Passing of a Legend

I just read on CNN that Paul Newman has died.

I didn't agree with everything he did, but you have to admit he had a huge heart... especially for kids. He had style, he lived life at full throttle and he was committed to his wife of 50 years.

They don't make 'em like him very often.

The Decision

I have made a major decision to join with a new church. I am now attending Grace Community Church http://www.gcomchurch.com/ .

It’s a new church, only a bit over 3 years old. It is Bible based rather than tradition based. Any Sunday could different, there is no set pattern followed that MUST be followed. No dress code. No “happy masks” required either.

Instead of Sunday School classes, people join “community groups” and fellowship over a Bible study that is picked by the group to meet their own unique needs. At this point, I’m doing a bit with the missions program. I’m glad to be a part of a team, as I need some time off from heavy-duty responsibility.

Himself and I have been struggling with the decision to come here, even tho we felt it was the right move. Speaking for myself, the past couple years I have been disillusioned and angered by things I have witnessed at our old church. I was in the office area a lot volunteering and working on things for the mission group I led, and I started seeing some serious unChristian attitudes and actions. It’s amazing what people will say without looking around to see who could hear them! A few very serious incidents happened in ’07 that compelled me to find another place to worship.

As I said, it was a hard decision to make. Partly because I knew that as soon as I started attending the new church I would become a pariah in the old one. As one person at the old church said, “…THOSE PEOPLE are the chaff that has been blown away from the wheat…” Ouch. It’s terrible when you feel led to join with another church but have to weigh it against the fact that friends you know at your first church will no longer speak to you when you do. But I guess it really drives home who is a “FRIEND” and who was actually just an acquaintance.

A Quick Update

Life has been moving faster than normal. Seems like I have had no time to sit down and write for pleasure. So I'll give a quick update and then try to keep something going at a more regular pace.

Himself: He got back the end of August from a difficult season. Poor fishing and lots of injuries made it a long 3 months. He loved seeing our home set up, and is really getting into the work we need to do on it.

The House: Is coming along nicely. I had the upstairs finished be the time Himself got home. Since then we have made a major dent in the boxes that were stuffed in the garages. Soon we will be building the shelves to hold the containers for the things we want to keep (seasonal decorations, items from other countries, etc) and will be doing the final sorting. It will take a while to finish but will be well worth it.

The yard is a BIG task, as it’s been neglected for a while. First issue we have to deal with is some drainage problems. There’s a lot of washing when we have a heavy rain. A portion of the driveway is starting to look like a mini Grand Canyon! I also need to decide where I want my jonquils planted… and then get to planting! The iris and daylily beds need some serious attention before winter. The rest can wait until Spring. I’ll be spending the cold months sketching plans and ordering seed.

Wedding Bells: My sister is getting married in early November and I am her Matron of Honor. So all the wedding plans are thrown into the mix. I’m hosting a bridal shower at a beautiful B&B mid-October. It’s going to be a High Tea. I’m looking forward to it! Then of course there are all the things that need to be done for the wedding itself. Himself is going to be the usher.

The Trips: We decided we wanted to make a trip back up to MN to see the relatives up there. So we are heading up the first part October, coming back just a couple days before the shower. We will be back to TN by the 22nd. Then it’s back up to MO for the wedding on the 8th… and the 10th we leave for FL for our Panama Canal cruise.

Photography: I have a show coming up with the photography club in Nov. It’s a major exhibition at the Clarksville museum. The title is “The Nature of Light”. My work “Arctic Light” features photos I took while in AK this spring. I’m also working on a couple books on blurb.com that I would like to have done in a few weeks.

And there you have it. If I missed anything, drop me an email and I will fill you in.

Juried Art show entry

I gave my first juried art show a try, entering two photos for consideration. I was a bit hesitant at first, as the idea of "trying out" to be allowed in a show was kind of scary.

I'm excited to say that one of my shots was selected to be in the competition!

This photo is called "Bering Sea Cod". I took it off of Adak Island as cod were being brought on board for processing. That's one of my favorite shots on the whole trip.

Political Saber Rattling - PLEASE STOP!

No, I'm not talking about what is going on between the Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin camps. I am talking about the non-stop bombardment of "anti" rants against one or the other Presidential hopeful sent by too many people who have my email address!

Suddenly people who haven't seen fit to contact my in a couple years are sending me forwards of political email propaganda. Truths - half truths - outright lies... it doesn't seem to matter. Just hit that forward button... don't bother checking it out.

I have actually READ both "The Audacity of Hope" and "Faith of My Fathers". I would be happy to discuss either one with you... IF you have read them too. If you haven't; I don't need your emails that pull quotes out of context.

Please stop.

I have formed my own opinion WITHOUT the daily "I hate What's-His-Name" emails. The only new opinions I am forming is about each and every person who has sent me this unsolicited garbage.

A lot of you won't be receiving my new email address when I change servers this week...

