ANNA'S AWESOME ADVENTURE PART 3

Good Morning, Class of '64

Jo Writing inthe Attic - Norman Rockwell

The Hobbit
J.R.R. Tolkien

"I am looking for someone to share 

in an adventure that I am arranging, 

and it's very difficult to find anyone."
"I should think so — in these parts! 

We are plain quiet folk and 

have no use for adventures. 

Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! 

Make you late for dinner!"

Anna was fortunate in finding a
willing Adventurer, her husband Brent.
She continues her travelogue: 

Penning a Letter - George Goodwin Kilburne 

I guess I need to sit down and write for so many people are wondering what Brent and I are up to these days. So here goes!

Lady Frances Wyndham - The Letter Writer

There has not much been happening in the last couple of months since we went to Rosamond, CA for our newer RV. Brent and I spent a year in Rosamond the 5 weeks that we were there sending paper work back and forth to the dealer.

From the Seinfeld TV Show:

GEORGE: So they're flying the tiny 

instruments in from El Paso.
KRAMER: El Paso? 

I spent a month there one night.

From Life Magazine - 1908

Life magazine in 1908

Toledo

John Denver

I have always loved NASCAR but since living at the the Willow Springs Race Track, I don't care if I never hear the sound of a racing engine or tires again. We were able to see some of the new cars that Ford and Porsche have coming out this year. They use Willow Springs for some of their commercials and they bring several cars to act as decoy so industrial stealing will not happen. Very secretive.

Ford Mustang at Willow Springs

Porsche Macan at Willow Springs

Our host at the race track was involved in a 5 car crash the day after we left and we have not heard how he is since then. Praying he is okay for he was already ill with cancer and did not need anything else to bring him down more.

I learned a great lesson while I was there. We were introduced to a man who lived over the car shop and worked with some of the race cars and he admitted to Brent that when he got orders to go to Vietnam that he handed his papers back to his commanding officer and refused to go. He was given a dishonorable discharge and was booted out of the service.

The hate rose in me when Brent told me about him. Yes, I said the word hate! I have always had a difficult time with people who were more afraid of losing their life than doing their duty because my first husband gave all and died in combat leaving me and our 2 children behind.


It was very difficult for a 20 year old and I hated all who was scared of that war. Yes, it was war even though the government position on that is different and people who protested instead of supporting our troops was to me in the same category as the ones who fled to Canada. Cowards.

I realize it was a futile thing and should never have happened. I am not unaware of the "NO" reason we should have been there to start with. Brent set me down and we talked for hours about how I felt. We prayed and shared for the longest time and by the time Thanksgiving came around I was able to invite this person to Thanksgiving dinner with Brent and I.

I was also aware of how his life had been. Filled with shame, unable to get good jobs, and looking at his self in the mirror was hard. I felt sorry for him. God through Brent was able to finally heal something in me that had colored my life for a long time. So this Christmas Season means even more to me now. I hope you do not mind me sharing this with you but I think it makes our travels all the more important to share such growing events even though they are personal.

When we left Rosamond we went to Death Valley. I was very pleased to be going there as I have read about it my whole life. My grandfather who raised me would have loved seeing it and I wanted to see it for both of us. Well, guess what? It never rains in Death Valley but the whole 2 days we were there it rained. I guess I took it with me! LOL It was amazing to see acres and acres of lake because the desert could not absorb so much water at one time.

Death Valley after a Rain

We also went over a great 3 miles of nothing but washboard road that shook us till our teeth rattled. Great fun and great adventure. (Only after we got back on smooth ground).

The great sand dunes was amazing and people were walking up and down them. I love to see areas of nature that are void of man's foot print. A lot of beautiful area's around the great desert was ruined by off road vehicles who left deep and very unsightly trails. Man is most assuredly not kind to this world.

I could in my minds eye see how hard it was for a person on foot to get through Death Valley for it is very, very large. You can see mountains in the very far distance surrounding the valley and it is hard with a 33 foot RV with a car in tow to get up those same mountains leaving.

Across Death Valley
Mary Barmeyer O'Brien
Across Death Valley is a fictionalized account based on the true story of the legendary journey that Juliet Wells Brier, her husband, and their three sons undertook during the Gold Rush from Salt Lake City to the settlement of Los Angeles.

http://www.amazon.com/Across-Death-Valley-Pioneer-Journey/dp/0762745053

Project Gutenberg Free EBook

Death Valley in '49 

by William Lewis Manly

Important chapter of California pioneer history. 

The autobiography of a pioneer, detailing his life 

from a humble home in the Green Mountains to the 

gold mines of California; and particularly reciting the sufferings of the band of men, women and children 

who gave "Death Valley" its name.

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12236?msg=welcome_stranger

Death Valley Days 

Radio and Television Program

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Valley_Days

 The radio and TV versions combined to make 

the show "one of the longest running western 

programs in broadcast history."

