Eileen Sutton Gives An Idea for Your Next Vacation

[A Tuesday / Thursday Feature of the First Road Blog]

Guest contributor, Eileen Sutton, writes... 

As I was growing up, we visited A LOT of zoos! My father has been a pastor for longer than I’ve been alive, but before then he was studying to be a zoo veterinarian. His passion for animals did not dissipate as he continued in the pastorate. Hence, all of our zoo visits!

Throughout my childhood, we had zoo memberships in our city or in a nearby city. We were members of the Jacksonville Zoo and, in more recent years, the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa. When it was time for a family vacation, we looked at our travel log and compared it with our zoo’s reciprocal list and were able to visit zoos in Miami, Sanford, Cincinnati, Columbus, Washington DC, and many others. We’ve also been to the Florida Aquarium, Busch Gardens, and Sea World multiple times.

Zoos are exciting because they are never exactly the same twice. If you go early in the morning you will see animals playing and interacting with each other along with perhaps seeing an early morning feeding. In the afternoons you will see animals relaxing in the sun. If you’re especially fortunate you will attend with my dad and hear him talk with the monkeys! Ha!

My parents now have a zoo membership which includes passes for their grandchildren, so I have taken my kids several times. Zoos can include more than just animals…many zoos also offer a large children’s section with splash areas and kiddie rides. Teens and adults will enjoy educational programs or shows which increase their understanding of the animal kingdom. Hands-on animal interactions are also a favorite of many.

One of the statements I most remember my parents saying as we visited so many zoos (and one that I often say to my children): “I love seeing the creativity God used when he created…” the lionfish, or the sea dragon, or the hammerhead shark, the jaguar or elephant or tapir or zebra. The list can go on and on. While other amusement parks will focus on man-made movies, characters, or adventures, zoos put God’s work in creation on display. Granted, most zoos will give credit to evolution, but we know, and can marvel in the fact, that God deserves the credit for SO many amazing animals!

I hope you will visit a zoo in your travels soon!

Let us know in the comments (or on Facebook or Twitter) your favorite animal.

Eileen Sutton is the lead pianist for the Fellowship Baptist Church of Lakeland, Florida, and also serves as the church Secretary, and in a number of other ministry venues. She and her husband, Wayne, and their two children frequently visit zoos and other places of out-of-classroom learning opportunities. 

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From A to B with R and R Along the Way

[A Tuesday / Thursday Feature of the First Road Blog] 

It may be an image-of-God thing. For Judy and me there is rarely a time when we go directly from place “A” to place “B,” and we are not especially drawn to the mega tourist venues. For example, we occasionally pursue the non-green / non-blue roads on our map. That’s why Florida State route 301 North  was our path of choice for the beginning of this year’s fourth annual Road Trip to North Dakota and New York. The highway guided us almost due north from the east side of central Florida, at Lakeland, to the west side of northern Florida, near Jacksonville. This offered a worthwhile change of pace from I-4 east and I-95 north. We enjoyed passing slowly through intriguing communities such as the modest city of Ocala, in a major race horse breeding region, and the once flourishing village of Waldo whose story ought to attract historical novelists. The ability to appreciate simple tastes allowed us to enjoy the McDonalds in Starke which offers a wooded picnic area as part of its ambiance. 

Then there are the tiny red places of interest highlighted on the map as well as easily overlooked paragraphs in travel guides which beckon to inexpensive and often free opportunities which can linger long and well in the memory. I want to share some of those with you in articles which, hopefully, will follow this one in Thursdays and Tuesdays to come; but as long as I’m on the subject of good memories of simple things, let me mention – rest areas.

Seriously! Here are some of the places where we caught our breath and even found paths to walk. They remind me of people in my life who, although largely unnoticed by the more self-important than really-important, have been a breath of fresh air to our spirit when the pace is hectic or when the traffic is jammed. Scroll down. Take a look at some examples. 

Earlier, related posts from this year's Road Trip.

Subdued Acres
The Voice of Many Waters
Two Days Before August
A North Dakota Walk

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A North Dakota Walk

Our son, daughter-in-law and family do not live in the immediate vicinity of Richland County’s wheat fields in southeastern North Dakota; but they are surrounded by other crops. Sometimes the fields overflow with corn. At other times sugar beets carpet the soil. This year soy beans can be seen on every side. 

