The Rosewood Project

Final few days

2009-08-11T12:23:00.002-04:00

Our time in Alaska is drawing to a close, but we've been able to continue our adventures. Saturday we drove through Anchorage, visited the downtown market, and headed down to the ski/tourist town of Girdwood. We stayed overnight at the Crow Creek Mine, and tried our hands again at panning for gold. No luck this time. But we have a great hike. We came across a hand tram over a raging river gorge, and tested our bravery and our upper body strength.

We also visited another glacier -- this time we went to the Portage Glacier, which calves icebergs into Portage Lake. The boat tour we took brought us close to the face.

Yesterday we spent a good deal of time cleaning up the RV, dropping it off and shuttling to the hotel. But we did fit in a late afternoon horse ride in a cross country ski park. All went well for man and beast, and Jason even got his wish to try galloping when his horse bolted!

Today we pack up, and spend some time downtown while waiting to board our overflight flight. All in all, this has been a once in a lifetime adventure for our family, and for it we are truly and deeply grateful. But we're all also ready to return home.

Down through Alaska's Interior

2009-08-07T21:29:00.008-04:00

Tuesday morning we left our campsite early to go to the Eldorado Gold Mine. After getting some instruction on the history of mining and the how to on finding gold, we got to pan for gold on our own. We were all intently focused on the task at hand, and struck gold. Each of us had at least a few flakes in our pans, worth a total of $77!

After all that work it was time to relax. We drove northeast to Chena Hot Springs, where we relaxed in the different hot (and regular) pools. This one pictured below had a jet of hot water that gave a terrific massage.
At the end of the day, a number of forestry pickup trucks arrived, and crews climbed out and started putting on gear. Then a helicopter arrived, with a sling and a huge water bag underneath. Turns out a wildfire started just a mile away, and crews were scrambling to get it contained as soon as possible. While we ate dinner, we watched 3 water bombers fly back and forth over the resort site.

We got a beautiful site just down the road, at a state recreation area--the campsites were well spaced from one another. Wednesday morning, we woke to an eerie yellow daylight, caused by the smoke from the nearby fires.

As we drove south from Fairbanks to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, the smoke numerous forest fires filled the skies. This is the 'scenic view' from a roadside pullout, along the Tanana River.

A highway sign at Delta Junction, right at the end of the Alaska Highway. A number of Alaskan warning signs place a high value on clarity.

Much of the drive south from Fairbanks was alongside the Alaska Pipeline, from Prudhoe Bay on the Beaufort Sea all the way down to Valdez on the Gulf of Alaska. Here Jason lends his presence to help with perspective.

Thursday morning we went to the visitor center at Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, the largest of all in the national parks system -- more than 12 million acres. Then we headed back east toward Anchorage on the Glenn Highway, stopping for the night at the Matanuska Glacier. The glacier is more than a mile in the distance behind the RV.

After dinner we hiked out to see it at closer range. once we got past the hills and valleys of silt and gravel deposits, we could walk on the ice -- a surreal bluish colour due to its density and suspended particles.

This morning (Friday) we went up the Hatcher Pass and spent most of the day at Independence Mine State Historical Park. It was Alaska's number one producing gold mine in the 1930's. Many of the buildings and structures are collapsing, but some have been preserved enough to show how deep, hard rock mining was done. We tried panning for gold here too -- no luck.

Denali and Fairbanks

2009-08-05T16:59:00.009-04:00

We spent four wonderful days in Denali National Park. And because its been so long since I’ve been able to post anything, I thought I’d test the posting limits of blogspot and send up a whole bunch of my favourite shots.

The first day was mostly taken up with a bus trip into the park, which allows private vehicles only a limited distance along the only road. We rode through some incredible scenery, such as appropriately named Polychrome Pass.

But we were especially keen to see the wildlife. In our time at Denali, on the tour and otherwise, we saw many, including ptarmigan, golden eagles, caribou, coyote and some grizzly bears, such as this one that crossed the road right behind our bus.

At the Toklat Interpretive Center, we had a great visual aid dealing with the question of whether or not bears could deal with canned food.

Off and on throughout the first day, we kept getting partial glimpses of Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in North America. Finally, late in the day, we rounded the corner on the way to our campsite and there it was in all its 20,320 feet of glory.
We camped three nights at Teklanika campground, as far in the park as we could go. We had a great time hiking and playing among its many meandering, icy branches. This shot with Laura gives you a good idea of what the river is like.

On a ridge above the river, I got new wallpaper for my laptop.

Together we built an Inukshook. This is a kind of stone monument in human shape that Inuit and Inuk hunters would built on the open tundra, to remind others who followed that they are not as alone as they might feel out in the barren open.

On our way out of Denali, we stopped at the park kennels to see the dogs that work all winter on the dogsled patrols. We listened as a ranger gave a talk about the sled dog program, watched a demonstration, and had a chance to meet the dogs in person.
After Denali, we were planning to stay at an RV park in Nenana, but nearby wildfires made the air so smoky that we continued on to our next destination: Fairbanks. Here is downtown Nenana, with the air, sky and early evening sun blocked by wildfire smoke.

We found a great site at an RV park right in Fairbanks, right on the Chena River. One of the attractions in downtown Fairbanks is the Ice Museum, a showcase for the international ice sculpture competition that takes place here every March. There we saw a slide presentation, and then had a tour of the ice sculptures, in coolers set at -20 degrees Fahrenheit. Here’s Christa posing as an ice musher.

We also watched a demonstration of ice carving technique, through the glass so we could warm up again.

Monday morning we went to the Museum of the North at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. While the others ate breakfast, I went to the art gallery and saw a number of beautiful and interesting pieces, like this Cup’ik interpretation of the Statue of Liberty.

In the natural history section, we met Blue Babe, a steppe bison that was killed by lions some 36,000 years ago. It was found in the permafrost a few years ago, and restored through specialized taxidermy. They did such a good job that the teeth marks of the lions are clearly visible.

That afternoon we took a riverboat tour on the Chena River. The family that owns this business has been here running riverboats since the Klondike gold rush of 1898.

We stopped off at a recreated Athabaskan village, where we were introduced to different aspects of traditional native life by native guides (college students at their summer jobs). It was very informative. Here a guide shows the traditional women’s parka, and told us the reason for each of the parts. For instance, that darker fur around the inside of the parka around her face is wolverine. Wolverine fur has an oily texture that prevents it from freezing to your face when your breath condenses in the air at -50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Finally, we got back to our campsite for dinner. There the kids discovered that the ducks in the river were so tame that they could feed them by putting bread crumb on their bellies as they laid in the grass. Somehow, this had not occurred to us earlier.

Adventures in the Land of the Midnight Sun

2009-07-29T02:45:00.002-04:00

All is well with the Vander Horsts aboard the Alaska Express. We are having a great time (except for the occasional squabble that might be expected among siblings in close quarters). We've traveled north from Anchorage to the entrance area of Denali National Park. Along the way we've explored a modern Russian Orthodox cathedral, taken a summer time dogsled ride at the Iditarod Headquarters, caught huge rainbow trout and arctic grayling in a mountain lake, been rafting through a whitewater canyon and climbed the dusty hills in ATV's. I'd love to post pictures, but the hour is late and again the wifi connection is ponderously slow.

