I just don't want to go there or there, or there

A mural painted on the wall of the Palmer Community Center.

I am not trying to be an isolationist, but neither do I want to jump in to the conversation about the very real issues we face at this point in history. I am glad for those who have the gifts and passions for debating politics, economics, sociology, or even a religious topic like Muslim terrorism....unless you are sitting across my desk or in a coffee shop.

I do have a growing impression that the Christian world is entering a reformation for renewal and new life for the future, and that it may get more confusing before we see the more genuine things emerge. If I am still here I want to be a tiny little part of it.

Come unto me

This modern sculpture of Jesus welcoming the physically challenged is the centerpiece of the new Palmer Community Center at Rainbow Acres. I was telling my folks today about the ranchers showing us their rooms in the group home.

One man was a big fan of Toy Story with his own Woody Doll, and another had an impressive collection of Hot Wheels miniature cars, trucks and planes. Another man was on the basketball court shooting impressively from the corner, and yelling just like a kid for people to watch.

People were doing chores, and we heard of the crafts, therapies, recreations, trips, work opportunities that they pursue depending on age and ability, and finally the pieces all fell together for me.

These needy adults are safe, cared for, and valued. We all need that.

Founders Day at Rainbow Acres

Rainbow Acres is a Christian home for disabled adults near Camp Verde AZ. Founded in 1974 by Dr. Ralph Showers who celebrated his 75th birthday and was honored by all who attended the open house today. Ralph lost his arms in an accident as he was beginning the ministry and became a spokesman for treating the disabled with dignity and spawned many similar home across the nation.

We were inspired by the stories of faith, the maturity of the beautiful campus especially their new community center which will provide for large group experiences.

A good walk spoiled

Our family and Danny's family at the meet up after the graduation in 2001.

The old golf memory muscles failed me today and the frustration of flubs and disastrous shots dimmed the few good drives and putts made.

It was however, in the 80s, and sunny, and I was with good friends, laughing and walking and moving, and we had a nice lunch, and I am alive and well on this beautiful planet, so, life is good.

Yesterday after I reflected on difficult aging issues, Warren came in from playing tennis, and told me how much he is enjoying dancing each week, and he is 88.

I determined once again to be among the many who chose activity and healthy eating, even if the golf spoils the walk.

Bulldog

Do you think this guy is a one tour or a lifer?

When you visit the Marine Corp Recruitment Depot they have such an atmosphere with the old buildings and the impressive downtown San Diego location. Matt said the other marines called them Hollywood Marines.

The museum and store are really worth visiting also.

Marines for life

Dr. and Mrs. Fetzik will be traveling to San Diego to see their son get his pin shortly. Our time was Aug. of 2001. Matt experienced combat in Afghanistan and a really cool time in Japan between his duties in North Carolina. He has been home for a week preparing to a job change and visiting friends.

We know the ceremony will stick in your mind and heart forever and you will well up with patriotism more than you ever thought you could, and if you are lucky you will see the sqautty mascot waddling around.

Observing the long goodbye

a bold rock squirrel begging food from beach goers.

Dementia and Altzimers seem to be increasing in our aging population. I am used to seeing most around me lose focus and mental accuity. I feel and see it in my own performance, and we laugh and accept it as part of aging, but when the brain begins to atrophy and you see the retreat of a once out going personality, it is painful to watch. Thank God for caregivers.

Happy Birthday Judy

Life has not allowed my sisters and I to live close to each other, but we love each other. This blog exists to share with family and friends my daily life.

Judy had a birthday today, me and my sisters are all working our our health and diets, that what being 60+ is partly about.

Judy left for college when I was young, and stayed in New York, and loves it there. Enjoy your family and precious life today.

Happiness Runs

Even Chip and Dale started dancing to the music of a Dixieland Band.

Donavan visited the Museum of Instrumental Music this week. He was one of the most unique singer songwriters of the 70s, whose Britiah voice and songs were influenced by folk, english traditional and world music. He looked like the aging hippy he is, but he spoke of the emotional power of music during his visit.

My youngest son bought Donavan's greatest hits this summer or I would not be writing this, but as I listened, I was emotionally transported in my head and heart to the headiness of that decade, "here comes the hurdy gurdy man, singing songs of lo oh ove",then actually seeing my first real Hurdy Gurdy player, which is an organ you run with a crank and play with one hand.

