Good grief! I've let a month and a half go by since my last post. I never even posted scenes from the dedication of the new CTS building. It's all a matter of a shortage of time available to spend at a Wi-Fi hot spot. Even now I feel pressured because snow is coming tonight and I need to bring in some wood that I cut up in the woods yesterday.
So the short story is that we are doing well. One big event of the past month was a trip to NYC to sing at a memorial service for Wangari Maathai, the Kenyan activist. Our Guilford Church choir went down along with several others from Vermont. It was a powerful experience, singing at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine along with Paul Winter, and many dignitaries present. You can see us on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVSaei6XD5o
Well, that's all I have time for. I'll try not to let 6 weeks go by before the next post!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
NCAA disillusionment
I had trouble sleeping last night, so instead of lying awake in the dark I turned on the bedside lamp and read an article in Atlantic Monthly: "The Shame of College Sports" by Taylor Branch, award-winning author of a magnificent 3-volume history of the civil rights era.
I knew that college sports were being corrupted by money but I hadn't fully appreciated what a villain the NCAA is until I read this article. I'm afraid I'll never be able really to enjoy "March Madness" again in the way I have in the past. Branch believes that the whole concept of the "student athlete" is not only a fiction, but is an hypocrisy which exploits college athletes in much the same way that slave owners exploited their slaves. College athletes at the big-money schools are bringing hundreds of millions of dollars into the coffers of both their colleges and the NCAA, mainly through TV contracts, but if one of those athletes sells his jersey to someone, he has violated the rules and is suspended (even while his university bookstore is selling replicas of his jersey for $39.99).
A remedial English teacher at one of the NCAA schools, under pressure to insure that the athlete she was tutoring would get passing grades and thus maintain eligibility, did a stupid thing - the athlete was taking a test online and clicked "done," and left before he had completed the test. His buddy was there, so she had him open the test and finish it. She was fired, she sued and lost, and was blackballed by the NCAA. Although a competent and compassionate teacher, she couldn't get a job in any college in the US. She now works in a prison. Another teacher at an NCAA school was being pressured to fake grades so an athlete would pass. She refused and was fired. The university made clear to her in no uncertain terms that their star athlete was a lot more important than she was! She sued the university, but the NCAA didn't support her case.
Branch thinks that the NCAA is probably doomed. This may be wishful thinking, but there is a movement among the big football schools to bypass the whole NCAA-run bowl games and run their own national playoffs to determine the national football champion - sort of a "March Madness" for football. President Obama supports this idea. Branch figures that if they are successful at that, college basketball's "March Madness" itself will probably not be far behind. The schools may just figure out they don't need the NCAA. Eliminate the middleman! If that happens, the NCAA will lose 90% of its income. But it probably won't help the "student athlete."
Maybe there should be a law banning commercial TV cameras from any college sports event. If that happened (it never will!) I would miss "March Madness," but if I want to see basketball so badly, maybe I should just go to my nearest college and support the team in person.
I knew that college sports were being corrupted by money but I hadn't fully appreciated what a villain the NCAA is until I read this article. I'm afraid I'll never be able really to enjoy "March Madness" again in the way I have in the past. Branch believes that the whole concept of the "student athlete" is not only a fiction, but is an hypocrisy which exploits college athletes in much the same way that slave owners exploited their slaves. College athletes at the big-money schools are bringing hundreds of millions of dollars into the coffers of both their colleges and the NCAA, mainly through TV contracts, but if one of those athletes sells his jersey to someone, he has violated the rules and is suspended (even while his university bookstore is selling replicas of his jersey for $39.99).
A remedial English teacher at one of the NCAA schools, under pressure to insure that the athlete she was tutoring would get passing grades and thus maintain eligibility, did a stupid thing - the athlete was taking a test online and clicked "done," and left before he had completed the test. His buddy was there, so she had him open the test and finish it. She was fired, she sued and lost, and was blackballed by the NCAA. Although a competent and compassionate teacher, she couldn't get a job in any college in the US. She now works in a prison. Another teacher at an NCAA school was being pressured to fake grades so an athlete would pass. She refused and was fired. The university made clear to her in no uncertain terms that their star athlete was a lot more important than she was! She sued the university, but the NCAA didn't support her case.
Branch thinks that the NCAA is probably doomed. This may be wishful thinking, but there is a movement among the big football schools to bypass the whole NCAA-run bowl games and run their own national playoffs to determine the national football champion - sort of a "March Madness" for football. President Obama supports this idea. Branch figures that if they are successful at that, college basketball's "March Madness" itself will probably not be far behind. The schools may just figure out they don't need the NCAA. Eliminate the middleman! If that happens, the NCAA will lose 90% of its income. But it probably won't help the "student athlete."
Maybe there should be a law banning commercial TV cameras from any college sports event. If that happened (it never will!) I would miss "March Madness," but if I want to see basketball so badly, maybe I should just go to my nearest college and support the team in person.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Chicago Trip
Another month has whizzed by. There is definitely a correlation between having access to the internet while I'm lying in bed and frequency of blog entries! The bed I'm lying in at the moment is in Elgin, IL., at the apartment of my brother, Stewart. There is a WiFi network in the neighborhood here that I can take advantage of. When I'm at home, I have to drive to the library, or some other WiFi hotspot, in order to access the internet.
I'm in the Chicago area not only to see my brother, who is doing pretty well, by the way, but to attend the dedication of a new building for the Chicago Theological Seminary. For 90 years, CTS has occupied a lovely neo-Gothic complex in the very heart of the University of Chicago campus. But maintaining that building had become hugely expensive, and in many ways it had become an albatross, despite its architectural beauty. So, it worked out a deal with the U of C which acquired the old building - which, thank goodness has not been torn down, but has become the Becker Friedmann Institute for Research in Economics (there is some irony here because Milton Friedmann's free market economic theories were diametrically opposed to the prevailing mindset of the seminary). In return for the building, U of C gave CTS a huge bundle of cash and on top of that had built it a new building which it will lease to the seminary for 100 years at $1 a year, including exterior maintenance. This is a modern-looking, state-of-the art (LEEDS, digital everything, etc,) building which has everything the old building didn't have (e.g., accessibility, adequate classroom space), but, alas, lacks the older building's graceful beauty, and for someone like me, it's sentimental meaning. My father attended there five years in the 1930's, I attended there three years in the 1950's, met Shirley there, served as Pastor-in-Residence there from 1999-2001 - so it is an important place for me. The seminary is also leaving behind a beautiful chapel with a very beautiful tracker pipe organ - it would have been too expensive to move it.
However, in an era when seminaries are going bankrupt and dropping like flies, CTS has a forward-looking physical plant, which will undoubtedly serve it well for 100 years, a large endowment, and the assurance of a continued existence.
The new building is in a good location - a few blocks from the old building, across the Midway (that beautiful swath of green cutting through the U of C campus which is a vestige of the Columbian Exhibition of the 1890's), and down opposite International House. The dedication is this Friday, and I'll be there with an old seminary chum.
Here's what has been left behind:
Here's a rendering of the new:
I'll post some photos from the dedication at the end of the week.
I came out to Chicago yesterday by Amtrak. The train was late but through no fault of its own. A connecting train from Boston was hit by a falling tree (!!) and we waited in Albany for hours until all those passengers could be brought by bus from Springfield, MA to Albany. As I understand it, this was a late effect of tropical storm Irene - the tree's roots had been loosened by all the rain we've had.
I'm in the Chicago area not only to see my brother, who is doing pretty well, by the way, but to attend the dedication of a new building for the Chicago Theological Seminary. For 90 years, CTS has occupied a lovely neo-Gothic complex in the very heart of the University of Chicago campus. But maintaining that building had become hugely expensive, and in many ways it had become an albatross, despite its architectural beauty. So, it worked out a deal with the U of C which acquired the old building - which, thank goodness has not been torn down, but has become the Becker Friedmann Institute for Research in Economics (there is some irony here because Milton Friedmann's free market economic theories were diametrically opposed to the prevailing mindset of the seminary). In return for the building, U of C gave CTS a huge bundle of cash and on top of that had built it a new building which it will lease to the seminary for 100 years at $1 a year, including exterior maintenance. This is a modern-looking, state-of-the art (LEEDS, digital everything, etc,) building which has everything the old building didn't have (e.g., accessibility, adequate classroom space), but, alas, lacks the older building's graceful beauty, and for someone like me, it's sentimental meaning. My father attended there five years in the 1930's, I attended there three years in the 1950's, met Shirley there, served as Pastor-in-Residence there from 1999-2001 - so it is an important place for me. The seminary is also leaving behind a beautiful chapel with a very beautiful tracker pipe organ - it would have been too expensive to move it.
However, in an era when seminaries are going bankrupt and dropping like flies, CTS has a forward-looking physical plant, which will undoubtedly serve it well for 100 years, a large endowment, and the assurance of a continued existence.
The new building is in a good location - a few blocks from the old building, across the Midway (that beautiful swath of green cutting through the U of C campus which is a vestige of the Columbian Exhibition of the 1890's), and down opposite International House. The dedication is this Friday, and I'll be there with an old seminary chum.
Here's what has been left behind:
I'll post some photos from the dedication at the end of the week.
I came out to Chicago yesterday by Amtrak. The train was late but through no fault of its own. A connecting train from Boston was hit by a falling tree (!!) and we waited in Albany for hours until all those passengers could be brought by bus from Springfield, MA to Albany. As I understand it, this was a late effect of tropical storm Irene - the tree's roots had been loosened by all the rain we've had.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Elders and Waterfire
I'm writing from the Renaissance Hotel in Providence, RI. I've been attending a conference for Annuitant Visitors of the Pension Board of the United Church of Christ.
Renaissance Hotel
The Hotel is a renovated Masonic Temple, and is immediately across the street from the RI State Capital, as you can see. It's pretty posh, but our expenses are all paid by the Pension Board.
What is an Annuitant Visitor? There are about 150 of us spread across the United States. We are charged with keeping in touch with about 6000 retired ministers who are receiving a pension from the United Church of Christ. I myself have about 50 such retirees under my care in Vermont. I try to visit or call them regularly, and am available if they have a specific question or concern. Once a year, these 150 Visitors, all of whom are themselves retired ministers like myself, gather for a three-day Seminar to get caught up on the information we need to know. This year's conference was particularly interesting.
First of all, let me introduce you to Michael Downs, CEO of the Pension Board.
Michael Downs is a remarkably gifted manager. He has been head of the Pension Board for nine years, and it is considered one of the best managed pension funds in the world, with assets of $2.6 billion. Its administrative costs are 3/4 of 1% (0.75%) - one of the lowest of any fund, anywhere. Auditors of the fund regularly give it the highest ratings. Despite some very rocky years, the fund is growing, and UCC pensions have not decreased one penny in the last three difficult years; some have increased (depending on the balance of stocks and bonds in your retirement package). He is a very wise person when it comes to financial affairs, and we always look forward to his presentation every year. He does not see the economy getting better soon. He thinks Greece will default in October; Europe is going to have a difficult time, and that will affect our markets, since Europe is our largest trading partner. Nevertheless, over the long haul, he is optimistic.
