Andy at Work

Several weeks ago I was asked to visit an equipment manufacturer to check out and review some new and innovative carpet cleaning equipment. Sometimes my job is fun. I get to be a critic and people take notes. This is rare. However, we actually liked what we saw. I went with Derek, Mark, and Dan. Here are some photos of me and Derek on the job with engineers and sales people watching.

Exercise

Today I got up at 4:30a and worked out again. This is getting old. However I know now that it's a way of life. Yesterday I woke up early in the morning with a real desire to exercise. So I stayed in bed till the desire went away!

Norm is helping me. He's my exercise coach. We meet on Tuesday mornings at 5:00a and he has an updated exercise plan to help me get fit. I told him I may not jog or play tennis a lot but I'm a very brisk eater! He was not amused. Neither my Doctor nor my exercise coach have a sense of humor. Life isn't fair. I know exercise is important but you see, I don't believe in jogging. When I die, I want it to be from an illness.

Eternity

In his book Jesus Among Other Gods, Ravi Zacharias says, "The author of time, who lived in the eternal, was made incarnate in time that we might live with the eternal in view. In that sense, the message of Christ was not the introduction of religion, but an introduction to truth about reality as God alone knows it."

Does man really have a view of eternity? Can we really see it? Unlike the animals, I believe we can. Therein is our sense that God is there and that He is in fact the creator of the universe. Pascal wrote the following: "By space the universe embraces me and swallows me up like an atom, by thought I embrace the universe." Pascal is correct. Where did that come from?

Smith Visit in Mountains

On the way back from Pagosa Springs, we stopped in to see Pat and Carolyn Smith. They have a lovely and very remote cabin near Hartzel, CO. We spent the afternoon walking, talking, and riding their ATV's....great fun!! Pat cooked up some Tri-tip beef which was some of the best meat I've had in years. The weather was so nice we sat on their deck and ate outside watching the hummingbirds dive bomb each other.

Fiber Festival

Today, we went to the Fiber Festival in Pagosa Springs. The spinning and making yarn exhibits were interesting but the animals were the best. While it wasn't a very big event we learned a great deal and talked with all the exhibitors. Below Nancy is getting ready to kiss this Alpaca. I know he's cute, but save it for me, honey! I think the Alpacas were my favorite.

These sheep look like they're ready for shearing. It was about 75 degrees or so outside the tent, so I can only imagine how uncomfortable these guys were.


Nancy is checking out the Llamas. They weren't quite as friendly as the Alpacas.


These sheep were imported by the early Spaniards visiting the Southwest. They brought them to the area because they're so tough and hearty. The Native Americans enjoyed making rugs and garments out of the yarn taken from these animals.



Here is an Angora rabbit. These are certainly the softest thing you'll ever touch. They showed us how to remove the fur to make yarn from these rabbits...they pluck them!! It doesn't seem to hurt but just the idea is a little hard to imagine. The one Nancy is holding is about 2 weeks old. The last photo is me in front of two Scottish Highlander cows.

Pagosa Springs Visit

Trips to Pagosa are usually very relaxing and this one was no exception. We hiked around the area a little bit, visited the spa and hot springs, and went to a nice dinner on Friday night in Durango. We highly recommend eating at Ken and Sue's on Main Street. The food and service are great. On Saturday night we attended a reception at the Art Gallery in town. All the exhibiting artists were there and we met several of them.

Celtic Woman Floats Away

It's been raining most of the day, and a pretty hard rain too. So, we have these tickets to the Celtic Woman at Red Rocks. You know, the amphitheatre where you see the City of Denver lights at night situated among beautiful red sandstone rocks over 300 feet high.

Nancy and I left the house fully prepared with warm clothes, ponchos, boots, gloves, etc. etc. We drove with tickets in hand all the way to the North parking lot and saw everyone leaving. Show's cancelled. We were actually relieved with the temperatures ranging just above 40. I got home and here is what I read on-line.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007
CELTIC WOMAN PERFORMANCE POSTPONED!
Due to the cold, rainy weather, the Celtic Woman performance scheduled for tonight, May 23, has been POSTPONED. Celtic Woman will return to Red Rocks on June 28, AND they will add an additional show on June 29. Tickets may be exchanged for either night. Details on the ticket exchange and/or refund information will be forthcoming from Live Nation. Please check back at this website for more information.

Habakkuk

I really like the way Crabb quotes Habakkuk. Imagine these words from Hab. 3:17-19, and then Crabb added the words in italics. Crabb says we should shift our foundation from doubt to confidence, from terror to enjoyment, from rage to worship will occur only when something stirs within us that makes us long, more than anything else, to build our lives on the reality of God.

