Friday July 30, 2010 - Camarillo/Santa Barbara, California

Another day of looking over various rental properties. The 4-bedroom that I went to see was actually very, very nice. As nice condition as the Carpinteria property, but probably at least 3-4 miles closer to the church. Close to Costco and shopping. The neighborhood isn't quite as nicely kept up as the one in downtown Santa Barbara, but it's not a dive, either. The owner is remodeling both of the bathrooms (two full baths, as opposed to 1.5 baths at the central SB property), and they're open to us doing some gardening in the backyard. I proposed a lower rent to the owner, so we'll see if they're willing to negotiate or not to get a longer-term rental family in the place instead of college students that change every year.

The afternoon I spent in my new office at the church, going through the detritus left behind by the previous pastor. Lots of stuff to be thrown out or donated. Some things to be traded in at the used book store for credit towards something more useful for me. It's a strange feeling to be going through someone else's office and making it your own. It's a nice office though, and I feel a little guilty about having such a nice space. My capacity for guilt never ceases to amaze me.

I discovered that the former administrative assistant - who has been on maternity leave for several months - has decided not to return to work, and they're in the process of hiring a replacement. I was able to sit in on the interview with the only candidate they've solicited thus far. So many changes for a small church in a short time. There's an air of anticipation that's exciting. Were I wiser, perhaps it would be intimidating. As it is, I just look forward to getting started and seeing what God will do in spite of me.

Thursday July 29, 2010 - Camarillo/Santa Barbara, California

Today was spent in catching up. Returning returned calls and emails from various realtors and owners, and scheduling appointments for more viewings tomorrow. There's one more 4-bedroom house that I've seen listed and we want to see. Otherwise, I'll be looking at some 3-bedroom homes as a point of comparison. Still no clear certainty on where we should live, but I trust that will come in time.

I've also updated a few earlier posts (a couple of weeks ago from Oregon and New Mexico) with a couple of photos. Nothing major, but in case you're curious, have fun.

Wednesday July 28, 2010 - Camarillo/Santa Barbara, California

Today is our five-month anniversary of nomadic life. On February 28, after leading worship at my parish for the last time, Gena and I jumped in the van, grabbed a bagel & lox, and headed off across the desert towards the rest of the world. It was such a mixture of feelings - relief, pain, disappointment, uncertainty, hope, joy, peace. We didn't know where the following days and weeks would lead us, we just trusted - as we continue to trust - that we are led.

Five months and roughly 16,000 miles and 30 states later, we're still being led. It's a great comfort and peace in the midst of uncertainty, anticipation, anxiousness, hope, joy, and a myriad of other emotions. We know a few more details about what the near future is likely to bring, and what the indefinite future may look like. But those details are pretty minor. A geographic area. A parish. Familiar faces not too far away. The continuing of work and mission and education in a new setting, with new people. We don't know the big things. What will happen. How we'll feel when it's time to leave or retire or move-on. What the next stage of the journey might look like. These are the blanks that only really get filled in day by day, hour by hour, regardless of how nice our five or ten-year plans might sound or look on paper.

I try to remember that at the end of a long day looking at rental properties over a 30-mile distance. At the end of the day, there are two strong contenders - a property about 13 miles south of Santa Barbara in the small community of Carpinteria. It's a beautiful house and yard, meticulously kept up. The kitchen is a bit small and awkward though, and we're not a big fan of carpeting throughout. But these are small issues.

The other contender is in Santa Barbara proper, probably about a mile from the church as the crow flies. It's an older property, well maintained, with lots of yard space. But it hasn't been updated and maintained quite as well as the Carpinteria property. In particular, there's some ancient linoleum in the kitchen area that looks atrocious, and the countertops in the kitchen and bathroom are old tile. Beyond the color of the tile (black/white and peach/light green, respectively), the tile is old, broken and chipped in many places, and makes the place look considerably less nice and clean than it actually is.

Decisions decisions. Location or condition?

Tuesday July 27, 2010 - Tempe, Arizona to Burbank/Camarillo, California

For the second time in as many months, I leave my family behind to fly out to California. This time, I go not to discern whether or not the Lord is leading me to accept a Call as Pastor, but rather to try and figure out where we're going to live.

It's not like we haven't been looking.

It's funny - when we were moving to St. Louis six years ago for me to attend seminary, I flew out to St. Louis for 3 days, and in that time located a house, made an offer, and began the process of purchasing the home. Six years later, after weeks of searching, I haven't been able to have the same success.

California apparently has this law that forbids realtors and other folks looking to sell or rent a home from providing interested parties with information on the square footage of a house. You have to actually come out and measure it yourself. I've never heard of anything so monumentally stupid. One of the most fundamental pieces of information in buying or renting a home is being deliberately withheld - by law - all because of some ridiculous lawsuit in the past, no doubt. Incredibly frustrating.

House prices in Santa Barbara are astronomical. It could cost us three times as much to rent a home in Santa Barbara as it's costing my brother-in-law & sister-in-law to rent a place in Hawaii. HAWAII. Come on people. This makes no sense! But it is what it is.

