For Raymond :-)

Lines that are parallel
meet at Infinity!"
Euclid repeatedly,
heatedly,
urged.
Until he died,
and so reached that vicinity:
in it he
found that the darned things
diverged.

-Piet Hein (1905-1996)

(poem slightly abridged)

Why Is There Something Rather Than Nothing?

NOTHING IS INDESPENSABLE
Grook to warn the universe against megalomania

The universe may
be as great as they say.
But it wouldn't be missed
if it didn't exist.

-Piet Hein (1905-1996)

In My Yard (Summer 2008)

Origin

I went way back and asked the old
Ones deep in the graves, the youngest dead,
How language began, and who had the cred-
it of it, gods, men, devils, elves?
And this is the answer I was told:
"We got together one day," they said
"And talked it over among ourselves."

- Howard Nemerov (1920-1991)

Zebra, I Feel Your Pain!

This is what it's like trying to have a conversation at my house!! If a modifier is misplaced or dangling, there is a humor feeding frenzy on the part of the males in this house, and the conversation is over.

Zoomin'

To read a new post about DAVID's progress, click at right.

 

PS HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID!!

Infinite Paradox

An infinite God can give all of Himself to each of His children. He does not distribute Himself that each may have a part, but to each one He gives all of Himself as fully as if there were no others.

-A. W. Tozer (1897 - 1963)

Annual Highlight (Second Half)

FOURTH OF JULYThe picture below is of the set-up of the fireworks (to the left of the barn). This park is directly across the street from Tony and Stacey's house, so we saw the fireworks in a very impressive manner!Caleb is resting between the Fourth of July parade and the fireworks display.ANOTHER KIND OF FIREWORKS This is a picture David took while outside in the infamous storm.

TOTAL MAXIMIZATION OF COUSIN TIME The pictures above and below are from a play that the cousins put on - a tradition.

TIME WITH SECOND COUSINS TOO!!

They sure don't play dodgeball out here the way I learned it in California!!

BIRTHDAYS

A Happy Birthday muffin at Grandma's! Note the lantern on the counter - setting out due to the storm and ensuing power outtage.

A double celebration!

A multi-celebration!!

The Heart Asks

The heart asks pleasure first,
And then, excuse from pain;
And then, those little anodynes
That deaden suffering;

And then, to go to sleep;
And then, if it should be
The will of its Inquisitor,
The liberty to die.

- Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)

Teaser

Silly me.

 I thought working with iphoto on the mac would make getting lots of pictures up to my blog faster and easier than doing my normal thing on the PC. Three hours (that I really couldn't afford to lose) later I find this is not at all the case! I think I'm done with the mac.  Here are the results of my efforts. I hope to have a fuller "album" of the second half of our trip by tomorrow.

Good Both Ways

It's always nice to have a vacation where it's good to go and also good to come home, and that's what we've just experienced. Once I recuperate from "today's" travels I'll put up part two of the photos. It just seems to me a little crazy that although it only takes 10 hours to fly all the way from San Francisco to London it took us more than 18 hours to get home from Michigan! Eighteen hours is still amazing when compared to the covered wagon days, which I actually do think about with gratitude every time we fly cross country, but . . .

I can't sleep in a car, an airport, or on a plane, and with my sleep disorder it wasn't worth it to go to bed Monday night since we were getting up at 2:30am to leave. It is now Tuesday evening, and I haven't gotten any appreciable sleep since getting up Sunday morning, so some recovery is definitely in order!

The travels, though long, were uneventful. YEA!! I always feel so good to be home from a trip that involves flying. Although I'm a mathematician and know the stats (i.e. how much safer flying is than driving), I fear flying. Emotion trumps intellect!!

MUCH THANKS to family on both ends for making this possible - Michigan family for putting us up (and putting up with us!) and California family for providing transportation and taking care of things here.

Thanks also to Dale for recommending the book "The Shack." It was so gripping and thought provoking that I couldn't put it down until I finished it; I read the last page as we pulled into our driveway! I haven't really thought through the theology of it (too tired - but not so tired that I didn't find a number of such concepts disturbing), but in fictional form it powerfully addressed such things as how God can be both sovereign and loving even though that can be very hard to reconcile in the face of monstrous suffering and pain that people can experience. It made me think a lot about forgiveness, justice, mercy, judgment, love, vengeance, reconcilation, relationship, trust, God's nature and so much more. I need to read it again soon when I am not so tired! (I must say there were also a couple of characerizations that reminded me strongly enough of characters in other fictional works as to be distracting, but overall I found it a gripping and thought-provoking read.)

PS Tony and Stacey, we got a bit delayed and arrived home at about 6:30pm today. I'm curious as to whether you beat us to the West Coast?