Death Valley Days

 Sego Lillies (1953)

With The Old Ranger

Full Episode

When we left Death Valley we were heading East and went through Las Vegas, NV during rush hour. I know that many people love to go to Vegas but the two times that we have been there I could not wait to get out of it. It was a long drive with no apparent RV parks between Vegas and Kingman, AZ. We spent the night at a truck stop and moved on to Blake Ranch Rd. RV park where we have spent the time catching up with mail, phone calls and resting.

 Rush hour traffic on Interstate 15 

near the Strip in Las Vegas

Vegas Rush Hour Traffic

Kingman, Arizona

We have a small Christmas tree up with decorations on the windows and are going to be able to spend our first Christmas together here. We are having Prime Rib for Christmas dinner which my wonderful husband is going to cook for me. He spoils me rotten and I love it. On the 11th of Jan. we are going farther East and South to try and find our hidey hole. Hopefully Texas - somewhere it is warm. It gets rather chilly here at night and gets down to freezing sometimes so further South as we keep saying.

Hidey-Hole

hid·ey-hole
a place for hiding something or oneself in,

especially as a retreat from other people.

hidey-hole
Houghton Mifflin
A secluded or isolated place; 

a hideaway.

Wishing everyone the very Merriest of Christmas' and praying for the most wonderful of New Years for all of our followers on our adventures.

Young Woman Writing - Pierre Bonnard

“Would you tell me, please, 

which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal 

on where you want to get to."
"I don't much care where –"
"Then it doesn't matter 

which way you go.”
Lewis Carroll 

Alice in Wonderland

What is that feeling when you're driving 

away from people and they recede on the plain 

till you see their specks dispersing? - it's the too-huge world vaulting us, and it's good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies.
  Jack Kerouac

  On the Road

I know not all that may be coming, 

but be it what it will, 

I'll go to it laughing.
  Herman Melville

  Moby-Dick; 

 or, The Whale

The Happy Wanderer
Frank Yankovic
Frank John "Frankie" Yankovic was born 

July 28, 1915 in Davis, West Virginia. He was a 

Grammy Award-winning polka musician. Known 

as "America's Polka King," he was considered the 

premier artist to play in the Slovenian style during 

his long career.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankie_Yankovic

 

Here’s to freedom, cheers to art. 
Here’s to having an excellent adventure 
and may the stopping never start.
Jason Mraz

Christmas, 2014

Good Morning, Class of '64

Angels of Christmas - Greg Olsen

Behold, 
the virgin shall be with child, 
and shall bear a Son, 
and they shall call His name “Immanuel”, 
which translated means, 
“God with us”.
Matthew 1:23

Christmas with Larry

The Real Story of Christmas

Pretest:
(Don’t look at the end for the answers – you’ll have to read it.)
 
1. What is historically inaccurate about most nativity scenes displayed at Christmas?

2. What are frankincense and myrrh?

3. How many wise men were there?

4. In what two ways did the gifts of the wise men later figure into the story of Jesus? (HINT: immediately and XXXIII years later)

5. Which person in the Christmas story do we insult by not showing the respect so richly deserved?

6. Were Joseph and Mary actually homeless as some people say?

7. Was the innkeeper being nasty or nice when he sent them to the stable? (Opinion only)

8. What was the stable like?

9. Why were the shepherds the first to be told of the birth of Jesus by the angels? (Opinion only)

10. How did Joseph and Mary put the wise men’s gifts to use?

11. Was Jesus really born on December 25?

The story begins with Mary. She was probably in her early to mid-teens and betrothed to Joseph. A betrothal then was more formal and binding than an engagement today. They were married in every way but cohabitation.

 

The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her that she would conceive and bear a son that she would name Jesus. Mary’s only question was practical: “How can this be since I am a virgin?” Gabriel clarified that, and Mary accepted it.

 

 The Angel Speaks To Mary

God made a good choice. Mary’s faith and wisdom were both great. Mary’s Song (Luke 1: 46 – 55) is amazing, almost a prelude to the beatitudes.

Amy Grant

Breath of Heaven 

(Mary's Song)

The Nativity Story

Luke 1:46-55

New International Version (NIV)
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%201:46-55
Mary’s Song

⁴⁶ And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord
⁴⁷and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
⁴⁸ for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
⁴⁹for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
    holy is his name.
⁵⁰ His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    from generation to generation.
⁵¹ He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
⁵² He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    but has lifted up the humble.
⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things
    but has sent the rich away empty.
⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel,
    remembering to be merciful
⁵⁵ to Abraham and his descendants forever,
    just as he promised our ancestors.”

