Every so often, you'll see something that will spark a "wow" out of you, even though what you're looking at isn't all that great... 

That happened to me on the way home from dropping off the Shadow Lady... And, not only the sun shining though the cloud layer... it looks almost as if the cloud is pointing.

Ok, maybe that's just me.

 

Somewhat rare in these parts, we had a rainbow caused by ice crystals in the clouds as the sun was setting... the pictures don't do it justice, but it was a pretty striking site.

 

I went to a movie with Les, a buddy of mine at work, and noticed a picture of what looked like prop wash from a ferry...

After looking at it more closely, I noticed that it was, in fact, a painting...  it was pretty incredible!  I don't know who painted it, but he or she did a good job!

 

As I was leaving work, I noticed that the darkened sky was just light enough to provide a backdrop for the building where I work... so at a red light, I stuck my camera out the sunroof of my Mariner, and took this picture of the Bellevue Skyline...

It is a pretty building.

 

The Shadow Lady and I, on a whim, decided to drive down to Rainier, Oregon, to pick up a Power Ball ticket for a shot at the $365 - you can't win if you don't play, after all!

We didn't win, or even match enough numbers to win our buck back, but this view from the overlook on the hill up to Clatskanie made the trip worth it!

Mt St Helens looms majestically on the horizon above the city of Longview, Washington.

 

My friend Don had a birthday, and we took him out to Las Margarita's, a eatery by our workplace, and had a great time... Don even was OK with the birthday hat being put on him!

We all had a good time, and it was a welcome break from work, and a great way to wrap up the week!

 

I got my Seattle Mariners' opening day tickets in the mail!!!  AWESOME!!!

Spring Training has started, and the buzz is beginning... it won't be too long now, and we'll be AT THE BALL PARK again for a fresh new season!

This one is THE YEAR.  I just know it!

 

Back from Guatemala's 70+ degree weather, and now we're talking TEENS!

It reached 19 for only the 3rd time in 25 years.... pretty amazing, especially for the Puget Sound area.

It was not big deal - the air was coming from an "Arctic Bubble", out of Canada, and while it was cold, it was very dry, so we had bright sunny days, and cloudless, starry nights, with a touch of ground fog, which is where the frost came from.

It wasn't too bad... I'll take that over the foot and a half of snow my mom got back in Maine, that's for sure!

 

..to La Esperanza, Guatemala!  I got to meet with the people, who are truly amazing, as well as help them in the fields planting their pea crop, fellowship with them, learn from them, and discover some things about myself that weren't as apparent to me as they are now.  It was a wonderful trip!  I took 1400 pictures... so expect an updated web page or two REAL soon!

Our church is part of a sponsorship program for a village in the Ixil (Pronounced "Isheel") region of Guatemala.  The Ixil are descendants of the Mayan Nation, and have preserved their traditions in the face of modernization, and a period of civil war.  The program helps the village establish itself, and develop a means to subsist for themselves, develop education, and provide a better lifestyle for their families.

More information about Agros, the agency sponsoring the village:  http://www.agros.org/

This is Francisco Toma Rodriquez, husband and father of three children.  He is a wounded veteran of the civil war that wracked Guatemala for 36 years, leaving  the indigenous populations - and everyone else - of the country in near economic ruin.

Today, he is the Evangelical pastor of La Esperanza, where together with the Catholic pastor Diego, he directs the worship and spiritual development of the village where he also leads by example, and has helped guide the village into new venues of farming, being a pioneer of the now important pea crop.

The changes that God has wrought in this man are incredible, and goes to show just how thoroughly a person can be changed through the power of God.  Spending time with this man really showed me what it means to be at peace in God. It was truly amazing, and has provided a lesson to me that will not soon be forgotten.

Added in 2007

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