Tomorrow we'll go deep into the national park on a wilderness bus ride and then take the RV to the one of the campgrounds. We'll again be out of contact range until Saturday or Sunday, when we reach Fairbanks. You'll hear from us again then.

Fun and Cultural Enlightenment

2009-07-25T02:48:00.005-04:00

Thursday and Friday have been fairly relaxed for us. I toured the Russian Orthodox Museum alone Thursday morning, as I was the only one interested (surprising, I know). That afternoon we all went to the Anchorage Museum of Art and History. Though going through an expansion, the museum's exhibits were mostly open and mostly engaging. They had great miniatures, such as this one of an Aleut village bringing in a whale.

Here's a Haida platter, carved out of stone (argillite).

After a few hours in a museum, the kids were ready to blow off some steam. We found a playground and played tag on the way home.

Friday was very relaxed. We slept in, cleaned up the rental car, returned it, and picked up the RV. 31" looks bigger in real life than on paper. But grocery shopping goes easier, because we can transfer the groceries straight from the cart to the kitchen. We also had Mark and Pam Van Dyke over for Alaskan halibut and salmon--yum! We've had a great week in Anchorage and area, but are looking forward to more exploring with the RV.

Out and About in Anchorage and Beyond

2009-07-23T01:37:00.010-04:00

Again, a busy few days. Saturday we said farewell to the Van Kootens and traveled back up the Kenai Peninsula to Anchorage, where we are based this week. Sunday we attended worship at Trinity CRC in Anchorage, where we met up with Mark and Pam Van Dyke. the Van Dykes attend Shawnee Park with us in Grand Rapids, but are up in Anchorage for the summer for Mark's seminary internship. This week he'll be busy with vacation Bible school, but we hope to connect later on.

Monday, we spent a few hours at the Alaska Native Heritage Center, a sort of living museum and showcase of native Alaskan cultures. In the theatre area, we watched demonstrations of competitive Eskimo sports and also some traditional dances. These costumes are typical of the Tlingit peoples of southeastern Alaska.
Outdoors, we saw 6 different traditional homes typical of different regions of Alaska. All of them are permanent construction (igloos were temporary shelters created and used when away from the home village, such as on a hunting expedition). This one is from the Yupik people of the southwestern mainland of Alaska.

We also saw a lot of native art created by artisans, both past and present. This is a women's headdress from the Aleut people.

Yesterday (Tuesday), we left for an overnight trip south. On the way, we stopped at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, a place for rehabilitating and caring for injured or orphaned animals. We saw just about all the major Alaskan land mammals here, including elk, caribou, grizzly bears, black bears, muskox, wood bison, plains bison, and moose, inlcuding this baby whose mother was killed on the road.

We made it to the seaside town of Seward, where we spent time at the Alaska Sealife Center, where we saw many coastal birds and animals, from giant sea lions to spiny sea urchins to playful sea otters to diving sea birds. Here's Laura with her hands in the Touch Tank, where you could stroke the starfish (not a leisurely activity, as the water was a chilly 39 degrees Fahrenheit).

This morning we got up in time to head out and explore Exit Glacier. After a short hike, we made it near to the edge, where it towered above us (in the rain).

We went out on a bay cruise later in the morning. Unfortunately, our longer glacier and wildlife cruise was cancelled due to rough seas, so we went on a shorter wildlife cruise. We didn't see any whales or orcas, but a highlight was this group of sea lions gathered on a rock.

A sterling week in the Kenai Peninsula

2009-07-19T13:51:00.012-04:00

We've had an exciting and fun filled week in the Kenai Peninsula with our friends Gerry and Jan Van Kooten at their cabin in Sterling. Sorry for the delay in postings. I'll try to post more often this week.

The drive from Anchorage to Sterling took most of the day, because we kept stopping to see the sights. A highlight was taking the Aleyeska Tram to the top of a ski hill, where we could see down the mountain and out to the salt water of Turnagain Arm. We stopped to play in the snow near the foot of small glacier.

We worshipped Sunday with Gerry and Jan at the Sterling Baptist Church, and some of us went on a hike that afternoon to a nearby lake. But the big hike was the next day when we went to the Russian River Falls -- 5 miles round trip! Unfortunately, we left our lunch and water bottles at the cabin, so the kids were especially glad to see the car again at the trailhead. Their efforts were rewarded with a fine lunch at a Cooper Landing Restaurant.

As we returned to the Van Kootens' cabin, we spotted this cow moose and her two calves near the roadway.

On Tuesday we explored around the nearby cities of Soldotna and Kenai. Eric was intimidated by the world record king salmon in the Soldotna Visitors' Center -- over 97 pounds!

At a homestead museum, Jason had a close encounter with a (stuffed) grizzly.

Many coastal towns have a Russian Orthodox Church, since Russians were the first western peoples to build settlements in Alaska. We visited this church in the city of Kenai, and spent some time talking with the priest there.

An icon in the church -- a familiar sight after so much time spent last month in Jerusalem.

We ended up on the beach at the mouth of the Kenai River, where the kids discovered the clay-like properties of the mud there.

We spent a couple of days in Homer, literally at the end of the road. We spent Thursday exploring the town together, but the day before Laura and I went out on a fishing charter and each caught our limit of halibut. Tasty!

On Friday, our last full day in the Kenai Peninsula, we visited a tribal cultural center, where we learned which forest plants can be eaten and why the raven is a scavenger and not a predator (among other things). That evening, Gerry took us out fishing on the Kenai River for rainbow trout. We didn't land anything, but Eric surprised us all by bringing a nice sockeye salmon to the boat before the line snapped. Here he is taking instructions from Captain Van Kooten.

The Alaskan adventure begins

2009-07-16T02:05:00.002-04:00

We have arrived in Alaska and all is very well. It looks like the post I sent up earlier didn't actually post, so my apologies for being out of touch for so long. I'll catch up now.

We've been having a terrific time, doing Alaskan things, from glacier exploring to wildlife viewing to halibut fishing. I'll have to post pictures tomorrow, as the computer I'm using does not have an sd card slot and I'll have to transfer them via my computer and then to a flash drive. But, for now, know that we are well.

A quiet week

2009-07-10T06:52:00.004-04:00

It's been a good week at home. Travelling is great, but the thing I missed most of all was my family. Mountain Dew was a distant second. So we spent some days creating new memories, at home, at the beach, and with friends.

We went to Grandville for their 4th of July parade, because we missed the one in our own neighborhood. We didn't know it started at 8:30 AM. But we had a good time in Grandville. At the parade, Eric met a pirate.

We also celebrated Jason's birthday a week early, so he could have some of his friends over for a party. Laura got into a water fight with friends Grace and Micah Henderson.

Today we finish packing up and head out to the airport to fly to Anchorage for the next major phase of the sabbatical. So I'm blessed to say that both the travelling and the family time will continue.

Home Again

2009-07-04T07:07:00.002-04:00

I'm pleased to report that yesterday at noon I arrived home in Grand Rapids. It was a long couple of days of traveling--my flight from Johannesburg to Atlanta was 16 hours. But the seats were wider and had more legroom than you get on a domestic flight, so it wasn't so bad.

