Refreshing The Soul With A Day On The Water

My cousin Joel Narva and I drove over the Cascades early this morning to fish for one of the “big ones” that are in Chelan County’s Fish Lake (there are several Fish Lakes).

We caught quite a few rainbow trout; Joel caught abundantly more than I did, as he had his float tube and was serving up locally hand-tied flies. I rented a small Smokercraft Lodge with an 8-horse Yamaha on it – a real smooth rig. I tried to convince the wily things to chomp on my broken back Rapala, but they were too smart.

At this time of the year, it is said that you have as good a chance as any at hooking a five-pound, or larger, fish. Didn’t happen today, although Joel lost one that stripped his fly reel down to the backing – just couldn’t pull the trigger in time.

The early morning was nice, but about 10:00 the wind came up and the rains started to come down. It wasn’t a heavy rain, just an annoying one. Fortunately the temp was warm and we were not chilled. All in all, a great day on the water, and an even better time getting caught up on our common interests.

Birthday People

In our family we have two instances of common birthdays. Our daughter-in-law Jamie and our grandson NJ share a birthday this month – coming up in a few days, as a matter of fact. And my granddaughter Aubrey and I share a birthday in July.

It’s nothing but fun when you share a birthday with a family member. This afternoon we celebrated NJ’s 2nd birthday along with his mom’s. Pic above shows the boy getting used to his new three-book pack – all about trucks – a gift from his aunt, uncle and cousins. NJ loves trucks – any and all kinds. That’s Aunt Elaine helping him get the books out of the pack.

Whenever it’s possible for both of our sons’ families to be all together, we like to get pics of them. Above are all four of our grandchildren. L to r, Hayley, Talli, NJ and Aubrey. Is there anything better than grandkids?

A Perfectly Beautiful Wedding and A Get Together With Old Friends

Almost two weeks ago Kay Lynne and I left for a short week’s visit to the San Francisco Bay Area, primarily to attend the wedding of our nephew Mike Narva, but also to touch base with our long-time friends there. Pic above was taken at a get together of long-time friends the first evening we arrived. This is the group who first met in a church “young married’s” class over 40 years ago (with two exceptions). Left to right are Ed Wall, Troy Lester (Ted’s betrothed), Mike & Gwen Silkwood, Kay Lynne, moi, Darlene Wall and Ted Petersen.

We also visited old school friends in San Jose and in Discovery Bay before and after the wedding which was on August 7. Mike and Ginny Silver (above) were married in a beautiful outdoor ceremony in the small community of La Honda, near Half Moon Bay. Mike's dad, my cousin Jim Narva, and wife, Kay, live in Sunnyvale, while the new bride and groom will live in Santa Clara.

It could not have been a better weekend. We got to enjoy a gorgeous wedding, get together with relatives and see friends we have known seemingly forever. Old friends are good friends.

Buddy is in “Paradise” For Five Days

Our dog is in Paradise. No, he hasn’t left us.

Instead, he’s at the “Paradise Pet Lodge” while we travel for a short time. Note the appropriate yellow "convenience station" (above). The place bills itself as “An Exclusive Resort For Pets.” I sure hope it’s a kennel as well, ‘cause that’s really all we were looking for.

The good thing is that we know he’ll be well taken care of. That’s important to us, because Buddy suffers from “separation anxiety.” He won’t eat or drink water on his own when we’re gone. The folks at the “Resort” said they’d hand feed him if necessary, so OUR anxiety levels can remain normal.

Buddy is a great dog. He’ll enjoy the companion-ship of other dogs and the loving care of some good people. Which means we’ll enjoy OUR trip all the more.

The Roslyn Café is Still There

Early this morning I jumped in the old “fishing buggy” and headed east over the Cascades to do some reconnaissance on potential trout lakes. However, the pic above is a good indication of how the “reconnaissance” went.

On my way from Lake Easton to Cle Elum Lake, I passed through the little town of Roslyn, the town where the popular 1990’s TV series, “Northern Exposure” was filmed. Of course on television the town was not Roslyn, Washington but Cicely, Alaska.

Let’s just say that there is not much in Roslyn, but the famous TV landmark of fictitious Cicely is still there. As you can see, the large wall mural looks like it was freshly painted.

As far as fishing lakes goes, I swung by almost a half dozen lakes: Keechelus, Lost, Kachess, Easton and Cle Elum. Only wet a line at Easton, with little results. I forgot what summer does to lakes on the much warmer eastern slope.

Just about every one was low, shallow at the accessible shoreline, and virtually impossible to fish unless you had a boat – which I didn’t. And in many cases the water was too low to easily launch even if you had a boat.

