U Is For Unicorn

It's time again For ABC Wednesday. If you aren't participating in ABC Wednesday, you are missing out on a lot of fun.

This week U is for Unicorn. While driving through the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center near Glen Rose, Texas we came across this guy with a broken horn. He reminded me of a unicorn. Some scholars believe that the sightings of one horned animals like this produced the myth of the unicorn.



Greek writers of natural history were convinced of the reality of the unicorn, which they believed lived in India, a distant and fabulous realm for them. During the Middle Ages the people of Europe did not consider the unicorn a myth. The King James Version of the Bible uses the word unicorn 8 times. Unicorn horns were often found in cabinets of curiosities in Medieval and Renaissance Europe.


They were most often examples of the distinctive straight spiral single tusk of the narwhal whale They were brought into Europe as a very valuable trade item, and sold as horns from the legendary unicorn; being of ivory, they passed the various tests intended to spot fake unicorn horns. As these 'horns' were considered to have magic powers, Vikings and other northern traders were able to sell them for many times their weight in gold. Elizabeth I of England kept a "unicorn horn" in her cabinet of curiosities.

In 1967 when I was just starting to pay attention to the radio, The Irish Rovers had a top 40 hit with "The Unicorn. Here is a cover version I found on YouTube.



Here are the lyrics to The Unicorn

A long time ago, when the Earth was green
There was more kinds of animals than you've ever seen
They'd run around free while the Earth was being born
And the loveliest of all was the unicorn

There was green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you're born
The loveliest of all was the unicorn

The Lord seen some sinning and it gave Him pain
And He says, "Stand back, I'm going to make it rain"
He says, "Hey Noah, I'll tell you what to do
Build me a floating zoo,
and take some of those...

Green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you're born
Don't you forget My unicorns

Old Noah was there to answer the call
He finished up making the ark just as the rain started to fall
He marched the animals two by two
And he called out as they came through
Hey Lord,

I've got green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but Lord, I'm so forlorn
I just can't find no unicorns"

And Noah looked out through the driving rain
Them unicorns were hiding, playing silly games
Kicking and splashing while the rain was falling
Oh, them silly unicorns

There was green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees
Noah cried, "Close the door because the rain is falling
And we just can't wait for no unicorns"

The ark started moving, it drifted with the tide
The unicorns looked up from the rocks and they cried
And the waters came down and sort of floated them away
That's why you never see unicorns to this very day

You'll see green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you're born
You're never gonna see no unicorns

Wild, Wacky, Weird, and Wonderful Weekend

What a wild wacky weird and wonderful weekend it was. Seems like there were about two weekends crammed into one.


Friday evening we went to see the annual Mena Christmas Parade. There was a good turnout to see the parade. It was quite cool, and really felt like winter was on the way. It is always fun to see how many people you know who are in the parade. Last year I drove the truck pulling the Relay For Life float. That really isn't that much fun, and you miss seeing the parade. We didn't stay for the fireworks show, but we were able to see some of them from our house.


MT. IDA SDA CHURCH

Saturday morning I had been invited to speak at the Mt. Ida SDA Church. I arrived at the church as Sabbath School was starting. The special music was beautiful, and I just happened to have my camera with me. The video below is of Keith and Karyn Haley singing Go Tell It On The Mountain.



I have studied the history of the Bible for many years, and have collected old Bibles and Bible pages dating back to the 1400's. I was asked to give a presentation on the topic. I brought a number of the Bible pages, and a complete Bible from the early 1800's. As I was about to close the presentation, a member of the audience started disrupting the service and arguing against some of the history I had presented. I was shocked and bewildered. I didn't know how to handle the situation. I responded only briefly in a sentence or two. Someone from the church stopped him, and we closed the service. I was happy to find out that the disruptor was not a member, and most likely had come for the purpose of making trouble. The members were very apologetic, and really enjoyed the presentation and looking at the old Bible pages.



After church I was invited to a great potluck dinner, and spent a couple of wonderful hours with the church members. I stayed so long that I was late getting home. Gina had not gone with me because she was teaching her Sabbath School Class in Mena. She had planned on taking a hike with her friends Deanna and Laurel. I went to the trail they were hiking, and caught up with them as they were returning. I still had a very nice hike even if it wasn't as long as theirs. It was an absolutely beautiful day to hike.


WINTER WOODS NEAR MENA

Saturday night we went to Laurel's house to play cards. Her daughter Talena and family have recently moved to Mena and are staying with her. Laurel showed me Talena's blog, Winters Day In several month ago and that is how I got introduced to blogging. I had met Talena and her husband Jason earlier, but it was the first time i had met her boys. Gina and Noah really took a shine to each other. We had a great time learning a new card game called Wizard.


