The Occasional Blogger? The Lazy Blogger?

 I thought for sure when I did the first post from San Francisco I would do one a day.  Well...As my title suggests, perhaps I should rename this blog "The Occasional Blogger" or "The Lazy Blogger."  I mentioned in the previous post that we went to San Francisco on Thursday of last week.  There are several bridges to cross to get there.  This particular bridge is the Oakland Bridge that was damaged in the earthquake of 1989.  The crane in the water beside it is massive.  I don't know when the completion is scheduled, but the traffic moves along quite nicely.

 My wonderful hosts took me to the top of Twin Peaks to see San Francisco from above.  There was quite a UN there, must have been a tour bus of French tourists.  I loved listening to the French, wanting to say "Bonjour" or "Comment ca va?"  We even talked to a fellow who had been in Tampa for a while working, so we gave up a thumbs up for the Rays.  You do know who the Rays are, don't you?  They have clinched a spot in the playoffs...go Rays!

 Then on we went through a lovely park until we came to this lovely Dutch windmill.  There was a lovely garden there.  A gardener was pruning and trimming the hollyhocks.  He said in another week those would come out and a new planting would go in.

 Then on to lunch we went at the Cliff House.  In my previous post I put a link to the Cliff House that tells the history of it.  We sat right by the window, overlook Seal Rock and the Pacific.  In the distance we could see container ships in a row waiting to come in to port.

 The last destination of the day was the Golden Gate Bridge.  I guess no one could go to San Francisco without seeing it.  We took a ride under the bridge where Fort Point is located.  Dave's father was with the army in San Francisco and was responsible for the fort being part of the park system, preserved for future generations to be able to visit.

As you can see from the poster and the photo, it is a quite imposing structure.  The cannons and cannonballs are there as they were years ago.  I believe Dave said that they were never fired.  It reminded me of the fort at St.Augustine, not in looks, but its purpose.  I have photos of David as a little boy sitting on the cannons at St. Augustine, but these all had signs requesting that no one sit on them.

As we came out, this sign was pointed out to me.  Runners like to come and touch their hands here so that their fingerprints are there and they can prove they've been there

And, of course, the dogs run too, so there is a place for their paw prints.

It was neat to see this all with someone who had such a personal interest in this city, and in particular, the fort.  I even came home with a piece of the bridge.  Dave said when work was done on the bridge and rivets were replaced, they would drop the old ones into the fort.  His dad picked them up and stored them.  I was given one of them as a reminder of my trip there.  So, I didn't leave my heart in San Francisco. I brought a little piece of it home with me.

Thanks, Sue and Dave, for a most memorable day.

San Francisco

The other day on FB I mentioned that I was giving myself a birthday present of a gift to California.  For some years now, I have been a follower of Photowannabe, a delightful lady who lives near Sacramento.  Through blogging comments and photos, we have realized we have so much in common and we talked about how nice it would be to get together.

A couple of weeks ago, I took the bull by the horns and wrote her and asked if it would be possible to come out so that we could meet.  She agreed it would be a good idea, and so on Wednesday, I flew into the Sacramento airport and met Sue and her husband. 

Let me tell you, it is a long ride from Tampa to Sacramento.  On the flight from Atlanta to Sacramento I had a window seat which was not my preference, but that was all that was left, except for middle seats, and I surely did not want one of those.  I guess the Lord knew all about it because the little lady sitting beside me was barely five feet tall and little.  Thank you, Lord.  I was quite interested to look out the window at the cloud formations and the topography of the land.  What a beautiful, varied country we have.  This delightful couple had spent years teaching in Lutheran schools, and since retirement, have spent much time in Thailand teaching English as a second language. We found that we had so much in common, and that helped the time to pass more quickly that it would have otherwise.

If you have had the good fortune to meet a fellow blogger in person, you know how you start talking to each other as though you've known each other a long time.  It's a wonderful experience.  I highly recommend it.

When I spoke of coming, Sue asked me if I would like to go to San Francisco for a day and maybe Lake Tahoe for another.  Needless to say, my answer was a resounding yes.  So yesterday we went to San Francisco.  Sue's husband grew up in  the city and has been a tour guide so I had a wonderful tour.  I saw a few places that the regular tours would not go.

We had lunch at the Cliff House, right on the Pacific.  Seated by the window, we looked out at Seal Rock.  I didn't see any seals, but lots of birds.  If you click on the link, you can see photos of the Cliff House and read about its remarkable history.

After driving down the very crooked street, Lombard Street, we passed by Fisherman's Wharf.  Our final destination was the Golden Gate Bridge.  I like the particular photo above since it shows one of several container ships that we saw pass by while at lunch.  More to come...

Reflective - Thematic Photographic

This is, without a doubt, my favorite photo of Ella.  Many of you have seen it before, but it will be new to some.  I'm so glad for a reason to post it again...Carmi's theme "reflective."

Do It Again, Lord

I was at a video conference on September 15, just a few days after the day that we will never forget, or I hope we will never forget.  It was a seminar on being successful in your business, but at the end of the day, John Maxwell invited Max Lucado to speak a word and pray for our nation.  The following is that prayer.


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Do It Again, Lord

by Max Lucado



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We’re still hoping we’ll wake up. We’re still hoping we’ll open a sleepy eye and think, “What a horrible dream.”