The plane flight to Burbank and the train ride to Camarillo were uneventful. It feels so natural to be back, and yet everything will be different very soon when we find a place to live and settle into a new town and a new job and and new routines. We're grateful to have some good friends a short drive from where we'll be living & working - I know that will make the transition a little easier for all of us.

Monday July 26, 2010 - Tempe, Arizona

Today I'm packing and preparing to leave.

Oh, yeah. We decided that, since Gena's mother's eyes are doing reasonably well, I'm going to fly to Santa Barbara (well, Burbank) and stay with our friend Lewis until I find a house for us to live in. If that happens before my installation on August 15, then Gena & the kids will drive out with her dad for company sometime after the movers have done their work, and then stay (well, not her dad). If I haven't found something by 8/15, then they'll come out for the installation and then head back to Phoenix to wait it out until I *do* find something.

No pressure there, eh?

As an aside, Southwest Airlines has an interesting new little deal. For a nominal fee, you get to board the airplane pretty in the first boarding group and you get a free drink. You also get an extra .25 flight leg credit for your money. Apparently how booked the flight is determines how far in front you get to board. On my flight, it was offering me the option of boarding as one of the first five people. On another sample flight I just did, it was offering me the option of being in the first 15.

Interesting, eh?

Sunday July 25, 2010 - Tempe, Arizona

We worshiped this morning at Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Tempe. This is the church my family attended after moving to Arizona from Indiana in the late 70's. I was confirmed there and attended through high school, after which I left to join the campus student ministry that played such a major role in my theological development. In one of those odd, who woulda thunk it sort of things that life gives you every now and then, this is the church my in-laws have begun attending after my father-in-law retired from the aforementioned campus ministry.

Of course, pretty much nothing looks like it did 20 years ago. The church has built numerous buildings and given the place at least one major renovation/makeover. The contemporary worship service we attended was in the multipurpose building, which didn't exist when I left the congregation. There isn't much of a sense of deja vu, in other words. The pastor is different, and I don't really recognize anyone. Part of me wonders if there are people my age there that I knew during my high school days, but considering how poorly I got on with most of them, it's not a mystery I'm necessarily worried about solving.

We got home and began preparations for a mid-day dinner that Gena's sister & her family were coming over for. We did a Mexican-style dinner. It was great, the kids had a blast playing in the pool and running around the house. It was a great way to exhaust the kids!

Saturday July 24, 2010 - Tempe, Arizona

Oh yes, we are late in updating.

Actually, we've talked more than once about when our adventure is officially over. At what point does this blog really become irrelevant in terms of it's original purpose? When is the unemployment tour actually over?

• Is it over now that I've accepted a Call to a congregation and know that 'employment' will start in a few weeks?
• Is it over now that we're back in Tempe, where we began our shindig?
• Does it end when we find a house and move in, ceasing our nomadic lifestyle?

Oh, the decisions.

For now, it seems logical to continue this blog until we have moved into a home. This may make for some boring entries if we don't find a home very soon, but hey, it's not as though boring entries are anything new. Right?

Speaking of which, nothing of import happened today.

Friday July 23, 2010 - Tempe, Arizona

Not much new today. Another eye appointment for Joan. Then it was prepping dinner for Gena's sister & the cousins to come over for swimming and dinner fun. A great excuse for margaritas - as well as fresh pico de gallo and guacamole. Yum! A fun day, but exhausting. It's fun to watch the cousins play together - which they do remarkably well considering most of their lives have been spent in different states.

Thursday July 22, 2010 - Tempe, Arizona

Not much happening today. We took Gena's mother to an eye appointment. The kids went swimming. The earth circled the sun - or so they claim.

Wednesday July 21, 2010 - Flagstaff, Arizona to Tempe, Arizona

It wasn't as hot as we were fearing on the drive down. It's a familiar route down I-17. I've made it probably dozens of times over the years. This time we had the uncomfortable experience of seeing a vehicle in blazing flames and smoke just north of Anthem, with traffic piling up behind it. Whatever happened didn't happen long before we passed by. News reports later indicated a truck had lost control, hit the guardrail and exploded. Amazingly the driver escaped with minor injuries and no other cars or people were involved. What a blessing.

Having driven roughly 16,000 miles in the last 4.5 months, there have been one or two times when it seemed as though an accident might be in our future. I remember crossing into Massachusetts and seeing two or three extraordinarily stupid moves in the space of about 5 miles - any of which could have led to a very nasty wreck that we likely would have been a part of. But our closest brush with an accident came today. Here in our former home town.

We were near Indian School on I-17 in the HOV lane when I noticed white smoke starting to come from the vehicle two cars up from me - a little sporty jobby that we had been trading pole positions with for probably 20 miles. Sure enough, he had blown his driver-side front tire, and was exiting the HOV lane rapidly and slowly.

That's when the tire completely came off of his wheel. He was still trying to make his way across five lanes of traffic while I was watching his tire bouncing up and down and back into the HOV lane. My lane. I'm not sure what the car ahead of me did to avoid it - perhaps it hadn't bounced completely back into our lane when he passed it by.