A morning walk with JB gives her ample time to explore the luxurious maze of plants and, perhaps, allow the broad leaves to provide a kind of dry cleaning for her fur.

Beyond the bean fields, sunflowers welcome tomorrow’s arrival of August. In another week they will be a sea of brilliant yellow seasoned with dark green against the blue backdrop of a smiling sky.

This familiar walk eventually takes us into a little valley where a bridge crosses the meandering Wild Rice River. I never tire of the opportunity to pause in silence and think of the twisting bed which brings the water to the Red River of the North and then to Lake Winnepeg in Canada and, eventually, to the North Atlantic Ocean. I have never seen its wild side, but a couple years ago it completely covered the bridge on which I stand to take this picture today.

On our way back JB leads the way – occasionally checking to make sure I’m doing okay. 

She is back among the bean plants again when I pause to look toward Interstate 29 and notice some leaves are already turning in anticipation of the coming harvests of corn and beans, and, then, much later, the digging up of sugar beets. Once again God's ancient promise  continues to unfold.

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The Voice of Many Waters

Judy and I thoroughly enjoy Florida; however, we also enjoy traveling north from time to time to the land where water moves and makes noises when it tumbles over stuff. There is something about a water “fall” which can beckon us to take long hikes on winding trails in the eastern-southwest North Carolina mountains, or pull off the main highway to see less concealed spectacles. For those who, like us, are short distance, day-time hikers, I strongly recommend both venues. 

Find mountains and you will find waterfalls. The various sections of the Blue Ridge chain afford many well defined trails. . 

Some are easily navigated.

   

Others, not so much. 

And the last few yards of your quest can be... well... an adventure. 

Nevertheless, the discovery of a hidden cataract makes the effort worthwhile, whether from a distance, 

                         or close up.

Hunting, fishing, and boating shops have a variety of maps to guide you

Looking for Something a Little Less Tangled?

A ten-minute drive west of Goldbug, KY (I-75 exit 15) brings the road-weary traveler to a well developed site which affords a relaxed waterfall opportunity. Beginning at the ample parking lot, a level sidewalk allows a casual stroll along the southeast bank of the Cumberland River. 

A gift shop tempts with enticing memorabilia. Signs tell the story of the area intermingled with mother nature fantasies. Then come well constructed stairs and ramps which allow access to satisfying views of the falls themselves.  

Whenever I have the opportunity to enjoy such scenes I am reminded of Scripture's description of unbelieving mankind as a cacophony of voices deluded by the false religions of devil, man, and apostate.  However, I also remember Jesus possesses a voice of many waters  which calls out individuals from every ethnic group and language dialect and blends them into a cataract of faith. If you have ever been in a room where scores of conversations created one massive jumble of unintelligible sounds, you can appreciate the fact that Jesus is able to speak into those discussions and offer the good news of forgiveness and life and destiny to those who will receive it. I am so grateful that his voice reached me, and that his ears hear me personally in the cataract of the voices of those who sing of his glory and majesty, and his dominion and power. 

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Subdued Acres

Stretched along the east side of the Mississippi River in St. Cloud, Minnesota, are two glorious sanctuaries of natural color. Between the river and Riverside Drive a visitor walks circuitous lanes among a delicious chaos of flowers strewn in a variety of unpredictable settings. These are the Munsinger Gardens. On the other side of Riverside Drive are the Clemens Gardens where geometric walkways move deliberately from one collection of organized beauty to another.

Recently Judy and I visited these creations and left them, reluctantly, with a new appreciation for the word “subdued” in God’s first command to the father of the human race.

“Be fruitful and multiply...

fill the earth and subdue it...

 have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heaven

and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

The word is curious since it occurs prior to the disastrous effects of man’s rebellion and, yet, implies a disorder. In other words, although God created a perfect natural environment with healthy ecological balance wherever we might have looked, he did so in a way which required mankind to keep track of it and keep it functioning as it ought. At the same time, he designed it to provide an opportunity for mankind to demonstrate the image-of-God gift of creativity. The Munsinger/Clemens Gardens give intense examples of this creativity.

The Munsinger grounds are fractalian, adventuresome, surprising. They are an organized chaos designed to please the eye with rambling variety. 

