Home, Jane!
As I write this we are approaching the border of the US and Canada at Sarnia. It is a beautiful day and we have mixed emotions. It is always good to get home and settled again, but on the other hand we have had such a blissful time and the thought of all the mail (bills!), banking, messages and dirty laundry is enough to make us dizzy!
We are so grateful for this gift of sabbatical time and our hearts go out in a special way to our church family of West Plains who made this possible, my Mom who gave us this funky, perfect vehicle for the trip, and to our wonderful family and friends who encouraged us and supported us all along.
And we could not finish without a grateful word to “Jane”, our mostly dependable GPS who save many a trial of figuring out where to go and how to get there! We have finally given her our home address and soon she will have a well deserved vacation!
We have been overwhelmed with the beauty the one God of us all has created – there have been so many inspirational and prayerful moments and most of them not in a church at all!
When we started out 10 weeks ago on April 15th we had 111,545 km. on our vehicle. At this present time as we roll down the highway we have passed the 132,000 km mark so it would appear that we will have logged about 21,000 km or 12,600 miles (for our new US friends!).
As a variation of one of my Mom’s favourite expressions says:
“Home, Jane (James), and don’t spare the horses!!!”
Thanks for sharing the journey with us and we can’t wait to see you all soon!
Love and thanks to everyone!!
Rip and Joyce
PS: It is Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 at 8:45 pm and we have just pulled into “home” and we are so glad to be here safe and sound. Amen and good night all!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
A Day with Elizabeth Taylor!
Last stop – the windy city!
Our last stop is a B&B in Chicago to celebrate our anniversary and also to get used to a “real” bed before we get home! We hop the “L” metro tram train from the B&B and then downtown we climb aboard a double decker tour bus and sit at the top to get a great view and pictures. The tour guide is an actress and very informative and entertaining. This is a perfect way to see a large city and learn the history and see the sights. Her name is Elizabeth Taylor (!) and she shows us the highlights of Chicago in a 2 hour tour – you can “hop on- hop off” at any stop. We stay on the tour bus for a long stretch with Elizabeth (we are on a first name basis now!) because she is exciting and charming.
As we pass the various landmarks, Elizabeth tells us about Millennium Park, the Michigan Avenue drawbridge, the Theatre District, the Palmer House Hotel, the Art Institute, Hilton Chicago, the renowned Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum with Sue, the largest and most complete T-Rex (top of the list!), the hotels, skyscrapers including the Trump Tower and Sears Tower, Navy Pier, Magnificent Mile, John Hancock Observatory, and literally hundreds of other hidden gems in the city. The architecture is fascinating, a real mix of new glass castles and old museums and churches.
We reluctantly leave Elizabeth and get off the bus to visit Navy Pier on Lake Michigan and later stop at the shopping district called The Magnificent Mile. Never have I seen larger stores than this. We don’t want to miss the other sights for shopping (need more time!), so we spend an hour or so here, and cool off in the air conditioned shops. We bought nothing but it was very interesting. Our bus tour ticket includes a free chocolate bar at the Hershey store, and a bag of popcorn in the theatre district so we can’t pass those up! Good lunch – main course and dessert!!!
After a full day of touring and walking we take the “L” (Line) “home” and painfully climb the 50 stairs to our 3rd floor room – we are beginning to know how Rips Joy feels climbing those mountain road! We go for supper at a little (I mean little!) Thai restaurant around the corner from our B&B.
We have spent most of the day in Chicago with Elizabeth Taylor and it was mighty fine!
Our last stop is a B&B in Chicago to celebrate our anniversary and also to get used to a “real” bed before we get home! We hop the “L” metro tram train from the B&B and then downtown we climb aboard a double decker tour bus and sit at the top to get a great view and pictures. The tour guide is an actress and very informative and entertaining. This is a perfect way to see a large city and learn the history and see the sights. Her name is Elizabeth Taylor (!) and she shows us the highlights of Chicago in a 2 hour tour – you can “hop on- hop off” at any stop. We stay on the tour bus for a long stretch with Elizabeth (we are on a first name basis now!) because she is exciting and charming.
