My... Angels???

It is amazing what entertainment can be found in Sally's Hair Supply...

'Tis the Season

I want to say thank you to my precious oldest daughter for going above and beyond the call of duty to get her old man in the spirit of the season.

"Thank you" daughta!!

Slideshow from the Wildcat Mtn Trip

If you want to pause the slideshow, click on the picture. Click on the picasa logo in the bottom right and go to the album to see the location of each photo on a topo map! Enjoy!

Sunset on Wildcat Mtn

What a beautiful evening! We were hoping to cowboy camp again but it is very, very windy up here. But we are waiting for the space shuttle to go by!

It's gonna be a chilly night. I think we'll be dreaming about breakfast at Ma Gooch's.

2 Liter on the downhill slope

Here's Ralph and 2 Liter, a southbound thru-hiker, on Cowrock Mtn. He started June 10 and will finish up in a couple days. He's from West Hanover, CT. He wants to grab a chik-fil-a before he heads back north.... And one more glass of sweet tea.

The Three Amigos Ride Again

Here we are at the Famous Walasi yi Inn at Neels Gap. The only place the trail goes thru a building.

To view more pics, click here.

From the top of Mount of Stone

A beautiful day and one of the best PBJs of my life. Just me and Caroline.

Fruit-loops

Caroline and I are hiking up Stone Mountain and the Fall colors are outstanding! It loks like God dropped His boxes of Fruit-Loops...

It has begun

My church is a polling station. It looks like every thing they were predicting is going to be true.

Don't mess with Caroline

She will snap you in two…

A great way to wrap up a trip

There's nothing like a burger from the Dawsonville Pool room. And you never know when "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville" may walk in.

A good trip. A great night to cowboy camp. I counted 3 shooting stars, a couple satellites and I think the space station go whizzing by... And a chilly 27 degrees. But back in shorts and T-shirt today.

Cowboy Camping

Bob and I decided to head up to a small field above the Springer shelter to try some cowboy camping, that is, sleeping out with no shelter.

The sky is incredible! Not a cloud and very clear. The Milky Way is already visible.

God is Good!

Sunset from Springer Mtn

You just can't get this any place...
(notice in the rock in the foreground a plaque on the left and the first white blaze of the AT on the right.)

For my buddy Ralph

He was supposed to go with us on this trip. (He's the 3rd of the Three Amigos) but Brown didn't deliver the EEE's for his evolution-resistant club feet.
I hope he can make it next time.... We need a good cannin' talk every once in a while.

Where it all begins...

This is for my buddies up north. This is the VERY BEGINNING of the approach trail to the AT. Now you know what it looks like.

A three simple machine balloon-popper

With thanks to Mr. Charles at http://www.myhandymanrepairs.com/

He once was lost but now he's found

Over the Labor Day weekend we had a little family getaway to our "cabin" at the Antioch Campground in Gainesville. Since we were going to be gone for four days we loaded up the whole family, including two dogs and two cats.

The male cat is Smokey, he also has the title, "The Mighty Hunter." He often brings presents of various animal parts to our back door. It's just his way of showing us some love. However, these parts that are treasures to him are often greeted with "Eeeewwwwwwws" from a household made up predominantly of women...

Back to the story... Being that our cabin is in the middle of the woods, Smokey must have thought he'd been miraculously transported back to Eden. Truly a kid in a candy shop...

As often the case, the time comes when it is time to go. And when the time comes... no Smokey... And as sad as it is, even without Smokey we have to leave.

Fastforward 40 days. A phone call. He has been found! Six miles away from the cabin and on the other side of a major highway. And a glorious reunion.

What must it have been like for the Father in Luke 15...

Cool shoes

Well what's cool about Toms Shoes is their story. This guy discovered that children in 3rd world countries could get a foot disease that they couldn't get rid of as long as they were shoeless.

It bugged him enough that he did something about it. He created a.... movement... that makes shoes. But the cool part is, when you buy a pair of these sporty shoes, they'll personally put a pair on a kid who needs them.

