Cooler Walks

Posted on November 7, 2018 by vanbraman

The time of year has come when it is getting cooler at night and I have been taking some cooler walks. Last night I walked in short sleeves and ended up getting a bit chilled at times. Tonight I was a bit smarter and wore a long sleeve shirt.

Evening Walk, Shadows, Street lightsOf course it is also a lot cooler as I am walking after dark. This is unavoidable as I do not get home from work until after dark. I left work late tonight and it was really weird to be walking out to total darkness.

Evening Walk, Leaves, Silhouette, December Walk, Night WalkThe sidewalks are also starting to collect leaves so I need to be a bit more careful when I walk. Especially if sprinkler systems have been turned on. However, I know the routs of my walks well and know where I have to be careful.

Jena, Germany - Walk in the Woods - Winter Walk - Snow Covered Trail - Hiking - WanderwegHowever, if I was in other parts of the world this may be what a walk would look like at this time of year. Of course, on a weekend. I will actually be near where this picture was taken next month and will probably go for a hike in the woods on the weekend. Perhaps there will be snow, but I know that it will be cold.

Hamburg to Eagleville, Virtual HikeI have been trying to walk at least 45 minutes to an hour each night and have been making great progress on my Virtual Hike. I am hoping that I can keep motivated, especially when on the road.

I will at least be walking to and from work each day on the next trip and it is a good 20 minute walk each way.

I am seeing some results from my walking. My belt is getting longer and the numbers on the scale are dropping every so slightly.

I am also getting a lot of listening done. I just finished listening to Acts tonight and so will most likely finish listening through the Bible again my mid-month.

Roman Road - Tarsus Roman Road - Steps of Paul - Cilician RoadTonight as I was walking and listening to Acts I was thinking about this Roman road near Tarsus. This road possibly follows the route that Paul would most likely take from Tarsus as he headed towards the Cilician Gates.

I will close my wandering thoughts and get some rest 🙂

Steven

 

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Election Memories IV

Posted on November 6, 2018 by vanbraman

I have written several Election Memories, II, III posts in the past, so thought I would add to the series tonight.

Polling Place, Election Day, American Flag, Poll TimeI started my day by stopping at the polls to vote this morning. I wanted to make sure that I did not have any delays getting home from work and miss voting.

I was number four in line and quickly filled out my ballot and headed to work.

Old Voting Machine - Goldwater - Johnson - Presidential ElectionOf course, today we use paper ballots here in California, but I thought of this really cool voting machine that I saw in a museum in Indiana. It made me think of going with my parents to go vote when I was just a little boy.

We walked down to the local Junior High school to vote. I also remember times when I was a bit older where we stayed at home while my parents walked to the school to vote. I just remember asking them if they voted for Jimmy Carter since he was a peanut farmer and I liked peanut butter. An interesting random memory 🙂

Wapello County Court House, Ottumwa, Iowa - Chief Wapello - Statue - Native American StatueI remember going with my Dad one year to the courthouse to watch the election returns. That was the year that my Dad ran for mayor of Ottumwa, Iowa. He did not win, but I remember a lot of things about the campaign, including helping paint sign boards for our old blue truck.

Left or Right - Vote RightMy Dad was a member of the American Independent Party and ran for State Representative and later State Senator in Iowa in the late 60’s. He didn’t win, but did help bring awareness to some of the issues. He was also a Presidential Elector in 1972 for John G. Schmitz.

Today I still believe in many of the values of the American Independent Party, especially the principle that government’s powers must be carefully divided and limited.

Election Stickers, I voted, primary election, electionsJust now I added another sticker to the collection on my bedroom mirror. We need to make sure that our voice is heard during each election.

As I write this I am also thinking of a friend who is running for a State House seat in Iowa. I will have to find out tomorrow whether she won or not.

Now to decide whether to stay up and wait for some election results or get some sleep.

Steven

 

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