Chris Loehmer Kincaid's Blog, page 45

Down at the Dock, Door County, Post #3

 After a very full first day in Door County in October, and a very filling dinner at the Bayside Tavern in Fish Creek, my friend and I returned to our hotel and then walked the block down to the dock. The evening was cool, rain was trying to fall, it was dark out, but who am I to miss some photo ops.

Anderson Dock in Ephraim has a long history. But its current story is the graffiti it is famous for.  

We went back the following evening, before it had gotten dark and when rain wasn’t quite as threatening.

                                        

Some may argue that it is still graffiti, that it’s not art, that it’s still vandalism and shouldn’t be allowed.

What do you think? Beautiful or ugliness? 
Click on the following links for more information: 
Overview of Anderson Dock - https://www.doorcounty.com/business-directory/anderson-dock/
History of Anderson Dock - https://www.wearegreenbay.com/from-the-local-5-digital-desk/history-of-anderson-dock-a-not-so-hidden-gem-in-door-county/
More history - https://doorcountypulse.com/whats-with-the-graffiti-at-anderson-dock/

Miscellaneous First Day in Door County, Post #2

Last Friday I started telling you about the quick trip my friend and I took to Door County last October. Our first stop, Cave Point County Park, was so fascinating that I took 113 pictures and spent that entire blog on Friday just sharing some of those pictures.

The rest of that first day, Monday, October 11, we packed in a lot more sites and nearly as many pictures.

Just down the road (and several missed turns) is Cana Lighthouse. To get to it, you can ride this wagon pulled by a tractor.

Across this isthmus, which has varying amounts of water in it at any time. But because it was Columbus Day, the tractor and wagon were not running. We could have walked across – as two brave women did – but the Lighthouse was closed for the holiday anyway, so it didn’t seem worth it.

It wasn’t as cold out as it looked, just windy.

Then I spotted something out on Lake Michigan. Boaters? Birds?

No. Surfers of all things!

I was captivated.

Once again took too many pictures. Are those guys nuts?

Next stop (after yet again getting us turned around) was the Bjorklunden Church at Boynton.

On the grounds of Lawrence University Outreach Center.

Of course, a little while later, we couldn’t resist a stop at a cemetery.. 

We didn’t see much wildlife all day other than this spider.

Last stop during the day light hours was the Eagle Bluff Lighthouse in Peninsula State Park.

Who can resist a lighthouse? 

What makes them so romantic?

There was another place we visited that day, but it will have to wait until next time
For more information, click on these links: 
Cana Island Lighthouse: https://www.dcmm.org/cana-island-lighthouse/
The Boynton Chapel: https://www.lawrence.edu/s/bjorklunden/chapel
Lawrence University's Retreat Center: https://www.lawrence.edu/s/bjorklunden
Eagle Bluff Lighthouse: https://www.doorcounty.com/business-directory/eagle-bluff-lighthouse/
Another Lighthouse website: https://doorcountyhistoricalsociety.org/eagle-bluff-light-station/

Final Thoughts on Faith

      All these great people died in faith. They did not get the things that God promised his people, but they saw them coming far in the future and were glad. They said they were like visitors and strangers on earth. When people say such things, they show they are looking for a country that will be their own. If they had been thinking about the country they had left, they could have gone back. But they were waiting for a better country—a heavenly country. So God is not ashamed to be called their God, because he has prepared a city for them. (Hebrews 11:13-16, New Century Version)

For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been writing about chapter 11 in the book of Hebrews. It seems to be the chapter all about faith. And since “faith” is my word for the year, it made sense to me to bore you with this chapter. (I promise this is the last post on it.)

I especially like these verses because they remind me what faith really means. So many non-believers scoff at Christians for their faith. I suppose I can understand that. I mean, we pray to God in total faith that He hears our prayers and will answer them. But God knows more than us mortal sinners do.

Maybe we can see, only off in the distance, the answer to our prayers. And then we realize that God is not going to grant us what we want, or even sometimes what we need. But faith is knowing that it is okay, that God still loves us, cherishes us, and holds us close as His children.

Side note: The church pictured above is the Estonian Evangelical Martin Luther Church in Gleason, Wisconsin, not too far down the road from where I live. It is the first Estonian Church built in the US in 1914. It’s gonna take a lot of faith to bring this antique back to life. 