But I did get a nice picture by which to remember the excursion. However, the moose that walked down the street in the TV version was nowhere to be seen today.

This Little Gal Can Sing!

Seven-year-old Rhema Marvanne --

Life and Death Among Computers

Laptops, for me, seem to last about three or four years – sometimes even less. I’ve always thought that Detroit was guilty of “built-in obsolescence,” but I think the computer industry could be just as guilty.

About two weeks ago, my previous laptop began showing signs of what appeared to be pests and a day or two later simply wouldn’t complete the boot. Fortunately it at least came on, and so I figured the Geeks could do some surgical repair and revive it.

After four days in intensive Geek care, I got the death call. The machine was in a coma and it was just a matter of time. They could remove all the important internal organs, and if I acted quickly in buying a new instrument, they could preserve the body parts long enough for a successful transplant.

Within hours a new laptop (pic above) was ready for the implants and a day later was up and running (with nice upgrades, to boot).

It’s funny how quickly the emotional ties disappear – even from an old buddy. How quickly we lose attachments that no longer serve us. In fact, there will not even be a memorial of any kind. Sounds cold, I know.

But the truth is that the new laptop is already a friendly, functional companion, and the old data and pics have gained their lifelike qualities once again.

Rest in peace, former buddy. Someday, somewhere, there is a chance you might be resurrected.

Grandpa and Granddaughter Share the Same Birthday – 64 Years Apart

Grandma and I were in Oregon Friday and yesterday to celebrate granddaughter Aubrey’s eighth birthday. She and I were born on the same date, though more than six decades apart.

Among the nice presents Aubrey received was a beautiful new mountain bike (pic above). Now she’s ready to keep up with her sisters.

Grandpa got a beautiful picture frame with the word “grandkids” on it from Gregg and Elaine, and it now sits proudly on my desk displaying a gorgeous photo of all four grandchildren, which Gregg printed for me. My office has never looked so good.

Of course there’s always a “blowing-out-the-candles” ritual, and the photo above shows Aubs and I making the attempt. Yep, we had lots of fun this year celebrating our birthdays. The pics above were aptly taken by Grandma who is having fun with the camera of late.

Fun With Grandkids

This week we’ve been enjoying time with our granddaughter Aubrey who’s with us for the week from Oregon while mom and dad get some much needed “R&R” up in the San Juan Islands.

Yesterday we went to visit her cousin NJ who lives in a nearby burb. They hadn’t seen each other for several months, and we wondered how well the boy would remember his cousin. The pic above answered our question immediately.

Aubrey got a long hug right as she came in the door. From then on it was nothin’ but fun for the entire day! They have another outing together planned for tomorrow. Aubs can’t wait.

Lutheran Culture Scratches Our Spiritual Itch

You may have heard me say on this blog, a time or three, that of all Christian venues through which my wife and I have traveled, the Lutheran pathway not only is working for us, but also has provided purpose for our lives.

Yesterday, once again, we received another confirmation of this during the sermon by our Pastor, the Rev. Jim McEachran, a gifted scholar and Bible teacher.

Before we get to his Bible text, it may be worth noting that we’ve often used the phrase, “living out the Grace of God in our everyday lives” as sort of a summary capsulization of how we’ve come to understand what it means to live the Christian life in Lutheran terms. By the way, Lutherans love “grace,” as did Martin Luther himself.

The core of yesterday’s sermon text was the familiar message of Ephesians 2:8-10, but for some reason, the way the NRSV Bible translates the 10th verse really struck me yesterday. Here’s the passage:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast.

"For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”

Italics on verse 10 are mine; that's the portion that stood out to me yesterday. If that verse doesn't provide an excellent rationale and wonderful perspective for "living out the Grace of God in the world,” I surely don’t know what would.

Thanks be to God.

Spinning Our Wheels?

I finally finished James Davison Hunter’s book, To Change the World – The Irony, Tragedy & Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World. The book really delivers in the realm of social theory, explaining why Christians are mostly ineffective in their efforts to “change the world”.

In fact, “changing the world” should not be our primary focus, he suggests. And he laboriously makes the case that despite our country being nearly 80% “Christian,” the influence of Christianity is, to a great degree, ineffective. Further, he suggests, rather than positively influence society, Christians (especially the Christian Right) have instead come across as angry, bitter and resentful.

A significant part of the problem, he says, (and I’m greatly oversimplifying here) is that the Christian Left, the Christian Right and the neo-Anabaptists, all have chosen, in one way or another, politics, policies and law as the target areas in which to “penetrate” in order to change society.

