What You Can Learn Over Dinner!

L to R: Tom, Marilee, Ginger, Bob, Sheryl

It was one of those spur-of-the-moment invitations, when you take a quick mental assessment and realize that you have enough food on hand to bring people home for dinner with you after church.  We'd bought Copper River salmon to barbecue, as Tom's sister Marilee was up for a visit, so we asked Bob and Sheryl to join us.  Sheryl is a high school friend who has just been back in my life for the past six years or so, but we'd never spent time with them as a couple.

Over salmon, wild rice, sautéed vegetables, green salad and ice tea, we swapped stories and recipes.  Stories, we had stories: we heard about cross country train trips, launching a homemade hot air balloon, lutefisk, salvaging treasures that wash up on the shore, ski patrol, and the Iditarod.  We shared stories of first meetings and romance, childhood friendships and 100-year-old neighbors, vintage radio, spinning yarn and making maple syrup.  

Bob shared his recipe for a marinade he uses with salmon, but we didn't have the ingredients on hand, so instead we prepared the salmon according to Sheryl's mom's favorite method.  They said I could pass their recipes along.  Tom's sautéed veggies were a big hit, so I'm including a recipe for that too.

While we were on a recipe roll, I jotted down a few more simple, good ones to share.  You'll find Bob's dad's salad dressing, Marilee's frozen blueberry ice cream, and Eskimo ice cream.  (As a vet for the Iditarod for a number of years. Bob had some interesting stories, as well as this remarkable recipe.)

It was a grand afternoon!  Sorry you couldn't have been there too.

Bob's Salmon Marinade

Make up a mixture of equal parts brown sugar and Italian dressing; sprinkle in Johnny's Seasoning, salt, pepper, and a small amount of hickory smoke.  Coat the salmon and refrigerate for an hour or so before grilling. 

Sheryl's Mom's Salmon

Place a fillet of salmon skinside-down on a piece of foil. Spread with a thin coat of mayonnaise or Miracle Whip; sprinkle with dill seed.  Place the foil and salmon on a hot barbecue grill, and cover with the lid of the grill.  Cook for approximately 20 minutes.  

(We used mesquite instead of charcoal, which worked beautifully.  The salmon was moist and absolutely delicious.)

Tom's Sautéed Vegetables

1-2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

2 large mushrooms, sliced

1 large zucchini, cut in 1/2 inch pieces

2 tomatoes, cut into wedges

1 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp catsup

tarragon

Sautée the garlic cloves in olive oil.  Add onion, mushroom, and zucchini until they are tender.  Add soy sauce, catsup and tarragon.  Stir briefly, then add tomatoes, cooking until they are hot through.  Serve.

Bob's Dad's Salad Dressing

1/2 cup milk

1-2 Tbsp vinegar

1 Tbsp sugar

Shake them together and pour over your salad.

Marilee's Blueberry Ice Cream

To get frozen blueberries -- In the summer, pick blueberries.  (She recommends that you get them near the ski lift at Mt Baker if at all possible, as they are especially large and delicious there!)  Lay them out on a cookie sheet and place them in the freezer until they are frozen.  Put them in freezer bags and put them back into the freezer to have them ready whenever you want them.  (Or you can buy them if you prefer.)

To make blueberry ice cream -- Put 1 cup frozen blueberries in a glass.  Sprinkle with sugar to taste and cover with milk.  Let it chill for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Yummy!

Eskimo Ice Cream

moose fat (soft back fat of the moose)

sugar to taste

blueberries

Whip until smooth.  Enjoy.

Unlike typical ice cream, this is assured to warm you up.  

Vegetarian alternative -- substitute Crisco for the moose fat!

You never know; it's just possible that one of these recipes is just what you need to round out your Memorial Day dinner.

Battle of the Ads

Here are ads from the 1950s for a couple of popular chocolate drinks.  Which one wins your vote?

