St. Mary's City

I haven't had the camera out in a while, and haven't just walked about in a while, so today I did something about that.  Before you see the results, I have to say: wow, am I rusty!  That's okay, practice and reading the manual will help settle that.

The other night Deb and I took in the Free concert by pianist Brian Gantz at St. Mary's College of Maryland, which is just a short distance away.  When we were leaving we were greeted by an owl, possibly two owls, while walking to our car.  It was late and dark, and we of course could not see them, only hear the quintessential "whoo, whoo."  Today I went back while still light to see if they could be spotted; not 'spotted owls', but rather could they be seen.

I walked around the Trinity Episcopal Church cemetery which overlooks the St. Mary's river.  While taking a picture of the bark of a tree, the Rector came wandering by.  We had the nicest chat on this cloudy, though unseasonably warm afternoon.  We talked about photography, and nature, and he pointed out a tree that has a small knot hole where a Screech Owl can be seen on occasion.

I didn't spot the owl, but thoroughly enjoyed the couple hours just taking in the scenes and the breeze.

Here are a few of the sights.

Blessings,
Brian

The white mass to the left of the root is spume (sea foam)

Sycamore tree in front of the church

NYC

 Here are a few shots from our recent stay in NYC.

There was a cool Apple Store that had a clear circular elevator surrounded by a clear stair case to enter the store which is below grade level.

OF COURSE we did a little shopping.  You can see Deb browsing on of the Sales racks at Sachs (I think).  I like the texture of the dress above.  I got a gift too, a auto-wind mechanical watch by Swatch.


 Never did figure out a name for the statue to the left.  It was on 5th Ave.

Our hotel:  the Jewel on 51st.  We had a limited view of Rockefeller Center. Radio City was just down the street.  As many might know, it was NFL Draft Week and it was hosted in Radio City.  There must have been five tractor trailer rigs and two generator rigs parked along the street.

Adventure

I, like a lot of people, would love to go on an adventure.  When I think of that idea "adventure" I think of a sweeping story with an epic journey.  It has unlikely heroes, villains that at first come across as friends and a cast of hundreds in an battle of good versus evil.  Perhaps, what I just described is really more of a quest, in keeping with Lord of the Rings.  Maybe a better way to picture the adventure is to set off on a journey that is known in advance to be out of the ordinary.  Its a trip that is expected to bring vistas into view that you have never seen.  It promises places of intrigue, like that corner deli in a far away little town that has the best food you could ever hope to find.  It will place you in the path of strangers in a special moment, or maybe strangers that become friends.  Who doesn't want that kind of adventure?

Here's the problem though.  The big adventure is often out of reach.  I have watched YouTube clips of motorcyclists travails on the trip of a lifetime up to Alaska's Prudhoe Bay.  These videos are amazing.  They often have me sitting on the edge of my chair and thinking: "Wow, I wonder if I could do that?"  You have to realize that this is a trip that spends hundreds of miles on slick dirt roads, far, far, far from any civilization.  Many bring extra fuel tanks strapped to their panniers just so they can make it from one small town to the next.  That's an adventure!  The reality for most of us is that we have neither the time nor resources for such an extended trek.  We don't though have to go without, we might just have to settle for the smaller adventure.

That's what I did today.  I rode my BMW F650CS motorcycle from Lexington Park, MD to Richmond, VA.  Now, a trip of about 113 miles in each direction would hardly classify as an adventure to most people.  I would have to agree as well -  under the typical circumstances.  In other words, I have driven a car much further than that, and a drive in our Civic to Richmond is rather routine.  The same roads, the same highways.  You take the quickest route and put the hammer down.  Today was different.  I took some of the same roads and bridge, but avoided most of the highways.  The exceptions were two short sections of Rt 295 S on the beltway around Richmond  and Rt 64 W into Richmond.  So, the tree lined byways of Rt 234, 301 and 360 were the routes of choice today.

