Presque Isle, Maine to San Diego, California

This morning your Mom and I rode into downtown Tucson with our friends Barb and Gerry.  The ride was exactly 27 miles from our house.  It was an easy ride by our standards.  The Urban Loop is relatively flat, very smooth and well maintained, and we don't seem to experience the wind we do in the open range.  When we got home, I re-calculated all of my numbers with MapQuest.  According to MapQuest, the distance from Presque Isle, Maine to San Diego, California is 3,311.99 miles.  The 27 miles I rode this morning moved me to 3,312.35; I've made it from coast to coast in 2011.  With two months left in 2011, I may make it to Hawaii!  Your Mom capped 1,800 miles, 1,803.67 to be exact, and she's only been tracking miles since May! We enjoy riding with our friends Barb and Gerry as much as we enjoy getting the exercise.  Life is Grand.  May you all be blessed and motivated to stay fit and enjoy life with a passion.  That's why God put us here!

Morning Prayer from Carmina Gadelica

“'There were many sad things done then, for those were the days of foolish doings and of foolish people. Perhaps, on the day of the Lord, when they came out of church, if indeed they went into church, the young men would go to throw the stone, or to toss the cabar, or to play shinty, or to run races, or to race horses on the strand, the young maidens looking on the while, ay, and the old men and women.' 'And have you no music, no singing, no dancing now at your marriages?' 'May the Possessor keep you! I see that you are a stranger in Lewis, or you would not ask such a question,' the woman exclaimed with grief and surprise in her tone. 'It is long since we abandoned those foolish ways in Ness, and, indeed, throughout Lewis. In my young days there was hardly a house in Ness in which there was not one or two or three who could play the pipe, or the fiddle, or the trump. And I have heard it said that there were men, and women too, who could play things they called harps, and lyres, and bellow-pipes, but I do not know what those things were.'”

Alexander Carmichael

The Fountainhead

Friday evening is movie evening in our household.  We've been 'Netflix' people for years.  While we don't watch much TV other than sporting events, every Friday evening is reserved for our Netflix film.  Last Friday, we watched "The Fountainhead," a 1949 film starring Gary Cooper and based on Ayn Rand's novel of the same name.  I believe she also wrote the screenplay to the film.

Another extraordinary night for us.  The film is terrific.  We originally watched it to find Gary Cooper's/Roarke's immortal words, "I don't think about you anymore."  We picked them up easily, but the film is much deeper than a single scene.  This is a film about one man's commitment to what he believes in.

I strongly recommend this film.  By the way, the picture on the DVD box and the film poster has nothing to do with the film.  Gary Cooper is THE man, and no woman will ever reduce him to Jello!

The Soul Shrine from Carmina Gadelica

“The Soul Shrine is sung by the people as they retire to rest.  They say that the angels of heaven guard them in sleep and shield them from harm.  Should any untoward even occur to themselves or to their flocks, they avow that the cause was the deadness of their hearts, the coldness of their faith, and the fewness of their prayers.”

Alexander Carmichael

A CHOICH ANAMA   HE tabhair aithne da f ainghle beannaichte, Cairn a chumail air an staing-sa nochd, Comachadh crabhaidh, tabhaidh, teannachaidh, Chumas a choich anama-sa bho lochd.   Teasruig a Dhe an t-ardrach seo a nochd, lad fein 's an cuid 's an cliu, Tar iad o eug, o gliabhadh, o lochd, ''S o thoradh na farmaid 's na mi-ruin.   Tabhair duinn, a Dhe na fois, Taingealachd an cois ar call, Bhi coimhlionadh do Jagh a bhos, 'S tu fein a mhealtuinn thall.			THE SOUL SHRINE God, give charge to Thy blessed angels, To keep guard around this stead to-night, A band sacred, strong, and steadfast. That will shield this soul-shrine from harm. Safeguard Thou, God, this household to-night, Themselves and their means and their fame, Deliver them from death, from distress, from harm, From the fruits of envy and of enmity. Give Thou to us, O God of peace, Thankfulness despite our loss, To obey Thy statutes here below. And to enjoy Thyself above.

Being Happy

Earlier this week on The Vitruvian Man blog, I posted an article about Anne Frank.  The heart of the post was one of the last entries into her diary:

Wednesday, 23rd Feb 1944

“As long as this exists,” I thought, “and I may live to see it, this sunshine, the cloudless skies, while this lasts, I cannot be unhappy.”  The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature, and God.  Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.  as long as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be.  and I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.

I took Anne Frank's advice this morning.  My wife, Marie was in Maricopa babysitting our granddaughters.  It was too windy for my bike ride, so I decided to take a hike into the Picture Rock Wash.  I was excited to find a new trail, The Prophecy Trail.  It was excellent.  I covered 6.5 miles in all.  Somewhere out there in the middle of the Tucson Mountains, I stopped intentionally to listen to the wind.  I looked all around me, and there was no sign of civilization, and no sound other than the wind and the bird that decided to accompany me up the trail.

Anne Frank was so right even though she could not do what was in her heart:  be alone with the heavens, nature and God.  You will be absolutely amazed at the peace and solace it will bring to you regardless of the troubled waters you may tread.

Self-sufficiency and Minimalism

"Minimalism" is a new catch word, and it has caught me.  I follow several blogs that offer good ideas for simplifying your life by employing simple tactics like removing the clutter from your closets, keeping a clean desk, etc.  I have been applying minimalism and self-sufficiency in some areas of my life for decades; I'm trying to apply it to all areas of my life today.  I believe minimalism and self-sufficiency have a lot in common, and practicing both can reduce your expenses.  This is particularly important when our government makes it difficult for the average Joe to make ends meet.

1,000 miles

The 1993 film "Benny and Joon" featured the song "I'm Gonna Be (500 miles).  Occasionally, I'll be riding my bike and the chorus repeats itself over and over in my brain:


              But I would walk 500 miles
              And I would walk 500 more
              Just to be the man who walks a thousand miles
              To fall down at your door

Well this week, your Mom hit that 1,000 mile mark.  On Thursday, she broke the 1,000-mile bike barrier and upped her annual total to 1,019.87[today it reached 1,035.02] NOT including the several hundred miles she accumulated before she started using the Forerunner.


WELL DONE, MARIE!