Drive-By Photo Shoot

I'd never done this before, but the other evening, the one when it wasn't raining, as we drove into Everett along Pioneer Highway, I rolled down my window (I was not the driver!) and just started snapping photos.  Much of the road between the Stanwood fairgrounds and I-5 at the Arlington/Silvana exit is 50 miles an hour, and all of the road is curvy, so it is impossible to control the outcome of this low precision photography technique.  I felt like a little kid; it was so much fun!  Many of the pictures were so blurry you could hardly make out the images, but some turned out surprising well.  Here are a few of the results:

I was attempting to get a photo of Silvana Meats,
but got the overhead wires instead!

I  

Just a reminder that you are invited to send me your photo(s)
that you shoot at 8:57.  I'm hoping for some by the end of May.
See here for details.

Daughters by Design

Meet an empty nest couple, Paul and Paula Jarot, whose lives took a huge turn when they adopted two orphaned girls from Cambodia.  Paula's book, Daughters by Design, tells their story.

“. . . trace God’s hand . . . celebrate His watchful care over two special orphans and . . . two unsuspecting but willing parents . . . they gave us the courage to move forward with our adoption . . .”
–Matthew and Molly Veldt, adoptive parents of international children (from the publisher's webpage)


If you are considering international adoption, or know someone who is, or if you just like to see God's faithfulness in people's lives, you will want to read Daughters by Design.

Aprons From Africa

I wanted to send a gift to Esperance, the widow we sponsor through Sister Connection, so I called the co-director of the program, Denise Patch, to check it out.  During our conversation, the idea of the Burundian widows making aprons as a micro-enterprise came up.  As Denise was planning a trip to Burundi in January, I told her I'd collect a few sample aprons that the women might be able to use for patterns.

Oh, did I have fun rummaging through every ValueVillage I could find!  I gathered up a big pile of aprons, including some child-sized ones, and sent them off to Denise.

Later I learned that the women had taken to the idea, and were making aprons to sell!  Denise's assistant, Michelle, who traveled with Denise to Burundi, e-mailed me with this information:  "We took your samples to the widows and within no time they had loads of aprons made!  All different types with all different fabric used, they were beautiful!...Thank you so much for sending these samples.  It truly is a gift the Lord used greatly!  Most were brought back to the states by team members and are now being sold with all proceeds going to Sister Connection and back to the widows."

Just the other day I received an apron of my own in the mail, a gift from Susan, one of the Sister Connection team members!  She said that the widows are very excited about learning to sew.  I'm totally delighted that the Lord used a simple thing like my collecting aprons to send to Africa to impact the lives of some of my sisters and their families!

As soon as I get details about how you can order an apron for yourself and for others, I'll let you know.

Breath of Aire

Sixty singers filled the risers of the church on Sunday evening, men and women spanning six decades, dressed in formal attire, all waiting for the director to take his place.  When Dr. Bayard DuBois stepped onto the platform and raised his arms, the Breath of Aire concert choir leaned in.  On the downbeat, the room exploded with music to rival any choir I have ever heard.  Animated faces, bodies moving freely as they sang, all eyes riveted on the director and all voices blending as one.  It was not just a concert -- it was a musical experience that carried us along.

Breath of Aire is a regional choir, with members coming from all around Washington State.  Indeed, the pianist, who used to accompany the group when she was living in Oregon, had flown in that day from her new home in Houston to be there for the final concert of the choir's 11th season.  Their mission is to inspire, educate and encourage.  I certainly felt inspired, encouraged, even educated, as I sat alert, listening with my ears and heart to songs of hope and joy and heard of the organizations that have benefitted from the offerings taken during the concerts.

Most of the choir's selections at Sunday night's concert were spiritual -- hymns, gospel, and classical pieces -- but their growing repertoire, to which is added 15 or 20 new pieces each year, also includes patriotic, Americana, country, show tunes, and contemporary inspirational songs.  Singers were featured through solos, duets, and quartets, and several members of the local church choir joined the Breath of Aire singers for two lovely numbers.  After the intermission, the musicians circled the sanctuary to sing Shenandoah, sung as a round, echoing through the room with a rich stereo effect, and a beautiful rendition of The Love of God.

