The Trials of Life

I have to say that I’m more than fed up with the Zimmerman trial at this point.  Armchair lawyers abound and I always get the impression with it all that lady justice who’s supposed to be blind has been replaced by social justice…who is ever mindful of politics and seems to have both eyes wide open.  I don’t see a positive outcome on this thing either way.  We are preparing to go to a mountain cabin for a few days.  I relish the thought of it.  The heat here is quite high again…maybe the mountains will bring relief on more than one level.  I still want to show some pictures of our trip to Florida.  Visiting some neighborhoods there was so different then what I see in my home stomping grounds.  We have our share of old trees but none of the type I saw there.  Can you imagine having a cool glass of lemonade and swinging on this swing for a bit?  Even the stop signs have a personality so different from ours.  One area had a phone booth reminding me forcefully of England but then there was a palm tree there…strange.  We spent some time in a store my wife wanted to visit.  I think Lovely could have put some of these things to some great use with her various craft projects.  How about a key to hang your keys on?  We spent a little time by this great fountain before moving on.  I’ve got to say I love St. Petersburg!  Next we stopped for a bit at a nice park.  Again I’m struck by how different it is from where we live.  We do have squirrels however but I still like them no matter where I see them.  Here in Montana we have to watch for bears or mountain lions…Florida…well, that’s different too.  Did I mention how much I love palms.  Here’s a panorama of the park.  Last picture of the day:  .  Next I will show some pictures of a great flea market we visited…stay tuned!

237 Years of Freedom

We often have very visual demonstrations in our church to illustrate what we believe God is saying.  Yesterday one of these demonstrations included stars that had the number 237 on them.  This of course is in memory of 237 years of freedom in the United States of America.  Later we also saw the flag folded 13 times and were reminded what this means.  If you want to know the meaning check here:  http://www.americanflags.com/whywefofl13t.html.  It’s an amazing thing to think of all these blessings and realize that with that there must surely be a hope for the future.  Benjamin Franklin said it’s a republic if we can keep it.  This is my full intention.  Such a price has been paid for our freedom…we can’t simply let it all go.  Each day we need to remind ourselves just what it means.  This is something for today and every single day.  God bless America! 

I continue to remember our family in Florida today.  The familiar there is not so familiar here.  There was a system of pipes colored a rather peculiar color that we passed each time we headed to or from Thata’s house.  I enjoyed sitting out on the driveway in the morning and drinking my coffee while watching the antics of the squirrels performing their acrobatic feats.  The trees are different from ours in Montana and I enjoyed the contrast of their neighborhood versus ours.  Here we enjoy Robins, Western Meadowlarks, Mallards and Canadian Geese.  Florida has it’s own variety.  A nice White Ibis came to visit as I sat in my chair.  The other thing that reminds me forcefully of my times abroad are the lizards.  They are quite funny with their little territories to be defended and mates to be attracted.  They’re not easy to catch but I did manage several times to catch them…I love animals great and small…God is so very creative!  I absolutely love the Spanish moss that seems to be everywhere.  The trees are so well garnished!  Well, this is a bit of a short entry for the holiday.  Blessings to you all.  Have a blessed Independence Day…don’t forget what the day is all about and why you’re able to do what you do with your family.

Florida Dreaming

Have you ever had a dream that you thought might just end up being a bucket list thing if you’re fortunate yet somehow miraculously it comes to pass early?  We had something like this come true.  We had dreamed of visiting our relatives in Florida for some time.  It has been nearly fifteen years since we’d last seen them in the Philippines but now they are in Florida.  Lovely and I had discussed going there and even hoped to bring our daughter who just graduated for a visit.  Miracles do happen…this thing is certifiable.  Many have prayed with us and supported us to make this happen and I’m eternally grateful…foremost however my thanks go to God.  Upon arrival to Florida I find the usual fascination with palm trees.  I’ve seen them before in fact I’ve lived in the tropics but it’s been awhile.  We went to a wonderful beach for a picnic with our family.  The nice thing about this place was it had nice covered picnic areas where you could get some relief from the sun…and plenty of foliage.  It was a slight walk to the beach after that.  My goodness I’ve missed the ocean.  The day was so bright and sunny, just perfect for the beach!  My wife and daughter posed for a few pictures before we went on with our day…this is a far cry from Montana!  I love flowers and though these are like grass here they are so beautiful and new to me.  There is a beauty to climates like this that is unbeatable.  The kids spent some time flying a kite…the breeze off the ocean provided a perfect climate for this.  Gabby and her cousins whom she’d never met before enjoyed their time on the playground.  I stopped her for a moment and snapped a quick picture.  They had great equipment in this area…I decided to try and be a little creative…well, at least I tried.  Whew, hot day but oh so beautiful.  We began to see the sea gulls move in to beg as we began to barbecue.  We being the silly tourists we were fed them a bit.  Suddenly we were very popular with the local population…of birds.  Next we moved on down the beach where Gabby and her cousins Miles and Vince paused before heading back to the water.  Oh how I love the beaches of Florida.  The hot sun made having a beach umbrella essential.  We finally decided it was time to head home and as we went this fellow decided to pose for me.  Like palm trees these birds are common in Florida but new to me so I made them my subject.  It was a fantastic first day filled with wonderful reunions, terrific food and amazing Florida scenery. 

About to Take Flight

We had another wet cool downbut the birds don’t seem to care whether it’s coming or going…they are still out there singing their hearts out.  I have to admit that I’m glad to see the cold on its way out for a while at least.  We bought a few flowers…let’s pray they escape the curse of my notoriously black thumb.  Potted gardens seem to be our best bet…if nothing else it’s nice for now.  If only these things flourished as well as the wild stuff in the field.  Out there everything seems very hearty and self reliant.  I love the sights and sounds of the pond.  There are frogs that relentlessly croak away but I’ve yet to catch a glimpse of them in the tall grass.  The ditch has been quite high with all the moisture recently.  The pastoral fields beyond beckon with quite beauty.  Birds of a handful of varieties chirp the day away.  Simple Montana bouquets flourish here and therewhile we are like these dandelion seeds …almost ready to take flight to Florida come Monday morning.