One of the AVs from California gave a pep talk about being an "elder." It was funny, poignant and wise. I liked the story of the "elder" single man and woman who happened to meet at a conference. They sort of hit it off and went for a walk together, and then had dinner together, and then she invited him to her room. In the room she said, "You remind me of my fourth husband." "Good grief," he said, "how many times have you been married?" "Three," she said.
One of the most substantive presentations for me had to do with the role and calling of a retired minister. A very articulate retired woman minister, The Rev. Marti Baumer, held us in thrall while she led us through a comprehensive overview of what it means to be called to ministry, and particularly what that means in these later retirement years, when we are not actually serving a church. I think she stimulated every one of us to think more deeply about what we are really about.
So, we got a lot of intellectual and spiritual nourishment. And the hotel food was remarkably good too. About the best I've ever experienced in a hotel. Needless to say, the room is posh. They've done a great job transforming this historic Masonic Temple into a hotel. It would be $129 a night if I had to pay for it. But I don't.
Room 436
Tonight, after supper, we were free to wander. It happened to be the night of one of Providence's spectacles - the WaterFire. It is quite a sight. The Providence River (which was sort of a cesspool when I lived in Providence in the 1960s as a grad student), has been cleaned up, opened up, and made accessible downtown by creating a park on both sides. There is a promenade which ends in a large lagoon surrounded by an amphitheater and bridges. Every month or so, they stage a ritual in which Venetian-type gondolas filled with folks in medieval costumes go up the river and around the lagoon with huge torches and light pyres of wood that are located on rock pilings in the water - maybe thirty or more such pyres in all. There were thousands of people gathered to watch this spectacle, and with the city-scape behind, people of all kinds walking along the promenade, sidewalk cafes, music being played over huge speakers in the background (sort of mellow pop classic and jazz), it created quite the ambiance. It made Providence seem like a very lively and interesting city. Which I think it is.
WaterFire in Providence, RI
I lived here from 1960-1967, and it was going through a depression then. Department stores were closing, the downtown was seedy. I was happy to be here tonight and see the transformation. After watching the WaterFire I walked up the hill to the Brown University campus and in the lovely, warm evening, I walked by places which had been so familiar and deeply meaningful to me 45-50 years ago when I was in graduate school. Memories galore came flooding back. E.g., as I stopped to get a drink from a water fountain in the student union, I realized that I was standing on the spot where, 48 years ago this coming November 22nd, I had looked up at a TV monitor and seen my first glimpse of news that President Kennedy had been shot.
I did all of this by myself. Ellen is in Maine this weekend with her brother Jim and his new wife, Mary, She is attending the Common Ground Fair in Unity, ME, sponsored by the Maine Organic Growers Association. That too is a wonderful event, and at just about the other end of the spectrum from what I witnessed here in Providence tonight. It would have been fun to have her here with me, but it will also be fun to share our respective experiences when we are together again on Monday.
The Hotel is a renovated Masonic Temple, and is immediately across the street from the RI State Capital, as you can see. It's pretty posh, but our expenses are all paid by the Pension Board.
What is an Annuitant Visitor? There are about 150 of us spread across the United States. We are charged with keeping in touch with about 6000 retired ministers who are receiving a pension from the United Church of Christ. I myself have about 50 such retirees under my care in Vermont. I try to visit or call them regularly, and am available if they have a specific question or concern. Once a year, these 150 Visitors, all of whom are themselves retired ministers like myself, gather for a three-day Seminar to get caught up on the information we need to know. This year's conference was particularly interesting.
First of all, let me introduce you to Michael Downs, CEO of the Pension Board.
One of the AVs from California gave a pep talk about being an "elder." It was funny, poignant and wise. I liked the story of the "elder" single man and woman who happened to meet at a conference. They sort of hit it off and went for a walk together, and then had dinner together, and then she invited him to her room. In the room she said, "You remind me of my fourth husband." "Good grief," he said, "how many times have you been married?" "Three," she said.
One of the most substantive presentations for me had to do with the role and calling of a retired minister. A very articulate retired woman minister, The Rev. Marti Baumer, held us in thrall while she led us through a comprehensive overview of what it means to be called to ministry, and particularly what that means in these later retirement years, when we are not actually serving a church. I think she stimulated every one of us to think more deeply about what we are really about.
So, we got a lot of intellectual and spiritual nourishment. And the hotel food was remarkably good too. About the best I've ever experienced in a hotel. Needless to say, the room is posh. They've done a great job transforming this historic Masonic Temple into a hotel. It would be $129 a night if I had to pay for it. But I don't.
Tonight, after supper, we were free to wander. It happened to be the night of one of Providence's spectacles - the WaterFire. It is quite a sight. The Providence River (which was sort of a cesspool when I lived in Providence in the 1960s as a grad student), has been cleaned up, opened up, and made accessible downtown by creating a park on both sides. There is a promenade which ends in a large lagoon surrounded by an amphitheater and bridges. Every month or so, they stage a ritual in which Venetian-type gondolas filled with folks in medieval costumes go up the river and around the lagoon with huge torches and light pyres of wood that are located on rock pilings in the water - maybe thirty or more such pyres in all. There were thousands of people gathered to watch this spectacle, and with the city-scape behind, people of all kinds walking along the promenade, sidewalk cafes, music being played over huge speakers in the background (sort of mellow pop classic and jazz), it created quite the ambiance. It made Providence seem like a very lively and interesting city. Which I think it is.
I lived here from 1960-1967, and it was going through a depression then. Department stores were closing, the downtown was seedy. I was happy to be here tonight and see the transformation. After watching the WaterFire I walked up the hill to the Brown University campus and in the lovely, warm evening, I walked by places which had been so familiar and deeply meaningful to me 45-50 years ago when I was in graduate school. Memories galore came flooding back. E.g., as I stopped to get a drink from a water fountain in the student union, I realized that I was standing on the spot where, 48 years ago this coming November 22nd, I had looked up at a TV monitor and seen my first glimpse of news that President Kennedy had been shot.
I did all of this by myself. Ellen is in Maine this weekend with her brother Jim and his new wife, Mary, She is attending the Common Ground Fair in Unity, ME, sponsored by the Maine Organic Growers Association. That too is a wonderful event, and at just about the other end of the spectrum from what I witnessed here in Providence tonight. It would have been fun to have her here with me, but it will also be fun to share our respective experiences when we are together again on Monday.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Time flies!
Well, it's been a full month or more since my last blog entry. A lot of water has gone over the dam, both literally and figuratively, since then. For one thing, it has rained and rained. That includes Tropical Storm Irene, but we got almost as much rain the next week also. I haven't seen total figures for the past month, but it has to be over 10 inches. Fortunately, our home and driveway were not damaged by all this rain, but we know folks whose houses were swept away. Towns near us, like Wilmington, were damaged terribly, the business district changed forever. The state has done a great job of getting roads open again - e.g., Route 9 is open between Brattleboro and Bennington now.
Since my last blog entry Ellen and I went to Maine for her brother Jim's wedding. Jim and Mary were married in Union, ME, on Aug. 20th; Ellen was in charge of the food for the reception, while I was the officiant.I was also her helper, roasting lamb and helping schlep stuff from place to place. It was a lovely wedding, but we came home pretty tired. A week ago we went back for a couple of days to enjoy Jim's house while Jim and Mary were in London for their honeymoon. We love going to Maine.
The day after Irene, I went into my woods to inspect what the impact was of all that water that flowed down the mountain. It was impressive. But I tripped, fell on my chest and hurt my ribs - bruised probably. Anyway, it's been pretty sore. It's gradually getting better.
Everything is "starting up" again: The Concert Choir started up last Wednesday - we're doing the Salisbury Vespers by contemporary British composer Bob Chilkott. The Chorale is preparing a concert for October 2nd - a Memorial for Blanche Moyse. We're singing three Bach Cantatas: #30 Freue dich, erloster Schar, #42 Am Abend derselbige Sabbats and #147 Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben.
My grandchildren are calling. Bye for now.
Since my last blog entry Ellen and I went to Maine for her brother Jim's wedding. Jim and Mary were married in Union, ME, on Aug. 20th; Ellen was in charge of the food for the reception, while I was the officiant.I was also her helper, roasting lamb and helping schlep stuff from place to place. It was a lovely wedding, but we came home pretty tired. A week ago we went back for a couple of days to enjoy Jim's house while Jim and Mary were in London for their honeymoon. We love going to Maine.
The day after Irene, I went into my woods to inspect what the impact was of all that water that flowed down the mountain. It was impressive. But I tripped, fell on my chest and hurt my ribs - bruised probably. Anyway, it's been pretty sore. It's gradually getting better.
Everything is "starting up" again: The Concert Choir started up last Wednesday - we're doing the Salisbury Vespers by contemporary British composer Bob Chilkott. The Chorale is preparing a concert for October 2nd - a Memorial for Blanche Moyse. We're singing three Bach Cantatas: #30 Freue dich, erloster Schar, #42 Am Abend derselbige Sabbats and #147 Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben.
My grandchildren are calling. Bye for now.
Monday, August 15, 2011
The Rapture and the Presidency
I've been reflecting on the fact that two evangelical Christians now seem to be in the lead for the Republican Party's nominee for the presidency in 2012: Rep. Michele Bachmann, who won the Iowa Straw Pool, and Gov. Rick Perry, who announced his candidacy on Saturday and immediately was perceived to be in the top three (with Bachmann and Mitt Romney).
I'm wondering about the implications of having a candidate for the Presidency who believes in the "Rapture," i.e., the belief that in the end times, the "saved," will be caught up into the air, there to join Jesus Christ and those raised from the dead (cf. I Thessalonians 4:17 -"Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord." Cf. also Mt. 24:40-41 - "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill. The one shall one taken, the other left.") Now it must be granted that beliefs concerning the Rapture, especially its timing and sequence in the events of the end times, vary considerably among those Christian groups that hold this expectation. But the fundamental idea is common to all.
Let me say first of all that I do not believe in the Rapture. I regard the passages quoted above from the New Testament as products of a time in which there was an expectation of an immediate end of the world, within a few decades at the most. There was no "New Testament" when these words were uttered, either by Jesus or by Paul, and there would have been no need for one, given the shortness of the remaining time. It was only after those hopes and expectations were disappointed (that first generation died and the end still had not come), that adjustments were made, and it was realized that Christians were going to be around for a long time and needed instruction and inspiration. Thus the New Testament canon was formed over the course of a century or more. The prophecies of a "rapture" were reported, but could no longer mean what they originally had meant. Ever since, Christians have debated what they mean for subsequent generations. There have always been some Christians who have believed that they apply to the time in which they live, up to the present time (as recently as last May 31st).
I do not know precisely what Rep. Bachmann or Gov. Perry believe about the Rapture. But polls have indicated that, in Rep. Bachmann's case at least, 31% of her followers believe in the Rapture. It seems likely that she does too. And I assume that means that she hopes and expects that when the Rapture takes place, she will be among the saved who are "caught up." If so what are the implications of that for her candidacy? Well, I feel that any candidate who believes in the Rapture should be disqualified for the office of the presidency.