But we won’t, will we, Father? What we saw was not a dream. Planes did gouge towers. Flames did consume our fortress. People did perish. It was no dream and, dear Father, we are sad.



There is a ballet dancer who will no longer dance and a doctor who will no longer heal. A church has lost her priest, a classroom is minus a teacher. Cora ran a food pantry. Paige was a counselor and Dana, dearest Father, Dana was only three years old. (Who held her in those final moments?)



We are sad, Father. For as the innocent are buried, our innocence is buried as well. We thought we were safe. Perhaps we should have known better. But we didn’t.



And so we come to you. We don’t ask you for help; we beg you for it. We don’t request it; we implore it. We know what you can do. We’ve read the accounts. We’ve pondered the stories and now we plead, “Do it again, Lord. Do it again.”



Remember Joseph? You rescued him from the pit. You can do the same for us. Do it again, Lord.



Remember the Hebrews in Egypt? You protected their children from the angel of death. We have children too, Lord. Do it again.



And Sarah? Remember her prayers? You heard them. Joshua? Remember his fears? You inspired him. The women at the tomb? You resurrected their hope. The doubts of Thomas? You took them away. Do it again, Lord. Do it again.



You changed Daniel from a captive into a king’s counselor. You took Peter the fisherman and made him Peter an apostle. Because of you, David went from leading sheep to leading armies. Do it again, Lord, for we need counselors today, Lord. We need apostles. We need leaders. Do it again, dear Lord.



Most of all, do again what you did at Calvary. What we saw here last Tuesday, you saw there that Friday. Innocence slaughtered. Goodness murdered. Mothers weeping. Evil dancing. Just as the smoke eclipsed our morning, so the darkness fell on your Son. Just as our towers were shattered, the very Tower of Eternity was pierced.



And by dusk, heaven’s sweetest song was silent, buried behind a rock.



But you did not waver, O Lord. You did not waver. After three days in a dark hole, you rolled the rock and rumbled the earth and turned the darkest Friday into the brightest Sunday. Do it again, Lord. Grant us a September Easter.



We thank you, dear Father, for these hours of unity. Christians are praying with Jews. Republicans are standing with Democrats. Skin colors have been covered by the ash of burning buildings. We thank you for these hours of unity.



And we thank you for these hours of prayer. The Enemy sought to bring us to our knees and succeeded. He had no idea, however, that we would kneel before you. And he has no idea what you can do.



Let your mercy be upon our President, Vice President, and their families. Grant to those who lead us wisdom beyond their years and experience. Have mercy upon the souls who have departed and the wounded who remain. Give us grace that we might forgive and faith that we might believe.



And look kindly upon your church. For two thousand years you’ve used her to heal a hurting world.



Do it again, Lord. Do it again.



Through Christ, Amen.



© 2001, Max Lucado. This prayer was originally spoken at America Prays, a prayer event held September 15, 2001 by InJoy. Title: "Do It Again, Lord"

Author: Max Lucado

Publication Date: September 18, 2001

Transportation - Carmi's Photographic Theme

Would you like to travel on this bus?  In the three and a half years that I lived in Haiti, I never did board a bus quite like this.  It didn't cost much (for me) to travel like this, but I chose not to.  If I remember correctly, three people were seated on one bench seat, and then a jump seat was That wouldn't go with any safety code here, would it.  And if you will notice, there are riders and livestock on top of the bus.  The more the merrier.

I lived about 120 miles from the capital of Port-au-Prince, and, depending on the condition of the road, it could take up to twenty-four hours to travel that distance.  Whenever I went to the capital, I chose to go by air.  When I was there in the early 70's, the airline consisted of DC-3's, big propeller planes that were very reliable.  On our end, the airport was a cow pasture.  When the plane was approaching, the person in charge would get out on the field and blow a whistle for farmers to get their cows off the field.

I posted this photo before in another blog post.  This motorbike meant freedom.  Because of the condition of the roads and the cost of a four-wheel drive vehicle, almost all of us had a dirt bike which we used for traveling. I probably never traveled more than forty miles from my home on the bike, but I loved every minute of it.  Sometimes it was very challenging.

I would never get on a motorbike here in the States...well, maybe on a trail, but surely not on a main road.  I must confess I enjoy the comfort of my car.  I used to say that a car was simply transportation.  One didn't need all the bells and whistles.  But...with the few that I have, I surely enjoy them.

For more photos on the transportation theme, visit Carmi's blog.

Just for Today

Just for Today ...

.. smile at a stranger

.. listen to someone's heart

.. drop a coin where a child can find it

.. learn something new, then teach it to someone

.. tell someone you're thinking of them

.. hug a loved one

.. don't hold a grudge

.. don't be afraid to say "I'm sorry"

.. look a child in the eye and tell them how great they are

.. don't kill that spider in your house, he's just lost so show him the way out

.. look beyond the face of a person into their heart

.. make a promise, and keep it

.. call someone, for no other reason than to just say "Hi"

.. show kindness to an animal

.. stand up for what you believe in

.. smell the rain, feel the breeze, listen to the wind

.. use all your senses to their fullest

.. cherish all your TODAYS

~ Author Unknown

Taken from Pastor Tim's website, http://www.cybersalt.org/.