In the album he has a sing a long song, the women sing "Happiness Runs, happiness runs" and the men sing a La La La along with it and Donavon coachs and sings a one line song, and it goes faster and faster, and the people were absolutely caught up in the fun and they literally got happy in the audience.......that is the power of music.

Office Laptop

You can see the size relative to a 17 inch behind it, and the cool backlighting. I often type in low light and forget where the keys are.

My five year old Office Laptop will be doing permanent duty as an audio-visual tool for my teaching ministry and today I decided on a Toshiba Satellite 14 inch machine. Reasons, speed and smaller size for portability. Good ratings, and a backlit keyboard which is the coolest thing I never knew I wanted. The screen is plenty big enough and the 4lb weight is easy to lug if I need to carry it out. Thankful to the board and the Reynoldson fund for technology purchases.

Dr. Harold Camping and his ilk

We had dinner this evening with our friends in the Turkey growing industry and took this picture to share with them at Disney, and speaking of turkeys......

When I was young the used Book stores where filled with the prophecy writings of Salam Kirban, and I heard his book "I predict" was so badly off base that he spent the rest of his life selling health products. At least they helped for he lived to be a healthy 85.

In just a few hours the second end of the world date with have passed leaving 90 year old teacher Harold Camping going back to the drawing board to see where he could have misunderstood in his elaborate scripture numbering system.

I feel sorry for his loyal followers and hopers, and for all who abuse and misuse the Bible for good or evil motives. We teachers will be held responsible for this propagation of error. Sometimes it makes me want to close my mouth and stop trying to understand and teach divine revelation.

Best Buy?

I found a laptop I am interested in and Best Buy said I could get it at a store if I ordered it on the Web. I went to the store and said I really don't want to buy it without seeing one, so can I look at one?

The salesperson looked up the model and there was two stores in Az that had one, the closest was Tucson, or Bakersfield CA, so the computer they advertize they actually do not have in stock anywhere in the Southwest.....and they wonder why Amazon is selling so much stuff.

Mark Sisson has put out a simpler guide to primal lifestyle that I gave to my son for his birthday, quite motivating and well photographed. He started me on a better way to view nutrition and diet and exercise that I hope Matt will enjoy trying.

Still enjoying golf, sort of.

This was taken during the shutdown of Indian Jones ride, we were stuck here for 10 minutes watching Indy and the ball getting ready to crush us.

Here in the desert southwest, we reseed with winter rye grass and for a couple of weeks courses are closing and people are scrambling to find places to play. The grass is thick, you have to walk alot, and the greens are so slow it make the putting part kind of impossible, and the two golfers who live in me, the choker and the player, just show up whenever they want. There were ten strokes difference between the front and back today.

Shopping for a new office computer, you think you know what you want and get overwhelmed went you get to a store with all the different models.

Revisting the disciplines

A moment in time from long ago happy days with Brian and Matt.

With a mixture of sensing my own inadequacy and the enormity of the need for the subject, I have using Renovare materials to remind our people in the Bible study of the practice of the presence of God and the intensity of the development of mind of Christ in our life.

Matt is visiting

Our middle son Matt will be with us for a week, relaxing on his way to his next adventure.

Our Church Board met this evening for a productive and hopeful meeting.

I visited a gentleman who presented me with his last of four published books, a work of fiction about what may happen, what may not happen, and what should happen in the next 30 years.

Laura is back in school till the Christmas Holidays. Life is good.

More on the MIM

Me standing by a native dance outfit

One of many stringed instruments of beauty and precision design.
The Musical Instrument Museam is a work in progress, much of the America section is yet to be finished, and they have signs appealing for instruments from various countries.

What they do have is amazing, and more questions than answers about the relation of music to culture. So many of the oriental and eastern countries have music that is downright unpleasant to my ears, and even some European traditions are so different from our western music that it jars you.

No matter how sophisticated the instrument, there are still only a few catagories designed by God for vibration and percussion. You have wind, you have plucking, and you have hitting something that resonates. These sounds and the instruments that produce them are all in ancient literature and all over the Bible, drums, cymbals, harps, lutes.

Up on the rooftop, step in time!!!!!

Before,after, and the chimney sweeps from Mary Poppins at Disney.

Never need a reason never need a rhyme, up on the rooftop step in time.

We just spent some money repairing our flat backporch roof for a long term leak. I saved some money by doing the elastomeric coating myself this Saturday afternoon.

This is sixty lbs of the stuff and I need a second coat, and yes, it was hot up there today.