The president-elect takes this oath at her or his inauguration:
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
I do not see how someone who believes in the Rapture could take this oath in good conscience. They would be affirming their determination to defend the Constitution of the United States even while believing - and indeed hoping - that should the Rapture occur during their term of office, they would be "caught up" and thus be unable to fulfill their presidential obligations. It seems to me that to take this oath in good faith, one would want to be, and intend to be, among those "left behind," in the rapture.
There is no question that if the Rapture does take place, it will be followed by severe social dislocation (what the Bible calls "tribulation"). Airplanes will be left pilot-less; subway trains will lose their engineers; patients on the operating table will lose their chief surgeon, etc. We will need strong hands on the tiller at every level of government to restore order out of the resulting chaos.
Of course, the "saved" could not care less about this. In fact, those who believe in the Rapture probably feel that those left behind deserve to suffer because they are the "damned," so the more chaos the better. But those of us left behind may have different ideas on this.
If the Republican Party ends up nominating for the presidency someone who believes in the Rapture (and who sees himself or herself as among the "saved") won't that send a message that the party cares little for the American people as a whole and just wants to save the skins of the few? But, come to think about it, that's what their fiscal policy is all about! But that's another whole issue.
I'm wondering about the implications of having a candidate for the Presidency who believes in the "Rapture," i.e., the belief that in the end times, the "saved," will be caught up into the air, there to join Jesus Christ and those raised from the dead (cf. I Thessalonians 4:17 -"Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord." Cf. also Mt. 24:40-41 - "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill. The one shall one taken, the other left.") Now it must be granted that beliefs concerning the Rapture, especially its timing and sequence in the events of the end times, vary considerably among those Christian groups that hold this expectation. But the fundamental idea is common to all.
Let me say first of all that I do not believe in the Rapture. I regard the passages quoted above from the New Testament as products of a time in which there was an expectation of an immediate end of the world, within a few decades at the most. There was no "New Testament" when these words were uttered, either by Jesus or by Paul, and there would have been no need for one, given the shortness of the remaining time. It was only after those hopes and expectations were disappointed (that first generation died and the end still had not come), that adjustments were made, and it was realized that Christians were going to be around for a long time and needed instruction and inspiration. Thus the New Testament canon was formed over the course of a century or more. The prophecies of a "rapture" were reported, but could no longer mean what they originally had meant. Ever since, Christians have debated what they mean for subsequent generations. There have always been some Christians who have believed that they apply to the time in which they live, up to the present time (as recently as last May 31st).
I do not know precisely what Rep. Bachmann or Gov. Perry believe about the Rapture. But polls have indicated that, in Rep. Bachmann's case at least, 31% of her followers believe in the Rapture. It seems likely that she does too. And I assume that means that she hopes and expects that when the Rapture takes place, she will be among the saved who are "caught up." If so what are the implications of that for her candidacy? Well, I feel that any candidate who believes in the Rapture should be disqualified for the office of the presidency.
The president-elect takes this oath at her or his inauguration:
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
I do not see how someone who believes in the Rapture could take this oath in good conscience. They would be affirming their determination to defend the Constitution of the United States even while believing - and indeed hoping - that should the Rapture occur during their term of office, they would be "caught up" and thus be unable to fulfill their presidential obligations. It seems to me that to take this oath in good faith, one would want to be, and intend to be, among those "left behind," in the rapture.
There is no question that if the Rapture does take place, it will be followed by severe social dislocation (what the Bible calls "tribulation"). Airplanes will be left pilot-less; subway trains will lose their engineers; patients on the operating table will lose their chief surgeon, etc. We will need strong hands on the tiller at every level of government to restore order out of the resulting chaos.
Of course, the "saved" could not care less about this. In fact, those who believe in the Rapture probably feel that those left behind deserve to suffer because they are the "damned," so the more chaos the better. But those of us left behind may have different ideas on this.
If the Republican Party ends up nominating for the presidency someone who believes in the Rapture (and who sees himself or herself as among the "saved") won't that send a message that the party cares little for the American people as a whole and just wants to save the skins of the few? But, come to think about it, that's what their fiscal policy is all about! But that's another whole issue.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Home again, home again...
DAY SEVENTY-FIVE: I guess I'll let "seventy-five" be the end of this series. I'm home now, and am already very much in a "non-trip" mode, feeling the pressures of what lies ahead. My brother, Stewart, seems to be doing pretty well in his new location. While I was there, we hosted his friend, Carol, for lunch. We figured out how to program his new answering machine (no mean feat!). I showed him how to make smoothies, and he's following up on that. Since I left he's had more visitors, went out himself to visit an old work colleague who turned out lived in the next building, has gone to his Barbershop Chorus annual Corn Boil. I've made arrangements to go back in October for the dedication of the Chicago Theological Seminary new building at the University of Chicago, and a classmate at the seminary will join me and we'll stay with Stewart. I don't think this would have happened at the old place. So, it sounds good.
I never had a chance to post a photo from our visit with Katie, Savanna and Brendan at Oxbow Lake, NY on our way home the first time (back around DAY SIXTY-EIGHT). So, here it is:
Since my return home from Stewart's, Ellen has gone to several Marlboro Music Festival rehearsals, and today, after church, we joined Katie and Savanna there for a concert of Handel, Copland and Schubert.
Now I'm getting ready to lead a service next Sunday which will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the town of Guilford. The service will feature the famous Guilford "Nine-o'-clock Choir" and the hymns of Isaac Watts. It will be a festive morning. And of course, less than two weeks down the road is the wedding of Jim Tolles and Mary Cooke in Union, Maine where Ellen will be head caterer for the reception and I'll be the officiant. Stay tuned!
I never had a chance to post a photo from our visit with Katie, Savanna and Brendan at Oxbow Lake, NY on our way home the first time (back around DAY SIXTY-EIGHT). So, here it is:
Since my return home from Stewart's, Ellen has gone to several Marlboro Music Festival rehearsals, and today, after church, we joined Katie and Savanna there for a concert of Handel, Copland and Schubert.
Now I'm getting ready to lead a service next Sunday which will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the town of Guilford. The service will feature the famous Guilford "Nine-o'-clock Choir" and the hymns of Isaac Watts. It will be a festive morning. And of course, less than two weeks down the road is the wedding of Jim Tolles and Mary Cooke in Union, Maine where Ellen will be head caterer for the reception and I'll be the officiant. Stay tuned!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Back to Vermont
DAY SEVENTY: Today is my last day here in Elgin with my brother. My niece, Becky, will pick me up late this afternoon and take me to the Elgin METRA station where I get a commuter train into Union Station in time for early boarding of the Amtrak for Albany. I hope to get a good seat. The train leaves at 10pm, arrives in Albany tomorrow at 2:45pm. Ellen will meet me there. I hope to get some sleep on the train but I'm not optimistic. I got very little coming out last Friday-Saturday.
I'm glad I came to be with Stewart during these first days in his new apartment. I'm hopeful that this will work for him but I have some concerns. He will be living alone. His kids, Becky especially, will check in on him frequently, I'm sure. I plan to call him regularly. But still... He is not sleeping well, and hasn't for years. He is extremely thin. He gets light-headed fairly easily, feels weak and tired. I'm not sure he'll eat properly alone. But, I like the apartment and he seems to also. It's in a pleasant neighborhood. It seems pretty quiet. It is not too far from all the familiar things. It could be a new start for him. I hope so!
I'm glad I came to be with Stewart during these first days in his new apartment. I'm hopeful that this will work for him but I have some concerns. He will be living alone. His kids, Becky especially, will check in on him frequently, I'm sure. I plan to call him regularly. But still... He is not sleeping well, and hasn't for years. He is extremely thin. He gets light-headed fairly easily, feels weak and tired. I'm not sure he'll eat properly alone. But, I like the apartment and he seems to also. It's in a pleasant neighborhood. It seems pretty quiet. It is not too far from all the familiar things. It could be a new start for him. I hope so!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Back in Elgin, IL
DAY SIXTY-EIGHT:I'm back in Elgin with my brother. Ellen is in Vermont. I came out by train, arriving yesterday in Union Station, Chicago, at about 11am. I got a bite to eat at the food court and then took the Metra to Elgin where Peter met me. The move went well - Daniel had rented a van and with that and others using their cars, they brought everything in one trip. Stewart was exhausted but seemed in pretty good spirits: what a trooper! He said he went up and down the stairs at the old house (called Whitewood) more times yesterday than he would have done in a week normally. When I arrived, he was concerned that he couldn't find his checkbook. It wasn't in the drawer where he remembered putting it. I drove him back to Whitewood and we looked for it there - no luck. Then he thought maybe he had put it in another drawer in the new apartment, so we went back - no luck. But Daniel came to the rescue. He thought to pull out the drawer and found the checkbook stuck behind the drawer. It made sense - in the process of moving the cabinet, it got tipped and since the checkbook was on top, it just fell behind the drawer out of sight. Whew! Daniel said, "You always lose one thing when you move. I guess that wasn't it!"
Daniel brought over a wonderful airbed, queen sized, for me to sleep on here at the apartment. It's very comfortable!
GOING BACK: We had a lovely time with Katie, Savanna and Brendan on Oxbow Lake near Speculator, NY where they rent a cottage. I haven't had a chance to download the photos I took there, and now that will have to wait until i get back to Vermont next week.
When we arrived home last Monday evening, Ellen and I found the house sort of musty, having been closed up in extreme heat and humidity, but once it got aired out and we got the dehumidifier going, it wasn't too bad. No mice! No ants! Yay!
We went up to Marlboro Music Festival Wednesday evening and heard a wonderful and unusual concert of pieces by Schubert, Webern, Schnittke and Bernstein that neither of us had ever heard before. The Schubert and Bernstein were pieces of musical theater that were charming (Schubert's Der Hochzeitsbraten was a comedy about a couple poaching a rabbit for their wedding feast, and the Bernstein Arias and Barcarolles was about the more sophisticated angst of a married couple that could have been out of a Stephen Sondheim musical). The Webern Quartet for violin, clarinet, tenor saxophone and piano was repeated, a brilliant decision by the programmer, and the Schnittke (Russian, 1934-1998) Piano Quintet was a very powerful and difficult piece involving a lot of quarter-tones. It made us want to know more about Schnittke. What a treasure the Marlboro Music Festival is! This is their 60th anniversary.
Most of the days back home I was busy preparing for the August 14th service at the Guilford Church that I will be leading - celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the town of Guilford. It will feature the hymns of Isaac Watts. We also hosted John and Cynthia for supper and had a lovely evening with them. I was pretty busy the whole time.
Back in Elgin, I'll be here until next Tuesday. Last evening I went out and bought Stewart a blender, and got all the makings for my smoothies (whey powder, tofu, cottage cheese, yogurt and fruit) which I regularly make for breakfast. I'm hoping he might take to them, and make them for himself after I leave.
Daniel brought over a wonderful airbed, queen sized, for me to sleep on here at the apartment. It's very comfortable!
GOING BACK: We had a lovely time with Katie, Savanna and Brendan on Oxbow Lake near Speculator, NY where they rent a cottage. I haven't had a chance to download the photos I took there, and now that will have to wait until i get back to Vermont next week.
