Toy story

My grand kids (okay it was their mom) decided to do Toy Story for Halloween. Daisy, Eli, and Andy promise to collect more candy than any other child in the neighborhood. And, we all know the outcome of too much candy! I'm not prone to use the word "cute" very often, if at all, but in this case it may apply.

Hiking and reading

On our hike the other day, we walked out on this high ridge about a hundred feet or so from the trail to enjoy the view of Denver. It was a clear day and we could see downtown and the entire city.

On the shelves of my den I have the complete works of Dickens, Victor Hugo, Herman Melville, Balzac, and almost all the other great writers. You would think... When we got back to the trail we realized that all of us flunked reading in school.

Hiking and deer

We went hiking yesterday in Roxborough Park near our house. The weather turned nice and the snow started to melt. We hiked the South Trail and saw probably 20+ deer or more along the trail and the road driving up to the park. I suppose if you're a deer, this is the place to be during hunting season! We liked it too.

The rocks in the park were still outlined with a layer of snow and ice from Wednesday's snow. It made for some special scenery.

I saw this fine looking, big buck on the hike. Personally, I could never shoot Bambi's mommy. But her dad, well maybe so. Lucky for this buck to be in the State Park during hunting season. I used to wonder why people go hunting. Then I remembered my last trip. I went hunting with my friend Drew who came fully equipped and brought a half-dozen bottles of bourbon for snakebite. He also took two snakes.

Pujols Tebowing

What a great World Series. But it's a hard sport. The losing team will look at each player and decide who to keep and who to cut. A man knows when he's cut from the team if he comes to the clubhouse and they tell him visitors can't come in! I did enjoy seeing Albert Pujols Tebowing at the end of the game. He's giving credit where it's due.

Self-doubling

Just to clarify something about ethics I thought I would say something about Kant. He was of the opinion that man is his own law (autonomy), that is, he binds himself under the law which he himself gives himself.

Perhaps this reflects much of what society today believes. However, in a more profound sense, this is how lawlessness and experimentation are established. This thinking is not being really rigorous in any more sense than Don Quixote's self-administered blows to his bottom were vigorous. It is impossible for me to be really any more rigorous in A than I am or wish to be in B. There has to be some constraint if it's really going to be earnest. If I am bound by nothing higher than myself and I am to find myself, where would I get the rigorousness as A, the binder, which I do not have as B, who is supposed to be bound, when A and B are the same self?

The maxim which I give myself is not only not a law, but there is a law which is given me by one higher than myself, and not only that, but this lawgiver takes the liberty of taking a hand in the capacity of tutor and bringing pressure to bear.

Now if a man is never even once willing in his lifetime to act so decisively that this tutor can get hold of him, well, then it happens, then the man is allowed to live on in self-complacent illusion and make-believe and experimentation, but this also means: utterly without grace.

SK said, "Christ preached with authority - this "the clergyman" now also does, for in reserve he has the police and the house of correction."

More on dogs

Another hike, another dog. Hiking with them is sometimes difficult. You step on them, trip over them, watch them eat your ham sandwich, and usually find the owner amusing. Jim and Chris have terrific dogs - their well behaved. This guy's dog was challenging. After a few hours, he looked at me and said, "My dog must have been bred by a waiter. He never comes when I call him." I replied, "A few fleas won't bother him either. Besides, they'll give him something to do so he won't keep thinking about being a dog."

Fame

Fame is the feeling that you're on the mind of everybody who is thinking of everything else. Famous people all come from crowded neighborhoods. Show me somebody famous, and I'll show you ten thousand people who lived on the same block and went to the same school!

A few people wake up and find themselves famous. Most of us wake up and find we're a half hour late.

Baseball and the World Series

I watched the World Series Saturday night. I think the Cardinals won that game 16 to 8 or something. I was feeling pretty bad for the Rangers third baseman. With a third baseman like that, the routine ground ball has become obsolete! Maybe they should do what the Houston Astro's did. The team looked awfully good on paper, so they took out the grass and put in Astro-paper!