Though the fig tree does not bud

And I am alone

And there are no grapes on the vines,

And I can find no joy in my world right now;

Though the olive crop fails

And I have nothing to soothe my open wounds;

And the fields produce no food,

And I’m out of a job or hate the one I have;

Though there are no sheep in the pen

And no one warms me on cold nights

And no cattle in the stalls

And I have no tangible basis for feeling secure,

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

I will be joyful in God my Savior.

The Sovereign Lord is my strength;

He makes my feet like the feet of a deer,

He enables me to go on the heights.

Rocks beat Royals

Nancy and I went to the Kansas City Colorado game last night. The weather was great and the Rocks won 6 to 4. There were a few defensive mental errors early in the game, but the good news is our pitching held up until the end of the game.

Cannibals

I watched the news the other day. This is usually a bad idea, but I'm sitting in a hotel room and there's nothing else to do. There was Joe Leiberman being interviewed on CNN. My friend Mark from New Hampshire was a big Leiberman fan. Watching this reminded me of something I read somewhere about Lyndon Johnson. I think it was during Johnson's difficult term as President he said, "Do you know the difference between cannibals and liberals?" Johnson said, "Cannibals eat only their enemies."

Robert Frost described a liberal as someone "who won't take his own side in a quarrel." And Bob Dole quoted the late Frank Rizzo (former Mayor of Philadelphia) who said, "A liberal is a conservative who hasn't been mugged yet."

Mariners Angels Game

Yesterday I went to the Seattle Mariners game. They lost the game but it was fun nonetheless. I took Scott, a franchisee from Shamamish. We had pretty good seats behind home plate. There are a couple of peculiarities about the ballpark. The first is, every time a train goes by, and I mean right next to the stadium, they blow their horn. It's just a little disconcerting. I can't imagine how it affects the pitchers. The second thing is the garlic fries. Everyone orders garlic fries. The odor is overwhelming! Aside from these oddities, the place is great.


Notice the garlic fries being held by the yahoo behind Scott. I refused to eat them. You get two pounds of fries, one pound of garlic, and 100 cubic feet of odoriferous ooze.

NBA Ruins Game

Lets put the responsibility for Suns Spurs mess squarely on where it belongs...the NBA. I believe teams like the Spurs, Jazz, Detroit, etc. simply foul on every possession. They push, elbow, and grab. They know that the officials can't call every single foul. Therefore, they get away with a great deal of "cheating." The officials don't control the game and you end up with the following (see article).

I enjoy good basketball, when it's played cleanly. I know when you're running full speed, a little out of control or trying to block out an opposing player, things happen and fouls occur. But the pushing and the grabbing and now the hard fouls to prevent baskets has got to stop. It's wrecking the game. The NBA is responsible...it's their game. Is this what they really want?

Reservoir Gulch

Over the weekend Nancy flew to Lexington to see Noelle (who is great with child). With nothing significant on my calendar I decided to hike 5 miles into Reservoir Gulch and spend the night. It's good exercise which I need, the weather was great, and I just wanted to get outside and enjoy the wild outdoors.

My trusty topo map has all these little lines in it. They tell you all you need to know about elevation changes. Elevation changes are important when you're hiking, so it would've been a good idea to take the topo along. No I said, I know the way. I don't need one of those. Yes it's true, I knew the way. I just didn't know how steep it was. The first photo shows my campsite (nice spot huh) !! The second photo is me enjoying my campsite horizontally of course (nice spot huh)!! The third photo is my view (nice spot huh)!! Notice my tent in the lower right hand corner. I barely remember any time spent there.

The good news is, the way out is mostly downhill. I took this photo early Saturday morning on the drive to the trailhead. The deer were grazing near the swollen South Platte River. I still enjoy the outdoors and greatly enjoy God's creation. It is magnificent.

Art and Music

My friend Ed in Albuquerque gave me a book to read on my last visit. The book is called Chasing Francis by Ian Morgan Cron. It's about a pastor of a large Church who had a crisis of faith and began to doubt what he believed. He felt that the culture or theology of evangelism suffered from limitations. So, he left his Church and went on a quest to see what God would reveal to him. A number his thoughts made great sense to me. Here is one.

One of the things he discovers is art and music and the role it plays in the believer's life. "Is the redeemed imagination capable of producing works of beauty that reveal God's Glory?" In the book he referred to Doctor Zhivago and Lara's lack of interest in anything religious. However, it was in Church where Lara would weep over the music. Cron asks, "What was it about music that awakened the spiritual in Pasternak's Lara?" "It was this," Cron says, "the object of all great art is beauty, and it makes us nostalgic for God. Whether we consider ourselves people of faith or not, art arouses in us what Pope John Paul called a universal desire for redemption."

129 over 87

I went to the good Doctor again today. He said, "129 over 87, much better, what did you do?" I told him I avoided the rush hour traffic today. "No pills for you now, keep losing weight and exercise," he said. I fully agreed and ran out of his office.

