The Archives - August 2009
We're just a family following Christ, living in a 90 year-old house out on the prairie (and yes, we do have peach trees), rearing a couple of Godly sons and all the while trying to not make the locals laugh too much at our attempts at farming. Poke around all you want and feel free to drop us a line anytime.
What A Year…
We're only 2/3 through 2009 (where did it go so fast?), and what a year it's been already!
Lot's of updates below, and probably the most amazing one here, reporting that while Beth and the boys were driving from our nephew's wedding in Georgia to the Sforzando String Camp in Chicago, our minivan took a direct lightning strike during a thunderstorm near Lexington, KY! No one was hurt, praise the Lord, but the van suffered a vaporized antenna, two blown-out tires, and numerous electronic modules zapped. Lord willing, we'll drive back over to Lexington to pick up the repaired van next weekend and slip in a visit to the Creation Museum on the way home.
We were thankful for our old 215,000 mile van, which has been pinch-hitting while the new van is in the shop. You can see what being hit by lightning in a minivan looks like on this YouTube video (not of our van).
UPDATE - We heard back from the insurance folks that they had to total the van. As they worked on it more, they realized most of the electronics were toast and it wasn't going to be cost effective to repair. So, we're in the market for a replacement…
The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry
This Christ-honoring film starring Gavin MacLeod touches on a number of scriptural principles which will be edifying to believers, and also has a clear Gospel presentation in the story (over 400 people have been born again just through pre-screenings of the film). Check out the trailer and more info at www.sperrymovie.com.
If you liked Fireproof, you need to see this movie! But here's the deal... The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry will only play in cities where churches or groups of believers have sponsored the film (this is to get around the normal Hollywood distribution model). Check out the Theaters link on movie site, and if your city isn't listed, have your Pastor or other Christian Leader go to the Sponsorship link and follow up.
Camp Rise and Shine
Beth and Tyler helped out for a week at her brother's Christian camp this year, and Chad drove up from South Carolina for the last day or two. They all had a great time!
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Beth has done a super job this year with our garden, keeping us in a constant supply of fresh vegetables.
2009 Sforzando String Camp
In spite of being delayed a day-and-a-half by the afore-mentioned lightning strike, Chad and Tyler had another great time at Sforzando. Their Chamber Recitals were excellent, and the final concert Friday night would rival anything a professional orchestra could do.
Cat D7E
I rarely post about my 'day job,' so here's a photo of our Industrial Design team at Caterpillar standing in front of the just-announced D7E Track Type Tractor (what you would probably call a 'bulldozer'). Most of us on the team had some level of input into the styling and branding of the tractor, and it's a significant product for Caterpillar because it's a hybrid diesel-electric drive machine, which means the engine drives an electric generator, which then drives motors for the tracks as well as motors to run all the hydraulics. It gets about 30% better fuel economy than a traditional direct-drive machine.
Counter Proposal
The latest update on our new kitchen buildout - just installed the countertops, and one more coat of paint will have all the cabinet doors ready for installation.
Vintage Farming
And finally, I combined an acre of wheat I had planted back in the spring using my 1950 Ford 8N and a 1960s vintage John Deere 30 Combine.
Ya'll drop us a line when you can, now!