I was disappointed to find that one piece of luggage did not make it on the flight to Atlanta. It may be on its way today. Also, customs went through my bags behind the scenes and re-packed them in a less than secure way. A couple of ceramic pieces are broken, but I might be able to salvage them with patience and some Crazy Glue. However, these are minor inconveniences.

All in all, it was a great trip. But, as the great American philosopher Dorothy Gale once said, "There's no place like home."

Meanderings and Ministry in Central Malawi

2009-07-01T14:22:00.005-04:00

Oops. It's been a few days since I've posted. Let me bring you up to speed.

Sunday was a fine day of rest and worship. I went to church with Larry and Linda McAuley, to the Lilongwe Central Baptist Church. It is an English language congregation attended by many ex-patriots living in the capital, although there are also many locals who are members as well. I was invited to a luncheon at the pastors house afterward, one for the elders and a large group of serve project workers visiting from a partner church in Tennessee. After a relaxing walk, I was invited to dinner at the McAuleys home.

Monday was a day for urban safari. I walked several miles all over the capital city. I stopped by at the city's central market. It is divided by the Lilongwe River, which is spanned by several homemade bridges.

That's not to say that all is so 'rustic' in the city. Here's a picture of the Ministry of Finance, designed to look like a woven basket.

I also passed by McDauds, a fast food restaurant that appears to be seeking to emulate an American chain you may have heard of.

Tuesday was the first day I spent tagging along with CRWRC staff and regional partners as they travelled around and did their work. I sat in on a meeting with staff of the Nkhoma Synod of the Presbyterian Church, here at their head office.

Today I joined along again with Bethany Zylstra and Wellington Chiula as they visited different communities around Chipoka. Each of them was working on a food bank project, to store maize from their community gardens until the 'hunger months' during the rainy season. Here Bethany addresses a community while Wellington translates.

I had taken 4 soccer balls along with me from home, to give away. I gave the last one away today, to a preschool a village had established for orphans in the surrounding area. The ball was immediately rushed outside and put to the test.

It's been a full and fulfilling day, and trip. Tomorrow I look forward to boarding the first of three airplanes that will take me home. Please pray for safe travels, and that I won't get too much hassle for the artwork I'm bringing back, especially the piece I bought for the church that is so large I have to take as a third piece of check-in baggage.

Back to Lilongwe

2009-06-27T11:02:00.003-04:00

Well, I don't have much to post today. Thursday I finished up my time at KuNgoni, and purchased some artwork. I'll have to figure out later how to get it to Grand Rapids. On Friday morning, I said my good byes, checked out and hiked down the hill to the main road to catch the bus--this time, a real Greyhound-like bus. I was looking forward to travelling in style, but when I got on board I noticed the sign "Maximum capacity 65 seated passengers seated, 25 standing." I got to spend at least part of the time seated, and I arrived safe and sound after about 3 hours.

I checked into my new hotel, the Korea Garden Lodge, where I'll stay until my return home. I explored downtown a bit, bought some delicious Italian gelato, and returned to the hotel.

I got in touch with Larry and Linda McAuley, who live in a compound right across the street from the hotel. They had stored some of my bags while I was in Mua, and they graciously invited me to stay for dinner. We had great food and fellowship together.

Today has been pretty boring. I've been on and off the internet (according to its availability) and spent a good bit of time going through receipts and sorting out my expenses. I'm sure I'll later much appreciate taking time to do this.

Tomorrow I'll ride with the McAuleys to church, and afterwards we'll be at their pastor's home with the elders and a group of visitors from the U.S. As always, I'll be sure to keep you posted.

Life at KuNgoni

2009-06-25T07:47:00.005-04:00

I've been keeping very busy here at the KuNgoni Cultural Center. I've been through their museum, which includes a summary of the three major tribal cultures here: Chewa, Yao and Ngoni. The highlight is an amazing collection of over 200 wooden tribal masks, used in ritual ceremonies and dances. Sorry, no photos allowed. I sat in on one of their practices too--the singing is both haunting and beautiful.

But the heart of my reason for coming here, and to Malawi, is the woodcarving school and guild. Working with the most basic tools, and using only their feet as a vise to hold the wood, the carvers create beautiful artwork that displays their extraordinary skill.

And this morning, I received a lesson in African woodcarving. I spent 4 hours bent over on an outdoor concrete platform, carving, observing closely and listening to my instructors, Maxwell and Suman. They were very good, very patient teachers. I'll have to complete the project at home, as I have some final things to do here, such as make an art purchase for the church, before leaving tomorrow morning. Besides, my back is killing me.

Travel to Mua

2009-06-24T09:02:00.003-04:00

Monday morning, after a hearty breakfast, I said goodbye to a wonderful group from University of Minnesota’s architecture program. For all their hospitality, help and kindnesses, my thanks go out to Leslie Van Duzer, professor, and students Steve, Erin, Tara, Erin, Patrick and Erin. I hope your return trip to the U.S. was restful and uneventful.

I proceeded to the Korean Garden Hotel, where I’d be staying upon my return from Mua. But alas, they had no room to store my extra luggage. Fortunately, I found the CRC missionaries who live across the street from the hotel (they had recommended it to me) and I left my stuff
there. Packing as little as possible, I took a taxi to what they call the central bus station. It's really like a parking lot filled with shacks, with minivans and tiny buses parked all over. My driver helped me find a minibus that would start me off in the right direction.

The way it works is all the minibuses that are going to the same city park in the same areas. Then the guy who collects the money stands by his minibus and tries to get people to ride with him and not the other guy. So the taxi driver figured out for me the best bus to ride, and I got on--though he did have some arguing with some of the other drivers who wanted me to take their minibus. So I got on, and unfortunately I was one of the first.

That was unfortunate because the buses do not leave at a certain time, like on a schedule, they leave when they are full. So I sat on the bus and waited for an hour and a half while the 'conductor' convinced enough people to ride with his bus. Finally we were (very) full and
we left.

When we started driving, and we hit some big bumps, I realized I had to go to the bathroom. Not good. I figured at the speed the bus traveled, it'd be at least two hours before we'd arrive at Salima where I'd find the next minibus. I started to worry.

Then something great happened! The bus broke down! The driver pulled over, and some of the seats in front of me were removed, and they lifted a panel in the floor, and there was the engine, underneath, sputtering away and spraying coolant from the radiator. It took about a half hour to fix, and so when most of the people climbed out of the bus to wait somewhere in the shade, I found me some rural relief! They got the bus going again and we were on our way.

We arrived in Salima at about 2:00 in the afternoon. The 'bus station' there was smaller, so I found a minibus about the size of our van, and got in. And waited. Finally it was full and we left.

But the thing was, we kept stopping at little villages to pick up more and more stuff. At one point, you might not believe this but our minibus--the size of a regular minivan--had in it 23 adults, 2 babies, a live chicken, a stringer full of dead fish, and bags of corn and other cargo. I wish I had taken a picture, but I was crowded in and sitting on my luggage. Luckily the roof of the minibus was very high so we could also (almost) stand up -- you know, so more people could get in.

Finally they dropped me off at my stop, but I had to walk a mile and a half in the hot, hot sun up a long winding dusty road to the village where I am staying. It was hard going with my big, heavy backpack, and carrying my smaller camera bag and a large piece of wood.

