Grand Kids On The Way

Wade Daniel, Marie, Juliet and Leah are driving down from Fort Collins, Colorado today to spend over a week with us for the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.  So, I’m not sure when I’ll get to post as there will be things to do that are more important than writing posts – such as playing with the girls.

Corrales Harvest Festival–Horse Extravaganza

Corrales bills itself as “The Horse Capital of New Mexico.”  There’s some validity as there are about 9,000 people and 3,000 horse in Corrales.

To showcase our equine population, the Horse Extravaganza was started three years ago as part of the Corrales Harvest Festival.  After the flag is presented and the National Anthem played, an honoree (or honorees) are introduced.  These are people who have contributed over the years to success of equines in Corrales.

The next segment is a presentation of the various breeds.  After a short break, there are demonstrations of various equine disciplines.

We had our largest crowd this year so it’s impact on the community is growing.

Here’s a video of the photos I took at this year’s event.

Corrales Harvest Festival–Pet Parade

The Corrales Harvest Festival was held this past weekend.  Besides, arts and crafts, hay wagon rides, all kinds of good food, entertainment, the two highlights are the Pet Parade and the Horse Extravaganza.

The Pet Parade is open to all pets and livestock in Corrales.  The Horse Extravaganza is a demonstration of the various breeds that live in Corrales.

I have been the photographer for the Horse Extravaganza since it started three years ago.  I was asked to be the photographer for this year’s Pet Parade.

Here’s a video of the photos I took during the Pet Parade.  I’ll have the Horse Extravaganza up tomorrow.

Big Island Recap

Here’s the second and final installment of our pictures from the trip to Hawaii we took with Betty’s sister Margie.

The first slide show is our trip to the Big Island.  We knew we had reservations on Mokulele Airlines, but we had no idea is was such a small commuter plane. Our pilot, Chris, did all the other jobs, including giving safety instructions from his pilot’s seat.  The safety instructions basically amounted to, “Don’t sweat it.  The chances of anything going wrong are pretty small.”  The last picture in the slide show is a lava tube that was on the side of the road.  The Big Island is the youngest of the islands and the volcanoes are still very active.

The second slide show is the pictures we took around our hotel, the Hapuna Beach Resort.  It had a beautiful pool and just beyond it a grassy strip under the trees where you could sit and watch the beach.  The beach was just a short walk from the pool and it’s a great beach.  There is no drop off in the sandy bottom as you walk into the water and the water is crystal clear.  It’s pretty calm in the morning and there are some decent waves in the afternoon as the trade winds pick up.  There are several feral cats who live on the property, including the one little gray kitten who joined us each day when we sat under the trees.  He was pretty wild, but, by the end of the week, he would sit on the chair beside us – but he never let us pet him.

The only driving trip we took was to Hilo on the Eastern side of the island.  On the way we stopped at the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens.  This is a garden that was developed privately and it is beautiful.

On our way to Hilo we stopped to show Margie the Waipio Valley.  There are several taro farms and it has been settled by the Hawaiians since the earliest days.  Hilo is an older town – originally a whaling town.  One of our favorite Hawaiian restaurants is the Café Pesto in Hilo.  We also stopped at the Mauna Loa macadamia factory gift shop to stock up on nuts – especially ones covered in dark chocolate and toffee.  On our way back to our hotel we had to stop for a Hawaii shave ice with ice cream in the bottom.

Kona is a small town on the Western side of the Big Island.  We ate a late lunch at Hugo’s On The Rocks.  While we were there a pod of Spinner Dolphins swam in and gave us a show by leaping out of the water and spinning around – hence the name. After eating lunch we bought some 100% Kona coffee from a sweet lady in a small trailer. We also saw some of the feral chickens and roosters that inhabit the islands.

Finally, to close out our Hawaii pictures, here’s a slide show of some of our favorite sunsets.

Ke Akua Ho'omaika'I Oe!  (God bless you!)

Sunday Reflection - Fire

As Betty and I came home from the Corrales Harvest Festival yesterday (pictures to come in a couple of days), we saw another fire in the Jemez Mountains to the North of us.  Fortunately, this is a smaller fire than the one earlier in the Summer and they expect to be able to contain it with little trouble.

Between Arizona, Texas and New Mexico, it’s been a year of destruction by fire.

That got me thinking about fire in the Bible.  It’s a powerful image.  Here are just a few of the images of fire in God’s word.

Fire will reveal our work and on what foundation it is built upon.

If any man builds on this foundation (Jesus) using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. (1 Corinthians 3:12-13)

God is fire – and a consuming one at that.

Do not put out the Spirit's fire… (1 Thessalonians 5:19-20)

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire."  (Hebrews 12:28-29)

Our tongues can be fire – and not good fires.

The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. (James 3:6)

Fire can refine that which is not pure – gold or our faith.

These have come so that your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1 Peter 1:7)

God will use fire to cleanse the earth in preparation for the New Earth.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. (2 Peter 3:10)

Fire can warm us, cook our food, refine our metals and be an element of enjoyment and sharing on a cold night.  At the same time it can destroy – literally and figuratively – and be used by God to cleanse.

