From the Hare Krishnas beating their drums to the fleet of horns-a-blaring, lights-a-flashing tow trucks, the 2022 Rose Parade was everything I could have imagined. To be clear, the Hare Krishnas, followed by the Jesus Saves group, were not official entries. And there was little chance my soul would be saved that day with what I muttered when the alarm sounded at 4:30. However, they did provide some pre-parade distraction along the route while we waited. The tow-trucks however, were the Continue Reading
Going Home -Part 1
Can you ever go home again? And what does that mean to you? I ask because in a couple of days, I’m on my way home. Oh, not permanently, but for a brief visit, enough to conjure up warm memories that are already making me a bit gooey inside. The smell of spray starch when I bounded in from school and chatted with my mom while she did the ironing.The slap, slap of the cards on the dining room table as Dad played solitaire every night.The snow forts we’d make in the winter when the snow plow Continue Reading
Why Couer d’alene?
I always like to take some time to reflect on a vacation and now that we’ve been back from our trip to Couer d’alene (CDA), Idaho, for a week, it’s time for my review. CDA is a city of 45,000 on Interstate 90, and easy to get to from the Spokane, WA airport. Amtrak also stops at nearby Sandpoint and Spokane. It's also a four-hour drive southwest of Glacier National Park. The focal point is Lake Couer d’alene, a large all-sports lake, with a beautiful resort sitting on its edge, featuring a Continue Reading
Olympics and Politics
“Are you watching the Olympics?” It was a simple question posed by a woman on a local Facebook group, less than 72 hours after the opening ceremony. Many people said yes and many, a simple no, and I understand. The sixteen-day focus on sports is not for everyone. Then I saw a wave of other responses like this: (Paraphrased) When these athletes start respecting this great country, I’ll watch again. Not this year. I refuse to support these people who don’t represent my America. They Continue Reading