The Year: 2018

Another year has literally flown by.  A friend once explained this rapid passage of time mathematically. It seems as we age that each year goes by more quickly and it is true since each year is a smaller portion of our total life span. 

Charming fountain at a gallery in Sedona

It is a gift to have another year of life. I really am so gratefully that I have virtually no health problems. Part of this year’s pilgrimage has been to experience the ins and outs of medical doctors’ offices and the necessity of speaking up for oneself or having an advocate to do that for you.

I acquired an infection this spring which lasted throughout the summer. The first three medical professionals misdiagnosed the infection and prescribed medication that did not do anything to improve my health. Finally, the correct antibiotic was prescribed for a period long enough to eradicate the infection. 

I’d also been experiencing some shortness of breath after exertion and some mild chest pains which opened up another whole field of inquiry.  It turns out that there are no cardiac problems. A stress test, echo cardiogram, angiogram, and CT scans have proved that.  

My take on the situation is that I had not been keeping up on my usual exercise routine because I felt lousy due to the infection and the antibiotics. Therefore, at my age, shortness of breath. I think the pains were due to rather obtuse working habits which stressed some muscles not usually involved in day to day living.

The bottom line is: I’m healthy.

For the second year in a row there has not been much travel.  I must be honest and say that staying home is not all bad. It really is much easier not to travel.

Interesting formations at Bluff, Utah

I’d given up membership in one organization, and rotated off the board of another which involved travel each year, many times to the east coast. I do miss that biennial trip to New York City. My non- presence on the board does not prevent me from going, but the impetus to do so is no longer there. 

The first weekend in February I journeyed to Tempe, AZ, for the annual general chapter of the Canons of the Order of Saint Benedict. This year Fr. Chad-Joseph and his community hosted the gathering. We were able to learn about the various ministries with which the community there is involved. We celebrated the clothing of a novice. The priors were able to meet and discuss several items of mutual interest. The weather was lovely which was an added benefit.

A friend and I traveled to Minneapolis for an event on the First Sunday of Lent at Mount Olive Church.  I written before about how fond I am of that place. They do a lovely service of procession, readings and hymns on the First Sunday in Lent. 

Traveling to Minneapolis was fine.  It was a lovely winter day.  The return on the next day was far less than pleasant. Sleet began the day which changed to freezing rain and snow with winds. This continued to within 40 miles of Sioux Falls.  I gave thanks continually for my new tires and for the daylight in which we traveled. I kept thinking that the only thing that could make the journey home worse would be darkness!

The chapel at Christ in the Desert

At the invitation of my wonderful friends in Littleton, Colorado, I flew to Denver. We then embarked on a road trip through parts of the world I’d not traveled before.  We had beautiful weather traveling through the mountains heading toward Scottsdale, Arizona. On the way we stayed overnight at Bluff, Utah. The rock formations were awesome. 

We spent a week at my friends’ timeshare in Scottsdale. This was a most pleasant “retreat.” We traveled to Eloy to see friends from my former parish in Denver. A day in Sedona was also in our plans. The whole week was a wonderful experience, plus we were able to go to Fr. Chad-Joseph’s Church in Tempe for Sunday Mass and then enjoy a brunch with Fr. Chad and two of his sons.

Following our stay in Arizona we raveled eastward to New Mexico. We had a weekend reserved at the Monastery of Christ in the Desert. Several of the parishioners from the parish in Denver had been there on retreat and told me how lovely and peaceful it is. They were not exaggerating. 

The Monastery is thirteen miles off the highway on a forest service road which sometimes is two lane and sometimes graveled. I leave the description of it to your imagination.  The silence and the darkness are incredible. They are “off the grid” and use solar power so there is not even the sound of a generator. The chapel is beautiful. One can see the rock formations from within the chapel.

After a few days in Denver making contact with dear friends I returned home and basically remained there until October. We had a very warm summer. It was good to have friends from Denver come to visit.

