Road Trip

Oh boy, I'm SLOW in recording our fun September weekends, but better slow than never, I guess.
I promised to quick rundown of our road trip to Levittown, PA September 18-22.

We had been looking forward to this trip for a long time. Why?
• Extended time with our buddies Bill and Verna Weber.
• Opportunity to see our grandson, Miles Johnson, perform with his high school marching band.
• Celebrate Miles's birthday Friday night and Saturday.
• Spend time with our whole family, Jen and Matt and Geoff and Lisa, in addition to Miles.
• Hear Matt preach and attend church at Levittown Christian Church.

And all of the above is exactly what we did.

Evelyn got home from teaching Thursday afternoon after 4:00. The Webers had arrived here some time before that (they drove here from Indy--this was a long day on the road for them), and soon after Evelyn rolled in, the four of us rolled out, on our way to PA. We chattered all the way to New Stanton, where we spent the night (after a nice dinner at--where else?--Cracker Barrel!).
We were on the road in good time Friday morning and made it to our hotel outside Newton, PA by 3:30 and to Jen's by about 5:00.

We stopped and got sandwiches and made it to the football stadium in plenty of time to get good seats for the whole evening. It was Homecoming, so we got to see floats and the king and queen and court.
But the main attraction was the marching band. (Oh yeah, the home team won the football game!)

Geoff and Lisa made the long and challenging trip to be there--Geoff drove with Frankie, and Lisa took  no planes but trains and automobiles to meet us there. I really appreciated their effort to join the party.

After the game we retreated to Jen and Matt's for wonderful birthday cake (four layers, cookies and cream cake--it was wonderful!).

The next day we met late in the morning to ride together to Philly, where Jen and Matt had picked a wonderful Chinese restaurant for a family birthday dinner to celebrate Miles's 16th birthday. We had wonderful food--just too much of it. Evelyn and I wished we had split a meal. We walked around the city--to the riverfront, to a festival--enjoying the sunshine and the company--and a stop at a favorite
tourist site to try Mr. Franklin's ice cream.
And then we crashed at Matt and Jen's place before supper.

Geoff and Lisa left for the trip home, and then the rest of us enjoyed sandwiches and salads for supper, followed by a bonfire and s'mores in their backyard. What a fun, fallish evening.

Sunday morning we enjoyed worship, including one of the best sermons preached anywhere in America that day, all about Gideon by Matt. Jen fixed a wonderful lunch (country ribs in the slow cooker!), and after lunch we went to a state (?) park for a nice long walk. Nikki enjoyed the walk and we enjoyed the scenery. For supper we went to the Johnsons' favorite Mexican restaurant, and Bill treated. (Thanks, Bill!) The evening was still young, though, so we decided a stop at their whippy-dip place (I'm writing this too long after the events; I'm forgetting the names of things!) would be the best way to end the day. Oh, it was good!

We stayed as late as we dared (Matt is an early-to-bed guy, and Miles had school the next day). Jen wanted us to hang on after the guys went to bed, but we had a long day of driving ahead of us Monday, so we said good-bye about 10:00. It was a weekend we'll always remember.

It's a long drive home from Philadelphia, but we made it in OK time (lots of bathroom stops for us oldsters, plus a nice lunch), and said farewell to Bill and Verna about 7:00 p.m., thanking them for the weekend of fellowship as they began two more hours on the road to their place in Indy.

Vacation Diary, Part Two

Monday, June 16
We left the 9/11 Memorial and Museum after noon, and we were hungry. We stopped at the first deli we saw and decided to go upstairs, be seated, and order pizza, instead of ordering sandwiches from the counter downstairs. The World Cup was playing on the big screens, and the place was busy. And the service was slow. The pizza was wonderful, but we were there at least an hour. By the time we found our way back to the subway, got back to Grand Central Station, and walked back to the hotel, it was well after 2:00. And then we had to wait for the car to be delivered. Bottom line, we weren't out of the city till after 3:00, later than I wanted to leave.
But we got through the Lincoln Tunnel fast, and the traffic on the Turnpike kept moving. We checked into our Residence Inn in Horsham and got to Jen's after 5:30, in plenty of time for a wonderful evening.
Matt grilled some of the best Italian sausages and barbecue chicken thighs we've ever eaten. And Jen had brought in every salad sold at the Giant supermarket deli. It was a wonderful supper. We took a walk through the neighborhood to use up a few calories. (All 8 of us, four Johnsons plus Evelyn and me and the Cartwrights.) And then we adjourned to Dairy Delite to enjoy a true delight native to the area, water ice. We ate our ice cream, lucky to snag a table when the place was crowded with other delight-seekers. It was a great way to end the day.

