Something To Think About

While I'm sitting here on the boat, watching scattered rays of sunlight filter in as the clouds slowly, ever so slowly, try to dissipate, I find myself browsing the Internet as I enjoy a simple breakfast of crackers, cheese, and an apple. Quite unusual for me, but I had the makings at hand and thought, why not.

So, in my online browzing, I find an interesting and thought provoking story.

It seems there was a young boy who ate far too much sugar. The boy's mother tried and failed, tried and failed again, to get her son to stop eating so much sugar.

At her wits end she took him to see the boys idol, Mahatma Gandhi, with the hope that maybe HE could persuade the boy.

Gandhi told the mother, "Come back in two weeks, I will speak with your son."

Two weeks later the mother and her son return. Gandhi simply tells the boy, "Stop eating so much sugar, its not good for you". The boy promised to stop.

The mother then asks, "Why didnt you just tell him that two weeks ago.

The answer was, "Two weeks ago I was eating too much sugar myself"

The moral of the story is, "If you want to see change, BE the change"

Interesting idea isnt it?

Now, back to my cheese n crackers, (the apple's gone already) ;)

I think I may go for a walk somewhere. Later today I'll be bike riding with a good freind and maybe even more freinds.

More later, or sooner, which ever comes first.

Enjoy your day, Be Safe, Be Happy.

My Day!

Wow! Whats this? Dale makes THREE postings in a matter of a week or so!

So, while I wind down from my day today, and get ready to hit the sack for the start of another work week tomorrow, I thought I'd take a second and post this really neat picture I took..oh, maybe 30 minutes ago.

Its not "artsy". In fact due to the surroundings its pretty "industrial"! I wasnt able to get a clear shot away from masts and other dock type junk. But I hope it conveys even a part of how great this looked as I drove home tonight. I had to pull off, into a nearby parking lot to snap this picture of the nearly full moon rising next to Mt. Rainier just after sunset. Trust me, it looked far better "live" that what my cheapo camera could show

Yesterday, I went up to the Foothills Trail ( see earlier posts) again, for another bike ride. I pooped out after only a few short miles. I had a tire that was lower than it should have been.

Later that afternoon I met one of my freinds for a GREAT pizza, and got a reminder that the local bicycle club was riding this morning. So, there I was with another challenge! ( I dont call them "dares" anymore! hahaha!!)

So, after polishing off a darn near full pot of coffee this morning ( I was supposed to limit myself to a HALF pot, so I'd have no excuses to sit around the boat and poke trolls and otherwise waste a beautiful day!) I headed up to the Foothills Trail in Puyallup. But all good intentions aside, I still arrived after the group had left. So I drove up to the next trailhead to meet them there. They arrived just as I was climbing on the bike. But, it wasnt long before I was soundly left in the dust! I caught up with them again at the park a few miles ahead, then we played this cat n mouse game all the way to South Prairie, where we took our halfway rest before the return trip. Up there I found "Bill the Bike Guy" and I sat and listened as he shared some stories and advice, and I was advised of the necessity of getting my bike in for its service. So I thought, "Gee they are ALL getting after me!" HAAA!!! Besides the fact that I HAD been putting it off, the 20 mile ride I did today, felt like 40! And it just didnt feel like, or ride like the bike I bought last January. So I was convinced.

And I DO appreciate the gentle prods and reminders, I really do. I'm just a stubborn old coot sometimes and have to bang up my own knees! Of course I AM pretty good about prodding others myself so I understand how that stuff works! HAAAA!!

At any rate, poor beat up abused and neglected Glinda is in the shop for her first 'tune up" after what MUST be over 500 miles by now. I might guess that that is a low estimate.

After my ride this morning I took off and returned to the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge ( see last weeks post) for another walk. Am I nuts or what? I get three days off, and shove all this exertion into the last day! ( I really SHOULD cut back to half a pot in the mornings!) so there I was traipsing around the refuge in record setting heat. It was in teh high 80s today, and the forecast is for hotter tomorrow! But I carried my kewl new water bottle ;) and wore a hat, and there WAS quite a bit of shady tree canopy over the trail so it turned out to be a fun, yet peaceful walk.

