I hate the State Fair! It’s hot. I hate the rides. Rommie, my wife, loves the quilts. OK, I enjoy the photography. But overall, I hate going to the State Fair. I don’t think I even took my boys when they were young. I don’t remember them even asking to go. I don’t know, it’s…
I Got Lucky I almost burned down a church once. Okay, okay, relax. It was an accident. I was the pastor of a little Baptist church in Arch, New Mexico. That was forty years ago. One of my duties as the young pastor was to baptize new converts. The baptistry was behind the pulpit area…
Greater Prairie Chickens It was the spring of 1973 and we were headed to Prairie Ridge State Park in Central Illinois to watch the courtship of Greater Prairie Chickens. It was my friend Don Andrews, Willard Gray, our 4H County Extension Agent, and me. We drove over on a Friday afternoon. It was 65° when…
There is a manual for almost everything. Like, the “dummies” guides. You know, “Adulting for Dummies,” “Communication Skills for Dummies,” and “Parenting for Dummies.” That was one I could have used 30 years ago. I loved being a father. I wasn’t perfect. Not even close. I used to give a book to parents called, “The…
I’m sitting at my campsite in the Red River Gorge. It’s mid-spring, which means it’s going to rain all night. No worries. I’m prepared. I have a microfiber tarp that weighs about 1 pound. And of course a Marmot tent. I’ll stay dry until I head back to the trail head in the morning. As…