Tuesday, June 17
We slept in a little and relaxed in the morning and got to Jen's around 11:30. We went to lunch with Jen and Miles at a quaint little coffee shop/cafe nearby and then drove into the city to the historical district. We didn't have a lot of time; the museums all closed at 5:00. But we were able to see an introductory film, the Liberty Bell, Congress Hall, and Independence Hall. (All the free tickets for the latter were already gone when Jen had called several days earlier, but the ranger let us sneak in with a huge tour group of high school kids, and we were really glad we got to see it.)
We had good tour guides at Congress Hall and Independence Hall, and we enjoyed lolly-gagging through the adjacent Washington Park, under the giant shade trees, beside a sparkling fountain, and surrounded by colorful landscaping.

The senate chamber inside Independence Hall

We walked down to Penn Landing and looked across the Delaware River at Camden, New Jersey. Matt and Miles met us and led us to Sonny's, one of their favorite spots for the famous Philly cheesesteaks. Wow, what a good choice. They were really good--and larger than some of us could finish.

We drove back to Levittown and decided we needed something light and sweet to get the taste of the cheesesteaks out of our mouths. You guessed it--another trip to Dairy Delite. Two days in a row isn't too much for vacation!

Wednesday, June 18
Jen met us at our hotel, because it was on the way to today's destination, Valley Forge. After a delightful lunch of salads and soups (and a couple of cookies) at the Corner Bakery Cafe, we made our way to the national park.
It was a h-h-h-hot day. I think the temp hit 96 degrees that afternoon. But we still enjoyed the visit. We watched the introductory film and looked at all the explanatory displays in the visitors center. Then we took the trolley tour around the giant park. The guide explained how regiments from the various states built log cabins, many of them each sleeping 6-9 men. We were interested to learn there was no battle there and Valley Forge housed more than 20,000 people, including several hundred women and children who would have been destitute if they hadn't accompanied their soldier husbands to the camp.

This house was Washington's headquarters at Valley Forge. The beautiful grounds surrounding it
(pictures below) were the loveliest part of the park.

We drove to Newtown where we met Matt for dinner at a wonderful Italian restaurant there. Byron declared it was the "office party," meaning he treated for dinner. It was a very fine treat. We returned to Matt and Jen's place for more visiting and laughs before returning to our hotel to pack for the trip home.

Thursday, June 19
We were up early and had plenty of time to linger over the hotel's breakfast before leaving for the Philly airport. We dropped off Katie and Byron a little after 10 and began the trip over the Turnpike and across the Interstates back home to Liberty Township, Ohio. We were home a little after 8:30 p.m., plenty of time to sort through the mail, pull our few clean clothes out of the suitcases, and watch Monday's episode of Major Crimes before heading to bed, tired but happy.

What Else? The Weather!

Pictures of the Day: As I'm posting these pictures, Evelyn is reading me the weather report for Philadelphia (close to where Jennifer and Matt live) and Long Island City, NY (where Geoff and Lisa live). Each has has 11+ inches of snow in the last 24 hours with 2 or 3 more inches predicted overnight. That makes my little snow report seem inconsequential. But, nevertheless, Evelyn and I did wake up to driveway covered with at least 4 inches. We shoveled from 6:30 till 7:15, and by the time we were through, the wind had blown drifts back over a large part of it. Before leaving for work, I brushed snow off the back window of my car that was parked INSIDE the garage, because the blowing snow had blasted a covering over it while we were outside shoveling.
Evelyn awoke to a text saying classes at CCU were delayed till 10:00. Then another text came saying chapel at 10:00 was cancelled. Then another text: Classes delayed till noon. And before I finally left for work before 10:00, CCU had given up for the day: all classes cancelled. This was the first day of the new semester, in which Evelyn is teaching two classes, going in on Tuesday and Thursday.
I decided to go to work late and cleared out old e-mails (left over from my time out of the office) from here.
My trip to work was relatively uneventful; roads weren't clear, but they had been treated, and traffic was light.
Evelyn, bless her, decided to reshovel the driveway late in the afternoon. It had drifted to at least 6 inches in some spots, and the temperatures were in the teens.
The fruit of her work:

We watched the weather on TV just before supper, and Tim Hedrick says we'll have lows in the single digits and highs in the teens for the rest of the week till Saturday and Sunday—and then there's a chance for "significant snow." The high temperatures next week will be back in the teens.

