Category: General

In this day of conflict, which by the way is not new just packaged in modern terms, we are faced with many different challenges. We hear threats of war and weapons of mass destruction. We see impacts of storms like “Harvey” and “Irma” with its natural destructive weapons of wind and water. What can we do? Great question. We can choose to be a spectator and watch the conflict unfold in the comfort of our own homes and perhaps even criticize why more is not done. After all, the news media feeds our desire to see more destruction as negative events are great marketing tools. We see news reporters standing in the wake of the storm and reporting every second of the event. For what reason? To report to the millions of spectators hanging on every picture in hopes of seeing some catastrophic event that we can tell one another we saw. I am convinced even sports events are all about vicariously watching someone else in action. We can watch then when the event is over, we go back to what we were doing. But what if you are the one living the nightmare? Is it over once the rain and wind stops?

In Romans 12:15, Paul encourages us to” be happy with those who are happy and cry with those who are crying”. He goes on in verse 21 to say “Don’t be defeated by evil, but defeat evil with good.” That sounds more like a call to action instead of a spectator sport.  Further in chapter 13:8 he also says “don’t be in debt to anyone except for the obligation to love each other.” How do we love each other? It is easy to love your friends and family but how about your neighbor? How do you love someone you do not even know? Perhaps, a start is to serve them as if you were serving yourself. How would you feel if flooded or impacted by wind or some other weapons man made or course of nature? In verse 12, we are told to “get rid of the actions that belong to the darkness and put on the weapons of light.” In my opinion, the weapons of light is summed up in one word. Love! I spent 3 days last week and 2 more days this week with a team of volunteers removing personal items too damaged to use again so that we could do mold remediation. We did not just go into the houses with a wrecking crew instead we entered as neighbors crying, praying and offering our hands and hearts to help wherever we could. This effort is certainly not a spectator sport or not enjoyable but was it Christ like? Yes! When we spend time loving on people that are hurting, we are spending time in the presence of God. Matthew 18:20 says when two or three gather in my name, I am there with them. So as we change the channels on our TV to something more current, remember some of our neighbors have trashed their personal affects due to water or wind damage and are looking for help. Love them by helping them wherever you are able.

T

 

I promised more on the Welsh language which I think is very peculiar in a wonerful way. Their dialec when spoken in English sounds similar to the Scots but more singing in their pitch, in my opinion. However, when you hear them in their native tongue, not too recognizable. Their towns are sometimes more of a description to the area. The most longest one is translated into a location as follows. “Mary’s Church by the white hazel pool, near the fierce whirlpool, with the Church of Tysilio by the Red Cave.” (See picture for the Welsh word for the town.)

We arrived in Conwy on the 3rd Day in Wales and booked into an awesome B&B called Gwynfryn. You can find them at their website at www.bedandbreakfastconwy.co.uk. Interesting that the owner bought the place from the Methodist and converted the sanctuary into the breakfast area and the vestry into rooms for guest. We all loved the accommodation and hospitality so highly recommend. You can see loads of pictures on my Facebook site as well as their site. Conwy is a very quaint town. The food and pubs are great so the B&B is very well located just inside the castle walls a block from the high street and a few blocks down to the harbour. A great location for day trips to Snowdon and Caernarfon Castle where Prince Charles became Prince of Wales.

The next day we were off for a Day in Liverpool translated from lava pool. The ancients saw the sea weed in the Mersey and thought as lava. Liverpool has a mythical bird called a liver bird with seaweed hanging from their mouths as statues on some older buildings. Gerry and the Pacemakers made the Mersey famous with their song of crossing the Mersey. Lyrics starts with “Life goes on day after day…So ferry ‘cross the Mersey”.

We really went to Liverpool for one reason. You guest it. Beatle mania, not me, but my wife as she always wanted to tour their museum. It was awesome even for me. Lol. She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah. Now, that song will be in your head all day. Right? Oo, she loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah. She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah. We nearly over stayed our time at Liverpool as almost missed last ferry back to Gwynfryn for our home away from home. Apart from the Cavern famous for Beatles’ jam sessions and where Cilla Black worked, did you know about their original hangout at the Casbah Coffee House?

