Afternoon at the Cove

The Jones Beach Air Show has been a Memorial Day Weekend tradition for Richard and me the past few years. But not this year. Instead of performing in the USA, the Air Force's Thunderbirds are doing a show outside of the USA, in Turkey.

This year, Richard and I drove to Fall River, Massachusetts yesterday (Saturday 5/28/2011) and visited Battleship Cove, about a 2-hour drive from Hartford. This site has the WWII-era battleship, USS Massachusetts; a WWII-era submarine, USS Lionfish; a destroyer, USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.; two WWII PT boats; and, a Soviet-built missile corvette, Hiddensee.

We were there for about 4 hours. The weather was mixed. When we arrived, the temperature was cool and the sky was gray and dark; we thought we felt some small rain drops. But later, the sun started to peek through, and by the end of the day, the sky was totally blue and sunny (and hot).

At the start, we were startled by the PTs boats we came across unexpectedly inside two buildings; they loomed up over us out of the gray. Then we explored the battleship, climbing up and down, going from stern to bow and back. We had a little lunch in the battleship. Then we toured the missile corvette, submarine, and destroyer. In the forward torpedo room of the submarine we met a veteran who grew up in Clevo and graduated from Collinwood High School in 1957. The picture of us above was taken by a man from Germany.

We also have a tradition of getting those "special" pennies (see picture at left). Richard has a whole collection from different places we have visited. An angel assisted us for this one. I did not have a penny and neither did the snack bar but a gentleman generously gave me two!

We returned to West Hartford just in time for supper. So we stopped at one of our favorite local pizza places, Angelina's Pizzeria. We shared a salad and a "slice" of pepperoni pizza. The "slice" is actually two huge slices or about half a small pizza. We also got a slice of cheese and took home half (i.e., a regular size slice) for Lynn.

Hockey, Madonna, Marco, Kites, Fish, etc.

What a Judgment Day!

Richard's roller hockey team won the first game of the best of three Championship, 9-6. The second game is today.

Knights of Columbus Museum (New Haven, CT)

On our way to the annual Kite Festival (see below), we stopped in New Haven, CT to grab some lunch. I got an idea to stop by a famous hamburger joint. Since I wasn't sure where it was, I received the inspiration to stop and ask our friends at the Knights of Columbus Museum.

As I anticipated, they knew the place and gave us accurate directions. Turns out, the place is only a few blocks away. Since we were at the museum, we took a quick jaunt through the newest exhibit: "Full of Grace: Crowned Madonnas from the Vatican Basilica." FANTASTIC. I look forward to returning to take a closer look. The May 15th edition of the National Catholic Register has a detailed review.

As we walked to the burger joint, Richard decided he was more in the mood for Italian fare. So we stopped at a place that looked inviting on the same street: Marco Polo's.

Richard had a Chicken Caesar wrap and I had a slice of bacon ranch pizza (low fat of course-hahaha).

Then on to the Kite Festival at Hammonasset State Park in Madison, CT (on the Long Island Sound). Due to rain all week and foggy, gray skies today, there were less people than previous years. However, the weather at the park while we were there was delightful: sunny with fluffy clouds. There was almost no breeze, which made it a challenge for kite flying. Richard participated in the ROK Kite battle and received a free kite. We also walked along the boardwalk and got sun burned.

More food. To keep with tradition, we drove a short distance up the road to Lenny & Joe's Fish Tales Restaurant. I had the traditional lobster roll but Richard had a delicious special of the day, Shrimp with brown rice and steamed veggies. Both were very delicious.

Before heading back to West Hartford, we popped in to a delightful used book store and browsed around for a bit. We returned to Lynn's apartment just in time to catch the final two innings of the Cleveland Indians' victory over the Reds.

All in all, it was a delightful Judgment Day.

JUDGMENT DAY!

0 0 days left    


And so "The Day" is finally here. The amount of publicity and coverage has been astounding. Everyone seems to be talking about it or aware of it. Unfortunately, most reactions have been dismissive and secular.

According to Mr. Camping's calculations (see www.familyradio.com), the Rapture is supposed to begin at 6 p.m. local time with a huge earthquake that travels from time zone to time zone around the world. As I write this, it is 6 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. There is no news on the radio or the Internet of any such activity in the parts of the world where it is already 6 p.m. or later.  

Ironic

A popular Bible verse associated with the Second Coming is Daniel 7, 13: "...I saw One like a son of man coming on the clouds of heaven."

Another one is 1 Thessalonians 4, 16-17: "For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air."

When I looked out the window this morning, I was greeted with the sight of dense fog (i.e., clouds)-see picture above.