The layout of the Clemens grounds, on the other hand, offer satisfying formality. 

Each produces its own version of “Wow!” Both evoke respect for their creators; and both renew a commitment within the soul of those who trust The Creator of all. A commitment to respect the gardening work he does within our own lives whether it be in times of apparent chaos or stretches of formal predictability.  

  

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"It's Just A Hole" by Dave Coy

Dave Coy is the Assistant Director at the Central New York Baptist Youth Camp (BaYouCa) in Chenango County, NY. He can be found on Facebook.

Back in 2007 I wrote…

A few years ago I was on the beach in Florida with some friends and for some reason I decided to start digging a hole. No sandcastles or sculptures, just a hole! I had so much fun that it has become a normal tradition of mine when I go to a beach.

“Why do you enjoy digging holes so much?”

It’s a good question! There are a number of reasons as I think about it. I learn so much from digging a hole.

“What could you POSSIBLY learn from digging a hole?” 

Another good question! Where do I start?

First of all, digging a hole is a pretty mindless task. (No comments please!) So it keeps my hands occupied while I do some good, clear thinking. I’m able to sort through things going on in my life while I am digging.

It is also neat to see something start out so small and over time become so big. It just takes time. This last time I had a hole about four and a half feet deep! There is a sense of accomplishment there.

It is funny to watch people go by as I am digging. I would like to think that they are amazed at what a great hole I am digging, but most likely they are amazed at this strange guy digging a hole. But it never fails! It seems a young boy always finds his way over to my hole. One boy even jumped in and helped me! In the process of digging the hole we got to talk. I found out all about his family and their vacation; and how he’s never really been to church. It’s a great time to build a relationship!

Then there’s the physical exercise. Digging and pushing and pulling the sand is really great work for muscles.

And, finally, you finish! It’s amazing to see this HUGE hole in the middle of the beach, big enough to fit people in it!

But that’s not the end of the story. This last time that I dug a hole, my friends asked if they could fill it back in. What took me forty-five minutes to dig, they had filled back in within two minutes. You would never know there was even a hole there!

What a waste, right?

Only if you forget about everything that I just wrote about!! The people who walked by, the time to think, the physical exercise and the little boys’ lives I’ve been able to touch in some way. Who knows? Maybe there is a little ten-year-old somewhere digging a hole right now! So, what seems like no big deal, and even maybe a waste of time, can mean SO much and do so much in so many lives!

*   *   *

Now, seven years after I wrote those thoughts, we went on vacation in North Carolina, and our own boys helped me dig another hole. Jax was so excited to get to the beach and help me dig. It’s kind of a dumb legacy, but it reminds me that I want to leave both boys a real legacy as well.

[Editor’s note: I wonder if sometimes we leave the real legacies through our interactions with people during those times in our lives when we feel as though we’re just digging a hole – we sometimes call them “ruts”- that will be filled in and forgotten when we’re gone. Thank you, Dave, for reminding us. hhc]

Way Down Upon The Suwannee River

It is only about six miles east of I-75 exit 439 among the gently rolling hills of northern Florida. The dark waters of an iconic river running through it and the clear chimes of a towering carillon waft among its trees. Throughout the year musicians, historians, artists, hikers and kayakers gather there for special occasions or to enjoy a day away from the ordinary to breathe deep of things extraordinary in their own special ordinariness.

Two Christmas seasons now, Judy and I have made the three-hour trip from Lakeland, Florida to White Springs, on the banks of the Suwannee River, to experience the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center. The first time was enchanting. The second time was not disappointing. This time we took a friend who came away as excited we are about things seen and learned.

We planned our visit for an early afternoon arrival. This gave us time to stop in at Fat Belly’s restaurant where we enjoyed one of their specialties – a burger to remember. From there we went to the grounds of the Culture Center to enjoy a leisurely re-acquaintance with the life of Stephen Foster who made the Suwannee River famous without ever having been there. 

A modest museum includes quality dioramas of scenes memorialized by several of his more popular songs.

Through the afternoon there are shops to visit and trails to hike and a model train display to examine. Just before entering the grounds, there is a roadside pull-off near the remains of a hotel where visitors used to come to enjoy a health-giving boost from the areas springs. 





On the grounds a roadway leads to a boat launch at the river’s edge. Signs along the way point out that the placid river you see in December can become quite dangerous at other times.

