vicki. Her comment was something to the effect of "If he doesn't like it he can just get in his car and come after me." Apparently he was just finishing up with his most recent catch when we passed, because about 30 seconds after Vicki's comment he appeared in her rear view mirror, lights blazing. When he got to the driver's side window his comment was "Are you aware that when passing a police officer who is engaged in a traffic stop on the side of the road you are required by law to move to a center lane, or if that is not possible to reduce your speed to 20 mph under the posted speed limit?" The words "I told you so" were screaming in my brain, begging to be released, but instead I had to settle for Vicki's reply to the trooper "Actually my husband just mentioned that." She said she was sorry, he took her license and went back to his car, and then came back and gave her a warning.
That's about all I have for now. I need to get my rest so I can hike in the mountains and maybe go fishing tomorrow. I hope I can find my jacket.
Morning gathering at the amphitheater. We also got together here each evening for speakers, singing, and some fantastic drama presentations.
The crowd in the mess hall/cafeteria. The cook staff - composed 100% of illustrious members at FCCC - did a truly amazing job of keeping everybody happy in the calory department. The only people who were disappointed were the ones who didn't like burgers, chicken, spaghetti, bacon, eggs, pancakes, breakfast tacos, peach cobbler, cookies, brownies, more cookies, ice cream, and rolls. In the words of Matt Davis, "If you were hungry this week it was your own fault."The following shots are from our first day in Colorado. We'll be here through next Friday morning. We plan to be home either late Friday night (if we mad dog it back in one day) or early afternoon on Saturday.
Here's a view of the house. Note the large pile of dirt and rocks in the front yard. This is not permanent.
Here's the view from the back porch. Those peaks are about a mile or so away and they're over 14,000 feet high. We'll be doing some hiking up there this week.
Here's the view from the front porch showing the moutains on the other side of the valley. Westcliffe is over there somewhere, but it's hard to see.
After a great week at Camp Bandina we arrived this afternoon in beautiful (and I do mean beautiful) Westcliffe, Colorado. Westcliffe is about 80 miles south and a little west of Colorado Springs. We're staying at my brother Greg's newly built vacation home, and let me tell you, it is nice (and I do mean nice). Westcliffe is a little town of about 600 permanent residents and as Vicki would say, it is "cute". We drove around downtown with Greg and we can't wait to go back later this week to really check it out. I can tell you this, milk is cheaper at the Westcliffe Super Market than it is in Sugar Land, so if we only eat cereal this week we'll do fine. However, that won't happen because for dinner tonight my good brother grilled us some bratwurst, to which we added some fresh Colorado corn on the cob. Yum! As you can tell from the pictures, this place is a real dump, and all you can see in all directions is mountains. And, if that's not bad enough, the temperature was only in the low 80's when we got here, and it's supposed to go down into the 40's tonight. How do these people live in temperatures under 100 degrees?
The drive up from Lubbock today was uneventful, except for Vicki getting stopped by a DPS trooper. As many (or probably only a few) of you may be aware, Texas recently passed a law that requires drivers to move to an inside lane or reduce their speed to 20 mph under the posted speed limit when they pass a police officer who has pulled one of his or her victims over to the side of the road. This morning as we sped north on Interstate 27 between Lubbock and Amarillo we came upon just such a situation. As Vicki went by the trooper she not only didn't reduce her speed from the posted limit of 70 mph, she didn't make much of an attempt to move to the left lane either. As a matter of fact, I estimate that she came within about four feet of Mr. DPS. I noticed the scowl on his face as we passed, and made not of such to Vicki. Her comment was something to the effect of "If he doesn't like it he can just get in his car and come after me." Apparently he was just finishing up with his most recent catch when we passed, because about 30 seconds after Vicki's comment he appeared in her rear view mirror, lights blazing. When he got to the driver's side window his comment was "Are you aware that when passing a police officer who is engaged in a traffic stop on the side of the road you are required by law to move to a center lane, or if that is not possible to reduce your speed to 20 mph under the posted speed limit?" The words "I told you so" were screaming in my brain, begging to be released, but instead I had to settle for Vicki's reply to the trooper "Actually my husband just mentioned that." She said she was sorry, he took her license and went back to his car, and then came back and gave her a warning.
That's about all I have for now. I need to get my rest so I can hike in the mountains and maybe go fishing tomorrow. I hope I can find my jacket.
Camp Bandina Summary
Hello everyone! Well, Camp Bandina is now just a memory - a good memory. Vicki and I had a very memorable week with the First Colony Church of Christ Youth Group. It was hot - over 100 degrees every day - but no hotter than Houston. Actually, in the mornings it was downright pleasant. The theme this year was FREEDOM! This freedom was the freedom from sin that we as Christians all have as the result of God's plan to send his son Jesus Christ as a sacrificial atonement for our sins.
