When my first wife and I lived in Africa, we started out worrying a lot about tropical diseases, especially malaria. Malaria is a tiny parasite that mosquitoes carry. You can sleep under mosquito nets, wear mosquito repellent, especially at night, avoid being out and wear long sleeves if you do, and finally take medicine to... Continue Reading →
We are home! After a harrowing 27 hours of traveling, we finally are back in our old familiar places, and it feels so, so, so good! The trip that originally was for 75 days ended after 43 days, but the journey was worth it for the lessons learned. So often, we want to avoid the... Continue Reading →
In a church service here in Portugal, we heard a wonderful sermon on heaven being the real home for Christians, not earth. The pastor preached on how to ensure your eternal home in heaven. He cautioned us that the time to go "Home" is fast approaching, as the signs of the times indicate from Biblical... Continue Reading →
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 →
The Oyster fell out of the basket and lay on the ground. Feeling rejected as it lay there, soon it saw hope coming toward it, but the one it hoped in ended up just stepping on it, leaving it crushed. As other oysters passed by in their baskets, they looked down on the broken one... Continue Reading →
Being a grandparent has its perks, especially when around children who are misbehaving. One of the aspects of my behavior that I used for my grandchildren was the "Granny Look." When they saw me looking at them a certain way, they knew to cease and desist with unwanted behavior, or suffer the consequences already mentioned.... Continue Reading →
As a young man in college, one time, some friends needed me to babysit their kids. I did it as a favor, but they wanted to pay me. After refusing money, They asked me if I wanted to partake in smoking weed. After some negotiation, I just left with two joints that I didn’t really... Continue Reading →
We have moved to the beautiful city of Quarteira in Portugal, with its wonderful beaches and colorful houses and apartment buildings. We met our host's parents, and it was one of the highlights of this visit. His mother could not speak any English, but she managed to show me all that I needed to know... Continue Reading →
Walking along the boardwalk listening to people talk, I am amazed at the numbers of languages spoken here in Portugal. I am just nosy enough to want to know what everyone is saying, and whether they are words of joy, love, fear, or anger. What is comforting for me is that until people start to... Continue Reading →
They were such beautiful children, and I loved to be in their presence. But, usually I entertained them, and then I went home, leaving them to my sister to calm down and get them to bed. I felt no guilt, for I was their aunt, and it was my job to be the good guy... Continue Reading →