As we pass the various landmarks, Elizabeth tells us about Millennium Park, the Michigan Avenue drawbridge, the Theatre District, the Palmer House Hotel, the Art Institute, Hilton Chicago, the renowned Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum with Sue, the largest and most complete T-Rex (top of the list!), the hotels, skyscrapers including the Trump Tower and Sears Tower, Navy Pier, Magnificent Mile, John Hancock Observatory, and literally hundreds of other hidden gems in the city. The architecture is fascinating, a real mix of new glass castles and old museums and churches.
We reluctantly leave Elizabeth and get off the bus to visit Navy Pier on Lake Michigan and later stop at the shopping district called The Magnificent Mile. Never have I seen larger stores than this. We don’t want to miss the other sights for shopping (need more time!), so we spend an hour or so here, and cool off in the air conditioned shops. We bought nothing but it was very interesting. Our bus tour ticket includes a free chocolate bar at the Hershey store, and a bag of popcorn in the theatre district so we can’t pass those up! Good lunch – main course and dessert!!!
After a full day of touring and walking we take the “L” (Line) “home” and painfully climb the 50 stairs to our 3rd floor room – we are beginning to know how Rips Joy feels climbing those mountain road! We go for supper at a little (I mean little!) Thai restaurant around the corner from our B&B.
We have spent most of the day in Chicago with Elizabeth Taylor and it was mighty fine!
Crazy Horse!
We are in South Dakota, land of bison, pronghorn antelope, prairie dogs, bluebirds – and Crazy Horse! The famous Crazy Horse mountain carving has been a work in progress since June 3, 1948. It is to honour the first nations people and their leader, Crazy Horse.
The mountain carving will be 641 feet long and 563 high “in the round”.
The sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski, was born in Boston of Polish descent. Lakota Chief Standing Bear invited him to carve the memorial so that “white man would know that red m an has great heroes too”. Korczak rose to the task even though he only had $174 to his name and started the grueling, slow work on the mountain at age 40. The first blast on the mountain took off 10 tons of stone and millions of tons have been removed since.
Rip and I were curious to see if we could notice any changes since our visit 15 years ago. We have to say that at first we didn’t! On a closer look there were finishing touches to the head of Chief Crazy Horse which was unveiled as completed in 1999. Next the workers are blocking out the 22 story-high horse’s head! The Chief is sitting on his horse and his horse will have a 45 foot ear and a 16 foot wide eye. Korczak is now deceased but 5 of his 7 children have taken on the continuation of the project – a real mission. Korczak wanted the project to be a nonprofit educational and cultural endeavor, so twice he turned down 10 million dollars in federal funding! It is quite the mountain carving to behold even in its infancy. Rip said he wanted to see it finished, but he probably would have to live another 100 years or more – maybe!
While in the Crazy Horse area we toured Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park where we cruised the park roads with the bison within touching distance! We also took the 20 miles Needles Highway where one tunnel opening is about 9’ by 12’. Rips Joy was overjoyed not to get ripped in the process. There are three tunnels about the same size and the views of rock and lushly treed landscape – including water of course – was sublime!
From the Crazy Horse monument are we found ourselves camping in the town of Wall, home of the famous Wall Drug store. For 100 miles through the dry plains of South Dakota a huge natural barrier called the Wall can be seen as a long ridge, sculptured into fantastic pinnacles and gullies. Water has been carving away at the cliffs for the past half million years and fossilized bones of ancient beasts can be found by the hundreds. The Badlands is home to bison, pronghorn and bighorn sheep.
Badlands National Park is on the edge of the town of Wall and was established in 1978 to preserve the land and sacred places of the native peoples, the Oglala. The 30 miles Badlands Loop is full of overlooks and trails with very unique, barren and yet striking panoramic views. The cliffs are layered colours of pink and grey, representing numerous geological moments in times. Beyond the cliffs, you can see for miles and miles.
We can almost see Crazy Horse from here!
The mountain carving will be 641 feet long and 563 high “in the round”.
The sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski, was born in Boston of Polish descent. Lakota Chief Standing Bear invited him to carve the memorial so that “white man would know that red m an has great heroes too”. Korczak rose to the task even though he only had $174 to his name and started the grueling, slow work on the mountain at age 40. The first blast on the mountain took off 10 tons of stone and millions of tons have been removed since.
Rip and I were curious to see if we could notice any changes since our visit 15 years ago. We have to say that at first we didn’t! On a closer look there were finishing touches to the head of Chief Crazy Horse which was unveiled as completed in 1999. Next the workers are blocking out the 22 story-high horse’s head! The Chief is sitting on his horse and his horse will have a 45 foot ear and a 16 foot wide eye. Korczak is now deceased but 5 of his 7 children have taken on the continuation of the project – a real mission. Korczak wanted the project to be a nonprofit educational and cultural endeavor, so twice he turned down 10 million dollars in federal funding! It is quite the mountain carving to behold even in its infancy. Rip said he wanted to see it finished, but he probably would have to live another 100 years or more – maybe!
While in the Crazy Horse area we toured Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park where we cruised the park roads with the bison within touching distance! We also took the 20 miles Needles Highway where one tunnel opening is about 9’ by 12’. Rips Joy was overjoyed not to get ripped in the process. There are three tunnels about the same size and the views of rock and lushly treed landscape – including water of course – was sublime!
From the Crazy Horse monument are we found ourselves camping in the town of Wall, home of the famous Wall Drug store. For 100 miles through the dry plains of South Dakota a huge natural barrier called the Wall can be seen as a long ridge, sculptured into fantastic pinnacles and gullies. Water has been carving away at the cliffs for the past half million years and fossilized bones of ancient beasts can be found by the hundreds. The Badlands is home to bison, pronghorn and bighorn sheep.
Badlands National Park is on the edge of the town of Wall and was established in 1978 to preserve the land and sacred places of the native peoples, the Oglala. The 30 miles Badlands Loop is full of overlooks and trails with very unique, barren and yet striking panoramic views. The cliffs are layered colours of pink and grey, representing numerous geological moments in times. Beyond the cliffs, you can see for miles and miles.
We can almost see Crazy Horse from here!
Water For Elephants!
Our new route took us north through the rockies of Colorado – ski country! We just went from the top of one mountain into the valley and up into another mountain pass – reaching 11,000’ at one point. It was spectacular. The mountains were still iced with snow, just like a dripping ice cream cone. We saw numerous waterfall thaws and rushing rocky rivers. From Durango in the south to Denver it was one amazing scene to another, driving through rock tunnels, past natural hot springs, into pristine ski resort towns with chalets (like Veil), rushing waters and smooth, green ski runs on the mountains that seemed to reach to heaven. The area is called “White Water Region” so you can imagine the rafting and kayaking we saw in the rivers along the highway.
There were places where barriers are used to close the roads during winter and it seemed that nearly everyone had a 4 wheel drive vehicle or a truck – no wonder!
It was a slow drive for our Westy, getting up those mountain tops, and then sliding down again. Reminded us of how we have felt on this trip when we have hiked up a slope! Poor Rips Joy is out of shape too, and has only been around since 1988! There was road construction and for the first time we had a delay of about an hour. Lots of cars and trucks were pulled off and overheated. We stopped to cool down the engine too and just enjoyed the scenery. Right beside us was one of those snow-melt waterfalls. There is something truly mesmerizing about water.
I have just finished another book, Water For Elephants, by Sara Gruen. It is the fascinating story of a man, trained as a veterinarian, and who finds himself in a travelling Circus at the beginning of his career. The story flips back and forth a few times (not so often that you get lost!) from his younger days to his present life in a nursing home. It is a “can’t put it down” kind of read with lots of tragedy and triumph.
As compared to Arizona, Colorado country sure has enough water for elephants!
There were places where barriers are used to close the roads during winter and it seemed that nearly everyone had a 4 wheel drive vehicle or a truck – no wonder!