Another elephant child!

Happy Birthday to me,
Happy Birthday to me,
Happy Birthday - here's my new elephant!
Happy Birthday to me!

Meet Wasessa! Here is her story, as told by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.


During a routine surveillance patrol by our Tsavo Mobile Veterinary Unit, a lone baby elephant was spotted on the plains beyond Irima Hill in Tsavo East National Park. This was the afternoon of 22nd June 2008 and the calf, estimated to be between approximately 18 months old, still milk dependent, was completely alone with no elephants in the area other than a lone bull some distance away. The Mobile Veterinary Unit monitored the baby for some hours during which time she gravitated towards the lone bull who was passing by. However, the bull was obviously un-inclined to become encumbered by an adoptee, because he kept on pushing her gently away, although due to her persistance he decided to remain within reach. This was opportune because just 50 yards away, a pride of lions was taking great interest in events and would have taken an un-protected baby elephant in a flash had she not found him for protection.

By this time darkness was setting in, and having ascertained that the bull was unlikely to remain with the calf overnight, and that she would definitely fall prey to the pride, the Mobile Veterinary Unit alerted the Voi Elephant Keepers and mobilize a rescue to save the calf. As the men approached, the bull became more protective of his small appendage and had to be physically driven off by the vehicle, once the calf had been sedated. She was then transported to the Voi Elephant Stockades for the night, and Nairobi was alerted that a plane would be needed the following morning, since the calf was milk dependent and needed the company of other elephants to calm it down. It was extremely wild and unmanageable as it was.

Having landed at Voi our Nairobi Elephant Keepers were driven to the Voi Elephant Stockades, the team was then faced with the problem of having to overpower an extremely wild elephant, who simply wanted to kill every human in sight. This was a challenging prospect and took some doing, it being necessary to avoid sedation, due to the risk of bloat, which, in the past, has cost the life of orphans of that age immobilized for what was to be a long journey. She was, however, given a Stressnil injection, which didn’t seem to have much affect, because the calf gave the Keepers a real run around before she was overpowered, her legs tied, and lain down on the rescue tarpaulin, in order to be driven to the airfield and eventually loaded onto the plane.

She arrived in Nairobi at 6.30 p.m. and was carried recumbent into the Taming Stockade.Once the ropes that tied her legs were removed, however, she was up in a flash, and all present had to take instant evasive action in order to avoid being flattened. She was, indeed, extremely wild and extremely fierce. Even Mishak, who has been an elephant Keeper for the past 20 years, announced that she held this unenviable record, for never had there been another more so! She charged the stout iron grid entrance to her Stockade repeatedly until it buckled outwards in a half-loop, looking precariously vulnerable, that we feared it might come down completely! She charged everyone in sight, except blind Maxwell, her next door neighbour, who had four legs instead of two, and was the same colour as her elephant mother.

By the next morning she was still unmanageable but would take water and eventually some milk from a bucket. Maxwell was thrilled to have a near neighbour throughout the night, and slept pressed up against his side of the separating poles. Max loves the elephant orphans, for they come to greet him each morning with a trunk-touch on the face! The other elephants were then brought around to see her, but being older and bigger than Lesanju, and therefore a competitor for the babies, Lesanju didn’t linger long, and hurried her little troupe off again as quickly as possible, probably also sensing the aggression of the newcomer!

Taming this particular elephant is going to be difficult. She has obviously seen something terrible, probably witness to the death of her elephant mother and family, probably in a human/wildlife situation (There have been a number of reported poaching cases outside the Park) but we are sure that in the fullness of time she will become gentle, trusting and loving, because she is, after all, an elephant! We have decided to name her “Wasessa”, the name of a small hill in Tsavo East close to where she was found.

Vote for ME!

Take a moment to go over to the link below and vote this photo of Himself and I as "best".

What it is, is the St. Louis Post Dispatch newspaper has a feature called "Bring It Home" where readers send in photo of themselves on vacation wearing a St Louis themed shirt. I wore my St Louis Zoo shirt the day we went to visit Morani the tame rhino at Sweetwaters Reserve in Kenya.


http://iwitness.stltoday.com/mycapture/photos/JXImage.aspx?ImageID=282749&Catego
ryID=21373&EventID=441786&CollectionID=0

Thanks!

The Camel Bookmobile book drive

As part of packing, I’m going thru my stack of magazines during my break times. In a back issue of Family Circle was an article about a library in Kenya that has a mobile library where the books are brought in to remote villages by pack camels.

Kenya – camels – books? Now that got my attention!

So I checked out the web site http://camelbookdrive.wordpress.com/ and decided that I could send a few books over for the cause.

Check out the web site for information on how to donate. English is one of the official languages of Kenya. They are looking children’s story books, general fiction and nonfiction for both kids and adults. GENTLY used books are welcome. Also noted is: “patrons especially love it when a book is inscribed with a note from the sender. It helps them feel connected to places only barely imagined.”

