unMediocre

Rome Braves vs Asheville Tourists in Asheville. The T’s are winning after 3.
This is so much cooler than MLB. We’re 4 rows behind the dugout for $10. It’s about 72-degrees…not a cloud in the sky.
Breathe in…that’s true Americana you smell.
Happy 4th.

So Annette and I are going off for a few days for our anniversary this Saturday through Monday. Then we take off next Wednesday for a week of camping in North Carolina with my parents. Excitement wouldn’t even begin to describe what we’re feeling about the next couple of weeks. We haven’t truly vacationed in far too long. FAR too long.

So… 10 or 11 days away from the madness… Tell me…What should I read?

This image popped up on my screen at 11:45pm. Aaaaahhhh… PTO = day off (paid time off)

Today is Annette’s 33rd birthday. I have a few surprises in store for her, but we’re mostly going to chill. Gotta love it. I played a little prank on her today here.

BTW, she’s STILL older than me.

Could it be a more perfect Memorial Day in Georgia? Good grief… The temp is perfect. The sun is shining. What an awesome day to sit back and relax while we bask in the freedom that so many men and women have given their lives to protect. Freedom is fragile…and costly.

I’ve cleaned off the back porch and pulled some briars out of the azaleas. Now it’s time to cut the grass. Friends from our journey group will be showing up in a couple of hours to grill some shrimp. Waka waka!

What are you doing to bask in freedom today?

This is what I’d like.

Annette and I have become addicted to a PBS show called “Globetrekkers.” The show has quite a few ‘travellers’ who each host their own episodes. They occasionally hit up pretty normal places, but most of the time, they’re taking you to places you normally wouldn’t think about visiting. What I love is how un-polished the show is… It’s not one of those shows that’s really an advertisement for a multitude of brands. The travellers are normally hitchhiking, taking cabs, and staying in local lodging.

This is a great show to watch if you want to authenticate your world view of cultures. Seeing nations from this perspective is a little bit like the perspective you get from going on a short term mission trip.

This week, Ian Wright took us to Iran. Some things we learned…

• A clean but no-frills hotel is only $10/night.
• A cross-country flight can cost as little as $11.
• 25 liters of gas (about 6.6 gallons) cost $1.00. That is NOT a type-o.
• To be a musician in the palace of Shah Abbas (not sure if it was the 1st or 2nd one), you had to be castrated and blind to be allowed to perform. He also had a very large heram. You do the math.
• Iran’s second biggest export is caviar. [obviously, oil is the first]
• A 300-mile cab ride cost only $4.50.
• The most expensive hotel (which is pretty nice, actually) is $46/night.
• The dude ate sheeps’ brain from a street vendor for breakfast. I’ll stick to my protein bar, thank you.

I’ve been feeling a little homesick the last couple of days. And then it hit me today that seven months ago this week, I was there. If the measure of love for a place is how longingly you dream to return after you’ve left, then I love Burkina Faso, Africa.

I miss the colors…

I miss the sounds…

I miss their faces…
(more…)

Spring has finally truly sprung. No more freezing temps (we think). Working on getting the backyard suitable for family fun… Got the pond/waterfall cleaned up tonight and making that nice trickling sound in the background. And am burning up the leftover firewood in the fire cauldron. Annette and I are sipping our favorite hot beverages (hers…coffee with lots of fru fru creamer, and mine a soy chai with a splash of hazelnut).

Can’t beat it.

I love this post on my wife’s blog…