Petey Martin September 1995-June 27, 2011

Petey Martin September 1995-June 27, 2011

There are times when life events catch you totally unaware. Like today. Katy, Allison and a friend came to swim at the Baker’s Pool. I walked over to join them after first answering the front door and signing a form for the postman. Allison was practicing for a swim lesson tomorrow. She wore a bubble vest and was jumping in the water, shouting, “Gigi aren’t you so proud of me?” I stayed about twenty minutes praising the girls then headed home.

As I walked up my front sidewalk I noticed Petey feathers at the edge of the porch. It took a second to reason why so many feathers. Then slowly I looked at the cage. A large amount of feathers were around the door opening and something was clinging to the door….a foot…I went in and called Wendell. It was so difficult to process the information. What had happened? Katy came quickly. She thought at first it must have been one of the dogs. Wendell was home in five minutes. He hugged me tightly. Then he went outside and picked up every feather and the foot and put them in a paper bag. The boys soon arrived.

Andy, Cy and Wendell did some investigative work. They checked the blood splatters. I thought it must have just happened, but couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard or seen anything. I had watered that morning and didn’t notice anything amiss when the postman came. We then remembered that early this morning just before sunrise, Trip and Zeppy had a terrible barking fit. Perhaps then. I only went to the front door during the afternoon when the postman rang the bell. He didn’t act like he had seen something unusual. I noticed nothing. There obviously was a big battle. I hope Petey bit “it” good.

Wendell reasoned it could not have been one of the dogs. It had to be something small enough to get in the cage, but strong enough to overtake Petey. Whatever creature it was, it totally ate Petey except for feathers and a foot. Wendell looked around quite a while to see if he could find more of him. Cy left for a Young Life meeting.

I thought the story was over and had written the beginning of this email. I needed to take a quick shower before we left for a weekly Bible study. As I passed my bedroom window I noticed Trip his paws up an oak tree sniffing. A few minutes later Wendell came back to our bedroom. He said, “Trip found the killer. It was a raccoon.” I looked out my bedroom window and sure enough down from one of the branches hung the backside and tail of a raccoon. I dressed and went outside. Wendell and Andy were nowhere in sight. I walked around the tree at a distance. I saw a tail when I stood on the Haver’s driveway and from our front sidewalk I could see a raccoon face.

Wendell and Andy drove in the driveway. They had gone to get the twenty-two. Andy eyes were red, moist and angry. He said, “Dad’s gonna get that raccoon.” Bravely Wendell slung the twenty two against his shoulder. Pop. Down fell a raccoon. I stared at the twittering raccoon body. Andy and Wendell stared at the tree. Pop. Another raccoon body fell to the ground. Startled I stood staring at two pulsating bodies when I heard pop number three and a third raccoon fell from the tree. No wonder Petee didn’t have a chance.

Andy videoed the shooting, then came and hugged me.

Surprisingly we slept well. I think it was because we knew what happened, who, where, what…not when…but it seemed irrelevant.

This morning I took the paper sack and wrapped it in black burlap. Andy dug a hole right on top of where we buried Zinke six years ago. Wendell placed Petey in the grave. Cy sprinkled sunflower seeds over him. Andy read this poem he wrote:

I remember we fed you an apple

Maybe, we should have named you Snapple.

An African Gray

who whistled Andy Griffith the right way

What happened in June you didn’t deserve,

But who are we to question God’s will or his word.

Your name came with so much ease

…Petey, My bird.

Our bird.

All my friends wondered if you could talk, well, you could, and

We loved you.

The three boys whistled the Andy Griffith theme song. Benediction Petey.

Just in case you feel sorry for the raccoons…I did some research later.

Raccoons can cause substantial damage. In urban areas, raccoons damage building (particularly attics and roofs), gardens, fruit trees, lawns, garbage cans and trash containers. They are also attracted to pet food left outdoors and will attack pets. Occasionally, one or more raccoons will establish a communal toilet area resulting in time of the deposition of a large number of scats. In rural areas, raccoons may feed on farm crops or raid poultry houses. A raccoon typically attacks birds by biting the head or upper neck area. The heads of adult birds are usually bitten off and left some distance from the body. The crop and breast may be torn and chewed and the entrails eaten. Raccoons have been known to mutilate poultry in cages by pulling heads or legs off. Several kills may be made during a single night raid with part of one or more carcasses fed upon. Dead fowl may be at the kill site or dragged several yards away. Raccoons are also serious predators of wild bird populations. Reports indicate that raccoons have been responsible for eliminating local populations of some nesting waterfowl.