This will surely fail, he says (two thirds of the book is given to explaining why), and his proposed alternative is what he calls and defines as “faithful presence.” “A theology of faithful presence,” Hunter says, “calls Christians to enact the shalom of God in the circumstances in which God has placed them and to actively seek it on behalf of others.”

This should be done in our daily living, rather than through the political or legal systems as is seemingly the current focus, he offers. You can see that simply understanding what he means and how it should be implemented is a significant challenge - but a worthy one - and one for which the book is very much worth a read.

The book does not end on a particular high note. His own assessment of his theology suggests that even if Christians and the Church could live according to his concept of “faithful presence,” his best prognosis is that we may be able to live in “a better world.”

I think I might have titled the book, Spinning Our Wheels?

Aubrey Performs Like a Veteran in End-of-Year Recital

Our youngest granddaughter, Aubrey, 7, (above) performed wonderfully last night in Oregon at her Year-End Piano Recital, culminating two years of lessons. Sorry, btw, for the less than perfect photo; it was taken with my phone cam under low light conditions.

Grandma and I made our second trip this week to the Yamhill valley to enjoy end-of-the-school-year musical functions (also see Tuesday’s post for a note on Hayley).

For her recital selection, Aubrey chose the rather interesting Paul Revere’s Ride by Jane Smisor Bastein. It’s an airy piece with some almost dissonant chords near the end. Our gal did an absolutely fine job, as she was one of 13 who performed.

Nice going, Kiddo; we were glad it worked out that we could be there. Keep up your great work, Aubrey Joy!

Hayley Shines in Year End Band Concert

Last night we were privileged to attend the year-end band concert of our granddaughter, Hayley (above pic taken by dad), who is in the seventh grade at Chehalem Valley Middle School in Oregon.

Hayley was virtually the only seventh grader in the Advanced Band and Advanced Jazz Band (Advanced Bands consist usually of eighth graders, but she was a good enough clarinet player to make both by audition). She flawless held up her clarinet end of a duet with a trumpet.

The school district is fortunate to have director Dave Sanders and choral director Gwen Gilbertson, who work hard to prepare these hundreds of young musicians for future development in high school.

The Advanced Bands never run from difficulty. Their challenging, and well-performed, renditions included Don’t Stop Believin’, The Phantom of the Opera, and The Lion King. That’s the Advanced Jazz Band above. Hayley is in the top row, second from the left.

Unlikely Friends

Our grandson loves to watch this video of the most unlikely of friends. Click on the arrow and join in his fun.

Should Christians Try to “Change the World”? A Controversial Sociologist and Theology Professor Believes It May Be A Misdirected Effort

I enjoy reading “controversial” or “edgy” books that want you to stretch your thinking. I’ve found another one in To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World by James Davisson Hunter.

This professor of Religion, Culture and Social Theory at the U. of Virginia has taken on the views of some heavyweights in the Christian world like Chuck Colson, Jim Dobson and Jim Wallis with his persuasive – and provocative – observations.

His 1991 book, Culture Wars, in which he described the dramatic realignment and polarization that has transformed American politics and culture, laid the groundwork for his current writing efforts.

Christopher Benson, a book reviewer for Christianity Today, said the following in his comments about Hunter’s latest book:

“Faithful presence (Hunter’s coined term) is not about changing culture, let alone the world, but instead emphasizes cooperation between individuals and institutions in order to make disciples and serve the common good. ‘If there are benevolent consequences of our engagement with the world,’ Hunter writes, ‘it is precisely because it is not rooted in a desire to change the world for the better but rather because it is an expression of a desire to honor the creator of all goodness, beauty, and truth, a manifestation of our loving obedience to God, and a fulfillment of God's command to love our neighbor.’"

Interestingly, this is not, at first look, at odds with our Lutheran concept of “living out God's grace in the world.” Stay tuned. More coming when I finish the book.

For Us, There Was No Better Time to Make the Switch

Our nice, comfortable SUV is now serving some new folks. After much consider-ation, we decided it was time to trade-in the nine-year-old Acura MDX and make the transition to a more fuel efficient automobile.

Pictured above is the “pre-owned” Toyota Prius we recently acquired that has catapulted us into the green age. I was fortunate to get an unexpectedly higher amount on the trade than I thought was possible, and that sealed the deal.

I wrote about the thinking which resulted in the transition to a hybrid in my column in last Sunday’s Kitsap Sun newspaper. To read it, just click here.

I finally had a chance to check the “around town” mileage today, and it came out to 47.8 mpg. At that rate, our monthly gas bill will be cut by just about two-thirds. I couldn’t be happier.

