We are heading home later today, so pray for smooth travel with minimal delays and friendly skies. Meanwhile, I will say, a Lake Michigan getaway–highly recommended for what ails you!
Here are a few more postcards to inspire you…
But I have to say, these stairs down to our beach nearly killed me.
And, hey, while we were gone, daughter #3 finished her radiation treatments!
Huzzah!
So far the weather has been beautiful here in Michigan and we have enjoyed many hours on the beach and in the sun. The girls love the water and don’t want to come out of it even if their lips are blue and their teeth are chattering.
So far the only downside is the persistence of sand flies in the afternoon.
Thankfully daughter #1 has taken a few photos, because I have been mostly phone free for days. Lovely, lovely, lovely.
We are having such a good time! We went to Holland for dinner last night.
So fun.
Daughter #1 and I had a fabulous time with my brother and sister-in-law at their lake cottage over the Fourth of July weekend!
On Sunday we made it to beautiful Grand Haven and we are settling in with daughter #2 and the prairie fam.
Hope you had a great 4th!
I’m traveling to Michigan today with daughter #1 to spend the 4th with my brother and his wife at their lake cottage. It’s his 75th birthday as well.
Then we’ll drive across the state to Lake Michigan to spend the week with daughter #2 and her prairie family. Pray that our travel is smooth and uneventful and that the weather is courteous.
Here’s a patriotic blast from the past. We had this LP back in 1972…did you? Daughter #1 had it framed and it hung in her office down in Jefferson City.
Happy 250th birthday, America! Celebrate appropriately.
And hat’s off to the boy and his spectacular home decor:
Viva, America!
In the summer of 1870 a celebrated race took place between two steamboats, the Robert E. Lee and the Natchez. Leaving New Orleans on June 30, the Robert E. Lee reached St. Louis, a distance of 1,154 miles (1,857 km), in 3 days, 18 hours and 14 minutes. Indeed, it was one of the most thrilling events in the history of the Mississippi River. For days newspapers had been full of predictions, and bets were placed all over the world on the result. A crowd of thousands lined the levee to cheer the boat and its crew when it landed on July 4 several hours ahead of the Natchez.
It was very exciting, as you can imagine, because such racing involved major risks. Steamboats were inherently dangerous. The steam boilers were prone to exploding and igniting fires. The boats were wooden and much of their cargo could be highly flammable. These hazards came in addition to the snags and submerged bars that could rip a hull open. Between 1816 and 1848, boiler explosions alone killed more than 1,800 passengers and crew and injured another 1,000. Racing added significantly to the chance for an explosion.
Mark Twain described steamboat racing thusly:
“Two red-hot steamboats raging along, neck-and-neck, straining every nerve—that is to say, every rivet in the boilers—quaking and shaking and groaning from stem to stern, spouting white steam from the pipes, pouring black smoke from the chimneys, raining down sparks, parting the river into long breaks of hissing foam—this is sport that makes a body’s very liver curl with enjoyment.”
And, gee, nobody seemed to be overly offended by the name of Robert E. Lee, so soon after the Civil War. Interesting, n’est-ce pas?
Fun fact: The song “Steamboat Bill”, written in 1910, is an extended reference to the 1870 race. Mickey Mouse whistling a verse from “Steamboat Bill” in Steamboat Willie has been used as the production logo of Walt Disney Animation Studios since 2007.
Have a good day! Relax.
Well, June is gone and half the year has flown by with it. We are under an extreme heat warning here–it reached 98 degrees on Monday. Par for the course, as we like to say in flyover country. Thank goodness we have air conditioning and know how to use it so our senior citizens don’t die in droves. Personally, I get my chores done and run my errands early so I can stay home when it’s really hot. I can’t complain.
I found this essay to be insightful and rich in food for thought. “We cannot follow Jesus if our eyes follow everyone else. Chances are, if we spend significant time dwelling on our neighbors’ irksome habits and measuring their blessings against our own, we see little of God. Jesus redirects our gaze. If we study God’s infinite beauties, then when Jesus says, “Follow me!” no one will be able to stop us.” I dealt with envy early on, but I have suffered with a critical spirit most of my life. Seriously, I learned to be critical in kindergarten. I regret to say, I still wrestle with this particular sin. It is an ongoing battle…
Here’s good news! Scotland is not entirely lost. “First, the idea of buying and renovating an old granite Presbyterian church in downtown Aberdeen was impossible, then it was difficult, then it was done.” And thank God for Sinclair Ferguson!
