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.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Day 3 She's a Tallahassee Lassie

We had the pleasure of visiting Renate and Keith Baker in Buba's College town. Renate worked with me at Anro for years then fled to Tallahassee. Something about "a person can only take so much". Dr. Baker is retired from Tax Watch. I suggested he come out of retirement and head up to Washington. It went from suggesting to begging then pleading. They live in the most glorious setting in the country which included a howling coyote (talk about a midnight wake up call stirring every dog within 5 miles up to join in the singing) and no drive way. Pulling in there at night with no lamp post and no driveway made for an dramatic entry. You would think with 3 GPS systems on board we would not get lost. Hmmm, something about reading the directions so we know how to operate one of them was mumbled. 3? Car, Garmin and my Blackberry. We have learned that we need to stick to day time driving as our "new" eyes are still very fuzzy at nite.

Thank you Bascom Palmer and no they did not heal up in a month as promised. And thank you Renate, Keith and Java (most adorable pooch, a pug that is also nick named Leaping Lizard and trained us not to leave shoes on the floor) for a wonderful time including visiting Florida State and the Bobby Bowden shrine, oops I mean statue where Buba went to genuflect, Florida A and M (FAMU/historically all black college with a very impressive campus-relevant today??), our state Capitol (Keith keeping the child window locks on so I couldn't shout out to our legislatures my opinion of how they are doing) and most of all the FRIED PICKLES. I suppose if I didn't hog the order of those salty delicacies I would not have the Hillary Clinton ankles today.

Then on to the Eglin Air Force Base for a visit and checking out the space for the soon to be built Fisher House. Did you know Eglin is the largest AFB in the world? After Keith "badged" his way on to the base and making me promise not to act out with my camera or lips we drove and drove and drove around the base. Then it was time for lunch and I figured where else but the Officer's Club would I eat? I tried to "badgeRR" my way into the Officers Club but no soap. Badges? Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges! Somehow they had already heard about my ankles. We did walk the space of the soon to be built Fisher house and immediately recruited their first volunteer, our friend Annie Heidkamp. This is our first Dept. of Defense Fisher House (as opposed to the Veteran Hospitals previously visited) location. You would be proud of Eglin as it is clean, park like, well taken care of and appears to be high tech. What do they mean by special ops?? I told Buba that I thought calling the Sale at the PX a special opp was very cleaver. Let's go Buba, maybe you could pick up a GPS we can actually work.....
Posted by Sharing our Journey of Faith at 5:47 AM