The Great Canadian Adventure

My trip to Canada went well!  Thanks for praying for Mar and I as we travelled.  We had a whirlwind of a week and I think we were both tired by the time we returned to Pennsylvania.  But it was great to connect with so many wonderful Canadians!  I've included a few pictures, but I have to share one story about dear Georgie, our wonderful TomTom, on loan from my dear cousin Haven.  

Now you may be confused by why we would call a TomTom "Georgie."  To be honest, TomTom just seemed too unoriginal, and we needed a girl's name for an all-girl-road-trip!  Honestly, without Georgie's help, we would still be driving around Ontario!  At one point, our car charger stopped working and Georgie's battery eventually died.  I was on my own at this point, half an hour into a two and half hour drive to a small town called Frogmore (named by the Queen of England, as I learned from the wonderful residents).  I was more than a little panicked at the sudden loss of my directions, but God is good.  The GPS has the same connection port as my cell phone car charger.  I'm not sure if this makes sense or if it was a complete miracle, but the cell phone charger restored the battery of the GPS and continued to do so for the rest of our trip!  

Peace Bridge to Canada

Driving through Buffalo, NY

I love windmills!!!!

Georgie, our faithful GPS, on loan from the best cousin ever!

me :)

Red Barn Farm

Pennsylvania evenings as viewed from my grandmother's porch:

Dog in Motion

Dogs may be called man's best friend, but in this case, they are a woman's best friend.  I love animals, particularly dogs.  I share three Jack Russell Terriers with my family and they are precious.  They may not be the best behaved, but they are lovable and loyal.  Mischief loves to take a Sunday afternoon nap with me, but if anyone tries to sneak up on me, she is awake and growling protectively.  Patches loves to run and bounce.  Anyone who knows terriers knows that they are energetic little creatures, always ready for play.  Patches fits this description perfectly.  She enjoys attention, but she'll jump into your arms for about four seconds until something else catches her attention, and she's off...I took Patches and Becks out for a walk with me yesterday and had some fun taking pictures of them:

For one, very rare, second, Patches paused and struck a pose.

Dickinson

I never saw a moor, 

I never saw the sea; 

Yet know I how the heather looks, 

And what a wave must be.

I never spoke with God, 

Nor visited in heaven;

Yet certain am I of the spot,

As if the chart was given.

-Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)

Colours of Fall, Part II

Colours of Fall

Life has been a bit crazy since coming back from Colorado, but not to complain, because it has been a very good week.  A few days ago, I desperately needed a break from a paper, and I took a walk back behind my sister's house.  Beautiful brisk day with the leaves blowing off the trees, in all of their glorious fall colouring.  I was taking some photographs of the leaves when four deer skittered away into the trees.  Being the brilliant naturalist that I am, I hadn't even realised that they were about fifteen feet away from me in the forest!  I love the foliage this time of year...below are a few pictures from the day.

Somewhere South of Colorado Springs...

Palmer Lake, Colorado

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs

Simplicity

Well, I'm out in Colorado Springs for a few weeks.  Beautiful place, I'm glad to be able to visit again.  But this post isn't about that.  While sitting in Atlanta for a two hour layover, I read a book, a very good book.  Shane Claiborne wrote The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical.  I could share a lot of it, but really, you should probably just read it yourself.  One part I will share with you, on the topic of simplicity.  I am part of a church tradition that values simplicity, and I will be honest with you, I struggle with truly living a simple life.  Shane wrote: "Simplicity is meaningful only inasmuch as it is grounded in love, authentic relationships, and interdependence.  Redistribution then springs naturally our of our rebirth, from a vision of family that is larger than our biology or nationalism.  As we consider what it means to be "born again," as evangelical jargon goes, we must ask what it means to be born again into a family in which our sisters and brothers are starving to death..." Powerful words.  Please, think about them.  And let me know if you want to borrow the book.

Riverside...

Rest

This is true relaxation!  In the two weeks since I took this picture, this is the image that comes to mind when I think of resting in the presence of God.  This is Psalm 46:10 to me.  I can rest and be still, knowing the Hands that hold me are trustworthy and capable.

In Honour of Sunsets

“Come, my friends,

'Tis not too late to seek a newer world.

Push off, and sitting well in order smite

The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds

To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths

Of all the western stars, until I die.”

~Alfred, Lord Tennyson

South Africa

Puerto Rico

Colorado

Zimbabwe, on the Zambezi River

Zimbabwe, in the Matopos Hills

IF

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowances for your doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream- and not make dreams your master;
If you can think- and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph or disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build them up with wornout tools;

If you can make a heap of all your winnings
And risk it one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone.
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on",

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings-- nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,

If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds worth of distance run--
Yours is the earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--You'll be a man, my son!

--Rudyard Kipling

I memorized this poem in second or third grade, and I came across in a book the other day. Its interesting to read it again and see what I agree with and what I disagree with. However, I thought he should have directed it to a daughter instead!

Way Up North....

Well, here at GC and we made a little road trip even further north of Toronto. Took some photos, ate some pie...laughed a lot! We girls all reverted to about age twelve and fell in love with the horses on the farm! Enjoy the snapshots!

A brief glimpse of spring