National Parks | All is Well

Friday Findings

I’m a curious soul – with a wide range of nerdy and geeky interests, ranging from space exploration to theological concepts. I often find interesting items when stumbling about on the internet – and on Friday’s I like to share my findings with you!

It’s been a bit since I’ve posted a Friday Findings…never seems to be enough hours in the day to do all that we want to do, right? But I’m happy to have a short bit of time to whip up this post tonight.

I’ve Got the Blueeeeees…….

Blue is my favorite color. Always has been. I think it is because I love the sky so much. If I am going to pick a crayon, it’s gonna be blue. Construction paper? Blue. Wall paint? Probably some shade of blue, until my family tells me there’s too much blue. (Though, in my world, there can never be too much blue.)

Loved this article from Open Culture, about the discovery of a new shade of blue. WHAT??? There are still colors we are discovering?? I didn’t know that. Pretty cool. I’ve added a picture here, of the new blue – plus you can check out the accompanying article by visiting Open Culture: YlnMn Blue

No Two are Alike—-

Have you ever tried to capture just one single snowflake? Just one. Just one snowflake that you are certain is only one snowflake, and not accidentally two snowflakes stuck together?

Apparently, it is pretty challenging. And to photograph a single, solitary snowflake is even more challenging.

Smithsonian shared an article this week capturing some of the highest resolution photos of snowflakes to-date – and they are stunningly beautiful.

Worth a look – check it out here: Smithsonian – Snowflakes

Weariness – a Gift?

I needed the words of this article by David Quaoud this past week. These have certainly been wearisome days here lately – work challenges, health challenges, good but taxing ministry opportunities….at times, the weariness seems to take on a life of its own.

Quaoud takes such a different and unique approach to examining weariness in his article “The Blessing of Weariness” – so much so, that I have bookmarked it and have read it through now quite a few times. Taking a moment to consider God’s sovereignty and goodness in all of life is hard at times, but also strangely comforting even when the good is so very hard to see. I needed to hear all five points of his article; so much so, that I’m sharing it here with you, dear reader – because I don’t think I’m the only one: The Blessing of Weariness

The Love of a Good Hike

We enjoy National Parks – I would say that I border on being a tad obsessed with them, because I belong to a National Park Traveler’s Club, and collect National Park Cancellation Stamps from each park we visit – which I then enter into a database and a book – so nerdy.

During this Covid lockdown season, we also picked hiking back up as a hobby on the weekends – trying a new trail every single weekend through 2020. So, I loved this article celebrating an end to a three year project to open up access to 10,000 miles of US National Park trails. The project focused on 3 areas we’ve visited in the last two years, and two areas we have on our list for the next two years, should travel restrictions lessen any. Thanks, Lonely Planet, for this upbeat article 10,000 Miles Completed

Mauna Kea Snow!

I’ll leave you with this beautiful picture of a snowstorm that dumped snow on top of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa Volcanoes just this past week. We were just on top of Mauna Kea this past New Year’s Eve – it is truly my most favorite place on this entire planet.

Friday Findings

89 Year-Old Grandmother Visiting All 61 U.S. National Parks

I am a National Parks nerd. I have a National Parks Passport Stamp Book, and I love visiting the parks and historical sites to collect cancellation stamps, but to also see this amazing land, and learn history along the way. As such, any National Parks related articles catch my eye – and this one may be my favorite.

Joy Ryan, an 89-year-old grandmother, and her grandson Brad Ryan, are embarking on a grand adventure, with a goal to visit all 61 U.S. National Parks. Joy had been widowed for 20 years. She lived in a tiny house, and had worked a minimum wage job until her early 80’s, to try to make ends meet. She had never had the opportunity to travel. Her grandson has set out to change that. What an incredible gift, not only from the grandson to the grandma – but vice versa; I am certain that Brad will look back on this trip and discover that he was the one more richly gifted by this unique time with his grandmother. You can follow their journey on Instagram; just search on Grandma Joy’s Road Trip. Read about their journey here: A Grand Adventure

Unique Travel Digs

I have a list (I have lots of lists) of unique places I’d like to travel to – weird places, like road side attractions, and igloo hotels, and underwater restaurants. I recently added several of these alternate lodging options to the list – because, who wouldn’t want to stay the night in a helicopter? The Points Guys have curated a list of 7 Planes and Helicopters that are actually hotels that you can stay in. So – ditch that boring Marriott room, don your pilot jacket, and book one of these cool options: Give Me A Ticket for an Aeroplane

Unloved Animals

Last week, I featured some writing by Randy Alcorn, about the place of animals that we don’t necessarily like or appreciate today, in heaven. Very thought-provoking and interesting perspective, you can find the link to that store HERE.

In the wake of that, I loved reading this piece by Margaret Renkl, and Opinion Writer for the NY Times. It’s a Praise Song, lauding the positive attributes of some of our most unloved animals, such as the opossum, the rat snake, and yes…mosquitoes. Great writing; and along with creating a sense of appreciation for some of our maligned animals, it was also just a fun read: Even Vultures Deserve Some Appreciation

What Should the Church and Sesame Street Have in Common?

Last weekend was the 50th Anniversary of Sesame Street. I have a deep nostalgia and love for Sesame Street – probably because it was “born” the same year that I was. But also because, at an early age, I loved learning – and Sesame Street drew me in with their catchy tunes and loveable characters.

But was was also beautiful about Sesame Street, was that it taught me – us – things about the world, without overtly teaching these things….because they shouldn’t need to be taught. Friendship. Kindness. Empathy. Compassion. Creativity. Racial diversity, Unity. Peace.

Dr. Russell Moore, ahead of the 50th Anniversary celebration, took time to reflect on what Sesame Street has taught us, and what the church should be teaching us, about how life should look, in Christ and in fellowship with one another. Moore quotes a recent line from the New York Times, for Sesame Street’s 40th anniversary: “The world is finally beginning to look the way that PBS show always made it out to be.”

And Moore followed that up, with these words of his own: “What would happen if, whenever our culture saw love or reconciliation or peace, our neighbors said, “This is exactly the way that church always made life out to be?”

It’s an interesting view, and one well worth taking the time to read and ponder: Church and Sesame Street

Why Should I Read Crime and Punishment?

Dostoevsky’s birthday was this past week. He is my favorite dead Russian author, and I wrote a bit about his writings earlier this week, which you can find HERE.

Dostoevsky’s most famous work is Crime and Punishment. Many a student has had to read this, as a part of their literature reading assignments. However, I recently read an article that bemoaned the fact that teacher’s are not adding it to their semester reading lists as frequently in recent years, because it is a challenging read.

And, they are right – it is challenging. But it is so worthy the effort. This 152 year-old book, still addresses themes that we struggle with today.

Open Culture featured an Animated Video, on why we should read Crime and Punishment. Even if you don’t have the time to give it a go, this video is beautifully crafted, and worth watching to get a sense of the overlying scope of the book.