On July 17^th, Shawn and I arrived in Anchorage, Alaska.

We were met at the airport by a young man named Aaron, who drove us to Alaska Missions headquarters

where were we were given a Volkswagon Passat (with a sun roof) to drive for the week.

Then, we headed to a little town called Nikiski located on the Kenai Peninsula. It was one of the most beautiful drives I have ever taken. Several hours later we took a right on Halibouty Road and made our way to the corner of Josephine and Earl where we found our home for the next seven days.

 

 

The place was called ‘Grouchy Old Woman B&B’. It was located on several acres on a hill

overlooking Daniel’s Lake. We were welcomed by the Grouchy Old Woman,

whose real name is Sharon Brower… and her sidekick

Minx. Minx means ‘cheeky or mischievous girl’…and that she is. Inside we met Sharon’s mother

Blanche, who had turned 96 that day. We called her Momma. And so began a week I’ll never forget.

 

We’ve all been there…a few days away from leaving on a trip…and there are things that must be taken care of before we go. Things even crop up that we didn’t expect. We know that prior planning and preparation produce a pleasurable passage…not only for us, but also for those who have to be around us. That’s why, for my upcoming Alaska trip, I have applied what I call “Preparation A” (preparing for Alaska). Preparation A is designed to provide relief from the discomfort caused by waiting until the last minute. As the time for departure nears, stress levels seem to swell, while more than ever we are itching to leave. So, before things got out of hand, I took action.

I finished building the chicken tractor and Joe and Nidette have taken it to its new home…

where Bonnie and Clyde are now at home.

I built a crate, and the painting of the lady with the shotgun is safe inside it ready to be taken to UPS for shipping (without the cat of course).

Beds (three in all) have been made ready for relatives that will be stopping by Sunday night on their annual pilgrimage to Mississippi.

And, clean sheets awaiting Joel’s sister who comes in Monday to be with his mom while I’m away.

I’ve purchased a car charger to take with me for my phone, as well as a second battery for my camera. And,

I have managed to fit everything that I will need for nine days in Alaska into one backpack.

All I have left to do is get a massage. Thanks to Preparation A, the next four days won’t be a pain in my rear end.

When I gave my cousin the pair of Malaysian Seramas, she didn’t have an appropriate outside cage for them. I suggested she build a chicken tractor – something she was not familiar with. . So I said that I would build her one.

I took a cage that I had, laid it on its back and removed the bottom.

Then I built a frame out of angle iron to set it in.

Next, I made and attached a handle and

built an angle iron frame for the house.

After installing the walls, I painted them gray and added the roof and wheels.

This particular model is a hatchback – no pun intended.

It comes complete with a memory hose roost attached to a removable floor for easy clean-up.

According to code, there is a handicapped entrance.

On the front of the house is some decorative iron work because decoration can cover up poor planning.

So… as they say in Southern France…

Vie-ola! You have yoreself a chicken tractor!

I’ve been working on a painting for a lady in Bay City, Texas. She saw a painting that I did 34 years ago and really liked it. I was going to sell it to her until we realized that my oldest son was attached to it. So I offered to do another one for her.

It’s a painting of an old black lady walking through her chicken yard with a shotgun in her hand,

although I’m not sure why.

Perhaps she’s after Sunday dinner. Maybe, she’s after what’s after Sunday dinner.

Or maybe she’s like Mrs. Willie McMain (who has since crossed over to the other side). She told my daddy that sometimes she would wave her pistol out the back door and fire it, just so she could hear it go off.

Whatever the case, the painting is finished. And that lady from Bay City, Texas…

can decide for herself what this woman is doing with that shotgun.

One day last week the boys spent the afternoon with me. My train of thought was to work them to the point that they couldn’t help but take a good nap. So I asked them if they wanted to scrub the front porch, knowing all the while that their answer would be yes.

So they scrubbed,

and they rinsed,

and they scrubbed,

and they rinsed. They never did get all the soap off…and I finally just quit trying. You see, when I got them started, I had half of a big jug of Pine-Sol. But I went to the barn to get a nozzle, and when I returned…

there truly was a “powerful scent of clean“.