Fire!

Maui Recap

Here’s the first of two recaps of our Hawaii trip – one for our week on Maui and one for our week on Hawaii, the Big Island.  As you know we shared our trip with Margie, Betty’s sister and it was a great time.

The recap will be a series of slide shows of our pictures.  The first is a general recap of Maui showing our flight into Maui, lunch at Mama’s Fish House, shots of Lahaina and a few shots of snorkelers at Honolua Bay, one of our favorite snorkeling spots.

The second slide show is the photos of our condo at Kapalua Villas and the surrounding area.  You’ll also see photos of some of the birds that joined us for breakfast and a para-surfer.

The third slide show is a craft fair that’s held every Sunday in Lahaina.  There are some nice crafts, but this time there was also a hula exhibition put on by young girls of all ages from North Maui.

The fourth slide show is our dinner and show at the Old Lahaina Luau.  It’s set right next to the ocean.  As you arrive and walk around the grounds you can watch the sun set.  There is some pre-dinner entertainment and the show starts right after dinner.  The show is the history of the hula from the settling of the islands until the present.  You’ll see a photo of me and a neat server named Kyle.  He was our server the last time we were there a year and a half ago.  This time he was serving the tables right next to us.  We reconnected and he did remember us, especially Betty with whom he has a special connection.

The fifth slide show is our drive on the Road to Hana.  Hana is a small village on the East coast of Maui.  The drive along the coast is only 50 miles long, but there are over 600 hair pin curves and 100 one-lane bridges.  So, you can’t drive it very fast.  There are beautiful overlooks, water falls and pools and tropical plants to see.  It’s a lot of fun.

The final slide show is a group of surfers we watched on our trip home from Hana.  We watched para-surfers and traditional surfers.  It was fun to watch them and wish I were younger and lived in Hawaii.

I’ll have the Big Island recap up on Monday.  Regards, Dan & Betty

Heading Home

We’re leaving tonight, Tuesday.  We leave the Big Island at 8:30 PM for an hour flight to Oahu.  Then, at 10:50 PM we’ll catch our overnight flight to Phoenix, AZ.  If everything goes well, we should be home about noon or so on Wednesday.

So, we leave Hawaii after two wonderful weeks.

I’ll do a couple of recap posts of our trip after we get home.  God’s blessings to all.

Last Day Sea Turtle

Today, Monday, is our last full day in the islands.  We head home tomorrow evening.

This morning Betty and I got to the beach about 9:30 AM while the water was still pretty calm.  We hadn’t snorkeled yet on this trip so we wanted to get one snorkel trip in before we left.

The day was perfect with calm water, sunny so we could see well in the clear water and a light breeze.  We snorkeled around several points and saw lots of beautiful fish and formations on the rocks.  Unfortunately, I didn’t buy an underwater camera this trip.

On our way back Betty was behind me and I heard her yell, “Dan.”  I turned around and she was pointing into the water and yelled “Sea turtle.”  I swam back and sure enough there was a sea turtle feeding on the rocks just below the surface of the water.

He was at the point in the center right of this photo – on the beach side of the rocks.

As we hovered close to him he actually swam right up to us until he was only about six inches away as he fed.  We looked at him and he looked at us as he munched his breakfast. I couldn’t resist and I reached out and touched his shell.  It had a velvety feel to it.  Since he was so close to the surface we could see his real colors – it was a beautiful sight.  I am so sorry I didn’t have a camera.

We watched him for maybe ten minutes or so before we swam back to the beach.

It was a real God-treat for us on our last day.  Perhaps the same turtle that swam under Betty’s feet a couple of days ago?

Sunday Reflection–The Seas

And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:9-10)

A Chance Encounter

We were in the water yesterday, about 4 feet deep.  It was morning so the waves were pretty calm.  All of a sudden we noticed a young couple with their little daughter moving toward us.

They told us, “A sea turtle is coming your way.”  Sure enough a large sea turtle swam right below Betty just missing her.  We watched it for several yards before it swam into a rocky area.

It looked very similar to the one in the picture only we were on a sandy bottom instead of the rocky bottom in the picture.

One of those little neat gifts from God.

Slow Down Friday

If you need to slow down at the end of your week, here’s a short video from Hawaii to help you relax.

Enjoy.

Having Friends In For Breakfast

Before leaving our condo in Maui yesterday, Tuesday, we had a few friends join us for breakfast.  They weren’t much for conversation, but they liked my chocolate muffin.

Big Island

We left Maui yesterday, Tuesday, and flew to the Big Island, Hawaii, on Mokulele Airlines.  The flight lasted about 45 minutes and the weather was great.

Mokulele Airlines is a fairly small commuter airline and our pilot, Chris, was pilot, maintenance man and flight attendant.  You’ll see in the picture below that he just leaned in from the cockpit to give us our safety instructions.  The other nice thing is you don’t have to go through security for inter-island flights and you can take your Starbucks iced mocha on the plane with you.  Ah, the good old days.

We’re staying at the Hopuna Beach Prince Hotel.  Here’s a view of the swimming pool and beach beyond it.