Three of the pilgrims

October means our annual pilgrimage to Sheboygan to the first shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. Friends from Denver and Charlotte, NC, flew to Sioux Falls. The road trip is fun. We were able to visit Holy Hill, and the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help, attend Mass on Sunday at St. Agnes, Algoma and see our friends there, stop by the Norbertine Abbey, and journey through some snow as we headed back west via St. Paul and Minneapolis. It is always good to see my friends and to travel together.

Makarios and Miss Sophia

I made a few trips out of town to attend funerals. Other than those brief sojourns that’s the extent of the travels this year. Life has been busy with my volunteer activities, the Canon Community, filling in at the altar and on the organ bench. 

All of us at 3316 send our greetings and best wishes for a blessed and peaceful holiday. 

2017, Mostly at Home

For someone who seems to be on an eternal pilgrimage, this year has been one of quietly enjoying home. In contrast to most years my travels have been brief and seldom.

Winter in South Dakota can be a difficult pilgrimage. It amazes me each year that dressing to go outside can consume as much time as it does. The question arises: Do I have enough clothing on my body to feel comfortable in the house? How much more do I need to add if I am going outside?  Do I need a down filled parka, or will a leather jacket do? Where is my stocking cap? Do I need my thigh-high boots or will hiking shoes suffice? And then, there is the removal of all of this upon reaching one’s destination, and the reclothing when one decides to return home. Some day I will time all this and tuck away this important information. It won’t change anything, I know, but at least I will know. About the middle of February I long for the summer days when a t-shirt and shorts will do for the journey to the fitness center!

Christ Cathedral in Victoria, BC

One of the few pilgrimages this year took place in February. The priors of the Anglican Benedictine Canons met for their annual meeting in Victoria, B.C.  It was wonderful to see Fr. Martin-Joseph Brokenleg, Br. Gene and the community in Victoria. Fr. Chad-Joseph and Br. Phillip-Martin from Tempe, AZ joined us there. Fr. Martin had arranged a complete day of teaching and prayer in the Benedictine tradition. Fr. Chad-Joseph, Fr. Martin-Joseph and I provided the teaching and facilitated the discussions as thirty people participated in the experience of being a Benedictine for a day. The hospitality was gracious. The venue was the Anglican Cathedral in Victoria, a lovely building. During the priors’ meeting I was chosen as prior-general of our communities. Our former prior-general and his community had departed the Anglican Church and become Roman Catholics. It is not a position that I sought but accepted as part of my own personal pilgrimage which sometimes involves being led where we sought not to go.

Priors of the Anglican Benedictine Canons

During the weekend there was a music festival taking place and the Cathedral participated in that festival by providing the choir and orchestra for Evensong on Sunday. I was able to stay an extra day and enjoy the city and some time with my friends.

The Benedictine Oratory

I completed my time as supply priest at a local parish which provided a place for our Benedictine community. We needed a place to be and, thankfully, our cathedral church provided that place. The Bishop of South Dakota moved his offices to Pierre which left a good deal of space formerly occupied by the diocesan offices at the cathedral. The dean graciously offered us a room which we have been converting into our Oratory and Chapter Room. It has come together very nicely and we appreciate having a place to meet for our weekly Eucharist and monthly Chapter Meeting.

Max sunbathing

Friends and I traveled to Collegeville, MN, and Minneapolis for a weekend in July. They had never been to St. John’s Abbey. I am always happy to return to the Abbey having visited many times and taken several courses and workshops there. We were able to attend the Sunday liturgy at Mt. Olive Lutheran in Minneapolis which is always a superb experience. We also shopped at IKEA. On our return we visited Faribault to see the exterior of the first cathedral in America. We had to experience the interior by looking through the windows since the doors were locked.

That same weekend my dear Max was in the hospital suffering from many things. As we were on our way to Collegeville the phone call came informing me that he had died.  His immune mitigated hemolytic anemia had returned. He was suffering from a kidney stone and acute renal failure and finally pneumonia after receiving fluids to relieve his dehydration. We miss him. As all who knew him said, he was such a sweet kitty. 

