First Hike of the Season!

Nothing restores the soul like getting out into God’s natural world. We finally got a nice Saturday that was not obligated toward other activities and took the opportunity to drive the  thirty miles to Vedauwoo and do some hiking and wildflower photography.  On the way there we passed groups of cyclists on the highway participating in the “Tour de Prairie.” We probably would have taken the interstate if we had known this event was taking place. The prairies are beautiful this time of the year as the grasses are green and the flowers are profuse, yet we wondered if the riders really get to enjoy the beauty as they have to watch the road and be aware of traffic all the time.

Once we turned off onto the gravel road that takes us to the trail head parking area we stopped to try to capture the abundant wildflowers especially the orange to red Indian Paintbrush that is Wyoming’s state flower. Look carefully in my photo of Mr. photographer (you can also double click the mouse on any photo to see more detail) and you can see little bits or orange all over the landscape. In the distance is the ridge that we climb to an overlook on one end of the Headquarters trail.

We also drove around to a couple of the picnic areas to check them out and decided that they were too  swampy yet as the snow is still melting and the runoff is high. There were tons of mosquitoes and we forgot to put on repellant before we left. We were glad that we had long-sleeve shirts and long pants on so our bites were limited to our wrists and hands mostly.

The trail goes up through aspen groves  and a stream where Penelope invariably cools off in the muddy water. Then it goes into the pines which even though hit hard by the beetles is still cool and shady for the most part. Then the trail climbs the ridge and emerges onto a meadow  through a wood fence and there is a beautiful overlook out onto the prairies. The rock outcroppings are colorful chunks of eroded granite. On the trail we passed some horseback riders, mountain bikers and other hikers including a group of about eight back packers that had probably camped out overnight.

We used to always keep Penelope on a leash but now we just let her go free and she stays with us pretty well. She does go ahead on the trail and then comes back to check in on us frequently or if we call her. She also swerves off the trail to sniff out critters in the bushes. She must cover three times the ground that we do on the same trail and she never walks only runs. Pretty good for a ten years old dog!

At the overlook on the north face of the rocks was still a large snowpack melting, more than we can remember in the last few years. Thus the flooding that is occurring all over Wyoming and the plain states.

We enjoyed our picnic lunch and the sights and fresh pine smells on the hike. There are many kinds of yellow flowers and some white, blue and vivid purple ones in addition to the Paintbrush in bloom. Besides the mosquitoes the only other downside was that I dropped my camera and we had to backtrack about ten minutes to find it, before continuing on up to the overlook. The exercise was good for us no doubt.

Lou

Faith Questions

For those with faith questions and don’t we all have them honestly. There are two websites that I have been reading regularly (since my blog reading holiday, ha) that deal with some of the questions that people of faith struggle with about theology, doctrine, and practicing the life of faith. I would recommend them. They do not necessarily answer the questions but they acknowledge them and have conversations about them. Unlike many websites where the comments turn ugly and nasty when people disagree, the commenters at these sites tend to be thoughtful and honest with each other.

The first website is http://www.internetmonk.com/  From the site.

The Internet Monk was first begun by Michael Spencer in 2000.Since that time, it has consistently been rated as one of the top Christian blogs on the internet.
Michael wrote passionately about developing a Jesus-shaped spirituality and the stewards of this site aim to continue that legacy.

 Michael Spencer died at age 53 after a battle with cancer in 2010 but others have continued the site in his honor and they still re-post many of his best writings. The top banner of the site says “Dispatches from the Post. Evangelical Wilderness” and has a an artist rendering of a homeless type man pushing a shopping cart of belongings in an urban setting with a church in the background.

There are several writers there including Chaplain Mike (a hospice chaplain,) Jeff Dunn who comes from a Christian publishing background and now works at a Target store (a sure sign of our economic times) and others who I do not know the backgrounds of.

I find myself becoming less of a black and white thinker as I age. For a time I probably was a fundamentalist evangelical but now would only accept the evangelical part of that description and feel like I am now somewhat of a reformer within that tradition.

The other site that I like is written by a young woman who just turned 30 and the website has her name Rachel Held Evans and is her personal blog. http://rachelheldevans.com/blog From the site.

I'm a writer, skeptic, and Christ-follower from Dayton, Tennessee—home of the famous Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925.
My first book, a spiritual memoir entitled Evolving in Monkey Town, released with Zondervan in July of 2010. My second book, an experimental memoir (tentatively) titled A Year of Biblical Womanhood will be released by Thomas Nelson in 2012 (at the earliest).
I enjoy speaking, blogging, traveling, playing poker, and talking theology over coffee.

Rachel is not afraid of taking on bad theology especially when Christians show an appalling lack of grace for others. She is also funny and humble and has a disarming way of cutting right to the meat of an issue. She admits that she has doubts and has discarded much of her former fundamentalist thinking and is still looking to find a place for herself within the Christian faith community. I think a lot of young adult believers might identify with her.

I invite people to take a look at these sites. A life of faith is more than following doctrines and rules. Following Jesus, utilizing the ageless wisdom of the Bible and with the Spirit guiding at all times, is not a walk in the park!
Lou
P.S. scroll your mouse over the links and click to go directly to the sites mentioned.

Aquilegia caerules

The columbines in our garden are glorious this year through absolutely no effort on our part. I did plant a couple plants a few years ago and they seem to have spread through seeding. The amount of sun must be just right for them along the front walk where they get sun for only half the day and the soil is not overly enriched nor watered excessively. 

The lavender/blue and white blossoms are just like the variety that we find around alpine lakes at the high altitudes in late July and August. It is always rewarding to come upon these clusters of flowers among the boulders on our hikes in the Snowy Range. The growing season is so short at 12,000 feet that the seeds have to wait until the snow pack melts to germinate and finally get to flower when spring comes to the mountains in the late summer.

I also have a magenta colored columbine in the front garden and in the backyard a smaller domestic variety that is beautiful but not as grand as the Colorado columbine that is the official state flower and also my favorite.

“This several-foot tall perennial herb is found across the Rocky Mountains, from the foothills to the alpine, where it is often common in aspen groves, open forests, meadows, and talus slopes. Because it is so showy and its flowers bloom throughout the growing season, this plant is well-photographed and very popular among wildflower enthusiasts, particularly in Colorado, where it is the State Flower. Coincidentally, the colors of its flower are also found in the Colorado State flag.” http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/aquilegia_caerulea.shtml

I added a couple "garden friends" this year under the birdbath (see photo) that I quite enjoy. Our neighborhood is just beginning to see some live squirrels move in but the rabbits have been around for awhile. The squirrels wait for the trees to get to maturity. Our city parks with the hundred year old cottonwoods are overrun with them. The squirrels get very bold with people who have food.

I love summer.

Lou

New Colors

When you let E. #2 help select the paint colors, this is what you get. We now have orange sparkle and toasted apricot in the second guest room and grasshopper in the quilting/baby room. I very much appreciated her willingness to help paint the two rooms with me while she was here visiting recently.    

She went on to stay a few days with her sister and brother-in-law and helped to paint there as well. The nursery for our grandson whose arrival is expected in July. Their inspiration room has a vintage race car theme and bright primary colors so the walls have been painted two shades of gray above and below the white chair rail.

I’m sure I would have selected very safe tans and browns for our house left on my own, but we like the new colors and the fresh look to go with the new soft carpet underfoot. The true colors are brighter than the photos show.

For my daughter-in-law, please note that grandma Lou has her “ducks in a row” and is ready for visiting babies.

Lou