Trip:47
Nights: 156-166
We just got back from a week camping on Cape Cod. Plus we stopped overnight both ways in PA. Several blog posts (at least) are coming in the near future. In the meantime, here are some photos.
It's been twenty-three years. Memories fade for some. Some choose to forget. There's a whole generation that didn't experience the reality of that day and never learned history. The events of September 11, 2001 brought horrors to our shores that the world should never be permitted to forget. The same ideology that fomented the horrors of that morning continues to bring violence across Europe and throughout the world on a daily basis. It still brings evil to our shores regularly. Yet, so many remain complacent and blind. Appallingly, many in our own government continue to aid and placate those who threaten us.
We stand on a precipice. Remember what was done to us that sunny September day, and stand fast against it. The evil one and his minions have not given up. The threat remains.
This festive holiday traces its origins back to the pious deed of St. Hopswald of Aleyard, the first man to buy his priest a beer. The legend goes that St. Hopswald, a master brewer by trade, was a Teutonic pagan who was converted and baptized by a zealous Catholic priest.
One day, St. Hopswald committed a grievous sin. Without wasting a moment, he ran quickly to his priest and confessed. Later that day, as he was particularly enjoying the peace of a clean conscience, St. Hopswald was so filled with gratitude for his priest’s sacramental ministry that he rushed to the rectory and offered to buy his priest a beer.
Okay, if you haven’t figured it out by now, St. Hopswald wasn’t real, but your priest is, and without priestly ministry, getting to heaven would be well nigh impossible!
Believe it or not, priests are real people, and they enjoy socializing over good food and drink as much as anyone. They also have a thankless and difficult job, a job that we couldn’t get to heaven without. Priests are the lifeblood of the Church, and they deserve some appreciation.
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| The late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI celebrates his 88th birthday. |
The Abraham Bowman collection of experimental, limited-edition whiskies began in 2010 with the release of Abraham Bowman Rye Whiskey. Since, A. Smith Bowman Distillery has released 22 experiments that have challenged whiskey-making methodologies and captivated fans.Recently, ASB has put a specific focus on exploring oak varietals with its latest collection, The Abraham Bowman Oak Series. For the series inaugural release, the experimental distillery is sharing its take on whiskey aged in French Oak barrels. This is the first of multiple releases that explores oak varietals and its impact on American whiskey maturation.
The Abraham Bowman collection of experimental, limited-edition whiskies began in 2010 with the release of Abraham Bowman Rye Whiskey. Since, A. Smith Bowman Distillery has released 22 experiments that have challenged whiskey-making methodologies and captivated fans.Recently, ASB has put a specific focus on exploring oak varietals with its latest collection, The Abraham Bowman Oak Series. For the series inaugural release, the experimental distillery is sharing its take on whiskey aged in French Oak barrels. This is the first of multiple releases that explores oak varietals and its impact on American whiskey maturation.
Reading of his [Pius X] defense of cigars as not being a vice, I was reminded of a story that a cigar smoking priest of the Diocese of Tulsa, who is now in training for the Vatican diplomatic corps, told me. When he was a seminarian in Rome, he learned that Pius X, who was the pope from 1903 to 1914, called a bishop onto the carpet to reprimand him for his scandalous misbehavior with wine, women and song, and to correct his wrongs patiently.The pope offered the errant bishop a cigar from the papal humidor on his desk. The bishop declined the offer with the protestation, "I do not have that vice, Your Holiness," to which His Holiness replied, "If cigars were a vice, I would not offer you one, for you have quite enough vices already."
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| Pope Pius X It's easy to imagine a cigar in that hand |
Reading of his [Pius X] defense of cigars as not being a vice, I was reminded of a story that a cigar smoking priest of the Diocese of Tulsa, who is now in training for the Vatican diplomatic corps, told me. When he was a seminarian in Rome, he learned that Pius X, who was the pope from 1903 to 1914, called a bishop onto the carpet to reprimand him for his scandalous misbehavior with wine, women and song, and to correct his wrongs patiently.The pope offered the errant bishop a cigar from the papal humidor on his desk. The bishop declined the offer with the protestation, "I do not have that vice, Your Holiness," to which His Holiness replied, "If cigars were a vice, I would not offer you one, for you have quite enough vices already."
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| Pope Pius X It's easy to imagine a cigar in that hand |
Trip:46
Nights: 154-155
Several weeks ago I asked my wife what she wanted to do for our anniversary. She answered with "go camping." If you had predicted that conversation 5 years ago I would have taken it to mean something terrible happened and I was married to somebody else 5 years in the future.
Anyway, it's been 33 years and she still is not tired of my shit. So I got that going for me.
Loft Mountain is a quick 2:15 drive from home. It's the southern most campground in Shenandoah National Park. The south end of the Park is the least developed section of the park. Other than the camp store, and a wayside with a snack bar and gift shop just outside the campground, there isn't anything but wilderness between the two most southern entrances to the park.
We got in Friday after work, and after setting up camp we had the classic camping meal of hot dogs for dinner. Then that evening we did the campfire and chill thing before heading in to the camper for Gin Rummy and Yahtzee. Do I know how to treat a girl or what?
On Saturday we did a short 3.2 mile hike to check out the Doyle River Falls. There has been a lot of rain the last couple of weeks so they were flowing nicely. The hike is 1.6 miles down then 1.6 miles back up, with a total elevation gain of 1000 feet. So not a challenging hike at all, but it wiped us both out. We both had our 3rd round of COVID a couple of weeks ago, so I guess that was the issue. Anyway, it was a beautiful 75F day so back at the campground I settled into a chair to read/nap. I accomplished both before a passing thunderstorm chased us into the camper, where I both napped and read again. I managed to finish my book, Treasure Island, before dinner.
That night we were too tired to mess around with a campfire, so it was more Gin Rummy and Yahtzee before going to bed rather early. You may think this sounds like a boring anniversary weekend, but really, it was kind of perfect.