MMI

Bill and the Hill Billies in Disney, an example of a four part string band that grew in the south over 150 years ago and became country, gospel, appalachian and so many others.

Today we spent over four hours at the Museum of Musical Instruments. I have no idea how Phoenix bagged this huge attraction but it is an amazing collection of over 10,000 instruments from all over the world that trace the origins and sources of music in all cultures and eras.

Each national collection contains videos of the instruments being played in real life, often with tribal or native dances. Your earphones are triggered wirelessly by proximity to the exhibit.

I thoroughly enjoy learning about every instrument you could imagine and many you could not. I saw my first Hurdy Gurdy player, the original Moog Synthesizer, exhibits on the making of Steinway's and Martin Guitars, a room highlight great American instrumentalists and their guitars like Elvis and Santana. Music is the language of the soul, and it has added so much to my life that I cannot imagine living without it.

Fall Schedule

Face Painting is very popular at Disney Land, this is very nice on this pensive young lady.

From now till May I add three Bible Studies to my weekly schedule. Tuesday and Thursday will concern spiritual practices that enhance our hidden life with God. Wednesday morning a men's group studying the Pastoral Epistles.

It is so good to have our dual home retirees make their Arizona pilgrimage. We renew friendships and enjoy the fall and winter together.

I am getting all the junky food I ate last week out of my system. It was fun, but temporary, good bye McDonald's fries, sausage biscuits, and the amazing Churro which is the staple of fairs and theme parks, pure donuts coated with sugar.

An Encouraging Report

Very pretty but not on my lists of foods to consume.

I had my third heart incident on April Fools Day, and began to read and study and apply various health regimens for dealing with my heart disease and diabetes. Its hard for me to credit this or that thing because I have tried more than one thing. For a while I low carbed, and for a while I recarbed, and for a while I did Ionic water, and for a while I added techniques from the Reams Biological Theory of Ionization.

Bottom line, a blood test in which absolutely every category was in vital health range, good and bad cholesterol and overall cholesterol were very excellent. And most amazing of all is my A1c which measures blood sugar over a three month period has fallen from the 6.5 to 5.9. I am two point away from not having any diabetes readings at all.

This indicates some real healing of my metabolism and re functioning of my pancreas.

Diet is 80 percent, exercise 20. It may be possible to get off all diabetes medicine in six more months with the loss of 15 more lbs. Hallelujah and praise the Lord. The blood tests give real hope that no plaqueing is taking place. My only high reading was tryglicerides, the level of fats in the blood, but this is highly hereditary and also reflect my belief that healthy fats like real butter and cottage cheese and cheese are good for you.

This is the Air I breathe

Everyone is a little bit Goofy!!!

The house is quiet again, the Grand children have left atfer spending six days together. A nasty roof leak on our back porch has been repaired with the rotted wood replaced and protected and painted, our home is in disarray as the carpet cleaner did his thing today and all the steamed areas are drying. Yep, you can tell Laura is on vacation, for things are getting done around the Hendricks home.

We paid our last respects to a man who had a very long life on earth and a great marriage, career, and life experience. Everytime we gather to say goodbye to a person whose physical life has ended we reaffirm our belief that the Zoe life will go on, and not just in our mind like the Titanic song. It will go on because of the union of Christ in our death and our union with Him in His life.

Been reflecting on the life of Steve Jobs who died with an estate of over 7 billion dollars. I did not know he was the major share holder in Disney stock since they got saved by Pixar in the cartoon technology business. I am an IBM and Android kind of guy who will probably never buy an apple computer, but he did aim for me with the Ipod. Not a day goes buy without me using the 7000 songs in my pocket. That kind of accessibility and usefulness was really great.

The theme music for this months Bible Study is the simple two phrase song named Breathe, written by the wife of a song writer. I have four different versions of the song, and even though my life is filled with stuff, it is the life filled with the presence of God that I cherish the most. “This is the air I breathe, This is the air I breathe, Your holy presence, living in Me.

Hidden Mickey's

Because we are in a fantasy, reality is stretched in the large and small details, including the hiding of various types of mouse head and ear shapes, which we searched for with the help of a book and hints and cheats. The Mickey in this picture is on Tarzan's Tree House, which used to be someone else's years ago, maybe Swiss Family Robinson or the Chipmunks.

Disneyland is constantly changing and trying to improve. There were major improvements taking place in California Adventures to capture the early years of Walt's experience in LA when you enter that park. Meanwhile we were shuffled through back alleys and every which way to get in and out.

