WASTIN' TIME IN MEXICO (November 23 - December 13, 2019)

Aside from being a little rushed at the Nashville, Tennessee airport (our Uber driver missed the turn for the airport), our travel went as planned with no problems.  We left a rainy and cool Tennessee and landed in a humid and hot Cozumel, Mexico.  During our stay the temperature high remained in the mid 80s.

El Cid La Ceiba (Wyndham) would be our home for the next three weeks.  Our one bedroom condo was on the 3rd floor overlooking the Caribbean and the Cruise Port for the island.  It would be a great place to relax and be strengthened after all the activity surrounding the death of Sherry's mom.

We have decided that these times, at resorts, will not be rushed or filled with "do this/ do that" things.  They are to be life lived in different places.  We both had bronchial issues and it was good to be able to hang around the resort, watch the Cruise Ships come in, get some sun in the sand, and enjoy the feel of Mexico.

We did spend one day visiting Punta Sur Eco Park.  This remote area is filled with beautiful vistas, crocodiles, lagoons, beaches, and a wonderful lighthouse.

Next stop: Daytona Beach, Florida (3 weeks)

REFLECTION

 I sat in the ocean side eatery at the resort, enjoying my buffet breakfast ($12 US/$220 Pesos) and watching Cruise Ships as they docked in the port next door.  Some days there were as many as six of the large crafts coming and going.

I felt a little like Otis Reading when he sang;

"Sittin' in the morning sun I'll be sittin' when the evenin' come.
I'll be watchin' the ships roll in and then I'll watch 'em roll away again
......I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay wastin' time."

On my morning walks, I shared the sidewalk with cruise passengers rushing here and there trying to get to a tour or to find that special souvenir in the booths that lined the pavement.  I watched them as they streamed off the ship in the morning and as they dutifully made their way back in the late afternoon.  Hurry off....hurry on.

For some, life is like a cruise.  It's hurry up and keep busy.  Don't miss anything, make sure you get all you have paid for (food, food, and more food), and finish with memories for a lifetime.

For others, life is like a three week resort stay.  Take some down time, make sure you enjoy the moments, and finish with memories for a lifetime.

Cruisers or stayers, find your place and enjoy the journey.  Don't worry about "wastin' time".

FINISHING THE JOURNEY SAFELY (November 6-22, 2019)

We left Indiana and winged our way south to Orlando, where we were picked up at the airport and spent the night with Denny and Jane Krumlauf.  Denny and I grew up together in Port Huron, Michigan.  I became a pastor and he became an army chaplain.  It was good to reconnect for a couple of days.  They dropped us off at Wyndham Star Island in Kissimmee and we spent three days enjoying the sunshine and warmth.  We moved just a little further south to Reunion, Florida and the Wyndham Reunion Resort.  We were joined there by Sherry's brother, Curt, and his wife, Jenny.  Our plans were to spend some time together in Florida before heading to Wyndham Plantation Resort in Georgia and to Wyndham Nashville in Tennessee.

Once again, though, plans changed with a phone call. 

Sherry's 90 year old mom became seriously ill in the nursing home and the staff said she could pass from this life to the next within a day or two.  We packed the car and headed toward Indiana.  The trip north proved to be a long one as an early winter storm, with ice and snow, left its mark on Kentucky and southern Indiana.  We slowly slid our way through the night into the driveway of Curt's home just outside of Bloomington.

Lois, my wife's mother, quietly passed on two days later and her Celebration of Life Service was held.  She was a wonderful example of a Christian lady.  Her faith in Christ never wavered.  She will be missed but the memories of a life well lived will continue.

We flew out of a cold and snowy Indiana the next week and spent six days at Wyndham Nashville (TN) before heading to Cozumel, Mexico.

REFLECTION

Life is a progression of changes.  Things seldom go exactly as planned.  Our lives are lived out with daily uncertainties.  Things change.

Our expected time of relaxation with Curt and Jenny turned into a hazardous 1,000 mile drive through a cold and snowy night.  It sure felt good when we rolled into the driveway and were safe.

For Lois, her journey had its moments of struggle and change; moments of happiness and fear.  But, now, she has finished her life's drive, rolled into Heaven's driveway, and is safe.

