PARTNERS FOR LIFE

I will be attending a very special event this afternoon: two friends are celebrating their 20th anniversary by publicly renewing their vows.

Ellen and Robbie have been planning this for months. In addition to affirming their marriage, they will be including their two daughters in the ceremony. All four members of the family will be lighting the unity candle as a symbol of their lifelong bond as a family. I'm looking forward to going and I'll probably take lots of tissues along too (I'm such a sop!!).

Dave and I will be celebrating our 27th anniversary in a few weeks. In contrast to our 25th anniversary, this one will be low-key. Dave and my boss conspired to surprise me on our 25th anniversary. Since it occurred on a Wednesday, Dave wrote an affirmation ceremony that served as the focal point of the Adult Rehabilitation Center's midweek Vespers service. I knew something was up when my boys showed up wearing ties! :-) My boss (who enjoys practical jokes, conspiracies, etc.) loved it! He was tickled pink when Dave asked him to set it up; he still talks about it!

Partners for Life. It sounds wonderful. It's the ideal that all newlyweds cherish. Yet so many marriages founder. Why do some marriages thrive while others crash and burn?

It would be easy to give a pat answer and say that it depends on whether the marriage is Christ-centered. But sometimes marriages between Christans fail too. Faith is an important anchor for marriage, but it is not the one-size-fits-all formula for marital success.

Even though our faith is the number one bond between us, Dave and I are compatible in many ways. We genuinely enjoy doing things together: camping, going to ballgames and concerts, shopping. . . even grocery shopping is enjoyable when we do it together. We are each other's best friends and we genuinely value each other's advice as well as our companionship.

As much as we enjoy being together, however, Dave and I also respect each other's uniqueness and appreciate each other's independent pursuits. Dave spends time every day reading business news, planning and executing stock trades, etc. The quickest way to send me into a coma is to show me a bar graph! Dave also loves planning trips. He spends lots of time each spring planning possible vacation routes and ideas. When he has a few ideas ready, he'll show me the options and I'll agree to one overall plan with some suggestions for tweaks. Then he'll make some revisions and we'll go through it all again. Sometimes this process occurs three or four times over several months until we finally establish a vacation plan. Still, Dave does most of the preliminary work: all I have to do is buy groceries, grab my sunglasses and climb into the RV when it's time to go. Dave even loves John Wayne movies! I often quip that John Wayne inspired me to finish my Ph.D.: every time Dave turned on a John Wayne movie, I went to another room and studied!

In addition to sharing a common faith and being compatible yet individual, Dave and I have learned (sometimes with pain and difficulty) the arts of compromise and flexibility. I wish I could say that we've never hurt or disappointed each other, but that simply is not true. Nevertheless, we've always retained our commitment to working through conflicts and struggles together. Every relationship has down times. And significant relationships have tougher down times than inconsequential relationships do. If a casual friendship falls apart, one simply picks up and moves on to other friendships. That is not easily done with marriages and families. Marriage and family life are sometimes tough precisely because the people and the outcomes matter so much to us.

Partners for Life. I will be pleased to celebrate with Ellen and Robbie today. Their celebration has challenged me to renew my commitment to my marriage. Ellen and Robbie: congratulations . . . and thank you.

BURKE LAKE #2

The first image below is a portrait of a lovely couple. The second is my attempt to re-create a feeling akin to that of an impressionist painting. What can I say? I love Monet!

BURKE LAKE, VIRGINIA

Burke Lake is a Fairfax County recreation area located about 15 miles or so southwest of Washington, DC. This beautiful park offers a nice range of activities, such as golf, hiking, biking, camping, canoeing, kayaking, an ice cream parlor, mini golf and a miniature train ride. The only downside is that no swimming is allowed in the lake. Birdwatchers are pleased that an island inside the park's lake is an official bird sanctuary. One can go to the park any time of the year and observe various water fowl enjoying their habitat.

The lake's perimeter is 3.75 miles of mostly flat land with just a few small hills, which makes a nice circuit for hiking and biking. A trail from an adjacent park, South Run, meets the lake trail, so it's possible to extend one's hike or ride a mile or two by doing the South Run piece too.

Burke Lake is one of my favorite local hangouts. Sometimes I take my bike, sometimes I take my camera. Regardless of what I do, I find it easy to spend several hours at the lake and always regret it when it's time to leave.

