Sonflower Camp

Hello Friends of Sonflower Camp,

Camp is all planned and good to go! I just need campers to show up; the more the merrier. Then I just need all the excellent helper volunteers to show up; again, the more the merrier! The chief objective is for everyone to be blessed: campers, helpers, siblings, parents, performers! So now you know how to pray for Sonflower Camp! Okay, yes, you can pray for perfect weather, too! Perfect weather is defined: Not too hot and not too cold with no rain. I am very thankful for the prayer coverage, dear friends!

Sonflower Camp is June 9th, 10th and 11th at Joe Wheeler Park in Decatur. Thursday, the 12th, is an off day. Friday, the 13th, will be the swim day at Wise Regional Health Systems. Camp will start at 9:00. Sign in starts at 8:30. Monday, the 9th, is Patriotic Day. Tuesday, the 10th, is Pirate Day. Wednesday, the 11th, is Cowboy day. Come dressed to reflect the theme, if you wish.

David and Goliath

Abbreviated Lessons from the Word of God: David and Goliath

For 40 days, Goliath taunted the Israelite soldiers (I Samuel 17:8-10). For 40 days the soldiers trembled in fear and did nothing. David showed up and heard the taunt. Even David's oldest brother's words of discouragement (I Samuel 17:28) did not deter him. David's response? "Let no one lose heart on account of Goliath; your servant will go and fight him." When King Saul tried to influence the way David would fight Goliath, David, in effect, said, "no thank you; that's not my style." He knew he did not need the protection of the armor and the sword. David's words to Goliath: "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty.... It is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's...." David triumphed over Goliath with God, affirmative action, a sling and one stone.

Lessons we can implement: 1. David looked at the situation from God's point of view. When a problem seems daunting, realize that God is with you; you are not in the battle by yourself. 2. Give credit to God. 3. Don't let criticism or naysayers stop you. 4. Don't just stand around! There is no need to wait. Do something! Take action. Now! 5. "Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed!" Proverbs 16:3 6. Believe that you can enjoy great success like David did but remember: David was a man after God's own heart. 7. It (Life) is all about God.

Have a great day!

Lean to in Abilene: Days 7 and 8

As the sun peeked over the horizon, my husband stocked up on Sprite, lemons and limes at the local grocery there in Rotan. I started the rehydration process. By 1 p.m. I thought I was capable of getting back on the bike and continuing onward. Our plans were to bike to Sweetwater where Rick’s brother, Randy, would pick us up and take us to the home he shared with his wife, Karan, in Abilene.
Forever diligent about our tires’ air pressure, Rick stopped at a gas station as we left our hotel. So help me, there sat Goober, Gomer, Andy, Barney and Floyd straight out of Mayberry RFD shooting the breeze. These 5 jovial men, lounging after their lunch, good naturedly hoorayed and ballyhooed us as we told them about our trip.
We made surprisingly good time to Roby which was only 10 miles away. We stopped to recoup and visited with Bonnie at the Old West Antieks there on the main drag. As we consulted our thermometer, I was greatly disheartened as it reported 97 degrees. The oppressive heat was taking the wind out of my sails.
Outside of Roby, I declared “calf rope.” We called Randy and it was a relief to hear that he was on his way to intersect with us. Stopping to rest in the ditch, here came a half grown pup of a black Labrador who planted himself on my belly with a friendly smile. Smiling and panting the pup wouldn’t budge.
After we shook this dog, another one picked up the baton. This one had some cow dog mix in her and was warted all over with ticks. Oblivious to the traffic, she trotted down the middle of the road. Nothing would deter her. Our half hearted efforts with the billy club and yelling just made us feel bad.
8 miles north of Sweetwater, we intersected with Randy. Exhausted and thankful, I piled into the backseat of the pickup in the wonder of the air conditioner.
On our drive to Abilene, we passed “Bike across America” bikers on their expensive bikes in their fancy gear with their huge “sag” wagon and sheriff department escorts in the front and rear. There weren’t any dogs tagging along with them as they traveled down I 30 heading east. That’s one way to “do” a bike ride but Rick and I had chosen an entirely different way. Up close and personal with Texas and Texans, I wouldn’t have changed a thing! To each his own.
That night we dined out with the Duwe’s. I managed to eat some mashed potatoes but my stomach said “no” to anything else. As the sun set, it dawned on us that it would be wise to rest a day in Abilene. I took a long and deep bath and we called it a day.
Day 8 was spent regaining our strength and rebuilding our reserve. We knew there would be daily challenges ahead of us and it would take mental and physical preparation to complete our bike trip across Texas. I stayed at home base resting, revising our itinerary and communicating with family and friends. Rick had his “to do” list. His highest priority was purchasing some biker’s padded underwear. Other necessary acquisitions included bike tubes for more inevitable flats and a bike fender to put on Rick’s bike to downsize the load we carried on our backs. As an afterthought, I told Rick to check out the local Goodwill for some white, long-sleeved shirts to protect us from the harmful rays of the sun. The sun and heat were becoming more and more of a threat.
We had a pleasant and much needed day of rest there in Abilene. Tomorrow it would be back in the saddle again as we resumed where we left off north of Sweetwater.