When we arrived home last Monday evening, Ellen and I found the house sort of musty, having been closed up in extreme heat and humidity, but once it got aired out and we got the dehumidifier going, it wasn't too bad. No mice! No ants! Yay!
We went up to Marlboro Music Festival Wednesday evening and heard a wonderful and unusual concert of pieces by Schubert, Webern, Schnittke and Bernstein that neither of us had ever heard before. The Schubert and Bernstein were pieces of musical theater that were charming (Schubert's Der Hochzeitsbraten was a comedy about a couple poaching a rabbit for their wedding feast, and the Bernstein Arias and Barcarolles was about the more sophisticated angst of a married couple that could have been out of a Stephen Sondheim musical). The Webern Quartet for violin, clarinet, tenor saxophone and piano was repeated, a brilliant decision by the programmer, and the Schnittke (Russian, 1934-1998) Piano Quintet was a very powerful and difficult piece involving a lot of quarter-tones. It made us want to know more about Schnittke. What a treasure the Marlboro Music Festival is! This is their 60th anniversary.
Most of the days back home I was busy preparing for the August 14th service at the Guilford Church that I will be leading - celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the town of Guilford. It will feature the hymns of Isaac Watts. We also hosted John and Cynthia for supper and had a lovely evening with them. I was pretty busy the whole time.
Back in Elgin, I'll be here until next Tuesday. Last evening I went out and bought Stewart a blender, and got all the makings for my smoothies (whey powder, tofu, cottage cheese, yogurt and fruit) which I regularly make for breakfast. I'm hoping he might take to them, and make them for himself after I leave.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
New Plan
DAY FIFTY-EIGHT: Our plan is evolving, but as of now, we're on our way home to Vermont. Then I'll come back to Elgin, IL by train on July 29-30, to be with Stewart for the first few days he is in a new apartment. Then I'll come back to Vermont August 3rd. Today we drove from Bartlett to Erie, PA. It was HOT. It got up to 104 in places. But the AC in the Corolla is good and we were comfortable - until we got out to stretch! Tomorrow, we'll drive to Oxbow Lake in the Adirondacks, NY, to spend a few days with Katie and Savanna.
Last night we somehow got into finding fun stuff on YouTube with Jerry, Gretchen, Becky and Stewart: We found You Always Hurt the One You Love performed by Spike Jones and his City Slickers; Nature Boy sung by Nat King Cole, and then Serutan Yob performed by Red Ingle and His Unnatural Seven; Managua, Nicaragua by Guy Lombardo and Freddie Martin, Alan Sherman singing Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah; and the crowning joy, Victor Borge doing his Phonetic Punctuation and even more hilarious Inflationary Language. It's amazing what you can find. I was a HUGE Spike Jones fan when I was about 12 years old. I still think he's funny, but Victor Borge gets the prize. He was brilliant.
Yesterday I took some things over to the new apartment for Stewart. Here's a shot of the entrance:
Last night we somehow got into finding fun stuff on YouTube with Jerry, Gretchen, Becky and Stewart: We found You Always Hurt the One You Love performed by Spike Jones and his City Slickers; Nature Boy sung by Nat King Cole, and then Serutan Yob performed by Red Ingle and His Unnatural Seven; Managua, Nicaragua by Guy Lombardo and Freddie Martin, Alan Sherman singing Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah; and the crowning joy, Victor Borge doing his Phonetic Punctuation and even more hilarious Inflationary Language. It's amazing what you can find. I was a HUGE Spike Jones fan when I was about 12 years old. I still think he's funny, but Victor Borge gets the prize. He was brilliant.
Yesterday I took some things over to the new apartment for Stewart. Here's a shot of the entrance:
Monday, July 18, 2011
Change in Plans
DAY FIFTY-FIVE: We're staying in Bartlett longer than originally planned. First of all, the shock absorbers on the Corolla were really in bad shape: something we were aware of, and putting up with in the hopes we could make it back to VT. But it got worse and worse, and we decided to get it fixed here. So that's happening today - new shocks and springs, all four wheels! Yikes!
But I've also decided to stay here for my brother Stewart, just to give him whatever support I can during a difficult week in which he will be moving from the home he has lived in for 47 years into an apartment, due largely to health reasons. As it now stands, Ellen will stay too. We're taking it a day at a time at this point.
Yesterday we had a gathering of the Crockett clan for a meal at Gretchen and Jerry's house. We always take a picture of the group. Here it is:
Back Row, Left to right: Gretchen Hochburger, Lori Crockett, Peter Crockett, Stewart Crockett, Rachael Crockett Costello, and her three children, Maura, Maeve and Ronan.
Front row, l. to r.: Rebecca Crockett, Ellen, Me, Dennis McQuen, Daniel Crockett, Susie Crockett McQuen. Not pictured: Jerry Hochburger, who took the photo and Brendan Costello, Rachael's husband, who had to work.
SATURDAY, July 16th: We did stop at Talieson in Spring Green, WI on our way from Ellsworth, WI to Bartlett, IL. We didn't have time to tour the house, and the tours were full anyway, but we know we will come back if we can someday in the future. We did visit the Visitor Center, designed by Wright originally as a restaurant, and we drove by a little chapel at the cemetery where Wright is buried, and also saw the Home School and the barn he designed, which are nearby. It's a Wright mecca, and definitely worth a long visit.
UNITY CHAPEL
WRIGHT'S GRAVE
HOME SCHOOL
THIS IS A REPLICA OF THE DINING TABLE AND CHAIRS WRIGHT DESIGNED FOR HIS HOME. THE ENTIRE SET CAN BE YOURS FOR $13,000.
But I've also decided to stay here for my brother Stewart, just to give him whatever support I can during a difficult week in which he will be moving from the home he has lived in for 47 years into an apartment, due largely to health reasons. As it now stands, Ellen will stay too. We're taking it a day at a time at this point.
Yesterday we had a gathering of the Crockett clan for a meal at Gretchen and Jerry's house. We always take a picture of the group. Here it is:
Front row, l. to r.: Rebecca Crockett, Ellen, Me, Dennis McQuen, Daniel Crockett, Susie Crockett McQuen. Not pictured: Jerry Hochburger, who took the photo and Brendan Costello, Rachael's husband, who had to work.
SATURDAY, July 16th: We did stop at Talieson in Spring Green, WI on our way from Ellsworth, WI to Bartlett, IL. We didn't have time to tour the house, and the tours were full anyway, but we know we will come back if we can someday in the future. We did visit the Visitor Center, designed by Wright originally as a restaurant, and we drove by a little chapel at the cemetery where Wright is buried, and also saw the Home School and the barn he designed, which are nearby. It's a Wright mecca, and definitely worth a long visit.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Arleene Sweet
DAY FIFTY-THREE: Last evening we stopped to visit our friend, Arleene Sweet, who lives in a suburb NW of St. Paul, MN. I've known Arleene for almost 60 years - she was David Sweet's girlfriend (David was my college roommate), and they were married just after I graduated from Drury in 1954. I was the best man at their wedding. (One of my more embarrassing moments in life was when David and I were talking, probably at least 20 years after their wedding, and he was talking about the wedding ceremony and I said, "Gosh, I wish I had been there!" David gave me a very funny look and said, "Larry, you were my best man!").
David went on to become a very innovative college president at Minnesota Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, and then at Rhode Island College in Providence. Shirley and I stayed in touch with him and Arleene over the years, and continued to stay in touch with Arleene after David died in 1984, visiting her in Jefferson City, MO and in Winchester, VA where she was living and working. Now she lives near her daughters in St. Paul. Ellen and I had visited her in 2007, and had enjoyed that visit very much. Arleene is an artist, sewer, and fun person. She also loves cats, and for a long time had two Siamese cats that I was deathly allergic to. (One visit I recall years ago I ended up sleeping in the car). They are gone now, but have been replaced by a very feisty kitten, "Jack," whom Arleene took pity on when he became homeless. In the short time I was in her apartment last night, I began to feel a reaction to him too (he loved jumping into my lap). So we went out to eat at Olive Garden and had a good time catching up on the news of her life and family. She offered for us to spend the night in her guest room, but I was afraid Jack might send me out to the car again. So we said farewell with a promise not to let another five years go by before our next visit.
ARLEENE SWEET
Earlier, our trip to St. Paul from Aberdeen, SD, was fairly uneventful - passing through rich agricultural land. It was a little worrisome, because our rear shock absorbers in the Corolla are pretty worn out and the car makes quite a bang on some dips in the road. This has been a problem for a while, but seems to be getting worse. We're not sure whether to get them fixed on the road or try to make it back home and have Doug Richmond, our trusted auto mechanic, do the job. We also had the experience of having a gas pump nozzle fail to shut off and gas went all over the ground. I went into the station and got a bag of litter to spread on the spilled gas, but in the process, my sandals got gas on them. I tried to wash it off, but the odor of gas was so strong in the car I finally took them off, sealed them in a plastic bag, and put them in the trunk. Sigh!
After leaving Arleene's, we had a lovely drive into Wisconsin, with a spectacular sunset, and spent last night in a very nice "mom and pop" motel in Ellsworth, WI, the David Lodge. It is one of the most nicely appointed motel rooms we've stayed in, including very lovely quilt bedspreads (motel bedspreads are usually really ugly).
We may stop by Spring Green, WI and take a peek at Frank Lloyd Wright's Talieson, on our way to Bartlett today, but I learned on line this morning that a tour of the house costs $57! Ouch! The tour of his house in Oak Park was a third of that.
David went on to become a very innovative college president at Minnesota Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, and then at Rhode Island College in Providence. Shirley and I stayed in touch with him and Arleene over the years, and continued to stay in touch with Arleene after David died in 1984, visiting her in Jefferson City, MO and in Winchester, VA where she was living and working. Now she lives near her daughters in St. Paul. Ellen and I had visited her in 2007, and had enjoyed that visit very much. Arleene is an artist, sewer, and fun person. She also loves cats, and for a long time had two Siamese cats that I was deathly allergic to. (One visit I recall years ago I ended up sleeping in the car). They are gone now, but have been replaced by a very feisty kitten, "Jack," whom Arleene took pity on when he became homeless. In the short time I was in her apartment last night, I began to feel a reaction to him too (he loved jumping into my lap). So we went out to eat at Olive Garden and had a good time catching up on the news of her life and family. She offered for us to spend the night in her guest room, but I was afraid Jack might send me out to the car again. So we said farewell with a promise not to let another five years go by before our next visit.
Earlier, our trip to St. Paul from Aberdeen, SD, was fairly uneventful - passing through rich agricultural land. It was a little worrisome, because our rear shock absorbers in the Corolla are pretty worn out and the car makes quite a bang on some dips in the road. This has been a problem for a while, but seems to be getting worse. We're not sure whether to get them fixed on the road or try to make it back home and have Doug Richmond, our trusted auto mechanic, do the job. We also had the experience of having a gas pump nozzle fail to shut off and gas went all over the ground. I went into the station and got a bag of litter to spread on the spilled gas, but in the process, my sandals got gas on them. I tried to wash it off, but the odor of gas was so strong in the car I finally took them off, sealed them in a plastic bag, and put them in the trunk. Sigh!
