Friday, July 16, 2010

Don't worry, we didn't let her eat any of this sugar pine cone!
Dani and Katie preparing breakfast!
The pilgrims sitting in front of one of God's magnificent creations. Finally seeing these giant sequoias. To know that these were here during Christ's time on earth was just amazing!

A little taste of just how small we are!
Bonding, playing a little frisbee after lunch.
Our prayer area, in God's Cathedral, under the tall trees.
Just sittin' around under the giant sequoias.
Enjoying some silly time, hoping that Emma would feel better.
Learning about each other and their willingness to try new things.
Helping to put it all in perspective, the roots of a giant sequoia.
Realizing how small you are, yet how important!
What a beautiful smile! (nice hair, too!)
Not sure what the riddle is all about, but enjoying the kids!
Our Beagle Wolf One driver. (Max created a story about beagle wolves, so we became known as Beagle Wolf One and Beagle Wolf Two, depending on whose car you were riding in.
Drew cooking us breakfast. Mmmmm Good!


Friday, July 16, 2010 Dani’s Prayer/Activity Day

Theme: Seeking the God of Wonder
6:00 am Wake up (Drew prepares breakfast)
6:30 am Breakfast (prepare/pack lunches for the day) Morning Prayer
7:30 am Vans to Sequoia NP (Grant & Sherman Trees) (sack lunches)
6:00 pm Dinner (Kellie & Hannah prepare dinner) dinner. Prayer
7:30 pm Clean areas/pack 8:00 pm Evening activity
8:30 pm Evening Gathering (prayer/reflection)
9:00 pm Personal time
10:00 pm Lights out


Today was our silly day. Emma wasn't feeling well, so we just kind of hung out around the house, being silly, while she rested. The girls played with the boys hair, straightening, brushing, creating. Lots of laughter. Then Emma felt better, and it was on to Sequoia/King's Canyon. We saw lots of "big trees", and took lots of pictures. A mother bear and her two cubs were entertaining blocked cars along the road. We were graced with a beautiful amazing sunset on our way out of the parks. During our dark descent down the mountain a cougar sauntered out in front of Beagle Wolf 1, (our group name is Beagle Wolves, car one and car two) We heard all about it in Beagle Wolf 2, over the walkie talkie!! Had dinner in Oakhurst - wonderful pizza, before heading home! A really late night.


Notice the God of Wonder on our travels today. Notice where you experience a sense of awe and wonder. What has inspired you?

• The size of the trees- big, heavy and tall- mind blowing
• Strength and endurance of the trees through the fires
• Hollowed out trees were used for so many different things
• The sunset last night
• The cougar, baby bears, and deer (Beagle Wolf One had a cougar cross the road in front of them on our trek down the mountain out of Sequoia.)
Shadows of the mountains at night
• The steepness of the cliffs
• Color of the trees- red glowing color- phrase came to me, “the Glory of God”


Think of a song, poem, or quote and/or write your own to express what this pilgrimage means to you.

• I can only imagine by Mercy Me
• Lost (A writing that was left for pilgrims to find during our spirit walk.)
Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here, and you must treat it as a powerful stranger, must ask permission to know it and be known. The forest breaths. Listen. It answers, I have made this place around you, if you leave it you may come back again, saying Here. No two trees are the same to Raven. No two branches are the same to Wren. If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you, you are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows where you are. You must let it find you. –David Wagoner
• Time to Pretend by MGMT
• All the Small Things by Blink 182
• Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show
• Poem-
I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in. – John Muir
• I’m on my Way by Mercy Me
• Columba’s Rock
• Psalm 126 on page 89 in our hour by hour prayer books.
• “Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God’s handwriting-a wayside sacrament.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson


Highlight of the Day

• Beauty Day!!
• We were able to go to see the trees!
• To see the cougar, the baby bears, and the buck
• The sunset
• To just hangout and relax.


Quote of the Day

• “Beagle wolf 2… OH CRAP!!... I am beagle wolf 2!” (learning how to use the walkie talkies)
• “My buns are tight, they are giving me a headache.” (Kellie had buns put in her hair that were apparently too tight!)
• “Cougars? We don’t have cougars! We have mountain lions. Don’t scare me!” –southern girl (the fee collector at the entrance station, as we were leaving the park)
• “Ma’am! Ma’am! Please stop!” –southern guy (people were excited about seeing a chipmunk, and wanted Barb to stop walking so they could get a video of the critters playing)
• “The hour is not premium for the doing of the up.” – Pedro in a Ukraine accent (silly time in the car! You had to be there!!)
• “It is not many a day when I laugh into the toilet.” – Emma in a Ukraine accent (Another silly time, where you really had to be there!!)
• “Can I touch your buns?” (a comment regarding Kellie's hair buns)


Our “Aha” moments

• Walking through the hollow Sequoia tree
• The stump they had school on.
• California hoax not believing the Sequoia tree was not a real tree.