San Francisco is a neat city. After the extreme hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, San Francisco feels laid back and relaxed. Of course, there is never a lack of interesting things to explore in L.A. - we managed to drop in at the Getty Museum and the La Brea Tar Pits. We enjoyed a supper at an Ethiopian restaurant. The main point of our visit, though, was to reconnect with Team Armes. Hopefully we'll see them again when they are in PA this summer.
San Francisco is currently the HQ for Alongside Ministries International. We're enjoying an intensive time of debriefing, re-orientation, and advance planning whilst reconnecting, meeting, and greeting. The great thing about doing this in San Francisco is that all of this occurs while consuming excellent coffee and tasty quantities of food.
Being California, the weather is always perfect and the coffee is always exactly the right temperature.
Tomorrow the journey north will take a giant leap forward, as we plan to make the drive from San Francisco, CA, to Portland, OR in one long go. Let's hear it for Mazda!
Andrew
Friday, April 30, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
As far West as Possible
North Hollywood, CA
Wow, Arizona was so cool! I think that AZ is going to be the official back-up plan for retirement. I think we could get on quite well there, despite the present kooky politics. Arizona currently holds the place as the most interesting surprise of our trip.
Sunday we enjoyed another amazing drive through AZ, inadvertently stumbling upon Joshua Tree National Forest (we drove right through it). Joshua trees are pretty cool bits of vegetation. We’re going to have to figure out how to get back to AZ soon. Having family there helps.
Our destination Sunday was Las Vegas, NV. Someplace I thought I’d never go, but we have family there. My Aunt and Uncle, in fact, who served in medical mission in Africa. We hadn’t seen each other in a few years, so it was great to reconnect. It was also great to spend time gleaning some of the benefits of their experience and wisdom.
Las Vegas. Today on the way to Los Angeles we ‘cruised the strip’ and gawked at the casinos and the unbelievable excess of the place. It was something to see, that’s for sure. Las Vegas overall is quite a place. It sits across a flat expanse of land and at night from a high point you can see something like a 30 mile expanse of lights.
As I type this, we have started our turn north. We’ve gone almost as far west as we’re going to go at this point, since we’ve now reached the West Coast by way of the Mojave Desert. The Mojave Desert is hot. And today, Los Angeles is hot. I’m surrounded by the supervised chaos of clean-up time at Team Armes HQ, and looking forward to our time together. Time for dinner!
Andrew
Wow, Arizona was so cool! I think that AZ is going to be the official back-up plan for retirement. I think we could get on quite well there, despite the present kooky politics. Arizona currently holds the place as the most interesting surprise of our trip.
Sunday we enjoyed another amazing drive through AZ, inadvertently stumbling upon Joshua Tree National Forest (we drove right through it). Joshua trees are pretty cool bits of vegetation. We’re going to have to figure out how to get back to AZ soon. Having family there helps.
Our destination Sunday was Las Vegas, NV. Someplace I thought I’d never go, but we have family there. My Aunt and Uncle, in fact, who served in medical mission in Africa. We hadn’t seen each other in a few years, so it was great to reconnect. It was also great to spend time gleaning some of the benefits of their experience and wisdom.
Las Vegas. Today on the way to Los Angeles we ‘cruised the strip’ and gawked at the casinos and the unbelievable excess of the place. It was something to see, that’s for sure. Las Vegas overall is quite a place. It sits across a flat expanse of land and at night from a high point you can see something like a 30 mile expanse of lights.
As I type this, we have started our turn north. We’ve gone almost as far west as we’re going to go at this point, since we’ve now reached the West Coast by way of the Mojave Desert. The Mojave Desert is hot. And today, Los Angeles is hot. I’m surrounded by the supervised chaos of clean-up time at Team Armes HQ, and looking forward to our time together. Time for dinner!
Andrew
Friday, April 23, 2010
A quick note from Tucson
Tucson, AZ sits in between some really significant mountains. Not just big hills - mountains! Today we set off with my cousin and did a 10-mile round trip to a local summit. We started off in the desert - cactus, sand, rocks - and climbed to a peak covered in pines and snow. A great day, although a bit stiff this evening. We climbed over 3/4 of a mile in altitude. That's hard on the knees coming down!
Tucson has had more rain this Spring than ever before recorded (so, since like 1919 or something). We had expected 'desert week' to be HOT, but instead we're digging sweatshirts out of our reserve suitcases. On the plus side, the desert is in bloom. This is not something that happens annually, so it is a particularly amazing treat to experience it.