And here's another cool part of the story. It's kind of a long story and no doubt a God-story, but Toms Shoes wants to partner with the student ministry at Grayson UMC. What does that mean? That means they gave us this code: SOUL1ST (that is a "one"). When ANYONE (even you) goes to www.tomsshoes.com and orders a pair of these sporty shoes, as I understands it, you won't have to pay for shipping AND the people at Toms Shoes will send GUMC student ministry 8 bucks!

So what is the student ministry at GUMC thinking about doing with all of these 8 bucks? Well... A thought is to save up a bunch of them (about 375 of them) and dig a well in Africa that will provide fresh water for a whole village!

What a great thing. I think it may be a "win trifecta": 375 kids will be cured of a foot disease by receiving a brand new pair of shoes, a village will get a well of fresh water, you get a pair of sporty shoes...

Actually there is a fourth thing: you'll get to be part of a... movement... something much bigger than just you. So, right now, get on over to www.tomsshoes.com And cut and paste SOUL1ST into the code box. Become a part....

Oh, and Christmas is coming. You know those folks on your list who have everything? Hook them up with a movement.

This is always a tough choice for me

Mama D's Selections or Queenella???

Usually I only have to worry about the fresh choice of creek-washed or stump-beat.

I'll have ask Ralph about this one.

Making the most

In the book of Ephesians in the Bible, the writer Paul says to make the most of every opportunity...

Here's a great picture of that being lived out...

(Yes, those are two chicken boxes.)

I'll be putting on a black and white striped shirt shortly... These two are pretty competitive about their Phase 10.

The cumulative effect of getting up at 5:20 am

Or is it "affect"?

Yeah, the time-stamp says, 17:51. For the non-military, that's 5:51pm.

Oh, high school starts at 7:20am.

Faith Restored

It has been a LONG time since I had a 4-way stop in my daily drive. Now I go through this 4-way at the Grayson-New Hope and Chandler Rd. intersection at least a couple times a day.

I like it. Experiencing this 4-way is restoring my faith in people. People at the 4-way do things like take turns. They motion to each other, "no, you go next."

It's like a little dance. And it seems to brings out the best in folks.

What a mess

A cable modem, wireless router, wireless PCI adapter cards, Vista... Yuck...
How will all of this go together? This what we have become?

How I long for the good old days of C:>

Looks like I'm gonna have to call G-baby...

A Magical Night

God really, really,really does have a sense of humor. Really.

Let me start 30 years back. I'm in high school at Avondale High School in Decatur, GA. I am really enjoying this band that's playing at our dance. A band named Fragile. That's enough on that.

Flash forward to, say, 2005. I've been in ministry with this pretty cool dude who's the worship leader at the church I was serving. I've known for the six years we've been together that he played in a rock band before he became a Christ-Follower, but it's just now dawned on me that I've never asked him the name of his band...

Are you sensing how the 30 years are about to collide in this story?

Last night I had the opportunity to, well ROCK OUT to an awesome band at their 30 year reunion gig. Yep, Fragile. And yeah, they still got it.

Oh, and said worship leader is the hot one on the far left...

It's been a long week

It requires a lot of energy being nomads. "Place" is such a powerful word, especially when you're in between places.

The 172nd Antioch Campmeeting

As I understand it, back in the day when we were an agricultural society, about the only time folk had for a vacation were a couple weeks toward the end of summer during a period called "laying by." not being an ag type, my limited understanding is during this period there's not really anything to do with the crops except exercise some patience and wait for them to mature so they can be harvested.

People would capitalize on this time and load up the wood-burning stove on the wagon and tie up the milk cow to the same wagon and head out to a clearing with water nearby and chill out. Friends and relatives would join them and it would be a grand old time. When a particular spot that especially tickled their fancy was happened upon, they'd return to the spot year after year. While there they would build crude little structures to make life a little simpler while away from home.

You know how it goes, when people gather, eventually a preacher shows up. Over the years folks would build a "brush arbor", made from tree branches. The arbor would serve as a sanctuary, a tabernacle in the wilderness if you will, a place set-apart, consecrated for coming into God's Presence.

And 172 years later, we're still at it. Still removing ourselves from the normal rhythms of our lives to rest and Listen for His still small voice.

And He still speaks...

How to survive Campmeeting

It is our week of the year when we, by choice, obstain from air-conditioning. And of all weeks the third one in July.