Our Benedictine Community assumed the management of the cathedral bookstore during this past year.  Part of that responsibility is taking car loads of books and “stuff” to diocesan convention in Pierre, which we did on the last weekend in September. The convention is considerably more brief than in former years when the planning of the liturgies fell on the shoulders of my diocesan commission. It is always good to see the faithful friends from around the diocese. Thirty-five children from the Sudanese community here in Sioux Falls at my former parish traveled to Pierre and performed at the convention.  It was so good to see them taking part.

Dignity

Since I had not traveled across South Dakota in recent history until convention weekend, a stop at Chamberlin was necessary so that I could see the beautiful statue at the top of the hill. Dale Lamphere, an artist from Sturgis, fashioned the wonderful creation called “Dignity.” It is a huge and beautiful depiction of a Native American woman. Check it out: https://www.travelsouthdakota.com/explore-with-us/spotlights/dignity-earth-sky

The spires of the basilica at Holy Hill

The annual pilgrimage to Sheboygan, Wisconsin, to the first shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in America takes place in October. Friends from Denver flew to Sioux Falls and drove with me to Wisconsin. It is always a trip full of spiritual experiences and fun times. Our entire Benedictine Community and some friends were also able to attend giving us a total of 10 present at the pilgrimage.  We also visited St. Agnes by the Lake in Algoma, the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, WI, Holy Hill in Hubertus, WI, and the Shine of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Franciscan Sisters mother house in LaCrosse, WI.  It was a joy-filled week of prayer and reunion with dear friends.

View from the doorway.

To complete the pilgrimages for the year, my friend Craig invited me to spend a week in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  We’ve been there several times.  It is totally relaxing to sit on the beach with a good book, take a walk in the beautiful sand and eat at some fantastic restaurants. It is a true pilgrimage of refreshment.

View from the terrace

The resort in which we stayed, however, was in the midst of destruction/construction. The view from our front door was not the best. The giant jack-hammer used to accomplish the destruction was in operation most of the day.  It could not be heard at the beach, thankfully. The view from our patio was much more pleasant.

Cabo dressed for Christmas

Coming from South Dakota it was amusing to see the Christmas decorations complete with snowflakes! One wonders if the natives have any idea of what a snowflake is, other than decoration.

Sophia surveying her domain

Following my return from Mexico, Sophia came to live with us.  She is a beautiful cat still acclimating to the household and coming to terms with Makarios, who has been resident here for 16 years and is convinced that he owns the place. Sophia came from a rescue shelter to be a companion for a resident at Dow Rummel Village. Shortly after her arrival her new mistress had to move to full nursing care. Sophia lived by herself (with care) in the apartment for a time until it was determined that the nursing placement was permanent. She then moved in with another resident who offered her to me. So, she has had a least four different homes in, what is thought to be, three years.

I’m awaiting a new set of lenses so that I can see more clearly. It’s the first change in my prescription that I’ve had in more than 10 years.  I guess I’m due for that. My health is very good. I enjoy singing in the choir at the cathedral, some supply work at the altar from time to time, being a substitute organist and being with my Benedictine community.

Thanks for letting me share my year with you.  Blessings and prayers for, hopefully, a peaceful 2018.

The Year: 2016

2016 was quite a year, was it not?

The first usual pilgrimage of the year has been to Minneapolis to attend a workshop at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church. They bring in some stellar speakers for these events which center around liturgy and music.   This year they decided to evaluate the program and skip the January event until they decide on a new format or remodel the existing. It was a disappointment but a trip to Minneapolis in January can be a weather event. So far we’ve been lucky making this pilgrimage, but there is always the first time!

The winter months fill up rapidly with OLLI classes. We have an active OLLI (Osher Life Long Learning Institute) program here. They offer a wide variety of short term classes with excellent teachers and no tests. Some classes are just a one session two hour event.  Others might meet once each week for four weeks. I’ve had few disappointments along with many rewards and have learned many things. 