I should also mention that today I saw an alligator - an alligator juniper tree. Not quite as cool as the beasts that live in the swamps, but interesting nonetheless. Photos from the hike will appear on Facebook sometime in the next couple of days.
Andrew
Tucson has had more rain this Spring than ever before recorded (so, since like 1919 or something). We had expected 'desert week' to be HOT, but instead we're digging sweatshirts out of our reserve suitcases. On the plus side, the desert is in bloom. This is not something that happens annually, so it is a particularly amazing treat to experience it.
I should also mention that today I saw an alligator - an alligator juniper tree. Not quite as cool as the beasts that live in the swamps, but interesting nonetheless. Photos from the hike will appear on Facebook sometime in the next couple of days.
Andrew
We're not in Kansas now!
Leaving Scotland and returning to the USA via our MegaTransect is great in so many ways. It’s so great, I’m hoping that we’re not setting ourselves up for some kind of crash when we reach the Boston area and have to settle down for a while. The past 5 years have been a steady stream of new and stimulating experiences. Now we’re travelling across the USA, engaging and being engaged in an intense stream of relational encounters, adventures, and new experiences.
On Tuesday we drove from Kansas across the Oklahoma panhandle, making a second foray into Texas, and then across New Mexico into Arizona. New Mexico is a place of phenomenal natural beauty. The color in the spring foliage as well as the geological diversity is simply amazing.
A special little bonus for this part of the trip is that we are pretty much following the historic Route 66. Our stopping points provide no end of weird 1950’s era nostalgia and trinketage. On the major plus side, many of the little towns we’re passing through actually have distinctive character and locally owned shops and restaurants. I like it.
On Wednesday, we took a day off to explore the Grand Canyon. We woke up to bright sunshine and warm desert temperatures. We drove through a blinding dust storm (never done that before). Then we turned north off the I40 towards the Canyon. Suddenly we found ourselves driving through mountains and pine forest! Not what I anticipated on the way to the Grand Canyon. We arrived at the Grand Canyon and were dutifully impressed at its size. I was not prepared to find it so colorful, too. We did not have long to bask in wondering amazement, however, as we were almost immediately hit with a blizzard. Here’s something I learned: the Grand Canyon is actually really high up in terms of altitude. So it’s not unusual for there to be snow there up into mid-May. So usual, in fact, that the North Rim is not even open until May due to snow and ice. We were a little disappointed that we didn’t see as much nor get the big hike into the canyon that we had planned on, but we had a most adventurous day working our way around the South Rim in the snow.
We spend Wednesday night in Williams, AZ. Williams is an old west mountain village (frozen and snowy) that is fully capitalizing on its Route 66 heritage. A quaint town with some really excellent eating establishments.
Today we drove south. We visited some cliff-dwelling ruins that were most interesting. Then we drove on into the desert – real cacti and everything. We’re looking forward to some family time here in Tucson, and gearing up for the next big phase of the MT – the West Coast.
Andrew
On Tuesday we drove from Kansas across the Oklahoma panhandle, making a second foray into Texas, and then across New Mexico into Arizona. New Mexico is a place of phenomenal natural beauty. The color in the spring foliage as well as the geological diversity is simply amazing.
A special little bonus for this part of the trip is that we are pretty much following the historic Route 66. Our stopping points provide no end of weird 1950’s era nostalgia and trinketage. On the major plus side, many of the little towns we’re passing through actually have distinctive character and locally owned shops and restaurants. I like it.
On Wednesday, we took a day off to explore the Grand Canyon. We woke up to bright sunshine and warm desert temperatures. We drove through a blinding dust storm (never done that before). Then we turned north off the I40 towards the Canyon. Suddenly we found ourselves driving through mountains and pine forest! Not what I anticipated on the way to the Grand Canyon. We arrived at the Grand Canyon and were dutifully impressed at its size. I was not prepared to find it so colorful, too. We did not have long to bask in wondering amazement, however, as we were almost immediately hit with a blizzard. Here’s something I learned: the Grand Canyon is actually really high up in terms of altitude. So it’s not unusual for there to be snow there up into mid-May. So usual, in fact, that the North Rim is not even open until May due to snow and ice. We were a little disappointed that we didn’t see as much nor get the big hike into the canyon that we had planned on, but we had a most adventurous day working our way around the South Rim in the snow.
