What's the diff?

Alaska? Italy? Montana? Vermont?  Been there... I hope to return to each of those places!  The reason...?  I dunno... maybe 'cuz the scenery is amazing; the people? Same as home, I've noticed.  Culture, language, ideas of fun may differ a little and a lot, but the fact they are navigating through life with what they've been given as resources is the same.  Personalities are the same.

Imagine being in the rapids above this precipice. Maybe some of us are...

 Good or bad upbringing, no Dad, two parents, orphaned, high income, low income, school, no school, crime, shelter, tragedy, contentment, trials, religion, good decisions, bad choices, cliques, isolation, a part of, apart from, lost, found, seeking, assured, home,  homeless, job, career, no work, illiterate, shunned, outcast, smart, educated, powerful, easy-going, high-strung, clueless, driven, ad infinitum...  People.  The Human Race.  Descendants of the first humans created on the planet.  Fascinating!  I tell you one thing, though;  checking out other parts of the world and country has given my wife and I perspective. . . We love to go away, but we LOVE returning HOME!  The grass (as described by Erma Bombeck) is ALWAYS greener over the septic tank!  I'm not saying the travels we've taken are less desirable than home, as a whole, I'm simply stating that HOME is a huge blessing to return to.  We have our difficulties and struggles, but they are OURS.  I know that if we were to trade our life with, say, a homeless couple in NYC (trading all that our lives entail) we would unanimously agree to trade back in a matter of days, perhaps hours.  Only my wife and I know how to navigate our own lives (with God's ever-available guidance).  And the homeless couple would rather have their life to navigate... I'm sure each of us would adjust the way we'll navigate from that moment on, however.  We'll see our lives with fresh eyes and seek to tweak our respective goals.  The biggest change in perspective however, would be in our attitude.  Boiled down, ATTITUDE is the ONLY aspect of my life I have ANY semblance of control over...  and I need help with that daily!  That's why I have daily quiet time with God and go to meetings.  I can respond instead of react.  I can put my PRIDE aside and walk in integrity instead of self-reliance (small difference perhaps, but big for me)  Humility is no longer a weakness, it's a powerful tool to keep me honest, right-sized and, most importantly, dependent on a loving God who is intimately interested in where I'm going, what I'm doing, how I do things and my motives for doing them.  Since putting all my eggs in one basket and handing it to Him, my serenity has increased beyond measure.  My life has become more difficult, but the rewards I get (in the form of peace of mind, provision, blessing, guidance, friendship, peace of mind and peace of mind) make the difficulties moot at best!  It's funny, though...  There are times when I recount my day in my evening quiet time with God and I say, "You know, God?  Today SUCKED!  But, MAN, it is NOTHING like before!  I can look myself in the eye Today!  I can sleep tonight knowing no one is looking for me for retribution!  I can see all the ways You've touched my life Today and showed me which direction to move!  I still can't see why THAT had to happen, but Your track record is sound, so I trust You to work THAT out!  Thank You for loving a wretch like me!"

We're here for the bears

So... My wife and I have been to NM, MT (3 times), ME, VT, NH, AK and live near (30 miles) from where bears have reportedly been spotted... We've not seen a single ONE! We even went to the zoo near the southern mountains of NM and didn't see the bear in it's cage... Argh!  Needless to say, our contention is, 'There ARE no bears!'  Except this one in Skagway...

Wanna a bite? No? You must be stuffed... 

  It's been a while since my last post and, I'm sorry, but I hope you've enjoyed your stay in Seattle, awaiting the continuation of the trip to Alaska and back.  I know WE enjoyed it!  Here now is the rest  of the story... (Thanks Paul Harvey)

Incessant drizzle ... NOT!

  Seattle is a city who's climate borders the classification of 'temperate rain forest'. We were there in a window of time where the precipitation was nil for the duration, the sun was shining and Mt Rainier was visible from the Space Needle!     Not typical.  Our cruise ship was also visible to the NW, at the dock, anxiously awaiting our arrival.

View South from the observation deck of the Space Needle.
Mt. Rainier is still a BIG white cap in July! Way cool!

Seat backs and Tray tables

  Where were we?   Right!   En-route from PVD to SEA via EWR... (Providence to Seattle via Newark)... Newark???  That leaves a LONNNGGG flight to Seattle...  ... Did you know that NEW is the identifier for one of the airports in N'Awlins?  Profound, I know. I thought it might be for a more famous 'New', like New York, maybe.  Curious about why airports have the identifiers they do? Click here...yeah, here :)

The window seat  :)  Headed West, looking North
Late afternoon on ascent... uh, descent... hmm...
This first leg is so short, I'm certain we never really leveled off...

NYC ... Beauty in Concrete and Marble, Part 2

  West 56th St.  Home of Joe G's Italian ristorante.  Some reviews hold it's a mediocre place to dine... For us?  A great little basement eatery with comfortable seating, small menu, good food and great service.  It's become a tradition for us to eat there every time we visit the City overnight.  We get off the train at Grand Central Terminal, walk 15 minutes to our modest timeshare at the Manhattan Club(drop an email if you want more info on this), check in, drop our bags in our quaint Metro Suite and mosey west to Joe G's between 7th and 8th avenues.  If they have the artichoke appetizer as a special, GET IT!  Also order the tomato, basil and buffalo mozzarella with balsamic!
 

View North from the Top of the Rock. Though we've been here,  I borrowed the pic from 

Pam Skillings; former About.com guide.  Thank you Pam!  God bless you

 and your growing family and business!

NYC ... Beauty in Concrete and Marble, Part 1

  Now, I know many are reluctant to leave the world with which they're comfortable, travel to distant lands and observe the folks who live there... maybe even (yikes!) interact with the locals!
  It is scary to think that we might not understand signage,

 misinterpret gestures... fail to grasp the message yelled at us from a behind-schedule city bus driver...
  So, THIS guy        ------------->
He actually knows the language, but, as we can see, the words are blurry...  Understood.

What road are you walking down?

"There will always be a part, and always a very large part of every community, that have no care but for themselves, and whose care for themselves reaches little further than impatience of immediate pain, and eagerness for the nearest good."   Samuel Johnson