Extreme Makeover Schurter Edition

What better way to get a group of guys together than tell them they can wreck something? I have an old termite riddled garage that must go to make way for a new garage. I am probably the only person in central Illinois who lives on a corner lot and can enter a garage from either street. The destruction began on May 30 and the final fall came on June 6 (D-Day). No major injuries occurred during the filming process! I must express my thanks to Dennis Koch of Koch Konstruction for hauling away the first load of junk. There is more to haul and you will be paid.

Tour de Casey's 2009

June 5, school has been out for two days and we are finally hitting the road for the first annual Tour de Casey's. Blaine, newly graduated senior, Tom, my team-teaching partner and I are leaving Pekin High School at 7:00 a.m. bound for Tremont, Hopedale, Minier, Mackinaw, Morton and finally Groveland where we will stop at every Casey's. I have ridden all of 100 miles in 2009 and we rode 55 miles in one day most of the final 25 miles into a fairly steady headwind. Overall the day was fantastic, the Casey's donuts were supurb, the G2 cold, second breakfast at the Mackinaw Family Restaurant was outstanding and my legs were shot. We were only yelled at once by a driver who didn't know how to pass bicyclists riding single file. This is a great time of year to ride and the winner of the outstanding Casey's was Minier. All you bicyclists.....this route is a great ride and there are dozens of others in Tazewell County that would equal it. Cycling is a great way to truly enjoy the outdoors, even though Blaine had his Blackberry out at every stop and had to listen to two teachers discuss the "voice" of each community we passed through the day was great. My apologies for the lousy video, my legs were shaking so bad from lack of training and riding with people who could be your children is getting more difficult each year. My thanks to both of these guys for allowing the old fat guy to ride along. It means a lot. Oh, Groveland....I couldn't face riding another mile north and then back to head home....next year!

Chicago

Light and shadows interest me. They hide and reveal. The can show hope and despair. These were taken on our recent field trip to Chicago. Federal Reserve Bank on the left, Sears Tower on the right.

The Question No One Wants To Discuss

When does aid move from help to enabling?

Premise: That I am obligated to assist those in need. This is a command from Christ. However, at what point has my assistance allowed a person to become dependent upon assistance and never seek to break that bond?

We have lost a war on poverty, we have lost a war on drugs, when do you raise the white flag and admit defeat and start over in a new direction? For example, we have such a large government system that employs thousands built around these two areas that nothing will ever change. Do humans need to be free to fail?

Odessa Lake Trail, RMNP

Vicki and I attempted the hike to Odessa Lake during our recent trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. There had been new snow and we were the first to travel this particular trail. Our Creator has put a wonderful earth together and hiking in the mountains brings a particular peace that can only be understood through experience. We left Illinois with a sense of frustration, a home we own in Peoria is not selling, I am barely staying ahead of my students which doesn't allow me to prepare the way I feel I should which means my classes are not going the way I think they should which frustrates (do you see a pattern here?) me. Anyway, time in the mountains allows me to clear my head and focus upon what God is doing and needs to do in my life. We are tremendously blessed. In spite of all that appears to be going wrong in our world God is good each and every day.

Lumpy Ridge

We have returned from our trip to Estes Park. The photo was taken on our hike to Gem Lake in RMNP. The area is called Lumpy Ridge and you go north out of Estes to find this wonderful hiking area. The trees provided me with wonderful lines that really blur the cabin in the background, much as we can allow life to blur our view of what really matters.
If you are planning a trip to this area we would recommend the Gem Lake hike. You have about 900' of elevation gain but some wonderful panoramic views of the mountains will truly take your breath away.

Rest

Life can always get a bit hectic. Time away in the mountains helps relax the mind, soul and sometimes even the body. We tend to make our trips a bit of an adventure and so the body doesn't always get to rest. The mountains are a place to gain perspective on a world that seems to place too much value on things. The mountains allow me to rest my mind from the normal daily wear and tear of life. The picture I have posted was taken on a snowshoe trip in Rocky Mountain National Park. The day was beautiful, the trail had close to 8" of new snow. This provided, "rest."