Now the tire was bouncing and rolling all around the HOV lane about 100 yards ahead of me as I'm slowing down from 75mph. Traffic is flying as it's lunch hour. I'm not able to get over. I start braking hard, getting down to about 20 mph. That's when I check my rear-view mirror and see a guy bearing down on me hard after jumping into the HOV lane from the fast lane. I watch his whole vehicle lurch as he realizes how fast I'm not going and slams on his brakes. I'm not sure he's going to be able to slow down fast enough, the wheel is coming up right in front of me. I'm hoping it's going to lay down, but it doesn't. I can't come to a stop or I'm going to cause a pile-up behind me. So I hit the tire, hoping it will pass under quickly and easily.

I think that I've gotten past it and start accelerating again when I realize the tire is now caught on our passenger rear tire. It's smoking up like crazy as I try to start working my way over through traffic to exit, with my newfound visibility in the white smoke cloud and extraneous tire. As I reach the far right lane I see the owner of the tire up the road a ways. The tire suddenly breaks free of our tire and bounces along on the shoulder of the freeway. I remember thinking that it would be funny if it bounced back and caught up with it's rightful owner. I'm thinking we're home clear when I realize there's still a friction noise coming from our rear. Now I'm worried about damage the other tire might have done, or whether part of it is still attached. We manage to exit at roughly Indian School and pull quickly into a service station.

The tire had partially popped the lower rear quarter panel, which was easy enough to snap back into place. Part of the inside portion (note my highly technical automotive language) was bent out of place and rubbing against the tire - hence the continued friction noise. Fortunately, our tire appeared none the worse for wear, I was able to manipulate the out-of-place piece back into place, and we were good to go. Off and on the freeway again in under five minutes. That's my kind of pit stop.

The rest of the trip in was uneventful. Cloud cover kept the temperatures down to the low triple digits. We stopped for lunch at our favoritest Vietnamese restaurant - Khai Hoan. Hands down the absolute best lemon-grass chicken in the US. I used to think they had the best spring rolls, but there's a spot in St. Louis that kicks their butt completely on the spring roll count. We've been going to Khai Hoan for over a decade now, and they recognize us and the owner commented on how big the kids have gotten. His own kids are now teen-agers, and we've noted their changes as well.

Afterwards we headed off to Gena's sister's house for a little bit so the cousins could play together. Then it was back to my in-laws home to start setting up for our stay. A good day of travel.

Tuesday July 20, 2010 - Bernalillo, New Mexico to Flagstaff, Arizona

Today ended up being the first part of a two part trip back to Phoenix. Gena's mom underwent eye surgery today, and it was decided that perhaps arriving back today wouldn't be the most conducive for her restful recovery. So we adjusted our travel somewhat, scaled back our journey, and plopped down in Flagstaff for the evening.

However, we stopped for lunch in Gallup. We wanted something that would please the whole family, and since we had time on our hands, we figured something more sit-down would be good. We started seeing signs for El Rancho probably 50 miles out from Gallup. This place purports to have been quite the place in it's heyday. Judging from the death of people around the property, that heyday has been long gone and now they're struggling to survive on their legacy. Granted, it's not a shabby legacy. The lobby itself is worth the stop - it's quite an impressive collection of different things (mounted deer heads, Native American art, chili pepper lights, animal hides, etc.) all placed together in relative harmony. The food wasn't anything fancy, but we were all able to find something that more or less pleased us. I was surprised that Mexican food wasn't the primary menu emphasis - I think they had more burgers and sandwiches than anything.

We enjoyed some rain about 30 miles out from the city proper, so the city was nice and moist and cool. Roughly 80 degrees, which we find to be just about as warm as things ought to get. If only it were going to remain this temperature for the next few weeks! It was nice to break up the journey into two parts, tomorrow will be the hotter, warmer one.

Monday July 19, 2010 - Bernalillo, New Mexico

Our last day here is spent pretty relaxed. My folks dogs have almost gotten used to us - almost meaning that they almost don't bark every time I enter or leave a room. Almost. Maybe the next time we visit they'll relax. After all, I've only known the dogs for years!

For dinner we enjoyed steak - the first time Gena & I have had steak in I don't know how long. Nothing smells quite like steaks on the grill - and we enjoyed ourselves immensely in consuming it!

I inherited my aversion to photos from my parents. As such, we don't have many photos of our visit - but I've updated a few of them (and some older photos as well) so you may want to view the last week of posts again if you'd like to see some pictures.

Sunday July 18, 2010 - Bernalillo, New Mexico

We attended Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM today. We've been here once before - last November for Thanksgiving worship. It's a small but friendly congregation that seems to be growing. The pastor remembered us, and was aware through my parents of our situation the past year. A good reminder of how many people there are out there in prayer for us, and a reminder of the importance of prayer for others as well as ourselves.

