Southern Oregon

I've been in Medford, OR and Klamath Falls, OR this past week. In order to get from Medford to Klamath Falls you have to drive 75 miles over the pass near a place called Lake of the Woods. See below. It was snowing most of the way up the West side of the pass and when it started to clear I took this photo.

About 15 minutes before you get to Klamath Falls the road curved down the hill to Klamath Lake (below). I rented one of those cars you shouldn't stop. The minute you stop them, people think it's an accident. So I thought, I might as well be on the left side of the road!

More on children

She's a born gourmet. She starts out every day with Cheerios Rockefeller! School days are the happiest of your life, but only if the children are old enough to attend!

The life of a mom

I found this old photo of our family from... well... quite a while back. It reminded me of the life of a mom. She picks up the kids at school, takes them to soccer practice and music lessons, then she takes them for haircuts, and then she takes them home but not before stopping at the grocery store for milk and cereal, then to the cleaners to get my trousers, and the bank. Oh, and then she's almost out of gas and has to stop for that. For most mothers, the real delivery room is the inside of a suburban.

Children

I just have the feeling that when God came up with the idea of children, he wasn't sure about it. But he didn't have anybody to show the plans to. So we got them and no plans. I still think that having kids is like eating half a grapefruit. No matter what you try, you end up with a little squirt!

Nostradamus and Herbert Hoover

Almost as good as Nostradamus, Herbert Hoover saw into the future, sort of... Herbert Hoover once remarked, "Blessed are the young, for they shall inherit the national debt." Sounds almost prophetic, don't you think? And this time, it may really happen.

As a result, officials in Washington divide their time between running for office and running for cover.

Hildebrand Ranch Park

We now officially live in the middle of Hildebrand Ranch Park. Our house is in the photo below and the park is the open space around the housing area. Beyond the houses, you'll see Chatfield Reservoir and State Park. I took the photo last week from the top of the Dakota Ridge, which we call the "Hogback." Also, there is a trail which circles the open space called "Two Brands Trail" which is almost 5 miles long. Nancy and I hike it regularly. On May 6 there is an official dedication of the park.

Maralie graduates!

Nancy and I drove out to Utah for Maralie's graduation at BYU. She is an honor student graduate in Public Health. We couldn't wait to get there, but driving out was a bit harrowing because we encountered an unexpected storm going over Vail Pass in Colorado, on April 22! Too bad they closed the ski areas.

We had great seats right behind the students and in front of the speakers. They were all very good speakers. I noticed that nowadays the speakers at the graduation tell them that the future is theirs. Is that a promise or a threat?

After the commencement we met outside and took a few photos. Below is one of Maralie with her parents David and Nancy. It's a beautiful campus and great place for good photos, even in the rain. And wow, was it ever raining! It was so rainy, Brigham Young's statue was soaked to the skin!

Later, we all went out for a nice dinner at the Brick Oven in Provo. I got this great photo of Nancy and Maralie while we were waiting for our table.

Edward Hale

The son of Nathan Hale, Edward Everett Hale served as chaplain of the Senate. He was once asked "Do you pray for the senators, Dr. Hale?" "No," he replied, "I look at the senators and pray for the country."

Pray hard my friends, pray hard!

Contented cows, not

During the great depression President's Hoover and Coolidge were together in Marion, OH dedicating a memorial to Warren G. Harding. Hoover outlined the steps he was taking to end the great depression and our economic disaster. He was indignant regarding what he saw as unfair criticism from the public.

Coolidge told him, "You can't expect to see calves running in the field the day after you put the bull to the cows." Hoover replied, "No, but I would expect to see contented cows."

I'm not seeing a lot of contentment. Are you?

Daisy Cake

Today is my granddaughter's birthday. Daisy turned 1 today! Noelle sent me this picture of the cake she made for the party. I think the saying goes something like this; "A daughter may outgrow your lap, but she will never outgrow your heart!"

Words of Pascal

Pascal said, "By space the universe embraces me and swallows me up like an atom, by thought I embrace the universe."