As dusk settles over the grounds lights begin to appear. You would be aware of some of them earlier, but there is a magical character to the way they ease into being until, in the darkness, they become a silent choir of color. At the same time you become aware of more people and more activity. Bring folding chairs with you if you would like. Set them alongside the main street which winds its way through the park. 

After awhile volunteers from the community of White Springs will entertain you with a simple, seasonal parade. Following that, grab a free hot dog in the Park’s dining hall, listen to some dulcimer music in the museum and make your way back to your car.

It will be a night to remember in the quiet recesses of your mind.

Roads to Wahpeton

Judy and I are on a nine-week summer adventure taking us northward to the Dakotas and then eastward to New York State before returning to home base in Florida. This means I am not doing a lot of finished writing. Nevertheless, I may, as with this article, post a bit of a travelogue which could encourage readers in their own travels.

There are many roads to Wahpeton, North Dakota; or, to any place for that matter. Six grandkids and their parents first drew us there, and they still do; however, when we go to visit we like to keep our eyes and ears open to learn something about the places we pass on the way. Every region and every community is like a book opened in the middle inviting us to learn something of the chapters which have led up to its present page.  

Obviously, we cannot take all the different roads to anywhere. So, with a bucket list of places Judy and I have highlighted on previous trips, and with a map which draws attention to other possibilities, we left Florida on our latest adventure. Perhaps your travels will cross some of the spots where we paused. Or, perhaps reading about these places will encourage you to look for your own points of interest on other roads.

Savannah

On this trip, our first stop was Savannah, Georgia. The power walk from our vehicle to our appointment with a carriage ride must have had some physical benefit, but it does not rate high on my more memorable moments. The historical district was very crowded in the early evening on July 4th and available parking spaces were blocks away. Nevertheless, the carriage ride itself was interesting - except when the guide was much too surprised that we had not seen Forrest Gump. Seems that an impressive scene from the movie was filmed there.

Of course, there is a lot more to see in Savannah than we were able to do in a couple hours late in the day. That means we have added a few more items to our list. Among them would be a more leisurely look at the early life of Lowell Mason who introduced music education to public schools, brought the singing of hymns out of the choir loft and into the pew, and composed, among many tunes, the music for "Joy to the World," and "Nearer My God to Thee."

Rock Hill, South Carolina

Second stop: a visit with one of Judy's cousins. I know this would normally be of little interest to the reader. 

HOWEVER, I mention it because of the lady on the left in the photo. Music lovers might be interested in knowing that Lois is the mother of one of the co-founders of Denver and the Mile High Orchestra. 

Eastern Southwest North Carolina

Third stop, a week long stay at a favorite place in the mountains of North Carolina – south of Asheville. What is especially noteworthy about this region is its opportunity to escape from things we often consider noteworthy. Here days can be spent chilling or hiking or a combination of both. In our case the hiking and chilling were interrupted by car problems. I mention that only to assure you that our trips, like some of yours, do not go exactly according to plan. In this case we made an unexpected transition from a seven passenger van to a five passenger SUV crossover. I had this compelling hankering for sardines as I transferred the things we had packed for our trip.

Route 64

Days later, snugly tucked into our newly acquired Escape, we pursued our next travel goal - to add more miles to our relationship with US Route 64. Over the years the residential stretch from Hendersonville, North Carolina to the Brevard / Sapphire region has become very familiar to us. Now we ventured farther along the beautiful, sharply winding drive among mountains and through hamlets such as Cashiers. Unexpectedly we had the chance to see the Nantahala Falls in the Nantahala National Forest. Someday we want to return and hike the steps and trails which lead around behind cascade.  Farther down river we passed mile after mile of white water rafters and kayakers. Then, after another stretch of mountain vistas, the highway leveled off and delivered us directly to Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Chattanooga

Different travelers look for different things. Our Pastor visits zoos. Of all the tourist possibilities in Chatanooga, we chose to visit Signal Point and Lookout Mountain, and reflected on accounts we have read concerning the military expeditions observed from those heights during the Civil War. We tried to visit Ruby Falls, but the waiting line was prohibitive for our time frame. You will want to think of that if you include the falls on your future itinerary. 

