Day 7 - The Wild West of Kauai

No big activities planned today, and when we woke up...we were glad. We're still pretty bruised and sore from our surfing lesson so we decided to take it easy. We did some food shopping (it's still weird seeing surfboards in Costco) and such before starting our exploration day.

Since we had to to go to Old Koloa Town to pick our dive pictures CD anyway, we decided to do a drive to follow the highway as far west as it goes - which is the Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility. There are gates to keep the public out.

Here are the highlights (and some cool pictures) from our little (all day) jaunt.

First - the stop in Old Koloa Town, which has become very familiar to us. It's hard to describe this little place, but it kind of feels like time is really torn between standing still to preserve and honor its history, but also knows it needs to find a future. It's a strange little town, but very cute. Our dive shop operator of choice is there...and they still weren't able to get the CD burned. ARGH! Ah, well...at least we got a cute picture or two.

I usually object to Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving...but who can resist this?

Well...onward then, to the west. Next, we drove through Kalaheo a very small village with a great pizza place..back to that later. Our next stop was in 'Ele 'ele, to find the port we are going to Saturday for our catamaran tour of the Na Pali coast line (Port Allen). We had lunch near the harbor and then checked out Glass Beach.

Described by some as "arguably the ugliest beach on Kauai" it is also somewhat fascinating. This beach is located behind the power generating station at 'Ele 'ele (they burn oil to generate electricity here...fascinating) down a dirt road. Glass Beach is so named because thousands of tiny pieces of glass are deposited on the dark sand from an old dump that was located nearby. The result...see for yourself.

Next off, we went to Salt Pond Park. There is a beach there (of course) and it's pretty (of course) but it...feels weird. Both Dianna and I felt a strange spiritual vibe there - a disturbance in the force, if you will - so we didn't stick around long.

We wound our way around the southwest corner of the island until we got to a turnoff onto a dirt road (and again, I use that term very loosely) for a little over 4 miles. It was rough road and made us glad we'd rented a Jeep. About a mile in, Di started having doubts - but manly man that I am, I coaxed her into hanging in there with me (mainly by refusing to stop the Jeep). We finally came to our landmark, a huge Monkeypod tree, turned left for few hundred yards, hairpin turn to the right and OH CRUD...we were in deep, soft sand and not sure which way to go so the worst possible thing that could happen, did...I stopped. We could not go forward and we could not go backward without spinning the tires. I didn't want to sink the tires too far in that fluff so I didn't push the accelerator. I calmly put it into 4WD (silently praying that I wasn't really THAT stuck) and put the Jeep in to D1, and eased ever so gently forward, then back and then presto...we moved through the "mini-dune of death" to a safe parking place.

This part of the beach is called Polihale State park. It's as far as you can go toward the Na Pali coast without a boat. It's also the far end of over 15 miles of uninterrupted sand beach. Unfortunately, you can't swim in the ocean here most of the time - it's too wild. They lost 4 tourists in a 36-hour period just a week and-a-half ago on this stretch because they were careless. The currents and surf are tricky, with rogue waves pulling people into the surf when they are foolish enough to stay on the wet sand. It is a favorite place for hardcore surfers, however, and we saw several braving the huge waves (15-20 ft., I'm guessing). Because it's so hard to get to, it is very unspoiled and absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful.

The lighting was a bit tricky and we didn't have "the big camera" with us so I apologize...the images really don't do it justice.




We headed back down to Kalaheo and had what is considered by many to be the finest pizza on the island. It is certainly one of, if not the best I've ever eaten. I've eaten pizza in Chicago, L.A. (pretending to be a Chicago pizzeria) and just about everywhere else west of the Mississpi. It was great pizza. Now, I know a couple of my east coast friends are going to contend that it can't compare with New York's pizza and I have to concede that I've never had pizza there so I'm not going to argue. It's the best I've ever eaten...I'm just sayin'.

Another mellow day planned for tomorrrow. A little more exploring, and possibly a trip to the medical clinic. I still can't seem to get the water out of my right ear from our dives, so we're going to have it checked out to make sure it doesn't get infected or anything awful.

Aloha!

Day 6 - Deep calls unto deep

Another diving day, which means another O-dark-30 wake up so this blog is going to be shorter. Great dives today, starting at Harbor Ledges where we were greeted by white mouth moray eel on our descent. Our Divemaster today was Cole who originally hails from Michigan. Gee, I wonder why anyone would want to move away from snowy, cold Michigan to Kauai. I'll have to ponder that one awhile. One of the major highlights of the dive was seeing an octopus. Cole, coaxed him out of his hiding spot just long enough to get a good look at him. In the weird light of being at depth, he looked deep purple, but that means he could be bright red, for all I know. I tried to take his picture, but don't know if it turned out.

Yes, we rented a camera, and yes we took several pictures...but I can't post them yet because the dive shop computer's CD burner is broken, so they couldn't transfer the images from the card to a CD for us. I am thinking about taking our laptop in tomorrow to hook it up directly to the camera, if they'll let me. They did try burning a CD, but the disc is blank.

The second dive took place at Tortugas and it was even more thrilling than the others. Several sea turtles were resting there or swimming around. One swam within arm's length from Dianna, another swam directly under the legs of another diver (Tim, from CA). Very cool stuff indeed. Hoping some of those images turned out!