SIGNS OF SPRING

I am privileged to have a beautiful park right outside my workplace. I frequently wander around during my lunch breaks and I also like to take my camera there after work. Today I spotted the following signs of spring:

The ubiquitous robin:





















Virginia's state bird:










Virginia's state tree:

MY MUSICAL JOURNEY

When I was a teenager music was my number one passion. In addition to singing in the high school choir, I sang in the Songsters (choir) and played in the band at my local church, or corps, as we say in The Salvation Army. I attended music camps in Pennsylvania and New Jersey for seven summers and spent three summers touring Pennsylvania with a gospel group. I also participated in a regional Salvation Army band (Pendel Brass) that met in Philadelphia, PA every other Saturday. Poor Dad! Every other Saturday he drove me 100 miles from Harrisburg to Philadelphia, hung around for six hours while we rehearsed, and then drove 100 miles back! And I never heard him complain! (I hope I'm as gracious with my children, but I doubt it.)

At one time, I aspired to be a concert pianist. Since my hands never grew large enough to span a tenth, however, that dream was shortlived. I've never spanned more than a ninth in either hand and I never will. Oh well, at least I can span an octave easily - that's enough to play a pretty wide range of music. Anyway, once I realized that a performance career was not in my future, I decided to major in music education.

As an undergraduate at Asbury College (in Wilmore, Kentucky), I focused on instrumental music education. I loved Salvation Army band music, so choosing instrumental rather than choral music seemed to be a no-brainer. I especially liked working with beginners (this may be hereditary - Jonathan works really well with young groups too). In addition to practicing the piano 4-6 hours every day, I played percussion in the concert band, Eb horn in the Salvation Army Student Fellowship band and hacked around as a keyboardist with a stage band. I had plenty of opportunities to travel around the USA with these groups. And as a student-teacher, I accompanied a group of high school band students on a spring break trip from Nicholasville, Kentucky to - of all places - Washington, DC and the eastern shore of Maryland! Is life funny or what?! At that time I had no idea that I would one day live in this area with my family.

As a graduate student at the University of Manitoba, I shifted my focus to choral music education. Winnipeg, Manitoba is blessed with a rich tradition in choral music. I think every second family in that city has Mennonite roots (the non-Mennonites are either Ukrainian or Cree Native Americans; a few English, French and other groups are sprinkled in there too). Let me tell you, Mennonites can raise the rafters with their singing. The city has superb amateur and professional choirs and the University of Manitoba has a good choral music program. Winnipeg is the place where I learned to love choral music.

I was the director of music at William & Catherine Booth College during this same period, so I got to teach a variety of music courses and ensembles. One of the perks of this position was that I traveled all across Canada with several student groups. I also did a fair bit of arranging and composing during this period. Sometimes I wrote for the groups I taught. Other times I wrote for class assignments. Inevitably, my students ended up performing my assignments. What can I say? They were handy guinea pigs. The entire student body even served as a pilot group for a survey I completed for one of my research courses!

When I undertook doctoral studies at the University of Iowa I stopped teaching music, had very few opportunities to play the piano and even fewer opportunities to write music. Consequently, my piano skills eroded pretty badly - a circumstance I still regret. Nevertheless, I studied and wrote about the relationship between jazz and American culture during this period and I encouraged my children to participate in musical groups in their schools. Since then, Jonathan has become a very good trumpet/cornet player and he is starting to compose and arrange some music. Joshua is becoming a good trombone player and he shows real promise as a composer.

My opportunities for musical expression have increased since I moved to Washington, DC. This has been a pleasant surprise. After my time in Iowa, I figured most of my musical endeavors were behind me. I don't play in bands anymore. I never was a particularly skillful brass player and there just isn't any point to hacking my way around a horn now. I play the piano for the Songsters at my corps and I play for the worship services at the local Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center. I also fill in as the pianist for Sunday services when the regular corps pianist is away. I've even resumed composing and arranging music. In fact, I've recently learned that one of my adolescent dreams will be fulfilled soon: one of my pieces will be published this year. I had given up on that dream long ago and pretty much had to be coerced into submitting anything for consideration (thanks Dave, Debbie and Dorothy G., for pushing me into it). I guess this shows that one should never give up on dreams. The road to their fulfillment may be full of twists and bumps, but it ultimately leads to the right destination.

That brings us to the current point on my journey. As you can see, the trip has been both aesthetic and geographic. Where will I go next? I haven't got a clue. I love to travel, though, so I'm just going to roll down the rag-top and keep on riding.