After my stop at teh bike shop, and a shower, I dropped in on mom and my sister and took care of a COLD glass of lemon water and a chunk of pie before making it back down here to provide all of you with kewl mountain pictures, open the hatches on this boat to cool it off enough to sleep, and THAT, along with a cold cup of mint tea, is where I am right now! ;)

There ya have it, "My Day" ;) Arent you glad you came along!

Big Hugs to all my freinds and family ( arent they the same thing?) and I'm off to bed.

Be Safe, Healthy, and Happy....more later.

Defending the Faith?

A few weeks ago, I received an e-mail from my son.

As a matter of background, he and his wife belong to the particular church which this e-mail regarded. The e-mail contained an attached commentary written by a fairly well known celebrity who set about doing his part to clear up the misconceptions about this faith.

As I read it, I had thoughts of, 'okay here we go again'. I say that because with my own experience having lived for a time in the place dominated by this church, and having been, long ago and for a very short period, personally involved with this church, I came to the conclusion long ago that those who claim this faith, spend a great amount of time defending it! Sometimes among themselves, and often to others.

This attached commentary, went to great lengths explaining how the members of this church were wonderful people, great neighbors, outstanding citizens. They were trustworthy, and made great boy scouts! Every one of those attributes I can and WILL agree with.

I will ALSO make the comment that such traits are NOT exclusive to this particular church. I have seen it in that church, and many, many others. I will also mention, quite emphatically, that such behavior is also common to faiths, and followers of NON-Christian beliefs, and to those with no faith whatsoever!

Then the commentary went on to say how many other denominations, spend a great deal of time and energy "proving" to themselves and the rest of us, how this particular church is wrong, they are a cult, they will never get to heaven, and their church is based on lies and misconceptions.

I can speak on this subject becuase I have at various times in my life experienced ALL of this. Ive seen the good and bad, regarding my son and daughter-in-law's church. I have also been under the roof of "mainstream" churches and experienced the nasty, "teachings and warnings" against this faith.

So, the point of this story is. If one claims a certain faith or belief, why would one also feel a need to defend it?

Its YOUR choice, YOUR church. If it works for you, enjoy it, learn it, grow in it!! Then allow others to do the same as they find the way to do it themselves in their own way!

If someone chooses to see God in a tree, so be it. Who am I to judge whether that is right or wrong. If another finds God in polished pews and stained glass, more power to them!! I tend to find God in a combination of those ways and many others. In my thoughts, God is all encompassing and reaches far outside any man-made, "church".

I have experienced God in the whisper of a breeze through the trees, in the crash of waves on a beach or a simple ripple on a pond. I have seen God show his face in amazing sunrises and sunsets. I have seen hints of the power of God in a tornado or two that passed too close for my comfort. I have seen the face of God in the simple smile and laughter of a young child, or a brand new flower at the onset of Spring. I have experienced God amongst the polished pews and stained glass of ancient cathedrals, neighborhood churches, and even on a folding metal chair in a start up, store front gathering.

Also, I do not think God, in whatever house we put Him, would be very amused at the tendency we have, as humans, to self-righteously build ourselves up, in the process of tearing others down! I just dont see the "reward" in that.

I am inclined to think that the New Testament of the Christian faith teaches the "way" of Christ. I believe that "way" is a lesson for all of us in the practice of humility, love, acceptance, and growth, taught by Christ by His example

I have heard it said that "in Gods house there are many rooms" If that is the case, I doubt that God made some rooms perfect, and others not so.

There ya have it. My opinion. Just as with YOUR brand of faith, you can take mine or leave it, add to it or take from it.

A Walk In The Sun

And some folks probably thought I gave up on blogging, or fell into a pit somewhere.

Nope, nothing so dramatic. Just been busy, either being busy, or busy NOT being busy. You know how it is, when you work long hours, its pretty hard work just vegetating. Ok Enough excuses!

It wasnt but a few days ago, when a freind of mine, once again, gave me a gentle prod by making notice of the fact that I hadn't blogged in "a LONG TIME", then I got a "BAD DALE" to boot! Now how can anyone ignore such a thing! So since then, Ive been fiddling around with trying to remember what Ive been doing since the last post. Truth be told, I think Ive satisfied my life-sharing needs on my fun little Twitter thingy where I fire off messages to my freinds and read theirs. Its fun, but it's NOT a blog.

Ive also given some thought to taking a cue from that same freind who also blogs, who dedicates one day a week to a particular theme. One day for positive, happy posts, and another to shall we say, unload the system, with a whine n cry about one thing or another, etc etc.

