Nothing says Freebird like the ocean

One of my favorite things in nature is a rocky, craggy seashore kind of like the one pictured here.

I love walking along the rocks especially as the tide is going out looking for whatever the sea has left behind. Starfish, seahorses, shells and all sorts of things are often floating among the rocks.

Unfortunately, there is sometimes trash left behind as well.

There's something about the ocean that arouses my curiosity. It's deep and mysterious, and almost unending. There's no telling what is lurking in the deep, blue water.

I love listening to the waves crash into the shore, seeing the white splash and feeling the mist.

I also love watching the ships come and go. Anything from a small, private boat, to a yacht or a shrimping boat, I love to watch them struggle against the ocean.

I grew up not too far from the sea. Granted, it was South Padre Island and there were no rocky, craggy shores. But, there were sandy beaches and those were fine, too.

In my childhood, there was almost nothing on South Padre other than campgrounds. Now, it looks like Miami Beach or some other beach resort.

We had many a campout on the beach.

One of my favorite beach campouts was with my Sunday School class. All the boys went with our teacher and the poor man tried sleeping in the back of his station wagon.

The boys and myself stayed up the entire night. That was my first experience staying up all night long.

We did pretty much everything we could think of that and got yelled at a couple of times by our teacher for moving his car or making too much noise. It was a blast.

The only constant was the unending waves crashing onto the beach.

I did go to sleep in the car on the way home and slept most of the morning at home. But, it was well worth it.

There were other great camping memories, but I don't have all night. :)

Another fond recollection of South Padre was the time in 2005 that my California Girl and I stayed at the Radisson. It was in December and there was a rare cold front. The night air was cool, but we left the sliding door open all night and slept to the sound of the waves.

Of course, my Cali Girl doesn't like Texas and thinks Texas beaches are subpar. But, we made do.

We luckily ran across a school, or pod, of dolphins and the Cali Girl just went wild watching them.

Very good seafood, too, on the island and I love seafood.

There's just something about the sea that makes me feel free.

Finally, it has happened

Even before the movie Pay it Forward came out I made up my mind to do good deeds for other people.
It was a goal of mine to give somebody some help with something at least once every day. In that way, I could make some sort of a difference in this world.
A good deed can be anything from jump starting somebodies car, to taking out their trash or any other number of things.
One day a man was struggling to load plywood in his truck with a heavy wind in his face and he looked shocked when I came up and just started helping him out.
I don't think he even bothered with a thank you. But, that doesn't really matter because I am going to go ahead and do the right thing.

However, having said that, there still lurks in the back of my mind that I had always thought that by doing this not only would I be helping others first hand but would help create an attitude of kindness in people that would spread into other's lives and I'd see an affect.
Not so much.
I can't tell you how many times I have been in a parking lot of a place like Lowe's and to be struggling with heavy things only to see healthy people walk by without a single thought of anything but themselves.
Again, I am telling myself that it doesn't matter and I will continue with my mission.

But, finally, after so many years, the unthinkable has happened.

The other night, I was having to install a water heater. Easy enough project, but it was getting late and I was in a hurry to finish so I could go home.
I had a water heater on a dolly in one hand and a bunch of tools to get the job done quickly and efficiently. Well, I went over a curb and the water heater which was still in the box from the factory fell over.
I went ahead and left it in the parking lot and took my tools to the old water heater space. When I looked again, there was a man that I had never seen before picking up the water heater. I wasn't sure at first what he was up to, if maybe he might be trying to steal it or whatever. He was no thief, but was instead helping me and said that I had my hands full when I dropped it.
I thanked him more than a few times and now I am more dedicated to my mission than ever. There are still good people out there.

Today, as you are going about your life, please look for opportunities to help somebody out. You never know what kind of difference you might make in somebodies life.

Fandango

Ha! Anyone that has known me a long time that might be reading here should have known that it was just a matter of time before I wrote something about one of my all time favorite movies. This is definitely one of my favorites and I've seen it many times. Perhaps I am a little unhealthy mentally?
I believe that anyone that has no 'ties' to this movie could believe it's very average or forgettable but to me this movie is huge.

Fandango is basically about 5 college roomies, the groovers, that take off on one last adventure before they are forced to move on with their lives.

But, let me tell you what it means to me.

Most of my life I have been absolutely obsessed with Viet-freaking-nam.
As early as elementary school I can remember coming inside the house in the evening and the world news would be on. Nightly, they had a death count or report on what was going on in Vietnam. I never said anything to anyone but deep in my heart I just knew that I would wind up in Nam. Junior High kept those feelings going as anti-war marches made the news almost nightly.
Fortunately, by the time I was in high school, Vietnam was winding down and obviously I never had to go.
By that time, I had developed an interest in why this war happened. Why we were there and the meaning behind all of this.
That interest remains to this day. I have probably seen every Vietnam movie, read books on it and learned as much about it as I could and it still remains a mystery in a lot of ways.