After diving, and still very sore from yesterday's surfing adventure, we decided to make like beached monk seals on Poipu Beach for the afternoon after grabbing lunch in Old Koloa Town. That was so restful and peaceful. Nothing else scheduled and when we left it was only because we were hungry enough to call it a day and head back to the condo for a shower and dinner. Dianna is falling asleep on the couch as I write this and I think I'm not far behind her...Aloha for now!

Mahalo (thank you) for reading my posts!

Day 5 - Another first

So today marked another first for us. After sitting through the obligatory timeshare pitch (no, we didn't buy, but the program offered by Wyndham is actually pretty interesting) we went for our first surfing lesson. Part of the reason we decided to try it was that we got a steep discount for sitting through the sales presentation (one of two carrots...more on the other one Saturday).

Hawaiian Surfing Adventures did a quick presentation during our orientation breakfast last Friday and since they promised "safe, shallow, sandy beach" surfing, we decided to try it out. We got about a two-hour lesson from a 23-year young surfer dude, nicknamed Moose. Probably a play on his real name 'cuz physically he wasn't a moose kind of guy. His real name, unfortunately, was very difficult and I have no idea how to spell it, so we're sticking with Moose.

I have to tell you, I had no idea how physically demanding surfing would be. I am TIRED tonight, and we were only in the water for two hours. Paddle out, nose into the wave, and then when you're past the breakers, watch the 'line' and pick your wave (Moose did the picking) from about 30-40 yards out. Then you turn your board's nose to the shore and begin to paddle gently, then hard. When you feel the wave pushing you, paddle very hard, when the tail dips just a little, stand up and ride it in. Simple. Yeah.

To my credit, I did stand all the way up and ride a wave all the way in (once) and rode a second one almost all the way in. Two hours, 1 1/2 successful attempts. Many spills. And now I understand why board shorts are only sold with strings to tie the waist on. That's all I am going to say about that. Di did well too, getting up at least once, though she rode in on her knees (cheater). ;-)

My one successful ride in - not very graceful, but I made it!
Thank goodness Di was on shore to capture it.

Both of us have bruises on our ribs from laying on the board and very sore shoulders from all the paddling. I have the additional bonus of blisters on the top of most of my toes from the rubberized coating on the board and a bruise on my ribcage from getting my board sideways when a breaker came in hard right after I got up from a spill. The ocean doesn't always play nice, I notice.

Hanging loose with Dude Moose.

All in all, a very fun day. We're thinking seriously of renting boards again next week. We can get a board for a full day for only $15 if we rent from the same outfit. Hey...you only live once!

Tomorrow is another early morning for us as we are going on our 2nd (and last, at least for this trip) scuba trip with Fathom Five.

Aloha!

Day 4 - "Get Down" gets new meaning

First off, I apologize for the lack of pictures today. In my excitement and, I admit it, nervousness, about going out on our first real dive since certifying, I forgot to ask the dive shop about renting an underwater camera. So...no pictures today. We are diving again on Wednesday, so I am planning to call tomorrow to arrange to rent a camera, if one is available.

What an incredible day! We had to wake up early this morning (5:30'sh...or, "0'Dark-30"). Not something I would normally choose on a vacation day that also happens to be my birthday, given my penchant for sleeping in, but this was different - and worth it. Today, we got to participate in our first boat dive. If you've been keeping up with us, you know that one of the primary purposes for our trip was to scuba dive. We even got certified just so we would be allowed to do so this time. You may also know that when we went to Maui, 4 years ago, we'd scheduled an introductory dive (walking in from shore) only to have it canceled due to high surf. On a boat dive, your chances of getting canceled are much slimmer.

We signed up for a two-tank dive and boy, what a great decision that was. We loved the experience so much that we both felt that if we'd have done one tank and gone in we would have missed out on way too much fun. For my non-diving friends (that's most of you, I think), I should clarify. You only wear one tank at a time. So you dive until you're low on air (out is bad), which is about 1000 - 700 psi (we started with 3000 psi). When you come back on board the boat, you rest a while (called a surface interval) to let some of the nitrogen that gets built up in your blood release out of your blood (called off-gassing - and it has nothing to do with flatulence). After a decent surface interval (time is determined by a lot of factors, depth you dived to, length of time at depth, etc.) you strap on a fresh tank and go down again, but in a different spot.

It is surreal to be in a clear, blue expanse of water and to get to interact with creatures you've only seen on documentaries or Finding Nemo. We saw so many varieties of fish, including gray moray eel, yellow snapper, orangeband surgeonfish, yellow tang, butterfly fish, Moorish Idol, a couple of different types of hawk fish, a HUGE scorpion fish (biggest our dive master had ever seen in these waters), spiny lobster, and of course our personal favorite, the green sea turtles. That's a very small sample of a dizzying array of species we saw in our two dives today. I can hardly wait to 'get down' again with the citizens of the sea.

After coming home and cleaning up we took it pretty easy, and went to a nice place for dinner, Scotty's BBQ. I have never eaten such delicious BBQ. I've BBQ in Texas, Kansas and several points in between and Scotty's wins the prize. For dessert, a pastry concoction that I've seen or tasted nowhere else...Puffansada. Think of a cross between a really light, fluffy shortcake and sponge cake that is cut in half with a filling (I chose "Very Berry"), then encrust the whole thing in panko and deep-fried...drizzled with berry sauce/syrup with puffs of whipped cream on the side. UNBELIEVEABLY GOOD! All served with a with an open wall to the soft breeze and the ocean. I don't know if it can get any better than this...but I'm willing to continue the research! :)

To top it all off, Finding Nemo is playing right now on the Disney Channel - God surely loves me. I'll post again tomorrow.

