On Tuesday June and Andy spent the day house-hunting, all to no avail. Not knowing what we're really looking for doesn't help. So we are continually (at least for now) rethinking location, price, size, style, the cost of maintaining a place, how much lawn to mow, and so on. Andy would rather be reading a good book or taking a long walk.

Again on Wednesday we spent another day traipsing around homes, some empty, some looking as though Mt. Etna just erupted so that the dwellers fled moments ago. Nothing looked as though it was left empty or recently unoccupied just for us. Buying a house is not so much a choice as set of eliminations. Not this one, not that one: oh dear, this must be it! Opps! Wrong again!

Today--Thursday-it's raining cows and bulls. Andy is staying mostly inside all day, only going out to drive down to the lake dam to watch the three-foot wave of khaki-colored water throw itself continually over the precipice, a sheer drop of some eighty feet into the Ocmulgee below. It's our very own Niagara Falls! Standing near the edge, one can hear the great roar; it does, in fact, sound like Niagara Falls.

While June looks online at real estate, Andy is working his way through two books: Kathleen Norris' Acedia and Me and Ched Myers' Binding the Strong Man. Both excellent.

Last Monday June and Andy attended a meeting of Building a United Interfaith Lexington through Direct Action (BUILD) at Immanuel Baptist Church in Lexington. Quite an event! For a full report, see "Putting heat on the city for affordable housing." Over 160 members of Faith Lutheran Church attended the crowded sanctuary of nearly 1300 people. To find out more about the event, visit our sister-site at http://www.prayingdaily.blogspot.com/.

Image Sources: The Assembly, photograph submitted by Arnon Lundborg [alundborg@insightbb.com]; Andy and June at the BUILD Meeting, photograph submitted by Larry Van Dyne llvandyne@washingtonian.com]. Thank you very much, Arnon and Larry, for sending in the photographs.

Chelsea drives to Valley View and back

This morning Chelsea passed the test for her driver's permit, and this afternoon she took her first extended drive, some twenty-five down to Valley View and back to her home in Richmond. It was a drive in the country; the road was curvy, the shoulders not quite up-to-snuff, and the middle yellow line often missing, but Chelsea navigated everything wonderfully. She's going to be a quite wonderful driver: careful, courteous, and considerate of both car and passenger. It was a real joy to ride along with her, her smile lovely as she took another big step toward independence.

Dad's January Trip to Haiti

In January Andy served as team coordinator for a group of thirteen Lutherans and Methodists who went to Haiti. Dr. Joe King on the University of Kentucky medical faculty worked as our photographer, and he's invited you to see his "Haiti Slideshow." Travel to

http://photoking.zenfolio.com/p290900660, use the password mesi (that's Creole for "Thank you,"

be our companion as we fly down to Port au Prince, stay a while at the Village of Hope, and then take off for the mountain village of Ranquitte, where we built a small home for a Haitian family in desperate need of shelter. You'll enjoy the trip.

Chelsea takes numerous first-place medals at the Mason Dixon Track Meet

This morning Chelsea led her team time and again to victory as she crossed the finished line in first place, not once, not twice, but three times. When the official times are finally posted sometime this weekend, they will appear here as an update. Congratulations, Chel! You are one speedy, fast, energetic young woman. You run like a beautiful deer, bounding over those hurdles, speeding down the track. You are a champion's champion!

Andy becomes at oblate at Mt. Tabor Benedictine Monastery

On Sunday, March 1, during Morning Prayer with the Benedictine sisters of Mt. Tabor Monastery, Andy was received into the community as an oblate. Having studied the Rule of St. Benedict intensely for more than a year, Andy promised to support the Benedictine community with his prayers and way of life that would give glory to God, especially as that glory is manifest by a life of hospitality, the special mission of Mt. Tabor Monastery. With June, Harry Smiley, and Danielle and Stan Brown, and all the sisters supporting him with their prayers, Andy is looking forward to his renewed prayer life and the rededication of his life to obedience to the Gospel.