From Spur to Rotan: Day 6

We had a good night sleep there in our little cottage in Spur underneath the air conditioner. When I woke up, it was overcast, cool and as calm as the eye of the storm. No wind. But I had to stick to my agreement; Rick got to sleep in. I took a bike tour of Spur. This town was as neat as a pin and you could tell the people loved their tiny town. There were brick streets, old main street structures, murals and several nice shops. My great Aunt Lea Hagins Porter was from Spur and I was on a mission to meet people who remembered her. I was not disappointed. Local reports confirmed that Aunt Lea was the kind soul I recalled.
In a light mist, I returned to our little cottage. It was not necessary to roust Rick. He was awake and ready to start getting ready. We packed up, said our “goodbyes” to our hosts the Holders and took pictures to document this layover. They didn’t accept charge cards but we heard the now familiar refrain: “Just mail us a check when you get home.” God’s provision through good hearted people was evident once again.
The wind soon made her presence known and greeted us with great enthusiasm. My diary entry made note of the verbena, black-eyed Susans and lilac bushes—finally some color in this drought stricken area. “Having to dig deep. In excruciating pain,” my illegible handwriting reminded me. Our derrieres continued to cause us great discomfort especially with the added strain of going up hills.
We had traveled 258 miles thus far through the great state of Texas. We had our rain gear on but it proved unnecessary as the clouds blew off and the heat declared itself. We biked southeastwardly and arrived at a roadside park at Putoff Canyon north of Jayton. We stopped for a snack of pralines: pecans dipped in crystallized honey. Entertainment was provided by the colors of the canyon and a monarch butterfly fusing yellow and black with the purple of the lilac bushes. A friendly roadrunner squawked at us before he ran on his way.
Heat, wind and fatigue were starting to affect us more and made the “want to” weak at times. Simple things got nixed as our spirits sagged. We skipped the nursing home in Jayton and missed the opportunity to meet the aging football star Sammy Baugh who resided there.
As we left Jayton, we saw our first dead rattlesnake. Someone had cut off it’s rattlers I guessed for a trophy. We also beheld our first bluebonnets. They were rather tired looking as they valiantly tried to make a showing in spite of the drought and wind.
We turned west straight into the wind now as we got on deserted highway 380. No gravel trucks on this stretch of 380. No nothing. We stopped to rest at the bridge that crossed the Salt Fork Branch of the Brazos River. Then we biked in solitude for 7 miles against 30+ mph winds up steep hills before we made our southerly turn toward Rotan.
Mesquite, mistletoe, cacti and sage abounded in this desolate area. The terrain looked perfect for rattlesnakes: dry, rough and rocky. We were not disappointed as we saw our first live rattlesnake exiting the road. He was four feet long and beautifully patterned. Oblivious to our presence, he was lethargic, not aggressive and appeared to like his privacy as he slowly made his getaway.
I was on high alert now as my eyes roved back and forth looking for more reptiles. Rick was behind me as we topped yet another long, slow, demoralizing climb. As he came abreast me on my left, I turned to greet him with a “Hi, honey.” As I brought my head back around to the front, there was rattlesnake number two perfectly camouflaged in the gravel just 2 feet from my right ankle. Totally caught off guard, I did the “girly scream thing”, bringing my feet to the handlebars. Rick got a good laugh out of my response. It took 30 minutes for my Texas sized goose bumps to subside.
The sun was starting to call it a day as Rick stopped for one last break before the final leg to Rotan. I felt like I was on my last leg. We could see the lights of Rotan way off in the distance on yonder hill as the sun rewarded us with a beautiful sunset. Tired, I had zero desire to get off my bike and rest in the sandy ditch. Forget food. With some trepidation, I had rattlesnake on the brain and my only desire was to get to our destination ASAP. As I prodded Rick to get up and go, we put on our lights for night travel. We took off as the sun dipped below the hills.
Rotan was rolling out the blue carpet for us. The lush bluebonnets released their evening fragrance as we flew past them on the steep downhill path in the near dark.
It was with great displeasure accompanied by more mountainous goose bumps that I spied another four foot long rattlesnake lounged on the road directly in my path. 50 yards further on, rattlesnake #4 gathered the last vestige of warmth from the asphalt. I was now pedaling for all I was worth concentrating hard on the path in front of me.
We arrived at the Windword Hotel in Rotan at 9:40 p.m. I settled in while Rick rode off to obtain some fast food. Relieved to be in a safe place, I resolved to never bike in the dark again if I could help it.
I was not much interested in eating but I did inhale some french fries and a few grudging bites of a nondescript chicken sandwich. I took a quick bath and hit the sack, staring at our map and making a few notations in my journal about the day’s ride. We had traveled 59 miles in 10 ½ hours. We were at mile 317. It had been a hard day’s work to be followed by a hard day’s night….
Two hours after going to bed, miserable and sleepless, tossing and turning, I realized there was a storm brewing in my stomach. My undigested food sloshed to and fro. I finally succumbed to the mounting urge to be sick. The epizootic had struck. I kept my husband apprised of my misery as I moaned and groaned throughout the remainder of the night.