After leaving Arleene's, we had a lovely drive into Wisconsin, with a spectacular sunset, and spent last night in a very nice "mom and pop" motel in Ellsworth, WI, the David Lodge. It is one of the most nicely appointed motel rooms we've stayed in, including very lovely quilt bedspreads (motel bedspreads are usually really ugly).
We may stop by Spring Green, WI and take a peek at Frank Lloyd Wright's Talieson, on our way to Bartlett today, but I learned on line this morning that a tour of the house costs $57! Ouch! The tour of his house in Oak Park was a third of that.
Friday, July 15, 2011
National Parks
DAY FIFTY-FIVE: I have some catching up to do, because we've been in a world where there is no internet. Yellowstone National Park is blessedly free of both internet and cell phone access. Yellowstone is famous for its geysers, mud pots, fumaroles, canyons, and wildlife like bison, bears and such, but we go there primarily for the wildflowers. We did see a lot of bison and Ellen caught a glimpse of a grizzly bear, but we identified over 70 kinds of wildflowers. The profusion of wildflowers in an alpine meadow is really something to see, and hard to capture in its overwhelming beauty. Here is a little glimpse:
WILDFLOWERS IN YELLOWSTONE PARK
PAINTBRUSH AT TROUT LAKE AND COLUMBINE AT WRAITH FALLS, Y.N.P.
We stayed in a cabin at Roosevelt Lodge, our favorite place, which is sort of out-of-the way in the park.
ROUGH RIDER CABIN
THE LODGE AT ROOSEVELT
We had lovely hikes, like one up to Trout Lake, where we saw scores of spawning trout in the stream running into the lake.
TROUT LAKE
Wednesday we drove up over the Beartooth Pass, an incredible drive, where there's still a lot of snow, beautiful wildflowers and magnificent views, and on to Red Lodge, MT.
BEARTOOTH HIGHWAY: SNOW, MARSH MARIGOLDS AND VIEW
Then we went across Montana to Glendive, MT and on to Beach, ND, just over the line from Montana, where we spent the night Wednesday, and had one of our "evening walks in a strange town." We love exploring a new place and imagining living there. Thursday morning we went on a few miles to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND, another very special place, sort of like the Badlands, but different too, and with several "prairie dog towns" which are another sight to behold! The grandkids would love them! The park is, in a way, a monument to the important role Theodore Roosevelt played in the creation of national parks and monuments.
VIEW FROM BUCK HILL, T.R.N.P.
We went on from there to Lemmon, SD, the hometown of Kathleen Norris, author of Dakota, Cloister Walk, Amazing Grace, and other books I have enjoyed. We read parts of Dakota; A Spiritual Geography as we drove. We had a little supper in Lemmon and then had a long drive yesterday evening to Aberdeen, SD, where we spent the night and where I am writing now - in a very fancy suite which we got because we made a reservation through Hotel.com but the Super 8 in Aberdeen didn't have the room Hotel.com sold us, so they upgraded us to this suite at the same price. This created a bit of anxiety last night because we got a text message on the cell phone saying there "was an issue with our reservation," and that it was urgent that we call a number. But we kept going in and out of cell phone access and we worried whether maybe we wouldn't have a room - it was getting on toward 11 p.m. at this point, so we had a right to worry! We finally reached the number and found that they just wanted to tell us we had an upgraded room! Now how "urgent" was that? So here we are! Today we'll go on to the twin cities in MN - maybe we'll get to see our friend Arleene Sweet. Then on to Bartlett, IL Saturday, and see how my brother is doing. We're pretty close to 9,000 miles at this point.
WILDFLOWERS IN YELLOWSTONE PARK
We stayed in a cabin at Roosevelt Lodge, our favorite place, which is sort of out-of-the way in the park.
We had lovely hikes, like one up to Trout Lake, where we saw scores of spawning trout in the stream running into the lake.
TROUT LAKE
Wednesday we drove up over the Beartooth Pass, an incredible drive, where there's still a lot of snow, beautiful wildflowers and magnificent views, and on to Red Lodge, MT.
BEARTOOTH HIGHWAY: SNOW, MARSH MARIGOLDS AND VIEW
Then we went across Montana to Glendive, MT and on to Beach, ND, just over the line from Montana, where we spent the night Wednesday, and had one of our "evening walks in a strange town." We love exploring a new place and imagining living there. Thursday morning we went on a few miles to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND, another very special place, sort of like the Badlands, but different too, and with several "prairie dog towns" which are another sight to behold! The grandkids would love them! The park is, in a way, a monument to the important role Theodore Roosevelt played in the creation of national parks and monuments.
We went on from there to Lemmon, SD, the hometown of Kathleen Norris, author of Dakota, Cloister Walk, Amazing Grace, and other books I have enjoyed. We read parts of Dakota; A Spiritual Geography as we drove. We had a little supper in Lemmon and then had a long drive yesterday evening to Aberdeen, SD, where we spent the night and where I am writing now - in a very fancy suite which we got because we made a reservation through Hotel.com but the Super 8 in Aberdeen didn't have the room Hotel.com sold us, so they upgraded us to this suite at the same price. This created a bit of anxiety last night because we got a text message on the cell phone saying there "was an issue with our reservation," and that it was urgent that we call a number. But we kept going in and out of cell phone access and we worried whether maybe we wouldn't have a room - it was getting on toward 11 p.m. at this point, so we had a right to worry! We finally reached the number and found that they just wanted to tell us we had an upgraded room! Now how "urgent" was that? So here we are! Today we'll go on to the twin cities in MN - maybe we'll get to see our friend Arleene Sweet. Then on to Bartlett, IL Saturday, and see how my brother is doing. We're pretty close to 9,000 miles at this point.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Horsing around
DAY FIFTY: Today the Feinlands headed back to home. They drove to Salt Lake City where they will spend tonight and fly out on an early flight in the morning for Bradley. So there were many goodbyes today. Max took it all in stride pretty well, but he did get close to a four-hour nap this afternoon. Ellen and I hung out and had a quiet day. Tomorrow, we'll head for Yellowstone.
DAY FORTY-NINE: Saturday, Ben and Miriam helped Ellen make a "cherry-berry pie."
Then Ellen suggested we all take a walk down to the horse arena, which is just down the road. It was an inspired suggestion, because it led to a wonderful experience for the girls. Inside the arena, we found a mother and daughter riding. Emma, the daughter, was practicing moves on her new horse, Kentucky. Emma is a barrel racer, which is sort of like a slalom course for horse and rider. Only fourteen years old, and she is good. Her mother, Kelly, said Emma had been riding since she was two. Kelly offered to give Tamar a ride on Choppers, the 18-year-old and very gentle old trail horse she was riding. She even put a child's saddle on Choppers so Tamar could get her feet into the stirrups. Then after several trips around the arena, she did the same for Miriam. They were both thrilled, as you can see:
TAMAR ON CHOPPERS, WITH EMMA
MIRIAM ON CHOPPERS
DAY FORTY-NINE: Saturday, Ben and Miriam helped Ellen make a "cherry-berry pie."
Friday, July 8, 2011
Workshop
DAY FORTY-EIGHT: The highlight of today was a workshop that Ellen and I led for the Boise Hospice Singers, a group like our group back home, Hallowell. BHS is led by our friend, Susan Gelletly, and Ellen and I had a little part in helping to get it going. This was actually our Third Annual Workshop! The BHS has grown and become firmly established since it was formed three years ago. It has over forty members, many of whom come from a strong musical background (e.g., several are retired music teachers). We met for a potluck lunch at noon in a lovely space called the ENSO Art Space, a gallery cooperative leased by eight artists, one of whom is a member of BHS, Chris Binion. Chris’ art and that of another artist adorned the space, and the room was attractive, as well as live acoustically. The event was well attended (over twenty people), and the lunch was spectacular. The workshop itself was a mix of singing and sharing experiences. We opened with a song Navajo Chant, which goes “When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.” After introductions, we introduced Hallowell to them and then opened the floor to questions. After a while we segued into a discussion of the lyrics of the songs we sing and how they resonate when sung in the context of someone dying. We sang, inter alia, Over the Rainbow, All Through the Night, Angel Band and How Could Anyone Ever Tell You. Several folks had meaningful experiences to share and it didn’t seem very long before we had come to closing time. People seemed to appreciate our being there and we enjoyed it too.
BOISE HOSPICE SINGERS
Earlier I found time to UPS my Canon A85 back to the factory for a free fix, and we visited the fabulous Boise Coop, which is always fun to walk through even if you buy very little. Now we are driving to Arco, ID, where we’ll spend the night. Tomorrow we’ll join the gang in Alpine, WY where all Ellen’s grandchildren and their families are gathered, and have one day with them before the Feinlands return to Massachusetts. We ourselves will be moving on, on Monday, to Yellowstone National Park. We have reservations for two nights in a cabin at Roosevelt Lodge, our favorite part of the Park. Then on Wednesday, we’ll start the long trek home.
Earlier I found time to UPS my Canon A85 back to the factory for a free fix, and we visited the fabulous Boise Coop, which is always fun to walk through even if you buy very little. Now we are driving to Arco, ID, where we’ll spend the night. Tomorrow we’ll join the gang in Alpine, WY where all Ellen’s grandchildren and their families are gathered, and have one day with them before the Feinlands return to Massachusetts. We ourselves will be moving on, on Monday, to Yellowstone National Park. We have reservations for two nights in a cabin at Roosevelt Lodge, our favorite part of the Park. Then on Wednesday, we’ll start the long trek home.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Camera problems and solution
DAY FORTY-FOUR: I’ve been beset with camera problems! My digital camera suddenly started rendering blurred images in magenta tones. I happened to be going to a camera store in Salem to get a roll of film developed from the Yashica, and they immediately recognized the problem as a failed sensor. Which means that’s the end of that camera! R.I.P. sweet little Canon A85 Powershot! You’ve served me well, taking over 14,000 photos. I’ll need to buy a new digital camera. Problem is, there are lots of options, each with it’s own peculiar set of pros and cons. The simplest thing would probably be to get a Canon A2200 Powershot. It’s only $129 or so, and has a lot of nice features; however it doesn’t have much zoom. Of course, I’d love to have a digital SLR, but that is a major investment. It’s also nice to have a digital camera you can just slip into your shirt pocket, which you cannot do with an SLR! Choices! Choices!
Meanwhile, one of my two Yashica camera bodies has developed a problem: the film advance lever is broken. That happened about half-way through a roll of film. That body had the best strap, so I’ve moved everything over to the other body which works ok except for one thing: the cap for the battery chamber is so worn, it’s impossible to turn it with a coin, or even a screwdriver. When the batteries wear out, I’ll have to figure out some way to open that chamber. It may involve drilling a couple of holes. Once I get the cap off, I can put the good cap from the other camera body on to that camera. I’m not sure I want to keep on using the Yashica and film, but it’s been fun to use it on this trip, and right at the moment, that’s the only working camera I’ve got!