Finally, our first Big Island sunset.  There was a ‘green flash,’ but I didn’t capture it with the camera – hopefully this evening.

Last Night on Maui

We’re packing to take a short plane ride tomorrow from Maui to the Big Island, Hawaii.  We’ve had a great week with a lot of fun and good food and drink.

Here’s a picture of the sun rise from the balcony on our condo. (With the four hour time difference I got up early a lot of mornings.)

More to come.

Hawaii Update

It’s Thursday night in Maui, Hawaii.  Betty and I and Betty’s sister Margie all got in OK on Tuesday evening.  Yesterday we had lunch at a great restaurant, Mama’s Fish House, on the North shore of Maui. 

Today we made the drive down the Road to Hana on the East coast of Maui.  One way, it’s about 50 miles but there are over 600 curves in that 50 miles.  And lots of one-way bridges.  It’s a beautiful drive and lots of fun.  This is the third trip for Betty and me, but a first for Margie.

On the way back to our condo at Kapalua we stopped and watched some surfers and I got this decent shot.

I’ll try to give an update every couple of days. When we get home and I can work with all my pictures and movies I’ll do a more complete recap of our trip.

Be safe and well.

Dan

Heading West

As you read this, Betty and I are on a plane heading for Maui, Hawaii.  We’re going to be gone for two weeks – a week on Maui and a week on Hawaii, the Big Island.

This is a celebration trip for us.  We’re celebrating 50 years together – 6 years going together in high school and college and 44 years of marriage.  We’re also celebrating my recovery from prostate cancer.

We’re sharing this trip with Betty’s sister, Margie.  We’re meeting her at the Maui airport.  It should be a fun time as she’s a neat person.

I’ll have my laptop with me so I’ll try to do an occasional post with a more extensive recap when we get home.

So, be good while we’re gone and stay out of the cookie jar.

Monday Video–Life

Life is wonderful – from beginning to end.  Enjoy this video of the beginning of a new life.

Have a safe and happy Labor Day holiday.

Sunday Reflection - Hate

Let those who love the Lord hate evil… (Psalms 97:10)

We often talk about God loves the whole world.  God is love (1st John 4:16).  But the Bible also makes it clear that God hates as well and his hate is personal. The Hebrew word literally means a personal hate.

So, what does God hate?  Taking a quick scan through a Concordance on the word ‘hate’ we find that God hates:

-- All who do wrong (Psalms 5:5)
-- Those who cling to worthless idols (Psalms 31:6)
-- Wickedness (Psalms 45:7)
-- Evil (Psalms 97:10)
-- Deeds of faithless men (Psalms 101:3)
-- Double-minded men (Psalms 119:113)
-- Falsehood (Psalms 119:163)
-- Pride (Proverbs 8:13)
-- Those who love death (Proverbs 8:36)
-- Robbery and iniquity (Isaiah 61:8)
-- Religious feasts (Amos 5:21)
-- Plotting evil against a neighbor and swearing falsely (Zechariah 8:17)
-- Divorce (Malachi 2:16)
-- A man covering himself with violence (Malachi 2:16)
-- The practices of the Nicolaitans (Revelation 2:6)

Why does God hate these things?  Is it because they are bad?  You can argue that, but I don’t think that’s the whole story.

Here’s what I believe (and I’m open to correction)…

Because God is love he hates (1) those things, actions, behaviors that take people away from him and (2) those things, actions, behaviors that harm a person or someone else.

For example, clinging to worthless idols and religious feasts can and does take people away from the presence of God.

Additionally, actions such as doing wrong, robbery and violence clearly hurt the person and those around him.  God hates divorce because of what divorce does to husbands and wives and their children – but I firmly believe that God still loves those who choose divorce.

You can argue all of these are sins, but a loving God stands ready to forgive each and every one.  There’s only one unforgiveable sin – blaspheming the Holy Spirit (Luke 12:10).

So, is it OK for a Christian to hate?  Yes, as long as we hate what God’s hates – actions and behaviors that steal people away from God and hurt themselves and others.  At the same time we’re to love the people behind the actions and behaviors (Luke 6:27).

That’s not easy.

Beginning the Climb

One of the ‘fun’ things to watch from our house is the movement of the sun as it makes its trek from winter to summer and back again.  If you know anything about the sun’s movement, it moves from 23 degrees South of the equator at the dead of winter to 23 degrees North of the equator at the height of summer.

At the height of summer, the sun rises well to the left of the Sandia Mountains.  As summer wanes and we approach fall it moves up the Sandias to the top and down the other side to the depth of winter.  At the deepest part of winter the sun rises between the Sandia Mountains and the Monzano Mountains, South of the Sandias.

Since we’re in the end of summer approaching fall, the sun is beginning its climb up the Northern side of the Sandia Mountains.

Friday Funnies–Maximus

Disney does some great movies – especially cartoons.  They have done some good horse characters, but the best by far, in my humble opinion, is Maximus from the recent “Tangled.”

If you’re a horse lover it’s worth seeing this movie on DVD or On Demand just to see Maximus.