Day 5: When the going gets tough....

Matador to Spur
“When the going gets tough, the tough get going….”
“See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord.”
Colossians 4:17

I woke up with a fat lower lip from sunburn. Our shoulders were sore from our backpacks and our derrieres (polite word for butts) hurt a 10 on the scale from 1-10. Ibuprofen was a very necessary commodity and we were using up our supply fast. I had trouble rousting Rick out of bed this next morning. “I’m 2 ½ years older than you,” was his excuse. He wanted breakfast but he settled for orange juice. The wind was bad. We struggled into Roaring Springs after just 8 miles and bummed around there building up courage for a few more miles. I prayed to God asking for the wind to abate. I guess God had more lessons of endurance for me to participate in and the wind continued throughout the day. I resorted to singing hymns and praying to distract me from the trials at hand. I called a friend to ask for prayer. I encouraged Rick to draft off me but he just couldn’t or wouldn’t get the hang of it. I would try to draft off him but he was going too slow. One bright spot of temporary encouragement came along. Sharon McMullen, in route to Austin to help with the grandchildren, stopped with warm hugs and well wishes. We needed that Sharon McMullen boost!
My husband wanted a sag wagon and verbalized thoughts of a rent car and a cab. Rick kept saying “if” we make it to the beach which would tick me off considerably as he showed his doubt about finishing our trip. I kept saying “when” and Rick would say “if.” Two totally different mind sets. Two totally different people and personality types. Lots of frustration. My Life Application Bible adds these comments to Colossians 4:17: “There are many ways for us to leave our work unfinished. We can easily get sidetracked morally, we can become exhausted and stop, we can get mad and quit, or we can let it slide and leave it up to others. We should see to it that we finish God’s assignments, completing the work we have received.” That’s where I was coming from. Rick’s thought processes were, “It is not your timetable or my timetable but God’s timetable.” I acknowledged that this was true but argued “God wants us to finish!”
My journal entry read “Ugh! We sack out at the Dickens County Line. Wind 30 mph. Honey brightens our eyes. We are covered with a crust of salt, sand and snot. The wind does not give up…. It is 85 degrees.” I was thinking again of the great stories of trial and triumph: Pilgrim’s Progress, Lord of the Rings, Christopher Columbus and Lewis and Clark. I even thought of ET and the wonderful bike ride scene as his earth friends secreted him away and tried to help him with his desire to “Go Home.” I called my buddies at work. I could be totally honest with them about the complexity of the ride. My friends at work were a huge encouragement to me and it did me a lot of good to tell them about our struggles and trials.
We stopped at least hourly to rest, eat and regain our strength. Of course, consistent with our personality types, I didn’t want to stop. Rick did. I was happy with a 10 minute break. But Rick wanted longer. This conflict was never resolved and was a source of frustration clear to the beach.