Now to add to the adventure, besides this being probably the longest ride I've ever taken, it was rather cold.  The 35F temperature this morning was rather uncomfortable.  My body was not too bad as I had three layers including a sweater under my riding jacket, and I had the quilted liner and Gortex liner on my over pants with Lee Wranglers being the base.  My neck was fine wrapped by the tube gaiter that I would wear skiing. The trouble spots were fingers and toes.  I have decent warm gloves, but the fingers just get cold, even with heated grips.  Even with the grips on high, while my palms felt okay, the fingers were pretty cold after an hour.  My toes were giving up at about the same time.  I was incredibly grateful that the EZ Pass I put in my tank bag worked as advertised and I didn't need to stop at the Toll and potentially take off my gloves!

The better part of valor; stopping.  I topped off the gas tank, and warmed up with a hot tea inside the quick market at a Shell station.  The station serves some local truckers with a diesel stop and I was entertained by the conversation around me.  I also had to put the visor back on my helmet as it had unlocked from the left side for some unexplained reason.  The Earl Grey was just the ticket, and after 15 minutes or so it was time to leave and finish the trip south.

Everything was going well, though still cold.  I meandered down 301 without incident, got on Rt. 295 okay and kept up with the 75 MPH traffic.  A short distance and two exits later I hopped off to Rt 360 W.  Again, no problems..until.  As I neared Rt. 64W the traffic was at a near standstill.  I though it was just bad timing of the traffic light, but found that not to be the case as I finnally got on Rt. 64.  I was at last a little warmer, probably due to the fact that the road was more parking lot than expressway.  It was like that for at least a couple miles.  It got better just before hitting the city limits.  The ride in the city was thankfully short as well, without much traffic to contend. I entered the parking lot and found the section for the motorcycles and backed in.  Just as I was dismounting the Parking Attendant said I needed to move as I was in the Valet section.  It appeared to me that there was no more room in the inn.  I asked where he wanted me to park..."right there."  He motioned with his arms to show he wanted me to park parallel to the little island on which the parking gate was stationed.  This is PERPENICULAR to all the other motorcycles and doesn't leave them much room to get out.  I didn't really like the idea, but I complied.  When I came back several hours later, after my appointments, all was well.  There hadn't been any other bikes leaving as best I could tell, and there was a big Gold Wing lined up directly in back of me!

The ride home was better.  It had warmed up into the 40s and I had bought a T Shirt at VCU to add to my layers.  I was quite comfortable with the heaters on.  I made one stop on the way to top off and rest/stretch and then a last run for home.

All of what I have described, was and adventure!  I battled.. the elements and traffic.  I overcame the discomfort and sought the refuge of a hot cup of tea and warm building.  I expanded the distance I have riden in one day.  You could safely say it was new Personal Record for me.  It wasn't an epic saga, though there were some very nice views and scenery.  It would not turn any heads for its duration or inherent trechery, except for my own.  I suggest that you can have you adventure too.

What is it that you can do to extend one of your passions? If you don't have time to hike the whole Appalachian Trail, can you do a section?  Even if it's a day hike.. go for it.  Maybe you can't take off and sail the entire eastern seaboard, but how about just an overnight, or even a day sail?  Maybe that trout stream in Alaska is not in the cards right now, but how about the Gun Powder outside of Baltimore?  Maybe just a few perch from the Potomac could do for now?  Here's my point.  You can have an adventure right near home.  It doesn't have to be epic.  It just needs to be something to expand your horizons.

My prayer for each of us, is that we find our short local adventures and GO FOR IT!

Blessings,
Brian

Words and Time

I believe that words have real power.  I know we were told as kids that "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."  It was a lie.  I wonder if it was known to be a lie by well meaning parents even back when I was young.  Words can uplift and encourage us.  They can support a falling spirit. They can make us laugh, perhaps even at ourselves.  They, too, however can pummel us as hard as stones.  They have the force of hurled rocks and the sting of falling hail.

I have seen these things in my life.  I have received words of insult in my childhood.  My jaundiced yellowed eyes caught the attention of the playground and soon I was being called "yellow eyes, yellow eyes, yellow eyes."  It sounds really dumb now, but it was clearly meant as "you're a freak, you're a freak."  My response wasn't any better.  "yeah, it's a disease, and you're gonna catch it!"  Of course that got a nice trip to the Principal's Office for me.  It all worked out eventually.  But it was a hurtful thing.  Words can hurt.  BTW, he couldn't catch what I had, and I knew that.