Another odd coincidence involved my Bible reading for today. In the May 2007 issue of God's Word Today I am using for the book of Tobit, the heading for the entry I am at today is "Sometime our worst fears don't come true." And the standout verse is "It has not turned out as I expected" (Tobit 8, 16).

The reading is Tobit 8, 9b-21:  Much to the relief of Sarah's parents, Raguel and Anna, Tobias has not been killed by the demon Asmodeus. He has survived due to God's intervention through the angel, Raphael. Raguel thankfully prays to God: "Blessed are you (O God) who have made me glad; what I feared did not happen. Rather you have dealt with us according to your great mercy."

I'm not sure what the rest of the day will bring. Richard has a roller hockey game this morning. It's the first of best of three championship. This weekend is also the annual kite festival at Hammonasset State Park. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. The sun is up and starting to burn off the fog. I can see fluffy cotton-like white clouds and patches of blue sky. The soft music from Family Radio is streaming from my computer as I type this entry.  It promises to be an interesting day.  Marana tha.

Happy Mother's Day!

Me and my Mom (a few years ago).

Me and my Mom and my son, Richard (last year).

Richard and his mom (yesterday).

Marimba

Marimba

Trinity Church

Yesterday (Saturday May 7, 2011), my son Richard and I attended another Music for Youth Young Persons Concert. We went expecting to see a percussionist but there was a change in plans and instead we were treated to a performance by Pius Cheung - Marimbist.  



He opened with the Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee" (Green Hornet's theme). The 50-some minute show included some short atonal pieces, Bach, and several audience participation pieces where we were clapping along for so long our hands started to go numb. Great fun. 



The concert was held at Trinity Church instead of the Pequot Library as usual. This protestant church has upper galleries- we usually sit there so we can see better. We usually sit on the right hand side (see picture below) but this time we sat on the left.

The day started out good when Richard's roller hockey team won their final game of the season (17-7); playoffs begin next weekend. Lynn's aunt, Sr. Pat was there to cheer Richard on. He scored a goal and also had two assists.

Lunch again at Boston Market.

After the concert, we stopped at the local Borders Book store that is closing. Richard found a couple items to his liking: a hockey book and a CD of the soundtrack music for a favorite Cirque du Soleil show, Alegria. Guess what we listened to as we drove the 50-some miles back to West Hartford?

And when we got back, we worked on his US History project on Senator Joseph McCarthy. And then we took advantage of the nice weather and the sidewalks and the three of us (Lynn, Richard, and me) took a long walk.

Ramblin' Saturday

As usual, my Saturday (4/30/11) was filled with lots of activies, including:

• Richard's roller hockey game.
• Lunch w/Richard at Boston Market.
• Pet store - bought comb and brush for cats (shedding season)
• Shop for hiking shoes (I bought a pair but we're still looking for some for Richard).
• A 2-hour walk.

Richard's roller hockey team had an exciting game this week. They beat the first place team 7-6 and qualified for the playoffs.

We also worked a bit on Richard's US History class project. He has to do a paper or PowerPoint presentation on Senator Joseph McCarthy. They are currently studying the Cold War.



West Hartford Boston Market.

Lunch was something of a challenge this week due to Richard's new braces (see separate post).  We decided to try a favorite place, Boston Market. This is a favorite of ours due to the delicious food and reasonable prices. In addition, the West Hartford location is one of the cleanest I have found.  The mashed potatoes & gravy was today's draw. He tried corn but it was too hard to chew. Mac and cheese worked well. The corn bread was good except for the crispy edges (I ate those). I had meatloaf but Richard ate most of it - cut into tiny pieces. We also shared some sweet potatoes (I had the melted marshmallow topping).


Pet Store in West Hartford.


We stopped at the local pet store because I wanted to get a special comb for cat hair since it is shedding season.  After carefully considering the expensive model, we opted for a less expensive comb and brush. You should have seen all the hair we got when we tried it out (I didn't take a picture) on the cats (and they seemed to enjoy it).

Last week I tried some tea when we picked up our Chinese food. The manager, Sonny, told us it was organic (loose) green tea from Whole Foods. So we stopped at the local store up the street where we found several expensive options. We are now awaiting the exact details from Sonny before purchasing. I read that green tea was rich in antioxidants and good for you. I am considering green tea as replacement for my daily cup of coffee. Any tips or suggestions?

This year, one of my goals is to do more hiking. I would like to do some of the Blue trails. So one of the day's activities was to shop for hiking shoes. Richard tried on a few but didn't find anything comfortable. He did seem to like the most expensive ones. I opted for an inexpensive pair on sale. I figure after actually I put in few miles I can better determine what my needs are for hiking footwear. Any suggestions for Richard would be appreciated. We went to Bob's clothing and Dick's Sporting Goods.