LATER: I learned from John that Cynthia had a similar failure with her Canon A70. She now has an SX130IS which she likes very much. It has a lot more zoom than mine did, plus complete manual control menu. So this choice is complicated by many options!
EVEN LATER: I went on-line to learn more about sensor failure and "lo and behold," Canon has an advisory that says that it will repair free of charge any cameras on a particular list that has that problem, regardless of age. The A85 Powershot is on the list! I called Canon and sure enough -- they'll send me a voucher and even a UPS label for shipping in my camera. So I can get my camera repaired free; I just won't have the use of it for the rest of this vacation trip. But then I told all this to our host, Susan, here in Boise and DOUBLE "lo and behold," (1)She has a Canon A75 with the same problem and was thrilled to learn she could get it fixed and (2)she has another digital camera she will loan me for the rest of the trip and I can mail it back to her when I get mine back! Wow! Problem solved! That gives me the option of getting a new camera if I want to when get back home, and have the leisure to think through the options. But if the A85 comes back like new, I just may be happy with that until I feel flush enough to get a digital SLR. Meanwhile, I still have a working Yashica SLR with 28mm, 50mm and 300mm lenses which I can also use on the remainer of this trip. Yay!
Meanwhile, one of my two Yashica camera bodies has developed a problem: the film advance lever is broken. That happened about half-way through a roll of film. That body had the best strap, so I’ve moved everything over to the other body which works ok except for one thing: the cap for the battery chamber is so worn, it’s impossible to turn it with a coin, or even a screwdriver. When the batteries wear out, I’ll have to figure out some way to open that chamber. It may involve drilling a couple of holes. Once I get the cap off, I can put the good cap from the other camera body on to that camera. I’m not sure I want to keep on using the Yashica and film, but it’s been fun to use it on this trip, and right at the moment, that’s the only working camera I’ve got!
LATER: I learned from John that Cynthia had a similar failure with her Canon A70. She now has an SX130IS which she likes very much. It has a lot more zoom than mine did, plus complete manual control menu. So this choice is complicated by many options!
EVEN LATER: I went on-line to learn more about sensor failure and "lo and behold," Canon has an advisory that says that it will repair free of charge any cameras on a particular list that has that problem, regardless of age. The A85 Powershot is on the list! I called Canon and sure enough -- they'll send me a voucher and even a UPS label for shipping in my camera. So I can get my camera repaired free; I just won't have the use of it for the rest of this vacation trip. But then I told all this to our host, Susan, here in Boise and DOUBLE "lo and behold," (1)She has a Canon A75 with the same problem and was thrilled to learn she could get it fixed and (2)she has another digital camera she will loan me for the rest of the trip and I can mail it back to her when I get mine back! Wow! Problem solved! That gives me the option of getting a new camera if I want to when get back home, and have the leisure to think through the options. But if the A85 comes back like new, I just may be happy with that until I feel flush enough to get a digital SLR. Meanwhile, I still have a working Yashica SLR with 28mm, 50mm and 300mm lenses which I can also use on the remainer of this trip. Yay!
Monday, July 4, 2011
Oregon Days
DAY FORTY (July 3, 2011): We drove from Medford, OR up to Cutler City, OR on Sunday. That was the day after our LONG day, so we got up pretty late, had breakfast at a truck stop, and drove up I-5 to Corvallis, OR (where my son-in-law’s brother, Neil Shay, lives and works as Director of the Oregon Wine Research Institute, but I didn’t know how to reach him and we didn’t really have time to stop anyway), and went over to the coast to Route 101 and then up a fairly short distance to Cutler City, which is really just a part of Lincoln City.
Our friends, Roger and Bonnie Hull, have a modest little cottage there – what was originally a little fishing shack I guess, which has been upgraded and expanded over the years into a nice little cottage. Bonnie is an artist; Roger is an art historian. They are fun to be with. Their son, Zach, his fiancée, Ashton, and their friends, Ian and Amy, were also there. The cottage sleeps eleven in a pinch, so there were plenty of beds, but only one bathroom. Ellen and I had the best room in the cottage – the new “studio” room at the back. We had fresh, grilled salmon our first evening (July 3rd), and it was very interesting talking with the “young folks,” whose world is very different from ours. Zach is an entrepreneur who is on to what could be a very good idea (or a huge flop) involving using the internet to fill empty seats at concerts by means of a kind of lottery. If it catches on, it will be HUGE. Ashton is just starting an exciting job managing a theater-tech department at Lewis and Clark University. Ian is one of six owners of a vegan bar/restaurant in Portland, OR ("The Bye and Bye") which has been so successful that they are opening a second one (which can be risky too). All the owners actually work at the bar (Ian is a bar-tender), and have committed to putting in time at both places to assure quality control. So these are folks taking risks in a dicey economy. We wished them well.
DAY FORTY-ONE: The day of the Fourth of July, I got up early and went for a nice walk on the beach, and then we sat around and talked at breakfast; the “guys” took off on their motorcycles to return to Portland, the “gals” followed soon after in their VW Beetle, and then it was just Bonnie, Roger, Ellen and me. We had a couple of quiet hours until we went to the Greens – Jim and Carol Green who also live in Salem and have a somewhat more substantial “cottage” just a few steps down the street. There we had cocktails (with “Mexican Mess,”), supper (traditional 4th of July grilled sausages and burgers with potato salad and cole slaw), and dessert (a huge “Star Cake,” – chocolate layer cake in the shape of a five-pointed star). The Green family included their son, Jimmy, his wife, Sandy, their two teen-aged children, Bella and Jake, and two other grandchildren, Lily and Jack (whose parents had to be elsewhere). Jimmy works for a company which supplies information to car-dealerships, telling them who are prime potential customers. His company claims, at least, to be able to tell a dealership who in their area is most likely to buy a new car this month! – thus making it possible for the dealership to target that audience with a special ad campaign. So maybe that’s what lies behind those circulars we get that have a plastic key attached to them that you can use to drive away a car (ha! ha!), or tell you that you’ll get a prize if you just come in. This is definitely not the world we normally live in, but I guess our world is sort of rarefied. After all that, there were fireworks on the beach. By then (close to 10pm), it was getting pretty cold! There were a lot of fires on the beach with folks clustered around them. As Bonnie said, it looked like a civil war encampment. The fireworks were pretty good.
DAY FORTY-TWO: Tuesday, July 5th, I again got up early for a walk, and then Ellen and I packed up and drove into Salem, stopping first for breakfast at the Otis Café, in the town of Otis, famous for great breakfasts punctuated by black molasses bread:
Ellen had a one-half order of sausage gravy over hashbrowns, and soon learned that a one-quarter order would have been plenty! It was hard to imagine a full order.
Then we drove into Salem and met Joanne Elizabeth, a friend who had planned a very nice day – lunch at Minto Island Growers, an organic farm stand and food cart – a wonderful light, fresh, salad-y lunch to offset breakfast.
MINTO ISLAND GROWERS FOOD CART
Then a ride through the countryside to the Buena Vista Ferry over the Willamette River – about a 3-minute ride.
ELLEN AND ME ON THE FERRY
Then another little ride to the Ankeny Wildlife Refuge, then into Salem to drop off my roll of film, and to the Hallie Ford Museum where Bonnie Hull was co-curator of an exhibit of the schematic drawings of two well-known women landscape architects and garden designers of the early 20th century in Salem, OR – Elizabeth Lord and Edith Schryver. That was a very interesting and visually appealing exhibition – and that was just when my camera started acting up! I have one usable photo, but not the best example of their work.
A LORD AND SCHRYVER PLAN FOR A GARDEN
I did get an example of another artist’s exhibit, Ross Palmer Beecher, which is utterly unique – all made of pieces of tin and other metal like bottle caps, keys, utensils, etc.
HEAD OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN BY ROSS PALMER BEECHER
We love the Hallie Ford Museum which features the work of artists of the Pacific Northwest and is the brainchild of our friend, Roger Hull, who was an art historian at Willamette University for forty years and just retired last year. After the museum we made a short visit to Deepwood, a mansion and garden in Salem where L&S's influence can be seen. In the evening, J.E. hosted us and the Hulls for a delicious supper al fresco in her backyard. An altogether lovely day.
DAY FORTY-THREE: Now it is Wednesday and we've driven to Boise, ID. On the way, we stopped first at Rosie's in Mill City for coffee and scones; then we stopped for a bit in Sisters, where a Quilt Festival is going on. The town was humming with hundreds of quilters who come from all over the Northwest for this annual event. Then we drove over the Presidential range and down into the eastern Oregon desert through John Day, and on down to Boise. Tomorrow I'll look for a new camera!
If you want to pursue some of the things mentioned in this blog, here are some links:
Dr. Neil Shay: agsci.oregonstate.edu/owr
Bonnie Hull: www.bonniehull.com
Roger Hull: www.willamette.edu/cla/arth/faculty/hull/index.php
Zachary Hull: sang-froidridingclub.com (scroll down to his name)
The Bye and Bye Bar: www.portlandtribune.com/features/story.php?story_id
Lord and Schryver: www.lord-schryverconservancy.org
Hallie Ford Museum: www.willamette.edu/arts/hfma/index.htm
Rosie's Scones: rosiesscones.com
Sisters, OR Quilt Fest: www.sistersoutdoorquiltshow.org
Our friends, Roger and Bonnie Hull, have a modest little cottage there – what was originally a little fishing shack I guess, which has been upgraded and expanded over the years into a nice little cottage. Bonnie is an artist; Roger is an art historian. They are fun to be with. Their son, Zach, his fiancée, Ashton, and their friends, Ian and Amy, were also there. The cottage sleeps eleven in a pinch, so there were plenty of beds, but only one bathroom. Ellen and I had the best room in the cottage – the new “studio” room at the back. We had fresh, grilled salmon our first evening (July 3rd), and it was very interesting talking with the “young folks,” whose world is very different from ours. Zach is an entrepreneur who is on to what could be a very good idea (or a huge flop) involving using the internet to fill empty seats at concerts by means of a kind of lottery. If it catches on, it will be HUGE. Ashton is just starting an exciting job managing a theater-tech department at Lewis and Clark University. Ian is one of six owners of a vegan bar/restaurant in Portland, OR ("The Bye and Bye") which has been so successful that they are opening a second one (which can be risky too). All the owners actually work at the bar (Ian is a bar-tender), and have committed to putting in time at both places to assure quality control. So these are folks taking risks in a dicey economy. We wished them well.