My back is a bit better today. I go in for more massage therapy Friday morning. My back is sore from the massage I received yesterday morning. She asked me if I had ever had any shoulder or neck injuries. I said “No, well.. I did have a bad bicycle wreck ten years ago when I flipped over the handle bars and had a concussion and broken rib. I guess I could have hurt myself when I did the triple gainer on the ski slope and popped my ACL, but I didn’t break my neck or a leg or an arm.” She told me she felt scar tissue around my left shoulder. It sure felt better after she worked it over.

I knew my back was hurt Sunday afternoon when I stepped into Mr. Baker’s pool. The water was so cold and I winced my back. Seems like several times when that scenario happens I get a catch or have a muscle spasm in my back. It is so wonderful that it waited until Sunday afternoon. For the past month, since I got home from Holland I have worked like a Trojan cleaning around the house for Andy’s return home and graduation ceremony/celebration. He missed commencement because of his study abroad program. We had the party Saturday night.

I had a lovely group of folks.

The Lord sent a rain shower minutes before the first guests arrived cooling the temperature around my house to the 70’s. It had been in the 90’s. I was amazingly for me organized. Sarah showed up at the last minute to tweak and put a “Andy” display on the front door. Cy finished up the video slide show with his friend, Guy, who played music for us and Katy had come over that afternoon and cleaned my room which was the one thing I hadn’t had time to do. Andy himself had gone to pick up the meat I ordered. Wendell tweaked the yard.

Our menu was smoked chicken, pulled pork and beef brisket, strawberry spinach salad, baked beans, potato salad and chips, coconut, chocolate and lemon cake with chocolate and strawberry homemade ice-cream. I had some who didn’t come, but also had some surprises which exactly equaled the number I planned for. We had left-overs, but not unmanageable. Wendell is duty bound to finish off the ice-cream.

Guy played Pomp and Circumstance on the piano. The crowd gave attention to Andy who descended the stairs in his graduation regalia. Wendell awarded the degree and Grandman Bob gave the commencement speech. I liked what he said. He told Andrew that out of all the honors he has received through his life, his Awana 1^st Timothy award was the one he was most proud of, and that God’s word in his heart was a lifelong reward.

Cy and Guy played congratulatory videos from Andy’s college professor, Dr. Stewart, and his eagle scout troop leader, David Kimbrough. David Kimbrough reminded Andy of a float trip. The water was cold and Andy was blue when he got out of the canoe. The troop built a fire and wrapped him in blankets to warm him. David said he had worried about having frozen some of Andy’s brain cells. Then he said, “But your mother tells me that you graduated summa cum laude in physics, so I don’t think I need to feel guilty about that anymore.”

Dr. Stewart sent warm wishes telling Andy he was missed at commencement. He told him his honors thesis was the first one ever defended from Amsterdam in what looked like a dorm room, but turned out well. He wished him luck at USC where Andy will be studying for his masters in the fall and wanted Andy to keep him informed about his career path and personal life.

We showed pictures of Andy from birth to today.

Andy flipped his hat and we put candles on one of the cakes and sang Happy Birthday to him. People gave him lots of cards and cold hard cash. He certainly appreciated that because he came home from Europe on $$empty.

My Trip to Israel January 2011

Making a trip, a pilgrimage, a vacation to Israel has always been a desire of mine. Usually I zip home from a trip and write a ten page review, but this one I have savored. I have looked and relooked at pictures. I have read and reread my journal and literature I received on the trip. I started in Genesis using a Bible atlas and am reading through the Bible. I’m curious. Have I been there? I know what this place looks like. It’s not just a picture in my imagination. Israel is a tiny country. You can drive north to south in eight hours and east to west in under two. It’s a series of mountains and valleys.

I loved the group I went with. They were from a church in North Little Rock. It is pastored by a former Young Life leader Wendell and I volunteered under in the seventies, Craig Loibner. Craig and his wife, Julie; sixteen church members; my son, Cy; my sister, Jo; and two of her friends from Hot Springs made up our group. We had just the right mix of people to make it spunky and fun!