After lunch we headed east and south a bit into the Sandia Mountains that border the eastern side of Albuquerque. Our parents drove us around and then up the back side of the mountain to the top, where we enjoyed a spectacular view of the valley and some impressive clouds moving in. We went for a short hike through the pines, which the kids enjoyed. I think the pinnacle of the experience was seeing a small snake slithering calmly across the trail. No rattles, or any of the other warning markings that might make us nervous. It seemed pretty much uninterested in us as well, but the kids just about wet themselves in excitement.

We headed back down the mountain just in time to enjoy a brief torrential downfall. As with desert thundershowers, you're in and out of them almost before you can turn your windshield wipers on. It was fun to drive through our second desert rain in as many days.

Back home we relaxed. Mika & Caedmon were excited to help Grandma make and decorate cupcakes. We watched Shrek the Third together while we enjoyed our traditional Sunday evening popcorn, cheese, crackers - augmented by tortilla chips & salsa. Woohoo! The kids were wiped out by bedtime - a welcome treat always! The rest of us crashed fairly early as well.

Saturday July 17, 2010 - Bernalillo, New Mexico

The kids are overjoyed to have morning people around! They had a field day with my folks this morning before Gena and I were even up - woohoo! Spent the morning walking down to a nearby park to play before it got too warm. Summer has come to Bernalillo at last, and temperatures are in the upper 90's. Not that there isn't plenty to keep the kids busy inside!

Most of the day was spent relaxing, enjoying the kids as they played with one another or one of the sundry adults scattered around the house. My folks also have two small dogs that the kids adore and have enjoyed reconnecting with. I'm not sure how the dogs feel about it, though!

Tonight was pizza night, and the kids thought that was pretty darn cool, as it was. Then it was time for showers in anticipation of going to what may be the first early service we and the kids have been to since...well, since we had the kids at least! Fortunately we've been refining our morning routine. Streamlining. Working out the kinks to get faster, leaner, more efficient. 8:30am worship will be a great test of our skills!

Friday July 16, 2010 - Flagstaff, Arizona to Bernalillo, New Mexico

We got out of Flagstaff around 10am, and it was already close to 90 degrees. The smell of hot pine needles is one I remember well from my many trips to the area during college, leading camping trips for the student ministry. It's amazing how much the town has changed in a short 20 years.

The drive to New Mexico was pleasantly uneventful. The "Maintenance Required" light has come on in the van, but I suspect it's simply reminding me tochange the oil. Since the last oil change was probably about 8000 miles ago, I can't blame it. We'll take care of it in Phoenix once we're there. We arrived in Bernalillo about 4pm - except that we had forgotten about losing an hour in travel, so it was really 5pm. We didn't realize this though until much later that night, which meant the kids ended up going to bed an hour earlier! It only seemed to phase Alec, who took a long time to fall asleep.

We enjoyed spaghetti with bread & salad for dinner - the kids were in heaven!

Thursday July 15, 2010 - Camarillo,California to Flagstaff, Arizona

Thursday morning we prepared the van for the cross-desert trek to visit my folks outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Thanks to Jake & Erin, I stored at their place our car top carrier with all of our camping gear, as well as two large bags of winter clothes and the blankets we had bought in Pendleton, Oregon. We must have lightened our vehicle weight by at least 100 pounds, plus streamlined the vehicle profile somewhat. I'm sure that will help gas mileage, but that's not been something we've been able to worry a lot about.

We left about 2:30pm, heading the back way out of town. This involves taking CA118 through Simi Valley to the 405N, which turns into the 5N before we exit on the 14 towards Victorville and Palmdale. Then we get on the Pearblossom Highway (CA38) which takes us the rest of the way east to Victorville where we catch the 15N towards scenic Barstow.

We rested in Barstow for dinner. We had been surprised earlier to pass through several thunderstorm systems that drenched us in a pleasant way. It's amazing how in the desert you can drop from 105 degrees to 75 degrees in the span of about half a mile, and then be back up in triple digits in another mile or two. It was beautiful and unexpected. We hoped to get more rain as we took US40E across the Mojave, but we never had any.

We stayed in Flagstaff, Arizona - arriving about 11pm. It was good to get to sleep!

Wednesday July 14, 2010 - Camarillo, California & Santa Barbara, California

We let Lewis watch the kids today while Gena and I headed up alone to Santa Barbara. We were able to tour another property that was beautiful but too small and perched on the edge of a cliff that made me a bit nervous thinking of small children and earthquakes. We toured another property in the downtown area that could work, but we discovered that there was another building attached to it with three smaller apartments in it. That would be a little weird.

I met with Emanuel's leadership briefly, making plans for the installation service and dropping off some necessary paperwork. We drove by a few other places, but weren't able to go inside. We know that we'll find the right thing - but we haven't apparently found it yet. Continued prayers are appreciated.

We drove back to meet up with Lewis & the kids at Jim & Dianne's house. The kids were thrilled to be swimming. They were also thrilled to see our dog, Whiskey, for the first time in almost five months. Jim & Dianne have agreed to keep Whiskey as their dog, since she's such good friends with their dog, Brandy. Finding rentals is hard enough in Santa Barbara, but finding ones that allow pets is nigh impossible. We'll get another dog at some point in the future - but it's good to know that Whiskey has a wonderful home with people (and another dog!) that love her.