I might have a hard time finding a day to whine too much, as any long blogging I do gets done on my day off, and I just cant bring myself to blow negetive smoke on my day off! Maybe when summer is over and the weather turns to poop and I get bored sitting inside for weeks on end, THEN I can bitch on my day off! HAAA!! But then, sometimes I just make my mental plans and ideas out loud. So we shall see, what we shall see.

But today, I took a walk..

Twenty-odd miles south of here, just off I-5 sits the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge. Its a beautiful place that is situated in the middle of the Nisqually River delta, where the river empties into Puget Sound after running its course from its birth on Mt. Rainer. Being a wildlife sanctuary, where humans are mere guests, we are limited to simple foot travel, which lends itslef to a peaceful walk through nature.

I took a handful of pictures along the 6 plus mile walk around the perimeter on what is known as "The Dike Path" There is an official name for it, but that is what I'VE always called it. There was a time when this entire area was a farm, and a elevated dike was built around it. Now there is a path on top of that.

Here is a batch of cattails

and a few yellow flowers of some sort that caught my eye.

I was having some "historical" thoughts as I walked.

In this river delta, on the ground I trod today, the beginnings of what we know as the State of Washington were planted.

Issac Stevens, the first Territorial Governor of Washington and some sixty tribal leaders of the surrounding Native tribes, signed what was called the Medicine Creek Treaty in 1854, right here on the shores and fields of this Delta. This treaty, essentially bought the tribal lands for somewhere around $30,000, gave the natives permanent hunting and fishing rights, and of course relegated them to Reservations. I have no idea of the EXACT location of this event, but right there on the banks of that inlet could be just as possible as anywhere else in this delta.I'm not going to use this blog to rant~n~rave about injustice and all that. I try to keep this post light. However, if anyone does see the injustice, they might be interested to know that Ol' Issac "bought the farm" just eight years later while serving as a General in the Union Army at the Second Battle of Bull Run in Virginia in 1862.

A personally interesting sidenote. This 1854 treaty was signed just two years after my own great, great grandfather became the third white settler in Goodhue County, Minnesota in 1852 after emigrating with his family from Norway. And shortly after Governor Stevens was getting himself shot off his horse in Virginia, my great grandfather, Oliver Ryalen the settler's son, found himself firing off cannons with the 10th Minnesota Artillery at the Battles of Nashville and Chattanooga before finding himself on "provost duty" in Mississippi until the end of the Civil War.

Oliver wasnt nearly as glamourous a character as his brother, who after chasing the Sioux around western Minnesota, spent his Civil War adventure in the 10th Minnesota Infantry, and according to family legend, ended up in the stockade when he and some pals decided they'd had enough "soldiering" and stole a train to go home to Minnesota!! He was also the 'mystery" my father struggled with during his thirty year research of our family tree. It seems this character finished his war, returned home and settled down, only to vanish around 1900. My own grandmother related the story of his son, who when on his own death bed in 1961, was reported to have said, "Take me to my father, I know where he is". And that was the last of that.

But MY great grandfather Oliver the apparent responsible one, farmed, married, and raised a batch of kids, the youngest one, Albin Oliver, becoming my own grandfather.

I guess I have Oliver on my mind today since just this morning, on an internet search, I discovered that in November 1878, he was elected as "justice" in the township of Ten Mile Lake, Minnesota. Here is a picture of Grandpa Oliver taken shortly before his death in 1914.

Okay then, that is your history lesson for the day!

Back to my walk.

Sometimes it amazes me just how much many areas here in Washington State, remind me of England. At least the rural part where I lived for my two year time in East Anglia. These rolled bales of hay, brought back some of those mental images.

Here's a few geese, that were giving me some serious popeyed glances as they swam past.
One thing I enjoy on my all to infrequent walks through this Preserve, is the old trees. Sure, they are beautiful, they are majestic, but one should also be aware that they are quite humbling as well. The life and history those old trees have witnessed! When you think like that, it reminds us of just how insignificant we humans really are. To me, a stately old tree has as much "put you in your place" power as a gaze at the Milky Way.

Thats about it for this post. Hope you enjoyed my little shared journey through time and nature.

As always, stay tuned, and remember that as with all my posts, the one you read today might change tomorrow. I do have the inclination at times to go in and edit or add to existing posts.