Arriving finally at the village of Mua and the KuNgoni Cultural Center was like entering Shangri La. I left the heat and dust of the road to enter into a garden, with neat brick buildings, a river, a waterfall and lots of cool shade. I was introduced to Father Claude Boucher, the founder of the carving school and cultural center. He sat out on a verandah, shaded by flowering bushes and vines suspended in a trellis. He was painting. And as I rested in the shade, he explained to me the history of his ministry there, the development of KuNgoni, and the challenges and adaptations needed when the gospel encounters a culture. It was beautiful, educational and a little surreal.

I was later settled into my room, in the guesthouses nearby. They are beautifully designed and built, and the most comfortable accommodations I’ve had since arriving in Africa.
The prices are also very reasonable:

Room: $33 a night. Includes breakfast.
Bottle of Coca Cola at the restaurant: $0.80
Laundry service (washed, dried, folded and delivered to the room):
Pair of socks: $0.20
T shirt: $0.35
Pants: $0.80

I’m glad to be staying here for the week!

Summary of the Safari

2009-06-23T04:19:00.006-04:00

After a bit of adventure, I arrived in Mua yesterday afternoon. I'll tell you about that tomorrow, but for now because I fell behind on safari, I thought I'd post some pictures that I took at that time. The internet connection isn't a whole lot better, but it's part of the center where I'm staying and I can use my laptop so I can more easily take the time I need to post over the slow connection.

Here below is the tent where I stayed. It was surprisingly comfortable inside, with a pair of cots, a side table and mosquito netting.
There were a lot of small antelope-like animals all over the park, to keep the lions and leopards fed, I guess. This is a group (herd?) of impala.We also saw plenty of zebras. I found out their markings are distinct for each animal, like our fingerprints.

Thsi is Robert, the warthog. He's relatively tame and well-known to all the guides in the park. He's considerably uglier than Pumbaa in the movie, "The Lion King."

We had these vervet monkeys in our camp. So I was told to keep my tent zipped up at all times.

There are an estimated 18,000 elephants in South Luangwa National Park.
On a night safari, we followed lions as they stalked their prey.

We saw a lot of hippos, but they were almost always in deep water and so we couldn't get a picture. Here's one running away back to the safety of the Luangwa River.

Back from the Zambian bush country

2009-06-21T11:56:00.003-04:00

Well, I'm back from my safari and the experience was phenomenal. I saw many, many animals and birds up close and personal -- at times uncomfortably personal! Last night a family of elephants woke me when they walked past my tent only 3 feet away from where I was sleeping. I got lots of great pictures, but again I'm in this little internet cafe/hole in the wall and unable to upload photos. So I'll post them when I can.

Tomorrow I leave Lilongwe and head out to Mua Mission, a small village with a world famous woodcarving school. I don't know when I'll be able to post again, as I'll be there for 4 days. But I'll be in contact as soon as I can.

On to a new continent

2009-06-17T11:39:00.002-04:00

Well, my time in Israel wrapped up and I moved on, though not without an interesting experience. In answering the questions while going through security, I told them that I'd received gifts from a Palestinian woodworker living in Bethlehem -- the West Bank. Long story short, I spent 2 and a half hours going through security, and just caught my plane. Let's just say the Israeli's are thorough when it comes to airport security.

I made it to Malawi. The flights were uneventful, which was nice considering the age of their aircraft (I flew with Ethiopian Airlines).

The countryside here here very dry and dusty. I am now at a hotel in the old part of the city, and tomorrow I will leave early for a four day safari. So you won't hear anything from me for a while, or see anything. The hotel's wifi system seems to be down, and so now I'm typing away in an internet cafe that has an incredibly slow connection, on a computer that I think Noah used for inventory. Hopefully things will be better after the weekend. But in anycase, I'm safe and sound in Africa.

Invisible visits

2009-06-15T17:27:00.002-04:00

Well, apparently, these last two days were for visiting places that cannot be photographed. It seemed everywhere I went, I was told, "No pictures!" I saw interesting stuff at the Rockefeller Museum, the Armenian Church of St. James, and other such spots. But the highlight was this morning, when Dr. Yigal Sitry took me on a tour of the lab where the Israeli Antiquities Authority stores its organic artifacts -- textiles, rope, leather and, of course, wood. In my hands I held a beautifully formed wooded cup from Qumran, the community that wrote the Dead Sea scrolls. It was 2,000 years old! Yigal did a great job explaining to me methods of archaeology and the kinds of discoveries he's made of objects in the archives, such as a guitar bridge from the ancient spice trade route. But, alas, no pictures.

I did some shopping for souvenirs and gifts. I couldn't resisting picking up this t-shirt for my baby brother. It combines two of his great loves!

Tomorrow night I fly on to Lilongwe, Malawi. I'm not sure about whether there's internet at my next hotel, so it may be a few days before you hear from me again.

Out and About

2009-06-13T16:36:00.004-04:00

I'm back in Jerusaelm after a bit of travelling. Friday I did a bit more nosing around the Old City, and among other stops I went to the tower of the Luteran Church of the Redeemer, climbing the 177 steps to get a view. Here is the reverse view of the tyocial postcard shot of the Dome of the Rock. This time, in the background, you can see the Mount of Olives and the green of Gethsemane as it disappears behind the Dome into the valley.

I did a bit of shopping as well, but always under high pressure. I'm thinking of getting a piece of jewelry of Christa. Any suggestions?

Friday afternoon, after some travelling adventures/hassels, I arrived at the home of Dr. Yigal Sitry, the foremost authority on woodworking in Israel during the Roman era. In the photo, he's the one on the left.

Before sitting down with his family for the sabbath evening meal, we discussed woodworking, both ancient and modern. Here's his basement shop, with a mighty fine German tablesaw with a massive sliding table.

Here is a wooden bowl he purchased from a bedouin some time ago. It was used for milking camels, with a thumb rest handle on one side soe the bowl could be held securely with one hand while the other was doing the work. Yigal said, perhaps the bowl is 50 years old, perhaps 200.

I spent the night at another (new) friend's house, David Jacobs, our guide from the tour last week. After a late breakfast, we spent the day at the beach on the Mediterranean coast. We returned in the mid-afternoon, but I had to wait a few hours more before leaving because the public buses do not run until the Sabbath is over, at dusk.

More of Old Jerusalem

2009-06-12T03:39:00.006-04:00

I thought I'd show you a picture of my accomodations in the Ecce Homo Convent's guest house where I am staying. I've got a little cubicle in the dormitory -- only $24 per night.

So yesterday I did some exploring in Old Jerusalem on my own. I went through the Muslim market to the Western Wall, and on to the Jewish Quarter where I explored the Wohl Archaeological Museum, which shows the homes of the High priestly families from the time of Jesus. (No pictures allowed.) I wandered back through the city markets, perstered by salesmen as I passed their shops. I took some time to document more of the art and architecture of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, either a very holy place or a gaudy and overwrought display of old church one-upmanship, depending on your perspective. The church is built over what Roman Catholics, the Orthodox and a number of other ancient denomination believe is the site of Jesus' crucifixion and tomb. Everything has been pretty much razed level, built over and gold plated. The site of the tomb itself has been leveled and a kind of mini-chapel called an edicule has been built over the stone platform where his body was laid. Here's a shot of the sunlight from the dome hitting the top of the edicule.