Life isn't fair you know. When I tried out for baseball, I couldn't hit curve. Now I play golf and I can't stop hitting them! I'm waiting for next year now, when and my Colorado Rockies make their comeback!

Dogs

On our last hike Chris and Jim brought their dogs. They're cow dogs, really well behaved and fun to have along. Even when we stopped to have lunch the dogs were obedient and didn't try to eat my ham sandwich. It reminded me of a couple of old rhymes. There was a dog named Lassie who went to Denmark and came back a cat. Then there was this Pekingese who married a tomcat. Now they have a Peking tom!

If I ever get another dog again, I think I'll get a watchdog. I'll name him Seiko.

Cycling indoors

I went to my indoor cycling class this morning. As you can see I didn't do so well. My bike had a flat. Hey, there's no wheel at all! At least I'm getting some exercise, and going outside is unacceptable since it's dropping to the low 40's in the early morning.

Biking, favorite trip this year

It's getting a little late in the year to be mountain biking. It's much colder and snow is even starting to accumulate at higher elevations. Last summer we biked above Copper Mountain and it was one of the best trips in recent years. We met some of our good friends and took the ski lift to the top and biked down this road. Hey! there were some hills, it wasn't all downhill.

However, the ride up was beautiful. I took this photo of Ed, Sharla, Nancy, and Kathy arriving at the top. Our bikes came up on another chair. Nothing quite like Colorado!

Prayer of SK in 1847

Here is a prayer I liked written by Kierkegaard:

Father in Heaven! Do not side with our sins against us, but side with us against our sins so that when the thought of you awakens in the soul, and every time it awakens, it might not remind us of our trespasses but of your forgiveness, not of how we went astray but of how you saved us!

He goes on... Loving God! You have commanded us to forgive our enemies, our erring brothers, not seven times but 70 x 7 times. How would you ever then grow weary of forgiving an honest penitent.

Tlaquepaque

I think a Christian should have an eye for art. In a human sense there is an illuminating light, which makes it easier to comprehend a painted landscape than nature. Maybe it's at that point a Christian meets God's eye.

Segment 5 CT

I hiked with my friends down segment five of the Colorado Trail Saturday toward Lost Creek Wilderness. We enjoyed very nice weather and beautiful views.

This segment has open vistas with some wonderful views of the mountains around South Park, just South of Jefferson, CO. It follows the side of a hill along the West side of the rise. There were a few aspen trees that never got the email to drop their leaves. Ahh, how nice.

After about 4 or 5 miles of hiking we stopped for lunch and enjoyed the views. Nice to have such great weather (well into the 70's) up in the mountains in mid October. Word of a hard freeze this week however.

Germans, Aplets, and Coplets

The purpose in going to Wenatchee was to visit Dad and Evorine and see how they're doing. Dad is teaching Bible classes to the Hispanic church connected with Steve's church (they love him), and he's been asked to teach an on-going course in Evolution, the Bible, and intelligent design with one of the regular classes in the church. He is certainly busy at 95!

While we were there, we drove up to Leavenworth for the Oktoberfest. What a busy place! I believe Germans have been much maligned. They are not militaristic, like a nation of first sergeants. The Germans are soft and friendly. When they talk to you, their tones are musical, pleasant, soft, and you will listen!

On the return from Leavenworth we stopped at this place, Aplets and Cotlets. I didn't even know what they were, and I'm still not quite sure. Anyway, Dad and Evorine were in fruit heaven.

Silver Falls

Last week we were up at Silver Falls near Wenatchee, WA. It is a beautiful place. We hiked up the trail a ways but ran out of time. We had Grandad waiting near the car collecting insects.

The trees in Washington are definitely larger than the trees in Colorado. After a couple of days in Wenatchee we drove to Seattle for more fun.

If dumb doesn't cover it

On our hike up St. Mary's Glacier some guy decided he wanted to ski down it. Now what you have to understand is, the glacier is very icy and full of moguls all at very odd angles and very featured. The section he decided to go down was very steep with rocks at the bottom. We talked with his wife who was very nervous. Thankfully, he went very slowly and took a sharp angle to the right instead of going straight down (which would not have been pretty).

