Crazy Japanese Microvans

I ran across these photos over at the blog A Time To Get. They really grabbed my attention as I had never seen anything like these. They are awesome, I would love to have one. Dream Factory Blow takes the stock micro vans that cram the streets of Japan, and turns them into custom creations styled after iconic American vans of the 1970s.





















The creators of these vans get an A+ in my book for originality and gosh darn cuteness

A Is For ADRA In Haiti

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 starts a brand new round of ABC Wednesday. My post is A is for ADRA. ADRA is the acronym for The Adventist Development and Relief Agency. ADRA is one of the charities that I contribute to. Although they are active in over 120 countries around the world, I have been particularly interested in their work in Haiti this last year.



A little over one year has passed since the devastating earthquake struck the island nation of Haiti on January 12, 2010. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) has provided more than $4 million in aid, personnel and assets to assist Haitian survivors in the months since the earthquake.

Throughout the twelve months that have passed since the January earthquake, ADRA has been focused on managing displaced persons camps, water purification, food, the distribution of non-food items, sanitation and hygiene, psychosocial support, education, and semi-permanent shelters.




To date, ADRA has built over 2,500 shelters for displace families, benefiting more than 15,000 displaced persons. These efforts have been focused in the Carrefour district, just outside the city of Port au Prince, close to the epicenter of the quake. The following list of activities briefly summarizes ADRA’s work over the past year:

Camp Management:

* ADRA managed a camp of more than 20,000 displaced Haitians in the Port-au-Prince neighborhood of Carrefour.
* Activities included the training of zonal community leaders and counselors, providing security, water, health and psychosocial programs, food, and non-food item distributions.


Water:

* ADRA and Canada-based partner GlobalMedic purified more than 130,000 liters of water a day in Carrefour during the initial phase of the response using 64 water purification units, including 62 motorcycle-powered mobile units.
* The mobile units were dispatched to approximately 50 sites a day in Carrefour, Port-au-Prince, Jacmel, and Cap Haitian.
* Assistance also included more than 5 million water purification tablets, 110,000 water purification sachets, 55,000 Oral Rehydration Salt units, and 86,000 Aquatabs donated by UNICEF.
* Since the earthquake, ADRA has purified more than 18 million liters of water.
* A water purification system called Nomad continues to purify and provide nearly 50,000 liters of clean water each day to the ADRA-managed camp in Carrefour.




Food:

* ADRA worked with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to distribute 4,802 metric tons of food to more than 776,000 people during three massive food distributions between January and March.
* A donation of 16.5 tons of baby food from Germany was distributed in the Carrefour camp.


Non-food Items:

* ADRA distributed more than 50,000 non-food items to earthquake survivors, including shoes, hygiene kits, jerry cans, kitchen sets, shelter tool kits, solar light kits, tarps, tool kits, medicines, and flashlights. Upcoming distributions include mattress pads, blankets, and mosquito nets.


Sanitation and Hygiene:

* A total of 75 latrines were built in six camps and one permanent latrine was improved benefitting a total of 3,396 families. The project also provided cash-for-work for 86 individuals who dug the latrine holes.
* ADRA constructed 95 new bathing places and rehabilitated one previous bathing space in eight camps, assisting 7,241 families.
* ADRA secured support from UNICEF to provide 221 mobile latrines and daily servicing of waste removal from mid-March until the end of June. In July, ADRA received 150 mobile latrines from the Clinton Foundation on behalf of UNICEF.
* A team of 50 sanitation workers from among the camp population cleaned the sanitation facilities twice a day.
* ADRA constructed two solid waste pits and employed a team of 50 from the camp to pick up and collect waste on a daily basis.
* Eight cash-for-work projects where completed, benefitting 169 workers with livelihood support.
* Some 15 truckloads of trash were removed from one camp in Carrefour.
* Seven camps received tools for camp cleaning.
* A total of 35 stations were built for laundry washing.
* ADRA built a bridge to improve the safety and convenience of camp residents walking to collect filtered water.





Health:

* Between January and mid-April, ADRA operated two free primary medical clinics in the Carrefour camp. One was set-up inside a mobile tent and the other in a local primary school in Carrefour. During this period, more than 7,000 people received assistance. After April, the two mobile clinics were consolidated and have so far treated more than 5,500 patients.
* ADRA conducted a one-month immunization campaign, which vaccinated more than 12,000 infants, children and adults with vaccine materials provided by the World Health Organization.
* ADRA community health nurses were based in each of the 12 designated zones inside the Carrefour camp. They were trained to triage patients, recognize infant and child malnutrition, and to educate mothers in lactation and optimum nutrition.
* Cholera prevention education project trained individuals in the community of Carrefour on preventative measures and emergency treatment of the disease.


Shelter:

* ADRA provided 900 large family-size tents throughout Haiti, including 453 in Carrefour.
* More than 2,700 semi-permanent shelters have been constructed in Carrefour and Petit-Goave.



ADRA’s focus remains on the long-term reconstruction of Haiti. Operating in Haiti for 30 years, ADRA is committed to the Haitian people and their country’s recovery.