THE WINTERS FAMILY, TALENA, JASON, JABIN, JUDE, AND NOAH

Sunday morning I was out of the house and on the road by 7:30. I needed to make a trip to Keene, Texas where Gavin is going to school to take my Buick to him, and bring back home his Kia. Gavin and the Kia were in a fender bender on his way back to school after the Thanksgiving holiday. I needed to get the Kia so I can have it fixed by the time Gavin comes home for Christmas.


GAVIN'S KIA

As I was driving along I was listening to some new recordings that my friend Richie Owens had given to me. I like to know what he is up to . I listened to the new songs several times. I really like the song that he wrote, "My Lord". I have heard him sing it a number of times, but never heard a recording. I thought I would share it with you.

MY LORD by RICHIE OWENS

As I was driving along listening to Richie sing, my phone rang. Gavin was on the other end. He wanted to know where i was so he would know what time to meet me. He also had a problem. A group of kids from the University had taken the bus to Six Flags. When they returned to the school, Gavin couldn't find his keys. He had to sleep in a friends room for the night, because he not only had no car keys, he had no keys to his apartment. He was going to try to call the bus driver and see if the keys were still on the bus. What are we going to do know. I thought. How can I pick up his car with no keys. It will be a 12 hour trip without any problems. I sure don't need the expense of a locksmith or the extra time it is going to take. As i was driving along, I was praying. Lord, please let Gavin find the keys. I know the odds are against finding them on the bus, but please let them be there.


GAVIN'S KEYS

Believe it or not, the keys were on the bus. Gavin called to say that the bus driver had found them, and he was on his way to go pick up the keys. "Thank you Lord" I prayed, "Thank you for caring about things as small as keys". The rest of the day was uneventful. I visited with Gavin just long enough to get a Subway sandwich. We only had a few minutes before he had to go to work. The drive back took a little longer because I was only able to drive 60 mph or so. If I drove faster, the damaged hood would flutter and make me nervous. The last hour and a half of my trip was in the dark, and the one headlight that worked was shining very low. I was happy and relieved to make it home.

So how was your weekend? Was it Wild Wacky Weird and Wonderful?

Sally Swimming In Prairie Creek

Whenever Cynda and Dave come to visit, they bring their dog Sally with them. Sally is a beautiful yellow lab. She absolutely loves the water. It doesn't matter of it is a lake, a creek, a mud puddle, or just the water hose. If there is water she will be in it.

Thanksgiving Day Autumn and I went for a walk along Prairie Creek which runs behind my house. Of course Sally wanted to come. She had a great time splashing through the creek. Prairie Creek is a very small shallow creek. As we walked along with Sally splashing through the water, we came to a place where the creek deepened. It was deep enough for Sally to swim. She was so happy. She spent a half hour or more just swimming, then getting out and shaking on Autumn and I, and then swimming again. It was so much fun to watch her that I had to take a bit of video.

Friday as I was going through my pictures and putting some of them on my Flickr page I decided to put a couple of videos up on YouTube. I put on this one of Autumn running along the creek.



Next I decided to put on the video I had taken of Sally swimming in the creek. When you put a video on YouTube you have to give it a title. I decided to do an experiment. I titled the video Skinny Dipping. Immediately there were lots of hits. By the time I changed the title to Sally Swims in Prairie Creek, there were already almost 900 hits. The results of my experiment are a sad commentary on the internet and the people who use it. Here is the infamous Skinny Dipping video. I assure you that it is G rated.



Before the flood the Bible tells us that God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. I wonder what he sees now.

Doom and Gloom

It seems like a day doesn't go by that someone doesn't talk to me about the condition that the world finds itself in. With the recent presidential election, and the financial meltdown on Wall Street, people seem very nervous. I have to admit that I have my concerns. My business has been slower the last few weeks. There have been some financial setbacks that I wasn't planning for.


GAVIN JOB HUNTING

What I have noticed in the past few months, is that it seems like the people I have talked to who have been the most worried are Christians. I have gotten numerous e-mails from Christian people who are sure that doom and gloom are right around the corner. I can't believe that God wants us to live that way. 2 Thessalonians 3:16 says "may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way".

I do believe that we are living in the last chapter of Earth's history, but I am puzzled by many of my fellow Christians. Does God want us to worry?


I saw something the other day that really puzzled me. I was in a Christian bookstore, and I saw that they had Christian worry stones for sale. According to tradition a worry stone is a smooth, polished stone that when rubbed is believed to reduce one's worries and add a sense of calmness. When the stone is rubbed, the negative energy and worries are supposedly transferred into the stone and you are left calm and peaceful. I don't think worry stones are compatible with Christianity.

In Matthew 6:31 Jesus tells us "Do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?" He goes on to say "do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own".