Since I was once again un-retired there were twice weekly pilgrimages to the Church of the Good Shepherd where I served as supply priest almost every Sunday. It was a pleasure to serve them while they searched for a new rector. It was also a pleasure not to have to drive out of town on Sunday mornings, especially when the weather can be a bit nasty or really nasty, as the case may be.

The South Dakota Symphony performs a concert nearly every month. Saint Joseph’s Cathedral has an arts program which is excellent and provides several concerts each season. Both Calvary Cathedral and First Congregational have arts programs with several concerts. The hi-def broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera are superb. These musical events fill up the calendar quite nicely and each concert provides another pilgrimage experience.

During March our Benedictine Community here hosted the meeting of all the priors. These pilgrims came from Victoria, B.C., Brandon, Manitoba, and Tempe, Arizona. It was the first time we had all gathered together and it was a wonderful time, although too brief. 

With our friend Victor in Cabo San Lucas

After seeing the church community at Good Shepherd through Holy Week and Easter, a pilgrimage to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, was a welcome break. My traveling companion and high school friend Craig has a time-share there and graciously invited me to meet him there. It’s always a relaxing time and was even more so after the hustle and bustle of Easter in a parish setting. We didn’t do much aside from eating, reading, and relaxing on the beach. Nice!

One of my Denver friends!

The very end of April was the first pilgrimage to Denver for this year. The national meeting of the Society of Mary was being hosted by the parish I had served in Denver. Going to that meeting provided an opportunity to stay at the new home of close friends whose marriage I had solemnized. It was an opportunity to see many friends from my time in Denver. I enjoyed the reunions. Since I was coming to Denver the weather took the opportunity to snow for four days. Once again the prediction was proved true: when I come to Denver or leave therefrom it snows.  Nevertheless, the parish did a lovely job of hosting the meeting although the weather prevented any visitors from even seeing the mountains from a distance let alone traveling into same.

In the middle of May, the annual pilgrimage to Salina, Kansas, for the chapter meeting of the Society of the Holy Cross took place.  There was no snow, thankfully.  It is always good to see the brethren again for this yearly get together.

The second week of June brought the annual Dakota Sky Piano event. This is conceived and organized by one of my former choir boys. He brings in brilliant pianists for a series of recitals, master classes, and workshops. It is a great gift to the community.

Following Dakota Sky the second Denver pilgrimage took place to attend the ordination to the permanent diaconate of one of my former parishioners whom I had encouraged to enter the ordination process. He had requested that I be one of his presenters. No snow this time! Rather, on the day of the ordination, the temperature approached 100 as we entered the non-airconditioned cathedral. There were celebrations surrounding the event and more opportunities to spend time with friends. The ordination took place on Saturday. On the following Sunday, the rector gave me the honor of celebrating the sung mass with the newly ordained deacon assisting. I also blessed the new home of my friends in Littleton where I was again given housing for all the festivities.

Relaxing in Omaha

In August, my friend Craig came to visit for three weeks. During that time we made several pilgrimages to Omaha, to Mitchell (to see the “world’s only” Corn Palace and the archeological dig, to Fargo and Morehead and to Minneapolis and St. Paul. We had a good time and Craig was able to see some things he had never experienced when living in South Dakota way back when.

Brunch with Denver friends.

In September the third pilgrimage to Denver took place. No snow once again! Our chapter of the Society of the Holy Cross hosted the national synod at St. Michael and All Angels. Brethren from across the United States came in for the meeting. Again, it was great to see friends that I only see at that yearly meeting. As with any national meeting with which one is in charge, it is also nice when it is over and the last one in attendance leaves town.

October is the month of annual pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.  Three friends from Denver flew to Sioux Falls and rode with me to the pilgrimage. Two others flew to Milwaukee from Denver and met us in Sheboygan. Other members and friends of my Benedictine Community traveled to the pilgrimage. We enjoyed meeting together once again and seeing old friends that constantly attend the event. It is a lovely weekend in the midst of the prime time for autumn colors in Wisconsin. 