Many surfaces are covered with mosaics, gilded with gold and silver, mounted with paintings and hung with lamps. Some of it is actually quite beautiful. This is the inside of the dome in the Greek Orthodox chapel.

After visiting the sepulcher, I headed over the to Dome of the Rock. I had been under the impression that non-Muslims are not allowed in, but they do open thre grounds around the dome and the mosque to visitors during certain limited hours. We had to pass through metal detectors and have our bags searched, and as we walked up to the old temple mount we passed by stacks of riot gear, readily available. The Dome and the temple mount are amazingly beautiful. In the park-like atmoshere, Muslim families were having picnics and kids were playing soccer.

From there I went out of the walled city to the site of the city of David, where Jerusalem was when Kings David and Solomon reigned. Again, I saw all kinds of ruins, but was mostly interested in the tunnel dug by King Hezekiah when the Assyrian army was on its way. By digging a long tunnel through solid rock, he was able to divert the city's water supply to flow to a pool inside the city walls (2 Chronicles 32:30). That way they were in a much better position to withstand a long siege. I walked through the cold spring water, thigh deep in places, and emerged here, in the Pool of Siloam (John 9:7).

I probably will not post again until late Saturday, as I will be travelling to a village called Kochav Yair. There I will meet with an Israeli scholar and woodworker, and celebrate the sabbath meal with his family. I'm not sure when I'll get back to Jerusalem, as the public transportation system pretty much shuts down for the Jewish sabbath -- sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.

Return to Bethlehem (oops, forgot to post yesterday)

2009-06-10T14:14:00.004-04:00

This morning, through the hospitality of another tour group, I caught a ride back to Bethlehem. The primary purpose here was to meet with one of the many, many Palestinian Christian woodcarvers trying to make a living here. Through new friends at the Bethlehem Bible College, I met Bassam. He has his own small factory where he and three of four others work carving mostly religious and souvenir objects for sale both in local shops and abroad.

In appreciation for his hospitality, I gave him a gift of some American hardwoods commonly used for carving--cherry, walnut and maple. I also gave him a set of chisels that I picked up over at Woodcraft. Here he is with his twin sons, who are right around Jason's age.

He showed me his factory workshop--a small building behind his house. Here is a bandsaw he uses for roughing out his designs. I don't think it is OSHA approved.

He showed me how he carves, using homemade tools. He grinds a serrated edge on an old file, and uses it as a rasp to shape the piece, holding it against a kind of wooden anvil in a vise. It's amazing how quickly he works.

Bassam also took me on a tour to the traditional site of the Shepherds' Field of Luke 2. I was surprised to find that the chapel there was paid for by a Canadian group back in 1954. for this reason, the locals call this the Canadian chapel.

I returned home using the local bus service. We all had to get out at the checkpoint when passing through the separation wall as the bus was serarched. All the Palestinians had to show i.d., but they pretty mcuh ignored me. It must have been my "I AM CANADIAN" t-shirt.

Here's another shot from the rooftop terrace. You can see how King David could have easily spotted Bathsheba while she was out on her rooftop. And that minaret I mentioned yesterday? It's connected to the mosque on the former temple mount. I was wrong too. It didn't wake us at 6:00 AM. It woke us at 3:20 AM.

Moving Day

2009-06-09T13:46:00.002-04:00

Not much news to report today. Our tour group dispersed, as the tour portion of my time here wrapped up. So this morning Mom left for the airport, and I took my time packing up and moving out. I arrived at my new digs around noon -- just as the day was really warming up (93 F). I'm staying at the Ecce Homo Convent, in their guest house dormitory. It's a charming place.

Because yesterday was so busy and today so hot, I rested and read for a while and then went for a walk in the twisting alleys of the Old City, munching on falafel in a pita. But I kept winding up in the same spot! It was kind of eerie.

Here's a shot from near my room, on the rooftop courtyard, just after the sun had set. Sure, that minaret in the foreground looks cute now, but just wait till the loudspeakers blare out the call to prayer tomorrow at 6:00 AM...

The Old City

2009-06-08T15:35:00.004-04:00

Today was a whirlwind tour/marathon walk through and around the oldest part of the city of Jerusalem, the part that was walled in by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. We had many brief stops in historically significant places: Gethsemane, the Church of All Nations, the Grotto at Gethsemane, the church of St. Peter Gallicantu (on the site where Peter is said to have denied Jesus), King David’s tomb, an (the?) upper room, the Jerusalem Archaeological Park, the Western (or Wailing) Wall, the Via Dolorosa, the Arab street markets, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (which some say is the site of Christ’s tomb) and the Garden Tomb (which some other people say is the site of Christ’s tomb). It was a very full (and very hot) day.

Some highlights:

Have you ever heard that Jesus prayed on the night of his betrayal, not in a garden, but a cave? A good case can be made that the grotto or cave of Gethsemane is where Jesus and his disciples spent that night. An adult education class anyone?
At the Archaeological Park, Mom and I saw the first century steps leading up to the temple mount. Jesus and the disciples would certainly have walked here, and Jesus may have taught here. The first century stones are the worn ones right behind us.

The traditional site of Christ’s tomb has been turned into a church, and the space inside is hotly contested by 4 very old denominations: the Roman Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Armenian Church and the Coptic Church. It is not unusual for fistfights between clergy to break out in the church on Easter Sunday. Here’s another example: in the photo below, , if you look closely, you can see a ladder resting on the large, upper window on the right hand side. That ladder has been there since at least 1852, because the groups cannot agree on who has the right to move it. You can read the full story at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Holy_Sepulchre#Status_quo.

As a nation, Israel is very much focused on security and religion, as the t-shirt below attests.

Christa wanted me to take pictures of the food we’re eating, to remind her of the great meals we had on our trip to Turkey two years ago. This is one of the salad bars. I won’t torture you with the pictures of the dessert table.

West Jerusalem and Bethlehem

2009-06-07T15:03:00.003-04:00

This morning we spent in West Jerusalem. We visited the Israel Museum first, though the main body of the collection is closed for renovations until next year (aaargh!). We spent time in the Shrine of the Book, looking at some of the Dead Sea scrolls and some of the artifacts that were discovered at Qumran. We also saw a huge scale model of the city of Jerusalem, showing what it looked like at the time of the destruction of the temple, about 40 years after Christ. As a preacher, I found it very helpful to see the lay of the land and the structures of the temple courts that I’m so familiar with only from written word and pictures.

