Trinity Memorial

We tried to keep today restful again because tomorrow is the Flower Show! We walked to church. It's been a lot of years since I've been to David's church. He goes to Trinity Memorial Episcopal.

Apparently, I've never put any pictures from his church on the blog. These paintings are along the front wall. The sayings translate to things like "We praise you, O God," "Glory in the Highest," "Oh, be Joyful."

And this is the stained glass window above them which is Jesus as the Good Shepherd in the center. The rest are just designs.

They currently have a supply pastor, which means they probably don't get to keep her. Pretty much everyone is sad about that because she is very good.

I got a lot out of the service. The special music was great- John Steiner's "God So Loved the World." I knew half of the songs that were sung. The people were really friendly. The way they do communion is that everyone comes up and kneels at the altar rail.

Things were just enough unfamiliar to me that it kept me alert and thinking about it all. The sermon was excellent.

They serve lunch afterwards, so we got to talk to a number of people (and enjoy some really good food). This pastor is Hawaiian, and she was as interesting to chat with as she was to listen to.

I really like a lot of things about the church. There is a mixture of all "colors" of people. The pianist is a blind man. They are pet friendly- several people bring their dogs to church. No one had to prove the animal was an emotional support pet. There was a lot of smiling. The time to "share peace" went on for enough minutes you could greet more than the two people on each side of you.

The rest of the day featured games and another movie in the evening. Marie and I walked to church. David drives and picks up two handicapped people so they can attend.

Miles walked in 2026: 61.2

Streets from home to church and back 1.0 mile

See Schuylkill Banks

Bell Choir- September 2025

First performance of the season for bell choir!

This is just titled "Celebration #2." It's a rousing fanfare-type piece and we used it for the Call to Worship.



The anthem was "Shall We Gather at the River." I think the chimes parts in this one sound really nice.



The day has been a little bit of a ratrace. My alarm didn't go off, and I sure don't know how that happened because I double checked that it was set correctly before I went to sleep. I must have somehow turned it off by fumbling with the phone. So instead of having time to wake up at a speed that suits me and do my morning routine, I had to leap into the shower, collect needed items and dash for the church. Om went too since his church is still doing the "At the Movies" event.

At the Movies today was taken from The Lion King which is not one of my favorite movies. I wanted to see what lessons Pastor Jerry would draw from it. He pointed out that Simba, after he ran from Scar and the Pride, was living in a beautiful valley, and yet it was a prison of lies that was controlling him. It wasn't until he faced the truth and went home that he was able to become the king he was meant to be. (Very simplified version)

The setting for At the Movies! Free popcorn, pop, and candy. Lots of atmosphere. I took my sound-deadening earmuffs that I bought while I was working at the newspaper so that I could tolerate the volume of the live music. It worked.

And we did go to that together in the afternoon. We did a little errand on the way home from the morning service, ate, did a couple of things, and it was time to go back to the movie event. Got home from that, ate again, did a couple more things, and now the day is about over. Whew.

And of course, since I have a new computer, I had to re-purchase the movie editing software. It doesn't cost a lot, but they've changed it again. So I had to figure out how it works, etc, etc. Always something. I did not figure out how to add the title to the front in the first video, and did a poor job on the second one. I'll need to work on this!

See Bell Choir- May 2025

Arboretum Trail Restored!

The other place I hiked Friday makes me very happy. This is a short trail created by the Forest Service decades ago through their Arboretum, which was a test plot for over 40 species of trees from around the world. However, over 10 years ago, they abandoned it. I had last tried to hike it in 2018, but there were too many trees down to even be able to get through.

In 2020, the Dublin Heights Sports Club contacted me to say that they were working with the Forest Service to re-establish the trail. I was preparing for my big hike, and sadly, had never gotten back to let them know I was excited to see this happen. The current interpretive sign says that it was a joint effort of the Manistee Conservation District, the Sports Club, the Manistee National Forest and the Manistee Community Foundation.