We stand in a long tradition of those who have gone before us, taking a break from routine to focus on family, the blessing of old friends, rest and worship. Oh, and eating. Lots of eating. Oh and sweating. Lots of sweating.

Miss Gracie has figured out this Campmeeting thing. Now move over girl.

A Peachtree Tradition

After 6.2 miles a guilt-free big breakfast. Followed closely by a big-ole nap.

Here's the gang.

Fireworks later!

20th Anniversary

Today is my 20th anniversary of running the Peachtree Road Race on July 4th.

A little 10K with 55,000 of my closest friends.

Happy Independence Day everybody.

Isaiah 61: 1 - 3

This is how you welcome a new preacher

Fresh corn (shucked, thank you), green beans and squash. It was all in the garden about 30 minutes ago.

Feelin' the love...

It's official

I am now the pastor of Grayson United Methodist Church!

We are all excited about this next section of the Trail.

I've never seen this before

From Sumter South Carolina...

24 SOFTSERVE ice cream flavors. I'm going with a cheesecake/amaretto.

VERY GOOD!
Two thumbs up

There's even a website: http://icecreamflavors.com/

An Annual Conference Tradition

Wilson's Soul Food. Nothing like it.
As you can tell from some, we've been doing it a while...

Today: pork chop, mac and cheese, green beans, roll, sweet tea. Desert: cherry pie.
Literally, a slice of heaven.

And we had a first-timer on the trip. Welcome to the fraternity Terry.

Hey, I'm in the picture too...

A new memberof the family

May I introduce Miss Gracie to you, the newest member of our family. She's the one with the floppy ears.

Rain nor sleet nor snow ain't nothin'

Surely there will be hazard pay to get the mail from the median of a four lane highway.

The nerd family shops for glasses

They must be adopted...

This is scary

Right there on Peachtree St., at a red light, reading a book...

I wonder if anyone has taken a picture of me on the phone, reading e-mail, making an appointment... Driving down 400 at 80 mph, with my knee.

Geotagging

My new phone has GPS and supposedly this software I installed will encode the cordinates of where the picture was taken. Then you can view the location on a map on the picasa website.

I took this pic in front of my office. Let's see if it works...

Why stop at the Wagon Wheel...

When you can drive just a little farther and be at Ryans.

The end of a great trip. Thanks for coming along.

You can't catch him

Bob-O has one thing on his mind... The Wagon Wheel. Don't get in his way or try to pass him.

Trillium in the front - Mayapple in the back

More nature

The Spider Wharf puts out its purple bloom only after a rain. According to my wife and she's really, realy smart.

The other is Fake Solomon's Seal. I don't know what the real one looks like.

Blackberries in bloom

Better post a "Bear Crossing" sign before too long...

Bubba's last stand

Bubba mounted his Schwin, said, "Hey y'all, watch this..." and after a triple backflip went on to glory...

Rooting along the trail

Bear or boar?
Anybody know???

Scott Hearn
From my mobile device

Wendy's Out-take

I handed Bob the camera in video mode...

Breakfast of... hikers

Hot banana bread, hot coffee and hot oatmeal... Good stuff sitting in the middle of nowhere. (yeah, the banana bread is a little burnt on the bottom but you would have eaten it.)

Bob-O did his magic again last night. He caused the whole shelter to decide to Cowboy-camp". ( well, two guys and another was dead to the world, even Bob's chainsaw.) I was already in my hamock, but i'm used to him anyway.

Packing up and heading back out to Hogpen Gap, the to the Wagon Wheel in Dahlonega.

Hiking on.

Scott Hearn
From my mobile device

Bob returns to where he almost died

From freezng to ddeath one night in February. His Florida blood just couldn't handle the low 40's. He's a lot better now...

Here we are at Low gap shelter. It rained coming in then got humid. The flies are bad so I'll be glad to be hammocking tonite!

Scott Hearn
From my mobile device

I sight for sore eyes...

It was so good to see Bob-O!! Then he utered those heavenly words: "You wanna run down and get a burger?"

I confess... I hesitated... But I came to my senses. A 1/2 lb. Wndys Baconator... And of course I had a Frosty...

Heading back up to the trail and hiking on...