Head hits pillow

What a weekend. It was, going into it, one of those things that I tried not to get to excited about it, should it fail to materialize. But it did, and lo, I savored every minute. Plagued with the sleeplessness, which was surprising - usually able to leave that behind when I travel. But a fabulous weekend in spite.

Friday night Matt and Jeremy (now roomies), Ben (from my year at the grove, now lives in DC area), and myself all had dinner and then played much beer pong at Rogos. Highlight of the evening was Matt sending Jeremy up the stairs to look for the bathroom (that's where the kitchen was).

Saturday Matt and I drove to the Coffin's place in Fairfax. Church cook-out, much volleyball, good food, and a reading of the Declaration. Then to the high school for the fireworks. Fairfax puts on a Fire Works Show, be advised, despite my (unbeknownst to me) duplicative initial suspicions. Return to Coffin manor for beers and much sitting on the deck, enjoying the sticky warm air that you get when you build a city, strike that, an entire metro area, on a swamp.

Sunday was a fabulous worship service punctuated by a very thoughtful sermon on The Doctrine of Providence in Relationship to Our Calling (or at least that's the title I came away with). God seems to work through His mighty men in such a manner that they often preach to me on just what I needed to hear that very week. I still have questions. But I have a lot of good stuff to chew on. And so did the church, after the service, when they put on the best congregational dinner in a firehouse, ever. Unless they've had others, before I was there, in which case I am truly sad (selfishly).

That afternoon I obtained my new camera, which I plan to use in part to provide you with many illustrations of my ramblings. Perhaps. That evening was the beginning of Pastor Coffin's annual theology class for the youth of the church (Jr. High / High School age). Would have loved to be a fly on the wall there for the rest of the week, the first two hours were a great 90 mph ride through the first section of Packer's Concise Theology (take a look inside while you're there). Then Rebecca, Ryia, Grace, Tim, Allyson, Matt and I drove to Anna's place on Bolling AFB, where her family lives. Anna's dad is a higher-up in the AF - his first gig was back in the year I was born, flying B-52's out of Mather AFB back in Sactown. I spent most of my childhood years living directly under the beginning of that flight path. We watched the fireworks from the base side of the Potomac. Never realized the Mall was that long until I viewed it from the side like that. First photos on new camera were of the fireworks, none of which turned out well (see below, if you don't believe me). We've since read up, however, and plan to provide you with professional level shots next year. Sunday ended the same way Saturday did.

Morning brought the canoe trip. Our group was 22 boats on the river, which we had in large part to ourselves. Quite the pleasant day. Too bad the camera wasn't going on the water with me - such beautiful sights. Matt and Ryia in one boat and Anna and I in another brought up the rear of the group. The best part of the day was when it rained, hard, but briefly, as we floated along. My new Indian name is "Rows-with-a-mighty-arm" and we were guided through the seemingly impassable side-slips of the river wild by Princess "Sees-through-many-trees."

Then Matt and I drove back with Grace in tow, and here we are working again.

God is good, all the time.