Adventure 926: A View from the Perch/Cle Elum Family Camp/39

Day one was wildly successful because every one arrived safely. The house we've rented is a 12 out of 10. If there is a fly in the ointment, it would be the excessive wind that blew all day. Even if that remains the case, the house is so delightful that we'll manage nicely. We've not been to this area before, and it is quite lovely, nestled as it is on the east foothills of the North Cascades. After every one settled in, we set out the taco spread. Giggles ensued between every bite. After dinner, Steve brought out a late birthday gift for Libby made for her by their Aunt Rita-the traditional cross stitch of the Irish blessing which was originally stitched by Anne (Steve and Libby's mother), and given out at every family wedding since. In this case, it was to celebrate Libby's fortieth birthday. Brief stories, a few tears, and much joy followed. Then, despite the wind, we ventured to the water for an evening frolic led by Falcon, Sam (Angela's dog), and Sarah. A fun time was had by all. Mimi and I are tucked into bed. In the back ground our kids are chattering, giggling, and otherwise enjoying each other. Needless to say, life is good, especially today.

Mimi, smiling after inspecting this year's family camp spot.

The view from the back deck.

Libby arrives!

She brought her only child, "Tommy".

To the beach!

The Williams' arrive!

Balcony babes.

Game room antics.

Steve unloading the bikes.

Sarah celebrating a good shuffle board shot.

Family camp always includes a puzzle table.

TC, from her good side.

Bonnie working on this year's Christmas list.

Libby showing off her Irish Blessing.

Angela checking in with Sawyer, who arrives tomorrow.

Falc and Zam testing the water.

The wind blew at least thirty most of the afternoon.

Em and Zam heading back to the house.

Adventure 925: A View from the Perch-Little Eden Camp-Homeward Bound/38

Thanks to traveling mercies, we made it home this morning, traveling much faster than Lewis and Clark, no portage involved. We covered 4000 miles on the trip. The only deaths reported lay smashed on the windshield, front bumper, and grill. No deer were hit. We're glad to be home. We unpacked, ate the leftovers from our dinner out last night, and gathered the mail. Judy began the wash, and I took the car to the car wash to scrub the bug carcasses off. A good time was had by all. It was nice to spend time with family, and especially enjoyable to travel across part of the country in the midst of the Lewis and Clark expedition (Via Undaunted Courage on audio). Traveling that country makes their accomplishment even more impressive. And like the adventurers, we were quite glad to see to see the trip come to completion. Finally, as usual, life is good, especially today.

Home away from home: Mo-Z-Inn.

Perhaps a new tradition.

Adventure 924: A View from the Perch-Little Eden Camp-Homeward Bound/37

After an overnight drenching rain and rolling thunder, we awoke to a bright morning in Glendive, MT. We hit the road around seven, joining what we thought was excessive traffic heading West. Our typical road trip finds us eager to get home.We usually push our limits. We decided to smell some roses this trip. That' why we visited the Badlands, and that's why we stopped in Missoula tonight. It was a good decision. We had time, so we visited the city park in Livingston for lunch, which was decked out with a slew of American flags, most of which were wrapped around the statue of Sacajawea. We continued to journey along with Lewis and Clark, which led us to ruminate about house arduous the trip was. Imagine portaging boats and gear over mountains, making wheels for carts from felled trees, negotiating with Indian tribes sans knowledge of custom or language, pulling heavy boats against the current. Truly remarkable. Perhaps it's just as remarkable to cruise along at over eighty miles per hour along a paved road in a computerized automobile, passing large trucks, RVs, and other vehicles along the way. I guess it means we've come a long way. It also means life is truly good, especially today.

A little bit cool for lunch, but a nice break nonetheless.

A view from our hotel room. Somewhat better accommodations than Lewis and Clark enjoyed.

For our last night on the road, we chose a well run brew pub.

 
Not quite Tucson quality, but a pretty good burrito anyway.

 

Judy's salmon flat bread was absolutely delicious.

Adventure 923: A View from the Perch-Little Eden Camp-Homeward Bound/36

Many lament, as I did yesterday, the division facing our nation. Today, I'll offer another side of the tetrahedron, positing that perhaps it's ever been so in America. As we drove across the plains today, we listened to a portion of the book Undaunted Courage. While I don't really qualify as a member of the landed gentry of Virginia, or the high minded elites that forged our country, I can identify somewhat because I personally hold in one hand the lofty goals of righteous living. In the other I often succumb to the temptation of the seven deadly sins. Forever split; forever trying to balance. Thomas Jefferson was a man of such conflicts. Although he abhorred  the idea of slavery, he lived the practicality of owning many. He hoped the "next' generation would reach the righteous goal of equality among all men. As a member of the gentry, he lived in no such lofty space. But he was indeed lofty. When he was elected President, there was a tie. The Federalists of the day questioned the legitimacy of the election (sounds familiar). It went to Congress, still tied, until Alexander Hamilton led a group that broke the tie. Even then, the Federalists, led by Aaron Burr found themselves on the wrong side of history. Even more so when Jefferson made arguably the greatest American deal ever with the Louisiana purchase, the Federalists objected. Some said it was folly because the country had little money and more land already than we could manage. I found myself thinking as I listened to the intertwined notion of character building (Lewis) and nation building (Jefferson) that our country has lived on the razor's edge since the beginning. And we've had great leaders. Judy and I decided to take a side trip today into the badlands of North Dakota in Teddy Roosevelt's National Park. Talk about a great leader (With warts of course). I also found myself questioning where Trump gets this idea that America is going to perdition. All I see is people living their lives freely. I see no victims. All I see is freeways filled with trucks moving commerce, people going places, and evidence of infrastructure being rebuilt and maintained. Though suffering exists, so does industry, prosperity, and opportunity.  Every restaurant we enter is bustling. Every shelf in every market is full of goods. Every family I see hugs their infants and nurtures their toddlers. I saw cars and vans full of families standing in awe at the viewpoint overlooking the little Missouri. All seemed grateful to be there, and it seems to me that despite hardship life is good, especially today.

