Special, Different

Days like these are like an insight:

this is what it might be like in the future

Today's high temperature was in the 60's, cooler by the lake. Watching Jamie's last baseball game had an end of summer touch; just a touch. The temperature alone is not strong enough to hold an emotion.

Jamie had a great catch of a liner to center. He and the team improved quite a bit as the season wore on. The season that started with a series of walked-in runs finished with a 6-5, 2-run, come-from-behind in the bottom of the last - the coach bringing the infield together for strategy, man on 3rd, one down. It ended with one clean cut, a hard-hit shot down the left-field line; and Jamie's teammate on the mound took the loss, and the emotions, for the team.

The common summer temperatures should be back by the weekend, but it's nice to get a change-up now and again, and see what you can do with it.

Up The Door

Jamie, Michaela and I went to Sturgeon Bay yesterday. We parked at the marina downtown and had lunch right on the water, overlooking the boats - and the steel bridge.







We got our bikes out of the truck and rode to a geocache. Didn't find it though, so we kept riding, right along Sturgeon Bay, towards the lookout tower at Potawatomi State Park.


Our waitress let us in on some local knowledge - take N. Duluth Ave. (even though it says Dead End) and there are a few parking spots at the end, and a trail into the park (no vehicle admission fee).


We were 3/4 of the way along when we heard thunder - no tower climbing at this time. We got a little wet on the ride back to the truck, but just a light rain. A nice 8 mile ride.




We loaded up and drove the 5 miles or so to the Lake Michigan side of the peninsula. The road I picked happened to terminate at a new State Natural Area - right on the beach. We played on the beach for awhile even though there was a light rain. Jamie let us know he was going to go under, and when he hesitated, his wise older sister helped him along.

We returned home for a restful grilling of brats, a Disney movie, a good nights sleep, and Michaela making omelets for us in the late morning.

C'est Noye

I've commented on SongMeanings before.

But in order to comment on the music of Victoria Vox, I had to request her addition to the website, then submit my lyrics transcription (I found them on the web - I make no claim to knowing French) of the song I wanted to comment on. And patience was necessary. And it is done.

Voice

If we are not free to speak our thoughts, then we are not truly alive - each human mind is a singular collection of ideas. Every individual has a unique perspective on this world we share. When we speak our mind, our thoughts become real - we have acted upon the world.

Listen to one another, and enrich your own existence.

Stifle one another, and rot in your putrid, stale hell.



Neda means voice in Farsi.

Here is an article about the last moments in the life of a young woman in Iran.
(Please note that at the bottom of the article is a link to a graphic video of extreme sorrow.)

2 busy 2 blog

So,...

Thursday the 11th was the kids' last day of school - picked 'em up and headed north.

Got to Mom & Dad's for a rotisserie grilled chicken dinner. And walleye fishing. Awoke to summertime coffee on the lake. Kayla went with Molly to check on Molly's horse. Matthew hung out with Jamie while I readied the camper (the boys helped me load the firewood.)

Took the tourist train with four kids to camp. Set up camp - there were Rinikers all over the place :) Matt went with the kids and I to Smugglers for a late lunch. Matt & I tried the incredibly volatile horseradish, and mouth-numbing hot sauce, (Rich makes 'em both.) Returned to a fun evening at the campground as old friends rolled in every once in awhile. Doug and I owned the euchre table until about 3:30 AM, when Jeff & Lanny finally wore us out.

Saturday, June 13th, 2009 - Riniker Open - Lake Forest Golf Club, 9:00 AM - first tee

18 players, 2-person teams, best-ball, 9 holes

Came down to a playoff on the putting green. Dave Gibson & Jeff Kite vs. Dan Rung & Andy Riniker. Dan & Andy prevailed. Returned to lunch at the campground.

2-6 PM, Hi-Pines Campground, 5th Annual Great Northern Beer Festival. Muy cerveza ;)

Dan Hogan & I played our guitars and sang our songs around the campfire. And this night didn't go as late.

Broke camp, found a geocache. Returned the camper to it's spot at Mom & Dad's - after a thorough cleaning. Then made the late return to Green Bay.

This past Friday, Garron and Dave and his kids, and I, J&K went to the Green Bay Blizzard arena football game. Logan and Sami came over for a sleepover last night. And today we went to Brady Hogan's baptism and dinner. (And in the middle of the week, Shelly took the kids to Valleyfair Amusement Park in Minnesota - they've had an eventful summer vacation so far.)

A meditation

I saved page 19 of Columbia Magazine, March, 2009 for another time. And here we are.

A movement from The Seven Last Words of Christ by Joseph Haydn. (more information)

Happy (early) Father's Day

I've been enjoying life without schedule on this vacation. The physical world and my mind blending more than usual. It's nice. It's natural.

I've always noticed things. I believe one of my skills is to see relationships in disparate ideas. Sometimes, the co-incidental nature of a moment throws sparks into the underbrush, emotional flare-ups occur. Is this the grace of God in our lives? - and I don't mean to be cold by saying this, because I have a warm heart - or is this just coincidence? It's not just coincidence, as the occurrence of these things and the ideas associated with them, in close spatial and temporal proximity, have triggered an emotional response. And the cause and result of the emotion is not always understood. But we are fully alive when we strive to know more, when we reach beyond our existence, becoming more than who we are. Beyond our understanding is our God. Our emotions connect us to our God.

I have the peace, on this day, to reconstruct and record this moment.

While cleaning and cooking downstairs, I often listen to To The Best of Our Knowledge. I download a particular hour to a USB flash drive, and bring it down to my flat screen. The audio plays along with a collection of my photographs. Today I listened to How We Learn. TTBOOK is a series of interviews on a given subject. At one point, I walked through the living room and saw a picture of me and my Dad ice-fishing; and the voice said, "...how they got to be who they were, and who inspired them."

complexity

someday...

These kids play some good baseball, eh?

Brett Lawrie

Danielle Lawrie

Time slips away, and leaves you with nothin', Mister

Last weekend - yes I'm a pokey blogger these days, but I'm glad my instinct to record my experiences doesn't outweigh my desire to enjoy my time on Earth - we went to Fonferek Falls.


It... was... awesome!

I can't believe this place isn't more well known. I've heard it's quite slow when the water's low, but WOW! what a cool place. We met up with The Hogans there for a bit, Kayla, Jamie, Conner & Dylan all had wet feet - Jamie and Conner practically scaling a quarry wall downstream.

Sunday afternoon, I went for a motorcycle ride to the Pilsen and Krok areas. Went one-for-two on geocaches. Cool ride, but cool time. Returned home in time to catch the end of the Milwaukee Mile and see Steve Stricker finally win The Colonial in extra holes.


Sunday night, I practiced guitar with Dan. Dave & Nicky stopped by after their anniversary dinner to listen. We hadn't played together for a couple of weeks, and it showed. This week I practiced my guitar a lot - five or six hours yesterday, playing, formatting and printing my tabs for our "show" for our friends at the beerfest campfire.


Friday night, Jamie and his friend Manny came over, we worked on Jamie's science project and played some Rock Band.



On a cool Saturday morning, Jamie's baseball team, the Pink Flamingo's, played what their coach called "their best game all year." It was a good game. Jamie had a great at-bat: putting the bat on every ball near the strike-zone, letting the poor pitches past, then smoking the ball up the middle, where the other team put together a pretty good put-out, beating Jamie by a half-step.