The two rulers of the house.

In the midst of all this traveling to and fro, Max, my younger cat, was diagnosed with a kidney stone and with other G.I. problems. One vet said a stone in a cat’s kidney seldom moves so it really doesn’t cause any pain. He’s gained back the weight he lost and more! After trying several different regimes for the other problem it just stopped one day out of the clear blue. Makarios, the elder of the two felines, was diagnosed with diabetes. After several months we are still working on getting his blood sugar stabilized. He doesn’t mind the insulin shots twice each day. He’s not really keen on the bi-weekly visits to the vet to test his blood. 

At the end of October, a friend and I made the pilgrimage to Minneapolis to Mt. Olive Church for an event they dubbed a Manztage. Paul Manz, a great organist and composer, was the cantor in this church. In his honor the church hosts this event from time to time. There were lovely liturgies, a hymn festival and wonderful speakers. My Mt. Olive pilgrimage was fulfilled. It was considerably warmer than January in Minnesota. A very moving weekend.

The Capitol in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

December was the time for my retirement from church again. It also was the time for a cruise on the Eastern Caribbean with my friend Craig. The nine day cruise was very relaxing. The ports visited (Tortola, Turks and Caicos, St. Martin) were not particularly exciting. We’d exit the ship, walk around a bit and return to the ship. San Juan, Puerto Rico, was an exception. It was interesting walking around Old San Juan. We meet some interesting people on the ship. Our dining companions were very pleasant. The entertainment was outstanding. The weather, except for one afternoon was excellent. It was a nice “retirement” cruise. We returned on December 23, just in time to be home for Christmas. 

It was a great year, in spite of all the awful politics, filled with wonderful memories of places and friends. 

Right now it is 2 degrees here with wind chills around -15. It would feel really good to be back on the cruise ship with temps in the 80s and 90s.

I am fairly focused about writing when traveling, but not so much when thinking about short trips, business trips, other things happening in my life. Those things seem not to have the impact that “large” trips have. Thinking back on the year, however, there are certain things that do stand out. In some ways all these trips have been pilgrimages.

I’m writing this at the end of the year as a summary which may interest to some readers. There will not be a test at the end so feel free to skip anything that does not pique your interest.

January

Not everyone plans a road trip in January. In this part of the world it is risky business. Least of all does one plan a trip to Minneapolis in January, a place where it is likely to be even colder and snowier than Sioux Falls. 

For several years I’ve attended a workshop on liturgy at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. It is an event I look forward to for the opportunity to worship in that lovely church and be enriched by the music there which is simply wonderful. 

This past January one of the workshop leaders was Gail Ramshaw whose work I’ve admired for years. The opportunity to learn from her about the Revised Common Lectionary was a dream come true. I took away so much from the brief time at Mt. Olive and have treasured the learning.

Yes, it’s cold. The warm welcome of the parish and participants pierces through the chill and darkness and makes the trip more than worthwhile. It is a pilgrimage for me.

March

My longtime friend (we are talking about Jr. High and High School here!) Craig Thompson invited me to spend a week with him in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico. He’s invited me to do this several times before. The time there is very relaxed. It’s good to settle into a place and know that there will be no pressures for a week’s time. The resort is beautiful. The restaurants are wonderful. The time on the beach is priceless for body and soul.  Whale watching was a thrillIt is a pilgrimage of a different sort. 

May

A yearly meeting of the local chapter of one of the societies to which I belong usually takes place in May. We’ve met in Salina, Kansas for the last several years because it is a central point in the area we encompass. It isn’t really central geographically, just population wise. I’m in charge of this group of priests. The area which falls under my jurisdiction includes Minnesota, Iowa, part of Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan.

The yearly pilgrimage provides a chance to see priestly friends and to pray together. It is a true pilgrimage in the religious sense of the word.