The decision was also made to leave mid-day tomorrow (Thursday), and drive into the night to Flagstaff, Arizona, rather than attempting to get up at 3am to beat the heat across the Mojave. This makes a lot of sense, and allows us to get a better night's sleep which we're quite grateful for.

Tuesday July 13, 2010 - Camarillo, California & Santa Barbara, California

Today we attempted to get more familiar with Santa Barbara. Because we had made our decision to change our travel plans over the weekend, we hadn't been able to set up appointments to see anything. So the goal was mostly just to drive around and see the area where specific properties of interest were.

We managed to see the inside of one property that was having an open house. I don't think anybody had cleaned it since the last people moved out. It was dirty, smelly, and there was dirt and dust everywhere. Very small and not suitable for us. We drove by another property and were told that the rental company had the key - which turned out not to be true. So we peeked in windows and wandered around the house a bit. It might work - but it's hard to tell.

We stopped by the church where I will be installed as pastor on August 15. To our surprise the office was open and I was able to show Gena and the kids around a bit. That was fun. The kids quickly tired of driving around though, so we ended our travels in time to beat rush hour traffic back to Camarillo.

Our friends Jake & Erin invited us to dinner at their house, and the kids had much fun seeing our old house - Jake & Erin rented it after we moved out. There was a Slip & Slide to keep the kids occupied for a while, then lasagna and bread & salad (and margaritas - woohoo!). They were much exhausted by the time we headed home. Definitely a good night!

Monday July 12, 2010 - Stockton, California to Camarillo, California

Another relatively uneventful travel day. We made an earlier start than we often do, leaving Stockton by about 9:30am. Traffic wasn't too bad and the temperatures weren't too bad either. We made excellent time all the way up until we reached the Grapevine. Here we slowed to a literal crawl about halfway through the Tehachapi mountains. We crept along at about a mile every 15 minutes or so for probably 90 minutes or more. Apparently there was road construction closing down three of the four southbound lanes -but we never saw it. Traffic just suddenly started moving again for no reason. Frustrating.

We noted with interest that the only other time in any of our major travels over the last 10 years that we've been stopped or effectively stopped in traffic for any length of time (last November en route to Albuquerque, NM for thanksgiving with my parents), the kids were watching Disney's Mulan both times. Hmmm. Perhaps we need to leave that particular DVD at home from now on!

Still, we made it to Camarillo around 5pm, which was nice. We enjoyed pizza and popcorn and wine while relaxing. There was a cool breeze on his patio that quickly washed away the heat and dust of our travels. Tomorrow will be a busy day, but we have a few minutes in the evening to just relax and unwind. God is so good!

Sunday July 11, 2010 - Bend, Oregon to Stockton, California

It's been some time since we've had a full day of driving. I was worried that the kids might not handle it well. Heck, I was worried I wouldn't handle it well. As much as I know that heading south to do some scouting for a place to live is the right thing to do, I was not looking forward to the long drive down.

We packed up and left the Jones household around 10am and headed to Best Buy. Because our beloved and highly necessary portable DVD player had died on the last stage of our drive to the Jones' household. A little more very-high-tech testing last night confirmed that the unit was not going to be, how do you way, functional? So we bit the bullet and got a replacement. With an extended warranty. We'll put that little sucker through it's paces to be sure, and if it poops out in less than two years, we're likely to score a new replacement. Yee-haw.

We finally got on the highway proper (97 South) about 11am. We reached Klamath Falls, OR a little before 1pm. This is interesting for two reasons. First, the LCMS congregation there had expressed interest in interviewing me for a possible Call a few weeks ago. Very flattering. Secondly, because we had driven this route, stopped in Klamath Falls and eaten at the very same Applebees there when we did our trip last September. Deja vu all over again, I tell you. Except this time the service was slow, but we ordered very light to minimize the unpleasantness of the food.

Then it was back on the road, where Caedmon promptly fell asleep. Well, in his car seat in the back of the van - not on the actual road. Sheesh, what sort of parents do you think we are? So we pushed hard to make it past Mt. Shasta and the accompanying twists and turns through the beautiful mountains and over the lovely rivers that had made Caedmon sick at his stomach last fall. We succeeded - he slept through it all and we didn't pause until Redding, California to gas up and pee and reward the kids with some well-deserved snacks.

Back on the road. Our plan had been to stay overnight in Sacramento, but the kids were engrossed in watching Mulan for about the 13,000th time in the last five months, so we pushed another 50 miles to Stockton. Did I mention how essential the portable DVD player is?

Saturday July 10, 2010 - Bend, Oregon

A slower day, the main news being that we've decided to alter the next segment of our travels. Instead of heading through Boise, Idaho and Ogden, Utah to see an old high school friend and Gena's aunt, respectively, we're leaving a day early from Bend and heading south to Camarillo/Santa Barbara. Essentially, I'm beginning to worry about finding a suitable place to live in Santa Barbara so we can squeeze in two days of looking at prospective properties before we head off for New Mexico to visit with my folks.

