Merry Christmas in Kennesaw

This morning we were awake early, 3:30am (yes we're crazy), working on our Christmas morning tradition. We've got breakfast in the oven, and I'm on the laptop in the den waiting on the goodies in the oven. Nat King Cole, Karen Carpenter and Andy Williams are on the radio. Snickers is trying to figure out why we're up but not feeding her. It's drizzling just a little outside, and the mist makes the lights in the neighborhood twinkle that much brighter. NORAD says that Santa is now in Alaska, almost finished with his annual deliveries.


My cousin, Karen, has a lot of old family photos (I'm the one in the striped pants). Looking at these brings back a flood of wonderful memories. I come from a very large and very close family. Although I'm not sure of the date of the photo at left, my guess would be the summer of 1972 or 1973. The years have scattered us across the country. Whoever thought I would be in Kennesaw, GA, after 20 years in Fort Mill? Life is like that isn't it, Forrest? You never know what you're gonna get.

Even though we live in a new place, some things are constant and the melody and harmony of God's love for us is perpetual. I feel that this Christmas more than ever. We are strangers in a new land, but folks at our new church have taken us in and made us part of their family. One family even had us over to share in their Christmas Eve celebration last night. That was a huge blessing to me because the Newell and McKinney families had such wonderful times together over the holiday seasons of years past. When I was in high school, the McKinney clan used to pack into cars and drive around Fort Mill, caroling for family friends. Aunt Brenda Kay would always come over and help us make snow people and then there was the food at my grandparents house. TONS of it! Two such holiday gatherings stand out in my mind. The first would be the Immaculate Reception as Franco Harris and the Steelers defeated the Oakland Raiders in the AFC playoffs in 1972. The other would be December of 1979, during my senior year in high school. My Pappaw had died just weeks before, and still the family went caroling. Brenda Kay brought along her photography assistant, Lori, and on Christmas morning Brenda gave me a card with Lori's phone number.

Yes, this year we're in a new location, but we feel so blessed to be making new memories on this new adventure that we have undertaken. My prayer for whoever reads this is that you experience the same love, mercy and grace that I have experienced. I believe with all my heart that God loves each of us so much, desires a real and dynamic relationship with each of us so much, that he gave us Jesus Christ, Immanuel, God With Us, so that we could experience the joys of heaven forever. Truly, wise men still seek Him. Merry Christmas 2008.

I wish you peace.

The Music of Luke

Well, today is the start of my weekend. Did I ever tell you that I get Friday's off? It's one of those preacher things, I suppose. Our church considers Sunday to be a work day for me, so my weekends are Friday and Saturday. It's a bit different and it took some getting used to, but now it's kind of neat to be able to spend Fridays running errands for Cindy and taking care of various needs around the house.

This morning I took my birthday money and went shopping. Those of you who know me well are already cringing, because I detest shopping. Today I made the mistake of not having in mind what I wanted before I left. Big no-no. I ended up in the crowd of folks who were taking a 3-day weekend to go "door-busting". Did I mention I don't do crowds, either? I found lots of things I needed (socks, pants, shirts), but only a few in my size and EVERYTHING had been thoroughly examined by the early birds and was completely jumbled. Because I have a limited budget I couldn't decide what to purchase. Even though the prices will surely triple again after the holidays, I suppose I'll wait until the rush is over (by the way, why is it that a $15 dollar shirt costs $45 after the calendar flips? doesn't that fly in the face of supply and demand, or am I the only one who notices that kind of thing?). The other thing that irked me more than a little was that if I used a store credit card, I could get an additional 10-20% discount per item. I don't want more debt, I just want more socks, for crying out loud! I thought we were celebrating God's love for us, not our love for "stuff". OK, you can relax now, the rant is over. Do you understand now why I don't like shopping?

One of the things that I actually am enjoying about this Christmas season is my daily Bible reading. The book of Luke has 24 chapters, and our pastor has challenged us to read one chapter per day leading up to our Christmas Eve service. God's Holy Spirit has been revealing new things to me each day, and over the past couple of weeks I have read several familiar passages in an entirely different light. One of the things that really strikes me is Jesus' relationship with the Samaritan people. You see, to Jesus' Hebrew contemporaries, the people from Samaria were illegitimate, unclean, untouchable, second (some would say "no") class. Yet Jesus loved them, healed them and used them in powerful illustrations to teach God's love, mercy and grace. As a follower of Christ, I've noted that point and, with God's help, resolve to apply it to my own life.