Day 3 - The Wild Side

Today, we sampled the "mild wild" side of Kauai. Neither of us are hard-core hikers so we pored over our guidebook for trails to walk that were at least off the beaten track some, but didn't require mad hiking skills or hiking boots. We only brought sport sandals to wear so hard-core, almost trails weren't on our list of "must-do's." We managed to find a couple of cool waterfalls - one with fun swimming hole at the bottom of it.

Before I get into the adventures, though, I'd promised a better picture of Joe, the condo property's "mascot" and I was able to get it today. He came up to our lanai today...left a nice little souvenir too, but the maintenance folks cleaned that up right away. :)












We started our adventures looking for Ho'opi'i Falls. They aren't huge or spectacular, but they are very pretty and require a short hike to find.
You walk down an old dirt road (and I use that term loosely) then cut down to the stream bed, crossing the stream or walking down the stream itself in order to state on publicly owned land.


The reward is a pretty little waterfall that you have all to yourself.

After thouroughly investigating the travel-worthiness of the stream crossings, we walked up a trail on the opposite side of the stream on the way back for as long as we could and found a "picture-perfect" tree root to sit on for our wilderness portraits. :)

After that little hike, we decided to check out another waterfall, 'Opaeka'a Falls. This one is inaccessible up close because it is surrounded by private land, but there is a scenic lookout (which, in Kauai, is almost silly - the entire ISLAND is a scenic lookout, for crying out loud) that allows a great spot for a photo. Dianna used her "real" camera for that one so I don't have a photo yet for the blog. I'll try to update this post later, when she's had a chance to import those shots. Pretty, but not very wild...so we decided to go further up the road. Which we did until the road ended.

Well, technically, that's not true. We stopped where the pavement stopped because the Jeep we rented was making very loud clanking sounds whenever we hit bumps or potholes and I was nervous about driving across a stream (the road has a concrete causeway to allow you to do so) and up a very primitive dirt road (only somewhat better than the one pictured above).

From there we headed back to airport to exchange our clanky red Jeep for an non-clanky blue Jeep. The red was easier to spot in a parking lot, but I really like have a non-clanky ride so the blue will do nicely, thank you.

The big adventure for the day came after lunch at Kalapaki's Beach Hut (nice view, eh). This is a little sitting spot above the actual counter and kitchen. Note the lack of chickens...I think because it's on the 2nd floor and they aren't good at flying. We did have doves though. They are much more quiet eating companions.






Ah, yes, on to the big adventure...Kipu Falls. This little jewel is hidden away about .5 mile off the road through the remains of a sugar plantation. You do a mild jungle hike on a some fairly slick mud through very thick vegetation to find a beautiful little stream.


That trail leads to a smallish waterfall (about 20 ft. high). This picture doesn't do it justice by the way...this is the smallest part of the falls. The wider portion is off to the right, but Di got a picture of me swimming below.


The real fun about this place though is that below the falls is a very nice swimming hole...and all you have to do to get into the swimming hole is either jump the 20 ft. from the falls, climb down a ladder someone has thoughtfully anchored to the rock with steel bars (Dianna's preferred route), or do what I did - use the rope swing to launch yourself as far and as high as possible before splashing down below.


What a rush! I liked it so much I had to do it 3 times. Then I got tired and a little cold, so I found a warm sunny rock to bask on for a while, before heading down the road again to find a treat.

We ended up back in Old Koloa Town (because it was closest) and got some shaved ice. Tasty and light and WAY better than a sno-cone. Since it was getting close to sunset, we decided to go to Spouting horn to watch the show. We managed to get a bonus show because while we were waiting for the sunset, we also got to witness a double-rainbow.



And with this, I say...goodnight and God bless...from the Creator to you and I...

Day 2 in Paradise

Today, after a leisurely breakfast, we headed to Old Koloa Town (k0e-loe-ah) to scout out the dive shop, Fathoms Five, we're scheduled to dive with next Monday and Wednesday. We discovered a cool, historic bit of Kauai - Old Koloa Town. This is a small village of shops mostly housed in buildings that were erected in the 1800's to support the sugar plantation. Each building has a plaque that describes the history associated with it. Very interesting and fun.

Next we headed to Poipu (poy-poo) Beach for a day of sunning, swimming, snorkeling and sunning some more. Ahhhhh... Beautiful stretch of golden sand protected from big surf by natural lava rock walls. THIS is why we came to Hawaii, and especially to Kauai. This is Saturday and the beach wasn't crowded at all. SWEET! The real unexpected bonus was that a Monk Seal was, sunning itself on the beach when we got there. Monk seals are one of only few species of seal living in warm waters. It is a rare (estimated population of 1200), endangered species. We'd left our phones and cameras locked up in the Jeep so we missed the opportunity to get a picture. (The only disappointment of the day...not a bad day.)

