Up Faith and Family

    There is an add-on streaming service that Carolyn and I subscribe to. This service specializes in movies, TV shows and series, and family productions, and we watch this particular  channel a lot. 

   Looking back over our latest auto adventure, I realize that it can be categorized using the title of this streaming outfit. Breaking our week-long car trip into 3 parts, it could be named Family, Faith and Family.

   We began on a Sunday afternoon with a 2 and 1/2 hour trip up into Middle Tennessee where we stayed with our Nashville family for the night. Nashville is always a multigenerational stop as we get Rush, Carolyn's youngest and his wife Joan. Add on the next layer with Matt and Clark, Carolyn's grandsons, and top the experience off with the "Greats", great grandchildren, William, Rush, and Darden. 

   This stop off is a sleeping and eating home visit, and for us a B&B. I give you the home and the view from our second floor room.

   Definitely the "place to stay" when night falls in this area. We missed Matt's wife Macy, and Clark's wife Sarah, along with "little Rush", who had the sniffles. (Just Rush had the runny nose.)

   Next stop Louisville, KY. Carolyn and I had been invited to Heritage Week at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. But first, before the event began on Tuesday night at the Seminary, we got to spend the night with Don's brother Bill, who lived close by. 

   Bill, wife Linda, and canine house ruler, Sebastian, welcomed us to Louisville and opened their home to be used as another B&B. A free bed and breakfast for family travelers. 

   Tuesday we got up pretty early. Needing to get out of the way, Bill and Linda were flying out to Scottsdale, AZ the next morning, we made an early afternoon trip over to the Seminary, just 5 minutes away from the B&B. Staying on campus in the Legacy Hotel, we were treated to one full day and 2 half days of food, fellowship and faith.

   Southern Seminary is the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention. With its sister institution, Boyce College, these two schools educate men and women for Christian ministry and secular placements. The students we had a chance to talk with seemed ready and motivated to go out and change the world. We were impressed with, not only the students, but the faculty and staff, all of whom were top notch.

   The highlight of our stay on campus was the Chapel Service that takes place each Tuesday and Thursday at 10AM. The whole campus joins together for a time of The Word spoken and sung. It was special to be included.

   Our stay in Kentucky had ended, and we headed east toward Virginia. But we got to spend awhile in West Virginia. We had been watching the Fall colors on God's creations, but we found some good roads in this state, roads that were full of color. Maybe some of the best were in a Rest Area off I-64.

   And one of the more picturesque roads, VA State Route 12 down the middle of the state near Hinton. A scenic route that calls for another visit in the future.

   After a 6 hour car ride, Blacksburg, VA came into view. Doug, Dawn, Lucy, Drew, Katie (Drew's girlfriend), Laken and David were all eagerly awaiting us. They were hungry and tired of waiting dinner.

   One of the reasons for our trip there was to see Lucy ride in a bike race at Woodberry School near Charlottesville. Lucy is a senior at Blacksburg High and the only girl on the Varsity bike team. 

   Lucy is a good cyclist and looks good on her mountain bike. Her only problem is her speed. She moves too fast for the camera. She does have her own fan club.

   One of the highlights of our trip was watching Tennessee beat Alabama. With Doug able to put the game on the screen in the backseat area, we watched the winning field goal and the subsequent rushing of the field by the fans in Knoxville, after a 15 year drought playing the Crimson Tide.

   Sunday found us back on the road heading home. 

   It was a good trip, no problems, plenty of family, food, and fellowship. 

   But the birdies were missing the daily fresh water in the bird baths.

   and we missed our bed

A Possible Rethinking

 Spoiler Alert: Another Pickleball Tournament

   After so much success on the tournament trail, my partner in crime, Jack Painter, and I decided to enter a local P/b event held at the Tennis Center this past weekend. It was a different format, but we thought we might find out how we fared with competition in other age groups. Chances were that we would be the old age group in attendance, and these matches would be filled with men from the younger age groups.

   We DID find out something!

   Since all the players were ranked by skill level, which are pretty broad categories, and the rankings are self generated, Jack and I were grouped with 5 other teams in the Intermediate Division. This meant that we would play 5 matches with the other teams in a round-robin format. We were the old team.

   They used several outside courts at the Center, and 2 or 3 inside. Some of our Division played outside, but all our matches were played on one of the inside courts. 