Fancy Lake

Fancy Lake in the Holy Cross Wilderness is one beautiful place. However, there are these things called Camp Robbers living here. They are actually a gray jay. They'll swoop down when you're not looking and steal the sandwich right out of your hand. And they're very good at it, so look out. They aren't like the pigeon's in City Park who stand around and eat so many bread crumbs they'll lay a roll. These birds are militant. Whatever you do, don't feed them!

Sausage, Egg, and Cheese McBeals

On our last camping trip, we learned how to make sausage, egg, and cheese McBeal's. First you have to have one of these caste iron things. they clamp shut on whatever is inside. Then you build a campfire and let it die down to coals a little. Then you cook your sausage patties inside and set them aside in foil. Cook your eggs to your liking and put them on top of your sausage. Put the sausage, eggs, and cheese (and anything else you want) inside of an English muffin. Squeeze everything into your caste iron thing and cook again. Mmmmm.... Goooood!

Forgiveness

I think a number of people have a fundamental confusion about the meaning of forgiveness. God's forgiveness is never an act of leniency. God can righteously forgive only when the full satisfaction of His holiness has been met. The root of the meaning of the word forgive, in the Bible, is remission. It represents the divine act of separating the sin from the sinner. Human forgiveness is merely a lifting of the penalty: divine forgiveness is exercised only when the penalty, according to the terms of His infinite righteousness, has first been executed on the sinner, or his substitute. "This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:28). All divine forgiveness whether toward the unsaved or the saved is now based on the shed blood of Christ. When we were saved He forgave us "all trespasses." (Colossians 2:13). This is judicial forgiveness and means the removal of the grounds of condemnation forever. This is God's "Living water" for you and for me.

Marmots

Hiking in Maroon Bells I came across this little fellow... the dreaded Marmot. They are dreaded by those of us who spend time in the mountains. Marmots are like one year old dogs. They eat everything including your food, your packs, your hat, your shoes, everything. I used to leave my tent door open when I was gone so they wouldn't eat a hole in it to get in. Why the company Marmot Clothing and Equipment named their company after this beast is a mystery to me.

D.H. Lawrence

Perhaps these words by D.H. Lawrence should be hung on my door...

What is the knocking?

What is the knocking at the door in the night?

It is somebody wants to do us harm.

No, no, it is the three strange angels.

Admit them, admit them.

Late Fragment

Raymond Carver wrote:

And did you get what

you wanted from this life even so?

I did.

And what did you want?

To call myself beloved, to feel myself

beloved on the earth.

Aspen leaves

The aspen color has been wonderful this year. Driving up here I see For Sale signs for land and mountain homes, and wonder about grazing rights, and will someone be drilling here soon. Maybe so, but some things God will never let us take. Langston Hughes writes:

Gather out of star-dust

Earth-dust,

Cloud dust,

And splinters of hail,

One handful of dream-dust

Not for sale.

Tomatoes on my back porch

If you stand below the upper deck in the back of our house you'll see a tomato plant growing upside down. Last May Nancy bought one of those things where you plant the tomato plant upside down through holes in the bottom and then load it up with dirt on the top.

This is pretty much the last of the harvest this year. We're expecting a hard freeze in a couple of days and that will be the end of fresh tomatoes from Colorado.

Thoughts on transportation

Sunday mornings we're usually treated to balloons flying over the house. I generally feel pretty good about flying, but I'm not so sure about this. I assume everything goes smoothly on these flights. Show me an airline that runs smoothly, and I'll show you a bus company!

St. Mary's Glacier

I hiked up St. Mary's Glacier yesterday with our hiking group to the flanks of James Peak. On the way we enjoyed stunning views of the aspen leaves changing and felt winter in the air. When we stopped for lunch it began to snow a little on us - small pea snow pelted us for a few minutes.

The hike back was beautiful and mostly sunny. I was glad to get back home in time to shower and go pick up Nancy at the airport. Then my world was even sunnier!