Can you hear the music today?

A Christmas Tree Tradition

Most families have traditions that they observe during the Christmas season. There are movies to watch, television specials that are just to good (or cheesy) to miss, cookies and pies to bake and deliver. Our family has several that we observe annually, almost out of habit (the good kind of habit, Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Ralphie, not all habits are bad).

I absolutely love the Christmas season. From Thanksgiving until New Years Day, I look at the world differently. Even though one of the most painful events in my life occurred in December (the death of my grandfather McKinney when I was almost 18), I look forward to celebrating the hope and joy that is available to me because of a life that began in a tiny Judean village so long ago.

When I was a child, it seemed that each year my parents always had our Christmas tree up and decorated on my birthday. In reality, that wasn't likely foremost in their minds, but hey, what's a December baby to think? So, since this year will be the first since 1984 that I haven't seen my parents on Christmas day, I decided to honor the memory of my childhood by taking care of the tree for my birthday. After MUCH searching, we finally found a tree lot in Cobb county that wasn't asking for a second mortgage to purchase a live tree. Ashleigh went with me and we found the perfect (in my eyes) tree. I guess she thought I was a little nuts when I teared up as we headed home with our prize.

Yesterday was my birthday and I began decorating by stringing lights and hanging ornaments that include baby pictures of our precious children. In the fading light of the late autumn afternoon, I switched on the lights of the tree and just sort of stood there. I suppose that I teared up again, recalling Decembers of years past, missing my family and friends back in South Carolina.

You know, standing in the glow of a Christmas tree is special. The evergreen tree itself brings to mind the perpetual, unfailing love of God. The bright lights remind me that one day the kingdom of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever.

Elf Yourself

What a busy Fall! It's been way too long since I posted and tons of things have happened since the last post.

In early November we went to the Naval Air Station in Marietta as guests of Major Jim Judkins, USMC. Jim is a church member who is soon to retire from the Marine Corps after 20 years as an office in an attack helicopter squadron. He gave us a guided tour, included a trip to the Cobra flight simulator. Man, that was cool! We each got to fly an attack run as a gunner with Jim as pilot. As expected, John hit every target. I, on the other hand, only hit one or two, and that's after Jim slowed to a crawl so I could get my bearings!

We spent Thanksgiving in Aiken with my family and Scranton with Cindy's. We hadn't seen our families in several months so it was a blessing to be able to be together for a few hours.

December has been hectic so far. We're working on Christmas music at church and have a special Christmas Eve service planned. Yesterday we bought our tree. Sometime between all the programs, services and gigs, we'll actually get it decorated. Oh yeah, and tomorrow is my birthday. Woo-hoo.

And now, a video for your yuletide pleasure, featuring me, Dr Perry Fowler (my boss) and Jimmy Gunderman (our minister to students).



I hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season. May God richly bless your lives in the coming days.

A Note From The Noodle Family

Two Fridays in a row... soaking rain. Ain't it great? This week is a little cooler, though. The high should be around 50 today. So, I'm taking a break from cleaning the kitchen, doing laundry and helping the kids with school work. Cindy is substitute teaching today at First Baptist Christian School. This is her third appearance there. On her first day, a student in her class had a little challenge pronouncing "Newell". It came out sounding like "noodle". The kids started giggling about it and the name stuck. So, today Cindy Noodle is off to work again. I suppose that makes me Mr. Noodle, thank you very much.

Noting the trouble so many of us have had with allergies this Fall, I came across an impressive list of home remedies. I'm not sure they all work on the sinuses, but perhaps you might have a laugh.

1. AVOID CUTTING YOURSELF WHEN SLICING VEGETABLES BY GETTING SOMEONE ELSE TO HOLD THE VEGETABLES WHILE YOU CHOP.
2. AVOID ARGUMENTS WITH THE FEMALES ABOUT LIFTING THE TOILET SEAT BY USING THE SINK.
3. FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE SUFFERERS ~ SIMPLY CUT YOURSELF AND BLEED FOR A FEW MINUTES, THUS REDUCING THE PRESSURE ON YOUR VEINS. REMEMBER TO USE A TIMER.
4. A MOUSE TRAP PLACED ON TOP OF YOUR ALARM CLOCK WILL PREVENT YOU FROM ROLLING OVER AND GOING BACK TO SLEEP AFTER YOU HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON.
5. IF YOU HAVE A BAD COUGH, TAKE A LARGE DOSE OF LAXATIVES. YOU'LL BE AFRAID TO COUGH.
6. YOU ONLY NEED TWO TOOLS IN LIFE - WD-40 AND DUCT TAPE. IF IT DOESN'T MOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE WD-40. IF IT SHOULDN'T MOVE AND DOES, USE THE DUCT TAPE.
7. IF YOU CAN'T FIX IT WITH A HAMMER, YOU'VE GOT AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM.
8. DAILY THOUGHT: SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES - NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE STAIRS.