June

Each year one of my former choir boys sponsors a piano festival here in Sioux Falls. This past June two of my friends and former parishioners from Denver made the pilgrimage here to attend this festival and enjoy the pleasures of South Dakota. It was so good to have Nancy and Ted here and show them a little of Sioux Falls as well as hear some wonderful music.

January through July

I laughingly say that being a part of two endangered species does not provide for a peaceful retirement. Those species are organist and priest. 

Saint Mary’s Church in Mitchell was without a priest and requested that I celebrate and preach there one Sunday each month. Weather prevented the pilgrimage in January and February. The other months I had the privilege of being with that congregation. It was a blessing to be able to help them out.  Their new cleric began in July which meant that I could supply here in Sioux Falls.

September

My long-time, good friend and traveling companion, Craig, made a pilgrimage to visit me in September. He was born in South Dakota but left for California after graduating from college. Although I've visited him in California several times, this is the first time he came to see me. Part of the journey was a trip to his home town of Estelline, SD. It's a tidy little town which is smaller now than when he lived there, as is the case with most of the small towns in South Dakota. It was my first visit there and I was pleased to have him point out the sites he remembered. As with many small towns the bandstand is a central feature.

Each year the “business travel” revs up in the autumn. One of the things that happens when one has been around forever is the appointment to various boards and organizations. One of those organizations meets in September each year.  This year the meeting was in Boston at All Saints Church Ashmont. Traveling to see that church this year was truly a pilgrimage. To be with brother priests and worship together is one aspect. Another, this particular year, was to see the church designed by the noted architect Ralph Adams Cram. A multi-year total renovation of the church has just been completed and it is truly stunning. 

October

Each year since 1991, with a few exceptions, parishioners and friends make a pilgrimage to the first shrine of Our Lady of Walshingham in the United States. The pilgrimage site is Our Lady of Grace Church in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Sheboygan is also known as the “Bratwurst Capital of the U.S.” 

This year good friends, the Gernerts, flew to Sioux Falls from Denver. After they checked in at their hotel I whisked them off to the meeting of the city council. I was to receive an honor from Sioux Falls Beautiful for my front garden. The mayor presented me with a “chunk” of rose quartzite (the native stone around here) and a citation was read.  Pictures of the garden were projected while this was taking place. Then the fun began. Before the night was over I received a call from the local paper. The next morning the Associated Press called. An article on the front page proclaimed that my “illegal” front garden had won an award! My yard and hundreds of others in the city have plantings in the area between the sidewalk and the street against which there is a city ordinance. There has been talk of changing the ordinance for years. With the flap about my yard perhaps it will finally happen! At least I was not arrested. (Pictures of the yard at the end of the blog.)

 The Gernerts and I drove from here to Sheboygan. It’s a five hundred mile trip which we make in one day. The fall colors in Wisconsin are usually at their prime. This helps make the miles fly by. 

The first day of the pilgrimage is a “quiet day.” Meditations are given and time for reflection is provided in abundance. The second day begins with a procession around the block, a Mass celebrated by the bishop of Fond du Lac, superb music, a luncheon, and more devotions and music in the afternoon. Having attended this for so many years it is almost like going home. One sees many of the same people each year, not only parishioners of Grace Church, but others who make the pilgrimage. 

The three intrepid pilgrims made their way to Algoma for Sunday Mass right on the lake shore, then on to the only officially sanctioned shrine of a Marian apparition in the United States, through Green Bay on a Packers’ game day, across the rest of Wisconsin to Minneapolis, then to Collegeville to Saint John’s Abbey and finally back to Sioux Falls. It was a great joy to share this pilgrimage with my good friends. We still reminisce when we visit on the telephone.

November

Another society for which I serve on the national council meets in November. This year the meeting was in New York City. This pilgrimage always involves a solemn Requiem Mass. This year it was at Resurrection Church with the choir singing the Mozart Requiem. 

