Waterskiing Picture

Here is a picture I had hoped to put on my blog.  Due to the distance and the fact that it was taken on a phone, it is not the greatest quality.  In fact, if you were cynical you could even question if it is actually me.  I can testify to the fact that it is me, and there were other witnesses as well.  Whether you choose to believe me or not, here is the evidence that I did successfully waterski on Sunday.

Church Picnic

This afternoon we had a church picnic.  It was a small group of about 6 families, but still a very nice gathering of people.  I brought my camera along thinking of taking pictures to post on my blog, but sadly I never used it.  Despite the lack of physical evidence, we had a wonderful time.

We had our picnic beside a lake at a rest area off of the interstate.  The grounds were well-kept with nicely mowed lawns as well as some bushes.  There were covered picnic tables with barbecue pits as well as concrete sidewalks and an air conditioned bathroom (which was a definite plus in the warm weather).

The afternoon was filled with a variety of games including bocci ball, washer board, and cards.  We also spent time visiting over food, relaxing, and enjoying each other's company.  The highlight for a number of people was getting a turn on the boat or on waterskis behind the boat.  I had been enjoying being thoroughly lazy, relaxing in a chair, and almost falling asleep as others took turns in the boat throughout the afternoon.  As it neared time to leave, Paula convinced me to go on the boat with her on her turn.  Paula skied first and impressed me greatly with her skill.  After going around the lake multiple times, and even staying up through some rough water, Paula took a break.

When it was my turn I was simply hoping to get up at least once and be able to stay up for a little while.  I was thrilled when I made it up on my first try and was able to stay up.  After watching Paula, I even successfully tried to move in and out of the wake from the boat.  I got tired rather quickly, but enjoyed myself immensely.  After resting in the water for a couple of minutes, I gave it another try.  Again I got up right away, which was exciting.  The second time I moved across the wake more confidently after a few pointers from Paula, but also tired even more quickly.  I was pleased that I was able to do so well after having only successfully skied one other time.  Paula took a few pictures on the phone, so I may post one later if they turned out.  Waterskiing was definitely my highlight of the afternoon, but I was thankful for cruise control on the way home because my legs were tired.

Ordering Pictures

After roughly two hours of going through digital pictures, manipulating orders, and using coupon codes, I finally ordered 149 4x6 prints.  I only had to pay about $11 for them, so it was worth it.  This time consuming effort would not have been necessary years ago in the age before digital photography, but I must admit to enjoying the flexibility of taking extra pictures and deleting some later.  Also, I can have a large number of pictures on my computer for memories without ordering prints of all of them.  Sometimes technology makes things easier, and sometimes it makes it more time consuming - oh well.  In all the evening's work was a success.

Cooler Temperatures

Tonight our low is supposed to be 62 F (17 C) and tomorrow night it is predicted to get down to 58 F (15 C)!  I am excited about cooler temperatures.  Depending on the humidity level and the smoke from the stumps burning outside, I may even be able to comfortably open my window overnight.

Grapes and Cheese

For lunch today I was eating grapes while making my cheese sandwich.  As I sliced some extra cheese I decided to eat it with my grapes.  It was quite yummy (if you like grapes and cheese).  I have mixed grapes into cottage cheese before, which was also delicious.  It may sound like a strange combination, but after thinking about it people have wine and cheese together, and wine is often made out of grapes.  Whatever the case, I quite enjoyed my grapes and cheese today for lunch.

New Sailing Experiences

Today I had a few new experiences sailing:

• I went sailing in salt water - down at Cypermort Point off of the gulf
• We were sailing a 18' HobieCat - which is a dual hull boat
• I got very wet while remaining on the sailboat - the water was actually quite refreshing, having cooled off during the hurricane
• We tipped the sailboat - actually none of us were on it at the time because we could not get it turned around so we had all gone into the water to try turn it without the weight on it; as the last person got off it tipped
• I laid down for a large chunk of our sailing time - it was one way to stay out of the way of the boom

And one not new experience:

• despite sunscreen I still managed to get sunburned - don't worry, it was still worth it.

(non) Hurricane Record

I have had 3 snow days, 1 flood day, 1 rain day, and now 2 hurricane days off of school.  This means I have averaged just under 2 extreme weather days per year and this year has just started.

When I moved to Louisiana, I was aware that I was moving to an area affected by hurricanes.  This was a new experience for me coming from an area that seemed to have limited natural disaster threat (not from earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, or even severe thunder storms).  The year before I came, this area experienced loss of power and a week off of school because of Hurricane Gustav.  I knew that another such occurrence would be quite possible even in my first year for teaching.  It never happened.

Although we had two days off of school for Hurricane Isaac, we were barely affected.  The hurricane changed directions from heading northwest to heading more directly north after hitting land, which meant it virtually missed us.  This was a huge blessing for us. (I still find it hard to comprehend God's sovereignty in this kind of situation - why were we spared while others ended up suffering more?)  Although we had a number of momentary power outages, we never lost power for an extended period of time.  We had some wind and some rain, but we have had worse effects from regular storms.  By the time Isaac reached our greater area, it had been downgraded to a tropical storm.  So, my record of no hurricanes since moving to Louisiana still stands.