As we descended into Dickens we stopped to rest. It was close to 7 p.m. and was 92 degrees. We were tuckered out. I knew there was a motel in Dickens but had been encouraged by several folks not to stay there if we could help it. My friend back home had laughed about the possibility of “roach hotels” along the way. So far, no roach motel and I really wanted to keep it that way. We biked slowly through the quiet town and didn’t see a soul. On our way out of town, we stopped at the only place we saw that was open at the crossroads of 114 and 70-a liquor store. We were hot, tired and discouraged as we guzzled orange juice and grapefruit juice and refilled our water bottles with cold H2O. Rick’s friend Curt Hogue called at this point. The proprietress said, “The wind is dying down and there are no hills between here and Spur. Why don’t ya’ll head on?” So we did. We reached way down into that very deep, deep place and pulled up some more “want to.” I had called ahead to make sure there was a room but received a recording from Jewell at “The Spur Inn.” Her message ended, “And remember! We love you!” So with that said I was banking on a room at The Spur Inn.
We made 11 miles in one hour compared to our previous 3, 4 and 5 mph forward progress against the wind before the wind settled. It was cool and the tables had completely turned around. Wind was no longer our foe and had retracted her menacing threats. We arrived in Spur at 8:30. We biked through town and spied the Spur Inn. In one movement, I dropped my bike and bounded up the stairs. Door open, there sat Jewell with her oxygen nasal canula in her nose quilting on a yo-yo quilt in her lap. She beckoned me in with a big smile and dancing eyes. I hugged her neck and asked, “do you have a room for a weary traveler?” She said, “Honey, I’m gonna put you in my little cottage out back.” Her husband, Jim, got up to greet me. By then Rick had arrived. “Cottage” sounded like big bucks to me and I said, “Jewell, we are on a budget.” She said, “Honey, you don’t have to pay me.” Of course we wanted to pay, just not eighty bucks. She also offered their truck, “Go get you something to eat. You must be starving.” Jim ended up driving us to the local fast food place. The young man who waited on us was friendly and I noted dog tags around his neck. His brother was serving in Iraq and the dog tags were around his neck to remind him of his brother. The young man also had his marijuana necklace on which I just had to inquire about. “Oh, I just like to wear it.” ‘Course I commented on the dog tags, too, and tried to focus on the positive. We took our nutritionally bankrupt meal back to our cottage, and inhaled the salty food. I lathered on the catsup and am glad there were no witnesses as we devoured the food. Just picture a couple of ravenous, filthy pirates stranded on a hot and windy deserted island digging in and it will be close enough…. Of course, as a health nut my body and mind were screaming “no” the whole time I ate but my defenses were low and lust for salt and grease won out over my common sense.
Grateful for a clean room, we cranked down the ac, took our respective showers and hit the hay. I was grateful for separate beds. Rick had expressed his desire to sleep in. That was the deal. If he would get up and go early that a.m., he could sleep in the next day. We had ascertained it might be to our benefit if we got a later start and biked at dusk or in the dark when the wind let up a little. So I acquiesced to his desire to sleep in.