To contribute to ADRA’s life-saving work, call 1.800.424.ADRA (2372) or give online here

ADRA is a global non-governmental organization providing sustainable community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race or ethnicity.

For more information about ADRA, visit this link

Z Is For Zephyr

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 the letter is Z. I am curious to see what everyone posts. Z is a hard letter. My post is Zephyr. In 1936 Lincoln came out with a new lower priced car called the Zephyr, named and styled after the streamlined Burlington Zephyr express train.


In 1934 the Burlington Railroad had introduced a sleek new streamlined passenger train called the Zephyr. It broke the speed record on the Chicago to Denver route. Two years later Lincoln tried to transfer some of the train’s glamor to its new streamlined Zephyr automobile by picturing the two vehicles side by side.

Several years ago I spent a lot of time manipulating photos to look like paintings. One of the photo/paintings was of a 1939 Lincoln Zephyr that belonged to my Dad.


1939 LINCOLN ZEPHYR

Ford Motor Company reused the name Zephyr several times. In the U.S. Ford produced the Mercury Zephyr from 1978-1983. It was Mercury's version of the Ford Fairmont.

Lincoln resurrected the Zephyr name in 2006 for it's new mid-sized luxury car based on the Ford Fusion. The name lasted only one year as Lincoln renamed the car MKZ for 2007.

2006 LINCOLN ZEPHYR

In the United Kingdom, Ford used the Zephyr name from 1950 until 1972. Zephyrs were the largest passenger cars in the British Ford lineup. The Ford Zephyr was a very popular car in Britain with over a million cars produced.

1960 FORD ZEPHYR

I hope you enjoyed this short automotive history lesson and that this post didn't make you want to zzzzzzzzzzz.

A Long Strange Trip

Sometimes the light's all shinin' on me,
Other times I can barely see.
Lately it occurs to me what a long, strange trip it's been.

What a crazy weekend we had. Sunday was my son's 25th birthday, so we headed to Texas to celebrate. We had a wonderful time visiting and enjoyed spending time with the kids and their new kitten, Polly.



Normally when we visit for the weekend we stay until fairly late on Sunday afternoon. Under normal circumstances it is a five hour trip from Mena to Keene, Texas where my son lives. Because a snow storm was forecast for Arkansas we decided that we should leave early. We went out for a Birthday Dinner at Mi Familia and left for home shortly after noon.



While we were enjoying our meal the waitress came and told us that it had started snowing. We knew that a snowstorm was forecast for Arkansas, but snow hadn't been forecast for the Dallas Fort Worth area. We decided to cut our visit short and leave immediately for home. The snow wasn't sticking to the road as we drove through Dallas, but not long after heavy snow started sticking to the road and I-30 became very bad.



As we slowly made our way along I-30 we saw more and more vehicles in the ditch. We watched as a vehicle in front of us spun around and ended up headed towards us. Fortunately we were far enough back that we could avoid hitting them. They didn't go into the ditch but ended up on the shoulder going the wrong way. Apparently they didn't learn anything from their experience as before long they sped past us. I was more than happy to plod along at a slow steady pace. We saw a number of trucks jackknifed and snapped a photo of this one as we made our way around it.



We stopped to top off the gas tank and go to the bathroom - we wanted to make sure we were prepared. By this time our Kia was covered in ice. It would only get worse as our trip progressed.



By sundown we had reached our exit at New Boston where we turned north to head home on the winding hilly two lane roads of Arkansas. As bad as I-30 had been I was nervous about what I would find on these rural roads. We immediately had to stop as the exit was backed up from an accident on the overpass. In a few minutes the police got things cleared and we were able get over the overpass.



The two lane roads had very little traffic so we were able to make steady time even if it was slow. We did have a half hour wait near Grannis, Arkansas while we waited for tow trucks to get some semi-trucks out of the way who hadn't been able to make it up a steep hill. We were glad that we had filled up with gas and gone to the bathroom not that long ago. The ice had accumulated around our tires leaving almost no room to steer



We finally made it home to Mena after ten hours on the road. It took us just twice as long as it normally does. I prayed a pray of thanks to God for keeping us safe on our trip home. I didn't realize just how fortunate we had been on our trip until I turned the TV on this morning and heard that many people on I-30 in Arkansas had been stranded since 5:30 the night before. Many people had to spend the night in their cars and still were not moving 18 hours later.

What a long strange trip it was!

A Dog Named Slugger

I have decided to add an occasional book review to my blog. Since I bought my Kindle last year I have been doing a lot more reading. I have the Kindle app for my i-phone, so I can read for a few minutes anytime I have a bit of time. I love the way that Kindle keeps up with were I am in a book whether I am reading on my Kindle or my i-phone. Modern technology really impresses us old guys.

My first review is of the book “A Dog Named Slugger” by Leigh Brill. It is a first person account of Leigh’s partnership with the big yellow Labrador Retriever that was her service dog. As Slugger provided balance for her on walks, he also brought balance to her emotionally and mentally. He was her calming and comforting companion as she graduated from college and obtained her master’s degree. Because of Slugger she was able to have a career and lead a more normal life.