Sunday Morning

Meeting with folks for worship is still a part of our agenda even when traveling. This time we discovered CalvaryBaptist Church in Franklin, Kentucky.  Great folks who made us want to come back again.

Lincoln's Boyhood Home

From Franklin we crossed Kentucky in time to visit Lincoln’s Boyhood Home just across the border into Indiana. The place where our sixteenth president lived from age seven to twenty-one has been transformed into a pleasant and informative walk with a significant memorial and a modest museum. As well as a replica of his home, you can see the specially preserved foundation of the actual building.

George Rogers Clark and Tippecanoe Too

Have you heard of Vincennes, Indiana? Here a pivotal event in our nation’s history played out during the American Revolution. Any preacher who wants illustrative material about fighting the good fight should become acquainted with the daring expedition of George Rogers Clark (older brother of William Clark of Lewis and Clark fame). When Clark's small and weary troop raised the American flag over the captured British fort in Vincennes, they made it possible for the stars and stripes, eventually, to be hoisted in every community from there to California. The great story unfolds in this memorial and reminds us that people who accomplish great, life-changing things are not always honored or remembered. 


Also in Vincennes can be found insights into the life of our ninth and shortest termed president, William Henry Harrison. His Grouseland Mansion, located within sight of an historic encounter with Tecumseh, tells much about the man and what kind of a president he might have been had he not died a month after his inauguration.  

When we left Vincennes we crossed the Wabash River and instantly gained an hour as we entered the Central Time Zone. 

Cousin Ulysses

From the Wabash we drove straight across Illinois, made our way around the tangle of the St. Louis interstate connections and visited the homestead of President Ulysses S Grant, our eighteenth chief executive. Somewhere in my archives I have the information which links my family line into his through the Delano's, the maternal line of Franklin D. Roosevelt. For me, Grant's home is the first presidential house which relates to anything with which I am familiar in my era. I could easily picture this building on the streets of my youth. Seeing a photograph of him and his family on the front porch corresponds with similar family photos among my own forebears. The color surprised me, though, until I remembered they had color back then and realized this choice reflected the Victorian influence of his times.

Why Integrity Is Low On the List of Presidential Qualifications

You may have guessed, Judy and I have a goal of visiting as many presidential sites as possible. Travelling northward from St. Louis, we added one more notch to our collection with a day-long visit to the birthplace and museum / library of our thirty-first president, Herbert Hoover. His was the first of its kind and prompted President Truman to establish one of his own. Since then libraries and museums have become common for each president. While history records that the two campaigns of William Henry Harrison inaugurated the vicious character with which we are familiar in these contests, the Roosevelt / Hoover battle may stand as the beginning of the end for successful campaigns based on integrity. Of particular note is the point that Roosevelt (also a cousin of mine) enacted programs which Hoover had, himself, tried to steer through congress in an effort to deal with a depression he had warned about long before becoming president. 

Oh, and By the Way

By this time in our journey, our eyes were set on our destination and a readiness to get off the road for awhile. However, we did not wear blinders. While I drove, Judy discovered two unplanned points along the way. One was the location of a little brown church in Nashua, IA. There, before the church was built, William Pitts visited the community and wrote a poem about a little brown church. Several years later, when he returned, he was amazed to discover one had been built. That prompted him to dig out his manuscript for publication. It has since become famous in the song, “The Little Brown Church in the Vale.” 

The second impromptu stop was at the rather extensive Nobles Pioneer Village, also in Iowa. Three "streets" feature all the kinds of buildings you would expect to find in such a place, including railroad buildings and a grain elevator and a couple different two-story houses. Many were transported there from nearby communities. Each building is cluttered with a vast array of paraphernalia from many decades including and since the pioneer days. A town hall includes posters advertising the occasions when William Jennings Bryan and other individuals visited the community.

I feel compelled to mention that among the buildings was a barber’s shop. The reason I mention it is because, in that barbershop was a machine the history of which would be especially interesting to pursue. It was, obviously, a tremendous failure; but I would like to know how many gave it a try. 

Journey's (Temporary) End

With those stops cared for we proceeded to Wahpeton and settled in for a few days. Goal for this venture - get to know the Red River valley a little better. It began with the very first North Dakota rest area on I-29. There we discovered Lake Agassiz. If God allows, I'll share that discovery and some others later.