Gena and I headed into Bend late this morning, hoping to get her nose piercing adjusted at the piercing store where she had it pierced last September. We had gone on Friday, only to discover that they were closed for the day but would be back on Saturday. What are their hours? "11am to Close". Very helpful.

So we arrive at 11:30am. Closed. Still the same sign saying they'll be open...well...now. Only they aren't. Grrrrr. We walk around the little street fair that has taken over downtown Bend and come back 30 minutes later. Still closed. Calling the posted number only gets a generic voice mail message. Frustrating. We head back to Gwen & Greg's place. We call again, now about 1:30pm. They answer. Why yes, they're open. Come on down. Oh, but we probably won't be open until 7pm. How late will we be open? Well, probably around 4pm. But if you want to come by after 3pm, you'd better call first to make sure we're still here. But otherwise, we're glad to see you! Grrrr.

Gena & Gwen run back to town while I sit on the kids. When they return, they take the kids down to play in the nearby river while I head to Starbucks to look for rental property and otherwise try to keep my brain from exploding thinking about all the things to coordinate in the next few weeks. Dinner is leftovers with more margaritas - woohoo! It's been a good visit, and sad to cut it short - but also necessary. I pray Gwen & Greg & Amba understand!

Friday July 9, 2010 - Bend, Oregon

This morning we went to Bend's municipal water park. Picture about 40,000 kids and parents gathered in and around a series of wading pools and a water slide. In 95 degree full sun. The kids had a blast. Gwen got another good sunburn despite sun block. Gena and I fared much better.

Afterwards we headed into downtown Bend so that Gena could get her nose-piercing adjusted and look for another color she could swap between. However, we discovered the piercing place was closed for the day. The kids had ice cream, so it was hardly a total loss! We had chicken burritos for dinner - and of course margaritas!

Thursday July 8, 2010 - Portland, Oregon to Bend, Oregon

We spent the morning loading up, doing laundry, cleaning, and generally readying for departure. We actually left around 2pm, but due to some strange directions, probably didn't actually get out of the Portland suburbs until about 3pm. We opted to drive the eastern half of route 26 (since we had driven the western portion on Tuesday) to Bend. This took us right by Mt. Hood, which was beautiful and very snow-covered still. I think this route was a little shorter and a little less windy than the route we've previously taken (south out of Portland to Salem and then east to Bend). It was just over a three hour drive, but the kids were pretty burnt out on it. Hopefully we're breaking them back in to travel days, since we'll have a flurry of them over the next few weeks.

We arrived just before 6pm, and enjoyed pizzas at Gwen & Greg & Amba's house. The kids had fun playing, of course, and our kids were thrilled to be around dogs again.

Wednesday July 7, 2010 - Portland, Oregon

It's hard to believe we're leaving tomorrow. This is incredibly good in some respects, because it means we're moving forwards towards relocation and grounding and ministry and a ton of other things that we're really excited about. It's also very sad in some respects, since we'll be leaving a part of the country we dearly love, and leaving behind cooler temperatures to climb into the convection oven that is the desert southwest in summer.

On this latter count, we're assisted in leaving by the fact that it's going to be 90+ degrees today, and hotter tomorrow. Bend, our next destination, is about 10 degrees cooler. Head 'em up, move 'em out!

Today we're just getting ready to leave. Starting laundry, packing, and all the other necessary actions to extricate from this lovely city. Fun fun fun. Truly.

Tuesday July 6, 2010 - Portland, Oregon to the Oregon Coast & Back

Jeff & Manchu had lots of suggestions for things to do in the area. This is wonderful, but as I've mentioned before, this isn't the typical sort of sight-seeing trip. It's been wonderful to just be for a span of time. It lends an air of normalcy and permanency in the midst of constant change. Hard to believe that we'll have been in Portland for almost a month by the time we leave.

But we had wanted to take a drive to see the coast west of Portland, and Jeff suggested swinging south from Cannon Beach to Tillamook to see the cheese factory. It makes sort of a loop, taking the 26 West out of Portland to Cannon Beach, then south on the 101 to Tillamook, then back east on the 6, which links up once again with the 26. It's just about 90 minutes from Portland to the coast, and about the same on the way back, unless you happen to hit the outskirts of Portland at 5pm rush hour, which is what we did. In which case, tack at least another hour onto the drive!

Cannon Beach is a cute little seaside community. It appears to be driven mostly by tourism and some very nice real estate lining the hills and cliffs over the beach. We grabbed a bite to eat at a local pizza joint and then headed to the beach. Of course, we hadn't packed swimming suits or extra clothes for the kids. After all, the water was going to be pretty cold, and the northern Oregon coast is famous for chilly winds even in the summer. We were looking forward to seeing the distinctive rock outcroppings on the beach and the surf that seem to be a hallmark of this part of the Pacific Coast.