Fandango is set in 1971 and the students are attending the University of Texas. The war was going strong and a couple of the main characters had been drafted into the military.
One of the biggest issues of the day was to serve or not to serve. Lots of young men ran off to Canada so they didn't have to fight.
3 out of the 5 in the movie were involved with the war. One was going for sure and proud of it, it was his future. Another character was indecisive and the third was definitely going to slip off to Mexico during the movie.
Most of the movie was about their conflict with one another over this issue. But, one big event drew them all closer together and changed their outlook. If you haven't seen the movie, you'll just have to watch to see what I am talking about.

Make no mistake about it, Vietnam was a poor man's war. It wasn't like World War II where the entire nation was behind the war. It was more like an Iraqi conflict where there was a lot of argument over why we were even there.
The poor kids, whether white skinned, or black, or any other race, fought this war. The rich kids got out of it, the fortunate sons as sung by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
I was a poor kid, so I would probably have been drafted if things hadn't changed. I'm pretty sure I could not have run off to Canada because I would have feared that more than getting shot at by the North Vietnamese.
Some of the men that I have met through the years that went to Vietnam were treated like garbage when returning home. Some people spit on them, some called them baby killers and other such names and generally made them feel like second class citizens.
It was a far cry from WWII treatment of veterans.

The symbolism in this movie is unreal and the manner in which they behaved was done so well it reminded me of when I was back in those days. I was younger than these guys, but we behaved in much the same way.

When I watch a movie like this, I think if I had been born just a few years earlier I would have been in Nam.
And, because of that, I also consider myself a fortunate son.

Things I've learned from dogs

Well, I basically learned one major thing. Love. Maybe I should have titled this, the thing I learned from dogs.

A dog is just going to love you no matter what, a true picture of unconditional love. No matter what kind of day you have had, you can count on your dog loving you. No matter how other people treat you, your dog is going to love you.

You can call your dog names or even mistreat them in other ways and the dog keeps coming back with love. Not that I have ever mistreated a dog.

Not only that, but a dog just wants to spend time with you. Quality time is what they like to call it now, but a dog is just happy being around you.

They love a good scratching. Hey, I love a good scratching. They love to be pampered and so do I.

A dog will beg for food, pretty much in line with what I would do. A dog, no matter what size, is probably going to be protective of their people.

A dog is always going to smile when he or she sees you. You can count on that.

A dog is also going to lick your face if they can.

Other than licking your face, I want to treat people as if I were a dog.

I've got that sitting thing down pretty well, and I can shake with the best of them. Rolling over isn't the easiest trick I can do, but I can give it a good shot for the right treat.

But, seriously, if you want to treat people the way they want to be treated probably need to look no further than a dog.

The Fall

I love the Fall.

I think it's easily my favorite time of the year for a number of reasons.
One reason I love the Fall is due to my great love of football and particularly college football. But other than great gridiron action, Fall also brings around cooler weather. It means the end of another long, hot summer and is a gateway to the holidays.
The leaves changing colors from green to various shades of reds and yellows is always incredible. Even here in less than beautiful West Texas we have some Fall color. It won't exactly make you think of New England, but there is some beauty here. You just kind of have to drive around and look for it sometimes.
The problem is there are so many mesquite, pecan and live oak trees and they just don't cooperate with my agenda. There are just enough red oaks, ornamental pears and other trees that give us just a taste of the beautiful Fall colors that others get to witness yearly.
People here that were thoughtful enough to plant some of the right trees in their yards years ago have my deepest gratitude. Unfortunately, there are a lot of yards that are completely barren of trees.
I've personally planted more than 25 trees in this town and I plan on planting more before I leave. Hopefully, somebody in the future will be grateful for my contributions.

Fall also means Halloween.

Halloween means candy. Hard to get enough candy, but I give it a shot every year.
Actually, I have kind of lost my taste for candy lately.

After Halloween one of the better holidays is soon to follow.

But, another Thanksgiving has come and gone. Nothing but leftovers remain and some more memories.

Of our kids, only Tyler came bringing with him his buddy, Jeromy, but they have already left. We also had Amy over to watch the Texas game and were fortunate to have her over the previous night as well. The girls are way off and it feels a little funny being just the two of us now in the holidays. I do count my blessings that I have my California Girl.

Of all the Thanksgivings, this has been one of the stranger ones. I believe it's because of the changes going on in our lives right now. Too many changes at the same time has made this a strange season in our lives. But, just as the seasons change and the sun comes up tomorrow, life goes on.

Tomorrow, I plan on going out and taking a few pictures of the leaves and enjoying the season while it lasts. That's one thing I probably didn't do enough of when our kids were little. Your children can be kind of like leaves.

In the spring, like the leaves, the children come as babies. In the summer they mature and become teens. In the Fall, they become adults. In the winter of your life, they leave making you wish you had known them better and longer.

Tara, Aspen and Tyler, I wish I had known you better and longer.