After a brief stop at the Roman Catholic church at the traditional site of John the Baptist’s birth and boyhood, we went to Yad Vashem. This is the museum and memorial of the Holocaust. There, the descriptions, pictures, film clips and stories are nothing short of overwhelming. You would need days to take it all in, and it would be hard to take. If you ever go to Jerusalem, you must visit here. Below you can see one of the boxcars used during the Holocaust to transport Jewish people to what would be for them the end of the line. On a wall inside this car, in pencil, was found the following poem:
Here in this carload
I am Eve
With Abel my son
If you see my other son
Cain son of man
Tell him I

At Yad Vashem, I had a startling discovery. I decided to find a certain name in the Garden of the Righteous Among the Nations, a memorial park with the names posted and trees planted for non-Jewish people those who, during the war, helped Jewish people at the risk of their own lives. I was looking for Jan and Grietje Boonstra, some of whose family members I know in Telkwa. On the way, I got lost, without knowing it, and while I was wandering, I was reading the names posted at the base of each tree, out of interest. Imagine my surprise when I read my father’s name! Now, I have to say that my dad is actually not named as one of the Righteous Among the Nation (though he is a pretty good guy). But some other Dutchman, named Jan ‘Willem Vander Horst’ was. See the plaque below.

The next stop was Bethlehem, behind the ‘security fence’ or ‘apartheid wall’, depending on which side of the barrier you stand. It is very noticeable, as you can see in the picture, that the wall that almost completely encloses Bethlehem did not include their olive trees, which are now conveniently on the Israeli side.

We visited the Church of the Nativity, and saw Manger Square and the cave below the church where it is believed by many that Christ was born. One of the things I found interesting, as I consider the visual arts and their use in corporate worship, was the 4th century mosaic floor hidden under the later marble floor. Parts of it are able to be seen by lifting wooden covers which protect them today.

By the Sea of Salt Crystals

2009-06-06T16:01:00.004-04:00

I awoke early this morning, and couldn’t get back to sleep, so I decided, with this being my first day in Jerusalem, to go for an early morning walk. I left the hotel, and walked around a bit in the Old City, inside the walls. It was very quiet, and I caught a picture of the sunrise over the Mount of Olives.

The official tour began at Qumran, the site of the community near the Dead Sea that produced the Dead Sea scrolls. We toured the ancient ruins, which was near one of the caves where the scrolls were found. In it, over 15,000 scroll fragments were found.

We continued south along the shore of the Dead Sea to Masada, Herod the Great’s palace fortress in the wilderness. Herod was a master architect, who built the mountaintop fort to be a place of refuge to withstand any siege. When the Roman army rolled through Judea crushing the Jewish revolt of 69 AD, 1,000 Jews took over the lightly guarded Masada, and settled in for the long haul. It was more than three years before the Roman tenth legion broke through the walls, and then discovered that all inside had died by their own hands the night before, rather than face a life of slavery. In the photo, you can see the great height of the fortress by the cable cars. You can also make out the remains (square) of 2 of the 8 Roman camps that surrounded the foot of the mountain. The smaller one to the right that is more distinct has been partially restored.

On our way back to Jerusalem we stopped at a beach on the Dead Sea to try on a coating of the black, mineral rich mud, and go for a ‘swim.’ The water is so salt laden, you really float out on top. In the picture below, I am totally unsupported, except by the buoyancy of the water.

On a more serious note, along the return road through the Judean wilderness, we saw many Bedouin encampments. Theirs is a semi nomadic, subsistence life. You can see the tin-and-plastic shack homes in the background, and a pile of pallets they have scavenged to use as building materials. It seems to be to be very far from the romantic image more widely portrayed.

Traveling south to Jerusalem

2009-06-05T16:49:00.006-04:00

The first stop south was at Yardenit, the site established on the Jordan River by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism for Christian tourists wanting to be baptized. One in our group was baptized, and two re-baptized.

Afterwards, at the gift shop, there was an opportunity to buy an small bottle of the river water, only $5 for 8 ounces!

In Nazareth, we saw the tiny ancient synagogue, and went on to the Nazareth village, where there is a working re-enactment of there in Jesus’ time.

We went on to Beth-Shan, where the Philistines had taken the bodies of Saul and Jonathan after they were killed in battle (1 Samuel 31:10). You can see a section of that white wall at the top of the hill in the background, on the far right, above the dark grey stairs.

Continuing south, we skirted around Jericho (a Palestinian city) for security reasons, and saw our first glimpse of the Dead Sea in the distance, with the desert all around.

On the road from Jericho to Jerusalem, well known through Jesus parable of the Good Samaritan, we saw a number of Bedouin herds and encampments.

Finally, Jerusalem. Here’s Mom with the city in the background. You can clearly see the walls and the Dome of the Rock.

Exploring Galilee

2009-06-05T16:38:00.003-04:00

Yesterday we had a longer and very tiring day exploring Galilee, so after we’d had dinner and cleaned ourselves up, I pretty much went to bed. So, no posting yesterday. But I will give you a summary of some of the interesting things we did.

We left the city of Tiberius by boat, taking a short cruise on the Sea of Galilee. Below you can see the village of Magdala, the home of Mary Magdalene.

At the end of the cruise we stopped to look at a first century fishing boat, found in the lakeside mud during a drought a few years ago. It is thought to be very similar to the kind of boat Jesus and his disciples would have used.

From there we traveled to see the Church of the Beatitudes, and the ancient church at Tagbah, whose beautiful mosaic floor dates back to the fourth century. Many of the depictions are of birds, such as this peacock.

We went on, perhaps a mile away, to the remains of ancient Capernaum, where Jesus spent a considerable amount of time during his ministry. These are the ruins of the synagogue where Jesus taught (Mark 1:21). The floor dates back to that time.

After lunch, we headed to the northernmost tip of Israel, the site of ancient Caesarea Philippi. We skirted along the border with Lebanon, where warnings signs abound.

On the drive home, we traveled the Golan Heights, captured from Syria during the Six Day War in 1967. It’s possession by Israel is still highly sensitive today, as evidenced by the presence of a series of United Nations peacekeeping camps along the border. Below you can see a busload of Japanese peacekeepers returning to their base.

We crossed back over the upper Jordan on the way back to the hotel. Some were surprised to see that the Jordan is certainly no Mississippi, as you can see here.

Travelling north along the Israeli coast

2009-06-03T16:25:00.003-04:00

The first day of our tour of Israel was full and fun. We left our hotel in Tel Aviv and drove north along the coast to the port city built by Herod the Great: Ceasarea. It was here that Paul was tried before Festus and made his appeal to Caesar. Here’s mom and I standing in front of the remains of the summer palace built and used by Herod, and a residence of Pontius Pilate a few decades later. It had a great view of the Mediterranean.

From Caesarea we continued north to the site of the very ancient city of Meggido, occupied already 7,000 years ago. In the picture below you can see a high place, an altar for sacrifices used before the Israelites arrived in Canaan from Egypt. At the front you can see the steps used by the priest to climb up.

Another sight to see at Megiddo is an ancient shaft down through the bedrock, ordered by King Ahab to secure the city’s water supply. There are 185 steps down to the bottom.

While traveling to our next stop, we pulled off the road to see a first century tomb that was revealed when the road was built. It is very similar to the kind of tomb Joseph of Arimathea gave for the burial of Christ. It is the only first century tomb in Israel with the rolling stone still intact. This tomb, by the way, is nowhere near Jerusalem and so could not have been that of Jesus. Notice how small the entrance is, and so why the disciples had to bend down to look into it (Luke 24:12, John 20:5)

Next we traveled a bit further to Mount Carmel, where Elijah challenged the priests of Baal and God rewarded his prayer with fire to light the altar of twelve stones. This picture looks out over the plain of Mount Megiddo, where Deborah and Barak defeated the armies of Sisera, and where Saul was defeated by the Philistines. Mount in Hebrew is ‘har’, so this is Har Megiddo, or Armageddon, where many believe the last battle will take place.

