shiver me timbers

Shiver me timbers; we've got more ice here again! It catches the light so nicely, but the trees don't care much for it on account of that whole gravity thing.

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It's somewhat amusing when one has to chisel hard at his car to even get inside. I'm wearing away the serrated side of the ice scraper! Ooooo-eeeee! Don't drive in this stuff if you don't have to!

night driving

Did I hear one of my passengers complain about how long the drive to Florida was? That's okay...

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Here is a fun game to play at night with your kids. You have a volunteer sit in a driver's position, facing this image on the computer screen. All the other players in the game go to sleep for eight hours, but this volunteer must stay awake the whole time, cannot take his eyes off the screen except for a moment, or get out of the driver's position... or they all die.

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Truth be told, there were parts of the drive that it didn't seem quite so agonizing. I liked the stillness of all God's creatures and the opaque shroud of tranquility that tucked us in from horizon to horizon. I liked the space to drive, and the absence of commercials. There was no urban competition for that piece of asphalt right in front of your car. Except for the occasional remnants of highway Kamikaze, the animals were all out of sight. I delighted in the unique sound that a bug makes when the windshield pushes its face through to the opposite side. (Just checking to see if you're still with me.)

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The kids behaved so well for having to sit through a 22-hour drive. I am quite pleased with how they got along. To harass me for all the psychological prepping and behavior coaching, one of these monkeys asked me if we were "almost there," while we were still in the first hour of the drive. (sigh) Everybody wants to be a comedian!

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Oh, before anyone says anything... I DIDN'T take that photo while driving. I talked my wife through it. She doesn't usually use my camera, but did a nice job, eh?

due north

One man I used to know used to ask whether a decision was "due North." By that, he meant that in your heart of hearts, you knew that it was the right thing to do. Our time in Florida is finished, and we must pack up the van and head back to our home up North. It is an uncomfortable (for me) 80 degrees as I type this at night. Nights are supposed to be cool, right? But it's not about the weather; I need to get back to our home and my work; it's the right thing to do.

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Again, if you would, please pray for journey mercies as we begin Monday's 22-hour trek.

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I did not take as many photos as I originally expected, but there are a few, and I especially want you to see one of the shots I got of the moon from a few days ago. The photos took an appropriate back seat to the time with family. I got to see my beautiful red-head (daughter) and her husband. Usually I enjoy theological discussions with him, but this time, we just chilled, and I got to hold my brand new grandson, Rylan.

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My wife and children had a good time overall, even though we each got sick at one point or another, and my younger daughter lost her camera. I still hope that turns up somewhere. It was cool to visit my friend's church and hang out with an uncle and aunt, and my sister and her family. One of the nieces especially has grown up from being a cute little girl who we barely knew to the most delightful conversationalist.

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The time with my parents was a major highlight for me, and I think for my wife, too. Mom and Dad are amazing people. Who shall I compare them to? If you've seen the movie "Twister," there's an older lady the storm chasers visit, and she demonstrates hospitality to the uttermost. That's like my mom. Dad is a man of peace, wisdom and humor. He is an expert in diplomacy.

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Every time I leave my parents, I wonder if this is going to be the last time I see them both again. Nobody lives forever, and when the day comes that I hear of one or both of them passing, it will tear my heart in two, but I will always remember them well. Their memories are completely associated with fondness, affection, delight, and the utmost respect.

flavor crystals

Baby update: Unless Rylan makes a move, they'll induce labor on Tuesday night, for a Wednesday birth. We would plan to make the drive Wednesday afternoon, to arrive close to 9AM on Thursday. But he can still arrive before that, so we take it day by day.

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The anticipated 20-hour drive to see our grandson could still be a few days away. I usually try to keep a sojourner's mindset, so that I live in the moment, soaking up life in the present, rather than wishing I could be someplace else at that time. But I gotta tell you. There is one daily activity that I am really going to miss on that looooooong drive.

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Coffee. I love this stuff! We get fresh beans at home, and I grind only when I'm brewing. Most of the time, my coffee is great. But from time to time, I use a French press, and that coffee is (sniff) ... excuse me, I hate to cry about it, but I get a bit overwhelmed with emotion every time I think of fresh Starbucks through the French press!

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I remember the last time we made this drive. I was getting drowsy, and out of desperation, I did something rash. I used one of those rest stop vending machines to get a Dixie cup of toxic swill that... well, traveling victims are supposed to believe that those few ounces of abomination are somehow related to coffee.

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I would rather drink (gag) instant coffee. But wait!! I saw something in the news this week that says that Starbucks is going to start making some kind of instant coffee! How can this be?! Honestly, I'm a little scared about the whole thing. Still, if I find a way to temporarily suspend my skepticism, how shall I procure the piping hot water needed for my favorite elixir?

Keep driving, Dad!

