Autumn Adventures

I’ve been pretty silent on the blog, but I’ve been having plenty of adventures in these autumn months.

Canning my mom’s famous salsa with four generations of my family (Grandpa, Mom, Cousin, Cousin’s son)

I spent a few hours exploring ArtPrize in downtown Grand Rapids.  This was one of my favorite pieces, called Cascade.

 

I headed west for a couple of weeks.  First, I spent time with my sister and brother-in-law in their new home in Colorado.

Mary and I drove up to Independence Pass, about 40 miles of mountain driving from their house.

It was peak color season for the Aspens and their vivid gold against the deep evergreens was spectacular.  For anyone wondering, late September or early October is an excellent time to visit—the weather and trees are beautiful and it is considered “shoulder season” so things aren’t so busy.

Mary is talented and made a video of our time together.  It features lots of footage of mountains, aspens, their canine companion, a gondola ride, and me awkwardly crossing a footbridge.  You can see it on her blog.

Next stop: Laramie, Wyoming.  This was a new state for me, and it was like no other place I’ve been to.

My reason for going to Wyoming: visiting my friend Allison, her husband, and infant son!  It was so good to see them!

Back to Michigan: an impromptu lunch at Crane’s Pie Pantry with my mom—apple dumpling and apple cider…yum!

An afternoon hike to Hoffmaster State Park

Lake Michigan from Hoffmaster’s Dune Overlook

Saugatuck Dunes Hike

To celebrate Labor Day, I took a hike I’ve been meaning to take all summer.  I grew up going to the beach at Saugatuck Dunes State Park, but I had never really hiked there.  My trusty Best Easy Day Hikes: Grand Rapids, MI told me that there is good hiking, too.  So this morning I packed a lunch and set out.  I took the South Trail, which the book says is 4.8 miles and the state park map lists as 5.5 miles.

The trail on the way to Lake Michigan was mostly through deciduous forests on a sandy, but firm, trail.

Shortly before Lake Michigan, the trail passed through the foredunes.

Almost to the beach!

On the beach, looking north.  You can’t make it out in the picture, but I could see Big Red (the Holland lighthouse) in the distance.  After snacking on the beach, I started out on the return trail, which travels through the foredunes and then zig zags up through blown out dunes.  This part of the trail was harder than the first part!  But looking back at the lake, the views were beautiful.



This is now one of my favorite dune hikes in Michigan!  It has a more natural and remote feel than a lot of the parks (no stairs, for instance) and the dunes are extensive.  I’d highly recommend it to anyone who wants to explore the dunes and is ready to climb through a lot of sand.

Post at Fidelia’s Sisters (and other ways to read my posts)

1. Today you can read my writing at Fidelia’s Sisters, a publication of The Young Clergywomen Project, about learning to camp alone.  I remember finding this website while I was still in China but planning to start seminary a few months later.  I was searching the internet for information about clergywomen, because my personal experiences with them were few and far between.  That was within TYCWP’s first year and I was thankful to find out "I’m not the only one” through Fidelia’s Sisters.  Now that I’m ordained, I’m a member of the group and I have learned a lot from interacting with young clergywomen from many traditions—I don’t always agree with everything—but the breadth of Christian tradition has been a blessing.  I’m excited to have my writing join the story there!  And welcome if you have come over from there!
2. Lots of you follow this blog via my links on Facebook.  If you want to be sure to not miss any posts (either because I forget to post the link or because it is possible to miss things on Facebook), you can subscribe via e-mail and you’ll get an e-mail when new posts go up.  Find the “Follow by E-mail” box in the right-hand column and enter your e-mail in that box.  Or, if you follow lots of blogs you can use a blog reader, which collects all the new posts of blogs you read in one place.  I use Feedly, but have also heard good things about Bloglovin’.  I am a recent convert to using a reader, and can’t believe I waited so long—it makes it so easy!  Thanks for reading!

Personal photo of camping at Ionia State Recreation Area, September 2012. 

Sunday Afternoon Prayer: All Things Bright and Beautiful

Lake Michigan from a trail along one of the dunes
 at Nordhouse Dunes National Wilderness Area

I did a lot of thinking while I was in the woods this weekend. Besides my gratefulness to my mom, I thought about this hymn, "All Things Bright and Beautiful," a lot. When I got home I looked it up and discovered: "Cecil F. Alexander (PHH 346) wrote a number of hymn texts on articles of the Apostles' Creed. This text, whose biblical source is Genesis 1:31 ("and God saw all that he had made, and it was very good"), is Alexander's explanation of the Creed's phrase "Maker of heaven and earth" (Psalter Hymnal Handbook, from hymnary.org).
This afternoon, may we raise our voices to praise the maker of heaven and earth.

Refrain:
All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful,
the Lord God made them all.


1 Each little flower that opens,
each little bird that sings,
he made their glowing colours,
he made their tiny wings: Refrain

2 The purple-headed mountain,
the river running by,
the sunset, and the morning
that brightens up the sky: Refrain


3 The cold wind in the winter,
the pleasant summer sun,
the ripe fruits in the garden,
he made them every one. Refrain


4 He gave us eyes to see them,
and lips that we might tell
how great is God Almighty,
who has made all things well. Refrain

Source: Church Hymnary, Fourth Edition #137a

Personal Photo, June 2013