It was a slow drive for our Westy, getting up those mountain tops, and then sliding down again. Reminded us of how we have felt on this trip when we have hiked up a slope! Poor Rips Joy is out of shape too, and has only been around since 1988! There was road construction and for the first time we had a delay of about an hour. Lots of cars and trucks were pulled off and overheated. We stopped to cool down the engine too and just enjoyed the scenery. Right beside us was one of those snow-melt waterfalls. There is something truly mesmerizing about water.
I have just finished another book, Water For Elephants, by Sara Gruen. It is the fascinating story of a man, trained as a veterinarian, and who finds himself in a travelling Circus at the beginning of his career. The story flips back and forth a few times (not so often that you get lost!) from his younger days to his present life in a nursing home. It is a “can’t put it down” kind of read with lots of tragedy and triumph.
As compared to Arizona, Colorado country sure has enough water for elephants!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Rip's camping thoughts 2
Another thing about camping that has changed in the last 15 years – 15 years ago when I went camping there was more solitude. Quiet time. You travelled around and maybe never talked to your family for weeks at a time, and no one could get in touch with you until you got in touch with them. Modern day camping involves cell phones and computers. You are always in touch with people at home, your family and friends and you’re made aware of all the little problems and surprises that come up in life. They affect the solitude of your trip. Camping to me as a boy was getting away from everything.
We have choices in life. I could turn off the cell phone and computer but I’m addicted!!
I’m addicted to the interent, wanting to know what’s happening, who I can email, who I can Skype and talk to and I’m addicted to the cell phone. Can someone please help me with my addictions?!!
We have choices in life. I could turn off the cell phone and computer but I’m addicted!!
I’m addicted to the interent, wanting to know what’s happening, who I can email, who I can Skype and talk to and I’m addicted to the cell phone. Can someone please help me with my addictions?!!
Any Dream Will Do!
Since my early theological training I have had a recurring dream – not quite a nightmare but pretty close! I dream that I am leading worship and just into the service I can’t find my sermon notes!! I am overwhelmed and trying to think of what I might say, or how much I can remember. Then I wake up and give my head a shake and push that scenario out of my mind.
It did happen once. In Rockton one Sunday the service was underway and I checked my hymn book for my sermon and it wasn’t there. Right in the middle of worship I asked the choir to check their hymn books for me and sure enough books had been switched and someone had my sermon – whew!!
Many times I have wished that I was not so dependent on notes for worship, but it is something that I have had to accept as part of my humanity so to speak!
The dream came again a few nights ago. But this time there was a surprising and calm resolution. This time I didn’t panic or ask if someone else had my notes. I simply opened the Bible to a psalm and asked everyone to reflect on the words. It turned out to be a meaningful time in the service that day.
This dream has a message for me! I have realized in this sabbatical time that I use too many words and have depended too much on words in ministry. I don’t know exactly how this new insight will unfold, but I do know that the Spirit is leading me in a new way.
As the song in Joseph goes, “any dream will do”! Dreams can teach us some important. Of course I don’t always remember my dreams, but when I do I know there is a message.
Any dream will do!
It did happen once. In Rockton one Sunday the service was underway and I checked my hymn book for my sermon and it wasn’t there. Right in the middle of worship I asked the choir to check their hymn books for me and sure enough books had been switched and someone had my sermon – whew!!
Many times I have wished that I was not so dependent on notes for worship, but it is something that I have had to accept as part of my humanity so to speak!
The dream came again a few nights ago. But this time there was a surprising and calm resolution. This time I didn’t panic or ask if someone else had my notes. I simply opened the Bible to a psalm and asked everyone to reflect on the words. It turned out to be a meaningful time in the service that day.
This dream has a message for me! I have realized in this sabbatical time that I use too many words and have depended too much on words in ministry. I don’t know exactly how this new insight will unfold, but I do know that the Spirit is leading me in a new way.
As the song in Joseph goes, “any dream will do”! Dreams can teach us some important. Of course I don’t always remember my dreams, but when I do I know there is a message.
Any dream will do!
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