When hunger finally forced us to leave, we'd gone through all of our snacks and most of our water...and it was 2:30 in the afternoon. We did a quick bit of research in 'the blue book' to find a simple, good lunch place and were intrigued by the sound of Keoke's Paradise. Lunch was really good - we split a half-pound cheeseburger and a basket of fries and each had a cold, frosty beverage (okay, a beer...Di opted for the Kona Lavaman Lager, I had the Kona Lavaman Red Ale). The first pictures below are the 'inside' of the restaurant. I put that in quotes because although there is a roof and some posts to support the trusses, there are no real walls - only awnings to protect from the breezes.
We were sitting at a table next to this railing...with a stream. Don't see that much in Tri-Cities...

Or a waterfall, which feeds the stream (this was about 10 ft. behind our table.


















Sorry for the fuzzy picture of the bar area...I promise this not the effect of the ONE beer I had. Just shaky hands.


And what would a dining experience in Kauai be without a chicken or two roaming about? :)



















In case you're wondering (we certainly were, so we asked), no, nobody kills and eats the chickens. Evidently these chickens, freed by the hurricanes were brought by the Phillipine immigrants. The roosters are bred for fighting so they are lean, and the meat is reportedly very tough. One t-shirt we saw to day had instructions for cooking and eating a Kauai wild chicken.

Kill, pluck, and clean chicken.
Place in large pot of water.
Place over heat and put in a hot lava rock.
When the rock is tender, the chicken is ready to eat.

After our lunch, we drove a couple of miles to "Spouting Horn." Spouting Horn is so named because a lava tube under the rock shelf opens and, about every 20-30 seconds a spout of seawater spews up like a geyser. I got a couple of shots of part of a "spew" but couldn't seem to time the shutter click to get the whole thing.



















We ended the day with a sunset walk on the beach near our condo and a soak in the hot tub. Life is good.

First Impressions

We got to Lihue (Li-hoo-ee) Airport, on the island of Kauai last night at about 7:30 HI time (10:30 PDT). Wow. A balmy 76 degrees with a light breeze and misty rain greeted us as we got our rental car (a Jeep Wrangler). We were pretty much beat after a long day of travel so almost immediately after checking in we went to bed.

This morning I took a couple of pictures with the camera in my phone. The first three are from our lanai (patio).

The man-made lagoon that divides the property in half.

Joe, a sort of mascot of the property, and quite possibly the ugliest goose on the planet.

Yes, there are chickens here. In fact, they are everywhere, running wild.

We had read about the unpredictable weather, and had even read about the chickens, but nothing really prepares you for the sheer number of wild barnyard chickens feeding and scratching everywhere. And I mean everywhere - alongside the highways, outside the condo, near Wailua Falls...everywhere. They are mostly pretty cute and funny, with one exception. Andrew Doughty, the author of The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook, Kauai Revealed, puts it best.

OK, so you don't normall think of roosters as hazards. And normally they're not. These guys are wild in many parts of the island and can be charming. But our roosters have proliferated since Hurricane 'Iniki feed so many back in 1992, and they are particularly stupid here. They don't seem to knopw when they're supposed to crow, so they do it all day long just to cover themselves. (Probably for liability purposes.) If any of these two-legged alarms clocks are near where you're staying, you may find yourself waking up real early.

Honestly, I still can't get over the sight of a rooster and his harem of hens pecking and scratching right next to the highway. It's just weird.

Speaking of the wildlife, I got an even bigger surprise tonight as I was bringing our supper in from the grill (I'd grilled chicken...just because of the irony). As I stepped into our condo, I heard a noise behind me and was startled to see a wild pig behind me. It had evidently been feeding in the bush near our door. It was too dark to get a picture, but if it shows up again, I'll be sure to include it in a future post.

Today was a day to get oriented to our new, temporary home, get some groceries, and a few other necessities (bug repellent for our hikes and bamboo mats for the beach). I LOVE this place! Here are a few reasons I fell back in love with Hawaii today.

Black swan in the lagoon that is a few feet from our room.

















The love of my life on the beach about 50 yards from our room. The surf are currents here are too dangerous for swimming. This is a walking beach only.













Wailua Falls - about 8 miles from our condo. There has been several days of rain in the last week, so there is a LOT of water today. It's a 170 ft. drop from the lip to the pond below.

















And yes, even here, are wild chickens. This is a hen and a chick. There are actually two chicks here.

















Not a bad setting for a BBQ, eh! Nice, plump, Asian Barbeque-seasoned chicken breasts and a Trader Vick's pre-mixed Mai Tai (thank you Costco).










Tommorrow, we do some more driving around the island to get acquainted with our surroundings and visit Poipu beach, said to be one of the best on the island for snorkeling and swimming.

En route!

This my first attempt at updating my blog using my iPhone and so far...it's been interesting. I was able to get a wifi connection here at SeaTac using the new attwifi service that is free for iPhone and at&t wireless card owners - a nice perk for the extra $ spent on the data plan. Di and I are en route to Kauai for two weeks of R&R.

We're getting ready board soon, so I'm keeping this short. We'll keep you posted during the week.

Wow

Wow - time flies when you're not paying attention. Sheesh. I had no idea it had been so long since my last post. My apologies to my friends who actually take time out of their schedule to check out my site.

I have to say I am pretty excited about things right now. I am a week away from our first major vacation in four years and we're remodeling (yes, another remodeling project) our basement. An electrician came and spent a couple of full Saturdays and a Sunday to help us wire up several new lights, switches and outlets. Blessings of hiring a pro! He also cleaned up our breaker panel, by tracking down wires that went...nowhere and deleting them. For the first time in the 20 years we have lived in this house, everything electrical works correctly. All the 3-way switches, all the outlets, and he even figured out a way to make everything in the basement a true, grounded system. Something that wasn't done when the house was originally wired in 1948. SWEET!