Men desire to live as if there were no death, and when it has come, then let it come quickly and suddenly, so that it may be almost as if it were not. Human behavior is strange. How we think we fool death and how horribly we deceive ourselves: for eternity is neither sudden nor quick.

Coming Back Down The Columbia River

On my way back from Walla Walla I took this photo. And yes, I did go to Walla Walla. What a wild and wonderful wacky world you'll find within Walla Walla. Actually the town in very quaint, clean, and old. It used to have the largest amount of millionaires in the U.S. Mostly wheat farmers. Now the wineries dominate the landscape and you'll find vineyards everywhere. I had a meeting there with some franchise owners. On the way back I took this photo of Multnomah Falls. I hiked up to the foot bridge you can see in the photo. It was about 7:00a in the morning, and no one was around. I stood on top of the bridge and imagined what Lewis and Clark thought when they first saw the falls. They are truly spectacular falls. There is a trail to the top, but I didn't have time to go all the way up.

Another Road I Drove

As I was driving up the Columbia River this week I saw big horn sheep. They were all over the side of the mountain. The easy way to spot them was to look for the dust coming up from the mountainside where they were literally running downhill. This photo is looking across the river going East. This is what everyone looks at when they drive up the Columbia gorge. However, if you look to the other side of the road, you'll see big horn sheep everywhere. The road going up my side of the river is just like the other side. Only I'm closer to the wildlife. Only 2 months ago I saw a bald eagle sitting on a bowie in the river in this same spot.

On my last trip I took this photo of the Dalles Dam on the Columbia River. This trip I captured Mt. Hood. What do you think? It's not the best photo I've taken but it sure shows the size. It goes from almost sea level to 11,240 ft. Not bad for Oregon. We're still about 40 miles away.

Flowers

Nancy and I planted flowers today. Well, okay mostly Nancy planted flowers today. I stood around with the watering can and said, "now?" Nancy has a real knack for picking out great flowers with colors that match the house and look great. She sees things I don't even imagine. Come see us in Colorado and you'll see what I mean about the flowers.

Where's My Wallet?

Politics is full of fun and interesting twists. I think it was in 1992 when Bush was running against Bill Clinton. Clinton said he wanted to tax the rich, however he defines "rich" as anyone who has a job. I'm sure you've heard of the separation of powers. "My opponent practices a different theory," Bush declared, "The power of separations" said Bush, "Government has the power to separate you from you wallet."

What My Doctor Said

I met with Paul Sunde today, my Doctor. He said I have high blood pressure and I should take this special medication for it. I told him I've been exercising regularly, eating right, my weight is down, and I'm not chasing fast women. So, what's the problem? (On my last visit he did one of those "special" examinations where he had to wear gloves. Afterward (craving a cigarette), I told him that according to Tennessee law, we're now married). I wish he had a better sense of humor.

At any rate, I have to take more pills. I hate pills. Nancy has me taking all these vitamin pills. I can't remember what I've taken or if I need to take something more. It won't be long and I'll have to take a pill to help me remember to take a pill. How will I remember that? I know, I'll put it in my computer and it will remember! But how will I remember the password to get in? I have no less than 6 passwords to get in here.

Dr. Sunde said many people have high blood pressure because of genetics. Dad used to teach genetics at NAU. Maybe I should have taken his course. I suppose if I just keep at it with the diet and exercise, then maybe I can get off these pills. Dr. Sunde said not to overdo it with the exercise. I didn't tell him I've been running up and down the steps at Red Rocks.

I don't mean to sound negative, but I'm a little discouraged. Growing old isn't all it's cracked up to be. A good friend of ours from Memphis died a few weeks ago and he was younger than me. Dale was over at our house all the time. What a great guy. He died of a heart attack. I guess it's probably a good idea to take care of your garden. You just never know. (see a previous post)

The Road I Drove

Yesterday I drove from Medford, OR to Klamath Falls and back for meetings in both places. The pass going over the mountains is just above Lake of the Woods, pictured below. It was snowing there at the 5,000 foot level. It wasn't sticking on the road but there were thousands of beautiful little blankets of snow captured on the ends of each branch. It was very nice. The photo below is from the ODOT and will change several times a day.

Take Care of Your Garden

It's the time of year to plant a garden. But what about your spiritual garden? Unless you take care of your spiritual garden it will grow unruly. Here is a quote from Shakespeare, The Tragedy of King Richard the Second.

"Hath seized the wasteful king. O, what pity is it
That he had not so trimmed and dressed his land
As we this garden! We at time of year
Do wound the bark, the skin of our fruit trees,
Lest, being overproud in sap and blood,
With too much riches it confound itself.
Had he done so to great and growing men,
They might have lived to bear, and he to taste
Their fruits of duty. Superfluous branches
We lop away, that bearing boughs may live.
Had he done so, himself had borne the crown,
Which waste of idle hours hath quite thrown down."