Door County, October 2021, post #1

Looking back, I see that I blogged on three different occasions about how I’ve always wanted to travel to Cambodia, how I was ready to make that dream a reality, and how Covid19 squashed those plans.

Two years ago, my friend Denise and I started making plans to go in the Fall of 2020. When that didn’t happen, I went to a cabin up north with the family that week to make up for my disappointment. Denise and I hoped to take that trip in the Fall of 2021. And it fell through again. We thought about changing our plans to another trip to Kenya, but a month before, we realized Covid was still mucking with us. I really needed something special to make up for that disappointment.

I’d already been approved for vacation the middle two weeks of October. I didn’t have a lot of time to plan, but I made things happen.

The first week, my friend Denise and I went to Wisconsin’s Door County for two days. We packed a lot into that time. 

First stop – Cave Point County Park.

 Very remarkable place. And I think we were there on the perfect day – cloudy and dreary with a bit of a breeze, but temps near 70. Which all made the waves crashing into the rocky shoreline totally awesome. Beyond words.

Traveling partners in our flannel.

Hope you can watch the video. It still doesn’t come close to how cool this place was.
For more information, click these links -        https://www.doorcounty.com/experience/cave-point-county-park/
        https://www.co.door.wi.gov/554/Cave-Point-County-Park
        https://cavepointpp.com/blog/7-reasons-why-cave-point-county-park-is-a-must-visit/

Mirror Lake and Dear Wesley, October 2, 2021

 Here it is the second day in February, and I’m getting the Wanderlust, planning all sorts of trips for the coming year, anxious for Spring, and just wanting to jump in the car and go. Can’t wait to get Carlton the camper out of storage, just to sit inside it and dream.

Or reflect on all the road trips I took last Fall. I can’t believe that I ran out of time writing about all the places I explored in October. So here we are, with nothing but time until the snow melts.

The weekend of October 2, 2021, my son and a group of his friends went camping at Mirror Lake State Park near Wisconsin Dells. The state park hosted the 6th Annual S’more Fun Trail Run to raise money, and Nick and his friends signed up to walk or run it (some of his friends are more in shape than others). He asked if I wanted to join them, to either walk the route or just hang out at their campsite. The forecast was for unseasonably warm weather, so I thought I’d drive down for just the day.

                            

Well, when I got there, the plan was actually to have me dog-sit his pup Wesley, so they could all do the walk. I was fine with that, and my grandpuppy and I did catch up with them on the trail and walk a bit with them, until photo ops caused me to veer off course.

 Wes and I did walk most of one of the routes. I wasn’t sure where I was at this point, so glad there were signs.

And as already mentioned, it was unseasonably warm that day. In the low 70s, by ten in the morning, and 77 when I left around three.

We all had a good day. Unfortunately, it was about the time when the bone cancer in Wesley’s skull was becoming more noticeable. The poor, sweet baby. I’m thankful I had that good day to spend with him. You’ll get to read about one more later, but there are many more adventures for me to write about first.

Faith for Tomorrow

It was by faith that the walls of Jericho fell after the people had marched around them for seven days.

It was by faith that Rahab, the prostitute, welcomed the spies and was not killed with those who refused to obey God.

Do I need to give more examples? I do not have time to tell you about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. Through their faith they defeated kingdoms. They did what was right, received God’s promises, and shut the mouths of lions. They stopped great fires and were saved from being killed with swords. They were weak, and yet were made strong. They were powerful in battle and defeated other armies. Women received their dead relatives raised back to life. Others were tortured and refused to accept their freedom so they could be raised from the dead to a better life. Some were laughed at and beaten. Others were put in chains and thrown into prison. They were stoned to death, they were cut in half, and they were killed with swords. Some wore the skins of sheep and goats. They were poor, abused, and treated badly. The world was not good enough for them! They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and holes in the earth.

All these people are known for their faith, but none of them received what God had promised. God planned to give us something better so that they would be made perfect, but only together with us. (Hebrews 11:30-40, New Century Version)

Even though I’ve read through the entire Bible twice, I don’t remember this chapter of Hebrews. It sure sticks out to me now.

