A Ride in the Shamu VW

As you know, my wife and I celebrated our 30th anniversary in San Antonio, TX. We stayed in a beautiful hotel near the Riverwalk and visited the local sites. The Alamo was a "must see" site since we both love history. And we enjoyed eating at Rio Rio's on the river. It was fun feeding the ducks who put on a good "starving" act as we ate. The ride on the river was educational and interesting, especially hearing about the architecture of the high-rises along the river. But, the best ride of the trip was Monday after our day at Sea World. Incidentally, Shamu the whale had a great show. The only thing I can't figure out is how Shamu can be in San Diego, San Antonio, and Orlando at the same time! Anyway, we were heading to our rental car at Sea World, but, it wasn't in the same place we left it (or so we thought). When we arrived I noticed a post with a big number 13 on it down the way a little. I told my wife "remember # 13". We searched the entire area around post number 13 and no blue Ford Escape. Scattered over the massive parking lot were employees in elevated platforms watching the parking lot. I went to the nearest one and asked "What do you do when you can't find your car?" She said, "Hold on, I will call for someone to help you." A guy with a VW bug pulled up. The VW was painted to look like Shamu! It even had a tail fin. So, I hopped in and drove around the parking lot for 20 minutes until we found the car. The funny thing (it wasn't funny then) was that if I had looked to the left when we parked, about 20 feet away was a post with a big #12 on it! The #13 post to the right was actually about 100 yards away! It was a blast riding in the VW Shamu though. Unfortunately, my wife forgot to get a picture.

30 Wonderful Years

My wife and I will be traveling soon to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. We will be going to San Antonio, TX. We are staying near the Riverwalk and plan on visiting Sea World, The Riverwalk, The Alamo, and eating some Mexican cuisine (our favorite). My wife Debbie and I were married 30 years ago at Elm Grove Baptist Church in Bonner Springs, KS. We have spent the entire 30 years in full-time service in several churches. My wife is pretty, smart, godly, the consummate pastor's wife, first class mother to her children, and a world-class cook! Those attributes are not necessarily in order of importance. The last 30 years have been great. If I had it to do all over again, I would marry her in a heartbeat!

Monday was sunny and a balmy 39 degrees, so, I loaded up my kayak and headed for the lake. The only problem was that the edges of Hillsdale Lake were frozen. I might be able to get on the water, but there would be no way to get out. So, I headed for Miola Lake in Paola, where there was ice, but I would be able to put in and take out. I was able to paddle for about 45 minutes. I have had a severe case of cabin fever, so it was great to be able to get out on the water and breath fresh air and get some badly needed exercise. I often pray while out on the water, and Monday was no exception. I was able to thank the Lord for an encouraging Sunday at church. We had two saved and a good attendence. Take a look at the pictures and you will see the ice that covered about 30% of the lake.