A Journal Entry From a Day at Camp Jefferson

Bible Study at Lake Stahahe

(A journal entry from a day at Camp Jefferson) It was HOT in the cabin when we arrived, 80 degrees outside and humid. I opened up all openable windows, ran the fan, and slept out on the covered porch very comfortably. We woke at first light, put towels over our faces and dozed until 9 AM, when wakened by a cell phone call! Breakfast, more phone calls, then down the new shorter dock. Jeff swam while Barb sunbathed and enjoyed some time "in the Word." The shorter dock now puts water entrance in tall lake weeds and "gunk" from decaying lilypads. (sad face) Lots of fish jumping and one turtle sighting (I swear he was checking US out.) Canada geese swimming past Blueberry Island and tons of mating dragonflies. The daycamp kids are having a ball at former Camp Wabinaki. We'll see what other camps are in use on a boat ride later when it cools off. The hills are verdant and lush. Clouds rolling in - rain later? Toni Tucker Hearn called - how nice to stay in contact with my best friend from third grade! I must plan a girlfriend get-away next summer with Toni, Connie, Joyce and Terri (childhood friends from Beavercreek, Ohio) 4:40 PM - torrential rain here at Camp J - we are locked in until it lets up! Raincoats are in the car!!

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String Quartet Broken String

We attended a marvelous concert last night, at the Porto Museum of Casa do Infante , a beautifully-renovated 1325 building near the river. At one point it served as a customs house. The government sponsors Portuguese musicians to return from other European orchestras to perform in their homeland. We heard and saw this group play a traditional piece – Haydn string quartet Opus 20 #2. Then the modern Benjamin Britten's Three Divertimenti – the stunning last movement of which they performed as an encore. They performed (and I recorded) the Shostakovich Quartet #9, during which the first-violinist broke a string (it features several strongly-plucked chords!) and had to retreat&repeat!

Riding the Bus often

From 201010 Saudi scenes It is ironic that this land of cheap gasoline has so much group transport -- buses. From 201010 Saudi scenes Our housing compound has a Toyota-Coaster bus that takes some to/from school (we usually go earlier and return later, on a similar bus that the school provides). Driver Yahya takes residents on the 90-minute trip down to the Big City shopping every Thursday morning. The above picture shows our group one Thursday, usually going to Ikea or the new Lulu's Hypermarket , or the Dhahran Mall. Coleman rides a different bus every day to and from school -- usually 100 minutes there, 80 minutes back. His bus is evidently an old tourist bus, usually comfortable but a bit dusty. The air-conditioning usually works too well. I've ridden it with him several times, to attend business meetings at the district office. From 201010 Saudi scenes There he is, at 5:45am every morning, at the start of the bus run. Fortunately only about 20 stu...

EUA: tanto estrago em tão pouco tempo

As part of my effort to learn about Portugal, both the country and the language, I'm subscribing to the centrist newspaper, O Publico . There are plenty of newspapers: conservative tabloids, and socialist and communist-sponsored daily papers; I find O Publico to be most sober, with consistently interesting columnists and opinion pieces, in addition to some local (Porto) news, with just enough sporting news to keep me chatting with the taxi driver. Today's opinion piece sums up, I think, European pundits' view of the U.S. government. As the title puts it: so much damage in so little time. I shudder at the rank incompetence and corrupt behavior, demonstrating a cynical attitude toward public service, showing indeed that the cruelty is the point. What scandal, what damage will be the tipping point to collapse this government? And what will it take to recover from the damage? Who will be able to trust the US government again, ever? Only ni...

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