Well, they have done a great job, not to mention a tremendous amount of work. This is a typical current view of the trail.

Although there is a map to what was planted in the test plots, most of the planted trees have either died or failed to thrive. However, plot 19 had Eastern Red Cedar (which is really a juniper, Juniperus virginiana). This is native to Michigan, although you won't usually find much of it in northern Michigan. This is the aromatic red cedar of moth-proof closets and rustic knick-knacks.

There is an outer loop of about 1.4 miles. Along the back side is this lovely avenue of hemlock.

I thought this was interesting, and I'm glad they didn't just tear it down. The doors and windows are covered with fencing to keep people and larger animals out. I'm pretty sure this was the pumphouse where water was pulled from Pine Creek (wonder how many Pine Creeks there are in Michigan?). You can just see a sluiceway beyond the building.

This was not in the location where the test plot was, but that doesn't mean much at this point in time. Pretty sure this is a Northern Red Oak, Quercus rubra. Very handsome!

There is also an inner loop that is partly concurrent with the outer one, but the inner one is all wide and hardened with gravel. It would definitely be accessible for a sports wheelchair. Six-tenth of a mile

So, I managed about 2 miles of walking there.

There used to be possibly original signs there- at least from the 1950s. They were cute and humorous. The new signs are informative and will last well. I think I have pictures of some of the old signs, but they were probably taken on my first digital camera and I'm not sure I still have all of those pictures. At any rate, I'm not going hunting for them now.

This is just south of Wellston, MI, at the corner of Bosschem and Pine Lake Roads. The Pine Lake Campground is nearby (link below). I have updated my Get Off The Couch website with the Arboretum info, and I'll be writing more about it for the newspaper. Arboretum Trail.

This afternoon, Om and I went to an event put on by the church he attends called "At the Movies." It's always REALLY well done. They interspese clips from a recent popular film with life messages. The reason I don't go to church with him any more is because I can't tolerate the volume of the audio which is normal. But I said I'd see how it went, and the movie part was fine. The movie was The Boys in the Boat (an excellent film which we went to together when it came out). The live music portion, however, was intolerable, so I stood there with my fingers in my ears. But at least we did something together.

Miles hiked in 2025: 386.7

See Pine Lake

Concert at St Joseph's 2024

 Tonight was the annual concert at St. Joseph's church in Hart. I left home at 3:45... what with helping to pack the equipment in vehicles, getting there, practice, performance, and after-event. Got home about 10 p.m.

It was a really awesome concert. There was a lot of energy in the room, and the beauty of the church always heightens the experience. Not to mention it has wonderful acoustics.

I had a spare minute after we unloaded and before practice, I and went up in the balcony. I'd never gone up there before. This way, you can see more of the church in one picture.

This is the front window in the balcony.

We played all four of our songs. The choir had 10 numbers! They sing from the balcony. This year, they were accompanied on some of the pieces by live percussion and brass. Wowser!

I think my favorite was a Polish carol called "Glad Tidings Bringing." There was also a piece simply called "Gloria" that had a lot of tympani and fanfares in it that was awesome too. There was also a Phillipine solo in Tagalog.

Of course, I like the more familiar ones too. We all sang four carols together. And people really sang.

The church was totally packed. They put two extra rows of chairs on either side for the whole depth of the building. (you can see them in the pic of the empty church)

For as long as I've been involved in this, the church puts on a supper for the choir and bell choir afterwards. I really can't eat that late, but there was a ton of food-- lots of good stuff. I'll just show you the "all-important" cookie table. I ate a few samples of salads, a couple of meatballs, and brought some cookies home for tomorrow.

I'm telling you, this concert is always very good, but this year seemed extra-special. Drums? Energy? Something different about me? Not sure, but it was great.

In other news: I moved the snowblower to a more serious hospital (the dealer), I did errands, I edited. Well, I've made it to tired!