We barely escaped the blizzard that hit middle Arkansas January 10^th. Our flight left Little Rock at 6:30 a.m. January 11^th, a Tuesday. The temperature was hovering at 32 degrees. We were able to get off the ground in Arkansas and again in Newark which was expecting an ice storm. We arrived in Tel Aviv at 9:15 a.m. Wednesday January 12^th to sunny sixty degree weather. Our bus and tour guide met us at the airport. From Tel Aviv we drove to Caesarea on the Mediterranean. It was so exciting to see the Mediterranean Ocean and to explore ruins I have heard about all my life. Caesarea was the Roman capitol of Palestine and Herod the Great’s creation. He built extensive harbors and an aqueduct system. Cornelius lived here and so did the evangelist, Phillip and his four daughters. There is a completely restored Herodian theater with an ancient inscription naming Pontius Pilate the Roman prefect of Judea. The apostle Paul was sent here by Christian brothers when his life was endangered. He left for missionary journeys and later was imprisoned here for two years before being taken to Rome. We left Caesarea and drove to Tiberius on the Sea of Galilee. Try as I might to stay awake I slept most of the drive. I would awaken for moments to interesting countryside, but could not stay awake very long.

Jo and I were roommates. This was a wonderful trip to share with a sister and a son! We all made good friends. Our first hotel was the Royal Plaza in Tiberius. Each morning and evening we would eat at our hotel. They served buffets. Very good food. Lunch was wherever we were and a couple of days we just snacked. Falafels and hummus. Yum yum. Thursday morning January 13^th we walked the Valley of Doves to a spring where Jesus and his disciples would have passed and probably drunk from on journeys to and from Capernaum. A mountain beside the trail was also a point of discussion. There are caves everywhere in Israel. During 66 AD there was a Jewish uprising against Rome. Many of the rebels fled north to this area and to the mountain caves. The Romans were not deterred. They pitched camp on top of the mountain and captured the rebels. They would bind them in large baskets and roll them off the mountain to their deaths. Men, women and children were killed.

After the hike we drove to the Kibbutz Ginosar museum housing a two thousand year old boat discovered in the 80’s by two brothers. The lake (sea) had receded and they discovered it in the newly exposed mud.

They had a nice gift shop and a really good sales woman. She made believers out of us toward their cosmetic products. I am still using my mud and I love the facial and eye serum we bought. I have a friend going over there in the summer and I already told her I have a few things I want her to buy for me while she’s there~!

We took a Sea of Galilee boat ride. Once on the water they raised an American flag in addition to the Israeli one and played our national anthem. They cut the engine at one point and we sang a hymn and prayed, then they put on some praise music and we enjoyed the view. The Sea of Galilee is surrounded by mountains. When we got to the other side (sounds biblical) we went up to the Mount of Beatitudes. There is a church, monastery, and kibbutz. From there we went to Tabgha where Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes and the chapel of the Primacy where Peter received his commission to feed my sheep. Every famous place seemed to have a church built on top of it. Cy and I walked on the water, well we walked in the water. For lunch we ate St. Peter’s fish and fries! From there we went to the Jordan River and several people from our group were baptized.

The bus took us back to the mount of beatitudes where we hiked down to the sea on another path that Jesus would have walked. There was an expansive view of the lake and surrounding mountainsides. We walked past several large thorn bushes. Bananas are grown on the slopes.

Friday we hiked the valley waters of Mount Hermon. We saw the site of the altar to the golden calf at Bethel, the excavation of an ancient Canaanite city, drove through the Golan Heights and walked through the ruins of Bethsaida and Caesarea Philippi. That evening at dinner a group near us were celebrating Shabbat. It was interesting to watch them.

Saturday we headed for Jerusalem visiting Tel Megiddo and Nazareth on the way. Tel Megiddo has an incredible view of the Jezreel Valley. I loved our trip to Nazareth. We visited a place called Nazareth Village which is in the YMCA. It is a reconstructed village based on life during Christ’s life. They had a work shop set up with tools he and his father would have used. In the gift shop we bought saffron, wooden flutes, and some Christmas ornaments. Outside one of the churches a man in a wheel chair was playing the accordion. He would ask what nationality you were. When he realized we were Americans he started playing, “O when the saints go marching in.”

As we headed up the mountains to Jerusalem. You have to go up from any direction to get to Jerusalem. They started playing Jerusalem Jerusalem on the bus speakers.

Lift up your gates and sing;

Hosanna in the highest,

Hosanna to your King…

I thought this is too corny, then suddenly the city of Jerusalem came into view. I got this big lump in my throat. I remembered Ruth Ann Price sang this song at daddy’s funeral. When my voice would let me I joined in singing and so did most people who knew the song on the bus.

Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
Sing for the night is o'er;
Hosanna in the highest,
Hosanna for ever more.
Hosanna in the highest,
Hosanna for ever more.