Christianity is supposed to be built on faith and trust. There is a story told about Blondin, who is considered to be one of the greatest tightrope-walkers of all time. Blondin became obsessed with the idea of crossing Niagara Falls the first time he saw them in 1858. A year after his initial visit, he returned to accomplish the feat. The stunt was not without controversy. Many people felt that a stunt like Blondin's would trivialize the falls, turning them into a backdrop for a circus act, and should not be allowed.

Eventually, Blondin was allowed to string his wire across the falls and on June 30, 1859, he was the first man ever to cross Niagara Falls by tightrope. A large crowd of 100,000 people watched him walk on a single three-inch rope, 1,100 feet long and 160 feet above the falls at one side and 270 feet at the other.

Blondin made many more trips across the gorge during the next year. Each time, he thrilled larger crowds with more exciting acts. He balanced a chair on the rope and stood on it. He took pictures of the crowd while he balanced on the rope. He cooked a meal on a small portable cooker and lowered it to amazed passengers on the Maid of the Mist below. He crossed blindfolded, in a sack, on stilts, and pushing a wheel barrow.


In 1860 a Royal party from Britain that included the Prince of Wales saw Blondin cross the tightrope on stilts, and again blindfolded. After that he stopped halfway across and cooked and ate an omelet. Next he wheeled a wheelbarrow from one side to the other, and returned with a sack of potatoes in it. Then Blondin approached the Royal party. He asked the Prince of Wales, "Do you believe I could take a man across the tightrope in this wheelbarrow?" "Yes, I do", said the Prince. "Hop in, then", replied Blondin. Well, the Prince declined Blondin's challenge. He might have believed Blondin could do it, but he wasn't about to trust him with his life.

When it comes to our relationship with God, this kind of trust doesn't do much good. God doesn't want us to say "Yes Lord I believe in you, but not enough to put my life in your hands." Belief has to come with trust. Proverbs 3:5,6 tells us to "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.

Is their a difference between trust and belief. The Prince of Wales believed that Blondin could walk a man across the rope in a wheelbarrow, but he didn't trust him enough to get in. Do you believe in God? Do you trust him with your life? Trust God with all your heart, and if he asks you to get in the wheelbarrow, do it!

Any Road

I love driving on the back roads in western Arkansas. I love the scenery. I love the adventure. I love to just take off and explore new roads. When I see a road I always wonder where it goes.

Sometimes exploring a new road can be quite an adventure. When you are traveling a rural Arkansas road you just don’t know where you will end up.


JAMES KIM AND HIS CHILDREN

In the fall of 2006 America was transfixed with the story of James Kim. He was traveling home from Portland, Oregon to San Francisco, California with his wife and 2 children. They took a wrong turn onto a logging road in bad weather. The snow became too deep to travel, and they became stranded.



After several days Mr. Kim set out on foot to look for help. He believed the nearest town was located four miles away. The distance to the town was actually 13 miles. He promised his family that he would turn back at 1 p.m. if he failed to find anyone, but he did not. Kati Kim and her two children were found alive when a search helicopter was led to the scene after seeing human footprints in the snow. The three were then rescued, and airlifted out of the area.

Soon after the rescue of Kati Kim and her children, search and rescue teams followed James Kim's footprints back along the road for about 10 miles where his footprints left the road and led into the heavily wooded Big Windy Creek drainage area. James Kim's body was found in Big Windy Creek. He had walked 16 miles looking for help.

Although Mr. Kim had walked 16 miles, he was found about four miles from his vehicle, and about one mile from Black Bar Lodge, a boating outpost. Though it was vacant at the time, it was stocked with food items. What a tragic story!

In Proverbs 14:12 the Bible tells us “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death”. When the Kim family decided to go down that logging road, they had no idea that the road was impassable. Had they known about it, I’m sure they wouldn’t have taken that path. It was supposed be a short cut, but only led them to tragedy.

What about the road you are on in your life? Have you taken any wrong turns in your life? Have you been on any wrong roads? How do you know which road to take?


THE PIG TRAIL - HWY 23 IN ARKANSAS

In Psalms 25:4,8-10 the Bible tells us” Show me the path where I should walk, O LORD; point out the right road for me to follow. The LORD is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray. He leads the humble in what is right, teaching them his way. The LORD leads with unfailing love and faithfulness all those who keep his covenant and obey his decrees.

God has promised to be our guide. He will point out the right road for us to follow. As I have discussed spiritual things with people I have heard the following analogy several times. “You see it your way I see it my way, but there are many roads all going to the same place.”

Jesus has an answer for that way of thinking. We find his words in Matthew 7:13,14. “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway that leads to destruction is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way. But the gateway to life is narrow, and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it”. You know from experience that all roads don’t lead to your destination. I’m sure that you have been on a road that didn’t take you where you thought it would. James Kim found out this truth in a tragic way.