You see, even as children, we realize that our words can be used as weapons.  We might not know just how deeply that they can cut, but we know it hurts.  We may not realize as well, that the words we speak can be a power for good.  Have you ever heard an encouraging word just when you needed it most?  I hope so.  There's nothing like it.  Maybe it was your boss saying just a simple 'Thanks, I know you've really stepped up lately and I appreciate the hard word you've been doing.'  Maybe, someone came by and told you that they happened to be thinking of you.  It doesn't have to be a big thing to make a big impact.

I had the pleasure of talking to an older widow the other day while at the Transplant Clinic.  She was sitting by herself and we struck up a conversation.  It was towards the end of the day and I could have just left and driven home, as it was a bit of a long drive.  I felt compelled to stay though and listen to her story.  It was a story of love and sadness, of compassion and loyalty.  It had struggle, yet also hope.  I was able to pray for her and her son.  Life doesn't get much better than that; when two strangers can share a moment, listen to each other and support one another with words of encouragement.

I wonder too, what would have happened if I had just left the conversation and driven home.  What would I have missed?  What would Barbara and Mike have missed?  And more, how often do we fail to recognize the opportunity to listen to each other?  How many times have I missed the chance to lend an ear? How many times are we too busy to see what is around us?

Words have power.  We (I) need to crush the stones that are on the end of our tongues before they are thrown with vengeance.  I need to find the time and compassion to share an encouraging word.  If we do these things, I think we'll be blessed to hear the stories of the lives around us.  And if words have power, stories have all the more.  I think everyone has a story worth being told and heard. 

 

My prayer is that we can all slow down, myself included, and share an uplifting word with someone, even a stranger.  I pray we take the time to hear the story of another human on this spinning blue planet.  And I pray we can all tame our tongues and go back to the adage of our mom's that "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

As Pastor K. Moore says;  "May God Bless you all real good."

Peace,

Brian

Cloudy Day's

 I snapped a few photos over this cloudy weekend.  I saw lots of great stuff, though the photos that came out were rather few.  Still lots to learn.
I picked a few.  I went to a marina in Piney Point today and saw a few forelorn boats.  The one above was particularly interesting.  It sure needs a lot of TLC.  I'm not sure what it was designed to do, really interesting shape.

What you didn't see:  An osprey eating a fish in a tree along the roadside.  Black capped chickadee. Cardinals.  Lots of trash on the beach.  Picked up Target bag's worth in a couple minutes. 







The gull looks to be guarding his parking space.







"I said this is RESERVED.. can't you read!"



















  The sign is really poignant given the small community that in which it's posted.  Piney Point, MD







a beached basket ball  followed by....










a beached basket

 Blooms and birds...  it's spring..

A red throated loon ?


So, that's a glimpse of my weekend.

Faith, Doubt, Fear and Hope with a dose of honesty

Can we be honest?  I mean really honest.  Honest in places where certain attitudes are virtually expected.  Can we be honest in church?

Church is the place we go to gather strength from those that have faith. Right?  Isn't it the place where most everyone puts on their best smile and embraces their neighbor.   It's the place we know everyone has it together.  All good Christians have perfect lives of plenty, of peace, of health and not a care in the world.  They have no sin, give to the poor, clothe the naked, heal the sick  and visit the imprisoned. 

Can we admit that the fictional world outlined above is just that -fiction?  I can.  I can tell you that because I have struggled enough to know there is not a perfect world.  I know that I, like all of you, face challenges.  My specific challenges may and likely do differ from yours, but we share the common bond of facing difficulties in this life.  It may be addiction for some, financial burdens for others.  There may be family discord or any number of concerns going on. 

Can we say that these things come with us when we enter the church? As Christians we have faith in God's provision and His mercy.  We pray earnestly and sometimes those wishes come to pass.  This builds our confidence and we pray all the more expecting the same "positive" results.  Can we also admit that this does not always go to plan though?  This is where I struggle.  I've admitted it, I do struggle, which is a nice way to say that sometimes I doubt.  I doubt that the prayer I've sent up will be answered in the way I desire.  What I'm not sure of is whether this is truly a lack of faith?