We were staying in a beautiful hotel called the Olive Tree. Loved the name!

Sunday we went to the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane and the wailing wall before lunch. We drove to Bethlehem where we ate lunch, shopped in a shop that was run by Christians. Our bus driver gave us a talk that the Christians in Bethlehem are under persecution in many ways. http://www.hudson-ny.org/501/the-beleaguered-christians-in-bethlehem. Jo and I did our best to give them some financial aid. In fact we sowed American dollars wherever there was shopping to the chagrin of our bus leader who was trying to keep us on a schedule.

Monday we drove south to the Dead Sea area. We toured Masada (remember Peter O’Toole played Titus in the movie?), Qumran (where they found the Dead Sea scrolls), and swam in the Dead Sea. Right next to the place where we turned in to go swim was an Ahava cosmetic production facility. We covered ourselves as best we could (I had not taken a swimsuit) in our clothes. A few people brought swimsuits. We were told to. I wished I had done so. Anyway, tons of benefits from soaking in that water and putting on that mud. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea_salt If I ever go back, I will be prepared!

Tuesday we toured the Old city seeing the temple mount, and seeing most of the things you see on TV and on postcards and walked the Via Dolorosa. At night we would sit in the lobby and talk with different people in our group, but mainly with James & Patty Walden, Alyssa (their daughter U of A student), Cy, Allison, Rose Ann (both work with Jo at Zoe’s) and Jo. This night our group met in our room and we had a very sweet share time and took the Lord’s supper together.

Wednesday we went to the Garden Tomb which was one of the highlights of the trip. We took communion together. We toured the Ancient Book museum and model of Jerusalem and went to the Holocaust Museum. At that point Jo and I and most of the tour group wanted to head back to the Old City for a walk through and shopping. We spent several hours and dollars. It was our last night in Jerusalem. We had a most marvelous time.

On a couple of late afternoons we went to the Jerusalem House which is the place where Jo and Dru served as journeymen in the seventies. The missionaries in residence now were people Jo and Dru knew. We spent a couple of wonderful hours in the prayer room and visiting with Jo’s friends.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam

We left April 30^th to go to Amsterdam. We arrived noon Sunday May 1st taking a train from the airport to Amsterdam Central, their main train, tram and bus station. It is a big beautiful Victorian train station with lots of turrets, cupolas and intricate brickwork. Our hotel, NH Barbizon Palace, was across the street. When I say across the street, I mean across two lanes of tram, a bridge, and a super busy yet fairly narrow street that has tram, bus, bike, people and car lanes. Just when you thought it safe to cross the street a bicycle would suddenly appear in your path. It was like Times Square. On the way to the hotel I noticed a store front that had a sign on it “Closed for church services” but the service was over. Next to it was a Christian bookstore. It was a nice hotel and the location was excellent.

After checking in we went exploring while waiting for Andy to be free so he could meet us at our hotel. Their Queen’s birthday celebration was the 30^th. This is a yearly event drawing an additional crowd of 800,000 to the city. We saw the aftermath but by Monday afternoon it was very clean. They were still having a carnival in one area on Sunday and we ate lunch there. We had a fish dish and a coke.

Our hotel was on the edge of the Red Light District. There were shops selling the unseemly and irreverent in beautiful historic buildings between nice restaurants and tourist shops selling wooden shoes, scarves, tulips and t-shirts. There were drug, not the kind for aspirin, and tobacco stores and occasionally an old church.

Andy came to our hotel that afternoon. After a long, big hug he took us on a walking tour. He seemed sophisticated and older. No southern accent. He is enjoying his study program, especially the other American college students. They are mostly from the east coast. His roommate goes to school in Boston. Andy chose Amsterdam because it was overseas, with an English speaking university. He could get an international experience without struggling with language.

Amsterdam is flat. The only hills are the bridges that go over canals. We first went to the library. Besides books, it had a current exhibit of Dutch patents. Since the library is several stories high you can get a good look at the city. We went from there to walk the streets and find a place for dinner. Amsterdam is a beautiful city. It was not bombed during World War II. From the train station there are arcs of canals and streets. There are many boats and houseboats. We saw buildings leaning sideways and even forward. Andy explained that the entire city was built on logs that they piled into the water hundreds of years ago and under water they do not rot.

Next morning we went to the Keukenhof in Lisse, Holland. It was gorgeous. The Keukenhof is a large park surrounded by fields of tulips being cultivated. I noticed that several tulip companies created the gardens. Wendell uploaded a few pictures of me and the tulips to Facebook. We ate fried ham on a bun from a park vendor and ice-cream. That night we took Andy and his roommate, Mike, who is from Rhode Island to dinner. He has nice manners and was quite personable.

