Free at last, Free at last...Part II

It was the coolest thing, the sun was setting, and a man was quietly playing a flute at Lion's Rock. I captured it with my digital camera, which happens to take pretty decent video as well. Have a look and listen. Enjoy!

Free at last, Free at last....

This is Lisa and I's final weekend in our modest apartment here in Ellensburg. Next weekend we will move all of our belongings to my parents basement, because the house we are moving to has not been vacated on time. It should only be a week or so I hope, not because I don't want to live with my parents, but because it would be nice to get settled in to our new place. I am excited for the change.

This weekend Lisa and I stayed in Ellensburg, though we wished we could have been with my family on a camping trip to Lake Osoyoos. We were able to work, make some extra money, and explore the local outdoors. The following are some pictures we took at Lion's Rock, which is a 22 mile drive out of Ellensburg.



This is on the way up, pretty neat huh?



This also is on the way there, only after the previous picture.



This is Mt. Stewart, and the Cascades.



This is Mando, Lisa, and Mt. Stewart



What you can't tell from these pictures is that there were like 300 star gazers camping up there with all their motor homes and star gazing equipment, I could not believe it. We'll have to go back some time when it's less crowded, but the view was still amazing as you can see.

Oh Beautiful, for Spacious Skies...

Today is Independence Day. What does that mean anyway? We all know that it is the day that the 13 colonies declared their independence from King George III of England, but what does that mean to us? If it weren't for those 56 bold signers of the Declaration of Independence, what would life be like today? Our founding father's had a vision for how this day was to be remembered.

In a letter to his wife Abagail
John Adams had this to say about July 4, 1776(he was mistaken by two days):

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.

So, at least one of our founding fathers believed that the "Fourth" should be Devoted to solemnly celebrating God for our deliverance from British Rule.

The preamble of the declaration states:
We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Even our Declaration of Independence celebrates our Creator as the giver of rights that are unalienable by any man.

Let's honor their memory today and honor God as we celebrate the aniversary of our country's independence from British tyranical rule.

Set Your Stopwatch

Have you ever heard of the five second rule? You know the one that says that if you drop food on the ground, it's ok to eat it if you pick it back up within five seconds. Well here's a little video to illustrate the point.

Oh frabjous day callooh callay!

It just so happens that Lisa and I will be moving to Dryden. July 31 is our last day in this crazy apartment with the elephants running around upstairs, and the "farting" music that haunts us next door. We will be moving into a much bigger domisile in Dryden complete with it's very own yard, front porch and........fireplace, YES!! I am so excited! Can you tell? No more cell phone tower, no more crunched for space, we will live in a bonafide HOUSE!

Lisa got a teaching job in Cashmere, and I will commute to and from school, until I finish my degree, it won't be so bad, other than paying for gas, I'll just have to get a motorcycle or something really economical. Hopefully we'll have a house warming party once we get settled in and have some folks over. Yipee!

Frustrated? Yeah, a little.

Lisa and I live in an apartment complex with about 40 units.

At our apartmets there is a huge dumpster where everyone disposes of their household garbage. About a week ago it was moved from one side of the complex to the other, making it a tad less convenient to throw stuff away. This wasn't too big a deal until we noticed that a structure was being erected where the dumpster used to sit. This piqued our curiousity and upon further investigation we learned that the structure is in fact a cell phone tower.

How is it that a cell phone tower can be erected in a residential neighborhood without the consent of the people living there? Supposedly we were warned and had a chance to voice our concerns, but the landlord made very little effort to make sure his tennants knew. When I investigated the matter a little more I found that at one corner of the complex a poster had been posted, but I don't ever remember seeing it. There was also an article in the local newspaper, maybe just an editorial, whatever the case I never saw that either. This all sounds to me like a backhanded way of meeting certain guidelines and regulations without actually fulfilling them.
I would have appreciated a note on the door of my apartment, or a letter to my mailbox, but clearly my voice was not wanted.

I guess the kicker is that now the cell phone tower is there and we feel pretty much helpless to do anything about it. The landlord benefits from $10,000.00 a month and free cellphones and service for life for him, his family, and employees. While everyone in the vicinity is exposed to harmful electromagnetic radiation, without any of the benefits of free cellphone service, or reduced rent, in fact he raised rent.

Am I frustrated, yeah a little.

A Quote

"In feature films the director is God; in documentary films God is the director." - Alfred Hitchcock

Saints and Soldiers

These days it is so hard to find a movie that actually means something substantial. I found this movie while looking for the original X-Men, which is a very action packed movie, a classic good vs. evil, and while it is entertaining, there isn't much actual substance. There are some movies that hit that spot in our hearts and itellect that move us if only for an instant. So often we become so immersed in ourselves, our needs, and our selfish ambition, that we fail to reach out to others long enough to stop and notice the similarities rather than the differences in our lives.

This film hits that spot.

Saints and Soldiers

Remember When.....

Gas prices sure have increased a lot, this picture was taken at a gas station that closed about a year and a half ago in Wenatchee. How I wish the prices we thought were so high back then were still around today, just imagine....