It was during these two songs that I got my closest view of the director.  He stood in the center aisle near our seats and poured his heart into drawing music from his choir.  He used his entire body, arms in motion, body swaying, face reflecting the soul of the music.  A general practice dentist, Bayard DuBois has learned the secret of choir directing: relationship.  "When a conductor has a good relationship with his choir they feel safe with him and are willing to take risks.  The whole thing explodes from there," he says.*

It is evident that his choir loves him.  As he stood in the aisle he held up a piece of sheet music and moved it around the room so that the singers could see it.  But some couldn't tell what it was -- they didn't know what they were about to sing!  He laughed, told them the piece's title, and away they went, all eyes fastened on their director, even if some of them could only see his back!

My sister, Peach, is a member of the choir, and has spoken with such enthusiasm of the concerts -- and even the rehearsals -- that we didn't want to miss the evening's event.  As with most of the concerts, this was a fundraiser for a local need.  The offering, earmarked entirely for the Puget Sound Christian Clinic, raised $2577.  Earlier this year one of their concerts brought in $12,000 for a young boy who needed a double lung/heart transplant.

As we moved toward the car at the end of the evening, Tom was greeted by a young woman who was a part of the local church's choir.  Her excitement was tangible.  She had just joined Breath of Aire!

If you'd like to know how you can hear the choir or sing in it yourself, check out their website, BreathofAire.org.

*from The sound of grace: Breath of Aire chorus performs in Bastyr Chapel this month, by Elizabeth Griffin (11/09) in the Journal Newspaper Group

Audience Participation

Photo by Samuel Kauffman

What's happening in your world at three minutes to nine?  Are you just getting home from delivering your kids to school and sitting down for a cup of coffee?  Are you in the garden or out on errands or at work?  Are you walking the dog?  Maybe you're just getting the homeschooling underway.

What do you see around you?  Give us a chance to get to know you and your life a little by sharing your photo(s) on this blog.  Here's how:

Some time before the end of the month, you are invited to pick up your camera at 8:57 and start clicking -- but just for one minute.  Choose as many photos as you'd like to send to the blog that I can post in June.   Include your name and where you're from, and any other info you'd like to add.  Please send them as .JPGs to threeminutestonine@gmail.com.

I can't wait to see what you're up to!

Our Colorful Neighborhood

So here's what it looked like in my neighborhood yesterday morning around three minutes to nine.  I started out in our yard, checking out my very late blooming lilac bush that Tom gave me a couple of years ago, then got a couple more photos at our house, then moved on down the street.  I ended up at the cemetery, where I got the last couple of photos from the bluff overlooking the Olympic Mountains and the farmland.  Some other day I'll turn left at the end of our road and head toward the schools and shops, but today I turned right.

It's 8:57

It's three minutes to nine and I'm not here.  I've got my camera and I'm out and about this morning, seeing what's going on this beautiful morning.  Check back tomorrow to see what happens at 8:57 on a Friday morning in Stanwood!

Come to Dinner

"Suppose I invite you to my house for dinner, and I work for hours preparing a sumptuous meal, the finest food I can provide.  My table is set -- a meat platter laden with thick slices of juicy turkey, ham, and beef; the serving bowls heaped with exotic rice dishes, delicately seasoned vegetables, and ambrosia; trays laden with fruits and cheeses; homemade biscuits with jam; chocolate-dipped strawberries and cream puffs for dessert.  I am looking forward to serving you and rush to the door when I hear you drive up.

"It's been a long trip for you as you live many miles away.  You started out early in the day to reach my house in time for dinner.  As you traveled you stopped now and then to stretch your legs, get gas, use the restroom.  At each stop you picked up a snack, something to "tide you over" until you got to my house.

"You pull into my driveway, weary from the long trip, and walk up to my house.  I throw open the door to greet you and the sights and aromas of my meal spread out before you greet you as well.  Then it is that you realize that your little snacks, the treats you gave yourself along the way to stave off the hunger pangs, have stolen your appetite.  My wonderful dinner is ready for you, but you are not ready for it."

It was 40 years ago that I head the speaker kick off a large youth conference with these words.  I don't remember his name, but I could probably take you to the seat in the auditorium where I sat as I heard him talk about the amazing things God has in mind for us and the junk that masks our hunger for Him.

I wonder what pure and delicious pleasures we have missed out on in our lives because we have attempted to fill the hunger with quick fixes, diversions and things that don't satisfy.

Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life.  
He who comes to me will never go hungry, 
and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."