We spend Wednesday night in Williams, AZ. Williams is an old west mountain village (frozen and snowy) that is fully capitalizing on its Route 66 heritage. A quaint town with some really excellent eating establishments.
Today we drove south. We visited some cliff-dwelling ruins that were most interesting. Then we drove on into the desert – real cacti and everything. We’re looking forward to some family time here in Tucson, and gearing up for the next big phase of the MT – the West Coast.
Andrew
Monday, April 19, 2010
We're in Kansas
This is the best time of year to be in Oklahoma - the landscape is green and vibrant and even colorful. The spring rains are keeping things cooled down. By July, Oklahoma will be brown and crispy and stinkin' hot. Tulsa was surprisingly encouraging, affirming, and exciting for us to visit. Once again, I'm not sure what I was expecting, but what I got surprised me in all kinds of positive ways. It was especially great to see friends and have the time to spend time together.
Today we bid a fond farewell to Tulsa (except for a small snafu getting out of town due to roadwork and circuitous detours that I am positive were planned by guys from Pittsburgh) and continued west. We've taken a short spur to the north, hopping up to Ulysses, KS to see some old family friends of Amy's who are 'retired' missionaries that used to serve in west Africa. Great folks, extremely encouraging and full of wisdom. Ulysses is a great little prairie town: our hotel room has posted rules about where you are and are not allowed to clean your birds, reminders about unloading whilst in the building, and provides free gun rags at the front desk. I like this place!
Andrew
Today we bid a fond farewell to Tulsa (except for a small snafu getting out of town due to roadwork and circuitous detours that I am positive were planned by guys from Pittsburgh) and continued west. We've taken a short spur to the north, hopping up to Ulysses, KS to see some old family friends of Amy's who are 'retired' missionaries that used to serve in west Africa. Great folks, extremely encouraging and full of wisdom. Ulysses is a great little prairie town: our hotel room has posted rules about where you are and are not allowed to clean your birds, reminders about unloading whilst in the building, and provides free gun rags at the front desk. I like this place!
Andrew
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Reminiscing
Back in Tulsa after 14 years. Tulsa a changed a bit since we lived here. Actually, it has changed a lot. It's a little bit freaky to drive around on streets that I used to be familiar with and not recognize anything! At least there's still Braum's Ice Cream and gas is cheaper here than we've seen anyplace else in the USA.
It's been great to reconnect with some old friends here - we're meeting a good number of children for the first time, and one child in particular that I saw this morning is somewhere closer to 30. If I had met him on the street, I might have mistaken him for his Dad as I remember him from 15 years back. Crazy!
One of the great things about this visit has been the opportunity to see the church we were a part many years ago. They're in their 'new' building, which is oddly clean and high tech. It was great to see all the ways that, in spite of all the surface changes and 99% new faces, they haven't changed and are still focused on being what they have always been. Most encouraging!
Andrew
PS- States so far: IL, IN, OH, PA, WV, TN, VA, NC, SC, GA, FL, AL, MS, LA, AK, TX, OK
It's been great to reconnect with some old friends here - we're meeting a good number of children for the first time, and one child in particular that I saw this morning is somewhere closer to 30. If I had met him on the street, I might have mistaken him for his Dad as I remember him from 15 years back. Crazy!
One of the great things about this visit has been the opportunity to see the church we were a part many years ago. They're in their 'new' building, which is oddly clean and high tech. It was great to see all the ways that, in spite of all the surface changes and 99% new faces, they haven't changed and are still focused on being what they have always been. Most encouraging!
Andrew
PS- States so far: IL, IN, OH, PA, WV, TN, VA, NC, SC, GA, FL, AL, MS, LA, AK, TX, OK
New Orleans
I don't know what I was expecting, but New Orleans was somehow not what I expected. It was better. New Orleans has a distinct character for a US city. The history of the place has given it a unique flavor in all kinds of ways. The food in New Orleans is great! Spicy, interesting variety, and of course heavy on the seafood. The architecture of New Orleans has its own flavor as well, with different parts of the city displaying various distinct characteristics.
New Orleans is infused with music. Wandering around the French Quarter, you hear music all the time. Most of it is live performers, some of it is recorded, but it's everywhere. I was surprised at how much music we encountered outside the French Quarter, too. I liked it.