We traveled into the Badlands, thinking of events and people that made America great

Everywhere we go, we marvel at the geological wonders.

One such wonder is Judy getting to drive.

The North entrance of Teddy Roosevelt National Park includes a scenic drive through some amazing rock formations. Not to be outdone is God's sky above.

All over America there are signs of resilience and great leadership. Here's another example of CCC construction during and just after the great depression.

Sacrifices must be made. They're just as real as compromise and contradiction.

Willie says, "Blue sky, nothing but blue sky do I see."

Just imagine the cattle drives along the little Missouri river. Westward Ho!

Or imagine the time line that created these layers. God's time.

Maybe someday, we'll be remnants of a bygone era, just like this fella. Who knows?

Adventure 922: A View from the Perch-Little Eden Camp-Homeward Bound/35

We bid good by to our family with hugs and tugs just before 7 A.M. this morning. A good week was had by all. We made it to the Ludington Ferry (SS Badger) with time to spare, and joined a couple hundred of our newest friends for a peaceful sail across Lake Michigan. Contrary to the forecast, it didn't rain. In fact, some blue sky peeked out from the clouds, and by the time we got to Manitowac, it was sunny, hot, and humid. Our car came out early from the ferry and we were on the road by 12:15. We took a route through Green Bay and then the Twin Cities, The Green Bay leg was painless. The Minneapolis not so much. Stuck in a bumper to bumper 80 MPH flow, it was more stressful than I like (I am retired, after all). But no old man mumbling allowed, and certainly no day dreaming. Driving required purpose. Fortunately, I'm passively aggressive enough to survive in such an environment. We cruised safely into St. Cloud right at 6 P.M. We're now snuggled in to our hotel watching the Olympic trials and awaiting the next leg of our journey.

I read Richard Rohr's post every day as part of my morning devotion. Today's post talked about crying as a way to connect with God, something not so admired if you're a man in our culture. Part of today's challenge was to write a lament, much like the writers of the Psalms. Mine is below.

My Lament

God of truth and grace,

I cry aloud to you, that You may hear me.

How long, O Lord, will You forget the needy?

How long will You allow the rich to ride the backs of the poor? 

How long will You suffer unjust wars, immoral men, and ill placed motives?

How long will You tolerate lies, half-truths, and propaganda to dominate the narrative?

How long will You accept self-righteous humans judging one another?

How long will You hide Your face from the faithful?

How long will You endure dark hearted cruelty?

How long  must we wait for Your promise to be fulfilled?

Consider and answer me, O Lord my God.

Give light to my eyes so that I may witness Your plan.

Give rise to my spirit so that I may meet each day praising Your magnificence.

Give me hope that I may be worthy of Your kingdom.

Give me strength that I may live a life pleasing in Your presence.

Give me patience that I may humbly accept Your sweet time.

Give me an answer to this prayer, or I may sleep the sleep of death.

Because, O Lord, 

I trust Your steadfast love.

My heart longs for Your salvation.

And my will forever rejoices in Your service.

S.S. Badger, coal smoke awaiting departure.

Good bye Michigan, hello Wisconsin.

Fun facts.

Ukulele Man entertained on the sail over.

On the road again, Willie.

A good week for the sisters.

A distinctive week for the adults.

Until we meet again.

Adventure 921: A View from the Perch-Little Eden Camp/34

Time moves ever on, and everything changes, especially the weather. It was so chilly this morning that we snuggled under the covers until nearly eight, four hours late for Judy, and a couple hours late for me. Despite the chilly night, the day proved warm and sunny, and refreshingly absent of humidity, bugs, stress, or despair. I mean the only sounds that can be heard around here are chortles of joy from the children, soft babbles of conversation from the women, and the constant lap of lake waves onto the the shore. I guess that's why they call it Little Eden. The big event of the day was Micah catching a perch, otherwise known as "Moby". It was nice for the fisherman to break their maiden. I'm sure on tonight's foray, they'll pull in more fish that the Apostles after Jesus joined them. The rest of the day, we filled the time with card games, puzzles, snacking, lunch, snacking, chatter, baby watching (mostly Nora), and other forms of general lackadaisical behavior. I mean what is camp for if it's not for idle pursuits. And of course, tradition was honored when we stood in line for the famous Thursday night BBQ chicken, which, if my bloated belly is any indication, acquitted itself quite well. So, even though I can barely see my fingers over my distended belly as I type this blog, I must say that life is good, especially today.

Addendum: Johnny Crisp was called back to Atlanta, so there will be no devotional message tonight. I much appreciated listening this week. His viewpoint served to help clarify my own thinking. For that I'm grateful, and perhaps surprisingly, there were some places of agreement. In that there is hope.

After dinner, we took a little walk in the woods behind camp. The woods here are hardwood, mostly oak, and nearly all deciduous. Much different from the forests back home.

Chicken on the grill.

The line to get chicken.

Luther and Mary Ann taking their place in the chicken line.

Nora Jane having a laughing fit.

Our neighbor, Ed, showing us that there are indeed fish in the lake.

The chicken BbQ crew.

All are welcome in the city of Atlanta.

Maybe just enough for a small perch taco.

The waterfront.

Nora, having another fit.

Micah filleting his perch.

What? Another fit, Nora.

Grandpa and Wes assembling the bi-plane.