I found some new Algarve trails listed on the internet. Two were just past the nearby city of Loule, so I decided to drive to the town of Amendoiera (Almond Trees?). This in itself is an adventure, because I had to drive out M523. Nowhere is there a road posted M523. Eventually, I found myself... Continue Reading →
When my children were very young, they tried to learn humor. My oldest, Heather, started on the Knock Knock joke where the answer was orange several times until the final one where they said, “banana” and when you said, “banana who,” they responded, “Orange you glad I didn’t say banana again?” The third child, Brandon,... Continue Reading →
Why do we ignore warnings? Someone I know loves to ride bicycles. He met a lady who loved riding them so much that she had ridden around the world. She was a widow whose husband and his parents had died tragically. Soon, despite never meeting anyone who had known her a long time, He married... Continue Reading →
My parents had a strange way of raising us kids. Where most parents keep kids under tight leashes, mine gave us unusual freedoms. When the adults were chanting the mantra, “keep it clean”, mine chanted, “pick it up off the floor and eat it to build your street immunities.” At an age when most caregivers... Continue Reading →
We were in the midst of a three week intensive class training missionaries. The day on group dynamics was almost finished, with everyone giving all the appropriate answers. Then a visitor appeared, a strong shift from the ordinary. He told us that he had taken the class in a previous year, his experience with the... Continue Reading →
At the first blush of dawn, my hiking partner rudely woke me up saying, “It is too cold to sleep. Let’s forget breakfast and hike down to the camp.” We were bivouacking near the summit, which meant that we were only sleeping in our jackets with our ponchos wrapped around us. He had consumed all... Continue Reading →
I had a very mean father. Every time I wanted to do something fun, he said, “you have to finish your chores first.” He didn’t skimp on what we needed, though. Meals were always there, as was clothes and housing. He told me, “don’t worry about these things, You just need to worry about... Continue Reading →
Cuckoos are one of the species that lays its eggs in other birds' nests. A non-Cuckoo incubates the Cuckoo egg. When the baby cuckoo hatches, it demands the lion’s share of the food. It also has a tendency to push out the other babies. As a result, the mother bird wastes her energy raising a... Continue Reading →
When I was around four, my father had a sailboat that he had started building while in Japan. Now, it was in dry dock in Berkeley in order to finish equipping the yacht. As he worked he let us play on the craft. It had no rails yet, so one time as my older brother,... Continue Reading →
I remember sitting in a car as we drove someplace. I suddenly noticed colored lights dancing on the ceiling of the car. Looking around to find the source of this never before seen phenomenon, I finally spotted my Grandmother’s diamond ring on her hand, sitting in the sunlight. I wondered, “could this be the source?”... Continue Reading →
Help from Heaven 