Tuesday we rented bicycles. I was pretty nervous. It was so crowded. I ran over a man’s foot. “So sorry!” Andy took us lots of places including the Anne Franke House, Rembrandt’s home,Bloemenmarkt and the University of Amsterdam’s botanical garden. The Anne Franke House tour was quite moving.

They displayed all kinds of pictures and short films of people involved in the story. We went up the hidden stairway and saw the attic. They had a short film by Otto Frank in his later years discussing how surprised he was by the mature and thought provoking things Anne had written in her diary. He said, “I have come to the conclusion parents really never know their children.”

Berlin

Wednesday we flew Easy Jet to Berlin. Peter and Ursula met us at the airport. She brought us to their flat via bus and U bonn and served us breakfast…fresh orange juice, scrambled eggs, all kinds of croissants and brochen, sausages, cheese, grapes and the first good coffee in Europe. She likes it more American style.

That afternoon we toured a giant glass dome that they have built over their parliament building which was bombed during World War II. This gave us a commanding view of the city.

On Thursday we took a train to visit Max. He goes to school in Griefswald which is beautiful with all kinds of old buildings. It has a university started by two brothers way back when, but I don’t remember the story. There is a a harbour museum of old boats the once traded on the North Sea. We ate a very good lunch. I had fish.

We got to see the raising of a small draw bridge (one of the oldest in Europe). They lift the bridge every hour for the boat traffic. The university is old and there are monastary ruins dating back to 1199.

On our return to Berlin, it was a two hour train ride from Berlin each way, Ursula and I had a wonderful visit.

Friday we had a leisurely breakfast and flew back to Amsterdam that afternoon.

We changed hotels. This area was also busy. Our hotel, Amsterdam Marriott, was quite nice. We had a canal and square across the street and Vondelpark was adjacent by a side street.

Saturday was museum day. We went to both the Rijksmuseum (all the Dutch Masters and famous pictures you think of by Rembrandt) and Van Gogh museum. We saw everything you probably ever think of except Starry Starry Night which is in New York. They were having a Picasso in Paris exhibit as well. Andy has had art classes and so he had a lot of information to share and I think when he looked at the pictures he saw art. Wendell saw the kings clothes.

Early Sunday morning Wendell and I walked back to our other hotel and to the store front where we had seen the sign for a church service. Sure enough they were meeting. Worldwide Missions was on the sign. The ministers were Dutch African. The service was in Dutch and English. We sang songs in both Dutch and English. I recognized one of the songs. “I am a friend of God. He calls me friend.” The melodies were mixed with a bit of an African beat. The speaker was a she because it was mother’s day, I think, and the main pastor was speaking elsewhere. She spoke on Deborah and Barak, Judges 4. A very cute woman with big dimples translated in English. The minister would speak several sentences in Dutch and the interpreter would say five words in English. She struggled for some words and a man on the front row prompted her, but we got it. Actually it was a good word. She talked about strategy. You must have a strategy. And she said you will depend on either your spirit or the Holy spirit to work the strategy. She asked, “Which will you chose?” She also said, “Get up.” Deborah told Barak to “Get up.” She said it over and over, “Get up!” This spoke to my heart.

We ate lunch at KFC. Andy’s choice. Wendell had rented a tandem for us. It was difficult was at first. We didn’t see anyone else on a tandem. They are long. There are many quick turns. Toward the end of the day we got a bit better. Wendell adjusted his seat and I changed shoes. That helped. We ate dinner at St. John’s Irish Pub. GREAT food. I made Wendell take a picture. Andy had Irish stew, I had cottage pie and Wendell had a chicken pot pie of some kind. Our view was of historic buildings, tree lined bricked streets, statues, people, bicycles, and the sun setting at 10 o’clock! A wonderful last evening.

Next morning we ate an Irish breakfast…ham, sausage, eggs, b&w pudding, toast…b & w pudding looked like a salmon croquette but was made of pig liver & blood…those Irish! An older oriental woman came by so wobbly on a bicycle that a waitress chased her down the canal hill. We could hear the Asian woman insisting “I ride, I ride, I can ride”. We thought that very kind of the waitress. A group of Australian sounding men were eating at a table near us and had been watching the situation. They made some funny comments as the Asian woman finally wobbled off on her bike.