See St. Joseph 2023

Christmas Church Service

 Yes, we played handbells today at church, but it was also a service with a lot of Christmas content. We played 2 songs, and the kids bell choir also did two. I also have some still shots. I'll do two videos today and two tomorrow.

The adult bell choir played "What Child is This?"



John and Bruce sang "Jesus, What a Wonderful Child." My camera audio isn't good enough to record voice.

The bigger kids narrated the Christmas story. The one is dressed as the "mouse." Yes, the one that wasn't stirring. Except it was... and providing some snarky commentary about Christmas being the season of "gimme, gimme, gimme." Which the others convinced him was not true.

This is the kid's bell choir. This is like basic training in a church that promotes bell choirs. The director holds up a card with colors on it, and the kids ring when their bell matches the color on the card. I missed the very beginning of the song, but I didn't want to cut any out. It's "Away in a Manger." You'll catch the tune in a few seconds.



But this is the very best. No disrespect meant, but I think it's adorable.

Yes, that is Mary and Joseph. Please note that Baby Jesus is Pikachu!

I've managed to do some editing today, but this was enough.

See November Handbells

Hometown "Stuff"

  I went to my home church this morning. Lots more pictures at the link below.

And the interior. They only use this big sanctuary in the summer because it's too expensive to heat in the winter.

I took a little walk out front to take a picture down Main Street. Not very many viable businesses left, but it still looks like a small town rather than a ghost town.

No pictures of people today, although there were interactions. I spent the afternoon with Diane... you'll see her tomorrow. Today you'll have to make do with her model railroad. We drove around a little bit looking at local history stuff, and then we did trail talk.

She also keeps the cemetery records, and we walked around there. You may recall that it was Diane who found out that my adoptive grandfather Jack Leary had Seven Sisters. One of the two that I ever met was Cora. And Diane showed me where she is buried. She married a man named Levi Beach.

Tomorrow, we are going to roll out and have a fun activity. See you then.

See Home Church

Under the Dome

 The First United Methodist Church in Gulfport is Dale and Margaret's church. The present building was built in 1913 after a previous one burned.

The most amazing feature of the building is a 32-foot-diameter stained glass dome. This was made somewhere in Europe (exact records have been lost), but came to this location when the oil man from Texas who had ordered it was unable to complete the purchase when he went bust. The pieces were already in New Orleans, and the company let the church buy it for the outstanding balance of $1500. This was a big enough sum in 1913 that the church had to think about it. Of course its current value is just a "bit" more than that!

The church had planned a plaster dome and designed and built the rest of the church. It was considered almost miraculous that this suddenly available piece of art was the exact size to fit the existing hole.

It shows angels delivering the message of Peace and Good Will to Humankind.

Here is the sanctuary, and you can see the dome in the ceiling.

Other stained glass windows tell Bible stories. Jesus knocking at the door (of your heart).

Jesus the Good Shepherd.

And a rather unusual one- Jesus with Mary and Martha. Notice there is a dog curled at his feet. I don't think I've ever seen this story rendered in stained glass before.

These are exceptionally high quality glass images.

There are also 22 needlepoint kneeling cushions, made by 25 women in 1989. Each shows two angels holding some symbol of the church or the Gulf Coast. The angels tie in with the theme of the angels in the dome. This cushion shows the angels with a shell.

As I think is typical of Methodist churches, they have a number of service projects. One is "Home Under the Dome," designed to help enrich the lives of adults with memory loss through fellowship and engaging activities while also providing support for caregivers.

BONUS SECTION: Finding myself

We went out to lunch, and on the way passed a souvenir store called Sharkheads. What fun!

This was at the other end. The last "shark store" I found is linked below.

We saw all this on the way home from eating out. Then I went for a walk and found this. I don't think I've ever seen a Joan Street before.

We went out to lunch and saw several other interesting things, but this is enough for today. I'll share tomorrow.

Walking city streets- 6.2 miles

See Coastal See Shark's Ice Cream

Church and Chilling

  We went to Loretta's church this morning.