I had time to enjoy three broadway shows, a three museums, and an opera while there. I always make good use of my time in that city.  There is so much to see and do I don’t want to waste a minute. I also included a visit to "ground zero' to see the memorials there.

December

I’ve volunteered at the Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science since it’s opening. One afternoon I was scheduled to be a docent for a group of school children. They were delayed in their arrival. Mysteriously other docents appeared and a couple of strangers. The staff of the Visual Arts Center and the Volunteer Coordinator also joined this group. The two strangers began a presentation which culminated with me receiving the Volunteer of the Month Award for the City of Sioux Falls. It was a total surprise and a great honor.

One of the things on my “bucket list” has a been a trip through the Panama Canal. Craig and I made that pilgrimage this December.

The flight from Sioux Falls was without incident, for a change.  No horror stories of airline mishaps. Quite a difference in climate from Sioux Falls to Ft. Lauderdale.  The humidity smacks one in the face. I always plan to arrive a day early in case the luggage does not arrive with me. I’ve seen the results of people who arrive on embarkation day and have only the clothes on their backs in which to spend ten days.

On the shuttle from the hotel we rode with a couple who ended up being our neighbors in the next stateroom. The Zuiderdam is an older vessel which is in need of some serious upkeep. Following the obligatory life boat muster adventure we set sail.  The sea was a bit rough so we rocked and rolled throughout the night. Being the first night it was a little disconcerting, or perhaps just hard to get used to. We met the three couples who were to be our table-mates at dinner the first evening. Delightful people some of whom were related.

Our first stop was at Holland America’s island, Half-Moon Cay. It seems that every ships’ company has a “private” island in the Caribbean where their ships stop so passengers can leave the ship and enjoy some beach time while adding to the coffers of the company.

A day at sea brought us to Aruba. Mainly flat land given to farming except for the resorts and the port city which is given to jewelry shops and souvenirs. We had not scheduled a tour so we spent some time roaming the port and returned to the ship. Others who had taken a tour reported that we had not missed much.

Next day we made port at Bonaire, one of the Netherlands Antilles. Again we did not tour but investigated the town, purchased a few things and returned to the ship. Bonaire is famous for its salt harvesting. 

Sailing through the night we arrived at the Panama Canal early in the morning. We had been told in a briefing on the ship that our vessel would have only two feet of clearance on either side as we went through the locks. Hence the need for new locks for larger ships which are now under construction. We sailed to Gatun Lake, an artificial lake that forms a major part of the canal. 

We boarded a tender which took us to a bus which took us to a ferry upon which we completed the journey to the Pacific. Being on the ferry provided a much closer look at the whole procedure of going through the locks. What a fantastic feat of engineering that project was.

At Panama City, which has become a city of skyscrapers, we boarded our bus and made the journey by land back to Colon where our ship had docked.

Our next and final port was Puerto Limón, Costa Rica. We scheduled a tour to a sanctuary where wild animals are rehabilitated and returned to their natural habitat. It is also a botanical garden. I found it to be fascinating. Many of the animals were orphaned as infants or were purchased as pets and abandoned when they reverted to their natural instincts. They are well cared for here and the docents obviously love what they are doing. The tour ended with fabulous fresh fruit and drinks. 

After two days at sea we returned to Ft. Lauderdale and then home. We met some great new friends, and had wonderful conversations. The sea was a bit choppy most of the time with winds in the 40 mph range. We had no incidents of sea sickness. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and the warm weather.

Back at home we are digging out of our fourth snowstorm. We’ve already exceeded our total snowfall of last winter. The ground has not frozen so the wonderful moisture will soak in when it warms enough to melt. We still have green grass!

I’ve been un-retired yet again. One of the local parishes is without a priest and I will be supplying there on a pretty regular basis. I do enjoy being able to do this although it cramps my travels a bit. For a while the only pilgrimage will be across town to the church. But that too is a real pilgrimage.

The "illegal" part of the garden.