Last Wednesday evening I went to see the local minor league baseball team play. After a week of nearly 100 degree temperatures, the evening was perfect for baseball. The local team is a AA affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Several of these players will be in the major leagues in a couple of years, so it is fun to watch future stars in action. I took my camera and decided to just photograph  the game from my seat. That meant shooting through the protective netting. You can see a little dark tint in some of the images. On this night the home team won 4-0.

There was some good defensive fielding. Here the shortstop makes a great catch in shallow left field.

Of course everyone likes to see a home run and there is no mistaking the triumphant trot around the bases. Our catcher is the shortest member of the team but he packs a punch in his bat. He has sent a pitch 380 feet over the left field fence and is being congratulated by the third base coach as he heads toward home plate. You can see a hint of the netting that I was shooting through here.

Monday’s Music Moves Me

The theme for this week’s music was very interesting, “2 sign language songs, and same two without”. Inspirational, Christian, Southern Gospel music has been a favorite genre of mine for many years now. Here are two songs that have been signed and then the official videos of each arrangement.

Mercy Me has been a major player in contemporary Christian music for twenty-five years, but it wasn’t until the movie “I Can Only Imagine” was released last year that many main stream moviegoers were introduced to the group. The song “Even If” speaks to the life on the road of any musician that spends months on tour. For the Christian musician that shares his faith through his music, he has to lead the audience in worship regardless of his own life circumstances at the moment. Likewise, our faith is based on where we place our trust, regardless of our situation. The message here is, “Even If” life is hard sometimes, I will still trust in the One who saved me.

 

Zach Williams is a relative newcomer to the contemporary Christian music scene and his first big single was Chain Breaker. All of us have life issues that are problematic and seem to bind up our life like chains. We just can’t seem to break free of the problems. There is a Chain Breaker and His name is Jesus Christ.

 

Have a blessed week.

Last week I posted this image of the grandson when he was little.

I probably should have posted the updated image so you know what he looks as a 14 year old, going on fifteen. He will enter his freshman year in high school this year. My how time flies.

He still has the freckles, but he is well on his way to six feet tall and beyond. Have a blessed week.

Back in May this granddaughter graduated from high school and next month she will be headed off to college. Last Friday she boarded a plane with other members of our church youth group and headed to Ecuador for a week-long mission trip. Four days after she returns she will leave with another group from the church as part of an on-going mission work in a small community in southeastern Arkansas. She is having an awesome summer. Have a blessed week.

Monday’s Music Moves Me

I am new to this meme, so I am not exactly sure how to jump in except to just jump in. I mentioned last week that I have been listening to a lot of music from one particular country artist recently. Dwight Yoakam was popular during the late 80’s and through the 90’s. He was instrumental in introducing the “Bakersfield Sound” to country music, which was a blend of country and hillbilly rock. You may even notice a hint of Elvis influence in some of his work. Dwight always gave a nod to early country music artists by recording cover tunes of Hank Williams and others from the 40’s & 50’s. Dwight’s first hit said a lot about country music artists of the early days. Their goals were centered around playing guitars and driving Cadillacs.

I recently stumbled on to this tune and it is a nod to the legendary king of country music, Hank Williams. A Cadillac is still the primary theme here in “Long White Cadillac”

One of my personal favorites from the Yoakam song book is a classic country “break-up” song. We all feel a little lonely and hurt when a relationship comes to an end and Dwight captures the essence of a heartache perfectly with, “It Only Hurts When I Cry” You may notice a little Elvis influence in this video.

While the Dwight Yoakam career has seen it’s peak, he still continues to release music that is well crafted and carries a message. As in all things of life and relationships…”Things Change”

Well, that’s an introduction to Dwight Yoakam music. If you have not listened to him in the past, I would encourage you to spend a little time exploring his songbook and listen to “Fast as You”, “Honky Tonk Man”, “Ain’t That Lonely Yet”, and “Little Sister”. For some real insight catch Dan Rather’s interview of Dwight on YouTube. Have a blessed week.

 

There are those times on a cruise that you seem to be a thousand miles from nowhere. You can just sit on the deck and watch the sun rise or set. Off, in the distance you can see a rain shower  The clouds seem to be hanging just above the surface of the water and you are alone with your thoughts. Sometimes, being alone with my thoughts can be a little scary, confusing, humorous, or boring. Don’t ask me why an ocean sunset brought to mind a country song and reignited an appreciation for the artist.

Lately I have been listening to a lot of Dwight Yoakam. Dwight was a major player in country music during the late 80’s through the late 90’s. He was part of  what came to be known as the “Bakersfield Sound”, which was a blend of country and hillbilly rock. Given the direction that country music has turned the past decade with lyrics that don’t seem to tell a story and instrumentally over-produced chorus, I have a better appreciation for artists like Dwight that could write a good lyric, melody, and a memorable chorus line. Like I said, some days my mind will wander a thousand miles from nowhere.

 

Lifeguard in Paradise

It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it. Probably the best job in the world for a young adult that hasn’t decided what they want to be when they grow up. Just maybe, they have decided they want to do this for the next 25 years!

No trip to Hawaii is complete without a visit to Pearl Harbor. The image of the USS Arizona and the USS Missouri depict the beginning and the end of World War II.

The battleship Arizona lies, as a memorial, where she sunk on December 7, 1941 and the United States was thrust into World War II. Over 1100 of her 1400 man crew were killed instantly when a bomb penetrated the deck and exploded in the ship’s ammunition magazine. We were not able to get on to the memorial due to the fact that the gangway has become structurally unsafe and is currently under repair.

The battleship Missouri sits proudly in the former “Battleship Row” as the ship where the articles of surrender were signed by the Japanese that ended the war in the Pacific. The ship traveled to Tokyo Bay for the surrender ceremony. The Missouri was still in service into the early 90’s before she was brought to Pear Harbor and retired from active duty.

The statue and quote of Admiral Chester A. Nimitz sums up the total experience of what has become known as “The Greatest Generation”. They were the children of the depression. They did not ask for war, but they did not shrink from the challenge. More than any generation before or since, they saved this world from the tyranny. Imperial Japan had plans to dominate the Pacific while Hitler and Nazi Germany would rule the world if it were not for this generation of Americans and their allies. They showed us that freedom is never free, and it must be defended at all costs. Our nation owes this generation a debt of gratitude that it can never repay. Sadly, most of these brave souls have passed on, and in a few more years they will all be gone from this life.

The visit to Pearl Harbor was an emotional and inspiring day. There are several buildings that have artifacts and video presentations that give an insight into what happened on that day. If you go to Hawaii, do not pass up the opportunity to visit Pearl Harbor. Adjacent to the harbor is the Pacific Air Museum. We did not get to visit that building and I will always wish that we had more time.

Aloha!