Sunset views

This is a photo of the view from our Lolo house, at sunset. Actual colors.
We are going there on our way to visit the Park City and Utah families over the holidays.

Gorgeous Texas

During the last week we decamped to Texas for a pleasant vacation visit and Thanksgiving celebration just outside San Antonio at the squire-home of the Smith's. Unfortunately I had a cold coming on, possibly inherited from some child at school or such, so I was suffering from that challenge. Even so I managed to enjoy the activities which included a day-long visit to Sea World (with me going to each boy's room to blow my nose and take a decongestant, etc.)I didn't do the raft ride down the swift water feature (there was one too few seats so I volunteered to stay dry on shore) but everyone else enjoyed the heck out of it. A couple of the big boys went on the super high roller-coasters (the Steel Eel or some such name, or was it the blue sky surprise?) The Smith's used their season tickets (courtesy of the Park City bunch) and we subsidized the San Antonio economy to the tune of $100.00, and that was after my military discount. Thursday morning some of us played sandlot football with some of the church folk, and I managed to handicap Dave right away with a knee to the knee cap. I mostly played "getting in the way" which is a new position in touch football reserved for old farts.
I did some shopping at the Aeropostale shop, and now I am decked out in a completely cool outfit; what do you call this kind of clothing nowadays? Hip? or Rad? or Funky? possibly they don't quite suit me since I don't really know the language, but I'm trying to be contemporary. Since I teach second grade today, possibly I can wear my new togs and get some respect at least from that age group. I think in today's culture, acceptance is just some kind of gang-wanna-be hand sign, three fingers out for the third street gang? or the "w" for the west end barrio.
And, not be forgotten, the traditional turkey and all the stuffing's dinner was great, so I highly recommend a visit to these folks by any other family members in the future. I made a turkey soup with the left over carcass which was acceptable "...better than I expected" was Austin's review.
Thanks again for all the big Texas-style hospitality.

New Moon

Each day the new moon
grows wider in its passage across the delicate blue sky
a symbol of contentment and growing harmony
not a religious symbol for me
yet an icon
acting as intermediary between me and Universe
connecting in this way expands my Soul
illustrating the Oneness referred to by the prophets
otherwise, I am at a loss to understand that.
Thinking of this essential unity, however,
does not inform my sensibilities.
It begs the question of the purpose for life
and sends the discussion scurrying off
in a different direction
like the silver tailed squirrel
that just happened across my path.
To my way of thinking, we learn more about love
and kindness by understanding all the
differences between ourselves and our
essential others –
and this is informative and beneficial
as long as we understand the similarities,
the message of waxing Moon and our essential unity.

I.J. Hall