John 6:35

The Music Man, Dr Ernst Katz

He began his career as the conductor of a youth orchestra in 1938.  His career spanned seven decades!  Meet Dr Ernst Katz.

Between the Rain Storms

Between the rain storms I've been able to get out for some fresh air, brisk walks, and seeing the sights.  Friday Karen and I went to Seattle for her birthday.  A stout wind greeted us when we got to Green Lake and set off on the 2.8 mile walk around the lake.  I was stoutly winded by the time we got back to the car!  What a gift this lake is to the hundreds of folks each day who run, walk, skate, push strollers, and ride bikes through the park in one of Seattle's lovely neighborhoods.  We enjoyed the walk, the conversation, the sights, and this great old birch tree with its peeling bark.

On Saturday Tom and I took in some of the Camano Island Studio Tour, where we stepped inside artists' studios and under awnings to talk with painters and sculptors and enjoy their various mediums, styles, and works.  We found these lush greens scenes on the island. 

Last night about 7:30 we took a walk through our neighborhood.  Here's what we saw:

And as I was heading off to bed, this is what I saw out my kitchen window.

My Luck May Be Changing

Remember the Haggen Monopoly game?  Well, it's still going, and we're still playing.

Friday was double day.  All of the products featured in the Monopoly game were worth two game tickets instead of one.  I guess you know that got my attention.  So I set off for Haggen and went up and down the aisles, filling my cart with every conceivable item that my family might need. I returned home with 50 playing pieces!  That, added to the 15 I had at home, made me giddy with anticipation.

After dinner we set up shop, me at the dining room table, Tom at the computer.  I checked to see which stickers I needed for my three game boards while Tom typed in numbers for the online matching game.  We came up with several instant winners -- a cake mix, a box of oatmeal, Cheez-it crackers, a cheese-stuffed potato, and several Monopoly game tickets.  We also got a number of stickers to send in for a drawing.  But out of all that we only got two stickers for my game boards.

We collected all our prize notifications (including that can of corn I'd been waiting to claim) and trotted back to the store at 9:30 Friday night.  Would you believe it -- they gave us two game tickets for each product we redeemed!  With that and all the additional game tickets we'd won, we returned home with another 42 game tickets, certain we were on our way to riches!

And all we've got to show for it is a free bag of salad greens and six more free tickets to collect on our next trip to the store.

Yep, looks like my luck is changing... but it's not for the better!

Faces in Places

Here's one of my favorite blogs that I check out every now and then.  It's called Faces in Places and features photos of faces found in everyday places -- like the fixtures on the kitchen sink, knotholes on a tree, a traffic light.  The photo is the cover of the book that was released last year, but the blog is free!

Psalm 23

Drawing by Tom Kauffman

Take a fresh look at Psalm 23, from the Complete Jewish Bible.

1 A psalm of David: ADONAI is my shepherd; I lack nothing. 2 He has me lie down in grassy pastures, he leads me by quiet water, 3 he restores my inner person. He guides me in right paths for the sake of his own name. 4 Even if I pass through death-dark ravines, I will fear no disaster; for you are with me; your rod and staff reassure me. 5 You prepare a table for me, even as my enemies watch; you anoint my head with oil from an overflowing cup. 6 Goodness and grace will pursue me every day of my life; and I will live in the house of ADONAI for years and years to come.


Today I am reminded that ADONAI is my shepherd, too, and that I have all I need in him.  I let him restore my inner person and will fear no disaster, because he is with me.  I will live this day with goodness and grace pursuing me!  May it be the same for you as well.

Laura Story - Blessings

What if my greatest disappointments

or the aching of this life

is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy,

and what if the trials of this life --

the rain, the storms, the longest nights --

are your blessings in disguise?

Laura Story 

From the Writings of Hannah Whitall Smith

In God is Enough, a daily devotional containing excerpts from Hannah Whiteall Smith's writings, we read the following quote.  It originally appeared in The God of All Comfort, and was published in 1906.  It is equally true today.

Overadvertising or Undertrusting

The religion of the Lord Jesus Christ was meant to be full of comfort.  Every newly converted soul, in the first joy of conversion, fully expects it.  And yet it seems as if for a great number of Christians, their religious lives are the most uncomfortable part of their existence.  Does the fault of this state of things lie with the Lord?  Has He promised more than He is able to supply?