If you ever get a chance, New Orleans is well worth a visit.
Andrew
New Orleans is infused with music. Wandering around the French Quarter, you hear music all the time. Most of it is live performers, some of it is recorded, but it's everywhere. I was surprised at how much music we encountered outside the French Quarter, too. I liked it.
If you ever get a chance, New Orleans is well worth a visit.
Andrew
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Turning West
Today we came to a major turning point in the MegaTransect. After a pleasant drive north up the Florida Turnpike (Why can't PA's Turnpike get its act together and be more like the FL Turnpike?) we arrived at I-10, and turned left. We'll be traveling along I-10 for quite some time.
Despite all of my griping about Florida highway driving and my fears that it would be stinking hot, we enjoyed a most excellent time in Miami. We had wonderful hosts, whose insight and wisdom have been of great benefit to us. Our time with 1st Pres. Miami Springs went well, and we were greatly encouraged.
One of the fringe benefits of this trip is the opportunity to meet new people as well as meet young people who have grown up while we were absent. Our host family in Miami included one young man who has also discovered the joys of nerf firepower. Man, I really want one!! We met a great couple from Spokane (who we hope to see again later in our trip) and a very cool young photographer developing a career in media arts.
Sunday afternoon we had the opportunity to explore Fairchilds Botanical Gardens with our hosts. As we roamed the tropical foliage, a big thunderstorm rolled in - effectively cooling things off a bit and helping me to keep my Scotland-conditioned legs burnished white. The storm brought unexpected adventures and blessing our way: a coconut fell from the sky and smashed the rear window of our car. This caused a minor scramble for insurance numbers and repair services, but had the benefit of solving my dilemma about what to do about the too-dark and peeling after-market window tinting. Thanks to Allstate, we had no cost out-of-pocket for that repair.
Speaking of the car - let's hear it for Yokahama tires!! They might be darn loud on the road, but one of ours drove over 400 miles with a nail in it! That is now patched up, and our Mazda 3 continues to please us with gas mileage in the high 30's. It's quickly becoming one of my favorite vehicles.
God is good.
Andrew
Despite all of my griping about Florida highway driving and my fears that it would be stinking hot, we enjoyed a most excellent time in Miami. We had wonderful hosts, whose insight and wisdom have been of great benefit to us. Our time with 1st Pres. Miami Springs went well, and we were greatly encouraged.
One of the fringe benefits of this trip is the opportunity to meet new people as well as meet young people who have grown up while we were absent. Our host family in Miami included one young man who has also discovered the joys of nerf firepower. Man, I really want one!! We met a great couple from Spokane (who we hope to see again later in our trip) and a very cool young photographer developing a career in media arts.
Sunday afternoon we had the opportunity to explore Fairchilds Botanical Gardens with our hosts. As we roamed the tropical foliage, a big thunderstorm rolled in - effectively cooling things off a bit and helping me to keep my Scotland-conditioned legs burnished white. The storm brought unexpected adventures and blessing our way: a coconut fell from the sky and smashed the rear window of our car. This caused a minor scramble for insurance numbers and repair services, but had the benefit of solving my dilemma about what to do about the too-dark and peeling after-market window tinting. Thanks to Allstate, we had no cost out-of-pocket for that repair.
Speaking of the car - let's hear it for Yokahama tires!! They might be darn loud on the road, but one of ours drove over 400 miles with a nail in it! That is now patched up, and our Mazda 3 continues to please us with gas mileage in the high 30's. It's quickly becoming one of my favorite vehicles.
God is good.
Andrew
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Warm
Tonight I'm relaxing in the A/C after an enjoyable gathering in Miami Springs, FL. It's been an eventful couple of days, as we've been on the move every day since leaving PA on Tuesday. Thursday evening we had a most enjoyable evening on Harkers Island in North Carolina, including a nice fire pit and s'mores. Later that night, we enjoyed a big American-style thunderstorm. Aberdeen likes its windstorms, and it rains there a lot, but for some atmospherical reason there's a dearth of thunder. On the drive south from North Carolina, we saw a bald eagle. Most surprising!
Today we bit the bullet and drove south into Florida. Driving in Florida is a faith-building experience. Speed limits and common road courtesy are duly ignored, as are turn signals and, frighteningly often, red lights.