Exercise and age

Don't worry, this won't be a long section. Now that we finished our hike from yesterday we realized the point of it all. Yes that's right, exercise. I get tired just thinking about exercise. I'm actually not in bad shape. My doctor says that I have the body of a forty-year-old. He even showed me where the corpse was buried! Okay, I'm a little sore today. Just look at the picture. I'm growing old by myself. Nancy hasn't had a birthday in ten years!

Todays hike

Nancy and I hiked to the top of the hogback behind our house this morning. Just in case you're wondering, we go to church on Saturday night. Anyway, we enjoyed a 4 mile hike and then a rather steep walk up to the top of this.

While we sat on top of the mountain and ate our apples, this little guy came right over to say, "hello." Or, maybe he wanted a bite and someone to talk to? For some reason we ascribe to humans many of the characteristics of animals: he has a memory like an elephant, eats like a horse, is as fat as a pig, and can be as sly as a fox. Since turnabout is fair play, we have managed to lay a few trips on animals by giving them human characteristics. Many of them even have human voices. I know, I've seen it on TV.

On the walk back to our house we walked by this little lake. It was filled with noisy frogs. A cat may have nine lives, but a bullfrog croaks every time!

No-hitter

Ubaldo Jimenez of the Colorado Rockies throws his first no-hitter in Atlanta. In case anyone is wondering, Chipper Jones was playing and went 0-3. In addition, Ubaldo drove in a run and he also scored a run. How many American League teams have a pitcher that's done that! Not many I think. Go Rocks!

Mile high hopes

We're excited to see the Rockies playing ball again. I live in Denver and have suffered enough with the Bronco's continual drama. Coach "McDamage" can't seem to get along with anyone. He just finished his first book. He will now try to read a second one. So, it's on to the Rockies!

Coors Field is such a great ballpark too. It has the purest water there is - a ballpark Coke! Thank you, Aramark! The good news is, our pitching has improved. They're paying the pitchers a lot more now. The problem is when the coach makes a call to the bullpen he gets an answering service! And, he's making a lot of calls! Anyway, it's still April and we have mile high hopes!

Truman said what?

Truman said that Richard Nixon, "is one of the few men in the history of this country to run for high office talking out of both sides of his mouth at the same time and lying out of both sides." I guess history repeats itself.

One job saved by stimulus money... it works!

This is Oregon State University basketball coach Craig Robinson. After an 8-10 start (2-5 in the PAC 10 conference) was nearly fired. What saved him? Try $17 million of stimulus money for the university brought out by Undersecretary of Education Martha Kanter. Coach Robinson happens to be Michelle Obama's brother.

In the words of Will Rogers, "The more you read and observe about this politics thing, you've got to admit that each party is worse than the other."

Mountain Goats

Here's a nice photo you'll like. Around 11 or 12 years ago Tyler and I hiked up to Chicago Basin together in the San Juan Mountains. We ran into this family of Mountain goats who followed us nearly everywhere we went, even climbing up the 14,000 ft. mountains. The goats were completely unafraid and casual about being around us. A few years later we made the same trip again and sure enough, there they were.

Hydrogen Barackside

Evidently, this political cartoon was created in Scotland about 3 months ago. The world is laughing at us. Apparently, we look silly to the rest of the world.

Even Nixon is remembered as saying, "I have often said that the one thing worse for a politician than being wrong is being dull. But it is better to be dull than to be silly."

Carpenter Peak hike

Nancy and I went hiking today in Roxborough State Park. We hiked the 3.1 miles to the summit of Carpenter Peak and then 3.1 miles back. This was from the summit looking back at the town of Roxborough and Littleton, CO.

On the way down I took this photo of some of the red rock formations in the park with the city of Denver's skyline in the background. Pretty hazy huh! L.A. has the worst smog in the United States. Where else can you wake up in the morning to hear clouds coughing! Here in Denver all you have to do is put the air in blender before you can breath it. It's not nearly as bad.

It's still pretty early in the year to be hiking here. There were many places like this on the hike where the snow covered the trail. These were mainly on the North facing slopes. It made the going a little slower than normal.