Dirty Dirty Face

Here is a little blast from the past, maybe soon we will do this again

Home sweet home

There's something special about returning to the place you grew up. I recently went back to my parents' house in Dryden which not so coincidentaly happens to be where I grew up. I took a ride on the four wheeler and admired the spring beauty of the orchard and hills around me.

I love springtime, and I love home.

One of the things about spring in the orchard is that bees are brought in to pollenate the bloom, this only lasts about a week. It just so happens that the weekend I decided to visit coincided with the time that bees are pollenating the orchard. Upon seeing the bees, I instantly remembered my first bee sting and when I remembered the bee sting it triggered other old memories. I guess that's what makes visiting home so special, the memories are always there in my brain, but there is a connection with the environment when I visit a familiar place that draws them out, and takes me back to another time.

Round-about winter

By Pat Higgins and Armando Avila

I like winter.

When it gets cold outside mom makes hot chocolate.

Whenever I drink hot chocolate,

I like to put whipped cream and sprinkles on top.

The sprinkles remind me of the fourth of July.

I like summertime too.

When it gets hot outside mom makes sweet tea.

She always sweetens it with sugar.

Sugar reminds me of snow.

I like winter.

Sunset

In air high above
On wings not quite like a dove
Creation lies below
As time ticks rather slow


I sit in silence
Eyes glazed as if in a trance
Wondering wondering how
And I think about it now


The sun ever lingers
I feel the touch, her fingers
Outside is cold
These memories old

What a strange world we live in.

This caught my eye as I was browsing through the news.

I though it might be interesting to share....




please click this text

dilema

Have you ever found yourself in a predicament where you have to choose between two similar items? How do you resolve these situations?

Look! I'm a beatiful waterfall!

See, it is us. We are happy!
(click to see the full effect)
Lisa and I and a couple of friends and a dog went out to see this. It was Frad (a combination of freakin' and rad.)

A Woman's Touch

These first three photographs are of my bedroom

after I married Lisa. Needless to say, it just aint the same

These last three depict my bedroom as it used to be.

As you probably noticed, Lisa found a way to make it look like a completely different room,

all it took was a woman's touch.

Ride Your Power Animal into Your Spirit Cave.

You know, some people were just born to dance...
...maybe if I hang around them enough, some will rub off
on me.....

At Last....

What a goofy crew
Getting ready
It was too thick to cut, she needed help.

I know this isn't much, especially after about a month without a post, but here are three pictures from the day. I haven't had as much time as I would have liked to go through pictures and edit them so that I can present them on the web, but there will be more. Until sooner rather than later, bye bye.

Last week of singlility

This is it, it's come down to this. One last week of being single. Who knows what awaits down the perilous path of marriage. This journey I am about to embark on is a long one(God willing) filled with many toils and strifes, as well as many joys. I am glad to be taking it because I am not alone in this new adventure. My Lord and my wife will be with me, and there will be many friends along the way to support us; to help us through the difficult times, and rejoice in our happiest moments. It's an adventure, the unknown, and I am as ready as I'll ever be. So long to the single carefree life I have known to this point. I am responsible now, but I am not alone.

Dreams

A Dream Defferred, by Langston Hughes

What Happens to a Dream Deffered?
Does it Shrivel Up like a Raisin in the Sun?
Or Fester like a Sore and then Run?
Does it Stink like Rotten Meat?
Or Crust and Sugar Over like a Syrupy Sweet?
Maybe It Just Sags like a Heavy Load.

--Or Does it Explode?


All of us have dreams from time to time, and most all of us live some of those dreams, but what happens to those dreams we've had and never done anything about? When we speak of dreams, we do not merely refer to the whims we have from day to day, but those longings and desires that are aroused in childhood, and persist through life.

All dreams are great and most require hard work and discipline to see them come to fruition, but the work is worth seeing the dream fulfilled. Don't let your dreams slip away without making the effort to live those dreams. Too often we say to ourselves, "Oh, I can do that tomorrow," or,"I'm just too busy," but tomorrow may never come or tomorrow could turn into forever and our dreams are left undone, and life may never be less busy than it is right now. Our only option then if we want to live our dreams is to make the most of the time we have. In the words of Red from the Shawshank Redemption, "It's time to get busy livin' or get busy dyin'."

Have Hope. Live your dreams.

The Road Not Taken

Automobile Security Feature

They may take a while to load, but these promotional videos for the Trunk Monkey automobile security feature are quite fun.

Trunk Monkey 1
Trunk Monkey 2
Trunk Monkey 3
Trunk Monkey 4
Trunk Monkey 5

Have a nice day.

March on Soldier.

"It ain't the guns nor the armament,
Nor the funds that we can pay,
But the close cooperation,
That makes us win the day.
It ain't the individual,
Nor the army as a whole,
But the everlasting team work
Of every bloomin' soul."

-Kipling

Super Disappointment

This past weekend, I watched the Superbowl with some friends, this is a picture from that night when the Seahawks scored their first and only touchdown and made it 14-10. It didn't turn out so well for us Seahawk fans, and the zebras didn't exactly help our cause, but maybe next year the hawks will make it back, and win regardless of the refs. But there are bigger and more important things than football, like my wedding which is only 38 days away now