Our group was made up of nine FCYG graduating seniors, and this was a really great bunch of kids (oops! young adults). Vicki and I were both very impressed and grateful to have a group that was so willing to listen and learn, and so willing to do their very best to try and stay focused. This last thing, the staying focused part, wasn't easy because one of the tasks of the seniors is to stay up after the rest of the camp has lights out and do the final clean-up of the mess hall, set up for the next day, and generally hang out with Brian Bordan ("Bordo") to hear his wisdom and share the events of the day. Because this usually went on until the wee hours of the morning it made for some 5,000 pound eye lids the next day. But, in spite of this minor obstacle, we all had a great experience and learned a lot from each other. Wednesday night's "big event" was just that. We were all convicted of our sins in a trial conducted by Satan himself, shacked together in handcuffs and chains, and then led into the night for our eternal punishment. As we waited in the full moon for the final pronouncement of our punishment Jesus showed up to take our place. This is a very brief summary of an event that was actually quite thought provoking and impactful. Bordo and his summer intern staff did a really wonderful job.
On a somewhat less spiritual note, the Staff team beat the Camper team in the annual softball game by the score of 12-2. It could have been much worse, but we had mercy on our adversaries. This was one of my most satisfying moments at camp (yes, I am a shallow person) because the boys in our group were trash talking all week about the beating they were going to give us.
After participating in the "put 285 people in one long line and walk the entire length of the camp picking up trash" event, Vicki and I hit the road for Colorado via Lubbock. He rolled into Lubbock about 3:15. As soon as we hauled our suitcases into Kayla and Lance's apartment I hit the couch for a short nap, which lasted until 6:30. I guess that having to think and be serious for a whole week really took it out of me. We are off to Westcliffe, Colorado in a few minutes.
I have a few pictures of Bandina that I'll put in my next post. Special thanks this morning to the Sosa's - whoever they are and wherever thay are - for not securing their internet connection, enabling us to hack in and have some free access.
Our group was made up of nine FCYG graduating seniors, and this was a really great bunch of kids (oops! young adults). Vicki and I were both very impressed and grateful to have a group that was so willing to listen and learn, and so willing to do their very best to try and stay focused. This last thing, the staying focused part, wasn't easy because one of the tasks of the seniors is to stay up after the rest of the camp has lights out and do the final clean-up of the mess hall, set up for the next day, and generally hang out with Brian Bordan ("Bordo") to hear his wisdom and share the events of the day. Because this usually went on until the wee hours of the morning it made for some 5,000 pound eye lids the next day. But, in spite of this minor obstacle, we all had a great experience and learned a lot from each other. Wednesday night's "big event" was just that. We were all convicted of our sins in a trial conducted by Satan himself, shacked together in handcuffs and chains, and then led into the night for our eternal punishment. As we waited in the full moon for the final pronouncement of our punishment Jesus showed up to take our place. This is a very brief summary of an event that was actually quite thought provoking and impactful. Bordo and his summer intern staff did a really wonderful job.
On a somewhat less spiritual note, the Staff team beat the Camper team in the annual softball game by the score of 12-2. It could have been much worse, but we had mercy on our adversaries. This was one of my most satisfying moments at camp (yes, I am a shallow person) because the boys in our group were trash talking all week about the beating they were going to give us.
After participating in the "put 285 people in one long line and walk the entire length of the camp picking up trash" event, Vicki and I hit the road for Colorado via Lubbock. He rolled into Lubbock about 3:15. As soon as we hauled our suitcases into Kayla and Lance's apartment I hit the couch for a short nap, which lasted until 6:30. I guess that having to think and be serious for a whole week really took it out of me. We are off to Westcliffe, Colorado in a few minutes.
I have a few pictures of Bandina that I'll put in my next post. Special thanks this morning to the Sosa's - whoever they are and wherever thay are - for not securing their internet connection, enabling us to hack in and have some free access.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
First Bandera - Then Westcliffe
Vicki and I leave tomorrow after church for Camp Bandina, which is in beautiful Bandera, Texas. Bandera is on the other side of San Antonio, about four hours from Houston (I think). There will be about 285 of us from FCCC, and we'll be group leaders for a group of ten FCCC kids who graduated from high school this past June. Our topic for the week is "FREEDOM!" which will develop the concepts of sin, forgiveness through Jesus Christ, and ultimately freedom from sin. We had a camp leaders meeting earlier today and it was verified that all we'll be doing is leading the group meetings - no staying in the cabins with the campers, no working in the kitchen, no keeping track of kids - just the nine group meeting sessions. We're excited to be going. Weather forecast - temperature in the low 100's every day.