I know you were all wondering about Melanie's ear from last week's post. Well, I heard from her this week (boy, did I ever) and she reported that the candle treatment did work for a period of time. The biggest challenge is to figure a way to keep the candles lit on windy days when she goes to the grocery store. The biggest benefit is that she can provide her own candles at the Christmas Eve service.

This weekend is the annual Cape Cod Marathon, and for the second year in a row we'll not be competing in it. Last year we opted for the Marshall University Marathon which was a fantastic event. This year we are still getting settled in our new home and were not able to train adequately. We do plan to return next year. I've been following the news of the event on the race website and our friends from the Falmouth Track Club have been keeping us in the loop. There's just no place in the world like New England in the Fall. We really miss the fun and fellowship we have with our family and friends there, everything from Pam's waffles and folding shirts at the Lawrence School to the roar of the crowd as we kick to the finish line at the Village Green on Main Street.

North Falmouth is a special place for us. We have such fond memories there, folk music on the radio, mussels from Woods Hole, Happyhallowthankmus festival at the church, falling asleep at night while star gazing through the bedroom skylight. Chris and Pam, we miss you. Be sure to go see the Falmouth Fiddlers on Sunday morning and cheer the runners for us as they pass the Bourne Farm!

Georgia Pollen Count

Well, the fall season is upon us here in northwest Georgia. Now that we've received all the settlement funds from old utility accounts, escrow accounts and closing costs, Cindy and I are finally going furniture shopping today. Woo-hoo! It will be nice to get a few more boxes out of the house. Maybe we can even provide guests a place to sit in our den. What a concept!

It's raining today. That's a good thing for us, as our area is still considered to be in a severe drought. The students at church aren't real happy about the rain today, though. They are supposed to go to a corn maze tonight. Still, I count the rain as a blessing. We got a good soaking during our run this morning. It felt REALLY good!!

Tomorrow morning we'll head over to KEMO (that's Atlanta runner-speak for Kennesaw Mountain) for our weekly long run. We hope to run from Pigeon Hill to Kolb's Farm and back (about 11 miles). We tried that last week, but got lost somewhere around Cheatham Hill. We followed another runner who looked like he knew where he was going and we somehow ended up circling back at Cheatham Hill Road, then heading the wrong direction toward Powder Springs. Trail running can be tricky (no road signs). We knew we were lost when we heard the train whistle from behind us, when it should have been in front of us. We turned around and eventually made it back to familiar territory, but we ended up only running 9 miles. So... tomorrow we try again. I'll study the trail map a little closer this time and we may even take it with us (duh). Getting lost on the battlefield at sunrise is no fun (too many Civil War ghosts in the forest).

I think we are all suffering from fall allergies around here. The whole church office staff has been coughing, sneezing and wheezing for over two weeks. Our office manager, Melanie, has had it so rough she resorted to drastic measures the other day. Ever try placing a lit candle in your ear to unclog things? Ask Melanie how well it works. There MUST be an easier way to combat the Georgia pollen count. Perhaps a few teaspoonfuls of local honey?

Handyman

The title begs a reference to James Taylor, but I don't think Cindy would appreciate it. :-)



After our weekly run at Kennesaw Mountain National Park, we came home and started our house projects. Cindy is painting bedrooms and I am tackling our storage issues.
Now, before I go any further, I have to say that I am NOT a handyman. My grandfather McKinney could build anything, but I must have missed that piece of the gene pool. However, since we moved to Kennesaw, I'm beginning to learn. Today I installed some extra shelves in a bathroom closet. I actually got them equally spaced and level. I was shocked! Cindy is still speechless. I only wish my Pappaw could see them. He'd probably have a good laugh because I made such a big deal over simple closet shelves.



To celebrate we grilled some burgers for dinner. So much for the big weekend. Marshall got clobbered last night, but the Red Sox are on the brink of winning their series with the Angels. We'll see how that Pats do tomorrow.


I guess watching all those episodes of Home Improvement is beginning to pay off. Cindy can't wait to see what's next!