Quote of the Day: From a radio newscaster reporting on the icy punch the northeast is getting tonight: "Well, the good news is we have only two more months of winter."

TWO MORE MONTHS! That's at least 6 weeks too much!
(Actually, I think it's bad form to complain about the weather. But it's my diary, and next year I want to remember this.)

Facebook God Thoughts and Gratitude

Sometimes gratitude to God comes in the midst of well-planned worship services. Sometimes it surprises you at times you weren't expecting. I've had plenty of the first experiences, but today, it was the latter.
I was at church, but "backstage" during the second chapel "classic" service. My duty today was to "host" at both chapel services; one meets at 8:30, and a second identical, sparsely attended service meets at 10:30. That's a LONG morning, and when I host in both, sometimes I  bring my laptop to work or catch up on Facebook before time to lead the Communion service and offering and announcements at the end of the second service, about 11:15.
When I scrolled through my Facebook News Feed while the church sang hymns on the other side of the wall, I discovered:

• pictures and posts from my son, Geoff, and his wife, Lisa, reporting their successful climb to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro; 
• a picture from Forefront Church in Brooklyn recording a women's event there yesterday when my daughter, Jen, was the guest speaker; 
• and a tender obituary written by Amanda Mays Bledsoe describing her grandfather's life of faithful service and witness. He was father to my former classmate, Christian leader Roy Mays, who died prematurely several years ago. 

From my seat in the dark in a corner of the chapel stage, I could hear the congregational song, "To God be the glory--great things He has done!" And I was washed by the realization of the great things God has done in my life, largely because of the people he has allowed to influence and bless me.

A few snippets to make my point:

Geoff's post:

Yesterday, Lisa and I started off from base camp (15,100 ft) at midnight. Wearing 7 layers and a headlamp, we hiked for 6 straight hours uphill, in the dark and freezing cold. At about 6:20 we reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, 19,341 feet, just as the sun was rising over East Africa. It was easily the hardest thing I've ever done and my wife was with me every step of the way. She is one tough cookie!

And Lisa's:

After 5 days of trekking, we left Base Camp (15,331 ft) just after midnight on Saturday morning and began our ascent to Uhuru Peak (19,341ft). We hiked for over six hours up the very steep switchbacking rocky trail in the pitch black in sub-zero temps with a hostile wind that made our lungs burn as we gasped for what little oxygen there was. For hours on end, all you could see were the lines of head lamps stretching up the hill ahead and down behind. Finally, just before 6am, we heard a cheer up ahead as the hikers ahead of us reached Stella Point. We arrived at Uhuru Peak in time to watch the sun rise over East Africa. I cried with relief - it was the hardest thing I've ever done. 

The sappy bit: I loved experiencing every moment of this adventure with my sweetie Geoff Taylor

The thing that moved me about their posts, besides the sheer difficulty of their physical and emotional achievement, was the fact that the whole experience meant much to each of them because they reached the goal together. They're pursuing many goals--not only for vacations and not only in their work, but as Christians seeking an influence in the lives of other Christians and non-Christians around them.

Just a couple of the pictures Lisa took on their trek:

The picture from Forefront. That's Jen, in black, facing the large semicircles of women reached by this growing New York City congregation:

She had written earlier that she was looking forward to the chance to speak with these women about living a fulfilling life pleasing to God--whether single or married, with or without a man in their lives. (Planners had originally envisioned the event as for singles, and then they broadened it for any woman who might come.)

Evelyn and I are so proud that Jennifer is being recognized in several circles for her leadership and maturity and insight. And I thought of her good husband, Matt. While she was in New York he was faithfully finishing preparations for another Sunday's services where he has preached in Pennsylvania for quite a few years.

What more could a Christian parent want than for his children to serve God and love their spouses?