However it was a picture perfect day. The breeze was firm but not annoying - or cold. The sun was out in full force and so were the tourists, including us. The kids quickly forgot our admonitions to only go ankle-deep out into the water, and were quickly more or less soaked. Oh well. Kids are kids, right? We only stayed for about 45 minutes or so since we hadn't packed sunscreen, and we still wanted to stop down in Tillamook. What a fun way to spend mid-day though!

The drive to Tillamook wasn't too long - less than an hour. The 101 is windy here, but not as windy as it gets in northern California, if memory serves me correctly. The Tillamook Cheese factory is a lot more popular as a tourist destination than I would have guessed. So we went in, looked around on the self-guided tour, grabbed a tiny ice-cream for the kids and left. The kids were pretty impressed by the whole operation, particularly since they know that they eat that brand of cheese (when it's on sale).

The drive to and from the course is beautiful, winding through densely forested hills and small mountains. The trees are massive pines that must be at least 100-feet tall. The area just outside Portland to the west is mostly farmland before the hills take back control and the trees seize the skyline. Unfortunately we hit Portland at the peak of rush hour, and discovered that the traffic can be most unpleasant. But it was a wonderful day. Everyone had a blast, and after another short installment of reading The Hobbit together, the kids were down for the count.

Monday July 5, 2010 - Portland, Oregon

It was a beautiful, cool and cloudy day here in Portland. I'm not looking forward to the heat of the desert southwest. We'll be there in less than two weeks. Hard to believe that the final stages of our trip are in view. We're finalizing our notes on what needs to get done here before we leave later this week. Gena spent some time shopping today, picking up a few clothing items before we head into less familiar environs.

Sunday July 4, 2010 - Portland, Oregon

We joined our friends Jeff & Manchu for worship at their church this morning - Village Baptist Church (VBC) in a suburb of Portland. We had planned to go back to Imago Dei one last time, but were intrigued by Jeff & Manchu's descriptions of VBC as a very multi-cultural church.

VBC is a large church, though apparently attendance was way down for the holiday. The service was in English, but there were Korean translations on-screen for the songs we sang, and there was audio translation into Korean available via ear-piece units for those interested. On special events translations are also provided in Chinese and perhaps Spanish, our friends told us.

I liked the general feel of VBC's approach to worship. I think they had a much more appropriate understanding that this is something different than anything else you do during the week, and they conveyed that in multiple ways. It didn't seem overly cross-cultural, despite a very impressive mix of Caucasian and Asian ethnicities. Our friends are Taiwanese, so I figure if they think it's cross-cultural, it probably is.

Afterwards we went back to their house for pizza, which the kids loved. The kids also loved that they have a Wii system, and they were able to play Wii for the first time in probably three months. We headed home, all of us kind of pooped already from our busy and fun day. After a brief down-time to regroup, we broke into the fireworks I had purchased yesterday.

Not having been raised around fireworks, they still hold a fascination for me. Probably in no small part due to my male genes also. The kids were equally excited about the afternoon's activities. I apparently succeeded in picking a fireworks collection that didn't include anything that shot into the air, and that was kind of disappointing, actually. Despite the nifty packaging and imaginative names and images on the various different fireworks in the package, they all did pretty much the same thing. They shot different colored sparks into the air to a height of maybe four feet or so. And made a ton of smoke. I felt vaguely criminal in the afternoon's events. Even though fireworks appear to be legal in Portland, I didn't hear many others going off.

That changed once it got dark.

The kids enjoyed their usual cheese & popcorn dinner before heading to bed. And then, as it began to get dark, the fireworks started in earnest. The noise was impressive, from a variety of directions and distances. Fortunately the kids are sound sleepers (and are sleeping in the basement, which provides a little more sound insulation). I no longer felt guilty about the fireworks we engaged in earlier. More a little embarrassed at their woefully small scale. Oh well. The important thing is that we had fun and didn't suffer any injuries.

Right?

Saturday July 3, 2010 - Portland, Oregon

We had a busy day today! Our friends Jeff, Manchu, and their daughter Charlotte came over for a 4th of July cook out. We prepared kabobs with large prawns & veggies to grill. We also put together a cold pasta salad, watermelon & cherries. Yum!

After lunch we drove to a nearby park so the kids could run around (and the womenfolk could chase them) while Jeff and I played a couple games of tennis. Jeff has been playing competitively in the local USTA chapter. I haven't played in about six months. You can imagine the sort of amazingly competition I provided him. I was happy to win a few games in each of the two sets, and get a few halfway respectable shots in. He got many more games, and many more respectable shots in. A good push for me to get on board with some regular tennis play when we get settled again. I suspect that this place is out of my league, so to speak. Or ought to be!

We came back to "our" place for the dessert they had brought - delicious chocolate cake! Dinner was a pretty informal affair of the kids' favorite - cheesy noodles, along with some leftover grilled chicken and other items. Everyone was pretty tired by the end of the day - a good day with good friends.

