Oh, no!

Oh no!!  The vet from hell?

Not too ineffable but a whole lot of fun--for Meredith

Hi Meredith, I thought you might get a kick out of this one...a storefront in Lyme Regis.  Thanks to Roy and Frances for the tip to visit Lyme Regis!

The Desire to Reunite--take 2

Nature mysticism--sensing God or the Divine or the Ineffable through nature--is as old as the human soul, apparently.  So here's one magnificent place we walked today--the destination is the natural sea arch to the east of Weymouth.

This was spectacular enough, but on the way back we encountered this magnificent site--which in itself was quite the invitation to worship.

The desire to reunite

Yesterday we began our short stay in England to adjust to European time and decompress.  We experienced the usual issues with fatigue from jet lag, but nonetheless have settled in nicely.  We are in Dorset, near the coast of England.  We're in the little town of Chickerell, west of Weymouth.

We drove past Stonehenge--we were there first about 28 years ago, when a person could actually walk between the stones and touch them.  Now it's all roped off...So here's a look from the road; not too bad a picture considering we were going about 50 miles an hour... Then we stopped at Salisbury Cathedral--beautiful, majestic, constantly repaired.  When we were first here those years ago the scaffolding was by the west doors--the main entrance.  Now it's around the apse in the east.  I guess that's progress.

Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral--two manifestations of the human desire to retouch our roots--where we came from--that divine DNA or pattern in whose image we were made, according to Genesis 1.  This drive pushes us into our own souls and up to the heavens--or at least to the moon at this point.  It pushes our days and gives them meaning.  Purpose.

Stonehenge from a good deal away, and going past at 50 mph.

Below, the interior of Salisbury Cathedral, done in the high Gothic style.  Magnificent.

On the Eve of the Leave, Thursday, May 5, 2016

It's been only 5 years since last sabbatical but it feels like a very long time.  Winding down toward leaving I'm reminded how complex the work is in a full time parish position.  And I know it will be a similar feeling at the return time in August.  The goal is to relax enough to enable good and deep learning in this upcoming sabbatical.  It's amazing how stress interferes with that!

We are looking forward to hiking in Greece to monastery destinations and ancient ruins.  I'm especially looking forward to being at Yale again for 2 courses for pastors:  Leading God's People (based on the book by the same name, a study in how the Church Fathers and Mothers inform our sense of being pastors) and a class that takes us behind the scenes at the Yale museums and various book collections to see ancient artifacts that relate to life in Biblical times.  I am hoping for some practical knowledge to inform preaching.

But for now the parish work continues toward Sunday--Mothers' Day, the baptism of a new, beautiful toddler, and a celebration of our Confirmands.  Also included will be the very bittersweet time of saying goodbye to a parish couple who have been wonderful members.  And life goes on...sadly sometimes.

So here's  a photo that reminds me of the Genesis account of the Spirit moving over the chaos of the deep and bringing order.  It's Barry's stuff on the bed in the guest room.  Good thing there are no guests right now!  And like the bringing of order from chaos biblically, I know there will be order emerge from this particular chaos, too.  And it will all fit into a duffel bag.

Scotland and Home--Barry

Today we started our trip home as we left the Isle of Lewis at the far point of our Scotland itinerary and returned by ferry to the Isle of Skye.  Tomorrow we will return to the mainland before heading to the Edinburgh airport on Wednesday for our flight to Newark.

Near the end of the road on the Isle of Lewis.  The British phone boxes don't get a lot of use these days, but I still love seeing them in the countryside.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Scotland is the place we visited on our first trip to Europe in 1986.   We stayed two nights back then on the Isle of Skye near its main town of Portree.   Twenty five years later Skye still has the stunning scenery, of course, but it has changed in other respects.  In 1986 I recall driving a lot more on winding "single track roads", with occasional passing spots, because of the low traffic.   This time many more roads are wide, two-lane highways.  There is also a bridge to this island now.

Seen on our boat excursion today on Lewis

Last Friday was a great day to take a ferry, and we had two ferry trips then--the first from Tobermory on Mull to the Ardnamurchan peninsula (above) and the second from Mallaig to Skye

A before dinner walk near our B&B on Skye--if you go, we highly recommend the Glenview on the Trotternish peninsula north of Portree

I always wanted to visit Harris and Lewis, one of the Outer Hebridean islands that oddly shares two names.  (The hillier southern part is Harris while Lewis has more flat moorland in addition to a dramatic rocky coastline---with some beautiful sandy bits.)  Compared to Skye and the other  inner Hebridean islands we returned to, Mull and Iona, Lewis has a more barren, dare I say bleaker feel to it.  (Some windy and rainy weather on Sunday contributed to it.)  I'm glad we visited, but we both preferred the more varied charms of Mull and Skye and hope to make a return visit to these two places someday.

Driving a single track road on Mull (I'm stopped at a passing spot)

On our drive back to the ferry in Tarbert on Harris, we reminisced about various aspects of the journey we have been so fortunate to undertake together over the past three months.   There is little we would have done differently, and it has proceeded--with two days left--very much according to plan with  few hitches.  In all the places we have visited--admittedly some more than others--we have felt at home.   This may have been because we had visited before, or because of general familiarity of landscape or language, but more often this feeling came from encountering so many nice people along the way.  

The view outside our door at Gallan Head, northwest Lewis

Skye has some dramatic vistas, such as the barren Cuillen mountains that reach 3000 feet

In one sense a round the world journey is indeed a big trip.   By the time we land in Newark, we will have had fourteen flight segments totaling 60 hours in the air.  But, in spite of this, having the privilege of traveling round the globe makes you reflect on how similar people are everywhere, making the world seem a smaller place indeed.

Sunset tonight on Skye, near our B&B (Nice photo, Mar!)

An Interesting Place to Showcase Celtic Symbols

Hmmm...

Standing Stones meet the Trinity Knot on ... a bottle of beer
It tastes kind of like Guinness, according to Barry