   We DID find out something, and it was not good!

   This old team played 5 matches in the round robin, and our record was 0-5. Some games were close and we were competitive, but we did not win a single game in any of the matches.

   Having won our age group in the Senior Olympics 85-89 age group, and having beaten the teams in the 80-84 group, we're talking about seeing how we might fare in the 2023 National Senior Games in Pittsburgh, for which we had qualified by winning the Tennessee Tournament.

   Now rethinking, just how good are we?

   More practice is an option, but also is staying home.

A Surprise Visit

    Last weekend, Carolyn and I spent Saturday getting ready to welcome our Nashville family to Sunday lunch at our house. 

   Carolyn went to the store and produce market to stock up on the ingredients for a great Sunday lunch. Vegetables, fruits and a roast for the crock pot. It would be a luncheon to remember, and we do need to do this more often.

   Saturday, while my wife began to put together a great meal for the next day, I took care of the outside. Several inches of rain over the past week had left the yard in bad need of some tender loving care. A little weed eating, some limbs needing to be moved to the burn pile and the Cub Cadet mower was ready to do its thing for a few hours.

   By supper time, everything looked ready for the visit; veggies prepped and stored in the fridge, roast ready for the slow cooking process while we were at church and a yard, that looked like someone really did live here.

   Then, a surprise, an uninvited visitor showed up at the door, and, yes, he had a name.

   COVID was his name, and he had come to be with us for a few days. 

   Don was the first to feel this new development. A slight temperature, some chills and a funny stomach called for a hot shower, warmer clothes and rise in the thermostat.  Carolyn had no outright symptoms, but a serious case of fatigue.

   We had a couple of rapid test kits, and we got our first positive hit, Don on Saturday night. There was nothing to do but call off the lunch and hunker down to fight this thing.

   First thing Sunday, Carolyn got hold Tammie, our Life Group Bible Teacher. After the situation was explained, and condolences made all around. Tammie's husband, who is my doctor in real life, gave me a list of vitamins and over the counter meds that would help to get my immune system up to fighting strength. Some of these we had on hand, so I took what we found, while my wife made a list to get at the drugstore first thing Monday. It was bedtime for me.

   Monday was spent trying to get down all the pills for the immune system. These 3 times a day, this other one twice a day, others once a day, and miscellaneous pills a other intervals. That and drinking as much as I could to hydrate.

   After talking to Dr. Sherwood early Tuesday, a change was made in our protocol. He proposed an anti-viral that called for 4 pills morning and night for 5 days, 40 pills in all, first round to begin after supper. We kept up with some of the vitamins, too, so there were a lot of fluids drunk and pills taken to get this under control.

   Let me visit a bit about my symptoms. A fever of 101, a sore throat, difficulty in swallowing, especially those larger horse pills. No energy, no appetite, and nothing to do but lie around.

   The offshoot of all that medical history is a prelude to report that as of this morning, I tested negative for my friend Covid, and I feel good. I've actually taken a couple of walks the past two days, a mile and a mile and half, so I have exercised some with plans to do more this coming week as I am able.

   But what about Carolyn? She was good for the first two days but tested positive on Tuesday. Her doctor prescribed an infusion procedure on Wednesday, trying to nip it early, but it was unsuccessful. Then her doc prescribed Paxlovid with a regimen of 3 pills morning and night for 5 days. She is still tired but feeling some better, still without significant symptoms.

   So, here we sit on a Sunday night looking forward to the end of the quarantine. Mine, of course, is over, but my wife should have here negative test Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning. Hopefully.

   The strangest thing about all this, is spending time at home together, not getting out, some contact from the outside, but mostly just the feeling of being in a quiet bubble with the world spinning on its way around us. People have checked on us and that has been good.

   We truly like to be with each other and we can read together, watch a little tv together, but seven similar days is not exciting.

   There is a winner each day in the family contest to see which of us gets to go to the mailbox.

   One thing that was a boon to us. With all the prepped veggies and fruit, plus the roast, there was enough in the fridge to last us all week. We did not go hungry. Our Nashville people did not get to come to lunch and even sent us a couple of containers of Chicken Noodle Soup, so we were fixed.

   And we still are.