The book offers a lot of insights into what it is like for a handicapped person to grow up with their disability. In the book, Leigh opens up her heart to the reader and gives you an idea of what a person with cerebral palsy goes through. She does it in a way that doesn't elicit pity but pleads for understanding. Her service dog Slugger gave her the confidence to come out of the shell she had been hiding in. He not only improved her day to day life, but he also instilled her with the confidence she needed to stand up for herself.


If you are an animal lover you will learn to love Slugger just by reading this book. I was amazed to learn what a service dog could do for someone like Leigh. Besides steadying her when she walked and helping her up and down stairs, he could also turn light switches on and off, drag laundry baskets, retrieve items and perform so many helping tasks.

I really enjoyed the book and found that it was like three books in one. First, it is almost an autobiography of Leigh. She does a great job of letting you into her life. Second, it is simply a great dog story. In a way it reminded me of the book "Marley and Me", but in a more serious vein. Third, it is a great introduction into the world of service dogs.

I really enjoyed reading A Dog Named Slugger and recommend it highly. You can find it at Amazon.com by clicking on this link.

Quicksand

Recently I was reading from the Max Lucado book, The Applause Of Heaven, and the following passage really captured my attention.

Grudge is one of those words that defines itself. Its very sound betrays its meaning.

Say it slowly: “Grr-uuuud-ge.”

It starts with a growl. “Grr …” Like a bear with bad breath coming out of hibernation or a mangy mongrel defending his bone in an alley. “Grrr …”

Remove a GR from the word grudge and replace it with SL and you have the junk that grudge bearers trudge through. Sludge. Black, thick, ankle-deep resentment that steals the bounce from the step. No joyful skips through the meadows. No healthy hikes up the mountain. Just day after day of walking into the storm, shoulders bent against the wind, and feet dragging through all the muck life has delivered.

Is this the way you are coping with your hurts? Are you allowing your hurts to turn into hates? If so, ask yourself: Is it working? Has your hatred done you any good? Has your resentment brought you any relief, any peace? Has it granted you any joy?

Let’s say you get even. Let’s say you get him back. Let’s say she gets what she deserves. Let’s say your fantasy of fury runs its ferocious course and you return all your pain with interest. Imagine yourself standing over the corpse of the one you have hated. Will you now be free?

Max's words made me think of the time that I was going Geocaching in Tyler, Texas. If you are not familiar with Geocaching, It is a modern day treasure hunt powered by a GPS. I had found the geocache that I was searching for, and was finding my way back to my car when I got a bit lost. I had forgotten to put the coordinates of my cars location in the GPS, so I was just trying to remember my way back through the woods. I came into a brushy clearing and was trying to decide which way to go. There was an area that looked a bit wet and muddy, so I stepped carefully across it to avoid getting my shoes dirty. Imagine my surprise when the "solid" ground gave way, and I sank up to my armpits in stinky mucky quicksand. At first I was just angry that I was filthy, but then I started trying to get out and realized that I was in a serious predicament. Fortunately I was able to reach a small shrub than was strong enough for me to pull myself out.

I was now on the opposite side of the quicksand from where I needed to be and was trying to decide how to proceed. I layed out spread eagle and "swam" to the other side. It wasn't until I thought back on the experience as I was driving back to the condo that it dawned on me how much trouble I had actually been in. I was by myself, and my wife had no idea where I was. I never saw another person while I was out in the woods. As I was driving back I gave a special prayer of thanks to God for keeping me safe.


This is what I looked like after I got out.

Holding a grudge is a lot like being in quicksand. When we hold a grudge, we just can't seem to get out of it's grasp. The more we think about it and struggle with it the more we sink, and the deeper we go. I really think that the only way we can get ourselves out of the quicksand of holding a grudge is through the power of God. Paul writes in Ephesians 4:26,27 "Don’t sin by letting anger gain control over you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a mighty foothold to the Devil.

Don't give the Devil a mighty foothold by holding a grudge.

Y Is For Yellow

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 the letter is Y. My post for today is a little lame, but It is what I came up with. Y is for yellow.


This photo was taken in a plantation home. This stairway was small and cramped compared to the grand stairway in the main part of the home. This stairway at the back of the house was for the servants. I was captivated by the warm yellow glow and the shapes.




My Dad's 1925 Studebaker parked in front of the old restored Studebaker dealership building in Mena, Arkansas




My family thinks that I take a lot of weird pictures. When I have my camera out, everything is fair game. As my wife was frying an egg, I just had to take a picture. Yeah, it is probably weird.




And you thought the last picture was weird!




This picture was taken at the Bluebonnet Swamp in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is a beautiful bit of swamp in the city limits that has been turned into a park with a visitors center and boardwalk so you can walk through the swamp. It is beautiful year round, but especially in the fall.




A soft focus close up of a yellow flower




In Belize, the inexpensive drinks are packaged in a plastic pouch. The yellow of the drink really draws you into this photo of a beautiful young school girl at the New Horizon SDA School in San Pedro, Belize




A soft yellow tulip after a spring rain




I photographed this beautiful old Ford street rod at the Wilhelmina Rod Run in Mena, Arkansas.

I hope the "yellow" has warmed you a bit on this cold winter day.