My granddaughter

Here is the latest photo of my granddaughter Daisy. Happiness always sneaks in through a door you didn't know was open! That's good enough for me. And, when happiness shows up, give it a comfortable seat, because it won't last long. One day my daughter will look at her phone bill and realize she's got a teenager!

Independent voters

My friend David at the Y told me he's an independent voter. He said he agreed with most everything in President Obama's platform, but he's unhappy with all the spending and considers it reckless. David said, as a result he's not going to vote for Obama again. I told him I don't vote for the better candidate because I'm not sure there is one. I vote for the one who'll do the least harm!

Adlai Stevenson gave this definition of an independent: "An independent is someone who wants to take the politics out of politics."

Go back to sleep

I woke up to 3 inches of snow this morning. So instead of going to the Y and working out I rolled over and stayed warm and cozy in bed. Life in Colorado is unpredictable. March and April are the snowiest months of the year, and even though it was 82 degrees last week, we can get pounded by storms anytime. And I don't care what anybody says, I like the snow because it fills up the potholes.

Salmon

I took this picture from inside one of the Dams on the Columbia River last year. They have windows you can look through and you can see the fish migrate up the fish ladders. It's quite a site. We still have lots of salmon in our freezer from fishing last summer. We've had salmon three times a week I think; grilled salmon, salmon salad, salmon croquettes, salmon steak, poached salmon, smoked salmon, you name it. Now that spring is here, I have to resist the urge to go north and spawn!

Easter Egg Hunt

Nancy and I had dinner at Doug and Sharon's house yesterday. I used to go rock climbing with Doug years ago around Colorado and Wyoming. Now we just reminisce about it. The interaction between Doug and his daughter Sandy was priceless. I kind of think that if Doug wanted to have breakfast in bed on Father's Day, his kids would put a cot in the kitchen!

We had a really nice time. Doug and I went outside and planted a bunch of colored eggs for Sandy's son Toby to find. Most of them had money in them. He found all of them, except six. So, Doug and I went outside to find them and WE couldn't find them or remember where we put them.

A morning beyond belief

I like what John Irving wrote in A Prayer for Owen Meany. "I find that Holy Week is draining; no matter how many times I have lived through his crucifixion, my anxiety about his resurrection is undiminished - I am terrified that, this year, it won't happen; that, that year, it didn't. Anyone can be sentimental about the Nativity; any fool can feel like a Christian at Christmas. But Easter is the main event; if you don't believe in the resurrection, you're not a believer."

Walk in the Light

Dorothy Sayers writes, "He is the only God who has a date in history .... There is no more astonishing collection of phrases than that which, in the Nicene Creed, sets these two statements flatly side by side" 'Very God of Very God... He suffered under Pontius Pilate.' All over the world, thousands of times a day, Christians recite the name of a rather undistinguished Roman proconsul ... merely because that name fixes within a few years the date of the death of God."

And then Heaven broke its silence (John 12:28). "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." All the past was in that, all the past of human history, specifically the history of God's son, Jesus. And now the world is judged.

Then Jesus said, "For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light."

God's last meal

Dostoyevsky writes; "Why did Providence hide its face "at the most critical moment "... as though voluntarily submitting to the blind, dumb, pitiless laws of nature?"

In Jesus' final hours at the last supper, he removes his outer clothing, wraps a towel around his waste and washes the feet of all the disciples. Foot washing was considered so degrading that a master would not expect it from a slave. Then the disciples argue about who is the greatest and who will sit at the right hand of Jesus in heaven! Jesus simply told them that the greatest among you shall be the youngest and the one who rules like the one who serves. Then, Jesus is betrayed.

Larry Crabb writes about this Jesus who is still relevant today, "The Spirit always points to the Christ of the Bible, the One who offers no guarantees that my marriage will survive, that the biopsy will yield good news, or that I won't lose my job. The Spirit exposes a problem in my soul worse than my suffering, then reveals the God of Grace. He tells me I can know this God; I can know His heart, rest in His power, and hope in His purposes. And I can see it all in Christ. He keeps stirring my heart to say, "Just give me Jesus!"