There are books that they do NOT want to receive. These are books about holidays, religious books, textbooks, books with a lot of slang or books with sexual content.

Alaskan Adventure - Emergency Steering

One point along the southern end of the passage is called the “Seymour Narrows”. I’m not sure if the cruise ships go thru it, but the smaller vessels do. And life can become exciting real fast in the narrows, from what Capt Joe said. The tide is rather strong at this point and when it changes direction the rips can be very strong…even to the point that there are whirlpools created. Joe said one ship he was on was completely spun around by one of them! Wow!

One reference says, “Seymour Narrows is a long, slender, dangerous stretch of water north of Campbell River, B.C.. Like many sites in this part of the world, vast amounts of water are forced by ocean tides through narrow passages, which creates high water currents (15 knots at times) and dangerous conditions — whirlpools, overfalls, and other boat-busting conditions.

Explorer George Vancouver described Seymour Narrows as "one of the vilest stretches of water in the world." The rapids have claimed over a hundred lives and is regarded by many sailors as the worst hazard to marine navigation on the British Columbia coast.”

We were going to go thru the narrows right at deep dusk. While we did set anchor awhile to wait for the worst of it to pass, the ride could become interesting without warning at any time.

And I wasn’t going to miss it for anything!

I bounced up to the bridge a bit after we brought the anchor up. Capt Joe was the only one up there and all the bridge lights were off but one (the glare on the windows is really bad with the lights on). I noticed he was talking a lot on the ship’s phone to engineering. And it was kinda strange that the deck hands weren’t hanging out either, but figured it was part and parcel of going thru.

So I sat down and waited for the ride to begin. Since it was pretty dark by now there wasn’t much to look at outside, so I picked up a magazine and thumbed thru it. Pretty dull stuff. Until I hear the radio crackle and the Canadian Coast Guard ask “Independence, what is your current situation?”

Hmmmm… they take going thru these narrows really serious! I flipped a couple more pages.

Then Capt Joe replies, “We are heading into Deepwater Bay on emergency steering…”

Emergency steering?!?!

No wonder he’s been in such close communication with the engineers and the deck hands are scarce (read “BUSY”)! I look up from the magazine to find Capt Joe looking directly at me. I raised an eyebrow, he smiled. Well, he was relaxed and if he’s OK with what’s going on…so am I! I nod my head towards the stairs off the bridge to see if he wanted me to leave but he shook his head “no”. He then snapped off the last light, leaving the bridge illuminated by the instruments and the dim light over the charts.

For the next 15 minutes or so, I watch as 42 years of experience maneuvered us out of the narrows and safely into the bay where anchor was dropped until it could be figured out what was wrong. It was fascinating.

They got the problem fixed and we were on our way again...8 hours later than planned.

Alaskan Adventure - Inner Passage

The appearance of Mt. Fairweather was the signal that soon we would be entering the famous Alaskan ‘Inner Passage’. If you’ve been on an Alaskan cruise, you know what I’m going to be talking about. Wow! When Himself and I were planning our upcoming cruise I suggested we do the Alaskan package. He reminded me that he goes that route 2 to 4 times a year. Yeah…yeah.

The passage from Point Spenser to Ketchikan is full of mountainous islands with snow covered peaks, quiet coves & passes full of fishing boats and an abundance of wildlife.

Along one area a pod of Dall porpoise rode the wake of the Independence for about 40 minutes. They would zoom along in the wake of the ship, tho for them it was probably like skiing a bunny slope. Dall can swim up to 25 miles an hour…the Indy – on a good day going with the tide and a strong tail wind – can get up to 9 miles an hour. From a port hole in the bow, I was able to watch them and get some great photos of their games.

One time I was outside the bridge door taking some shots of a light house and I kept hearing a squeaking noise. Kinda like the sound of wet rubber-soled shoes on a vinyl floor. I finally looked around to try to figure out what sort of “Indy noise” that was (you wouldn’t believe the variety of sounds that ship can make!). Just as I turned I saw a huge fin slicing out of the water… a big male orca! He was gone too quickly to get a picture. A few minutes later I heard the squeaking again and started looking. Sure enough, there he was. This time he was too far to get a photo. Drat! Several more times I turned at the sound of his squeaks to watch him glide away from us.

Ketchikan was the first place you could get a good cell phone signal. So for that small portion of the trip, so many people were up on the deck calling home…some for the first time in several months. I’d been to Ketchikan in ’02, so it was fun to see it from the water side instead of the road side.

After leaving Ketchikan the passage narrows, becoming more “fjord” like, the land goes UP even more sharply...resulting in waterfall after waterfall.

Some started at the top of the mountain and fell 300-400 feet to the waters of the passage.

There are abandoned salmon canneries,

Logging camps,

Beautiful homes

And all along the passage are lighthouses.

So… have you booked your cruise yet???