We then went on to tour a part of the crusader city of Acre, the only city of the crusaders that remains intact. This courtyard is where prison scenes of the film ‘Midnight Express’ were filmed.
For all you budding Hebrew scholars out there, can you read this sign? Hint: though the letters are Hebrew, they actually spell out a name of Scottish descent.

The day’s tour ended at our hotel in the Galilean city of Tiberias, right on the shores of the Sea of Tiberias, better known to many as the Sea of Galilee. Here is a shot from our hotel’s pool deck.

Arrived

2009-06-02T15:21:00.003-04:00

This is just a quick note to say that I've arrived safe and sound in Tel Aviv. My mom met met in the hotel lobby -- she arrived 6 hours ahead of me. We enjoyed a fine dinner in the hotel restaurant, then went for a walk along the beach as the sun was setting. Priceless!

Tomorrow the tour officially gets underway, so I need to get to bed in order to get some of this jet lag behind me. I hope to have the opportunity to write a longer post tomorrow evening, and include pictures.

A quiet week

2009-05-31T10:05:00.005-04:00

It was a quiet week at Lake Woebegone--no wait, that's another guy. But it was a pretty quiet week. I continued to plug away at a backlog of email, got some reading done, and tried out my new chainsaw on some cherry logs and burls I'm hoping to turn into a few bowls.

This weekend we've been in Wheaton, Illinois, with Christa's family. Her sister Leanne got married yesterday. Here's a photo of the rehearsal. They're usually more interesting than the wedding itself. Christa is one of the bridesmatrons, the third from the top.

Off and on over the weekend I played camera tag with the kids. My task was to capture a picture of them when they weren't looking. I highly recommend the game, though it ought not be played near fragile, expensive items, or near sharp obejhects, and certainly never near traffic, as the participants are prone to sudden and panicked running.

Here's a tag of Jason.

Here's Eric.

And Laura protesting.

After the wedding we gathered at Grandma and Grandpa's for smores over the fire, plus some kickball.

So soon we'll head back to Grand Rapids so I can get a few things done yet, and pack up, before flying off to Tel Aviv tomorrow. And once I get to a place with internet access, I'll let you know how it's going.

Finishing up and off we go

2009-05-25T07:11:00.007-04:00

Friday was the final day of classes at the JCC Folk School. For many, it was a busy day of getting projects finished before the student exhibition at the end of the day. Our class was fairly relaxed, as we had had plenty of time to do our projects, and all of us had moved on to turning extra platters or bowls.

At 4:30 PM, everyone headed over to the Keith House to put some of their work on display. It was truly amazing to see the work that had been done, especially because most of the courses were introductory classes. Here's a sampling of some of the student projects:

Weaving

Basketry

Pottery

Blacksmithing

Enameling (applying colored glass to copper plate)

Metalsmithing

Woodburning

Woodworking (shaker boxes)

Making Felt Dolls

Woodturning (my class)

Watercolor (these are Christa's)

Saturday morning we ate breakfast, said our goodbyes, and hit the road. Now, in order to find our way home, because we'd taken a detour through Gatlinburg on the way down, I just went to google maps and asked for the most direct route. Google sent us north via Route 129. Little did we know...

The north-south Route 129 through the Smoky mountains on the North Carolina-Tennessee border includes an 11 miles stretch of the most twisted, contorted roadway in the world. A magnet for motorcyclists, it is called "The Dragon's Tail." There are 318 turns within that 11 miles stretch, much of it we could not take at more than 20 miles per hour. Have any of you ever driven this road? It's the only time I ever got car sick while driving. Check out the route:

http://www.dealsgap.com/images/dgMapL.jpg

After a return to Berea Kentucky, and an overnight stay in Tipp City, Ohio on Saturday night, we arrived home last night. As Dorothy said, there's no place like home.

A week of classes

2009-05-22T08:48:00.006-04:00

So, as I mentioned yesterday, I thought I’d write about what we’re up to all this week. As it turns out (pun intended), our studios for instruction and practice were apart from all the others, right next door to each other – woodturning on the left, and painting on the right.

Christa’s watercolor class spent a fair bit of time in the studio doing painting exercises to develop skills. But they also made it outside to paint some of the local scenery.

I took a class on turning wood platters with a lathe. We followed a basic format. First, the instructor, Frank Penta, would demonstrate a step in making a platter, ably aided by his assistant/co-instructor Allen Leland. Certain techniques needed to be seen up close, so we would watch on the television, fed by the lathe-mounted camera.

Next, we’d all go out to our assigned lathes to execute to demonstrated step.

Here’s me checking the fine contours of the platter I’m working on.

We also spend a significant amount of time sanding the finished products.

Here’s a platter with the bottom almost completed. The wood is a section of big-leaf maple burl from Oregon.

Frank gave us a lesson on using paints and dyes for coloring wood.

And this is what can happen when you don’t pay close attention to how deep the platter is getting. But rest assured this platter is not destroyed: this is simply a design challenge. As Frank likes to say, “In all my classes, I’ve never lost a platter!”

Busy in school

2009-05-21T08:14:00.005-04:00

We’ve had three fun and full days at the Folk School. I had never heard of this place until searching around for some kind of school within driving distance that would have arts courses for both Christa and me. It’s been like tapping into a whole different American subculture. Picture an amateur blacksmith discussing composting with a weaver, and you start to get the idea. I know it sounds like a cliché, but the people we’ve been meeting have really been a wonderful part of our time here.

So today I’ll show and tell you more about the school, and then tomorrow share about the classes we’ve been taking. The school was founded in 1925 as a way of teaching and preserving the skills and arts of the Appalachian region. Today the school runs almost year round, with weekly and at times weekend courses in 48 different subjects, from asymmetrical basketry to story telling to playing the mountain dulcimer.

The Keith House: the heart of operations, from registration to laundry facilities to the one and only wifi connection for miles around.

I already mentioned our rustic-but-full-of-character accommodations in an old grist mill. Here it’s me on the stairway to the second floor, where our room is.

The school owns 320 acres in the middle of nowhere (almost). We’ve enjoyed stealing away to walk the grounds after meals, along groomed trails. Can anyone tell me what this flower is? We saw it on arching stalks along a creek bed.

We walk along this field every morning on our way to breakfast.

Mealtimes are family style, with everyone finding a place at random, to meet your neighbor and to pass the boiled salmon with mango relish—yum!

Meals start off with a blessing read or sung from cards on the table. In this case, enthusiasm wore off quickly. I think it was the hand motions that did it.

Last night, after dinner, we sat in on a performance of a variety of folk dances. They were originally gathered up in England among the poor immigrants living in neighborhoods around industrial revolution factories. I didn’t have a camera with me, but this photo from the internet gives you an idea.

Over the river and through the woods

2009-05-18T08:22:00.004-04:00

Today we spent some of our time on the downtown ‘strip’ of Gatlinburg. The touristy shops piled one after another soon start to look all the same, but there was also a juried art show, with artists selling their wares from booths on the street. We saw some especially fine photography, metalwork and turned wood. Unfortunately it was a cold and drizzly kind of day, so that didn’t add to the experience (I did pick up a decent umbrella at one of those tourist shops though.)