We know what overadvertisement is.  It is a twentieth-century disease from which we all suffer.  Everything is overadvertised.  Is it the same with the kingdom of God?  Has He deceived us?  There is a feeling abroad that Christ offered more in His gospel than He has to give.  People claim that they have not realized what was predicted as the portion of the children of God.

But why is this so?  Has the kingdom of God been overadvertised, or is it only that it has been underbelieved?  Has the Lord Jesus Christ been overestimated, or has He only been undertrusted?  I firmly believe that the kingdom of God cannot possibly be overadvertised nor the Lord Jesus Christ overestimated, for, "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9).  This difficulty arises from the fact that we have underbelieved and undertrusted.

Almond Meal Banana Cake

Dessert yesterday was a big hit -- banana cake served with So Delicious (a dairy-free version of ice cream) and fresh strawberries.  The recipe is adapted from Elana's Pantry, and that's where I got the photo.

Almond Meal Banana Cake

3 c blanched almond meal*
1/2 tsp celtic sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 c honey
1/4 c grapeseed oil
3 eggs, whisked
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 bananas (about 1 cup), mashed

In a large bowl, mix together almond meal, salt and baking soda.
In a smaller bowl, combine honey, grapeseed oil, eggs and vanilla, then stir in bananas.
Mix wet ingredients into dry, stirring until it is well combined.
Place the batter into a prepared cake pan (or two 7x4 inch loaf pans, if you prefer to serve it as banana bread).
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool before serving.
Serves 12

*Just Almond Meal is available at Trader Joe's for $3.99 for a 16-oz bag.  You can also get 16 oz of Bob's Red Mill Almond Meal/Flour at many stores, but it costs about twice as much.  And I think the Trader Joe's makes a better cake.

The Blossom Napkin Fold

Learn how to make a simple yet elegant blossom napkin fold, something you might like to use as you set your Mother's Day table.  (Hope you're not reading the blog today, Mom!)

Vision

The football stadium was alive that Thanksgiving Day, as the cross-town high school rivals met on the field.  I was 14, and Dad had taken me and my brother Tom to cheer on Cascade as they hoped to best Everett.

"Look at that bass drum with the big C on it," Dad said.  "Where?" I asked.  He pointed to the back of the marching band.  "There," he told me, "the white one with the big red C painted on it."  "I don't see it, " replied.  "I just see a pink drum.

Needless to say, within the week I was sitting in the chair of the eye doctor, having my eyes tested.  When my new glasses were ready I was surprised to realize that the technician who slipped them onto my face had freckles, and the tree in our neighbors' back yard had clearly distinguishable needles!  My world changed when I got my vision adjusted.

Here's one definition for vision: being able to see things for what they truly are.

Second Kings, chapter 6 of the Old Testament records a fascinating story.  The king of Aram is at war with Israel, but someone keeps warning the king of Israel of all of Aram's moves.  When the king of Aram finds out that it is the prophet Elisha he sends his armies to capture Elisha.  In the morning Elisha's servant is terrified to see the city surrounded by the armies of Aram and he cries out, "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?"

"Don't be afraid," the prophet answered.  "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them."  And Elisha prayed, "O Lord, open his eyes so he may see."  Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (verses 16, 17).

We tend to focus on what's right before us; we don't see things for what they truly are.  Partly that's because there is an unseen spiritual realm that we little understand.  Occasionally we may get a glimpse, like Elisha's servant did, but we are so focused on our immediate issues that we don't see the whole picture.

What's the remedy for spiritual vision problems?  Allow God to open our eyes.

We can ask the Lord to change our vision.  Psalm 119:18 the psalmist prays, "Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law."  And after Jesus' resurrection as he walked along, unrecognized by two of His disciples, we read that beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself... "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" the disciples said to each other after he disappeared from their sight (Luke 24:27,32).

I don't know any better way to improve our spiritual vision than to ask the Lord to open our eyes as we allow him to teach us through his Word.  It is there that we see things for what they truly are.

And Where Do You Hide a Stolen Giraffe?