Our flight home was even less crowded than going over. I watched four movies and Wendell read most of the New Testament. We flew into Memphis and could tell from the air that the Mississippi River was very swollen with rain water. We made it home to Fort Smith about dark. Home sweet home.

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July 28, 2010

I have been home from California for several days. It is back to hot and humid days in Arkansas, but I love Arkansas. I missed my home, my children who were at home, my grandkids and my dog, Zeppy and granddogs Trip, Fiona, and Bentley. All have come to visit me since we have been home. Last night we went out to dinner for Allison's second birthday. She was dressed in a special birthday tutu and sound asleep on Katy's lap. She had had a big day. The night before she had spent the night with me, Gigi and Eeah,Wendell. We ate plish (fish), walked, sang, danced, took a bath, read stories then she was ready for bed and laid down without a murmur. The next morning Katy picked her up and she went to work to see Daddy, visited various people, played with friends and didn't take a nap. She wasn't hungry for dinner. She was ready for bed. Katy has a party planned for this Sunday afternoon.

This morning Katy came over for lunch. Allison was at preschool. Sarah called then she and Finn came for lunch. Finn is getting so strong. He can stretch out his legs and stand and bounce. He can roll over. He has two lower teeth and can say, "Mawmmommmmammmammam." I am so proud!

Trip West July 20. 2010

Wendell and I flew to Salt Lake City last Tuesday. It was a good flight. We took a shuttle from the airport to a restaurant downtown Park City for a steak dinner. The name of the restaurant is Prime. Jamie picked us up and took us to his home which is in a large valley surrounded by mountains. We saw deer but no moose or elk this time. I love to sit on his porch and look at the stars. I was tired and went to bed but Wendell and Jamie stayed up till almost two visiting. Next day Wendell worked on the motorcycle we were going to ride and I sat on Jamie’s porch and watched a deer, read my Bible, drank coffee and pondered the magnificence of God. The air was perfect. For lunch Jamie took us to a Mexican restaurant. That afternoon I watched a video put together by a Christian speaker, Louie someone, about the universe. It had some spectacular footage of space, stars, galaxies…amazing things. Jamie is a good host and we had a great though short visit.

Cy arrived from Colorado by motorcycle late that afternoon and the three of us rode (me passenger behind Wendell) across the great salt flats of Utah. It’s a bit eerie I think. There was a beautiful sunset before us and the moon just over our left shoulders. After the sun went down it got really windy. I was a bit frightened by that. I was concerned that if I eased my grip I’d be swept off the bike by a burst of wind. Every time we passed a truck it would whip us around extra hard. I kept a death grip on Wendell. We spent the night just inside the Nevada border, Wendover.

The next day we rode across the high desert of Nevada. We rode past interesting rock formations and bare mountains. It was desolate and hot. There were long stretches of nothing but mountains. No cattle, homes, farms. Every once in a while you would see a sign of life and know there was water. We stopped at a Wal-Mart in Winnemucca. We walked around in the cool. I bought a different shirt to wear. As we neared Reno a river began to flow alongside the interstate. All along the river was life…ranches, cattle, horses…all clustered near the water. I focused on the water. It was so blue and looked so refreshing. There was a spiritual lesson somewhere. Just outside Reno I noticed a few trees on the mountains. Once inside California we were in a forest. It was still blazing hot, but the trees provided shade and beauty. We rode all the way to Pleasanton a suburb of San Francisco to my friend Jackie Honea’s house. It was a long day.

Jackie and I met at Springdale High School in 1977. She was a English/journalism teacher and I was the drama teacher. We were young and fresh out of college. We have been friends ever since. Jackie also worked in Young Life with Wendell and I. Wendell and Cy helped me unload my stuff then they were off to Monterrey, CA to watch motorcycle GPS races at a place called Laguna Saga. I showered and waited for Jennifer and Jackie to return from a party. Jennifer is Jackie’s oldest daughter. She works for an insurance company downtown San Francisco. She can ride BART the local transit train to see Jackie. We visited till we couldn’t stay awake any longer.

Next morning Jennifer and I were the early birds and we had a nice visit, then Jackie and I drove her to catch her train. That morning Jackie and I went to her church. She is the Front Line director. It is an actual job. She is responsible as the name sounds for the first things people see when they arrive at church, Crosswinds Church located in Dublin, CA. She prepares bulletin boards, tables, brochures, arranges furniture and is in charge of the greeters and a whole lot more. I liked the staff that I met. After she finished her responsibilities we went to lunch downtown Pleasanton. I love to go there. We shopped in quaint stores. I bought a Paula Cavalla necklace. I never knew about her designs before then, but I received many compliments during the weekend whenever I wore it. That night we went to an open area in a shopping center and heard an 80’s band called Journey. The city has free concerts during the summer. It was super crowded. One of the songs they sing is about San Francisco and everyone in the crowd knew the words to that song. I met a lot of Jackie’s friends. We went to a Mexican restaurant for a late dinner then home.