In case you're wondering...we passed our NAUI Scuba Diver certification so we will be spending my 50th birthday on, and under, the water...off the island of Kauai. I am so pumped! I can hardly stand the wait. We've scheduled a boat dive for two different days on our trip. I am hoping to rent an underwater camera to take some pictures. If I do, I'll post some here...I promise.

Anyway...we've got a lot going on right now and I am very pleased that God has seen fit to bless us with good health to enjoy the ride. Love to all of you and thanks for your patience!

Aloha!

Isn't change...fun?

Lately, my friends and I have been literally inundated with changes. It's rocking our world. With change comes opportunity. We can embrace the changes or we can resist them. In either case, change happens. Our response is a reflection of the state of our soul and spirit. 

By that, I mean to say that we often don't have much, if any, influence on the changes that happen in our lives. And that is precisely why many people hate it so vigorously. Change is a disruption - and it forces us to realize that we really aren't in full control. It actually throws in our faces that the control we thought we had over our circumstances is an illusion. 

In another job, I was certified to facilitate a three-day workshop on implementing change. That doesn't make me an expert, nor does it make me any less susceptible to hating change, but it did help me gain a perspective for what is actually happening in people as they react or respond to change. I'm over simplifying here, but essentially, you are either initiating change or change is initiated for you by an external force. In either case, whether the change is perceived as good or as bad, there is a similar reaction - resistance. Resistance comes from the fact that any change is disruption, thus there is a loss of the comfortable and familiar. Whenever we lose something, even something we don't particularly like, we need to move through a grieving process to come to a place of accepting the change. 

I truly believe that the speed with which we move through the grieving process is directly tied to our trust in God. If we believe that God is good and that He has nothing but our best interests at heart at all times, we can view even very scary changes with a greater measure of peace. We can do that because we know without a doubt that He is in control so we don't have to be. What freedom that brings! If we have no doubt about the goodness of God and His fierce, determined and uncompromising love for us, then we can learn to rest and find peace in any situation because He is in control and His judgment and His timing is perfect!

Now, I wish I could tell you with just as much certainty that this is how I respond to all changes in my life, but that of course would be a lie. I am, though, one of those who pretty quickly adapts to, and embraces change. In general, I like change. Like everyone though, I've had my share of "Why me? Why now? Why this?" moments, but as a rule, I've been learning to see that for what it is. A struggle to maintain an illusion of control over some aspect of my life over which I have no control. The one thing over which I truly have some control is how I choose to respond. 

The more aware I am of what is really happening, the quicker I am able to come back to rest in His Spirit and just let God work out the details. I am in control of my response. Will I choose to trust in me or trust in Him? Will I allow Him to be LORD and KING or will I act like some rebellious knave who has to be taught to submit to authority? 

I can't make the decision any easier for you, but I can tell you this...TRUST is the better way. Trust that God has made the right decision. Trust in Him to teach you and guide you in your grieving process about the strongholds you need to release. Trust in the destiny that He has for you and most of all...TRUST in His ability to bring you to the fullness of that destiny and call on your life. 

Happy Father's Day

Okay, it's been a while...again. And once again, it's taken a holiday to get my attention back on my blog. My wife and I took my mom and Dad to lunch today to stay ahead of the madding crowd tomorrow. This is of strategic importance because they are elderly (Dad is 90, soon to turn 91 and Mom is 86) and my mom is none to mobile and is legally blind, so crowded restaurants become dangerous places for her to negotiate.

Anyway, we took them to Red Lobster and it's funny. I could have ordered for them. They don't even look at the menu any more. We all know exactly what they are going to order. Me, I like to try new things so I always look at the menu. As it happens, I was the only one in the foursome today who didn't walk into that restaurant knowing exactly what I wanted to eat. I just knew I wanted seafood. By the way, Salmon New Orleans is really worth a try next time you go in. If you like spicy seafood. Way good! But enough on that.

I want to take a moment and pay tribute to the man I call Dad. My dad is a special man for a whole lot of different reasons, so I won't go into the whole list here, but I feel it's only right to honor him today. You see, Dad isn't perfect. Never was. We had some rough times growing up. He worked rotating shifts so I really only saw him about one week a month during regular hours. During 'graveyard' shift (working 12:00-8:00, not in a cemetery) he slept during daylight hours so I was mostly encouraged to go play with friends from the end of school until supper time. He had a short fuse, a violent temper, and could be verbally abusive when irritated. But he was, and is, an intensely loyal and devoted husband and father. He acted out his love and commitment for us every day even though the words, "I love you," were rarely heard spoken to us. As hard as he could be on us, he was always 100% honest. When he gave his word to do something, it got done. Honesty and integrity...love in action.

My dad never really understood me. He grew up during the depression on a small farm with a big family. The livestock and crops they raised were their food supply. I, on the other hand, grew up in town. I tended toward very diverse interests like music (band and choir), drama, sports and the like. Dad grew up working and feels somewhat 'useless' if he's not doing something constructive. To this day he putters around in his huge yard, carefully nurturing his almost perfect grass. I like to play. But as little as he understood about what made me tick, he and mom came to every game and match, every concert and play they could possibly attend. Even after college, when I was doing community theatre, they would come into Richland and watch the show. Loyalty...love in action.