And where do you hide a stolen giraffe?
Do you install it in the park
And tell children it is a slide?
Or do you exhibit only its eyes and tail
And tell people it is a cow?
Perhaps, because of its cobblestone coloring,
You could camouflage it as a city street.
You certainly couldn't keep it
In the back yard
For the neighbors would know
You were harboring a stolen giraffe.
Don't you see?
They would notice that
The tall trees were being denuded
And the shrubs were disappearing.
The remaining middle stuff would make it
So obvious!

Ginger Kauffman
Photo Credit:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1201169/Pictured-Giraffe-sticks-neck-breakfast-manor-house.html

Hymn of the Month -- Great is Thy Faithfulness

This hymn was written by Thomas Chisholm.  It was born out of the truth he experienced in his own life: his assurance of the faithfulness of God.

Chisholm came to Christ at the age of 27 and, when he was 36, he became a pastor.  But his health wasn't good, and after just one year of preaching he had to leave the ministry.  He spent the rest of his working life as an insurance salesman.

His health struggles continued throughout his life, yet he trusted in God's faithfulness and wrote about it in some of the 1200 poems he penned.  In 1923, at the age of 57, he sent some of his poems to William Runyan of the Hope Publishing Company.  Great is Thy Faithfulness -- expressing confidence in God's character, the evidence of His faithfulness through creation, and the personal witness of God's blessings in the life of the believer -- caught Mr Runyan's attention and he set the poem to music.  It became so popular on the Moody Bible College campus that it was considered Moody's unofficial theme song and was later made more widely known through George Beverly Shea.

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22,23

Remembering CYC!

When I was growing up, lots of kids were in Camp Fire or Scouts, but not me.  I was a CYCer!  CYC (Christian Youth Crusaders) was the Free Methodist version of Scouts and we met every Wedesday evening during the school year.

We had uniforms and handbooks, and we worked toward badges, just like in other programs.  Each session began with our song and pledges, then a time in our squadrons to tally up our points for the week.  The rest of the evening was spent on a missions lesson, a Bible story, a movie, a craft, or a party, and reminders to keep working on those pins and badges at home.

During my CYC days, there were Cadets (grades 4-6) and Crusaders (grades 7-9); later they began programs for younger children -- Heralds for grades 1-3 and Joybells for kindergarteners.

I loved Lucille Robinson's monthly missionary stories and the challenge of memorizing scripture; I enjoyed the fellowship of a large children's program in a relatively small church; and I felt safe and cared for at CYC.  Our church had a strong sense of family, and CYC allowed the kids and the grown-ups to be a part of each others' lives.

I especially liked singing in the Cadet Quartet.  My brother Tom and our friend Suzy traded off singing alto and tenor, and Tom's best friend, David, and I sang soprano.  (David is now a deep bass, but that didn't come till he got into Crusaders!)  Our repertoire was limited to Great is Thy Faithfulness and one other hymn that has long since slipped my mind, but, boy did we know those songs well!  And we were pretty good for a group of young kids!  (Suzy had many talents.  She was also the best baseball player of all the Cadets.  She even had her own mitt, and would bring it along on the nights that we went to the playground at Longfellow School for recreation night!)

David, me, Suzy and Tom

Do you like our outfits?  We got points for wearing dark skirts/trousers and white shirts.  I think the boys wore hats, too, but they didn't wear them inside the church.

Each week we recited the Cadet Promise (with hand motions): "Taking Jesus as my example and Saviour, as a Cadet Crusader I will try to increase in wisdom, stature, and in favor with God and man." Our handbook, Cadet Trails, laid out a systematic program to help us fulfill this promise, and we spent the year demonstrating our growth through the pins and badges we earned.

Our efforts were rewarded at Honor Council, the last night of the year, where we received our awards before the whole church.

Tom, David, Margurite and Suzy displaying their pins and badges

Some of the Cadets receiving our awards
That's me, third kid from the right, in front of my dad.
Mom's on the far left. 

I loved going to CYC, and I really loved going to CYC camp.  But that's a story for a different blog...

(Thanks, Suzy -- now Sue -- for loaning me the slides from CYC days.  It was fun to see them, and to remember)