Enjoying Good Times With Old Friends

Our California friends of some 46 years, Ed and Darlene Wall, stopped by this past week for a couple of days while visiting the Pacific Northwest. They are both natives of the Bremerton area, and my wife and I are mostly Californians. So it seems a bit ironic that they now come to their old haunting grounds to see us.

Whenever Ed and I have a chance to be together, going fishing is high on the priority list. Of course you have to know that the odds of being able to CATCH a fish by just dropping in on a lake, are pretty long. Except for the “Koskela Guide Service.”

We started out at Blackmans Lake, located smack dab in the middle of the city of Snohomish, but had no luck at all. We then headed for Flowing Lake, about ten miles north-northeast, and it wasn’t too long before Ed was fighting a scrappy, young, fat rainbow trout (pic above). We didn’t have a whole lot of time, as we all wanted to drive up to Snoqualmie Falls in the afternoon.

I'm sure Ed is thankful for a competent guide service. To my chagrin, he almost missed the fish while watching a mother duck train her ducklings after I had provided the location, pole, line, bait and may have even baited his hook. Apparently, his mind wanders easily.

Above are Darlene, Ed and Kay Lynne whom I snapped at the Falls overlook. At this time of year, the water is really gushing as you can see.

Good times with old friends is a commodity you can’t purchase. It has to be developed. There were lots of laughs as we recalled several of the more humorous times we’ve shared in the past. Ask Ed sometime about “slippery rock at Donner Lake.” My side hurts from laughing when I think about it.

Moms and Wives

In a parallel life to retirement and a part time work enterprise, I write a bi-weekly Sunday column for the Kitsap Sun, the daily newspaper in Kitsap County, across the Sound. With it being Mother’s Day, for today’s column I gathered some wisps about my mom and some recollections of the day that have all but disappeared.

You can read the post here, if you’d like.

With moms covered in the newspaper piece, I didn’t want this Day to go by without acknowledging moms (and grandmothers) who are also wives. Specifically that includes my wife, Kay Lynne, who, if you ask either of our sons (or any of our grandkids), is deeply loved and acknowledged as “the Great Encourager” by all of them.

So much is required of a good mother, and when one is blessed with a wife who is also a great mom, one is truly blessed. Happy Mother’s Day, KL.

A “Significant” Birthday for Kay Lynne

My wife has a “significant” birthday today. I’m not sposed to reveal her age, so I won’t, but here's a sneak clue: she had her first Medicare deduction this month from S.S.

Her first choice on very special occasions is always to be with family, so this morning we went to the Seattle Children’s Museum (with the son, daughter-in-law and grandson who live nearby) and then had lunch at Chinooks in Seattle’s historic Fisherman’s Terminal. The week following next we’ll repeat the celebration in Oregon with the son, daughter-in-law and three granddaughters who live there.

The pic above of the five of us was taken earlier today at FT, and one or two of the boats you see in the background you might have also seen in the extremely popular TV series Deadliest Catch on the Discovery channel. The few crab boats still here will soon be leaving for the treacherous Alaskan waters to search for and harvest King Crab for your next great restaurant or home dining experience.

Grandma is enjoying her day, and deservedly so. This matriarch is the personification of love, care and understanding for the Koskela clan. Happy Birthday, KL – all shmixtysome years worth! You are loved by all who know you!

Discovering Perspective in Lutheran Worship

The longer my wife and I worship in the Lutheran venue, the more we appreciate its teachings.

During this morning’s worship, we participated in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism for two precious infants who were welcomed into the family of God and whose families and the congregation were commissioned to be an integral part of these young lives until each can declare her own faith at Confirmation. The wonderful photo montage, by the way, is on the main web page of our church, St Andrews Lutheran in Bellevue.

Just as water is needed to sustain physical life, Lutherans believe that the Baptismal water initiates and symbolizes one’s entrance into the kingdom of God. The encompassing support a child receives from family and congregants provides the guidance to lead that young child to his or her own personal faith and salvation.

An idea that is new to Kay Lynne and me is the “sidebar” on each page of our weekly worship bulletins. Each week these informational comments shed light on the particular theme for the week - usually related to the church calendar - or give enlightenment on a liturgical point that we might be celebrating.

As an example, because we had Holy Baptisms today, following is the sidebar which appeared on the first page of our worship order bulletin. It provides a wonderful perspective and deeper understanding as to how Baptism fits in to our faith practice. Here it is:

Today’s Theme – Grace alone is key to our understanding of life with God. In Jesus Christ, we share the promise of forgiveness and new life. By the power of the Holy Spirit, God comes to us again and again through the Means of Grace, the Gospel, Holy Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. This morning we remember God’s enfolding grace that comes to us as we remember our baptisms into the Body of Christ, the Church.

Thanks be to God.