Failed e-mail

I attemped to send this e-mail today, but for some reason mail will not go out even though I am able to get mail, and to access Sarfari with Will's neighbors wireless.

Arrived in Portland yesterday to be met at PDX by Willie, Karyn, Caleb, Lukas and Zackary. The flight from Billings both here and back is non-stop, and yesterday was completely uneventful. The only landmark I really made out (since I was in an aisle seat) was Mount St. Helens. It stuck up high and was flat on top. No question as to what I was seeing. We either did not come near Mt. Hood or it was on the other side of the plane.

Last evening Paul and Louise came over and shared with us in a delicious dinner. I slept well in a familiar bed and this morning Will's family and I all went to the MOSAIC Church. Guitars, drums and old hymns with a modern beat. The speaker for the morning spent about 40 minutes dealing with good neighborliness. Actually it was quite a good service. Will tells me that this group is aligned with the Missionary and Alliance group.

Karyn provided me with a Jimmy Carter novel, The Hornet's Nest. So far I've read about 100 pages dealing with 18th century settlement in the South before the Revolutionary War. Interesting stuff.

Not much else to report at this time. Caleb has just begun to get supper ready for this evening.

Travel Plans

I'll be on my way to Oregon in a couple of days. Plan to visit two sons, their wives and 5 grandsons. Well worth the price of admission. I'm flying, and the more I think about it I realize how much easier it was to throw a bunch of stuff in the trunk of the car and drive over. It's probably a lot wiser to fly!

In the meantime I've been reading this month. Finished two of Dr. Robin Cook's latest dramas. "Critical" which is all about post-surgery infection made me moderately glad that I didn't have that knee surgery after all. The earlier one, Crisis, was good. I plan on taking it with me since I've learned that one of the grandsons has a passion for Cook. I've read his stuff over the years myself. The third book (I finished it last night) was the second one in the Harry Potter series, The Chamber of Secrets. Now I'm hooked and will have to read some more.

For any readers who are suffering from the heat, I got up this a.m. and it was in the mid-50s here in Billings. I also noticed that the rear window of the car out front was covered with a fairly heavy dew. Thank goodness it is not yet frost. I may get a chance to Blog while in Oregon, if not I'll see you next month.

Busy Day

How could it be so long since I last Blogged? Not much to say, I guess. As I was finishing up some stuff in the basement awhile ago it occurred to me that I have been busy today. Up, got breakfast, read the Gazette, checked the Internet and e-mail, finished U.S. News and World Report (finished Pete's copy of TIME last night), did my laundry, washed the car, got lunch - actually some pasta salad Pete had made for supper Monday, planned supper and now I'm on my way to meet with my Democrat Koffee Klatch friends. If I'm lucky I'll remember to buy some bread as we are down to the last heel.

It's been a nice day. Not terribly hot, and the smoke doesn't seem to be as heavy as earlier in the week. My eyes have been itching a lot and I've assumed it is the smoke in the air. Not so itchy today. I was glad to see on the Morning Star Blog that they are not in danger of fire-just lots of smoke blocking out the sun. I guess that I've "mused" enough for this time.

Sturgis here we come

Well, not actually to Sturgis, SD. I did leave Thursday morning and drove over to Ashland, MT for an overnight with Ann & Bill. It has been a long time since I'd been on the road, and since the Honda had anything by town miles on it. Just before I was ready to leave Billings my Pastor called. His Father-in-Law had died and he need to go to Oregon to be with family. "Would you be averrable to preach Sunday?" It is communion Sunday so I can easily fill the duty at this time. It did not interfere with my trip out of town. In the six plus years Ross has been with us he has only asked me to fill the pulpit under this kind of circumstance. Never with two=three week, a month notice. Should I be flattered? Actually I'd rather not be back in the pulpit after the 20 month Interim 1998-2000. But one does one's duty to the congregation at least. And I've found a Communion Meditation I used back in August 1998 which can easily be brought up to date.

But back to Sturgis. It's that week-end again. Without thinking I planned the trip to Annies for the time when dozens, literally dozens, of motorcyclists are on the road going to the big Rally. They passed me on the way over, and they came at me on the way back. Sometimes a single, but mostly in groups of 3 to 5, and at least one "parade" of seven. Some drivers had a lady with them, but most were singles. Abut 50% were wearing helmets. Few had standard riding gear such as leather clothing. I set me cruise control at 65 for most of the trip and generally had the road to myself most of the time.

It was a good couple of days, and now to the rewrite.