Still Exploring

Time is passing quickly these days! I cannot believe that July is almost over, and August is upon us. So much is happening that it's hard to stay afloat.

The front door is wide open. It rained slowly and steadily a fair amount in the last 24 hours, so it's clear and cool outside. 

Right now, Eu-mi is sleeping in her crate (exhausted from yesterday's hike), and Penny is chilling here in the living room with me. The baby chicks are in the back room, doing their chicken things. :) Don't worry, I'll post pictures soon. Jody is visiting a church member in the hospital. And I am home, enjoying the quiet. The house is mostly clean, the laundry is mostly done... dinner has not been done yet... but I am just resting. It's great. I am so grateful for time to just be.

Recently, I have been attempting to be better about posting pictures and updates from our world, so here are some pictures from a hike we took near Sedalia (south and west of us by about 30 minutes) two weeks ago. 

It was a lovely hike, full of greenery and wildflowers. For all of us - Jody, me and the pups - it was so refreshing to get out of the city feel and into the mountains. On this trip, all I could think of was how green everything was. How strong the smell of pines was, filling the air. How the aspens rustled in the breeze... and how quiet it was besides that sound. 

This was at the start of the hike. Usually Jody leads the way, and the pups follow him, stopping occasionally to sniff at something that catches their attention. I am last in our posse, making sure the dogs are okay, and that their leashes have not gotten stuck on any stump or in between some rocks. Plus, I like to snap pictures along the way. :) When I've gotten the picture I want, I usually have to race and catch up to Jody (aka Speedy Gonzales).

On this day, in particular, the sky was a beautiful blue and the sun was shining, and a light breeze had picked up. It really was the perfect day for a hike in the foothills. And for both of us, it was so enjoyable to visit an area that is new to us. We've never visited the small, quaint town of Sedalia before; neither had we explored the foothills behind it.

Our trail

This was our first good view of the surrounding area. It is a highly wooded area and trail, which kept the temperature down but also kept us from getting a good idea of the surrounding country. 

There were flowers everywhere. Beautiful, varied wildflowers of all colors. I tried to get pictures of several of them, as the areas that we have hiked don't usually show this much color. So lovely!

And then it was time to put up our hammocks. Our "portable Sabbaths," as Jody likes to call them, are our intentional retreat from a busy, fast-paced world. We take our hammocks up to the mountains, follow a trail until we see a good spot off the beaten path, and then we set them up, secure the dogs, and grab our books, snacks, water... and then we chill. We might read, eat, sleep, pray, or just listen to the sound of the wind moving through the trees. It's heavenly.

If you don't have a portable Sabbath, Jody and I would highly recommend that you invest in one. For us, it's our way of purposely choosing to living contrary to the world's value of speed, task and productivity. It's like choosing not to have a Smartphone. It's intentional. And it's wonderful. We can return to our busy lives of ministry with clear minds and hearts.

This is my view, as I lay in my hammock. Look at that beautiful Colorado sky. 

Or... this is my view. Just a wooded area in the foothills. Nothing special. But what's incredible is that Jody and I were laying in our hammocks as several groups passed us by in our hammocks as they were hiking on the trail. And, as far as we could tell, they had absolutely no idea we were there. I don't know about you, but I find that kind of crazy.

How many times do I pass people or situations, completely unaware of them or what's going on, because I'm so busy or absorbed in what I'm doing? So over-stimulated that I can't process another bit of information?

We set up the wienie dogs on a little blanket, with some water... Most of the time they're cool with the situation. Other times, they whine to be acknowledged or brought up onto our laps in the hammocks. Wienie dogs don't like to be left out, you understand. They're social critters.

I do love 'em, though! 

And I'm grateful for dogs that love a good adventure and are always game for another trail. And, bless their little hearts (and legs), they'll go as far as they physically can handle. Sometimes we have to pick 'em up and carry them, but they certainly try to hold their own. :)

An aspen

We are working our way through a book that has several hikes near the Denver metro area, and this hike was on it. So far, so good. We loved the trail and loved exploring an area new to us!