When Joseph discovered that Mary was pregnant, he was understandably upset. He believed that Mary, who in his eyes was the most perfect woman God ever created, had betrayed him. He could have brought charges; adultery was a crime punishable by death by stoning. But Joseph was a good man; he decided to privately have the betrothal contract made null and void. But an angel came to Joseph in a dream and told Joseph that Mary had not been unfaithful to him, that she was impregnated by the Holy Spirit. Joseph believed the angel.

Gaetano Gandolfi's Joseph's Dream, c. 1790

When God chose Mary to raise His Son, it was a double choice. He also chose Joseph to be the foster father of His Son. In most nativity scenes, it’s hard to find Joseph. In most Christmas plays, Joseph is the forgotten man, kind of like new fathers today. There is much oohing and ahing over the baby and mother, but the father is pretty much ignored. Joseph is the Charlie Brown of the Christmas story – he deserves much more respect than we give him.

Nativity Scene - http://dashinvaine.deviantart.com/#/art/Nativity-Scene-145302453?hf=1

Joseph and Mary were not homeless. Big government was around then, too. They had to pay their taxes in Joseph’s ancestral city so they had to travel to Bethlehem.

Journey to Bethlehem - Unknown

Bethlehem was as crowded as most post offices on April 15. It was filled with 20 – 30 times its normal population. That’s why there was no room at the inn. When the innkeeper sent them to the stable, I believe he was being nice. There were no Holiday Inn Express rooms at the inn. It probably had a common room for all the guests, sleeping packed together on the floor. Not a good place for a very pregnant woman. The innkeeper gave Joseph and Mary the best he had, his stable.

The Innkeeper - Unknown

And the stable, not much like our barns today. It was probably a shallow cave cut into a hillside that provided minimal shelter from the wind.

The Nativity - John McNaughton

The angels appeared to the shepherds who were in the pasture with their sheep. Shepherds have to practically live with their sheep in lambing season. It was probably late spring, March or April. It may have even been April 15 – after all, they were in Bethlehem to pay their taxes! 

The Angel Appearing Before the Shepherds - Thomas Buchanan Read

The shepherds were near the bottom of Jewish society then, so why did God choose to first reveal the birth of His Son to them? Some have suggested that, with the hustle and bustle in Bethlehem, they were the only ones silent enough to hear. A better theory is that this fits with the ministry of Jesus. He liked the poor and the ones society ignored or looked down upon. He partied at Matthew’s house with the outcasts, the other tax collectors. Jesus chose 4 fishermen and one tax collector as disciples. He had nothing good to say about the persons at the top of society, but He liked the ones from the lower classes.

Adoration of the Shepherds. By Gerard van Honthorst

Perhaps the best theory is that this fits the continuity of the Bible. God, the Shepherd, and mankind, the sheep, is an analogy we find all through the Bible. Remember the 23rd Psalm and Jesus saying, “I am the good Shepherd.” The analogy is so very apt. Sheep are stupid, smelly, fragile, and dirty. They cannot live independent of man, kind of like us with God.

Unknown

While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks 

Connie Smith

1975

 

The wise men followed the star from Persia. They were not at the stable. They arrived later and visited the family at a house. Herod ordered all baby boys two years old and younger killed, so it is probable that the wise men arrived somewhat less than two years after the birth of Jesus.

Magi - Unknown

It is tradition that there were three wise men. Tradition even names them. But we simply do not know. I suspect that the three gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh, gave rise to the idea of their being three wise men. Frankincense is fragrant resin often used in incense. Myrrh is also a tree sap used in incense and perfume. Both were then very valuable. It is very likely that the women who went to the tomb of Jesus 3 days after the crucifixion had both frankincense and myrrh to anoint the body of Jesus.

Matthew 2: 1-2, 11-15

1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense , and myrrh.
12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

The Wise Men Seek Jesus

Unknown

When Herod ordered the murder of infant boys, Joseph was warned in a dream to take Mary and Jesus and to escape to Egypt. As a carpenter, Joseph was a day laborer. He could not have saved enough money for such a trip. But God always provides – the very valuable gifts of wise men were put to good use.

Unknown

From our house to yours,
may you have a very blessed Christmas!

For today in the city of David 

there has been born for you a Savior, 

who is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:11 

And when we give each other 
Christmas gifts in His name, 
let us remember that He has given 
us the sun and the moon and the stars, 
and the earth with its forests and 
mountains and oceans--and all that 
lives and move upon them. 
He has given us all green things and 
everything that blossoms and bears 
fruit and all that we quarrel about and 
all that we have misused--and to save us 
from our foolishness, 
from all our sins, 
He came down to earth 
and gave us Himself.
Sigrid Undset

The Nativity Story
Full Movie

  One Couple. 
One Journey. 
One Child… 
who would change the world… 
forever...
http://www.christiananswers.net/spotlight/movies/2006/thenativitystory2006.html 

 

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
the Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!"
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow


CLASS NEWSLETTER
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