I can also tell you that my fears have led to anger rather than prayer.  Fear and anxiety have gotten the better of me, as recently as yesterday.  I'm not proud of this at all, but it happened.  I need to ask Him for forgiveness, and I have. 

With all that goes on in our lives, and some of it not so good, why do we nearly always see a brood of smiling faces in the crowd on Sunday?  Rarely do I see someone that looks dejected or sad.  Perhaps that's a good sign, that the worldly troubles disappear the moment we enter the doors of the sanctuary.  Though I can't help but wonder if there are some hidden emotions that just want the hour to pass without a breakdown.  We say we want to help each other and be community to one another, but how can we when our masks hide the emotions that we hold so close.

I think we fear that once the church knows our problems we won't be welcome.  That if someone knows we have doubts we'll be labeled as unfaithful, that if we have other life problems we'll just be labeled a sinner. Surely the "church" won't accept us then... will they?

I think there are seasons in life that come and go.  Times of trouble and times of success.  Times when we doubt and times when we fervently believe.  This, I believe, is a natural struggle.  In other words, it's okay to doubt for a time.  It's okay to fear for a time.  Hopefully these times are of short duration, and I know there are ways to minimize the span.

It goes back to taking a step forward, breathing, and either giving God a chance to work, or to remember when he did so in the past.  If you have a memory of grace and forgiveness, a memory of a miracle however you may define it, go back to that memory and cherish it.  Relive it and know that there is every reason to believe God will do a similar work again.

I know how to give God the "stiff arm" and keep him at a distance.  I know how to be angry and not allow him to help me.  I've done it.  I can also tell you that it doesn't help the anger and it doesn't help the pain.

I don't have all the answers, in fact I have very few.  I do believe though, that until we can admit we struggle, that we have our moments of doubt and fear, that we'll never be truly able to help one another.  The trouble is, who's willing to take the first step and say I struggle.

Well, I guess, in this instance... It is I Lord.

Just Another Day

So, right off the bat, the title is sarcasm.  It was in a way just another day, but in the way of just another day out of the office to take care of my health.  Well, in truth, I did get three hours in the office before running off to Richmond.

The Good: I got to Richmond with no problem, parked and arrived at the 7th floor of the Gateway Building and Transplant Clinic  with no issues.

More Goodness:  I saw my first Osprey on the way atop the nest near the junction of Rt.4 and Rt 5 on the way out of town.

More Goodness:  The blood draw went fine and the kidney numbers, bilirubin and white counts were improved.

The Bad (you knew it was coming): Hemoglobin was down a bit. 

Neutral:  Need to wait on results that I really need ; to see where my CMV lies.  The plan right now is to start taking Valcyte and reevaluate once the new results are in (hopefully on Friday.)

The Good:  Saw my second Osprey of the season while crossing the Rappahanock River.

Better:  The Osprey was in a dog-fight with a Bald Eagle.  The eagle clearly had the advantage with a higher altitude position. Since I was driving, I don't know how it ended.

The Good:  The Valcyte prescription was sent to the correct pharmacy

The Bad: The insurance put it on 'hold' for a pre-authorization.

The Really Bad: I lost it, and mutter an explicative (to myself) on the way out of the store to have a chat with my insurance company.

The Good: I maintained a civil language with the insurance people.  Notice the plural. I need to get to the second tier to get some help.

The Really Good: My coordinator was still in the clinic and was able to get the prescription approved.

The Worst:  The cost of the med - you simply don't want to know.  It's a truly and utterly disgusting number.

The Good:  Being blessed enough to be able to pay for the disgustingly high cost med.

The Good: I have the med that hopefully gets me back in working order.  I'm right on the border line of needing IV meds. 

The Best: God is still in control.

The Bad:  I don't always feel that way

The Good:  I know based on past experience that God is good, even if I don't always feel that way.

Better:  Tomorrow is a new day, a new beginning .