ON MARCHING BANDS AND SOLITARY TURKEYS (October 5 - November 5, 2019)

Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, Missouri

October is the month that we have scheduled each year to visit our oldest son, Aaron,and his family in Missouri.  It is a time to enjoy the coming of autumn and to watch our two youngest grandsons participate in marching band.  They are days spent renewing relationships with those whom we deeply love.  This year had an added blessing as our youngest son, Andrew, was also there in the "Show Me" state.

Marching band is an interesting organization.  It is a gathering of several dozen students who practice hours on end to develop a ten minute presentation to be performed several times in several venues.  This year our time included an overnight adventure to St. Louis (about a three hour drive from Republic)

Much of my time, while in southwest Missouri, is spent inside the Wilson's Creek National Civil War Battlefield.  This beautiful large piece of ground is just 4 minutes from Aaron's front door.  The cost is free (I have the old person's National Parks pass).  I like to go in the morning for my daily walk along the wooded trails and then go back in the late afternoon for a couple of loops around the five mile road.  It is during this drive around that I have been able to spot dozens of white tail deer and numerous wild turkeys.  It is the perfect place for a wildlife photographer (wanabe) to hone his skills.

Now, after a few days back in Indiana for doctor appointments, we will be off to an extended WYNDHAM RESORT TIME SHARE travel adventure (160 days) with stops in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Mexico, and South Carolina.

REFLECTIONS

When making my loops within Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, I try to find unique pictures of the abundant wildlife; something out of the ordinary.  Sometimes it's a deer in the middle of crossing a rushing stream, sometimes a fox walking stealthily between grassy fields, sometimes a armadillo nosing his way across a green meadow.  I can get any number of photos of deer standing beside the road but it's the more interesting ones I seek.  Perhaps this year's best was a hen turkey who decided to land on top of a hand hewn wooden fence with a backdrop of the setting sun as it set, the yet to be harvested. corn on fire with golden wonder.

I wondered as I watched her sit there, turning her head from side to side, where were the rest of her flock?  Was she looking for them from this elevated perch or was she simply enjoying her solitude?

I don't know why she was on the fence. She just was and I had never seen this unique pose before.

I guess I'll never know her reason.  Yet I know that in our lives there are times when we have to be in the marching band.  We have to be organized and in step with all those around us.  There are times when it is critically important that we know where we are in relationship to others.  There are times when working together to accomplish that which we could not accomplish alone is the most important thing we can do.

I also know that there are times when absolutely the best thing we can do for ourselves is to find a place away from the crowd and just be still.  There are times when we just need to stare into the sunset and enjoy all that is before us.

We are all different and the balance we need between "marching band" times and "fence sitting" times are unique to our temperaments and personalities.  An extreme of one or the other can lead to troubled times.  Find your balance.  Find your place and learn to enjoy both the regiment and the rest.

MY HEROES (Sept. 28-Oct. 4, 2019)

Our standby flights winged us from Indianapolis to Nashville, Tennessee, without a hitch and we were able to spend a couple of days with friends before heading on to Crossville, Tennessee, and the Wyndham Resort at Fairfield Glade.  We would spend the next five days there enjoying the company of seven other couples from our past.The Dicers, the Solomons, the Rosses, the Dunningtons, the Halls, the Bittenbenders, the Moores, and the Smiths have been friends for a long time.  Some since childhood and all since our days at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois.  We have gone our separate ways but have somehow managed to keep the flame of friendship alive.

For the past three years we have been able to clear our calendars and meet for some days of remembering and just being together.  Everyone is free to be themselves and do what they would enjoy doing.  Some hiked, some played golf, some shopped, some did picture puzzles, some watched sports on TV, some went to bed early, some got up early, and some played games.

This year I was able to book two 4 bedroom condos at "the Glade" for five nights at a 50% discounted rate.  This meant that we could add two couples to our usual group.  Dr. and Mrs. (Jane) Don Dunnington from Bethany, Oklahoma made the long drive to Tennessee as did Wes and Marcia Bittenbender from Indian Lake, Michigan.

Eight couples, all married around 50 years ago, shared side splitting laughter, and quiet tears as they reflected on their journeys through life.  No two couples the same but all with continued faith in God and His plan for their lives.

What a wonderful time we had as we told story after story of days gone by and consumed so much food that we didn't think we could eat another bite (but we did).  They were days that, I hope, we will never forget.