I grew up watching my dad give generously to others and never asking anything in return. He was the first guy to volunteer when things broke or needed tending to at the church. He gave generously to all of us kids in times of need and to his grandchildren. He's been particularly generous and supportive of my son, for which I am eternally grateful. Dad is a great example of what giving is all about. He freely gives with a cheerful heart, always looking out for the needs of others, even at great cost to himself and his own desires. Generosity....love in action.

Mom and Dad met as youngsters, growing up in the same small town in Oklahoma (Ft. Gibson). Mom was 18, Dad was 22 when they were married in a civil ceremony. February 2 of this year, they celebrated having been married 68 years. Many, many lean times followed. They moved from the only place they'd known, a serene forested part of southeast Oklahoma, to a desert (semi-arid to be technically accurate) area in the southeast of the "Evergreen" state. (In our part of Washington the state's slogan could be taken to mean, "Does it ever get green here?"). One of my dad's relatives scoffed at the idea of anyone from the family moving out of Oklahoma and actually staying moved. He made the statement at a family gathering that they would never be able to cut it. He'd bet they'd be back in less than a year.

Well, our family's fate was sealed in that moment. Dad made up his mind he would never come back to Oklahoma to live. He made a commitment to a new life no matter how hard it was going to be. Through all the dust storms (called "Termination Winds" because so many people would quit and leave the area after a storm blew through), the tough times and urging of relatives to give it up and come back, they stuck it out here.

That kind of stubbornness can be hard on a marriage. Mom and Dad had their share of arguments to be sure, but there was never a question of one of them leaving. They made vows and they stuck to them. They made a commitment to each other and made the best of the circumstances. Commitment...love in action.

There is so much more, but I must close. Suffice to say, that no matter how many, or what kind of, disagreements I've had with my dad through the years I can say with complete integrity that I love Dad with all my heart. I admire and respect him as much for his weaknesses as his strengths. He's not blind to his weaknesses, nor to his strengths. You'll never hear him boast, though you'll often hear him poke fun of his own foibles. He is a man of integrity, honesty, loyalty, generosity, and commitment. He loves God and serves selflessly. My dad isn't famous or rich or anyone important to the big, wide, world, but he's a great man to me, and in the eyes of his family.

Happy Mother's Day!

My wife and I have begun a tradition in the last few years. Since neither of our moms like crowds, we started taking them on a Mother's Day Eve lunch date. I know. There isn't really a day called Mother's Day Eve but it describes what we do well enough. Each of us take our mom to lunch on Saturday so we can spend quality time alone with her. It's a highlight for me.

It is so nice to be able to take my mom to a restaurant that she would never get to go to with my Dad. You see, in my immediate family, there are three 'meat and potatoes' eaters and three 'adventurous' eaters. My brother Jim, Mom and myself are the adventurers. Today's adventure was P.F. Chang's. Mom almost never gets a taste of Chinese food so I thought it would be a real treat for her. It was great. She really liked it and the hostess was kind enough to seat us at a table very near the door so my aged mother wouldn't have to walk far. Everyone treated her with respect and kindness so I was very pleased.

It made me think about all the complaints about the younger generation. Some complaints are well-founded, I suppose, but the young people we saw today were respectful and kind and they made my date with my Mom something special. So a big, blog shout-out to the Saturday afternoon staff at P.F. Chang's! Thank you for helping me build a special memory with my Mom.

Happy Mother's Day to you all!

Life's Moments

Life is chock full of moments that stand out for one reason or another. I was just checking up on my friend who has now been moved to a rehabilitation hospital to further his recovery. For the first time, there was a picture on his journal page of him working the parallel bars. Not the kind for gymnastics, the kind that you use when you can't walk on your own and are in physical therapy.

What a mix of emotions ran through my head in that moment. Joy that my friend is "walking" at all. Praise at the way the Lord is working in and through his family & friends during this time of great trial. Sober at the how weak and frail my vibrant, strong friend looked as he concentrated on the next step. Reflective on the many blessings I enjoy, not the least of which is a healthy, strong body.

I believe we are given these moments when time sort stands still so we can hear the voice of God speaking into our spirits. If we will only listen, we will hear that still, small voice encouraging us to move into closer relationship with the One who loves us most. Listen...did you hear that?

No Guarantees

Last Friday I heard that a friend from a church that I used to go to was, the previous Monday, suddenly stricken with a very serious medical condition and is even now in a Spokane hospital. Praise be to God that he is improving with each passing day and thanks to modern technology and a wonderful site called Caring Bridge we who know and love him are able to keep updated on his condition without pestering his family members without a zillion calls to their cell phones.

Stuff like this always makes me stop and think about how fragile our lives really are. This is a guy who is an athletic, fit, man about my age here he is in the hospital through no fault of his own. Something just went wrong in his body. It happens. And when it happens to someone you know and care about you can't help thinking, "There are no guarantees. We are not promised a tomorrow in this world." It sobers me.

It also makes me think of my friends who choose not to take care of their bodies. I pray for them and ask that God would help them see how important it is to not take this life, this one body they've been given, for granted. It can all be taken in a moment, whether it's a growth in your brain, cardiac arrest, diabetic coma, or cancer or any of a number of other maladies. There are simply no guarantees, but we can increase our odds of survival or recovery by taking steps, even baby steps, to choose healthier lifestyles.