It was youth Sunday, and the young people led the music. They did a great job. Then the youth pastor gave the message.

There was also an interesting quilt in a case that was made for the 100th anniversary of the Women's Missionary Union. My guess is that might have been in 1998, although it's not toally clear from the blocks. Each block was made by a different member.

We ate out to celebrate Loretta learning that she will definitely get a low-rent apartment she applied for. Right now, she's house sitting, but that will end in a few months. These are newly remodeled, and she's really excited to know she will get the last one.

Mostly we chilled out. We talked about hiking some more, or maybe just me hiking. But it was nasty cold and windy. There is some kind of storm hitting tonight, but since the forecasts range from light snow to a quarter-inch of ice, I'll just have to see what it's like in the morning to decide if I'm leaving tomorrow or the next day.

See Caney Lakes

Concert at St. Joseph's 2023

Tonight was the big concert at the St. Joseph's Church in Hart with the West Shore Choir and our handbell choir. The church is always packed, so I took a picture of the choir practicing ahead of time. Usually, the choir is up in the loft at the back of the church. It was really crowded with all of us in the front, but it was nice because I really like to be able to see the singers. It was also easier for the people who are in both choirs!

What with Covid, and then me being gone the last two years, it's been since 2019 since I was there for a concert.

Om took a few pictures of the bell choir playing, but with the full church there are a lot of heads in the way. At least in this snippet you can actually see that I'm playing a bell!

They always have this large nativity set up.

I helped load all the bells and equipment up, unload it, and then load it up again. It's a lot of work to make these concerts happen. Not very many of the people can actually lift the bell cases, and I can, so I like to be able to do what I can. At least we didn't have to go unload the stuff yet tonight. The people whose cars are filled with drop the bells off sometime tomorrow.

They are making a DVD of tonight's concert. And it was a really good one, so I'm hoping the recording turns out good.

Other than that, mostly I concentrated on editing today. I'm trying to finish a project.

See 2019 St Joseph's Concert

Food for Thoughts

When I'm with Marie, I always go to church with her. She is Catholic and I am Protestant. This is a problem for some people. We've joked about each branch of the church condemning the other. I'm not here to start arguments about what people believe, but I am going to tell you how I increasingly react to services of the many varieties.

Here is the church we attended this morning.

As modern churches become more and more utilitarian, I am drawn to the beauty and ornate character of many of the older churches. I find myself feeling more worshipful in an artistic atmosphere. True, God will accept our worship offered from a concrete block building or a dirt basement in hiding from repressive authorities, but the harmony of the decor helps set a tone for me. After all, the first tabernacle was decreed to be ornamented in various ways as an offering of the talents of the artists.

Also, I appreciate how much of the service is readings from Scripture. Frequent reading of the guidebook is sure to help one find the right path. The sermon (homily) is always short- fittingly for most attention spans- and the Nicene Creed is accepted by almost all flavors of Christians.

I nearly always come from these services (mass) calmed, and usually with some thought from the homily to ponder.

Later in the afternoon, we went to another Veteran's dinner. This one had a place set for the Missing Man, to honor either those who died or MIA/POWs. Ed really likes socializing with other Veterans. We all enjoy getting together with people who share common experiences. Marie and I will soon be heading for the trail Celebration, my annual socializing with my own "tribe."

My final thought isn't too deep. Marie and I did another 300-piece puzzle. This one took 1 hr 20 minutes. It might have been a little harder, or I might not have counted the time to get the pieces out of the box and right side up last night. This one is Purrfectly Adorable.

Who knows why jigsaw puzzles are so satisfying? They have been around since the 1700s when maps were cut into country shapes to use as educational tools. In the late 1800s they became more recreational in nature, and lots of people like them, including me, as you well know. They are supposed to help you keep your brain functioning well!

I also found a block of time to do some editing. It rained all day, so there was no outside activity.

See Catnip High