I think that's one thing I really enjoy about a Disney Vacation. When we parked the car it stayed in the same spot from Wednesday Till Sunday and we walked, everywhere and constantly. It's down right old fashioned, well, until you board a ship and take a fantasy ride into other galaxies.

They are not heavy, they are our Grandkids

We have made our yearly effort to qualify for Sun Lakes most Doting Grandparents award by taking the kids to Disney Land for three fun filled days.

Disney does not publish attendance figures but the web says they stop selling tickets when 85,000 bodies enter the gates, along with 10,000 cast members, thats a major small city crammed into 600 acres. Two years ago we were there on the largest attendance day, and this Saturday seemed close.

Nevertheless, we made precious memories as I struggled with only my new small camera, no charging device for that battery, and no charging device except my car battery for my phone....all my fault.

Some highlights:
Finding out that the Photo Store keeps a supply of chargers for Canon, Nikon, etc. and charges them for free.

Seeing the Indiana Jones ride on foot as it broke down and all the passengers had to walk out, we got stuck right where the huge ball rolls down to crush you, not so exciting with all the lights on, and poor Indy jiggling on a rope for fifteen slow minutes as were were strapped in our vehicle.

Seeing the World of Color show in California Adventure for the first time, very cool.

Running into a professional Kite flyer named Dan, who kept bumping into us and giving collector pins to Shannon, who really made a haul on her pin collection. He said his group are the Blue Angels of Kite flying....who knew??

Observing culture become like the stranded people in Wall E, riding like blobs on motorized carts and becoming Disney road hazards. And seeing our young people fall in love with tatoos everywhere, and ear rings inside the lobe, positively tribal.

Seeing Parents loving and playing with kids, and delighted laughs and screams. I saw the bench Walt was sitting on when he thought that people need a place to take their children and grandchildren. That was his dream, and it works, very, very well. We doted on ours all week, and loved it.

Heading Home

Enjoyed Disneyland !! Bring back simpler times!?!?!?

World of Color last night

Parade today, ...I believe great music is the amazing Movie legacy of recent decades. The weather is perfect!!w

Day 2

New attractions, Toy Story, Mermaid, new Star Tours, and huge crowds

Disney Day 1

Our son Matt is joining us today. High temp 70 nice , no more rain. Realized I left my large camera and the battery for the small one at home, major bummer

Off to California tomorrow.

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This picture was on my FB page, I have never seen such a thing, hope its real because it speaks volumes.

The Motel charges for parking and internet so I am not taking my computer. If you get a post it will be text only, Lord willing I will be back to post on Sunday. There will be some Android shots on FB.

Becoming like a child

I took a College girl friend to Disney World in 1973, I remember nothing of the day. I am pretty sure the magic for us is going as young grandparents with almost as much energy and imagination as our grand children.

We of course keep a constant watch on their where abouts in relation to us, as we do not want to lose them in the crowd, and in that watch care we are rewarded with a kids eye view of the park, and we play together.

This year Laura has a book on all the Hidden Mickeys around the park, which is a very cool little feature to make you observant. She will be the all knowing one, with the cheat hints in the back of the book and we will look real hard for the tiny or abstract Mickey head and ears.

Brain Dull Today

We have been trying to use Laura's school break schedule more effectively. She has 6 weeks in the summer and 3 two week breaks fall, Christmas and Spring. We will have a five day trip later this week to relax and enjoy our grandkids, in the happiest place on earth.

I never went to Disney anything growing up, it was out of our budgetary means and not my parents vacation style.

We love the place, our little traditions and ways of seeing the park, watching the kids explore and laugh and watching people while enjoying coffee break on main street. Fantasy is harmless, child like and very fulfilling for just a little while. Another barbell picture in Toon Town.

Thoughts on watching Contagion

Here's the oldest heavy lifting picture in my set. I do not know when this was taken.

A movie about a deadly bacterial outbreak that kills millions does not sound like entertainment, but it was so well done that exploring a what if situation was fascinating.

The timeline unfolding as they searched for clues, a cure, and tried to manage the major cities where the outbreak began made for a suspensful two hours.

The fact that there were so many stars who died breaks the mold of most pictures.

The very real possibility that something like this could happen was chilling.

I would not want to be around when society collapses to the point of people killing each other for a meal. Without mutual respect and sharing we are all in deep trouble.