All the people in the Bible who had nothing else except for faith in God. Faith that there would be enough water to drink, enough food to eat. Faith that God would make things right. Faith that God would save them in the end. Faith that their struggles would be worth it.

There is so much going on right now, from the circle of people I know and love, to my town, to my country, and out there in the world. Will this pandemic ever end? Will we be at war with Russia in the coming months? Will the freedoms we take for granted be taken from us?

Worry and anxiety won’t answer any of those questions. Maybe faith won’t either, but faith will let us sleep at night and will give us hope in the new day.

 

Remodel post 5 (and the final one)

I promise this is the last post on our recent home remodeling project. At least for now. This series has renewed my interest in our really big project from 1999, when we turned the garage into the living room. I have a book full of photographs to scan first. But I digress.

So here are the before, during, and after pics of our shower. Many years ago, we had installed one of those tub surrounds, which we had thought about keeping. But then my daughter offered us boxes and boxes of tile which came with the house she bought a few years ago.

From the other angle. Even found one picture from before we did any major remodeling, when the original avocado tile graced the bathroom and we had installed the sliding shower door.

Then there was the shower surround.

And onto the new tile.

This might be my very favorite part of the entire remodeling project, even over the oak kitchen cupboards.

When my daughter gave us those boxes of leftover tiles, we knew there weren’t enough of one color or style. I embraced that though, telling our contractor to just mix it up, that he didn’t need to worry about any sort of pattern. I love what he did.  

Many of the homes I’ve been to on my travels to Kenya were tiled with multiple mix-matched tiles. Though my shower tiles aren’t nearly so varied, they still remind me of my home away from home in Africa.

The Faith of Moses

         It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born. They saw that Moses was a beautiful baby, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s order.

It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of the king of Egypt’s daughter. He chose to suffer with God’s people instead of enjoying sin for a short time. He thought it was better to suffer for the Christ than to have all the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking for God’s reward.

It was by faith that Moses left Egypt and was not afraid of the king’s anger. Moses continued strong as if he could see the God that no one can see. It was by faith that Moses prepared the Passover and spread the blood on the doors so the one who brings death would not kill the firstborn sons of Israel.

It was by faith that the people crossed the Red Sea as if it were dry land. But when the Egyptians tried it, they were drowned. (Hebrews 11:23-29, New Century Version)

Last Sunday, I wrote about Noah’s faith in God. Next to the famous ark-builder, Moses is probably the most well-known man in the Old Testament.

Perhaps Moses had an advantage over us, and even over Noah. God appeared to Moses in that burning bush, so he must have believed everything that God was telling him. Right?

God is hardly ever that obvious; He usually tries to get our attention in less apparent ways. But listen, watch, pay attention. If you are doubting your faith, God is out there. He is communicating with you, showing you the way. All you need is faith.   

Without faith no one can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who truly want to find him. (Hebrews 11:6, New Century Version)

Remodel post 4 ��� Toilet

Yes, the toilet is pretty exciting. Well, isn���t it? I think we all take our modern flush toilets for granted. Shoot, we take toilet paper for granted. But go a day without either of these modern conveniences. No thanks!

Once again, I have to start with the pictures from way back. When we moved into this house in the fall of 1990, believe it or not, there was shag carpet in this bathroom. I know ��� yikes! We immediately ripped it up to find this sketchy tile underneath.

Downright nasty.

We picked up this pretty pink and green linoleum and slapped it down as quickly as we could.

Then in 2003, we painted and put down some stick-on tile. New toilet, too.

And finally, we arrive at December of 2021.

Greatly improved, don���t you think?

 

Remodel post 4 – Toilet

Yes, the toilet is pretty exciting. Well, isn’t it? I think we all take our modern flush toilets for granted. Shoot, we take toilet paper for granted. But go a day without either of these modern conveniences. No thanks!

Once again, I have to start with the pictures from way back. When we moved into this house in the fall of 1990, believe it or not, there was shag carpet in this bathroom. I know – yikes! We immediately ripped it up to find this sketchy tile underneath.

Downright nasty.

We picked up this pretty pink and green linoleum and slapped it down as quickly as we could.

Then in 2003, we painted and put down some stick-on tile. New toilet, too.

And finally, we arrive at December of 2021.

Greatly improved, don’t you think?