Cousins in Virginia ~ October 2010

Put arrow on the picture for the caption...

Creating Excellence in the Pastorate

Northern Coast of Michigan

Enjoying the sights and sounds of four very different towns...Frankfort, Leland, Northport, and Charlevoix. Each one had interesting history and local flavor. Charlevoix was my favorite.

P.S. As I am writing this in Wisconsin, the winds are howling and building...we're supposed to get 35 mile an hour winds much of the day on Tuesday. Glad I'm safe at home...

The Power of God in the Wind and the Waves

We spent some time on the Michigan coast last week, exploring Frankfort, Leland, Northport, and Charlevoix on our sailboat, the White Iris. For several days it was hot and humid ~ hard to sleep at night in our little v-berth with sleeping bags rated to 20 below! Then on Wednesday we discovered a change in the weather coming ~ and we were as far north as we had planned to be ~ over 120 miles from Manitowoc where we keep the boat.

So, we cut our stay short and headed for Frankfort. We got there just before the winds and waves expressed their fury. Gale force winds at 30-35 knots, with gusts up to 40 knots...waves as high as 10-12 feet. Our 32 foot boat got tossed and turned, day and night. Now it was hard to sleep at night because of the roar of the winds, the cold, and the movement of the boat. Quite a change! We were held there from Thursday to Sunday when there was a small break in the weather...then Monday the winds were coming back in force until at least Wednesday.

So, off we went around 8 Sunday morning. It is about 70 nautical miles across from Frankfort to Manitowoc...normally it would take about 10 1/2 hours. But this was not a normal day. The waves were at least 6-8 feet as we left the harbor and we were headed into the wind, coming at us at about 20 knots. The first 25 miles took us hours to navigate...we were beat up already and just getting started. Then we hit about 15-18 miles of calmer seas and lower winds. Ahhh...we should be just fine.

It was not to be...the wind came around to the southwest and picked back up to 20 knots. The waves went wild ~ tho not quite as high. I thought we would never see land. About 10-12 miles out, the winds died down again and we were able to sail in, arriving in rain and dark about nearly 10 at night. What a day...the longest day of my life.

I've always loved the water...grew up enjoying the pool at the country club and Geneva Lake at my Grandparent's cottage. Water (and mountains) brings me close to God ~ His mighty power, majesty, and greatness, as well as His generous creativity. On this day, the water brought we close to Him as a refuge and a safe harbor. I spent much of the day praying and reviewing Scripture passages of His care and keeping.

Welcome, Cade!

Cade arrived quickly and safely on Thursday, July 8th. By the 10th we were there to meet and welcome him into the family! What a sweet baby he is. Do you see the Ekedahl boy blonde hairline? While we were there, Joel and Andy (with some help from neighbors and friends) started and finished a wonderful retaining wall in their front yard...it was a steep learning curve for the guys but a job well done!

The Marx's Come to Wisconsin

Just a taste of all the fun things we did in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois while the Marx family was here in July.

THE RIDE

After three months and 1063 miles (for perspective, it's 1020 miles from our house in WI to Sarah and Joel's house in CO) of training, the 100K ride is over...and I finished pretty well. My goal was to complete the 62+ miles in 5-6 hours and I did it in 4 hours and 40 minutes...and spent an additional 40 minutes drinking bottles and bottles of water and eating granola bars and fruit at the 5 stops along the way...plus chatting with my two great teams members and cheerleaders ~ Andy and his sister, Carol. It was great and gave me something to look forward to as I peddled my way thru little country towns, lots of farmland, up many hills, along Lake Michigan in Port Washington, and down the wonderful paved trail thru Ozaukee County. I never knew just when Andy and Carol might show up...once high above me on an overpass and once as I was coming around a corner by a Country Springs Hotel. Carol's bright peach top always caught my eye, as well as the signs she made to encourage me. They were the only ones who went from stop to stop ~ and lots of people got to know them thru the day.

It was a pretty day ~ blue skies and 75-80 degrees. The first half (north from Grafton to Oostburg) the winds were at about 8 mph but the second half (south from Oostburg to Grafton)they were at 15, gusting to 20 mph. That made it a bit challenging ~ but it did help dry up the sweat.

I made one little extra side trip in Belgium when I miss-read a sign and went the wrong direction for about 1 1/2 miles and then had to go into the wind to go back. Other than that, the way was well marked and I could enjoy the scenery...laundry flapping in the wind on the clothes line, an older lady weeding her huge garden in her brown swim suit, rabbits running across the trail, ponds and wetlands, golf courses, Pioneer Village Living Museum...

I was tired during the last push to the finish, but ended strong and could smile pretty easily when I was greeted by Andy at the finish line. We went to Subway for a sandwich, took Carol back to her car in Milwaukee and went home to clean up for church at 5:00 and dinner out afterwards. Been there, done that ~ and I've got two t-shirts and a great farmer's tan to prove it.

So, 12 Fourteeners climbed in Colorado, 17 miles of the Na Pali Coast kayaked in Kauai, and 100K biked in Wisconsin...next stop...a leisurely walk along the Great Wall.