By the way, the new Kennesaw First Baptist Church web site is now up and running. Check it out at www.kfbc.org

It's 1, 2, 3 strikes you're out...

When I was about 12 years old, my parents took my brother and I to Atlanta for a mid-summer getaway. We spent a day at the Six Flags theme park, then the next day attended the Braves-Cardinals baseball game at the old (then new) Atlanta Fulton County Stadium. The Braves won 7-5 in 13 innings, and my experience was capped off by seeing my hero, Henry Aaron, hit a home run. All those memories came rushing back last week when I got the chance to take my kids to a Braves game for the first time, courtesy of a friend who is a Braves employee. Obviously The Hammer doesn't play any longer (some guy named "Chipper" is the star of the team - he had a bad night too, booted a grounder and made a wild throw to first later in the game), and the stadium has been replaced with a newer model. Nonetheless we had a fabulous time. We did the "Chop" (keeping time with the Chick-fil-A cow in left field) and enjoyed $1 hot dog night. The Braves lost to the Phillies 4-3, but who cares? Baseball is great! Let's go Red Sox!

Our new church website will be live next week, look for an announcement and the link from my blog. This past week we had a staff photo day for the website pictures and some of us decided to have a little fun in the playground afterward. Leave it to the old man to do the hanging crunches and smile about it!

We've Been Pounded

We've been pounded! (It didn't hurt near as much as I thought it might.) During our first week in the new house, our church family brought over dinner each night so that we would have time to unpack the kitchen and dining room boxes and wouldn't have to worry about cooking. The best part about that was that the folks brought over so much food that we also had enough left over for lunches. The day after the last meal was delivered, the church gave us a "pounding". Each person brought us canned goods, cleaning supplies and other household items. For example, according to Cindy's calculations, we received 30 pounds of sugar, 25 pounds of flower and 5 pounds of corn meal. The timing was perfect, and this week we started cooking our own meals. In addition to hall the kitchen pantry items we also received several gift cards to local stores so that we would have help in buying other items that we may discover that we need.

Our family at Kennesaw First Baptist Church has been incredible. They have really taken us in and accepted us. The love they have demonstrated to us has been awesome!

We've made a list of "fix-it" items around the inside of the house and will start on that today. We're also becoming experts in lawn care (we've got some great neighbors who have beautiful lawns, they have offered some great pointers). We don't want a "boo-boo" letter from the HOA! There are also some things we need to fix up around the exterior of the house, but nothing pressing (we'll have a list for that, too). As you can tell from the photo of Snickers having breakfast today, at least one of us has settled in!!

Who's In The House?

Well, we made it one week in the new house!! We have boxes stacked floor-to-ceiling in several rooms, but we are slowly getting settled. Everyone at KFBC has been so nice to our family in helping us with the transition. Families from the church have been bringing meals to us each night for the past week, and this Sunday night the church is having a "pounding" for our family. Most importantly, folks have sent us cards and letters, called us on the phone and stopped by my office to let us know that they pray for us and our new ministry each day. People have really stepped up to make us feel like a part of the family. We will always miss our hometown, but we really love Kennesaw and Kennesaw First Baptist Church. God is so good, all the time!

We had a busy week. Between all the unpacking, Cindy and I got our Georgia driver's licenses. We also got our tv, phone and internet services established. The next big thing is to get our new tags for our cars. Yesterday we took the cars in for emissions testing, so now that we have those certifications we can go to the county tag office.

We're also getting involved a little in the community. Last night we worked with a group of volunteers running the concessions at the Kennesaw Mountain High School football game. If I do say so myself, I cook a mean batch of fries. We didn't see any of the game, but they tell me the home team beat South Cobb High School 13 - 0.

The running schedule is also slowly returning to normal. There are several places to run near us. Because of the move, we won't be competing at the Cape Cod Marathon this fall, but the Atlanta Marathon is in November and there are other races close by. One of our welcoming gifts from the church was a copy of the Atlanta Running Guide, so off we go...

Well, time to unpack more boxes!!!

Georgia On My Mind

It has been over a month since our last post, and a lot has happened. When last we posted, we were in Kennesaw, GA, for the weekend. So now that the cat is out of the bag, we can say that the reason we were there is because I have accepted a full time staff position at Kennesaw First Baptist Church as the Equipping Pastor of Worship and Administration! We are very excited.






I've just completed my second full week on the job. We have sold our house in Fort Mill and purchased one in Kennesaw. I sold my old Civic and purchased a newer Corolla. At the end of August, we will finally all be together again and this crazy 4-hour weekly commute can stop.