DAY FORTY-ONE: The day of the Fourth of July, I got up early and went for a nice walk on the beach, and then we sat around and talked at breakfast; the “guys” took off on their motorcycles to return to Portland, the “gals” followed soon after in their VW Beetle, and then it was just Bonnie, Roger, Ellen and me. We had a couple of quiet hours until we went to the Greens – Jim and Carol Green who also live in Salem and have a somewhat more substantial “cottage” just a few steps down the street. There we had cocktails (with “Mexican Mess,”), supper (traditional 4th of July grilled sausages and burgers with potato salad and cole slaw), and dessert (a huge “Star Cake,” – chocolate layer cake in the shape of a five-pointed star). The Green family included their son, Jimmy, his wife, Sandy, their two teen-aged children, Bella and Jake, and two other grandchildren, Lily and Jack (whose parents had to be elsewhere). Jimmy works for a company which supplies information to car-dealerships, telling them who are prime potential customers. His company claims, at least, to be able to tell a dealership who in their area is most likely to buy a new car this month! – thus making it possible for the dealership to target that audience with a special ad campaign. So maybe that’s what lies behind those circulars we get that have a plastic key attached to them that you can use to drive away a car (ha! ha!), or tell you that you’ll get a prize if you just come in. This is definitely not the world we normally live in, but I guess our world is sort of rarefied. After all that, there were fireworks on the beach. By then (close to 10pm), it was getting pretty cold! There were a lot of fires on the beach with folks clustered around them. As Bonnie said, it looked like a civil war encampment. The fireworks were pretty good.
DAY FORTY-TWO: Tuesday, July 5th, I again got up early for a walk, and then Ellen and I packed up and drove into Salem, stopping first for breakfast at the Otis Café, in the town of Otis, famous for great breakfasts punctuated by black molasses bread:
Then we drove into Salem and met Joanne Elizabeth, a friend who had planned a very nice day – lunch at Minto Island Growers, an organic farm stand and food cart – a wonderful light, fresh, salad-y lunch to offset breakfast.
Then a ride through the countryside to the Buena Vista Ferry over the Willamette River – about a 3-minute ride.
Then another little ride to the Ankeny Wildlife Refuge, then into Salem to drop off my roll of film, and to the Hallie Ford Museum where Bonnie Hull was co-curator of an exhibit of the schematic drawings of two well-known women landscape architects and garden designers of the early 20th century in Salem, OR – Elizabeth Lord and Edith Schryver. That was a very interesting and visually appealing exhibition – and that was just when my camera started acting up! I have one usable photo, but not the best example of their work.
I did get an example of another artist’s exhibit, Ross Palmer Beecher, which is utterly unique – all made of pieces of tin and other metal like bottle caps, keys, utensils, etc.
We love the Hallie Ford Museum which features the work of artists of the Pacific Northwest and is the brainchild of our friend, Roger Hull, who was an art historian at Willamette University for forty years and just retired last year. After the museum we made a short visit to Deepwood, a mansion and garden in Salem where L&S's influence can be seen. In the evening, J.E. hosted us and the Hulls for a delicious supper al fresco in her backyard. An altogether lovely day.
DAY FORTY-THREE: Now it is Wednesday and we've driven to Boise, ID. On the way, we stopped first at Rosie's in Mill City for coffee and scones; then we stopped for a bit in Sisters, where a Quilt Festival is going on. The town was humming with hundreds of quilters who come from all over the Northwest for this annual event. Then we drove over the Presidential range and down into the eastern Oregon desert through John Day, and on down to Boise. Tomorrow I'll look for a new camera!
If you want to pursue some of the things mentioned in this blog, here are some links:
Dr. Neil Shay: agsci.oregonstate.edu/owr
Bonnie Hull: www.bonniehull.com
Roger Hull: www.willamette.edu/cla/arth/faculty/hull/index.php
Zachary Hull: sang-froidridingclub.com (scroll down to his name)
The Bye and Bye Bar: www.portlandtribune.com/features/story.php?story_id
Lord and Schryver: www.lord-schryverconservancy.org
Hallie Ford Museum: www.willamette.edu/arts/hfma/index.htm
Rosie's Scones: rosiesscones.com
Sisters, OR Quilt Fest: www.sistersoutdoorquiltshow.org
An adventure
DAY THIRTY-EIGHT: We had a little adventure last Friday. I decided to take us up over a mountain out of Koosharem, UT (I love these names) going to Monroe, UT - it looked like a short-cut on the map that would save us time. First off, the road quickly turned to gravel - something the map did not indicate. Do we keep going? We decided, yes. Then the road got pretty rough, rutted and rocky. The Corolla was being put to the test (remember - it has 330,000+ miles on it!). But then just as we thought, this is too much, the road would smooth out again. We kept going up and up. The view got pretty great, but the road was not so great. The map said seven miles to Monroe. We went almost seven miles and came to an intersection, with sign posts pointing to various places - none of which said, "Monroe." They were all places that were not on our map at all. Where were we? We decided to go just a little farther. The road turned into something more like a trail. Finally, a pickup truck came along and I stopped it, and asked the driver, "Could we get to Monroe on this road?" "Nope! I wouldn't advise it. Not in a car!" Oh dear! So, we turned around and went all the way back to where we started. That little caper cost us an hour and a half! HOWEVER, it was beautiful. My dear Ellen didn't complain. She was glad we dd it! And there were rewards for sure. We got this beautiful view:
We went by this lovely grove of aspens:
We saw this beautiful wildflower which we think is the Cardinal Flower:
We saw prickly-pear cactus in bloom:
And we had a long stretch where we didn't see another human being.
We went by this lovely grove of aspens:
We saw this beautiful wildflower which we think is the Cardinal Flower:
We saw prickly-pear cactus in bloom:
And we had a long stretch where we didn't see another human being.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
What a Day!
DAY THIRTY-NINE: (Saturday, July 2): Ok, take out your road atlas, and find Nevada. Now look up in the northern third, and find I-80 going East-West, and look for Winnemucca in the west. Take U.S. 95 north out of Winnemucca for about 31 miles and then take Route 140 west. We took this road today, and it has been one of the most memorable rides ever. Not because it was spectacularly beautiful with thrilling features, but because it was beautiful in a totally different way: it was almost featureless for mile after mile after mile. It was empty in an extraordinary way, and to traverse it was like a meditation. Time slowed down. I don’t want to suggest in any way that it was boring. Far from it. It was a kind of out-of-body experience that went on for hours.
TYPICAL SCENE FROM THE CAR WINDOW ON ROUTE 140
But let me go back. We started out this morning in Beaver City, UT – the birthplace of Butch Cassidy, and yet a town so Mormon that with a population of only 2500, it has three huge Mormon churches. It would be interesting to know how they relate to each other.
The road from Beaver City to Grand Basin National Park was beautiful and fascinating, and our enjoyment of it was enhanced by having a copy of Roadside Geology of Utah by Halka Chronic (an interesting name), which helped us understand what we were seeing. We were in that huge part of the west which is called “The Great Basin,” which constitutes much of Utah, Nevada, and part of Arizona and Idaho, an area where no rivers flow into the sea, but simply into the ground. At one time, over 10,000 years ago, much of it was a huge inland sea, Lake Bonneville. Pushing up into this huge lake were some 200 mountain ranges, creating islands. Most of that ancient lake is gone (the Great Salt Lake is a vestige), but the “islands” remain – mountain ranges separated by utterly flat valleys, in which the “soil” is often what is called caliche (ka-LEE-chay), a kind of natural cement (formed by millenia of the evaporation of water saturated with salt, calcium carbonate and other minerals) in which plant roots have a hard time finding purchase. The drive from Beaver, UT west involved going over a mountain range and down into a valley, across the valley and then up over another range, etc, over and over again. An amazing ride.
Great Basin National Park is one of the smaller, lesser-known, less-visited parks, but for that reason all the more attractive. It contains an incredible diversity of life and geological features, mainly because within the park, the elevation varies so much, from deep caves to the top of Wheeler Peak at 13,000+ feet. It is home to fine stands of the Bristlecone Pine – which is said to be the longest-lived life species on the planet! Some of these pines are reputed to be as much as 5000 years old! Why didn’t I know this before? We had a lot of ground to cover today, so we couldn’t linger, but we’ll return if we get the chance.
BRISTLECONE PINE
From Great Basin we rode for a while on Route 50, called “The Loneliest Highway in America.” It was so-termed in a 1986 issue of Life Magazine in a derogatory way – there was nothing there, no “tourist attractions,” to travel it you had to be a survivor, so best to avoid it. The Nevada Tourist Board made this insult a point of pride and created a “Route 50 Survivors’ Guide.” You can visit each major town on Route 50, get your “passport” stamped, send it in, and get a "Survivors of Route 50" Certificate! But we abandoned Route 50 at Eureka, NV and headed north up to I-80 and then on to Winnemucca, as described above. If the editors of Life thought Route 50 was “empty,” I wonder what they would have thought of Route 140!
We found ourselves wishing we could read a book about the creation of Route 140 – John McPhee would be the ideal author - why does it even exist? (“Why is there something instead of nothing?” - Heidegger) Who envisioned it? How was it planned? Who had to be persuaded to pay for it? How was it laid out, surveyed, and actually constructed? It could be a fascinating book.
The sequel to this day is that we had planned to drive on to Klamath Falls, OR to find a motel room (no motels on Route 140!). But when we got there, every room in town was taken. After 1 or more hours of fruitless searching, we had to just keep going and drove to Medford, OR where we finally found a room in a Motel 6 at 2:00a.m. We had driven almost 900 miles and been the the road 18 hours. Boy did that bed look good!
But let me go back. We started out this morning in Beaver City, UT – the birthplace of Butch Cassidy, and yet a town so Mormon that with a population of only 2500, it has three huge Mormon churches. It would be interesting to know how they relate to each other.
The road from Beaver City to Grand Basin National Park was beautiful and fascinating, and our enjoyment of it was enhanced by having a copy of Roadside Geology of Utah by Halka Chronic (an interesting name), which helped us understand what we were seeing. We were in that huge part of the west which is called “The Great Basin,” which constitutes much of Utah, Nevada, and part of Arizona and Idaho, an area where no rivers flow into the sea, but simply into the ground. At one time, over 10,000 years ago, much of it was a huge inland sea, Lake Bonneville. Pushing up into this huge lake were some 200 mountain ranges, creating islands. Most of that ancient lake is gone (the Great Salt Lake is a vestige), but the “islands” remain – mountain ranges separated by utterly flat valleys, in which the “soil” is often what is called caliche (ka-LEE-chay), a kind of natural cement (formed by millenia of the evaporation of water saturated with salt, calcium carbonate and other minerals) in which plant roots have a hard time finding purchase. The drive from Beaver, UT west involved going over a mountain range and down into a valley, across the valley and then up over another range, etc, over and over again. An amazing ride.
Great Basin National Park is one of the smaller, lesser-known, less-visited parks, but for that reason all the more attractive. It contains an incredible diversity of life and geological features, mainly because within the park, the elevation varies so much, from deep caves to the top of Wheeler Peak at 13,000+ feet. It is home to fine stands of the Bristlecone Pine – which is said to be the longest-lived life species on the planet! Some of these pines are reputed to be as much as 5000 years old! Why didn’t I know this before? We had a lot of ground to cover today, so we couldn’t linger, but we’ll return if we get the chance.
From Great Basin we rode for a while on Route 50, called “The Loneliest Highway in America.” It was so-termed in a 1986 issue of Life Magazine in a derogatory way – there was nothing there, no “tourist attractions,” to travel it you had to be a survivor, so best to avoid it. The Nevada Tourist Board made this insult a point of pride and created a “Route 50 Survivors’ Guide.” You can visit each major town on Route 50, get your “passport” stamped, send it in, and get a "Survivors of Route 50" Certificate! But we abandoned Route 50 at Eureka, NV and headed north up to I-80 and then on to Winnemucca, as described above. If the editors of Life thought Route 50 was “empty,” I wonder what they would have thought of Route 140!