REFLECTIONS

As I looked around at all who had gathered I was overcome with a sense of gratitude.  I was reminded how blessed my life has been.  I had wonderful parents who loved me and each other.  I have a big brother who has become my friend.  I have pastored some wonderful churches and folks.  And I have a great number of "long time" friends (that sounds so much better than "old")!  

My heroes are not in the political arena, they are not on the sporting fields, they are not in the entertainment industry.  My heroes were with me at the Wyndham Resort at Fairfield Glade this week.

These 14 who gathered on the Cumberland Plateau for five days are an example of lives lived rightly and marriages that have endured.  It can be done.  Unfortunately, it seems that today many give up too easily.  Friendships are cast aside over trivial matters and marriages are ended without much effort to sustain them.  We have become a throw away society in way too many ways.

So I pay tribute to these wonderful people who have bucked the trends of the times in which we live.  I pay tribute to these who, when they said "til death do us part", meant it.  They are my heroes!

The Solomons

The Halls

The Rosses

The Smiths

The Dunningtons

The Moores

The Bittenbenders

BACK HOME AGAIN IN INDIANA AGAIN (August 29 - September 27)

The month of September has become the month in the fall that we spend in Indiana.  The time is split between our small cabin outside of Bloomington and with our daughter and her family in Avon.

The summer is drawing to a close and the cooler evenings are pleasant for sitting on our wrap around porch.  Open windows, at night, let in the fall breeze, which brings with it the sounds of  night time in the forest.

It is a month to regroup and enjoy some time with family.  The time at the cabin is spent cleaning up our property and cabin, visiting with Sherry's brother and sister in law, visiting Sherry's mom in the Nursing Home, and enjoying the beauty of the natural surroundings.  Rose of Sharon is still flowering, the song birds and humming birds are feeding constantly as the weather cools, and the white tail deer are starting to move along their fall routes as they prepare for the "rut".

Our time in the Indianapolis area is spent being grandparents to our two granddaughters, Abigail and

Adelyn

Adelyn.  We love being with Scott and Autumn but let's be honest, it's all about those girls.

September means volleyball and more volleyball.  Adelyn plays on her 7th grade team and Abigail, a 9th grader, plays on the High School Junior Varsity.  Abigail should be on the 9th grade team but was good enough to make JV in a High School that has over 3,000 students and that was Indiana State Volleyball Champs in 2017 and Runners Up in 2018.

Abigail

We are so proud of them both and believe they are both exceptional players worthy of much praise.  But then we are "the grandparents".

Even at Autumn's home in the "burbs" I can watch turkey and deer in the field and woods behind their house.

It is also a chance to visit with our doctors and dentist before heading out for the fall and winter adventures.






REFLECTIONS

We have been doing the "nomadic" retirement thing for nearly three years now.  They have been enjoyable and memorable times.  I know that many don't understand what we are doing but, for us, it is a perfect fit.  We love to land somewhere different and we love to land somewhere familiar.  Both places call to us.

We love to be alone and we love to be with family and friends.  We know that we are blessed and, as long as we can get these aging bodies from place to place, we will continue to travel hither and yon and enjoy each other and all that the Lord has granted us.  Right now, it's just great to be two dedicated volleyball fans.  GO ORIOLES!

A MEMORY LANE NAMED FAIRFIELD GLADE (July 27 - August 28, 2019)

One more time we made our way to Crossville, Tennessee and the Wyndham Resort at Fairfield Glade.  Travel from Indiana went without a hitch and we rolled our bags into a two bedroom condo in the Kensington Woods section just like we did when we first visited in 1983.

Then, there was just a sales trailer, a hand full of townhouses, a brand new 9 hole golf course, and a lot of promises.  Now, 36 years later, the promises have become reality.  Ninety holes of championship golf, lakes, time share units, private homes, shopping center, conference center, indoor recreation facility, swimming pools, mini golf, and on and on and on.

This was to be a five week stay to just relax and enjoy the retired life.  It was not vacation.  It was life

and it couldn't have been better.  Sundays were church and the brunch at the Country Club.  Mondays were outdoor concerts and food trucks at the park.  Wednesdays were Mrs. Millers donuts and the Farmer's Market.  The weather on the plateau was pleasant and the trails worth walking.

But what was most memorable was.....the memories!  Memories that drifted back into my mind as I walked past the playgrounds where our children played and laughed (and got mad at each other).  They were 7, 4, and 1 that first year.  The old lodge has been taken down but, as I stood where it used to be, in my mind I could hear endless "Marco.... Polo" calls echoing across its indoor pool.