We had our first slight ripple with the car, as we seem to have developed a slow leak in one of the front tires. Yesterday one tire looked a bit low, so I aired it up. Today we discovered it almost flat. So I haven attempted to patch it up with a 'fix-a-flat' sealant. It held air for over 400 miles today, but we're going to have it professionally checked on Monday before the next big day on the road. Gas mileage is still averaging over 35 MPG highway, and the car is still extremely fun to drive.
It's nice to be staying in the same place for a few days!
Andrew
Today we bit the bullet and drove south into Florida. Driving in Florida is a faith-building experience. Speed limits and common road courtesy are duly ignored, as are turn signals and, frighteningly often, red lights.
We had our first slight ripple with the car, as we seem to have developed a slow leak in one of the front tires. Yesterday one tire looked a bit low, so I aired it up. Today we discovered it almost flat. So I haven attempted to patch it up with a 'fix-a-flat' sealant. It held air for over 400 miles today, but we're going to have it professionally checked on Monday before the next big day on the road. Gas mileage is still averaging over 35 MPG highway, and the car is still extremely fun to drive.
It's nice to be staying in the same place for a few days!
Andrew
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
On the Road
I've got to start this by praising West Virginians for their intelligent and sensible speed limits. Interestingly, most people even seem to obey them. Other states could learn a few things from West Virginia, I'm thinking. Their roads have more twists and turns than the PA Turnpike, yet somehow they are in significantly better repair. Speaking of repair - rather than blocking off miles and miles of lane to work on one small section, West Virginians block off only short sections at a time.
Yesterday we enjoyed a good but longer-than-anticipated drive to visit friends in Tennessee. The last time we saw them, we were just getting ready to leave for Scotland. It was really fun to hang out with their daughter and encouraging to find them in a situation that seems to suit them well.
Today we had a really fun drive through the Smokey Mountains (one of those mountains seems to have fallen on US40 in North Carolina, forcing us to take some back roads around it). Seriously beautiful scenery. A note for those considering a similar route - toilets are few and far between off the highway! Especially for a coffee drinker.
This evening we're staying with family near Raleigh. We got to enjoy some quality time with our 3 nephews that included a nerf dart-gun battle (I REALLY want one), a walk in the woods, and some challenging debate regarding the best pocket tool.
The Mazda3 is doing great - I actually look forward to seeing those little squiggly arrow signs on the back roads! The A/C was called into action today and performed admirably. Still getting over 35 MPG, even with the back road mountain driving.
Temperatures and insect life increasing, and the pollen here is so thick that everything including our car is coated in green! Crazy!
Andrew
Yesterday we enjoyed a good but longer-than-anticipated drive to visit friends in Tennessee. The last time we saw them, we were just getting ready to leave for Scotland. It was really fun to hang out with their daughter and encouraging to find them in a situation that seems to suit them well.
Today we had a really fun drive through the Smokey Mountains (one of those mountains seems to have fallen on US40 in North Carolina, forcing us to take some back roads around it). Seriously beautiful scenery. A note for those considering a similar route - toilets are few and far between off the highway! Especially for a coffee drinker.
This evening we're staying with family near Raleigh. We got to enjoy some quality time with our 3 nephews that included a nerf dart-gun battle (I REALLY want one), a walk in the woods, and some challenging debate regarding the best pocket tool.
The Mazda3 is doing great - I actually look forward to seeing those little squiggly arrow signs on the back roads! The A/C was called into action today and performed admirably. Still getting over 35 MPG, even with the back road mountain driving.
Temperatures and insect life increasing, and the pollen here is so thick that everything including our car is coated in green! Crazy!
Andrew
Monday, April 5, 2010
Happy Easter!
5 April
Today I’m enjoying the wonders of both technology and warm Spring weather as I type this on the front porch swing at my parents’ home in Grove City, PA. It’s been a great Easter celebration with my family – the feasting has been nearly continuous from Saturday through to lunch today. We enjoyed celebrating Easter at the East Main Presbyterian Church in Grove City. I have to say that I was really glad to be able to just get up and go to an Easter service – it’s been a long time since I’ve been free to just show up, participate, and leave!
We enjoyed a special day this past Friday when we connected with some of our good friends from Aberdeen and had the chance to show them around Gettysburg a bit. These friends share a passion for history, and after being excellent hosts for us in Scotland, it was fun to get to show off a little bit of America’s history for once.
