Hello Again

Yep--we're back from Alaska and have been for a couple of weeks. But, somehow, updating this journal seems to have remained at the bottom of the to-do list.

Katrina--electronics (the bane of 21st century existence)--Casey--business matters--just the stuff of life have filled the hours and days. Now, though, it is time to catch up with friends and strangers who seem to check in here from time to time.

First--Alaska is breathtakingly awesome and beautiful--beyond expectations and imagination! We have traveled extensively--the top of the Jungfrau--the Serengiti--castles and fortresses-- Tibetan plateaus--deserts--the Great Wall--but nowhere has proof of God the Creator been more vivid than in the pristine, massive, mystical, pure, natural wonder of Alaska. In time I will update our website as this blog is not a travelogue but for now, here are a couple more pictures.

And--my most favorite:

What else is happening? Well, I have been drawn over and over again to watch and keep up with the tragedy of Katrina. The human suffering, the massive failure of our systems, the humbling realization that we are as fragile as any third world country, the open window on the truth of the disparity between poor and rich, black and white has all been forcefully laid out in the light of day or in the recesses of a Superdome and a Convention Center. And then along with that we see the greatness of shared humanity, the empathy that surfaces in the face of despair, the desire to relieve pain and distress--we see what is good and strong in this species called man. We, along with the world, wait to see where this great tragedy takes us and what will be done. Can we admit mistakes so that we can change? As a nation can we refocus our priorities? Can we take care of our own as well as we can wage war? Can we address a crumbling infrastructure and find the resources to rebuild? These are some of the thoughts that Americans of the United States struggle with these days. I pray that God will lead us through all that is ahead.

On to lighter fare--Electronics:
Within two days of arriving back in San Diego, the cable modem quit functioning, the computer which crashed two months ago did so again, the microwave gave up life, and more. So, several days were spent working through all of this--which meant absolutely nothing constructive was accomplished elsewhere. I am one of those people who knows little about fixing technology but who willing (some would say, stupidly) jumps from the cliff and tries, often leading to even greater problems. This round resulted in buying and installing a modem (easy), buying a new computer (on order as I wanted some customization) and at the moment, being still in the market for a new microwave. Can you believe that to replace a microwave venting fan costs $299? Certainly not worth it for an 8 year old appliance.

Well, in reviewing the title of the blog, I see that this entry falls into the "other stuff" category which is not really the purpose of the blog at all. It's purpose is to share the wonders of Casey and the trials and tribulations of preparing for residency in Italy--both of which have twists and turns to share. So--I will close this now and get to the real stuff tomorrow, maybe.

I end with this smile for the day: While driving in Alaska, Casey, being 7 years old, constantly wanted to know things such as "how much further?" or "how much longer?" The typical answer would be "in a while" or "a while longer." Finally, fed up with such non-helpful input, his response was "I hate whiles!" Don't you just love kids?