They Made It

They made it. Notice the drink in Becky's hand. She does not waste any time getting into the party mode. Me neither, heheheh. The festivities have begun and I will keep you posted, get it, posted? More to follow.



Until the next time,

John Strain

Spring Time on the Bayou

Those two should get a room. Well, what can I say? It is spring on the bayou and even the animals are getting into the act.



What a Friday. I have taken off work and am going to work in the yard most of the day before my sister arrives from Missouri. The big weekend looms and I am looking forward to all of it. Check back this weekend for pictures.



Have a great Friday and weekend everyone.



Until the next time

John Strain

John's Journey

The banner I created for this blog contains some carefully chosen items which are meaningful to me.



First is a map and a compass. A journey needs direction. What good is it if you are making good time, but traveling in the wrong direction? Stephen Covey, in his books spoke of direction. I remember one of his points. "When someone is lying on their death bed, I doubt if their thought is 'I wish I had spent more time at the office'." The map helps a traveler know where he is at present and helps him get where he wants to go in the future. The compass along with the map guide the traveler. Direction is more important than the final destination in life. I may not achieve a final goal, but I will live as if I have already arrived.



The traveler on the right side of my banner is walking into a sunrise. The day holds adventure and promise. Effort is required for the journey. One step at a time, one foot in front of the other, and one sunrise after another.



The only other symbol I wish I could somehow incorporate is a wolf. I admire the beauty, freedom, and mystery of the wolf. The wolf embodies an untamed, unrelenting spirit. A freedom that only comes from God. I look into the eyes of a wolf and I feel sad, energized, strong, and mystic.



I have always liked trappings of the sea. A tall ship, lighthouse, and a ship's wheel also symbolize freedom, journey, and adventure to me.



In the measure of life I have received thus far, I have seen and done a lot. I have grown to appreciate many things, especially the simple things. Life is rich and full. I do not always notice, but it is there waiting for me whenever I decide to shoulder my backpack and head into a fresh sunrise. Adventure awaits you traveler. What are you waiting for.



I will see you on the path of life.



Until the next time

John Strain

Blogging Out of Synch

I am still in my first year of blogging. Some of my posts are about blogging itself and this is another one. I have had the awareness' of how neat blogging is as it relates to new forms of communication and meeting people all over the world. I have experienced the addiction of looking at my site meter every five minutes to see who has been on my page, where they are from, and did they comment. I have experienced the walks down memory lane as I have penned my best stories from my personal history.



Lately, I have felt a bit disconnected or out of synch. This can be attributed to my work getting busier, going on a mini vacation to California, getting prepared for my sister's 50th birthday, and I think, the arrival of spring. All of these things have squeezed me and I feel the quality of my posts have suffered. In addition, I have not been keeping up with the blogs I read and commented on almost daily.



I think some others have experienced something similar. Cheeky Squirrel, Dorothy, and Dick have alluded to some of these conditions. Life does get busy and, at times, demands more attention and energy than at other times. I am not sure if this is part of the annual blog cycle or exactly what. I do know this is probably where a lot of people quit. Blogging is a discipline as is running. It is easy to run in the spring when the weather is nice. It is not so easy in the heat of summer or the dead of winter. Blogging is fun when you have time, but it can become another obligation, especially if there is not anything just dying to jump from your head to the blog post.



So here is what I intend to do. When I began a blog, it was to record my daily thoughts and random feelings. I had no concept of daily visitors. As things progressed, I became aware of an audience and thought more and more about giving the audience something. Some of this "out of synch" feeling is I do not feel the quality of my posts are what they were. Therefore, I am going back to the basics. I will pay more attention to my daily life and observations. I will think and write about them. I am just going to ride it out.



It is a real challenge to come up with something every day. Time and energy are required and each day only contains so much time and energy.



Does this make sense to anyone? Have you had similar feelings? If so, how did you respond? I love being confused, it means I am about to learn something about myself.



Happy Wednesday everyone.



Until the next time,

John Strain

Weekend Plans

We have a fun weekend planned down here on the bayou. My old sister is going to be 50 so she is going to acknowledge the event in New Orleans / "The City That Care Forgot." Here is what I have planned thus far.



Company arrives on Friday evening. Grilled steaks on the Weber, baked potatoes, and drinks to suit any fancy. Spend the evening shooting the breeze and catching up.



Saturday: Wake up, light breakfast, plenty of coffee and more talking. Later that morning we will take a drive to Zemurray Gardens a 1280 acre area of woods, lakes, and azaleas, breath taking views this time of year.







Lunch time may include shrimp poboys (big sandwich on French bread). Then it is off to New Orleans for the official 50 year celebration of my sister Becky. I have secured a Bourbon Street balcony hotel room so we can base our operations there. If we want, we can sit on the balcony and throw beads to the tourists. We could go get in the fray ourselves, or both. I am thinking both.



Some of us will head back across Lake Pontchartrain, but will return to New Orleans Sunday AM for the House of Blues Gospel Brunch. I wrote about the gospel brunch in a November post.



Check out the Gospel Brunch menu:

Roasted Garlic Potatoes

Bacon & Sausage links

Cheddar Cheese Grits

Scrambled Eggs

Assorted Muffins, bagels, mini croissants, biscuits with country gravy

Omelet stations

Szechwan Noodle Salad

Fruit Boards

Chicken Jambalaya

Smoked Salmon Platter

Peel & Eat Boiled Shrimp

Fresh Sliced Fruit

Carved Top of Round of Beef

Carved Country Ham

White chocolate bread pudding w/Bourbon sauce

Unlimited Champagne Mimosas





After all of that gospel music listening and eating, we will walk around the French Quarter and spend any money we have left. The weekend promises to be excellent weather so I am keeping my fingers crossed.



Last weekend was hard work, this weekend will be hard play.



As they say down here, Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler! Let The Good Times Roll!



Until the next time

John Strain