This evening Willow, Rose and I went for a walk. Nothing funny or out of the ordinary happened…we just went for a walk. It had rained earlier, so it wasn’t nearly so hot. The sun was still above the tree tops on its way down which made for beautiful lighting. What follows is a record of our journey.

 

It was a beautiful evening…one that never has been before and never will be again. I’m glad that I chose to experience it.

This spring, the Executive Director of Alaska Missions and Retreats, asked if I could make metal salmon. I had never done that before, but I said, “Of course!” The idea would be to sell the pieces to make money for Alaska Missions. So, Shawn and I began to collect materials for this ‘salmon art’.

Some of our metal came from the iron yard and some of it we got from the salvage yard.

The best stuff is usually the hardest to get.

But when you don’t have to get it yourself, it’s not too bad.

We made some of the salmon from 18 gage steel.

Then, there’s our ‘Salmon from the hood’ series. These we made using the old truck hoods.

After making ten pieces, we took a break for about a month and a half.

Shawn was out of town a lot

and I was having a new shop built.

But the ‘sisters with the hoods’ are now back in business.

Three weeks from today, my friend Shawn and I will be traveling to Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula to take part in a short term mission project.

We will be participating in what is called Salmon Frenzy.

Salmon Frenzy is a service project to Alaskan residents who are dip-netting sockeye salmon on the beaches of Cook Inlet near the mouth of the Kenai River.

For a while now, I have been considering how much stuff I should pack and what to pack that stuff in. We’ve decided against checking any luggage, so our bags need to be light enough to run with in the case that we find ourselves in a race against time. So, just how much stuff do we really need?

There is a verse in Matthew that has stirred my curiosity for some time…and perhaps provides a solution to my dilemma. In chapter ten, Jesus is selecting and sending out workers, and amid His instructions we find this statement:

And do not take a provision bag or a wallet for a collection bag, nor two undergarments, nor sandals, nor a staff… (Matthew 10:9-10, the Amplified Bible)

HOW SIMPLE IS THAT! On one hand, this verse is very freeing. On the other hand, it is disturbing…especially the undergarment part. But, if you’re one who takes the Bible literally, what choice do you have?

I, however, am not one of those. I believe that the Bible is inspired by God and that it represents Truth. I believe that Jesus was telling these guys not to let their stuff overload their mission. He was instructing them to go only with what was necessary because He had their backs. And, that’s just what I’m going to do.

So…I got on the internet and placed an order to Tilley Endurables.

For information on Alaska Missions go to www.akmissions.com or www.youtube.com/alaskamissions

It never fails that when the boys come over, they always wind up with a hose.

This time it just so happened that there was a bucket nearby that they filled with water,

carried down the hill

and then poured it into a hole, which became their stomping grounds.

They said that they were from the Mahafaly tribe of Madagascar. I don’t know how they remembered that word, but I looked it up. Mahafaly means ‘those who make taboos’. After about ten minutes, one of the natives tripped on a piece of flagstone. At first,

the extent of the damage was unclear.

Then we washed the mud off his feet and came inside. He was missing a little skin on his toe, but there was certainly nothing wrong with his mouth. He kept saying,

“I need to go to the doctor! I’m dying! I’m dying! When will I ever be able to walk on two feet again!

About thirty minutes later, the other native said, “Well, you must be feeling better, you’re not complaining”; a statement which I quickly came to realize was taboo…..because then…it began again. “Oh, it hurts so bad! Would you get me some plain milk? That always calms me down.”

For several years now I have owned Malaysian Serama Chickens. Malaysian Seramas are the smallest weight bantom in the world weighing in at a pound or less. In Malaysia, they are house pets. But not in Woodworth. A few weeks back, I gave my cousin a pair of them, which left me with a trio. She named hers Bonnie and Clyde. I couldn’t let her out do me, so let me introduce

Peter,

Pauline

and Mary.

They do what most chickens do in the South…

eat cornbread

and watermelon.

Like Peter Yarrow from the human trio, Peter Serama is the spokesman for this one. Because he’s so small,

    

he can’t handle a hammer or a bell.

But he does have a song to sing. He sings it in the morning…he sings it in the evening…all over my land.