The serenity of sunrise in the forest

I'm sitting on the white-granite-sand patio of our campsite sipping my morning coffee. The sun is making its way over the horizon, but I won't see it for a while because the tall pine & hardwood forest surrounds me. Only directly overhead can I see the sky blue-ing in the circle of the tree tops. My coffee is a welcome and familiar smell, but there are other pleasing odors of pine and forest that I don't often get to enjoy. A variety of birds are chirping, squawking and singing their morning songs, many of which I don't recognize, but mixed with the familiar “caw” of the crows. Water lapping the shore below, the splash of an osprey snatching breakfast from the lake and an antiphonal chorus of woodpeckers hammering in the trees adds to the morning symphony. 

There are no “people” sounds yet; most are still asleep. My phone won't disrupt the natural sounds because we are beyond cell range. Beyond the range of much of civilization, we are deep in God's remarkable creation. But God is near with His astounding blessings. Yet as thankful as I am at being immersed in these blessings of nature, I am even more thankful to be immersed in God's forgiveness, mercy and love through my savior, Jesus. The wonders of this life and this earth will all pass away and pale by comparison with the New Creation we will all enjoy one day through faith in Jesus. 

Well, there it goes, my perfect morning has been disrupted. The sounds of a diesel pickup, the smell of a badly tuned gas engine, tent poles clicking as they are dismantled, and overly loud conversations are invading the bliss of my morning. But that's the way it is with life. Sin invades and disrupts the perfect creation God intended. Nevertheless, the sun creeps over the forest horizon and a new day gets under way. I face this day and every new day with confidence that the Son of God, my brother and friend, Jesus, is also rising in my life and will one day make all things new. As beautiful as this setting is in the South Carolina forest, the New Heavens and Earth will be unfathomably more beautiful. So, I will wait expectantly and go get another cup of morning brew.

We escaped Mothman!

Welcome back to Mosey’nMillers. It was a close call, but we safely escaped the Mothman. Mothman?

In West Virginia folklore, Mothman is a creature reportedly seen in the Point Pleasant area from November 1966, to December 1967. The newspaper report published in the Point Pleasant Register was titled "Couples See Man-Sized Bird ... Creature ... Something". 

The national press picked up the reports and spread the story across the United States. Mothman was popularized in a book The Mothman Prophecies, claiming that there were supernatural events related to the sightings, and a connection to the collapse of the Silver Bridge. The 2002 film The Mothman Prophecies was based on that book. An annual festival in Point Pleasant is devoted to the Mothman legend. 

We missed the big shindig by a few days.







The Silver Bridge was a suspension bridge built in 1928 and named for the color of its aluminum paint. It carried U.S. Route 35 over the Ohio River, connecting Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and Gallipolis, Ohio. On December 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge collapsed while it was full of rush-hour traffic, resulting in the deaths of 46 people.

Point Pleasant is located at the confluence of the Ohio and Kanawaha Rivers, so it inevitably has flooding issues. 

The 1937 the flood came to the second floor windows.

After several once-in-500-year- floods within several decades, a high flood wall was built around the central city. A wonderful river-front park, walkway and State Park are a great place to spend the afternoon absorbing local history. The Flood wall is decorated with murals illustrating the town’s past.

The following statues and murals are found in the river-front park.

In front of the Silver Bridge mural.

What happened? What now?

Good morning Mosey’nMillers fans, from Klodel Park Campground in beautiful Point Pleasant, West Virginia. To see more about this park go to Krodel Campground.

Wait a minute! How and why did we get here and why now? Ok, let me back up and start where you last heard from me.

Late in March 2017 we were serving as “Hosts” at Pedernales Falls State Park in sunny Texas. I mentioned that on April 1st we would set out for home. We were excited about traveling the beautiful, 444 mile Natchez Trace Parkway. Well, it didn’t happen like that.

Just before we were scheduled to leave, Darlene was diagnosed with a minor illness, but one which effected our travel plans. We decided to “make a bee line” for Indy because travel was uncomfortable for her. We took the shortest route and did our overnights in Walmart parking lots. Once home, she was back on her feet quickly and normal life in Indiana resumed. At least for a couple months.

We began planning our “Great Northwestern Loop” which would take us across the northern United States and some Canadian provinces, through the Rockies to visit Banff National Park, down into ID, WA, OR & CA. We would winter in the southwest before returning to Indy in the spring of 2018. That was the plan, but God had something else in mind. 

In June I had an inquiry from the President of the Ohio District LC-MS about my work as an Intentional Interim Pastor. His inquiry eventually … after many questions, conversations, and prayer … led to my accepting a call to be Interim Pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Garfield Heights, OH. And yes, that’s a long way from home, over 5 hours driving.

From September 1, 2017 until August 19, 2018 I Pastored St. John and led them in a process of self-evaluation and discovery as to their future in mission and ministry following the retirement of a long-term pastor (29 years). The church provided me with an apartment and car, so I lived comfortably and came home to be with Darlene & family often. Our plans to do the “Great Northwestern Loop” had been postponed for a year. But we were excited about starting that long trip within a few weeks after I finished in Cleveland. But it’s obvious that didn’t happen!

While we are indeed in God’s merciful and gracious hands all the time, in this broken world unexpected and unpleasant things happen; in July our water well went dry (we live in the country and don’t have city water). In such an instance, the only fix is to drill a new well. And a new well costs a lot of $$,$$$. This large financial setback meant that our Northwestern trip would again be postponed. But why are we in West Virginia?

There are less expensive ways to travel and escape the mid-west winter than going to the southwest via Canada. Going to Georgia and staying on one place for the winter saves lots of $,$$$ and meets all our Mosey’n criteria. So on August 18, we set out for our winter destination in sunny, warm General Coffee State Park in southeast Georgia. What’s general coffee? I drink Starbucks. And why there?  You’ll just have to come back for my next post as we move on from Point Pleasant WV to our destination in the south. God be with you till then.