Easter

Good Friday

PLAY BALL!

Batter Up! Play Ball!

It’s that time of year again. The baseball season has begun, so it must be spring.

My family loves baseball. My father was a Yankee fan through and through. That tradition has been passed along through my brother, Dennis, and his two children, Christian and Tracy.

When I arrived at Christian’s home in Maine a couple of summers ago, he was watching a Yankees-Red Sox game on TV. Naturally, a huge brawl broke out. Chris grinned and said, “Watch, I’ll bet Tracy will be calling any minute now.” Less than a minute later, Tracy called Chris on his cell phone to ascertain whether he was indeed watching the fight and, presumably, the game that surrounded it.

I was a rabid Yankee fan as a child. My first hero was first baseman Joe Pepitone, #25. I even had a doll named after him. After I learned to read, I became a great admirer of a first baseman from an earlier era, Lou Gehrig, #4. I was thrilled when we got cable TV in northeastern Pennsylvania: I watched almost all of the Yankee games on WPIX, with commentary by Phil Rizzuto (former Yankee shortstop, #10).

My son, Jonathan, has a similar attachment to the Toronto Blue Jays. When we lived in Canada it was easy to follow the Jays, because their games are broadcast nationally several times a week. We even let him stay up late to watch the Jays win their two World Series championships. When we moved to the USA, Jonathan missed his Blue Jays. Thank heavens for the Internet. He can keep up with Blue Jay happenings on a daily basis even if he can’t watch them play very often.

My other son, Joshua, is becoming a fan of the Washington Nationals. He’s really excited because there is a new TV station in the area that is broadcasting most of their games. When I got home from work yesterday he was sprawled on the floor, watching the Nationals game. Unfortunately, they lost that one to the Astros in the bottom of the 12^th inning. The home opener this year will not be quite as memorable as last year's inaugural home opener. President Bush threw out the ceremonial first ball on that occasion. This year, we have to settle for Vice-President Dick Cheney.

Now, it’s time for a confession: I don’t pay much attention to Major League Baseball anymore. GASP! I still haven’t recovered from the disappointment of the 1994 season-ending strike. I still love the game of baseball, but I don’t like the way the Major Leagues operate. The greed and ongoing mind-games of both players and owners sicken me. I keep hoping the current corrupt, thoroughly inequitable situation will collapse so that a new league can rise in its place.

For the time being, I get my satisfaction, whenever possible, from watching minor league games. Yes, the minor leagues are part of an overall rotten system, but there’s still a sense of purity and innocence in the air when these young guys play. They’re not as skilled as their major league counterparts, but they play with gusto. I also admire those who coach and manage these young players. They patiently help the youngsters develop fundamental skills, they correct errors and bad habits, and they help their most talented charges rise to the top and realize their dreams. If you want to take in real baseball, skip the prima donnas in the major leagues and head out, instead, to a local minor league ballpark.

Maritime Vacation Reflections

Today I’ll change gears. I won’t display and discuss abstract photos, nor will I display and discuss photos of the Washington DC/northern Virginia area. Instead, I’ll dig back into my files and share a bit from our maritime vacation of 2004.

The first photo is a composite of scenes from Prince Edward Island. Dave and I spent several days here, along with Stephen and Gayle (Dave’s brother and sister-in-law) and their gang of four. Unfortunately, I broke a toe walking along the rocky beach early in the trip, so for the rest of the trip my walking/hiking was curtailed dramatically.

The long bridge that runs across most of the photo is the Confederation Bridge. This bridge isn't very old (maybe 15 years or so) and it is the only such link between PEI and the Canadian mainland. You take either this bridge or a ferry to travel between the island and the mainland. Elizabeth (my niece) knows everything there is to know about this bridge and she enjoyed enlightening the rest of us! The beach along the bottom is the area where I broke the toe.















The second photo is a composite of photos from The Ovens, Nova Scotia. This is a rugged, picturesque area on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. As it turned out, Dave and I visited and left this location just before Stephen and Gayle and their family visited. Notice how the trees are bent by the fierce winds that blow from east to west. Also, the view at the bottom, looking across the fence to the ocean was taken from our campsite. We literally overlooked the ocean from our front window. The fence marked the steep cliff that tumbled 50 feet or so to the rocky shore of the ocean.