On Halloween, S2 went trick-or-treating with my Mrs, as I drove D2 to a friend's house. She wanted to get there as soon as possible, and during the drive, heard me thinking out loud about the moon and Venus and pulling over to set up the tripod. "Daaaaad... NO!" She sounded like someone admonishing their pet. (Good grief, where's the rolled up news paper or spray bottle?) I stayed the course, and resisted the urge to stop and take a few snapshots of the unbelievable sky scape. I only captured this image, because the car was stopped, so quickly, I rested the camera over the open window and hoped for the best.

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It is a good thing too, because I don't think she could appreciate how much that meant to me, plus my old camera's disc drive was full, and it would have been worse to think I was carefully recording pictures and then find out that they weren't saved to the mini CD Rom.

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Here is an earlier picture of that sky. It was probably 5 or 10 minutes after this shot, that I saw the most expressive colors over a large field with an unobstructed view.

Sky Watch Friday!

moving picture

It is probably wise that we do NOT get snap-happy, shooting photographs from behind the steering wheel of a motor vehicle. Can we agree to that?

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...Unless of course, you just pulled up to a stop light and your spouse points and says, "Ooh, you should take a picture of that!"

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(Cue Indiana Jones theme music and begin slow motion.) I opened her (pwr) window with the left hand and unbuckled the camera bag with the right, simultaneously slinging it up onto my lap. I grabbed both zippers in the middle and pulled them back to the corners. As quickly as I lifted the lid from the camera bag, one fluid move reached in the bag, grabbing the camera firmly, pressing the power button with my thumb, and picked it up to aim it while the other hand removed the lens cap.

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(Stop music & slow motion) Let's go already, you digicam-a-saurus! This camera boots up so slow! Come on, come on, hurry before the light changes... YESSS! It's ready!!

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(Resume music) Presets all good, aim, click, off, zip-zip, clip... the camera is stowed away again. The light turns green, and I'm completely done and ready to drive. My Mrs. and I glance at each other. Yup... we're gooood! (Music continues as we drive away--into the sunset.)

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Big family reunion this weekend... I'll check back in when I get a chance.

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New Sky Watch location:

Visit HERE to enter this week's Sky Watch Friday

good driver

The Craver minivan cruised along the interstate a few years ago in a dangerous, slushy, freezing blizzard. The wipers were going full speed. There were several times where the wind tried to change lanes for me, and I had to fight to keep our vehicle in the proper lane. It was dark outside, and I heavily depended on the other cars' lights to get a bearing on where the road turned. We had a long drive ahead of us, and I wanted desperately to drive faster, but the conditions just would not allow me to go any faster.

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I overtook a car in the other lane. As I closed the gap, and eventually pulled ahead, my son cheered from behind me. "We're number one! We're number one!..." I smiled.

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I little later, another car closed the gap and began to overtake US! The tables had turned. My son said, "Hurry up, Dad! They're going to win us!" "Son," I told him, "we're not out here to race; it doesn't help if I go faster and we end up in an accident. I just want to get home alive, okay?"

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The other car was right next to us now. As cheery as anything, S2 said "Okay, Dad." I maintained what I considered to be the best speed, under these conditions, and then the other car pulled ahead.

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With undiminished enthusiasm, he chanted, "We're number two! We're number two!" How cute, I thought. I grinned and laughed inside. But as reckless drivers ignored everyone's safety and continued to pass, he kept score, "...We're number nine! We're number nine!" it got old. I interjected a firm "Son, Daddy needs some quiet now..."

commencement

It rained so hard on Thursday's drive to Kentucky that the reduced visibility was frightening. Literally. There's nothing like fear to get your heart racing and adrenaline pumping and put you in full alert status. We made it down there without any trouble, and we did not have any problems with rain at Friday's graduation.

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Being confident of warmer weather, I did not pack a sweater or spring jacket. That was not wise. The graduation was held outdoors, and there was a cool mist in the air that had thousands of us shivering.

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My son-in-law's family picked a seating area that they felt would be good for taking pictures, because it was near one of the main aisles. They offered the end, so that I could get up and get better shots, but I declined, because I would really have to get way up close or use a tripod to get the kind of photograph that deserves preferential treatment.

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Pop! What's this?? Oh, I can't believe it. Two rows in front of us, a couple opened up a golf umbrella. There was a lot of moisture in the air, but no real precipitation. If you've ever sat behind a cowboy's "ten gallon" or "big hat lady," this was worse! Those white banner-type things with a coat of arms marked each end of the stage. As you can see from my photo, ALL of the people on-stage were COMPLETELY blocked off! I chuckled, but did not say anything right away, because until the program began, I didn't really need to see the stage.

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They put the gi-normous umbrella away as soon as commencement... er, commenced. :-)

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I'll have more photos and stories later, but my parting thought: It was a looooong time to be sitting out there without being properly dressed for the weather. Brrrr... I had my youngest son on my lap with my arms around him. That helped (both of us).