   I think Mr. COVID is hiding out in the Garden Shed, but we hope to sweep him out of here by Wednesday.

 

A Summer Tradition Like No Other

    By withstanding pandemics, and cancellations, or masks on or off, or hot weather or thunderstorms, the Tennessee State Senior Olympics rolled into Chattanooga this weekend for the State Finals in Pickleball.

   Those of you who have read my blogs on this new sport realize that this is my sport for old age. Chasing a colored Whiffle Ball look-alike around a small tennis court, sorta, is my idea of fun and keeps up the competitive spirit that resides in this senior citizen body.

   August 5, 2022, Singles for both men and women, all placed into age related groups.

   August 6, 2022, Men's and Women's Doubles, likewise in age groups

   August 7, 2022, Mixed Doubles, likewise by age groupings

   The lowest age group is the 50-54. Then using 5 year groupings, the age groups proceed to the oldest one, 85-89. There sits this man, sometimes kinda lonely in this last grouping, waiting to see how this year's tournament plays out.

   This year's event was played at the Chattanooga Convention Center on the above dates, with the great hall set up with 36 courts. Almost 500 men and women had signed up these matches, and there was a lot of noise from the collision of plastic ball and Pickleball paddle.

   First up Men's 85-89 Singles:

      Last year I had won the gold when the only other signed-up competitor failed to show.

      This year one other man signed up. Donald (Bo) Deaton from Jackson came to play. Bo was 88 and a nice man. We enjoyed talking about the sport and the tournament, among other subjects. He had some health issues and only signed up because he had to be in Chattanooga for a meeting, but we enjoyed playing even though the score was a little lopsided. I got the gold and he took home the silver.

      Thanks Bo!

   Second Day Men's Doubles in the same age group 85-89:

      Last year my partner Jack Painter and I played in the 80-84 age grouping and got the silver medal. Jack was not 85 yet so we played down in the lower group. I believe there were four teams in that grouping and we were 3-1 in games to finish second.

      This year we were the only sign up. We won the gold by showing up, but the organizers gave us a 3 team grouping to play exhibition games. The other two teams came from the 75-79 age class. We played a set of games with each team, two out of three to 11 points.

      We beat the first team 2-1 and the second 2-0. Even though these teams were the only ones in the 75-79 bracket they would not give us a gold medal for winning this age group. Shucks.

   Third Day, Mixed Doubles, and I had no dog in this fight. But after church we went back to the Convention Center and watched several of our fellow BX pickleballers compete in various age brackets having a great time cheering for each that we knew.

   All in all, it was a good weekend:

      2 Gold Medals

      Plus a lot of good fellowship with other players from Chattanooga and beyond.

   Don't write this in stone just yet, but Jack and I are planning to go to the National Finals in Pittsburg, PA in 2023. We qualified due to our scores in the TN State Finals this weekend, so why not? 

   A Postscript:

   I know I go on and on about this sport. It is more than medals and stuff like that. It is about people, the ones who play, the ones who encourage, and the ones who have emphasized senior health and well being.

   When Carolyn and I were settling back into the Chattanooga scene after our 2019 marriage, a certain lady from Brainerd Baptist Church invited us to come and see what was going on at the BX. She was head of the Pickleball program there and was instrumental in getting us started along with many others. Ruth Ann Ray gets our thanks for starting us on a sporting journey, even in our advanced years. 

   Thanks, Ruth Ann, for encouraging us in this fun endeavor.

   And ....

   Blessed be God, for He gives us strength in our time. My health is in His hands, and I am grateful for His Love and Forgiveness.

This is not "Mission Accomplished"

    

   In the days that followed the Supreme Court decision to strike down the Roe v. Wade ruling from 1973, I have followed the reporting by the mass media, and it seemed to be filled with reports of anger about the new court's handling of the whole affair. 

   To those who are so angry about losing their "rights", I have but two questions: 

      "What about the baby?"

      "What about his/her Rights?"

   And I seem to remember a quote from somewhere:

      "A nation that kills its children will not long endure"

   But there is another reaction that I see when I look at my Facebook page. There are no postings about the new decision at all. Since my friends on Facebook are almost entirely Christian people, I want to say:

      Let Christians not be afraid to be happy about the SCOTUS decision, but may we thank God and rejoice, not to gloat in our righteous cause, but to be truly grateful and to celebrate the fact that those individuals who were the most vulnerable in our society may now have life.