The third photo was taken at the harbor at Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, just before we boarded the ferry for a day-long sail to Portland, Maine. It was a foggy day. I wanted to do some whale-watching, but we were fogged in all the way to Maine and couldn’t see more than 20-30 feet in front of the ship. I'm glad they showed good movies. Some acquaintances of ours spent most of their day in the casino. Dave and I looked around in there a bit, but we were too cheap (or too poor) to gamble.












The final photo, the famous Portland Head Lighthouse, was taken as we arrived in Portland, at sunset, during a thunderstorm. When we got off the ferry we drove all the way to Boston, in a fierce, driving rainstorm, before stopping. We didn’t want to set up camp in the rain, so we just kept driving. The good thing was that we got to stay in one of our favorite campgrounds, Minuteman. From there we went to southern New Jersey before heading home.














All in all, our maritime trip was very enjoyable. I’d love to go back, but it’s a long way from Virginia, so I think it will be awhile before we do a trip like this again.

Washington DC Wildlife #2

Washington DC Wildlife #1

What Evie Needs: Some Results from the Google Game

Okay, today’s post is totally off-the-wall, based on a weird game people are playing on Google. You do a search on Google with your name plus needs. Then you check out the results. I found out about it from my sister-in-law’s blog (follow the link that says Barb). Here are some of my results:

· Evie needs – a hero (well, I like Luke Skywalker and Indiana Jones – do they count?)
· Evie needs – a husband (thanks, but I’ve already got one and he’s a handful!)
· Evie needs – a home (did we forget to pay the rent this month?)
· Evie needs – protection (is someone after me?)
· Evie needs – an escort (thanks, but I don’t think my husband would approve.)
· Evie needs – everyone to send their mileage for 2004 (AAUUUGGGHHH!)
· Evie needs – a leather spiked choker and combat boots (Let's not go there! YIKES!!)
· Evie needs – oxygen (is the choker too tight?)
· Evie needs – a skilled gunslinger to escort her to Texas (why am I going to Texas?)
· Evie needs – to get into a fight (with whom? Dave? The kids? The gunslinger?)
· Evie needs – money (finally – something we can agree on!!)
· Evie needs – prayer

I think we all agree with the last one. I'll tell you what: you pray for me and I'll pray for you.

When I See A Rainbow. . .

This isn't a rainbow, but it does include all of a rainbow's colors. This photo, to which I've obviously added some special effects and textures, reminded me of a Sunday School chorus that was popular in Ontario when Jonathan was very young. It was sung to the theme song from the children's TV show, "The Gentle Giant." The words are:

When I see a rainbow, I know that God is love.
When I see a rainbow, I know that God is love.
Yes, God is love. Yes, God is love.
When I see a rainbow, I know that God is love.

A simple chorus, but it alludes to a significant moment in the book of Genesis, the moment when God gave Noah a rainbow as a symbol of his promise never to devastate the world in another deluge. The next time you see a rainbow, think of the divine promise that lies behind it.

When I see a rainbow, I know that God is love.

The Joy of Abstract Photography

I had time to play in my kitchen this morning and these photos (plus lots more like them) are the result. Yeah, I know, most people play in their kitchens and create edible goods. I play in my kitchen and create abstract photos. Well, you know what they say, different strokes for different folks.

Some folks have asked me how I make these images.

The first thing you need is a camera with either fully- or semi-manual modes. I usually use either aperture-priority or shutter-priority modes, depending on whether I want to control the depth of field or the exposure time.

The next thing you need is lots of light. If you think you have enough light, get more!

The other thing that helps is a good close-up or macro lens. I just got my close-up lens last week. Before that I had to rely completely on the built-in zoom capabilities of my camera. That worked okay, but I really enjoy using the close-up lens, now that I have it.

I mount the camera on a tripod (stability is critical for close-up work) and use a remote trigger to release the shutter. Using the remote trigger ensures that I don't shake the camera, because any movement at all will blur the picture.

I use the computer to crop images, remove dust spots, and do other stuff, like creating fancy backgrounds and borders. I have some pretty good software but my skills are fairly basic. If the photo isn't pretty decent right out of the camera, I probably won't be able to fix it on the computer.

Some people use sophisticated timers and lighting systems to do photos like these. They create some stunning photos. They also have far better post-processing skills than I do.

So, that's it in a nutshell. Photos like these are what I do when I'm not working, doing stuff with the family, playing the piano, writing music, etc. Well, a girl needs something to fill her time, right?