My friend in Spokane has a better chance of recovering precisely because he had good muscle tone and was pretty fit...it makes his physical rehab shorter than a non-fit person.

I'm sorry if I'm sounding preachy and stepping on toes here, but as I approach (rapidly) my 50th birthday I'm more determined than ever to reduce my risks of chronic disease by choosing to eat better, exercise more regularly and lead an active life. It just feels better. I'm not a perfect picture of healthy living, and I don't think you have to be obsessive about it, but I am really loving the progress I'm making. And it's about progress, not perfection. There may not be any guarantees about my medical future, but there are certainly benefits to choosing active instead of sedentary, and healthy food instead of fat- and sugar-filled food.

I love you guys. Choose health!

Oh my...

I can't believe I've been so remiss! I've had every intention of updating my blog on a regular basis, at least weekly since Easter. April 13 is here and I've written nary a word to my faithful readers. (I've heard through the grapevine that someone other than my friends Tom & Nadine and my wife actually read my blog...joy!) For those of you I affectionately call "lurkers," you know who you are...reading but leaving no comments...I want to clear up a misconception. You do not have to have a Blogger account to leave a comment on my blog. You are more than welcome to post a comment and you don't have to create an account. There...don't you feel better!

I was so inspired with the sunny, beautiful weather this weekend. For those of you still enduring nasty weather - I am sorry. I am truly am. At the same time I am extremely grateful for a couple of near-80 degree days with bright sunshine and few clouds. Ah....And, yes I had the top down whenever possible.

Hmmm....I've got too many thoughts wrestling for supremacy in my head. I am not sure how to organize or record them so, for now I am going to sign off to just that. I'll be back...eventually. ;-)

Happy Easter!

Easter seems like the perfect time to "resurrect" my blog from a coma of inactivity. Okay, sorry for the pun...it was there and I never have been able to resist the temptation to have pun, er, fun. We had a very different (for us) Easter this year. For the last few years our niece and her husband brought their little tribe of 3 children and our good friend brought her daughter over for an Easter Egg hunt and BBQ (weather permitting) or some other kind of meal together. This year our niece and her children had gone over the mountains and through the woods to grandmother's house...to live...temporarily...while Dad is off to training to become a Medic for the Oregon National Guard. So, this year we had only one child at our house, but she's so cute she could be several kids (yes, I am biased).

Easter's celebration wasn't the only thing different this year though. I've been challenged lately. Challenged to think differently and live differently. Over the course of the last few weeks, through wildly divergent sources including a couple of radio talk show hosts (Dave Ramsey and Dr. Laura), my own quiet time with the Lord, conversations with co-workers, my wife and this morning, my pastor's sermon, I've been challenged. If I had to correlate all the different things that were said that got my attention, it would probably be summed up in two phrases. First, was the ad for Dr. Laura's new book titled, Stop Whining and Start Living - haven't read it but the title got my attention. Second was a single sentence that came to mind as I was reading Ephesians 4:22-24, "What are you willing to sacrifice?"

You see, I had fallen into a feeling of discontent with my life. I wasn't depressed, exactly, but I was definitely discouraged. I'm turning 50 later this year and while I normally celebrate that fact with great enthusiasm, it had begun to sink in that I was nowhere near some of my life's most precious goals. I'd begun, well, whining about it, to be brutally honest. It wasn't pretty. Thankfully only a very few close to me had to endure it. Be grateful if you weren't one of them.

Something changed in my heart over the last 48 hours, though. I decided that all those diverse voices and messages were right. It was time to decide what to do about the things I've said I want to accomplish in my life. I've taken on a new, more productive way of thinking about those things. I've begun by taking stock of what is truly crucial to me. As it turns out...it's relationships. All those career, financial and ministry goals are great, but none of them are worth killing relationships. None of them. So I am taking a fresh look at my life now, and for the future and weighing everything in the balance of the impact each goal will have on my most important relationships. First with God, then my wife, then my closest friends and family...and so on...you get the picture. And funny enough, I find myself excited and content again. Ain't God great?

I've Been Tagged!

I've been tagged, as have most of the people I know, whose blogs I could tag. Hmmm...what's a fellow to do. Well, first off I misread the instructions (what man reads instructions anyway) so I didn't grab the nearest book to me, I grabbed the book I've been reading.

Dancing in the Desert by Marsha Crockett pg. 123

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been mad, so that men are without excuse" (Romans 1:20).
God in me. When I sense God in me, I have the power to change my outlook on ordinarily frustrating circumstances--like when I am dealing with people who are habitually late.

I haven't tagged anyone so I'm a big party pooper, I guess. But it's late, I'm tired and now I am going to bed. :)

Blessings to all the taggers!

A Psalm

I am in the beginning chapters of a what promises to be an excellent book. Dancing in the Desert, by Marsha Crockett is about finding more of God when you are walking in the wilderness times of the spirit, often called the dark night of the soul. In that time, you are stripped of all that you once relied on so that you can learn to rely more fully on God.

At the beginning of each chapter, Marsha provides assignments to help you still your thoughts and focus on entering into God's presence. Chapter two begins with this suggestion.

Read Psalm 136. Consider how God's enduring love permeates every thought, action and circumstance. Write your own psalm in the style of Psalm 136, but use the list of faithful acts you recalled in the exercise above. Read your song of praise aloud.