This week the MegaTransect begins in earnest. Tomorrow we will depart Pennsylvania and head for Miami Springs, Florida. On the way we have visits planned in Tennessee and North Carolina. I’m looking forward to giving our little Mazda a chance to stretch out a little. On our hop over to Gettysburg, there’s a winding stretch of mountain road that gave me a chance to have some fun. Impressively, the car still managed over 37 miles per gallon. My Dad and I fixed a couple of wheel studs earlier this week, and in the process learned more than we wanted to know about the brakes, so it was good to give everything a serious workout before the long drives ahead. Sweet!
A quick note for those following this blog – the next 4 weeks are almost entirely on the road, so I’m not sure how often I’ll update things. I intend to keep it fairly regular, about every other day, but we shall see.
Andrew
Today I’m enjoying the wonders of both technology and warm Spring weather as I type this on the front porch swing at my parents’ home in Grove City, PA. It’s been a great Easter celebration with my family – the feasting has been nearly continuous from Saturday through to lunch today. We enjoyed celebrating Easter at the East Main Presbyterian Church in Grove City. I have to say that I was really glad to be able to just get up and go to an Easter service – it’s been a long time since I’ve been free to just show up, participate, and leave!
We enjoyed a special day this past Friday when we connected with some of our good friends from Aberdeen and had the chance to show them around Gettysburg a bit. These friends share a passion for history, and after being excellent hosts for us in Scotland, it was fun to get to show off a little bit of America’s history for once.
This week the MegaTransect begins in earnest. Tomorrow we will depart Pennsylvania and head for Miami Springs, Florida. On the way we have visits planned in Tennessee and North Carolina. I’m looking forward to giving our little Mazda a chance to stretch out a little. On our hop over to Gettysburg, there’s a winding stretch of mountain road that gave me a chance to have some fun. Impressively, the car still managed over 37 miles per gallon. My Dad and I fixed a couple of wheel studs earlier this week, and in the process learned more than we wanted to know about the brakes, so it was good to give everything a serious workout before the long drives ahead. Sweet!
A quick note for those following this blog – the next 4 weeks are almost entirely on the road, so I’m not sure how often I’ll update things. I intend to keep it fairly regular, about every other day, but we shall see.
Andrew
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Nice.
OK, false alarm. Western PA has skipped Spring and gone straight into summer. Today it was well over 70(F). I wore shorts today while washing and waxing the car - the first time I think my legs have seen direct sunlight in 5 years. Tonight we've got the windows open and can hear the peep toads peeping away in the local wetlands.
This week I have encountered some especially amusing 'downs' regarding our re-entry. My brain sometimes gets mixed up over various terms, with the additional complication of my having intentionally spent the last 5 years working very hard to adapt to the Scottish outlook on the world. Now I'm back in what one might expect to be 'normal' territory, but it gets me into all kinds of trouble. You see, here in PA I have the look and the accent of a local. The problem is, I'm no longer really a local. To cap it all off, we've run into some silly paperwork problems with our car insurance (ie 'proof of insurance for the last 12 months.' Duh! We had insurance in the UK. Call them!). This week was the first time that I walked out to my car and got into the wrong door. But that was at least amusing at the time!
This evening we attended a formal Tenebrae service at the local Presbyterian church. It's been a long time since I've spent a Maundy Thursday at such a formal communion celebration, and this one was appropriately thoughtful and sobering. It's also been a long time since I've attended any Easter-related celebration in short sleeves! Nice.
This week I have encountered some especially amusing 'downs' regarding our re-entry. My brain sometimes gets mixed up over various terms, with the additional complication of my having intentionally spent the last 5 years working very hard to adapt to the Scottish outlook on the world. Now I'm back in what one might expect to be 'normal' territory, but it gets me into all kinds of trouble. You see, here in PA I have the look and the accent of a local. The problem is, I'm no longer really a local. To cap it all off, we've run into some silly paperwork problems with our car insurance (ie 'proof of insurance for the last 12 months.' Duh! We had insurance in the UK. Call them!). This week was the first time that I walked out to my car and got into the wrong door. But that was at least amusing at the time!
This evening we attended a formal Tenebrae service at the local Presbyterian church. It's been a long time since I've spent a Maundy Thursday at such a formal communion celebration, and this one was appropriately thoughtful and sobering. It's also been a long time since I've attended any Easter-related celebration in short sleeves! Nice.
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