Check out the beautiful plains coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria) in Don’s yard!
And here’s a new song from Jon Reddick:
Tonight the wee family will gather to toast the OM on the first anniversary of his passing into glory. We’ll play some tunes, including this one which Gary and Don sang at his funeral.
Well meet again on some bright highway
Songs to sing and tales to tell
But I am just a pilgrim on this road, boys
I am just a pilgrim on this road, boys
I am just a pilgrim on this road, boys
Until I see you fare thee well
Another busy, but rainy, weekend flew by. The twins came over on Friday morning and we had fun hanging out.
Eventually we went down to the basement to poke around–a favorite activity of theirs. We brought up a box of ANCIII’s painted soldiers which the bud set up. He ended up taking them home with him and I was glad.
Lottie and I went through some old doll clothes and I promised her I would look for my old Chatty Cathy doll.
Later, after Mr. Smith got his shampoo, he and daughter #1 came over for wine time and music…
mostly 90s country classics…
On Saturday I crashed daughter #1’s date with the twins and we had breakfast/lunch at the Sunny Street diner in Wildwood…
…and then introduced them to the joys of going to an antique mall. (Not that different from going down to Mamu’s basement.)
Don’t worry, they found something to buy (and so did I)…
On Sunday the sun shone brightly and I enjoyed a good sermon on Psalm 30.
Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,
and give thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger is but for a moment,
and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
–Psalm 30: 4-5
Then we had a terrific adult ed class on Prayer–this time focusing on Augustine, Luther and Calvin and what they had to say about it. Disordered loves, etc. You will recall that Augustine believed that unhappiness stems from loving things in the wrong order, prioritizing less important things over more important ones, particularly in relation to God and others. True fulfillment comes from aligning our loves correctly, placing God first and higher virtues above lesser desires. All you have to do is look around the world today to see how right he was! This week the class was led by a young man who is not a seminary student–he works for a software company–but what a good teacher!
Sunday afternoon I went to an outdoor concert featuring my friend Gary and his band Colonel Ford…
Nothing is better than wine and dips for dinner outside in the sunshine. Seriously, live music! What are you waiting for?
Happy Monday!
Today I am remembering my dear mother who died on this day in 1988. In this Polaroid, she is holding her adored namesake, daughter #1, who is wearing a dress she made. Truly her granddaughter was a newfound joy for her. But I always knew it was her own children and doing for them that kept her going. And so it goes.
Indeed, June has been a hard month as I am continually thinking back to the events of last year when the OM’s health was going steadily downhill. He died on the 30th.
Yes, June is a hard month.
Have a good weekend. Do something fun and spontaneous. Everything’s gonna be all right.
*Noel Coward
Yesterday, when I woke up at 6:30, the electricity was out. I could not make coffee. This did not bode well for the day. It came back on at 7:00 a.m. and the day progressed.
Then my plan for lunch fell through and I was feeling down. Then the guy who checks my sprinkler system called and he came by to do his annual thing and turn it on. He is a nice guy with a long pony tail and we had a chuckle about how big the rabbits are this year. We discussed trimming that needed to be done. My mood improved.
I listened to Albert Mohler have a conversation with Carl Trueman about his latest book while I worked on my needlepoint project which has been literally years in the making.
Reading an old blogpost, I was reminded that ten years ago the OM and I ventured out to Westport, MO and Council Grove, KS to do some genealogical poking around. It was a fun trip. It is a good thing I have been writing this blog for nearly 15 years, as I would remember nothing otherwise.
I went to the local library to return Odd Thomas and peruse the stacks a bit.
And this made me laugh.
It doesn’t take much really to improve one’s mood if one makes an effort to count it all joy, you know?
Blessed be God,
Who has not turned away my prayer,
Nor His mercy from me!
–Psalm 66:20