When camp ends on Friday morning we'll be leaving Bandera and heading for beautiful Westcliffe, Colorado by way of Lubbock, Texas. We'll spend Friday night at Kayla and Lance's place in Lubbock, wash clothes, cool off, and then leave for Colorado on Saturday morning. We'll be staying at my brother Greg's new house. He'll be there for a few days and I've promised to help him out with a few projects. I figure it's the least I can do in exchange for a week of coolness. We'll also do a little trout fishing, which he tells me is great.
We got some great news on Thursday. Our good friends Greg and Debbie, current residents of Katy, Texas have sold their house and bought another one in Greatwood. We're looking forward to having them as neighbors when they move in about a quarter of a mile from us. They are "spontaneous" people, which means that they are fine with getting a 7:00 dinner invitation at 5:00 on a Friday afternoon.
I finished my "Life of Joseph" curriculum this week. My outline ended up being 55 pages long, which will used by our adult Bible class teachers to support a five-week study that starts on September 13th. If you're in the vicinity on Sunday mornings drop by. I'll be teaching the "Chapel Class" which is the people who are even older than me. I've taught in there before and they are a great group who loves to discuss. The best part about putting something like this together is the knowledge you gain in the process. I'm now almost an expert on the second half of Genesis.
This morning I changed the tail light on Kayla's VW Beetle. I thought this would be about a five minute task (it would be on a Toyota), but . . . no. If it wasn't for the wonders of the Internet I never would have figured out how to change that light. I actually Googled "changing a tail light on a Volkswagen Beetle" and like magic a complete description - including pictures - appeared. Whoever designed the Beetle did it with the dealership repair technicians in mind.
Speaking of repair technicians, Vicki had a minor accident in her Highlander this afternoon. She was backing out of her parking space at HEB and the person directly behind her happened to be backing out at exactly the same time. I think there's a physics corollary that says two things can't occupy the same space at the same time (I'm paraphrasing). It was her versus a pickup truck with a trailer hitch. The trailer hitch won in a unanimous decision. The damage is minor and it doesn't affect the way the car runs. But we probably won't spend the money to fix it right now, so her car will be ghetto for awhile.
I'm hoping to continue my blogging habit over the next two weeks, but I don't know what kind of Internet access I'll have at Bandina or in Colorado. Bandera is almost in the dead center of nowhere, and Westcliffe has a population of 340. Hopefully I'll be able to post some pictures of us wearing jackets . . . maybe even gloves and hoods!
When camp ends on Friday morning we'll be leaving Bandera and heading for beautiful Westcliffe, Colorado by way of Lubbock, Texas. We'll spend Friday night at Kayla and Lance's place in Lubbock, wash clothes, cool off, and then leave for Colorado on Saturday morning. We'll be staying at my brother Greg's new house. He'll be there for a few days and I've promised to help him out with a few projects. I figure it's the least I can do in exchange for a week of coolness. We'll also do a little trout fishing, which he tells me is great.
We got some great news on Thursday. Our good friends Greg and Debbie, current residents of Katy, Texas have sold their house and bought another one in Greatwood. We're looking forward to having them as neighbors when they move in about a quarter of a mile from us. They are "spontaneous" people, which means that they are fine with getting a 7:00 dinner invitation at 5:00 on a Friday afternoon.
I finished my "Life of Joseph" curriculum this week. My outline ended up being 55 pages long, which will used by our adult Bible class teachers to support a five-week study that starts on September 13th. If you're in the vicinity on Sunday mornings drop by. I'll be teaching the "Chapel Class" which is the people who are even older than me. I've taught in there before and they are a great group who loves to discuss. The best part about putting something like this together is the knowledge you gain in the process. I'm now almost an expert on the second half of Genesis.
This morning I changed the tail light on Kayla's VW Beetle. I thought this would be about a five minute task (it would be on a Toyota), but . . . no. If it wasn't for the wonders of the Internet I never would have figured out how to change that light. I actually Googled "changing a tail light on a Volkswagen Beetle" and like magic a complete description - including pictures - appeared. Whoever designed the Beetle did it with the dealership repair technicians in mind.
Speaking of repair technicians, Vicki had a minor accident in her Highlander this afternoon. She was backing out of her parking space at HEB and the person directly behind her happened to be backing out at exactly the same time. I think there's a physics corollary that says two things can't occupy the same space at the same time (I'm paraphrasing). It was her versus a pickup truck with a trailer hitch. The trailer hitch won in a unanimous decision. The damage is minor and it doesn't affect the way the car runs. But we probably won't spend the money to fix it right now, so her car will be ghetto for awhile.
I'm hoping to continue my blogging habit over the next two weeks, but I don't know what kind of Internet access I'll have at Bandina or in Colorado. Bandera is almost in the dead center of nowhere, and Westcliffe has a population of 340. Hopefully I'll be able to post some pictures of us wearing jackets . . . maybe even gloves and hoods!
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