      This decision seems to be a little like the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 in which President Lincoln freed the slaves who were in any state or part of a state that was under Confederate control. Slaves in border states were not included in this, nor any slaves still in the Union.

      Now we seem to have a situation that a child's chance at life may depend on the address of the mother. Some will have protection, but not all.

      Winston Churchill gave a speech to the British people at a time when the Battle of Britain, the air war in which the English held off the German invasion of their island nation, saying:

         "Now this is not the end, it is not even the beginning of the end, but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

   So it is with The Right to Life, the work is not over. Some of the unborn will have the protection of state laws, but not all. 

   There is still much work to be done, and this may be the hardest part.

Post Scrip

    P.S. I forgot one item on the trip list that should be mentioned:

   DOWNTON ABBEY, The motion picture.

   One of our all time favorite TV series is Downton Abbey and the movie adaptation came to theaters while we were in Conway. Knowing this, Donna and Noel got tickets, and we had fantastic time.

  We have watched all the episodes probably 3 times at least, and it never ceases to entertain.

Senior Tripping

    Did you ever spend hours planning and then executing those plans for a trip? 

       Well, we did just that. We needed to go to 4 places, in 4 different states, over the period of about 4 weeks, coming home between each visit, and then hitting the road again for another. 

   We came home between stops to get our mail and keep the grass mowed to a reasonable length. We also got to sleep in our own bed for a few nights and renew our energies. 

   When we began this odyssey on a Thursday in mid-May we rejoiced in good health, a good travel car, and enough energy to pull it off. When we finished the last trip, to Blacksburg, we were still grateful for the health to do it, and the car which performed well, but wondering about the energy required.

   Let's run through our ports of call, the people we interacted with in these 4 places, and some realizations that came to mind as we came home from the last one.

       First trip, to Conway Arkansas. Leaving on a Thursday, spending 2 nights in an Airbnb, and driving home on Sunday.

   Our purpose was to celebrate the graduation of Cady Gray Murray, daughter of Noel and Donna, from Conway Senior High, with honors.

Noel, Cady Gray and Donna

     One fine day we explored Petit Jean State Park located on a small mountain just west of Conway. It was a nice day, no tourists, and a quiet time looking over the Arkansas Valley with the river flowing    through. 

After spending two days in Arkansas, it was back in the car, driving back home for a week before heading out again.      

Next stop Cornelius, NC

Our purpose here was to visit with Dwayne and Karen and then to attend an 8th grade graduation where we presented a scholarship, named for Mayre, to a rising 9th grade Woodlawn student, Claire Kendall.

   Karen and Carolyn 

Claire and Mr. B

One night in Cornelius then in the car to go back home for a few hours. After a day and a half, we were on the way to Atlanta to spend the night then to Georgetown, SC for a wedding. Rusty and Joan's youngest son was marrying his sweetheart, Eleanor, in a 300 year old church in Georgetown on Saturday with a reception held on an island just north of there. Jack is Carolyn's grandson and most of the Benton clan were in attendance.

Georgetown was nice, too, with a 200 year old Courthouse

Then home again on Sunday, cut grass on Monday and leave for Virginia on Tuesday. Doug and Dawn were off on a 27th anniversary trip to the Dominican Republic, and Carolyn and I were the grandparents in charge of the 3 teenagers left to guard the homestead. 

and the Dog, Maggie who must have longed for his parent guardians to come home. Although, to their credit, Lucy, Laken and David (left to right) took great care of the 4-legged member of that family.

We had traveled a couple of thousand miles, seen all of our 3 families, and safely arrived back home. We had God's protection on us and on those we were with. We had been blessed and were grateful for the time and opportunity.

Then as we traveled home, reflecting on how were truly blessed people, one phone call with a friend in Blacksburg made us pause and think. True we had been blessed, but we were not "special people". There were folks that we knew that would have loved to be healthy and to be making visits to grandkids and others, but their physical bodies would not allow it. My friend Bruce, could hardly get out of bed. We had been tennis buddies and golf buddies, too, when we lived in Virginia now we could only talk on the phone for a few minutes while passing through.

A portion of our Boy's Group of old men with wives back when.

Makes you stop and think of what Life is all about.