Friendship

Vicki and I have been blessed to see much of the United States. We literally have friends in most areas of the country and to spend time with people doing something outdoors is the greatest treat. This is the group picture (minus the photographer, Michael) taken after our snow-shoe adventure.
What a great group of young adults who willingly spend time with the "old" folks on the day after Thanksgiving. It keeps Vicki and I young and focused on keeping the perspectives of others in mind. It becomes very easy to get set in your ways as you age. Teaching with a solid group of young people keeps me from becoming that old grouch (I hope.) that many people turn into after age 55. The future belongs to the young and while I have learned several things not to do in life, their optimism is needed in my life. We can learn from each other. During this Christmas season it has been fun to look back and see how blessed I am to be able to spend a lot of time with adults the same age as my children. Their friendship is invaluable!

Winter

This is a picture of Vicki and I on the Frog Lake Trail during our recent trip to Portland. We truly were blessed with a snowy day in the woods with great company. We didn't complete the entire trail, Michael and Chris got tired of breaking the trail plus it was starting to get late and we weren't excited about hiking in the early Oregon darkness.

Winter is beautiful when you get enough snow to actually get out and enjoy it. We love to snowshoe and the peacefulness of the woods is truly a place to clear the mind. Since returning to the Midwest it has been hectic but the "Walden" experience recharged batteries that were in a severely weakened state. Are you in need of a recharge? Head outdoors, find a nearby woods and enjoy a walk, leave the headphones at home, listen to your Creator who has far more important things to say to you.

Portland

We flew to Portland for Thanksgiving with family. Our daughter-in-law spent an entire day (honest) preparing a wonderful meal. While my idea of good weather does not mix well with Portland from November to March we were blessed to be in that part of the country. It is nice to be able to walk four blocks and get a cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich, walk four blocks to get to the New Seasons organic food store, walk four blocks and get on the mass transportation to ride downtown. We explored Powell's, snowshoed, ate breakfast at Mother's Bistro, and visited the Saturday market where we heard Boka Marimba. Boka plays music in the Shona people tradition and they were outstanding. Hopefully I will get a picture or two from our son to post in the near future.
No issues traveling, no body scans, etc. but every flight is packed.