ON THE ROAD AGAIN

A friend of ours heard about our "journey of faith, fisher, forests, family, friends and fun" and suggested we set up a Blog. A what? So here we are....on the road again with Bocahontas and Buba. Blessed with the freedom of time, we were inspired by two of our favorite causes. So we organized a road trip to Alaska which should not only be fun but also an opportunity to spread the good word about The Fisher Houses , The Orthodox Christian Mission Center/Programs and some of our National Parks. We are participating in a 2 week Mission in Tyonek, Alaska with the OCMC group in June. Feel free to check out the planned trip on the calendar link. Caribou Cabins? Blue Moose? Tundra Lodge? and our soon to be "favorite" Motel 6. Any and all suggestions, prayers and good karma are welcome and very much appreciated....poor Buba, in a car with Pam for 5 months. Lions, and tigers and bears oh my! Toggle down to the calendar and see where we are over the next months. We ask for your prayers.

Grab yourself a cold one and come along for the ride. Enjoy and laugh along with us viewing the daily blogs which are archived on the left side of this page in chronological order. We started April 22- Happy Trails!

THE LONG & WINDING ROAD

THE LONG & WINDING ROAD

The Fisher House

The Fisher House program is a unique private-public partnership that supports America's military in their time of need. The Fisher House Foundation, through the kindness of donations received, provides "comfort homes" that are built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers. These homes enable America's military families to be together during extended treatment for serious illness or lengthy physical sessions....very much like the Ronald McDonald homes for families of children in a similar situation. We were first introduced to Fisher House while visiting Brooke Army Medical Center (Burn Center) in San Antonio. We were so moved by the dedication and love of the staff and volunteers that we returned for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Currently there are 44 Fisher Houses (more in the works) and our goal is to visit all of them and spread the good word to family and friends. Please feel free to peruse their website for a detailed explanation about the Fisher House Foundation and programs. Perhaps you will be inspired by the work this group does on behalf of our Armed Forces.

Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC)

The Orthodox Christian Mission Center is the official foreign mission agency of all the Orthodox Jurisdictions (i.e. Greek, Russian, Serb etc.) The goal of the OCMC is to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ where it presently does not exist and to establish vibrant Orthodox Eucharistic Communities throughout the world. We have had the privilege and pleasure to admire the work of this organization (headquarters located in St. Augustine, Florida) for years and now that we are retired we have the blessing to participate. We are on the road to Alaska to join a Mission Team in Tyonek for a couple weeks to do some construction and teaching in an Athabascan Indian Village. "If I had a hammer"...you'll be happy to know I deep sixed the acrylic nails in anticipation of caulking and painting. :) Please take a peek at the OCMC web site for details on all of the programs they are involved with throughout the world. And do stop in to see Father Martin and his kind and loving staff when you are in St. Augustine! We will also be visiting family, friends and Orthodox Churches while on the road to share the marvelous work of the OCMC.

National Parks

Most people know that the National Park Service cares for national parks, a network of nearly 400 natural, cultural and recreational sites across the nation. The treasures in this system – the first of its kind in the world –have been set aside by the American people to preserve, protect, and share, the legacies of this land.


People from all around the world visit national parks to experience America's story, marvel at the natural wonders, and have fun. Places like the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, and Gettysburg are popular destinations, but so too are the hundreds of lesser known yet equally meaningful gems like Rosie the Riveter in California, Boston Harbor Islands in Massachusetts, and Russell Cave in Alabama.


The American system of national parks was the first of its kind in the world, and provides a living model for other nations wishing to establish and manage their own protected areas. The park service actively consults with these Nations, sharing what we've learned, and gaining knowledge from the experience of others.


Beyond national parks, the National Park Service helps communities across America preserve and enhance important local heritage and close-to-home recreational opportunities. Grants and assistance are offered to register, record and save historic places; create community parks and local recreation facilities; conserve rivers and streams, and develop trails and greenways.


We hope to see you soon in a national park and invite you to explore the ways we can help you preserve what’s important in your hometown.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Day 129 HOTLANTA AND BEAUTIFUL BUCKHEAD

Unlike Buba, I always loved living in Atlanta. Buckhead (within Atlanta's city limits) felt like country living by virtue of all the trees ,woods and even some horses. Yet it is only 15 minutes from downtown. So we take another walk down memory lane at the old homestead on 736 Conway Glen.

There were 7 houses built on this former estate of a Coca Cola heir. Our house was the only "spec" home and it made quite a splash in the Atlanta paper when we bought it...."Couple from Florida buys Buckhead house site unseen." . How? I had the Realtor take pictures of the house of course. Plus we had her take pics from every window, the other homes and all of the street, no surprises. She overnighted the photo's and I pieced and taped together the 200 photos and made a mock up of the house and hood. Voila-sold.

We put a lot of work and dough into the house and grounds. Buba never understood why I had to add 3 bathrooms to the 7 that were already there..... Maybe it was sharing that 1 bathroom all those years in Dolton had Boca overamp on the pee stations. Buba likes to remind me of this being the only house we have lost money on. Sour puss. I can see the new owners took it up a notch with the stone work and new garden-hey what happened to my Bradford Pear trees? And my Japanese Maple? Naturally, I wanted to go up to the door and get a tour but Buba would have none of it....so beep beep let's go....I must see what they did to the interior. I'll Be Back! When you go 'home" do you visit where you used to live?

I guess Buba still has a bad taste in his mouth about all the racial politics that went on during his stint in Atlanta-especially during the Olympics planning. Old Buba just didn't understand "why can't we just all get along?" My sad memory was going to Emory for 5 years to get my PhD and having to leave to go back to Florida (due to biz). The result was I did not finish my dissertation. After I did all the heavy lifting at the grad school, this was a big let down. Can you believe after blood sweat tears and linear programming and regression analysis that I didn't complete THE paper.

I thought it would be no sweat to return to Anro and finish off THE paper. Wrong. I saved the boxes of my research until I sold Anro and lost my jumbo storage space. What was I saving the papers for??? What was the point? I cried for 2 hours shredding the papers. I guess it meant the finality of an incompletion or as I saw it a failure. I remember starting back to grad school and hearing the term ABD. What is ABD? All But Dissertation. Huh? Who in the heck would go through all of this hard work and not complete the final paper?? Oh no, of course that would never be me. Well there you go. As I said a walk down memory lane-the good, the bad and the ugly.

Lovely Liza Llewelyn

Their sons went to school with Nick and Alex- Chris was in Nick's grade and Jared was in Alex's. Liza was the consummate Mom-so involved with the kids and their school. Including last year when she had both boys and a buddy post college living with them! Liza is one marshmallow. She pointed to her hubby's over 600 cookbooks and that he still enjoyed cooking and asked if Buba still did his cooking. Not as much as he used to as Boca Raon is the land of never ending reservations. We also shared our sadness with the recent loss of our dear friend Judy Haas. She succumbed to breast cancer after a long hard fight. Judy's kindness, love of life and philanthropic giving set the standard for many. She will be missed by both Liza and Boca.

Thanks again Liza it was fun to catch up. Enjoyed the wine and delicious cheeses....sorry about the "cheesey" bottle of Turning Leaf I dragged out of the car...that was meant for Alex!! Ha.

While Lana the cocker initially gave Lulu the cool shoulder they eventually warmed up to each other...Diva's!. The pet friendly Llewelyn house made Pleep feel right at home too. He enjoyed cat chasing. Love to David and the "boys"!
Posted by Sharing our Journey of Faith at 9:11 AM