Next day we lounged most of the morning then went back downtown to the local farmers market and lunch then more shopping. It was Wendell’s birthday and we made four birthday videos on my phone to send to him. Wendell enjoyed receiving them, but regardless, we had a ball making them!@ Jackie also does commercials. She has an agent and everything. That night we dolled up and went to a friend of Jackie’s party. Jackie is part of a group of singles that meet on a pretty regular basis. They have dinner and dances and she has made some good friends. Several attend her church. It was Mimi’s birthday and she had a party. Mimi is Persian. Not sure which country. She made a chicken and rice dish that reminded me of something Jo would make. Jackie made a wonderful pound cake complete with fresh strawberries from a Chi Omega cookbook she received from her sorority when she graduated from college,. Mimi and a really cute younger woman who is also Persian did some middle east dancing. It was pretty interesting. Jackie had church the next morning so we left about ten.

Sunday morning we were up very early. I sat in a large open area drinking coffee and writing notes about interesting things on my IPAD. Jackie seemed everywhere at one time, greeting people and arranging things. She was a whirlwind of activity. I enjoyed the sermon very much. Jackie had planned a lunch of sandwiches, fresh watermelon, peaches and pound cake. She was exhausted after all her church work and we took a nap then went to a very nice mall with a Nordstrom’s. Jackie is also a product consultant for some company, can’t remember and Nordstrom carries their line. We stayed up as late as we could getting in every minute of visiting that was possible. Next morning we walked then Wendell and Cy came. Jackie was off to an audition.

The three of us headed for Sacramento. Wendell has a storage unit where he keeps the motorcycles. Cy was staying in California to make calls on customers and Wendell and I headed home.

Weddings and Redwood Reflections



Last Friday afternoon Katy and I drove three hours to Heber Springs, Arkansas. I don’t think I had ever been there. It is located an hour or so north of Little Rock, but from Ft. Smith you veer north at Conway. It has a small downtown with cute shops. I had heard of the Red Apple Inn for years, but this was my first visit. I was the wedding coordinator for a friend’s daughter’s wedding. I have known the Parke’s since Laura and Sarah were in kindergarten together. Unfortunately, Sarah was not feeling well and unable to attend.



Laura graduated from Southside High with Sarah in 1998, then from Texas Christian 2001, and taught school in the Dallas area. Laura’s fiancé is from Texas. They will make their home in Austin. They seem very well suited for each other. Laura has lived several places and bonded with many people. For a destination wedding in a tiny Arkansas town with no large highways leading to it, Laura and Ben had over two hundred people attending. Only one hundred fifty had rsvp-ed. She had nine bridesmaids. It took both Katy and I coordinating together to corral this bunch. Everyone had been in weddings before, all were approaching thirty and everyone had an opinion about my job and what everyone else should do. They married in the First Baptist Church Heber Springs. Katy was indispensable help.



The rehearsal dinner was at a beautiful vacation home in hills overlooking Greer’s Ferry Lake. Rebecca’s sister, Janane and David, her husband, call it a cabin. Their grandparents farmed in Heber Springs and part of the wood for the present cabin came from the old homestead. Janane and David hosted, the dinner for Laura and Ben. They hired a chef from Little Rock. I never caught his name and he brought a crew complete with tall white chef hats. It was fun. David is a physician in Little Rock and three of his sons are presently in med school in Little Rock. Some may already be in their residencies. Janane tried not to be too proud as she discussed them, but obviously their boys have done quite well for themselves. We sat with them and another couple who are long time friends of the Parke’s, the Baldwin’s. David’s nurse, her husband and some other friends or maybe staff members served the guests as waiters. Everyone was giggling in their new roles. Janane cut tall branches of dogwood with berries and all kinds of other wild branches for decoration. She did beautiful arrangements of freshly cut hydrangeas, roses, cedar, and other things that had berries. Candles glowed, wine and ice tea flowed. Our menu was pork loin with a sauce, mashed potatoes, salad, green beans (long perfectly cooked, but not overcooked), hot rolls and a ganache iced three layer chocolate cake. I resisted nothing.