And a few details from Amanda's obituary:

MAYS Roy H., Jr, 91, received and accepted his homecoming invitation on August 9, 2013. To receive him was his wife of 59 years, Thelma Thompson Mays, his son of 54 years Roy H. Mays III, his sister Maxine (Howard) Hanks, his mother and father Roy H. (Rachel Elrod) Mays Sr., as well as numerous friends and a host of witnesses. He left a strong legacy of faith for his family to follow. . . . A lifelong Lexingtonian, he graduated from Maxwell Elementary, Lexington Junior, and Henry Clay High School, enlisting in the US Army Air Corps in 1942. As Staff Sergeant, he served during World War II as radio operator and navigator. A charter member of Southland Christian Church, he taught Sunday School for 37 years serving as Elder, Deacon and Elder Emeritus. President of both the Southern Little League and Dixie Babe Ruth in Lexington, he was a founding member of UK's Fellowship of Christian Athletes and loved investing in the lives of his community's youth. 

Every time I read an obituary I subtract my age from that of the deceased. In this case, it's a large enough number--large enough to still have some impact, large enough to still reach some goals, large enough to allow for quite a bit of spiritual and emotional growth, large enough to affect the legacy I'd hope to leave some day.

"Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the people rejoice!"

I was rejoicing this morning, in the dark, with my laptop open, while I was browsing Facebook. It was a moment of worship I hope I'll remember for a long time, which is why I made the effort to record it here today.

Saturday and Sunday in New York

A week ago I described our nice Friday night with the Taylors and Johnsons in New York City. We had equally fine days Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday morning we enjoyed brunch at Geoff and Lisa's favorite neighborhood spot, Cafe Henri. Then we drove (yes, I drove too; we needed two cars) to the northern edge of Manhattan to a unique museum called the Cloisters. It features many remarkable pieces of medieval art, including glass windows, tapestries, and wooden statues. Its beautiful courtyard was a good place for pictures, as well as the surrounding gardens and the beautiful park it bordered. We enjoyed the fresh air as well as the culture!

That afternoon we ate snacks on the waterfront in Long Island City and rested and visited till the Johnsons needed to catch their train back to Pennsylvania.
After resting some more, we went with Geoff and Lisa to the waterfront in Brooklyn where we had wonderful lobster rolls at a stand called Luke's, enjoyed eating them in the Brooklyn Park, watching the lower Manhattan skyline light up with the sunset.

Sunday we got up early and rode to Central Park--we were there by 7:00--where we sat up our chairs, spread out our blanket, and waited till noon when the theater ticket office gave out free tickets for that evening's Shakespeare in the Park performance of Love's Labour Lost. (The long time to talk about life was a highlight of the weekend.) We ate waffles from a truck and then drove back home to grab some food and rest in our room.
That evening we enjoyed a great worship service at one campus of Redeemer Presbyterian with Geoff and Lisa, grabbed dinner at a Shake Shack, and then made our way to Central Park--in the rain. We waited under umbrellas till after 9:00 (the play had been scheduled to start at 8:30) when the rain abated and the theater opened. We really enjoyed the quality of the acting, singing, and dancing. A musical score had been added to the play; it was surprising, funny, and cool. And the actors performed like real troopers in the rain that started before 10:00. By a few minutes after 10, management called a pause. And 15 minutes after that they called off the performance because radar didn't show any sign of the rain clearing up. We didn't see the last thrid of the play, but we were really glad we had seen some of it in the beautiful open-air theater in Central Park.

New York with the Fam

Evelyn and I drove just past Harrisburg, PA last night and stayed overnight before driving the rest of the way into the city today. I had never taken the Lincoln Tunnel into Manhattan, nor driven in Manhattan before. But Geoff gave me perfect step-by-step, turn-by-turn directions, and, actually it was a breeze. The traffic on 40th Street across to Third Avenue was stop-and-go most of the way, but we weren't in a hurry, and it gave us time to soak up the city atmosphere and make sure we were in the right spot.

I  snapped this picture out my windshield stopped at Broadway and 40th Street.

We got checked into our hotel in Long Island City in time to change clothes and walk the few blocks down to Geoff and Lisa's apartment. Matt and the kids were already there, and after awhile, we walked to the subway to meet Lisa and Jen in the city (Lisa was at work, and Jen met with Orchard Group yesterday and today.) We took the subway to Central Park where Lisa managed a family photo shoot. That had been Evelyn's request--a picture of all of us since we were all going to be together. Two of Lisa and Geoff's good friends met us at the park and actually snapped the pictures of all 8 of us, using Lisa's camera. And Lisa took pictures of the smaller groups herself. We took pictures in at least three different locations, and we're looking forward to Lisa's Photoshop work to turn them into masterpieces!

