Trip to Minnesota

So I said I'd tell a little more about the visit. I drove up on Friday. It was a fine pleasant trip listening to The Lexus and the Olive Tree, a book about globalization by Thomas Friedman. I also saw a wild turkey on county road 4 west of Rochester. Jim and Tara have got a beautiful little farm. The front yard is like a park with lots of trees, especially a huge maple that's big enough to be seven or eight normal size trees. They've got a fixer-upper house, several outbuildings, a windmill, and a scuzzy pond. One of the outbuildings is Evan's inventor's workshop which he has graciously opened to his brothers between noon and three.

It was so good to see Tara and the boys when I arrived and to meet Avery. Toby was very concerned about my owie, the big scab on my leg from my softball sliding adventure. He must have asked me forty times on Friday, "Why do you have an owie?" He asked the other days as well. He's a cute little fellow who can generate a mighty stench. Aidan trapped me in the living room by telling me it was a dungeon with traps on the doors. It took awhile before I remembered that I was strong enough to walk through his traps. I didn't get to see Evan on Friday because he was at his grandpa's so I could have the bed. Tara made delicious strombolis for supper and Jim and I talked late into the night. We spent Saturday hanging out and goofing off, playing horseballs and trackball. Eventually Evan came home and he and Jim and I drove "aimlessly" through the countryside looking for tractors. I really like the southeastern Minnesota landscape. After supper we took Evan back to his grandpa's where we talked and played pool and ping-pong. Jim won at ping pong but I managed to take at least one of the pool games.

Sunday took us to Berean for the start of a series on Ephesians and then out for lunch at Golden Corral. In the afternoon Jim and I talked while he worked on painting the house and the boys played in the sprinkler. In the process Evan developed a case of albino foot by stepping in a can of paint thinner that Jim was using to dip his primer brush. I love Jim, Tara, the boys, and Avery. I'm glad I got to go up there.

This weekend it's off to Gatlinburg and the Smokeys for a week with Mom, Dad, Lydia, Geron, and, primarily, Cora. WoooHooo!

Haiku:

On the drive home on Sunday I developed the idea of coming up with a summary haiku for each book of the Bible.

Dumb Galatians, dodge
The snip-snip. Live by faith in
Christ. You've been set free.

Happiness falters.
Man's desire is vanity.
Fear God all your days.
(Ecclesiastes, thanks to Nate's youth teaching on Wednesday)

I got through Ecclesiastes on Sunday but I didn't remember any well enough to write down besides the Galatians one.

Have a good week wherever you are.