Katy and I had a lovely room at the inn. In the morning we realized we had a balcony overlooking the beautiful hills. Laura’s wedding reception was to be held in Red Apple’s dining room with a gorgeous view of the lake. Katy and I shopped the downtown area that morning. We were supposed to help with the flowers at one, but when we got there, Janane and her daughter-in-laws had already done everything. Everything…so Katy, Renee Baldwin and I went to the Aromatique show room. Aromatique originated in Heber Springs.



By the time we finished shopping fragrances and stopped at the Sonic it was time to get dressed. Everything went according to plan for the ceremony. Rebecca looked lovely in a greenish blue long dress. Laura sparkled and glowed like a newly crowned queen. I only had to run a thirty second half mile (good for me) to reach the groomsmen and tell them to go in. The violinist did not play their cue correctly and those poor men were totally baffled. It took a few seconds for me to convince them I knew what I was talking about and they needed to go in, but from the audience no one knew anything was amiss. I thought the pastor did an excellent job of giving wonderful marital advice during the ceremony. He called them challenges and it took everything I had to not keep poking Katy and saying, “Wow that was good advice.” I am getting a copy of the ceremony, because I would like to email his thoughts to all young couples I know. He is the father-in-law of one of Janane’s sons. He was a Baptist minister, but now works or run what they call the Baptist Foundation in Arkansas.



The reception was fun with delicious hors devours, meats and lots of young people dancing. Rebecca and Stephen went through the line after Katy and I and the waiter told them the food was about gone. It was OK everyone had been served. You may expect ten extra people, but you certainly don’t expect fifty extra people. They had a ton of cake. In fact, Rebecca had the waiters cut the cake and start carrying it to people. No long lines. That was nice. She wanted it eaten! No one minded accommodating her, because both the chocolate and white were wonderful. I think the white was Italian cream. Deliciously edible!



Next morning Katy drove me to Little Rock where I caught a flight to Sacramento. Wendell picked me up at the airport on the motorcycle to the amusement of bystanders. We drove up to Redding and over to Eureka (actually north of there) the first day. It was gorgeous. Along that first leg we first thought it was a cloud then realized it was a very big snow capped mountain. Figured out it was Mt. Shasta. Our only difficulty of the trip was getting caught in some rain. We stopped in a tiny town to wait it out and had a wonderful chili dog. We spent the night in Eureka. Next day we drove the coast through the redwoods to San Francisco and over the Golden Gate Bridge. We stopped in the San Marento area at Alice’s Restaurant for a late lunch then back to Sacramento the next afternoon and barely caught our flight to Dallas. We got home late Wednesday night.



Thursday morning I was up and at my Bible study by nine. It was the last time we were going to meet before Christmas. We had a festive brunch and concluded our Beth Moore study in Esther. I made Haman Ear cookies. I followed the recipe in the back of the Bible study booklet. Thursday afternoon I began cleaning house for a shower I hosted Sunday afternoon. I had a friend pray for me, because I had created a huge mess for myself before I left trying to clean out one closet, but with Katy’s help and three days I was able to get the house in shape.



Late Saturday night Wendell hung a chandelier for me over my dining room table. The ceiling is fourteen feet high. He had to stand on the top of a very tall ladder to drill the hole. He had to tippy toe and do yoga ballet maneuvers in the attic over the rafters to pull the wires. Thankfully he did not crash through the ceiling. Think Fred Flintstone and twinkle toes. He finished right at midnight.



The shower went very well. This was for one of the Asbury triplets, Leslie. Her wedding is December 15th. Both Leslie and her fiancé, Ian are members of First Baptist Fort Smith so we had a great turnout. Leslie and Ian have dated since eight grade. I am so happy this day is almost here for them! One hostess couldn’t be there at all because her daughter went into labor. Another came toward the end, Brenda Phillips. She’s been fighting ovarian cancer for a year. Despite her weakening frame, her spirit and love for God was abounding and encouraged everyone she spoke with. She has an angelic smile. Pam, the groom’s mom, is a picture taker. She has faithfully photographed her childrens lives. We were joking about her having to go through all the old photos for a wedding video show, but knowing Pam she will get a wonderful one together. The bride’s mother is a walking buddy of mine. As the mother of seven children, nothing phases her. She did this in August for Laine and now repeating the process for Leslie. Next summer will be Lydia’s turn. All three triplets will have married in less than a year. They are lovely sweet tempered young women and their chosen mates seem very well suited for them.