We found ourselves wishing we could read a book about the creation of Route 140 – John McPhee would be the ideal author - why does it even exist? (“Why is there something instead of nothing?” - Heidegger) Who envisioned it? How was it planned? Who had to be persuaded to pay for it? How was it laid out, surveyed, and actually constructed? It could be a fascinating book.
The sequel to this day is that we had planned to drive on to Klamath Falls, OR to find a motel room (no motels on Route 140!). But when we got there, every room in town was taken. After 1 or more hours of fruitless searching, we had to just keep going and drove to Medford, OR where we finally found a room in a Motel 6 at 2:00a.m. We had driven almost 900 miles and been the the road 18 hours. Boy did that bed look good!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Arches National Park
DAY THIRTY-EIGHT: I've been "off-line" for a while because I did something that made it impossible for me to get into my blog - I kept getting "Bad Request" messages! I felt like a naughty puppy! But I finally figured out how to fix that.
We have been in Moab, UT and Arches National park since Wednesday. We drove down from Alpine on Wednesday, through very gusty wind, scattered thunderstorms, heavy traffic around Salt Lake City, constant construction on I-15, and on top of that we got pulled over for speeding! But he let us go with a warning. I think we'd been going maybe 50 m.p.h. in a 45-m.p.h. zone that looked desolate. So it was sort of a wild drive, but the section along I-70 between Salina, UT and Moab was utterly spectacular. Canyonlands galore.
We joined the Feinlands in Moab and have had a fun time exploring Arches with them, giving Julie and Jerry, and the older children (Mimi, 9 and Ben, 12) a chance to do more serious hikes while we did things with Tamar, 7. Arches is a wonderful park. One of our favorite spots is called Sand Dune Arch. You go through a narrow passage between high, thin "fins" of red rock into a kind of private grotto which is all red sand beneath your feet, towering red rocks walls on all sides, and some beautiful pinyon oak shrubs growing, to add the contrasting green color. It was magical. Here are some photos:
TAMAR WITH A LIZARD FRIEND AT THE VISITOR CENTER
ELLEN ENTERS THE GROTTO
ELLEN AND TAMAR IN SAND DUNE ARCH
A NICE SHOT OF ELLEN AND ME THAT TAMAR TOOK
JERRY AND MIRIAM CAVORTING
We've put in pretty full physical days despite having been down with flu just a few days ago. I was pretty beat last night but feel good today. We're with the kids this morning while Julie and Jerry do the "Fiery Furnace" trail in the cooler temperatures of the morning (it will get up to 104 degrees today). Then Ellen and I will take off and go across Utah into Nevada on our way to Salem, OR.
We have been in Moab, UT and Arches National park since Wednesday. We drove down from Alpine on Wednesday, through very gusty wind, scattered thunderstorms, heavy traffic around Salt Lake City, constant construction on I-15, and on top of that we got pulled over for speeding! But he let us go with a warning. I think we'd been going maybe 50 m.p.h. in a 45-m.p.h. zone that looked desolate. So it was sort of a wild drive, but the section along I-70 between Salina, UT and Moab was utterly spectacular. Canyonlands galore.
We joined the Feinlands in Moab and have had a fun time exploring Arches with them, giving Julie and Jerry, and the older children (Mimi, 9 and Ben, 12) a chance to do more serious hikes while we did things with Tamar, 7. Arches is a wonderful park. One of our favorite spots is called Sand Dune Arch. You go through a narrow passage between high, thin "fins" of red rock into a kind of private grotto which is all red sand beneath your feet, towering red rocks walls on all sides, and some beautiful pinyon oak shrubs growing, to add the contrasting green color. It was magical. Here are some photos:
ELLEN AND TAMAR IN SAND DUNE ARCH
We've put in pretty full physical days despite having been down with flu just a few days ago. I was pretty beat last night but feel good today. We're with the kids this morning while Julie and Jerry do the "Fiery Furnace" trail in the cooler temperatures of the morning (it will get up to 104 degrees today). Then Ellen and I will take off and go across Utah into Nevada on our way to Salem, OR.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Josiah True Langley
DAY THIRTY-THREE: I've been caught up today in sending things to the Epsom, NH Historical Society webmaster.
Josiah True Langley is my children's great-grandfather, the father of my late wife Shirley's mother, Florence Langley Harris. According to a memoir that Florence wrote, her father was a photographer, sculptor and inventor, and something of a genius in his own right. He owned and ran a photography studio at 780 Elm Street, Manchester, NH, for many years, and produced beautiful portraits. Here are some of his family:
JOSIAH TRUE LANGLEY
HIS WIFE, KATE TOWNSEND
HIS TWIN DAUGHTERS, FLORENCE ISABEL AND GRACE EVANGELINE
If my memory serves me correctly, I was told that Josiah sculpted the bust of the then Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire. I have no idea if that is true, and if so, where that bust is today.
As an inventor, according to Florence, he invented the equipment needed to photograph snowflakes, but he refused to take out a patent on that invention, or any of his other inventions. That's very interesting, because the credit for that achievement traditionally has gone to "Snowflake Bentley," i.e., Wilson A. Bentley of Jericho, Vermont. Bentley photographed his first snowflake in 1885. Josiah was 29 at the time. I don't know when Josiah made his invention.
Florence relates that in 1902, Teddy Roosevelt was a national idol (having become President of the U.S. the year before) and was coming to Manchester. Her father "invented" the comic souvenir postcard for the occasion - a portrait of a furry black bear, labeled "The Teddy Bear." They sold very well. Her family went to meet the President, but when Teddy bounded toward Florence, who was four years old and in her mother's arms, all she could see were those famous teeth, and she shrunk back in horror. "Someone else got the historic handshake," she writes wistfully.
Josiah died of pneumonia in 1916, when Florence was a freshman in college, his lungs having been weakened for some time, she says, by long exposure to photographic chemicals. He was only 59 years old. I wish we knew more about him, but what we know makes me want to believe that he was related to Samuel Pierpont Langley (see the post titled, "The New Astronomy.")
Josiah True Langley is my children's great-grandfather, the father of my late wife Shirley's mother, Florence Langley Harris. According to a memoir that Florence wrote, her father was a photographer, sculptor and inventor, and something of a genius in his own right. He owned and ran a photography studio at 780 Elm Street, Manchester, NH, for many years, and produced beautiful portraits. Here are some of his family:
If my memory serves me correctly, I was told that Josiah sculpted the bust of the then Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire. I have no idea if that is true, and if so, where that bust is today.
As an inventor, according to Florence, he invented the equipment needed to photograph snowflakes, but he refused to take out a patent on that invention, or any of his other inventions. That's very interesting, because the credit for that achievement traditionally has gone to "Snowflake Bentley," i.e., Wilson A. Bentley of Jericho, Vermont. Bentley photographed his first snowflake in 1885. Josiah was 29 at the time. I don't know when Josiah made his invention.
Florence relates that in 1902, Teddy Roosevelt was a national idol (having become President of the U.S. the year before) and was coming to Manchester. Her father "invented" the comic souvenir postcard for the occasion - a portrait of a furry black bear, labeled "The Teddy Bear." They sold very well. Her family went to meet the President, but when Teddy bounded toward Florence, who was four years old and in her mother's arms, all she could see were those famous teeth, and she shrunk back in horror. "Someone else got the historic handshake," she writes wistfully.
Josiah died of pneumonia in 1916, when Florence was a freshman in college, his lungs having been weakened for some time, she says, by long exposure to photographic chemicals. He was only 59 years old. I wish we knew more about him, but what we know makes me want to believe that he was related to Samuel Pierpont Langley (see the post titled, "The New Astronomy.")
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Trip to the Park
DAY THIRTY-TWO: Today has been a quiet day so far. I've discovered the Epsom, NH Genealogy Website where there is a lot of information about Shirley's family that I do not have - somebody has traced back her Langley and Locke ancestors much farther than we had information on. But they also were lacking some things that I have - like photos and more detailed biographical data. So I've been sending them information. I'm taking advantage of having WiFi at the house! Today is also my brother Stewart's 84th birthday! Happy Birthday Stewart!
DAY THIRTY-ONE: Friday we went with Max over to Idaho Falls, which is about a 70 mile trip. Ellen needed to go to her bank, and the closest branch is in Idaho Falls, but we decided to make an outing of it. We took Max so that he could enjoy playing at the playground in Tautphaus Park. This is the same park where the zoo is that we visited a couple of weeks ago. The drive over to Idaho Falls is beautiful, and it was a gorgeous day, balmy and sunny. Max took a nap much of the way, but woke up when we had to stop for construction and the last ten miles were noisy with the sound of loose stone hitting the underside of the car, due to a new road surface.
While Ellen did her bank business, Max and I hung out at a small city park nearby, where we shared the playground equipment with a playschool class. Max was fascinated with them. Then we headed over to Tautphaus Park where there was an abundance of playgrounds. Max had a wonderful afternoon trying out a variety of slides, climbing equipment, swings, etc. I was sent on a mission to find lunch food, and when I came back, we had a little picnic under a tree. Nearby was an elaborate skateboard facility which was being used by a large gathering of teen-age boys. Max loved watching them! As did we - they were good!
MAX ON THE SLIDE
Then it was time to go home and we had a lovely drive back; Max took another nap in his car seat. We had a nice supper on the deck, prepared by Jenny, and watched the Friday evening news for a bit. Today (June 24th) is Betsey's birthday. Happy Birthday Betsey!
Here are a couple of photos from Thursday's trip to Teton National Park:
JENNY LAKE AND CASCADE CANYON
THE GRAND TETON
DAY THIRTY-ONE: Friday we went with Max over to Idaho Falls, which is about a 70 mile trip. Ellen needed to go to her bank, and the closest branch is in Idaho Falls, but we decided to make an outing of it. We took Max so that he could enjoy playing at the playground in Tautphaus Park. This is the same park where the zoo is that we visited a couple of weeks ago. The drive over to Idaho Falls is beautiful, and it was a gorgeous day, balmy and sunny. Max took a nap much of the way, but woke up when we had to stop for construction and the last ten miles were noisy with the sound of loose stone hitting the underside of the car, due to a new road surface.
While Ellen did her bank business, Max and I hung out at a small city park nearby, where we shared the playground equipment with a playschool class. Max was fascinated with them. Then we headed over to Tautphaus Park where there was an abundance of playgrounds. Max had a wonderful afternoon trying out a variety of slides, climbing equipment, swings, etc. I was sent on a mission to find lunch food, and when I came back, we had a little picnic under a tree. Nearby was an elaborate skateboard facility which was being used by a large gathering of teen-age boys. Max loved watching them! As did we - they were good!
Then it was time to go home and we had a lovely drive back; Max took another nap in his car seat. We had a nice supper on the deck, prepared by Jenny, and watched the Friday evening news for a bit. Today (June 24th) is Betsey's birthday. Happy Birthday Betsey!
Here are a couple of photos from Thursday's trip to Teton National Park:
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