More miles covered, home again

Mama, Jake and I traveled to Houston Thursday. It was an uneventful trip. I was teaching a class Friday at a hotel that was within walking distance of where we got our room. A very nice room, by the way. Jake is a good traveler. Not demanding. Rarely complaining. Most of the stops we made on the way were made for me and Mama. It is only a five-hour drive, but the stops added about an hour. Traffic added a little to the travel time as well, but I had all day to make the trip. Jake was not feeling well when we got to the hotel so Mama and I went on our own to Galveston from Clearlake once we got checked into the hotel and I checked out the classroom I would be using the next day. Everything looked fine. It was going to be very cramped, but I could make it work.

It was an hour drive to the beach – such as it was. Mama and I have been spoiled by the beaches in Florida. Pensacola specifically. But we enjoyed being near the saltwater for the sunset. I suppose it is a common misconception, but I had to keep correcting Mama when she would refer to the body of water as the ocean. It is the Gulf of Mexico. Growing up in Houston, a friend of mine was extremely anal about the distinction. Anal in a way only a teenager can be, but the distinction stuck with me. We stayed on the beach through sunset then headed back to the hotel. After all, I had a class to teach the next morning. It was late when we got to bed that night.

Mama got up with me Friday morning to help me get all the teaching materials to the class. I spent a few minutes getting seating arranged at the tables to accommodate the twenty people scheduled to attend. It was indeed very cramped. The group in the class had been in training all week. My class was their fifth day of training. I was representing the third OQ provider to this group. I had been warned by the admin – who also attended the class – that this was rowdy group. I was not sure what was meant by that remark until the class started. They were indeed a quite talkative, but mostly they enjoyed a vulgar humor. Raw, rude joking spurred on by the presence of a woman in the room who could give as good as she got. I had not been in a group of individuals like that since I left the plant in West Virginia. I had to shut down a couple of discussions before they got completely out of hand, but we made it through the class without me getting too embarrassed…or frustrated. To them, it was normal shop banter. In the end it all worked out.

While I was in class, Mama and Jake went to NASA. Since we were in the Clearlake area of Houston, we were only a couple miles from the NASA complex. I think Mama enjoyed the tour as much as Jake. Mama was worn out after a couple hours, but she hung in until Jake was ready to go. It was a great experience for Jake. We have managed to keep Jake busy this trip, but we lacked any unique experiences to share with him. NASA took care of that for us. Our travel back to the farm on Saturday was an easy, leisurely drive. We did not leave early. We were back and unpacked by about 6 pm.

Sunday was pretty normal. Great services with a long nap between. Great preaching. Jake even thanked the preacher after church Sunday evening. He does not get preaching in his life at home. Only when he is with me and Mama. He asked me to explain what the differences were in the Catholic faith and the Baptist faith. After I prayed about how to explain the differences, I used the Plan of Salvation, the Roman’s Road to show Jake where the two doctrines were based on the same precepts and where they diverged. We talked for over an hour as he questioned what Heaven might be like and how we can know for sure we are bound for Heaven. I can only plant or water. God will give the increase. But I am glad we were able to share the foundational principles of our faith. Right now, that is all Jake has to take with him.

Jake and Mama are going to Bowie today to meet up with Seth. Jake wanted to swap howdy’s before he flies out very early Wednesday morning. He has to be at the airport for a 5:30 am flight. Norman said he would be there too, but we are not certain that will happen since he has remarried and moved to Abilene. Jake just wants to make sure he makes all his contacts before he goes back to Florida. He is, like Mama, a social creature.

At the farm, the heat has pretty much shriveled up our vegetable plants. I will pick the last of the beets this afternoon. The blueberries are finishing up. The blackberries are doing well in spite of the heat. I am not sure if the fig will produce any fruit this year, but it is doing well in the heat as long as Mama and I team up on watering it. The larger fruit trees have managed well enough between waterings. My scrawny grape vine all but gave up. It is still alive, but not vibrant. We will have a couple weeks at home before I have to travel again. Maybe we can nurse our plants and animals through the typical summer heat.

Time will tell.