Everything has been such a whirlwind, and I'm sure that once we get settled I'll have time to really think about the amazing ways that God has answered our prayers over the past few months. I'll also start scheduling time weekly to update the blog so that we can keep everyone in the loop. I truly believe that in this situation, my hearing was and is as perpetual as the music. I have no doubt that KFBC is exactly where God wants me to be in this season of my life. My heart is at peace. We will miss our Fort Mill family and friends very much, but the exciting part is that we will have new relationships that will grow over time.



A special note of thanks to Rev Jeff Bedwell and Rev Benny Wade of FBC Fort Mill for loving us, teaching us and pouring their lives into us for so many years. Thank you to the Nuts for head hunting. Last but not least, a special word of thanks to David and Lisa Klausman for praying for us every day since mid-March.
We love you all!!

View From The Summit

We are in Kennesaw, GA, for the weekend. As this is the first week of training for the Cape Cod Marathon, our long run today was at the Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield National Park. We got out at sunrise and had a wonderful run amid the history and natural beauty that comes with one of our national parks. I must confess, we did as much sight-seeing as running, Cindy had her camera-phone, and we got a few pictures.

Here is a survey marker at the summit. This one's for you, Uncle Chris...


Inscription on the monument at the foot of the mountain.

The view to the north from the summit. It was so quiet this morning, you could close your eyes and almost here the cannon and musket fire.

Sunrise at the summit. I can't think of a better way to start the day with the most beautiful woman in the world!!

The Average Johnson Band

Ok, so it's been a month since I posted. I was just waiting on some inspiration, and boy, did I find it!!

Becky is one of the singers in the FBC Band. She has a beautiful heart and such a sweet, sweet spirit. She also has two children worthy of the YouTube Hall Of Fame. I am convinced that Grayson and Victoria will be the next generation of worship leaders in the Church. After viewing this latest video, I'm sure you'll agree.

Check this out !!!

Thank you, Becky, for encouraging your children to worship God and for sharing this peek into their precious lives!!

Old People Working Here

A couple of years ago, I received my first pair of transitional lenses, aka bifocals. I first noticed the deterioration of my near vision because when I sat down in the evening to read my Bible, the letters were fuzzy and I ended up taking off my glasses and holding the book up close to my nose. Cindy got a real kick out of that.

I was recently fitted for a new pair of transitional lenses, and trust me, these are more "transitional" than the first pair. I'm beginning to notice many things that most of us take for granted like reading labels in the grocery store, and I've also learned that the term "transitional" applies more to my age than my lenses. That last point is demonstrated by the following episode from the workplace.

Friday of last week I was testing some software on one of the test PCs that we have for our project team. Since my previous visit to that PC, someone (likely 20 years younger) had changed the display settings from 1024x768 pixels to 1280x800 pixels (really tiny characters). I suppose that I complained loudly enough for all in the next county to hear, because when I arrived at work on Monday, I found the following sign posted on the PC in question:


Just double-click the image to get the full effect. I love my co-workers. I really do...

Home Again

Robert Frost once said that it would be good both going and coming back. This is a little different. Vacation, not birch trees, but I think maybe it's more or less the same. We had nice bookends weather to our vacation. When we left Eastham for Boston, it was 45 degrees, the wind was howling and it was pouring rain. Here are some pics at departure time from in and around the house.

We stopped in Falmouth to have lunch with Uncle Chris at the Quarterdeck (the unofficial headquarters of the Falmouth Track Club) and grab some java at Coffee Obsession. In one of my earlier posts, I indicated that if you don't like the Cape weather, just wait a few minutes. In yesterday's case it was an hour and 15 minutes. By the time we got to Falmouth, the skies were beautiful.

We were very blessed this trip. We got to see family and friends and spend time in God's wonderful creation. "A man can stand there and put all America behind him" (Thoreau - "Cape Cod").

Cape Cod #6

Well, it's our last full day on Cape. Sort of sad to see the week coming to an end, but we've been very blessed this week. We found out that Judy from Ben&Jerry's knows Wayne from Cape Cod Chips. How cool is that?


This morning we hiked the trails around the Fort Hill area. For history buffs, Fort Hill is the home of Capt Edward Penniman, a whaling captain from the late 19th century. The bluff at the tip of Fort Hill is also the final resting place of the Outermost House, the one-time abode of naturalist Henry Beston. Beston built his house on the Nauset spit below the Coast Guard station in the 1920's and it stood until the Blizzard of '78 washed it to the south side of Nauset Marsh.