The mini golf course has been redone but the layout is the same.  I walked the entire route while

envisioning those excited kids as they tried their hardest to put that little ball into the big hole while avoiding the various impediments that stood in their way.

We walked along the cascading creek and stopped to take a picture of the three seated on the jagged rocks while the waters rushed by.  The littlest trying to big and the biggest trying not to be bored.  The middle one just trying not to hurt her arm, broken in a fall from a horse.  What a struggle to get them where they needed to be seated.  Now, it is a moment frozen in time.  It is a moment that reminds me once again about the importance of family and how quickly those treasured times are gone.

Being old enough to retire and travel is wonderful but there is a certain emptiness to it.  Maybe we now just have too much time to reflect, to remember.  Remembering is a blessed part of the aging process but it is a mixed blessing.  One must learn to balance the remembering with the dreaming, the melancholy with the adventure of each new day.  I am still learning how to do that and, as a tear runs down my cheek, I pack to head back to Indiana and Missouri to see the grand kids and make more memories..

TURNING ADVERSITY INTO ADVENTURE (June 27 - July 26, 2019)

Pair A Dice Point @ Camp Clifford

Betsy Ross Home

Our flights from Anchorage to Cincinnati went well and, after picking up a vehicle from good friends, we made our way back to Indiana and our cabin.  Our time in Indiana was spent between watching our daughter's house while she went on vacation with her family and the cabin. 

We packed for a week's visit to Michigan and headed back to Cincinnati and the airport.  This time, standby flying didn't go so well.  All flights to Chicago were canceled because of weather and all flights to everywhere else filled up with those flyers trying to find a way home.  After talking about what to do, we decided to find a plane with empty seats and have an adventure. 

Philadelphia it was and we boarded for a couple of days in a city we had never visited.  Lodging was taken care of by our Wyndham Rewards Points and, with just the clothes on our backs, we spent a full day, in 95 degree temperatures, visiting the sites in the Historic District.

Camp Meeting in Howell, Michigan

Somethin' Fishy

We finally made it to Michigan a couple of days late and enjoyed a visit to the Eastern Michigan District Camp Meeting on the Water's Edge Campgrounds in Howell.  It was there that I attended church camps as a kid.  We went with friends Gene and Judy Smith and Fred and Linda Hall.  Fred, Gene, and I went to those camps together as boys 60 years ago.

Grouts

We spent most of our time with Gene and Judy at their wonderful country home outside of Davison.  Temperatures in the 70s were pleasant and the fish were biting.  Hours were spent visiting and we took a trip over to Lake Huron.  On the way, we stopped by to see Bob and Eleanor Grout.  They are distant relatives for whom I was their ring bearer back in 1953!  They are both around 90 years old and still active in farming a 6,000 acre farm in the thumb.  Then it was back to Indiana to have three teeth pulled.

REFLECTIONS

Once again, we were reminded that things don't always go as you plan.  Once again, we choose to make the best of the unexpected and turn it into an adventure.  So the Philadelphia jaunt just added to the entire experience of a summer journey.

The Michigan part of the trip was absolutely perfect.  Long time friends (I refuse to say old), fishing until the sun went down, traveling down memory lane with family I hadn't seen in years, and walking the ground I had walked so many years ago as a kid, all went together to make the perfect interlude between lengthy times away.  I could have done without the oral surgery at the end but "it is what it is".  Now, it's off to Fairfield Glade, Tennessee for five weeks.  And the beat goes on.

Dicers and Smiths

ALASKA 2019: THE ROAD (June 10-26, 2019)

Richardson Highway

Horse Tail Falls

After arriving in Anchorage by railroad, we rented a vehicle and drove the hour or so to Big Lake, Alaska where we began the road trip segment of our Alaskan adventure.  I've thought about the best way to tell about this over two week, 2,000 plus mile trek part of our experience and have decided that a machine gun type of explanation might work best.  So here we go.

Our time included overnights at a B & B (Glennallen), a church campground lodge (Big Lake), friends' homes (Chugiak, Soldotna), a church guest room (Homer), and a tent ( Ekultna Lake State Park).

