WALDO Canyon fire (2)

Just to share a few awesome pictures. As you can see the Eagle Lake Campsite has been spared from destruction; by faithful and resilient firefighters and the hand of God.  That does not imply that the devastation seen in the other views is out side of the hand of God.  

We cannot fathom these seeming contradictions.  Just read the book of Job.  Yet, God provides for His people, always.  

Just not always in means we can understand.  35.000 people displaced 340 home destroyed  and only 2 (so far) fatalities, found in the same home...

Waldo Canyon Fire

Just three weeks ago we hiked the Waldo Trail, overlooking this area which is now burning.  The pictures of the fire are from our kids in Colorado springs, taken on June 26, 2012.  

The map is from the morning of June 27 and shows the previous day in the yellow demarcations. 

So far Glen Eyrie has been spared, as like it seems, is Eagle Lake.  


The Flying W Ranch is gone however.


I had some personal struggles with natural law and the power of the Creator, but upon reflection I am again reassured that God remains on the throne and in control of all that happens in this world, including political wrangling.   We may not always like the result, but who are we to question the Almighty?  

Isa 45:9  But doom to you who fight your Maker—you’re a pot at odds with the potter! Does clay talk back to the potter: ‘What are you doing? What clumsy fingers!’  (the Message)
 

Our time at the Glen is coming to a close.  We celebrated Memorial Day here on the grounds and took a hike to the top of the "Lady Bug" overlook, where we had lunch. We watched the traffic going around in the Garden of the gods. The view from this overlook is spectacular in any direction, just look at the pictures.  

A previous week we had hiked to the Big Horn memorial, beyond the Echo Rock overlook on The Scar. 

It never tires us to go on hikes in this beautiful part of Colorado.  Tomorrow we will be replaced as hosts at the Pink House and we plan to travel back to Des Moines on Monday.

MAY EVENTS AT THE GLEN

Time surely flies when you're having fun.  Mother's Day has come and gone and Memorial Day beckons.  We have hosted at the Pink House over two weeks already and are on the downhill side of our time here.  We were invited to attend a Mother's Day tea at the Glen and we enjoyed the Victorian style Music Room in the beautiful Glen Eyrie castle.

During our time off, we do some local sight seeing and enjoy gorgeous Colorado, while we can. 

We were able to spend some fun times with our kids who moved here about a month ago.  Rick celebrated his birthday and we were part of that celebration as well.  

I have done many educational tours for the local school children and conducted public tours as well.  
As before, I dress up in period clothes.  The kids, at least for a while, think I actually may be General Palmer.

Glen Eyrie is beautiful as ever and we have enjoyed our stay here very much. 


The turkeys still roost in the trees overnight. 

Meanwhile, at the castle...

We have been at Glen Eyrie in Colorado Springs now for nearly two weeks already. It was like coming home.  This place has really grown on us.  In some of my previous blogs I posted more information and pictures about this remarkable place.  If you’re interested, I did 5 from October till December 2009; they are still available.  I also did some in 2011, May June and December.  





Our daughter and her husband have been mostly settled in their new house here in Colorado Springs.  We were able to take some of their mementoes with us to help make this new house feel more like home.  They have registered for classes and have been “oriented.”  They love their new home and are really looking forward with joyful anticipation to their new adventure.  God has prepared their way, and they are on the road walking together. 


Corrie and I were blessed to be part of the 20th Anniversary Marriage Get Away.  We had booked the top tower room in the Glen Eyrie castle, known as the honeymoon suite. Although it is four floors up, the climb is worth it.  Windows on four sides of the hexagon allowed us a panoramic view of the Glen.





The room has a very high ceiling and gives a sense of grand opulence without being overpowering.  The pea-cock theme adds to the richness of the room.
The gathering was a little different from what we had expected, but we were tremendously blessed to be part of this celebration of God’s goodness and healing power in the marriages of many of the attendees here. 


 (Did I mention that the road on which Monique and Rick have embarked leads to a degree in (Christian) Marriage Counseling and Family Therapy, with a military “endorsement?)  Many of our marriages are in trouble and need positive reinforcement.  They hope to be able to make a difference in the abysmal divorce rate by helping struggling couples before at gets to the point of separation. 


We shall be here for another month, as host and hostess of the Pink House.  This house has been totally restored and remodeled inside.  All the rooms are “premium.”  The dining and living room have been restored and enhanced in their original splendor.  The new carpet sheds, so we’ll have to keep on top of that.  We are really looking forward to serving here for the month of May.

SPRING FEVER

Spring sprung with a vengeance this year. It seems like there was a mild winter in many parts of the world. I do recall some news reports regarding eastern and also Mediterranean Europe reflected lots of snowfall in some regions there. The month of March was the warmest on record .in our neck of the woods. We were able to take our motor bike on some early rides. We visited our grand-children twice during this month. They presented a musical story about the Exodus at their school. We were impressed with the excellent performance of all the children from kindergarten till 8th grade. They all played a part in this delightful musical! The title “Are we there yet?” reflects some of the humor which was a large part of this presentation. The kids had fun and the audience loved it.

Toward the end of March we again visited Hollandale. The boys showed off their pinewood derby cars.

The next day we went to the Minnesota Honor Band concert.
This was being performed in Austin at the high school. Arn, our older grandchild played the trombone. He really enjoyed being there, learning and playing all day.
Afterwards we went for pizza.


Our daughter and her husband are leaving to study at Regis University in Colorado Springs for the next few years. The Lord provided an affordable and accessible home for them in the city. We are excited about that, although, we will miss them.
I’ll particularly miss Rick’s visits and the deep discussions we often had. But we look forward to visiting with them when we volunteer at Glen Eyrie. The next message probably will be from there...

TRUTH

Some time ago I cam across the following:

Pontius Pilate asked: “What is truth?”
Jesus said: “The Truth will set you free!”

Truth is not determined by majority vote
It is, by definition, objectively true;
whether anyone believes it or not.

Things which are true
are by their nature wonderful;
Things that are truly wonderful,
are inevitably true.