GEORGE HARRISON VIDEO - ANY ROAD

One of the last songs that George Harrison recorded was a song titled “Any Road”. The chorus of the song says “If you don't know where you're going any road will take you there”. His words are very true. They describe the kind of roads that I like to explore. I like to drive on them because I don’t know where I’m going. I like to just take off and explore new roads. When I see a road I always wonder where it goes. A number of times I have been completely lost, but eventually I made it home. It can be fun not knowing where you are going.


SUNDAY DRIVING ON AN UNKNOWN ROAD

While it can be fun to explore unknown roads on a Sunday afternoon drive, it’s not a good plan in our spiritual lives. We should know where we are going. We should all have the same destination in mind.

I hope that you know where you are going. Jesus told us that not just any road would take us there. Have you found the road that leads to life? Have you studied the map?

I hope that you and I will be able to say what David said in Psalms 73:23-26. “Yet I still belong to you; you are holding my right hand. You will keep on guiding me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. I have no one in heaven but you; I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever”.

T Is For Transportation

It's time again For ABC Wednesday. If you aren't participating in ABC Wednesday, you are missing out on a lot of fun.

My post for the letter "T" is Transportation. I was initially thinking about Thanksgiving, but as awesome as my Thanksgiving was, I have posted several blogs on the topic. So transportation it is. There are many different kinds of Transportation, so we are going to look at a number of them.


STEAMBOATS

There were two main types of transportation that allowed this country to expand at such a fast pace in the 1800's. The first was steamboats. The first commercial steamboat transportation was Between Albany, New York, and New York City in 1807. Before long there were steamboats on just about every navigable river in the U.S.


BIG AND LITTLE

The need to transport goods to and from places that were not on a waterway brought about the steam locomotive. The first railroad to transport goods in the U.S. was the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The first steam powered vehicle in the U.S. was the Tom Thumb locomotive that operated on the Baltimore and Ohio tracks starting in 1830.


1940 BUICK LIMITED

The automobile change the way Americans traveled, and just about put an end to train travel as a way of getting around. Americans are now very mobile. My Daddy loves to buy and sell old cars. This 1940 Buick gets a lot of attention when he drives it.


TINY VW

Cars come in all sizes as you can see here. I was driving down the street in Valle Hermoso, Mexico when I spotted this tiny VW Beetle. I pulled over to talk to the owner and took a picture of it. He wanted me to get in it for a picture.


MOTORCYCLES IN EUREKA SPRINGS

In the area where I live, Motorcycles are very popular. The Christian Motorcycle Association is headquartered here. Motorcyclist come from hundred and sometimes thousands of miles away to ride the roads and see the beauty of the area.

I love to travel to Belize. San Pedro, Belize is on a densely populated island, so it has its own special transportation needs. Here are some photos of transportation in San Pedro


RIDING TO WORK


SAN PEDRO FERRY


SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION


MIKE'S BOAT


WATER TAXI


GOLF CART


TRAVELING SALESMAN


SAILBOAT

As you can see, San Pedro has many varied forms of transportation. Just about everyone who travels to San Pedro travels by air. Flying is the newest form of transportation. Today, the global airline industry consists of over 2000 airlines operating more than 23,000 aircraft, providing service to over 3700 airports. Last year, the world’s airlines flew almost 28 million scheduled flight departures and carried over 2 billion passengers


FLYING HIGH

What types of transportation do you use?

Thanks Giving

What a great Thanksgiving holiday we had. Having the whole family together was great. Not only was there our immediate family, but we got to visit with an amazing amount of cousins. Aunt Ellen's family spent the holiday at Ouachita Mountain Hideaways. Aunt Kathy and her family all came to visit Saturday afternoon, so we were able to visit everyone. Aunt Kathy and Aunt Ellen had almost all of their families here in Mena over the weekend. It was wonderful to get to visit with so many cousins.


AUTUMN AND GRANDMA

One of the fun things that we did over the holidays was making a gingerbread house. Autumn and Grandma worked on the house together.


LICKING THE SPATULA

Autumn was involved in every aspect of the project. She is very much an "I can do it myself" girl. If you put her in the car seat, she will crawl out saying I want to do it myself, the get back in on her own. Grandma was very patient letting her work on the gingerbread house on her own.


DECORATING

Making memories is what the holidays are all about. We certainly made many wonderful memories this Thanksgiving.


GAVIN, DAVID AND CYNDA

I read a blog today, where the author was challenging us to put our money where our mouth is. We have so many things to be thankful for. Let's remember to give back to those in need. God has given us so many blessings, so many things to be thankful for. When there is an economic downturn, one of the first things that many of us cut back on is charitable giving. Let us show how thankful we are by giving.

If there is Thanks, let there be Giving.


I AM SO THANKFUL