On our 5th day, we headed to Snowdon after an awesome tour of Caernarfon Castle. Charles became Prince of Wales there but that is modern history as the castle dates back to 1283 where Edward 1st shored up his kingdom from the many who claimed rightful king over Wales. I find it very interesting to see ancient power struggles. How will history write our chapter 1,000 years from? That is of course we do not blow ourselves up before then. Hmmm
After Caernarfon Castle, we were off to ride an old steam driven incline train up to the summit of Snowdon. It reminded me a lot of Pike’s peak in Colorado without the wildlife except the sheep. Wales have sheep and a lot of them. They are white dots all over the landscape. Very beautiful hills and valleys!

We headed back home to Gwynfryn after another awesome pub dinner and drinks.

Our 6th day fell on a Sunday so naturally a traditional roast dinner is in order so headed to Llandudno for a great meal. I had lamb of course but the roast pork or beef looked just as good. The promenade at Llandudno is spectacular along the semi circular beach front. Alice in wonderland author lived and wrote masterpiece there. We went on to the Great Orme on another steep path train to the summit. What an great site to see.

Day 7, we sadly said goodbye to Great hosts Monica and colin and granddaughter Libby (3 years old serving us with big smiles) at Gwynfryn in Conwy headed back to England. We shall always remember our steps into Wales and look forward to when we return. Would you like to meet us there?
T

As we leave England and enter Wales over a spectacular bridge over the river Severn, I am anxious to see more of the beautiful countryside. Before I jump into stories of castles, water falls, caves and more local pubs, I have a question. Have ever wanted to own your own castle or even build your own village? One person’s dream when becomes a reality can be a gift for generations later. Let me start with Adeline Patti. As a young girl she lived behind a stage watching her parents perform so it is little wonder she would follow. Crag-y-Nos Castle (English: Rock of the Night), is a Victorian-Gothic country house in Powys, Wales. it is not a castle but close in my eyes and those of Madam Patti. She lived at Crag Y Nos Castle at the turn of the last century. She entertained her guest with lavish parties and theatrical performances along with her gifted singing voice.
Today, Crag y nos is great for Weddings, haunted house feeling and dog lovers as hotel friendly to dogs. We enjoyed it as a stopping point to explore caves at the national showcaves of Wales and the awesome waterfalls. The hiking up and into the caves then down to the falls are not for everyone but enjoyed by many.

From our stay at crag y nos, we continued on to Conwy stopping at Barmouth for awesome beaches then to Portmeirion which brings me to the second dreamer.
Clough Williams-Ellis, built Portmeirion Village after dreaming for more than thirty years. He decided that one day he would choose a site and build a group of buildings for his own satisfaction. He became a successful Architec and achieved his dream. He purchased a private peninsula off the Snowdonia coast. You may remember the famous beach from the 1960s TV show called the “Prisoner”.

Remember the huge ball chasing number 6 along the sand flats. “I am not a number.” The residents were assigned numbers instead of names and their every movement is followed by monitoring systems and security forces. If someone tried to escape, the white balloon called Rover would capture them. Patrick McGoohan was No. 6 who battled No. 2 and an unseen leader, No. 1. Brilliant!

Finally, we ended our 3rd Day in Wales at Conwy. Stay tuned for more awesome adventures.

T

As I write this post, I am thinking how wonderful life can be. We can live in chaos or live in peace. The older I get the more at peace I feel. I am learning to take it one step at a time. This post begins a journey through Wales. It may take a few posts to describe the adventure but worth it I think. Read on but first a prelude.

We started from Fareham for our annual trip with friends to new adventures. In previous years. We have been to Ireland, Scotland, Narrow Boating through English canals near and through Birmingham. Wales was our destination this year. No preconceived notions of what we would find but was pleasantly surprised. The people were friendly and the pub food was awesome. Use your imagination on the pub beverage but lots of choices. Lol
Our first stop was Bristol to tour a very old steel constructed ship called the. SS Great Britan. SS stands for steam ship by the way. it was a marvelous specimen of engineering designed by Brunel. Who was an extraordinary engineer. His designs also included the suspension bridge over the Avon. His ship’s design included first screwropeller which became the standard for proceeding iron ships. It sailed many times to Australia and America before a damaged mast ended her career. She was relocated back to her construction dock after 127 years of service in 1970 and now on permanent display for generations to see. You can check out pictures on my Facebook page.
We went on to see the suspension bridge over the Avon from the observation point. There was even a cave to get to the lower observation point. This was an awesome adventure even before we made it to Wales.
We arrived at Crag-y-nos castle after a superb pub lunch just before the castle called the Ancient Briton. Highly recommend the pub! Day 2 started with breakfast among dog owners at the castle but that will be later to explain.
T