Ash Wedneday, the First Day of Lent

At the Ash Wednesday Eucharist, Pastor Luckey at Faith Lutheran Church marked our foreheads with ashed signs of the cross. Those ashes were made by burning the strands of palms blessed last year on Palm Sunday; the ashes were then mixed with oil. As our Pastor marked our foreheads he looked straight at us and said, "Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return." With those words he forcefully reminded us of our mortality, the real truth that we shall die, and our bodies will return to the earth, "dust to dust." Later during the service, Pastor also preached a sermon hard to forget, telling us that on Ash Wednesday the Church intervenes dramatically to tell us that we are in deep need to God's grace. We are addicts to sin. For this reason the Church comes to us, sits down with us, and tells us the truth: as addicts to self-centered behaviors, we are hooked on sin, "junkies" to selfishness, and abusers of one another. We are in deperate need to help. On Ash Wednesday the Church pleads with us to repent and make a determination to change the direction of our lives. Like drug addicts and alcoholists who know they have hit rock bottom, we too must come clean and actually see what's wrong with us, how we have damaged our own and other people's lives. We need God's intervention. Knowing who we are with renewed clarity, we confessed our hurtful lives, received absolution in the proclamation of the Gospel, and in the Holy Communion came to Jesus to receive God's healing from the disease of sin, stubborness of heart, and addiction to egoistic behaviors. We opened our lives up fully to Christ's healing and therapy. Made whole and healthy by God's incarnate Presence in Christ, June and I drove home, determined to drop ourselves like seeds and die in the ground--just like seeds!--so that we might burst forth with Christ in resurrected lives.

The Prayer for Ash Wednesday

Gracious God, out of your love and mercy you breathed into dust the breath of life, creating us to serve you and our neighbors. Call forth our prayers and acts of kindness, and strengthen us to face our mortality with confidence in the mercy of your Son, Jesus Christ and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

Brunch at the Galt House with Art and Liz on February 8

About every three months Art and Liz Harnack and we Richmond Harnacks get together at the world-famous Galt House in Louisville to have one of the universe's finest brunches. As our favorite server--Manny, who's been hosting us for sixteen years greets us--we enjoy a wonderful spread of out-of-this-world dishes, all the while being rotated around and around on the top floor so that we see the Ohio River and the city of Louisville in all its splendor. We look forward to this get-together with great anticipation, glad to see one another, happy to swap stories, and wish one another God's blessing and good health three or four times a year. Let's do it again soon!

Memories, Christmas in Georgia, 2008

Several days later the Georgia clan met first at Becky and Wayne's home for a gosh-awful good supper and games--Apples to Apples!--and then again everyone got together at the lakehouse for Christmas cheer, more great family food, stories, and lots of very expensive gifts for everyone. Isn't that Merry Anna something!

Memories: December 21, 2008, Christmas at Lora and Kirk's Home

On December 21, the day after
Audrey and Josh's wedding, we had some a wonderful, festive, and delightful family Christmas celebration. The food was--oh, so good!--delicious, the gift-giving lots and lots of fun, and--best of all--the kids had gobs of fun. Thank you so very much, Lora and Kirk (and you too, Madalyn!) for being such wonderful hosts! We all love you dearly.

Getting Ready for the Trip to Haiti

On Saturday Andy, the team coordinator for a thirteen-person trip to Haiti, met with eight friends to pack 20 bins of medical, food, and maintainence supplies that the team will lug back into the mountains to the village of Ranquitte. Four of the team are from Faith Lutheran Church, Lexington,and nine are from First United Methodist Church, Richmond. For the their first time, Pat Mundt and Joe King (unloading Pat's car here), will make the trip of their lives!

December 13: Merry Anna's Graduation

On Friday, December 12, Sara Beth, Matt, June, and Andy drove down to Columbia International University in South Carolina to be with Merry Anna as she graduated with a B.S. degree. It was quite some ride down--lots of rain. But the next day, the day of Merry Anna's commencement, was just gorgeous, full of sunshine! Congrats to June's granddaughter!

On the way back to Kentucky we stopped at the Golden Girls Restaurant north of Knoxville to share supper with Kathy and Steve Stout, Matt's parents. Broasted chicken! Gosh, it was good! And so good to get to know Sara Beth's parents-in-law; it's no wonder Matt is such a great guy.