During this time we visited Valdez (Richardson Highway), Eagle River (Eagle River Nature Center), Seward (Exit Glacier), Thunder Bird Falls, Gridwood (Alyeska Resort), Seldovia (Nature Cruise), Portage (Portage Glacier), Wasilla (Iditarod HQ), Palmer (Musk Ox Farm), Talkeetna, Hatcher Pass (Independance Gold Mine), and North Pole.  There were many other stops and places, but these are the main ones.

  Ekluta Lake

We saw eleven eagles at once on the shores of Cook Inlet, a Moose (up close and personal), a grizzly bear (walked through campsite), sea otters, thousands of nesting sea birds, Dall Sheep, Reindeer, Alaskan Pipe Line, glaciers, waterfalls (Bridal Veil and Horse Tail on the Richardson Highway near Valdez were the best), and mountain after mountain.

We ate at places named;Summit Lake Lodge (Moose Pass), Bobby's (Chugiak), Little Richard's Diner (North Pole), Old Roadhouse (Talkeetna), Denali Family Restaurant (Wasilla), Lucky Wishbone (Anchorage), Artic Roadrunner (Anchorage), Moose Is Loose (Soldotna), Louie's (Kenai), Duncan House (Homer), Land's End Resort (Homer) and, above the clouds, at Boar Tide Deli (Girdwood).

As huge as Alaska is, its road system is about the size of the road system in New Hampshire.  Having said that, it really doesn't matter which way you go there is always something spectacular around the next bend.

Seldovia

REFLECTIONS

Big Lake

Our month long Alaskan experience came to an end with an exciting road trip from Homer to Anchorage.  In order to make it back to the airport in Anchorage, we cut things a day short so as to make it through the edge of the 50,000 acre Swan Lake forest fire.  The blaze was threatening to shut down the Sterling Highway (the only artery through the Kenai Pennensula).  We sat in the 400 car line waiting for the guide vehicle to lead us on the ten mile stretch of  ground where the fire bordered the road.  The wait was well over two hours.

Many times the journey of our lives come down to an end that we could not anticipate; an end sparked by things beyond our control.  Most of us have stood beside someone whose life adventure came to unexpected stop and the waiting was long and difficult.

For those of us who are Christ followers, we believe that this waiting is but a pause before the One who said "I am the Way" comes to guide us through the smoke of death to the beauty on the other side.  It is then that we say with the song writer; "I'll fly away".

Sterling Highway (Swan Lake Fire)

ALASKA 2019: THE TRAIN (June 5-9, 2019)

Grandview , Alaska, Hiking Stop (End of the line)

Spencer Glacier

After disembarking from our ship in Whittier, Alaska we shortly boarded the Alaska Railroad train for an excursion to Spencer Glacier and Grandview.  This short but beautiful rail trip would bring us back to Whittier later in the day and then continue on to Anchorage where we would spend the night.

Thanks to an Alaska friend, who works for ARR, we had been given "family passes".  These passes allowed the four of us to travel 1/2 price for one continuous booking.  Sherry figured out a way to get us on every inch of passenger track with the exception of the spur to Seward.  All told, we spent about 36 hours on the rails.  I would highly recommend that any trip to Alaska include at least a short trip on the ARR.  I would recommend the run to Grandview or the run from Anchorage to Hurricane Gulch and back.

Time on the train can be spent reading, sleeping, or enjoying the scenery from the upper level of the observation car.  From this vantage point we saw eagles, swans, beavers, moose, bears, homesteaders, mountains, valleys, passes, waterfalls, rivers, lakes, and so much more.  It is an excellent way to get from Anchorage to Fairbanks and back without the hassle of driving.

REFLECTIONS

There is an old gospel song entitled "Life Is Like A Mountain Railway" and I would have to say after spending such a long time aboard the Alaskan Railroad that the journey did remind me a little of my life.

There were times of weariness as we chugged through the final hours of a twelve hour ride.  There were times of excitement as we watched a moose run along side the tracks.  There were times of awe as we encountered breathtaking scenery and the high waterfalls splashed down the mountainside.  There were times that were good to be shared with others and times when it was right to just be alone and drink it all in.

Put it all together and it was an interesting and enjoyable experience.

Such is life.  There will be together times and alone times.  There will be times when we get caught up in all the beauty of the things that have appeared along the track of our life.  And, yes, there will certainly be times when we are just weary; warn out!

Put them all together.  See them all as a wonderful tapestry and, as you look back, you will understand what a beautiful adventure you have been on.

Keep on rollin' and be blessed.