Tell Me All Your Thoughts On God

This is a very confusing song by Dishwalla, but one that really makes me think.
So, tell me, what are your thoughts on God? This is possibly the most controversial and discussed subject since the world began. Even people with similar thoughts can't really agree.

I'll tell you some of my thoughts. Sorry Amy.


Protector.

I haven't been beaten up since the 7th grade. Probably could have been, but either nothing happened, or we got broken up pretty quickly, or I clocked the guy.
Not to bring street fighting into the discussion, but in a way I look at God as my gang leader. That is if I was actually in a gang, God would be the main man.
When things get hard, he comes in and takes control and saves the rest of the gang.

So, what happens when that doesn't happen?
You get the snot beaten out of you and left decimated. That's pretty much where I am now. It wasn't a street fight, it was life, but where was that protection when I needed it?
Where do I go from here? I survived life's mauling, but could have used that protection and begged for it. Maybe since I am still alive and kicking, I actually was protected and have learned and grown from it.
Could be.
I learned a lot more from getting whipped in the 7th grade than I did from whipping others later and I was determined to not let that happen again.
Maybe that's where faith comes in. Your protector sometimes lets you fight and when the enemy is about to kill you, then he steps in and breaks it up.

Creator

OK, this one is pretty hard to get around.

Evolution? Big Bang Theory?
Neither of those theories make any sense. There has to be a better explanation and after years of thinking on it, God is the only explanation that makes sense. But, even that has some holes in it for some. Dinosaurs? Age of the planet?
I offer no explanation and, hey, I asked for your thoughts on God and don't give me any lip on my own.
Somebody offer up a better explanation of how I, and the rest of you, got here and I am all ears.

Provider.

I have never lacked and on this Thanksgiving Day I am very grateful for that.


Heaven or Hell.

If they exist, and I believe they do, I sure as hell don't want to go to Hell.
Texas is hot enough. Sheesh, can't imagine spending my eternity in someplace hotter than Texas.


In the song by Dishwalla, the singer is asking many questions like children often do.
Before life hits, children are innocent and full of questions.
That's what I long for. A time when I had nothing but hope, and I was innocent and full of questions. In my weak interpretation, the singer wants to know God and wants to know why we are here. He wants to know if he is far away. Typical kid things.

So, this song makes me think of being a little kid.
It makes me think of throwing rocks, watching birds fly, insects crawling, and locusts making their noises in trees. Just looking at the world in awe and wondering how in the world all this happened.
In my heart, I am still a child looking for reason behind all of this.

How did all of this happen?

The Appalachian Trail

Always, it has been a dream of mine to hike this trail from top to bottom. Or, bottom to top, all 2175 approximate miles of it.

Maybe not always have I dreamed of it, but since I have been an adult.

I'm not getting any younger and circumstances seem to hinder me from fulfilling this dream.

Wonder what the record for the oldest hiker is?

However, if I wait and set the record when I am 90 years old, I am not sure my feet will hold up.

I suppose I inherited my desire to travel from my parents. When I was a child, my parents loaded up us kids and the Coleman trailer and we headed out. East one year, west the next, and then back east again. We probably saw about 40 to 45 of the states that way and I have seen some of the rest since then.

I still haven't been to Oregon, Hawaii and Alaska but I'm eager to go. I believe my parents finally made it to all of them.

I do marvel at us surviving those trips, two adults and four kids cramped in a car for two weeks on end, but I have a lot of fond memories of them as well.

Funny thing about our family is we liked to repeat things. First year we went East, we stayed at some places where we really had a great time. When we went back the year after next, we just had to stay at some of the same places again.

They were never as good the next time and we were always disappointed. Guess you just can't go back.

One of my favorite memories was the very first mountain I ever saw in my life. It was in Tennessee and was just a foothill, but it started a life time of fascination with mountains. I thought it was the most incredible sight I had ever seen.

Soon after, we visited Lookout Mountain, Tennessee where you could supposedly see 7 states at the same time. It was a tourist trap, but I loved it anyway.

Also, in Tennessee, there were springs everywhere and just coming out of the side of a mountain.

At about the same time, I saw my very first black bear along the side of the road begging for food from travelers.

We drove from Texas to Florida and then up to Maine. Absolutely loved the Appalachian Mountains and most of everything else we saw.

The following year, I saw the Rockies.

I was in love and it's a wonder I never moved there. Thinking back on it, kind of ticks me off that I didn't make a huge move like that. I'm a weenie.

Lots of incredible memories. Some bad moments as well, but I tend to remember the better times on the road.

Kind of makes me think of my brother Roger, too, which makes me a little sad. But, I am sure he enjoyed himself, too.

Aw, back to the Appalachian Trail. I know good and well I am never going to make it. But, I've sure enjoyed dreaming about it.

Trail food would get old anyway.

More on travel later, but as Thanksgiving approaches my thoughts go to things I am thankful for.

I am thankful for my family and the good times we experienced. Wish Roger was here, but think of all the wonderful Thanksgiving holidays when he was.

Happy Thanksgiving.