After lunch we did some shopping and began the cleaning and packing process. Made some chili for dinner and did B&J one more time. We drove down to Nauset Light Beach at dusk. I do love this place. Let's Go Red Sox!!

Cape Cod #5

Does anyone know where the best potato chips in the world are made? Yep, you guessed it! Breed's Hill Road in Hyannis, Massachusetts, home of the Cape Cod Potato Chip factory. We got hooked on these chips years ago on our first visit to the Cape. Being very health conscious parents, we figured that these chips were among the healthiest junk food snacks around. You can look it up! Go ahead, grab a bag off the shelf and read the list of ingredients: potatoes, oil and salt. It just doesn't get any better!!

A few years ago we made a friend in Customer Service. We look forward to seeing Wayne every time we come to Cape Cod, and have a little photographic tradition. Thanks to the web, we can now share it with everyone. Even better yet, Wayne is a runner! He told us today that this year will be his third consecutive Falmouth Road Race. That's awesome!

After lunch we made a little historical trip to the Bridge Road Cemetery, then hopped over to the Cape Cod National Seashore's Salt Pond Visitor Center. We hiked a little and visited with the park rangers, gathering information for future excursions.

Dinner was at the Bookstore in Wellfleet, complete with seafood harvested this morning from Wellfleet Harbor. The fish just can't get any fresher than that! Dessert was, what else could it be, Ben&Jerry's!! We got ice cream and hugs from Judy. Can you feel the love?

Special message to JDW tonight: The love of God is perpetual. Thankfully, the pain is intermittent. Our prayers for your family. We love you.

Cape Cod #4

The Earth belongs to God. Everything in all the world is His. Psalm 24:1

And what a world it is!! There are certain trails within the Cape Cod National Seashore that are unpublished in park literature. Designated parking areas are provided, and it's perfectly legal to hike these trails, you just need to ask the park rangers for details. Yesterday we found one such trail on Bound Brook Island Road in Wellfleet. Today we decided to hike one of Ashleigh's favorites, the Race Point Lighthouse.

We "discovered" this trail seven years ago while visiting with a park ranger. On September 11, 2001, we were there, on the tip of Cape Cod, as far out as one can walk, while buildings, hopes and dreams collapsed in New York City. I can still remember, the sky was so clear that morning that we could see all the way to Boston.

Parking the car in a sandlot on Race Point Road, we walked up the fire road to the dike that crosses Hatches Harbor. When we reached the tidal flats, we found the tide was headed out, which made the remaining mile much easier. After reaching the lighthouse, we made our way down the the beach to rest and have some snacks.

This particular hike is relatively difficult due to its length (about 4 miles round trip) and terrain (hard packed roads, soft sand, tidal flats, dunes). However, the views at the destination are worth the effort. Pictures can't do justice to the miles of dunes and isolated beach.

Cape Cod #3

Boy, are we glad the weatherman missed this one!! We had the wind that was promised, but rain never came. In fact, it was sunny almost all day today.













After breakfast we went hiking on a trail that's not published on any of the National Seashore maps. Just north of Wellfleet, off Pamet Point Road, sits the Atwood-Higgins House. We parked at the entrance and made our way for about a mile through the woods until we came to the dunes. Just over the dunes we found ourselves enjoying miles of isolated beach. Every now and then, you find the best things hidden in out of the way places. We owe a debt of thanks for this one to Yankee magazine and author Jennifer Kain Defoe, whose husband worked for the trails division of the Cape Cod National Seashore. We also would like to thank whoever invented the self-timing digital camera!


We spent the afternoon lounging on the bay side beach. It was low tide, so I walked out to the water line and snapped a couple of pictures. I was so focused on the pictures, however, I soon found myself overtaken by the incoming tide. Man, that water is cold!!





























Tonight the sunset was really special. We were able to see the sun all the way down over the horizon. No matter how many times we stand there, it always amazes me. The colors were fantastic.

And now, the secret is out... the real reason we come to the Cape. Ben&Jerry's has awesome ice cream, but in all the franchise footprint there is no store quite like the one in North Eastham. Owner Judy Tarr is special to us, and tonight was the first night that we've been able to catch up with her. We'll be seeing her at least once more before we head home. It's really nice to sit and visit over various and sundry forms of frozen dairy treats.

God has really blessed us this trip. Rest, relaxation, good food, family, friends, worship, all kinds of interesting weather, we have tons to be thankful for.