Driving M119 back to Grand Rapids, MI

Mackinac Island

I just spent a wonderful weekend on Mackinac Island. The air was so fresh and I feel so rejuvenated! I arrived Saturday evening and spent the night at a little B&B. Sunday morning I went to a little Episcopal Church and then to the Grand Hotel for lunch. It looks just the same as it does in the movie Somewhere in Time. It began to rain in the late afternoon, so I thought I was going to have to give up on riding the 8mi ride around the island. But, at 5pm the rain had stopped and so I started out. At mile 2, it rained a little more and I took shelter in some trees. Then, I saw the most beautiful double rainbow. I made my way back to Grand Rapids by way of the tunnel of trees and Potoskey, so I could get a potoskey stone ring. I loved smelling the cedars as I rode my bicycle through the island and the smell of fudge down Main St.

Book of Mormon Musical

The current Broadway musical, The Book of Mormon, has made me think. Since watching the performances on the Tony Awards, I was bothered that it portrays me, a Mormon, as idiotic and weird. It outright mocks people of the religion. Well, some would say, that’s just “South Park” style right? But, then I thought, what kind of “style” of art is a style that mocks groups of people and creates unfavorable and degrading stereotypes of them? Is it similar to the same “style” of art that created blackface films and is now considered racist, because of the derogatory stereotypes it promoted? Should we really consider something to be art that degrades other human beings just for who they are? If you are unfamiliar with blackface, check out the first paragraph on the following link that describes how prejudice was fueled by the “music hall stage” of that era. http://black-face.com/

Down Under

I kept thinking I'm walking upside down! Over 4th of July, I accompanied Drew and his mom to Sydney, Australia. It was fun to see a place so far away. (But, you didn't really feel like you're that far away, except for the long plane ride.) Instead of pigeons, there are yellow and white cockatoo everywhere. The best part was feeding the kangaroos and petting the koala. Even if I did try kangaroo steak that night for dinner.

So, since I haven't updated in a while I thought I would add some more stuff. Here are pictures I took of the beach where my office is in Santa Monica. Mind you, these were taken at Christmas time! It was one of the most beautiful days all year.

Sun-bathing beauties :)














Mallory, Matthew and Crush. Boy, has he grown! Crush was the size of a quarter when I gave him to Matthew for his birthday a couple of years ago.




















Has it been a year?!?

Here's a pic of me and Hayden Snyder.