Bits & Balderdash

 

Time for a couple of quick bits ...

Still bike riding with the lovely and gracious Miss Lynn! The latest was a Monday night ride from Pleasant Hill area to the Altoona area. Total distance was 11.22 miles and it took 1:15 minutes.

Been enjoying sweet corn and BLT’s ... a family favorite this time of year! Always reminds my of my Mom & Dad who  raised a garden every year. Dad had a propensity for huge tomatoes, “Best Boy” and “Beefsteak” were the best! One slice would be all you needed for a great BLT!

The Iowa State Fair begins Thursday (8/11/22)! One of my favorite times of year going back to my childhood. My parents worked at the State Fair for years and I grew up loving the time spent at the fair. As an adult, the midway or thrill park hold no draw for me but I do so enjoy the “free” stuff available throughout the fair. The livestock barns, the varied industries building, the agriculture building and of course … fair food! I do have my favorites! 

Pastor Steve

A Tribute To A Great Aurthor ...

 I have always tried to be an avid reader.  From my time in college, I have tried to cultivate reading as a way of not only reading for message preparation but also for the shear enjoyment of a good book. In so many areas of my life I really enjoy variety in what I like ... for example, musically I enjoy everything from Jazz to Swing to Oldies to the 70's to Classical Music ... As for authors, I really enjoy John Grisham, Lee Child, Agatha Christie (mainly the Poirot books), and many others.

Having developed a love for history in high school, even giving thought at one time of being a secondary grade school teacher with a major emphasis in history. I spent some years doing 1840's rendezvous reenactment and my favorite time period was the time of Lewis and Clark exposition. 

All of that being said, this past week we saw the passing if the prolific author David McCullough. I first came across McCullough's work when my daughter in law was reading "Mornings on Horseback", a book on the early life of Theodore Roosevelt. What an incredible book and story! I loved it!

Since then, here is a list of the McCullough books I read:(Not in any particular order)

Mornings on Horseback

The Great Bridge

Truman

John Adams

1776

The Wright Brothers

American Spirit

The Pioneers  

 

My favorite, hands down is The Wright Brothers ... What an incredible story!

I'm very thankful that I've gotten to enjoy reading David McCullough's works. I would highly recommend and of these books to you for your reading enjoyment!

Pastor Steve

What A Ride!

 Lynn and I have been doing some bike riding this summer. We started by purchasing a very nice trailer hitch bike rack. As the time has progressed we have been doing longer and longer trips on our bikes. 

The trail system in the greater Des Moines area is incredible! We've ridden on the Clive Greenbelt Trail, Great Western & Bill Riley Bike Trail, High Trestle Trail, Jordan Creek Trail, Great Western Trail (In Part), all through the Water Works & Grey's Lake area, But today was the biggest one of all!

We set out from near the Des Moines Botanical Center on Robert D. Ray Drive and headed north. Our goal was to reach the Saylorville Dam area. We ended up just south of the Dam Visitors Center ... By the way, "if you have any Dam questions, ask your Dam tour guide!" (If you know ... you know!) We needed to make a restroom stop which required a stop at the Bob Shelter Campground, with that out of the way we set off for the return trip. 

Overall, it was a great trip ... here are the stats: Total Time: 2:26:50; Distance: 23.58 miles; Elevation Gain: 296 feet; Average Speed 9.6 MPH.

Not too bad for a guy two years out from a stroke and a gal one year out from open hearty surgery! 

What next??? Lynn and I are putting together a ride from somewhere north of the Des Moines area and ending in Martinsdale, Iowa. This will involve a number of difference trails but will focus on the Great Western Trail that runs from Water Works Park and ends in Martinsdale. We shall see ...

I Remain, Pastor Steve

Here are some pictures:

Stock photo of our bike carrier

Our Bikes on our carrier

Stock photo of trail

Stock Photo of our turn around point

Bob Shelter Campground ... Stopped for a "Break"

Great Western Trail ... Our Next Long Ride?????

Central Iowa Bike Trails

One of the really cool opportunities that Lynn and I have been taking advantage of now that we’re living in the Des Moines area is the plethora of bike trails. 

One of the very first rides we took was a quick trip from Madrid Ia. to the High Trestle trial/bridge. not the longest trip in the world but we really enjoyed getting out on this trail. The view from the bridge were incredible and the distance covered was just about perfect that morning. Here are a couple of stock photos: 

Day time look ...

Night time look ...

That same day we ventured down to the Greenwood - Ashworth Park trail head where we set out to reach the Bill Riley Trail through the Des Moines Water Works Park on to Grey’s Lake Park and back. More stock photos: 

Greenwood - Ashworth Park Trailhead ...

Bill Riley Trail ...

Foot Bridge Connecting WaterWorks Park and Grey’s Lake ...

Grey’s Lake Park ...

More rides to Come!

I Remain, 

Pastor Steve

Transitions ...

                        

One thing we know is that life is constantly changing! Transitions are always happening. 

On October 24, 2021 I resigned my ministry in Oskaloosa and have been on a whirlwind adventure ever since!

We moved from Osky at the end of December and moved in with my daughter and her husband for a total of 4 months. We were able to find a condo on the Southside of Des Moines which seems to fit us well.

We are members at Soteria Church in WDM and are getting involved in the ministry there. We are working in Ankeny (Lynn and I both at the same business). We really enjoy our time together driving to and from our work. 

Some have asked “what does the future look like for us?’ honestly, we’re not sure yet, waiting on the Lord for direction. Not saying no but seeking to discern the will of God!

More to come!

I Remain, 

Pastor Steve