Friday July 2, 2010 - Portland, Oregon

Today I officially accepted a Call to Emanuel Lutheran Church, Santa Barbara (and yes, a new web site will be a first priority!). It's been an ongoing discussion process for the last three months. They sent the Call paperwork to Gena's aunt/uncle/grandmother's place in Baltimore - which was eons ago, it seems. We've been so far, in so many ways - physically, emotionally, spiritually since then. We believe that the Holy Spirit has been at work through all of this, and we're excited to start this next stage of our family adventure.

Of course, this has sort of preoccupied our thoughts. Today, we got little done after making the phone call to the congregational president of Emanuel, and then notifying our friends & family by phone, Facebook, and e-mail. Gena and I spent a good portion of the day reviewing potential houses to rent in the Santa Barbara area on Craigslist, and lamenting the high real estate prices. We know the right thing will turn up - we just want to know what it is right now ;-)

The tentative plan is to arrive in Santa Barbara in early August - hopefully to get moved in and settled before an installation service likely on 8/15. If we don't find anything suitable in terms of rentals right away, we have friends in Camarillo that we could probably convince to let us stay with them - for the right price.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers and concerns, your open doors & hearts over the last four months. As we begin to prepare for the final leg of our wanderings, we have so many good times to look back on. Thanks for making that possible and being a part of it all.

The other important event for the day was the completion of the freezer jam project. It was mostly raspberries today, with a little more strawberry as well. The kids were more or less willing and exuberant assistants - more willing and exuberant at least about sampling things as the process moved along. Can't wait to taste it!

Thursday July 1, 2010 - Portland, Oregon

Gena & Alec returned this afternoon from Hoodsport, WA. It sounds like it was a wonderful time with her grandparents, and I'm happy she was able to see them. Here in Portland, we weathered their absence without undue suffering, but it's good to have them back ;-)

Gena relates a story from Wednesday evening. Her grandparents host a small Bible-study in their home each week. She and Alec spent a fair amount of that time down at Lake Cushman throwing rocks into the water and otherwise enjoying some alone time and allowing her grandparents' study to proceed in comparative peace. She and Alec returned prior to everyone having disbanded though, and in time for dessert.

She overheard Alec talking with someone in the kitchen. Apparently, they had asked him where he lived. We don't have a home! he replied in his typically loud voice. I can imagine what the other person's face must have looked like at this enthusiastic response. But we will have a home, when God shows us where it is! he continued. It's the statement of faith and trust we've tried to respond with whenever our children have inquired about when we'd have a house again (one with stairs preferably, and painted white, where we can have chickens, according to Alec & Mika).

It's one thing to lead Gena and I on this adventure. We understand the broad parameters, the issues that influence our decisions. We see the big picture, or like to think we do. The kids see only that we don't have a home, that we're either on the road or in a hotel or tent, or visiting with friends and relatives for varying lengths of time. I don't think they stress out about things very often, but they're curious all the same. They know the difference between our nomadic life of the last four months, and the more static existence we had in a house in a particular place. As much love and support as we have enjoyed being so together as a family all this time, it doesn't replace the predictability of a home, someplace we can call our own, for however long. A place where it doesn't matter if the toys are left out, or if we're noisy when we play. A place where we aren't constantly aware of our potential impact on others and seeking ways to minimize it and avoid frustrations or irritations.

It was a rainy day today - something we haven't seen for the last week at least. A nice change of pace. The temperature is back down to around 70 (from the scorching 75-77 of the past week or so). I so love this environment, with the greenness and moisture and clouds. It would be nice to stay here, to live here, but it doesn't appear that's going to happen just yet. I pray to be faithful, like Alec, and trusting that what is not seen today may be seen on some other day or year. And beyond that, the trust to say that even if we never get to live here, it will somehow all be ok. I do trust that. And I'm glad our kids do in their own way as well.

We celebrated being reunited as a family with a breakfast dinner of pancakes, eggs, and bacon. O frabjous day!

Wednesday June 30, 2010 - Portland, Oregon

I awoke this morning to the continued suspicion that I and the kids have a slight cold. Caedmon in particular was coughing/barking this morning in an unpleasant way. Fortunately, it passed and didn't seem to be much of an issue the rest of the day.

Mika was the first to test some of the freezer jam, enjoying it in her peanut butter & jelly sandwich. The jam is apparently quite acceptable. I'm always struck by the vivid brightness of freezer jam compared with the cooked jam types. Kind of surreal - like radioactive jam.

Nothing much of excitement today. The kids refined some of their video game playing skills, and also enjoyed an extended scootering outing for them to play on their Razor scooters. After hauling them around the nation with us for the last four months, it's been good to see them enjoying them here in Portland. Mika is the real scooter enthusiast - she has excellent balance and literally flies down the sidewalk. The exhileration radiates from her as she passes by, hair flying in the breeze.

Caedmon is following in his big sister's steps. He's been working very hard and is beginning to get some of the basic ideas about balance. He can glide for a couple of seconds and is very excited by that ability. Alec is not really that interested in scooting, but he's taken his out a couple of times. He gets frustrated quickly with not being able to master it. But it's good to see him taking at least a passing interest in it.