 

Then we subwayed to the location for our celebration dinner. The occasion was our 40th wedding anniversary. The kids had picked out a wonderful restaurant, The Harrison, where we enjoyed a long, relaxing, wonderful dinner. Lots of laughter, great food, a very fine time. And our dessert came with a special greeting from the chef.

We walked the Highline after that and returned to Geoff and Lisa's apartment full of memories of a wonderful family celebration.

Happy New Year!

We were up last night till after 1:00 this morning, and I didn't muster the energy to blog before I went to bed. We had Terry and Shirley Wuske for dinner. Evelyn made chicken parmigiana with green beans, tossed salad, and spaghetti (of course!). We had Graeter's ice cream and Christmas cookies and other confections for dessert and cheeseball and dip and crackers, with hot Christmas punch, for appetizer. It was a fun evening. We played a new version of "Buzzword" that Jennifer had brought and a new game Robb Faust had recommended to me, "What's Yours Like?" Then we reconvened downstairs in front of the TV to watch the ball drop and toast in the new year.

Earlier in the day, Nina and Jen painted their toes to welcome 2013. And then Jennifer and Nina (with a little help from Miles) decorated sugar cookies, trying out the new Ninja cookie cutters Jen gave Miles for Christmas.

Matt and Miles and I made a Target run for Miles to spend a Christmas gift card. And Matt, Miles, Nina, and I played a couple games of "Sequence" before I helped Evelyn get things ready for dinner.
This morning we were up at 8:00 to see off the Johnsons for their long trip home. They got away about 9:15, and Jen texted about 7:45 this evening to say they were home. Thankfully, this was an uneventful trip, unlike the journey here!
The house was quiet and empty--full of Christmas decorations, but no more Christmas. Before long, Evelyn and I started picking up, packing up, and putting away all the Christmas decorations. I ran to the store after lunch and then took down the tree this afternoon. We always leave a few of the Christmas things out till maybe February--those that look wintery without saying Santa Claus or Jingle Bells.
I'm almost ready, mentally, to jump back into the workaday routine. Our long Christmas vacation seems this evening to have been so short. But it's full of memories.
For supper we had sauerkraut and "gourmet hot dogs" from the wonderful Omaha Steaks package Ken and Susan sent us for Christmas. They say pork and sauerkraut is good luck for the new year. I said some prayers about the challenging year ahead as I was driving alone this afternoon. Lots of possibilities. Lots of challenges.
Several days ago Jennifer posted a quote I've been thinking about as the year is beginning:
"The measure of success isn't whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it's the same one you had last year." -John Dulles
Here's a challenge to me: When you're reading this blog post at the beginning of 2014, will you still be fretting about the problems that faced you at the beginning of 2013? Now's the time to deal with those problems--so I'll be experienced and able to tackle all the NEW problems of that year!

Snowy Morning, Shopping Afternoon, Showy Evening

I was up at 7:00 to see if it was snowing and how much it snowed overnight. It was. And it had--about 2 inches.
Matt was planning to leave for Indiana with the kids at about 8:00, so I got dressed and shoveled the driveway and put down a little ice melter so they wouldn't have to get out in a mess.
After they left, the three of us (Jen, Evelyn, and I) relaxed and ate some Christmas carbs. Then I took Evelyn's car for an oil change, because Jen drove it to Indiana this afternoon.
Once the sun was up and shining, we could see that the wet snow and the still air combined to make every scene outside look like a Christmas card.

After showers, the three of us headed to Kenwood for some shopping and lunch. Evelyn and I found a dining room set on sale at Macy's--it's the first new dining room furniture we've had in almost 40 years of marriage. Jen found a winter coat on sale at Macy's too--it was a productive shopping trip!
She left about 4:30 to meet Matt in Greensburg where they're visiting friends and family today and tomorrow.
Evelyn and I grabbed some Christmas leftovers for a quick supper and then drove back to the Kenwood area to see "Argo" at the Kenwood Theater. It's the only theater in town still showing the movie--I'm glad we got to see it. (If you've missed it, this is one movie that will translate well to the TV screen--get the video when it's available sometime in the future.)