After the bustle of Gatlinburg, we entered the quiet of the Smoky Mountain National Park, cutting through it on our way to the John C. Campbell Folk School. The drizzly weather led to very foggy conditions in the mountains – here’s a shot out the windshield.

Conditions at the roadside vistas were not always ideal.

Sometimes the mountainsides made dramatic appearances through the fog. I almost shot this scene with a video camera, because the clouds were breaking and twisting so much.

A shot of the fog rising from the mountains.

Small rivers ducked in and out of the woods as we drove up to New Found Gap and down again the pass.

We ate in Cherokee, NC at a great little sandwich shop. The proprietor sold me on his description of their chipotle turkey sandwich, with cream cheese, sunflower seeds and alfalfa sprouts. It wasn’t until the second bite that I realized that the sandwich—delicious as it was, had no turkey in it! With apologies, the situation was rectified.

An hour and a half later, after driving through the winding road of Nantahala Gorge, we arrived at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC (https://www.folkschool.org/). We were soon registered, welcomed and fed—a wonderful meal of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans and fresh bread. Afterwards we went with each of our instructors, who brought us to the studios we’ll be in all week. Let’s just say we’re both very excited about our classes and instructors.

Here our lodgings for the week: a converted mill.

Off to Appalachia

2009-05-16T23:50:00.007-04:00

Yesterday morning, after final packing and a great breakfast with my parents, we were off! We drove south through Indiana and Ohio to our first stop: Berea, the arts and crafts capital of Kentucky. The drive was (thankfully) uneventful. For much of the ride Christa slept while I drove and listened on my mp3 player to "The Jewish Wars" by Josephus, a first century historian. By early evening we arrived at The Greathouse Inn, a bed an breakfast run by a schoolteacher named Pat Greathouse. She was a wonderful hostess, treating us to fine accomodations and a terrific southern breakfast complete with fresh biscuits.

We spent most of today walking around central Berea, taking in the sights and sounds of the arts community here. We spoke with artists in their studios, hard at work making all sorts of wonderful items, from glass beads to woven rugs to sterling silver jewelry to mountain dulcimers.

Christa watching Jimmy Lou Jackson make glass bead jewelry in her studio, Hot Flash Beads.

Looking over a rustic style rising pan for bread dough.

Story people by Brian Andreas, who has a very unique perpective on life (double click to read).

A cowboy hat by Chris Ramsey. It was made from ambrosia maple and turned on a lathe. Next to it is a beautiful natural edge walnut bowl.

Pat had made three recommendations for lunch. We decided to go to a bohemian restaurant, where we split a light lunch of french onion soup, an oregano parmesan pepper crepe with fresh greens, and an ice mochaccino. I took a picture to share because I remembered all the great food shots David Teitsma put on his bike-across-the-continent blog last summer.

Late in the afternoon we left Berea for Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where we checked into the Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort for dinner and overnight. Tomorrow we'll travel through the Smokys to Brasstown, North Carolina. I'll leave you with the prayer for the modern traveller, as posted in the Berea Artists Welcome Center (double click on the image to get it to a readable size).

Getting ready to GO!

2009-05-15T01:42:00.003-04:00

Why does it always take so long to pack up and go? This morning I wrote up a list of thing I'd hoped to accomplish before heading out of town. When I looked it over, I realized I wouldn't be finishing evything on the list. But I'd hoped to get further than I am now.

Part of the reaon has got to be that we just get too connected to our homes, cars, jobs and the other anchor-like appendages to our lives. It makes getting away seem almost impossible, and the internet makes it so that we can now just take our lives along with us. No wonder sabbath is so elusive. Or is it that we elude sabbath?

Eric's lighthouse turned out well. He painted it last night, and this morning I wired up the light as Christa helped him gather some moss, stones and sand to create a bit more of a setting than just a paper plate. And all of us gathered at Oakdale to watch the 5th graders' celebration of Michigan assembly, and look over the projects. The culmination of many hours of time, from child to adult!

On good art and fine shavings

2009-05-12T23:12:00.004-04:00

It is good to settle into sabbath.

Sunday's worship service was a great send off. Not only did we get an affirming word from the congregation, through worship and afterwards over cake, but Rev. Scott Hoezee preached a fine message. He took up the second commandment (no graven images) as taught by the Heidelberg Catechism, and connected it with John 4, Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. He pointed out that the incarnation of Jesus is itself a revealing of the image of God, one which we are ourselves blessed to share in. It was a great start, and a thought provoking introduction to the theological and historical tensions regarding the visual arts in the Protestant tradition. Thanks Scott!

I read a great little book that also helped to lay the ground work. Two essays by Francis Schaffer are found in "Art and the Bible" (IVP, 1973 and 2006). The first reviews the many ways that the arts are recommended in Scripture, either by call or example. The second essay does a great job laying out 11 different perspectives for Christians to consider when viewing, considering or critiquing art. It's a fairly quick read, only 94 pages. Buy it or call me and borrow it.

But the last three days have also included a lot of non-theological activity. I've been cooking, sorting through bills, getting vehicles repaired and cleaning up my woodshop. We had a great presentation at the woodworkers' guild meeting tonight on bending wood -- the presenter brought in, among other samples, a piece of solid cherry (a hardwood), about 4 feet long, 6 inches wide and 2 inches thick, bent into a semicircle. Impressive.

The highlight though was working with Eric on his Michigan lighthouse model project. Yesterday and today we turned the body of it on the lathe. We did it together, with him standing in front of me, holding and guiding the chisel as I gave support and direction. He did a fine job, and it was for me a great way to find renewal.

The opening of a gift

2009-05-10T07:39:00.000-04:00

So it begins.

Today I officially begin my sabbatical, and so also start a blog (a contraction of 'web log'). Here I hope to spend some time journalling and sharing my thoughts and experiences with friends like you. It seemed to me an easy way to keep as many people as are interested 'in the loop' over the course of the next 4+ months while I explore different approaches to the visiual arts in corporate and personal worship, in books, hands on experiences, exciting new places and my own reflections. So from time to time, I'll type out some words, post some pictures, and maybe a video every now and then.

Thus, part of the beginning of my sabbatical will include figuring out how to run a blog. I'm guessing it won't prove too difficult. For those of you who are following a blog for the very first time, I believe that you can click below on 'Subscribe to: Posts (Atom) ' and the site will walk you through subscribing so that you will get notices via email when something new is posted.

I've set up a sort of home office for the duration of the sabbatical, in the corner of our living room (see photo). Some of you will recognixe the 'free-form open sorting' approach to desk organization from visits to my office at the church. I'm hoping that I'll be able to clear out some of the piles of mundane stuff over the next couple of days--including some of the pile from my office that I wound up taking home on Friday. We may also take down the wonderful 'Happy Birthday' sign the kids put up last month for Christa.

But none of that will happen today. Today is the sabbath day, a day to set aside all such stuff and to rest. So I will lay aside the launching of this blog, have a leisurely breakfast, and enter the day.

May you too be blessed to find a way to enter sabbath, and find the renewal that comes from re-creation.