I have to confess...I didn't write a list in the previous exercise, I just meditated and thought about a list. But as I wrote my psalm, the list sort created itself. Here it is, unedited, except for spelling and grammar where necessary.

Don's Psalm

When I was a child, lonely and afraid, You spoke comfort and peace to me.
Your mercies endure forever.
In my doubts about my worth, you sent teachers, friends and family to speak words of life and encouragement to me.
Your love and mercies endure forever.
When I sinned against You in my foolish rebellion, You forgave me and loved me and welcomed me back into Your arms.
Your mercies endure forever.
When I was sinned against and betrayed by those I loved most You brought assurance and peace to me.
Your loving kindness and mercies endure forever.
As my heart broke under the weight of loss You took me to places of healing and rest.
Your mercies endure forever.
You knit together what had been utterly broken.
Your mercies endure forever.
You made love grow from the ashes of brokenness and defeat.
Your mercies endure forever.
You have made wholeness and health where there was broken sickness of heart.
Your mercies endure forever.
You have given hope for today and excitement for tomorrow.
Your mercies endure forever.
You have shown Yourself faithful in all things, through all things and my love for You sings and dances in worship to You.
Your love endures forever.
You now allow me to speak, sing, dance, hug and pray Your life-giving love into others.
Your mercies endure forever.
You are greatly to be praised for You alone are worthy of all praise, honor, and glory.
Praise be to God whose mercies endure forever!

That Thing You Do

I've been thinking. Dangerous territory for me, but I ventured out there and did it anyway. :) You see, I've been trying to organize my thoughts so I can be more consistent about posting to my little online world here, but every time I think about it, I get...more confused.

Jen(n)'s commenton my last post, "Now that I've taught with you I know you have a ton to share!!!"really got my attention and made me think. The truth is, that I really do have a lot to share. So, why do I find it so hard to write a few words in a semi-organized fashion on my blog consistently? I think I may know the answer.

I am verbal. I like to share by talking. I love to share what's going on inside of me, but I also like seeing and hearing what is going on inside you. I want to hear about that thing you do. I feed on that interaction with my friends, relatives, co-workers, and strangers (friends I haven't met yet). Get me started on nearly any topic I am even remotely interested in and I am a sharing son-of-a-gun. Yakity-yak!

Writing seems like so much work, because I am constantly analyzing what I put on the page. Did I spell that right? (I'm a decent speller, but a lousy typist.) Is my "creativity" with rules of punctuation and grammar acceptable? Am I sharing something that is best left to the privacy of a conversation with close friends? All these things and more swirl around in my head and I find myself making excuses for not posting another day.

The truth is, I love receiving your comments - it spurs me on to fight through the confusion and helps me to know that someone actually gets something out of what I write. I especially like to lighten your day. But sometimes, I'll get serious too, because life isn't all about the laughs.

Thanks again readers, and especially commentators. You inspire me. I'll do my best to return the favor!

Random "thots"

I just can't help it. I am a little competitive by nature. Not about all things, and I don't absolutely have to win to enjoy a competition, but I am currently getting shellacked here! What is kicking my proverbial behind you may ask?

My wife! She has turned into a blogging machine and I can't keep up. And it's good stuff! If you haven't read Furiously Loved lately because she hadn't written in so long...do yourself a favor and go there next She's been cranking out one profound post after another.

This is all very well, thank you except that I've always been the wordy one in the family - if you know what I mean. I've always had something to say, and sometimes it's been profound or provocative or, at least fun to read. I've sat down in front of the computer many, many times in the last couple of weeks to write and each time, I've gone blank. OY!

OK - enough of that.

I was very moved Sunday by what my friend and Pastor, Tom, shared in his message. He's doing a series on Matthew 5:1-12, commonly called The Beatitudes. You can hear the messages for yourself on our church's website.

This week's message was centered on Matthew 5:8 "God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God." (NLT)

I was very convicted by a particular statement Tom made...it went something like this, "You want to know how pure your heart is? Then pay attention to where your thoughts go when you are alone and nobody else is around." That's not a direct quote, and may be a paraphrase, but it's what stuck in my head.

Where do my thoughts go when I'm alone? I have to admit that too often my thoughts go...astray. I am reminded again that I need a Savior and grace and mercy! Wow, I try so hard to follow after God with all my heart, mind and strength. I really do...but if I'm brutally honest, I think I would, at best, get a "C to C+" on my "pure heart report card". I can go off on wild tangents that have nothing whatsoever to do with pleasing my God in a nanosecond.

To my credit, I am much better at recognizing these little jaunts into soulishness and distraction and reigning my thoughts back to reality. And really, that's what I cling to. I absolutely know that my God loves me. I am His child, the delight of His eyes. He doesn't expect, nor demand instant perfection. So I take comfort in the knowing that He has, in fact, factored in my stupidity, my wild hair thoughts and even my imperfect attempts to 'take every thought captive.'

It is good to be a child of the most patient, loving, kind, gentle, merciful Father. I can rest in that, even while taming my random "thots" I think. So as I, may I say...we... wrestle with submitting our thought lives to the Spirit, repenting when we need to, building our faith in Him, and being cleansed by the Blood, we can look eagerly forward to seeing God. Not just in the afterlife, but in the here and now. Not just metaphorically, but really, really see God. I long for that experience of seeing my loving God, whether it is in a vision or dream or some other spiritual context. I want to see Him. I want to know Him.

Purify my heart oh, God and renew a right spirit within me!