When we got back to Lynn's place, the weather had turned to good to be inside. So we (Lynn, Richard, and me) went for a walk. It turned out to be a 2-hour walk! I got a chance to break in my new hiking shoes. My legs were pretty sore by the end of the walk (but they are much better today). One of the highlights of the walk was that we found some stone markers that Lynn had told us about a few months ago. Turns out they are 13 markers for the Wallace Stevens poem, "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird." We found about 4 markers; someday we will have to do the entire walk.

By the time I finally arrived home, I had put on ~140 miles of driving and I was pretty exhausted. Another satisfying Saturday.

Braces

Richard showing off his new braces.

On Thursday, Richard has braces installed on his teeth. If you look closely at the picture above, you might be able to see them (I have a closeup of them but he'd probably not want me to post it). You probably can't tell from the picture above, but the braces are (partially) orange since that is his favorite color. I think they look pretty good.

Right now, his teeth are still a bit tender and sore. So it is difficult for him to chew. This means that his diet is limited, for the moment, to soft foods like oatmeal, soup, mashed potatoes, ice cream, etc.  Hopefully, in few days things will get back to normal and he will be able to chew more solid food. If you have any tips, suggestions, questions, or good advice, let us know.

The Book of Tobit



Cassette cover of audio play of Book of Tobit.

A few years ago (actually, quite a few), my sister Susan sent me a cassette tape, entitled, "The Medicine of God." It soon became a favorite of mine and I listened to it many times. It lifted my spirits during a tough time and gave me hope. Sadly, this 45 minute audio play is no longer in print and is not available as a CD or download.

The description on the cover reads: "The Old Testament's Book of Tobias is brought to life with St. Raphael the Archangel being God's envoy to those who trust in Him. Very edifying, it promotes the virtues that Tobias himself practiced: detachment, resignation to God's Will, patience, obedience and complete trust in Divine Providence."

Today, I am starting the Book of Tobit as my next Bible study. I using an old copy of the RC Bible study magazine, God's Word Today (no longer in print), as a guide. My New American Bible (NAB) is my primary translation but I also have the Douy-Challoner Text edition in my Catholic Action Edition of the Holy Bible (which is quite different from the NAB). I am using Irene Nowell's commentary in the Collegeville Bible Commentary series (OT #25) and she also wrote the commentary in the New Jerome Biblical Commentary. I hope to finish sometime in June so I can begin to preread the Book of Job.

The Book of Tobit is a great story. It is full of romance, adventure, journey, trust, and hope.  I like that God intervenes via the angel Raphael.  I also like that the classification of the book does not affect the message of the story.  Until recently (i.e., the past 50-60 years), the RCC considered Tobit to be historical.  However, recent scholarship has altered that view and now leans more towards the wisdom literature (e.g., the Book of Job). The message of the book does not rest on historical fact but on how the writing affects the reader.

I would recommend The Book of Tobit as mandatory reading for couple preparing for the sacrament of marriage. Anyone that would like a "pick me up" would also benefit from reading Tobit. If you decide to read The Book of Tobit, I would love to hear how it affected you.

3 Weeks to go!

Harold Camping, the president of Family Radio, is predicting that the Rapture will occur on May 21, 2011. Above is a picture of a "business card" that I keep in my wallet. The flip side says: "Have You Heard the Awesome News? The End of the World Begins on May 21, 2011. The Bible Guarantees It! More information at www.FamilyRadio.com"

Now, I'm not sure what to make of this. Mainstream institutional Christianity obviously dismisses such predictions. On the other hand, since we can't "know the time or seasons" [Acts 1, 7] and of the "day or the hour no one knows" [Mat 24, 36], it does seem prudent to at least give it some serious thought since "you must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come" [Mat 24, 44].

In any case, Saturday May 21st should prove to be an interesting day. If Mr. Camping's research is correct, it will be an awesome time! If he is wrong, it will reopen the can of worms about the infallibility and inerrancy of the Bible.

I don't think that Christians would be harmed by reading Mr. Camping's research on how he arrived at his prediction. It is available at the Family Radio website for free.

Roman Catholics might also break open the "Catechism of the Catholic Church." There is quite a few entries in the Subject Index for "Jesus Christ, Second Coming." A good place to start might be "The Last Judgment" [1038-1041].

Hopefully, this subject will at least cause people to ponder about the "second coming of Christ" and Judgment Day. These are subjects that all Christians should pay more attention to whether or not they they agree with Mr. Camping's interpretations. 

I'm not planning on the world ending anytime soon. It's outside of my control anyway. God is in charge and always has been and always will.