A Weekend with Hisae Kuroda

A month or so ago Richmond's mayor, Connie Lawson, asked June and Andy if they would like to host someone from Japan who would be visiting our town under the sponsorship of the Japanese-American Society of Kentucky. On Friday evening at the Acres of Land Winery and Restaurant we met Hisae Kuroda, our 59-year-old guest from Shikamachi, Yata, Japan. We had a wonderful weekend with her. On Saturday, the 25th, we gathered at Irvine McDowell Park and watched the homecoming parade when--lo! behold!--Amy and Kevin, Mary Carol, Jackson, Hayden, along with Sharon and Carl Kuhn, and Carol came walking up Oak Street. What a wonderful surprise!

After the parade June, Andy, and Hisae had lunch at JW's on Main Street and then spent the better part of the afternoon shopping in Berea. That evening we had dinner at Barb Griec and Mas Smith's home with a big roasting of "s'mores" over coals in the outdoor fire pit.

On Sunday Hisae accompanied us to the Eucharist at Faith Lutheran Church in Lexington. Afterwards we drove down to Riptides, a river-side restaurant under the I-75 bridge on the Fayette County side of the rive. And from there we launched ourselves on three pontoon boats (tied side to side) for a trip down the Kentucky River, sponsored by Riverkeepers with artist Pat Banks as leader. Later that evening we went to the Grey Oaks Club House for a dulcimer performance and reception hosted by the Mayor.

Then on Monday it was another full day. by bus Hisae went to Louisville, and we followed by car. For lunch we stopped by the great ballroom at the Seelbach Hotel, then went to Churchill Downs for a terrific tour, and wound up at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts where we took in "The Kentucky Show." It was then that we said good-bye to Hisae, who had stayed in our home for three nights, given us lovely gifts, shared breakfast, and lots of chatter about her home and our home. It was really quite something! On the way home, we stopped by to see Amy and the kids (Kevin was at the Titans game!) and played some spirited rounds of "spoons."

You can go to to Photobucket and see lots of pictures submitted by all the hosts and guests, including some by Andy.

Breakfast at the Pancake Pantry in Gatlinburg, Tennessee

This morning the four of us--Lora and Kirk, June and I--got to spend some precious hours with one another, meeting in Gatlinburg, TN, for breakfast. Gosh, it was wonderful! Kirk showed up with a banged-up right hand, damaged in Amsterdam (take a look at that pinkie finger!), and Lora, we found out, has nearly a brand-new job, now that her situation has dramatically changed for the better under a new boss. We're so happy for both of them! At the end of the month, Kirk will be heading to Bejing; about the same time June and I will be flying out to Santa Fe for a two-week visit in one of Andy's favoriate cities. We will be staying overnight at Lora and Kirk's home, flying out on November 1 and getting back on the 15th. All of which means that we get to do Halloween in Nashville! Watch for June in her bogeywoman mask!

Andy gets some ideas!

Yesterday was quite a treat for me. With an "All Access Pass" given to me by Pastor Luckey, I was able to attend several presentations at the Idea Festival in Louisville. Two presentations were particularly impressive: first, Mark Beaseley's "Creative Space"; second Will Short's "Puzzled?" As Short described the history and creation of cross-word puzzles, he noticed one couple in particular, appropriately dressed for the occasion. I took a picture of them afterwards, promising that they appear in this blog. Ain't (yes, cross-worders use the word!) they something!

Bus Trip to Philly, ATL City, NYC, Washington and Back!

On September 7, along with some 40 others in the Geriatric Ward, June and I boarded the Midnight Sun bus and headed north to a week's trip to Henderson, NC, Atlantic City, Philadelphia, the Big Apple, Washington, DC, and home again. What a ride (sore butt and all). Really, it was better than I expected. The company was great, the food tolerable, and some places--St. Paul's Chapel, across from Ground Zero, in NYC and my second visit to Independance Hall--well worth the stopping. I got lots of travel-time to read (finished, for example, Graham Greene's The Comedians and got well into Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamozov). All told, a good week on the road.

PS: At the Atlantic City casino, I lost nary a dime; in fact, the joint gave me $25 and I promptly spent it in a good book store one block away, getting a dandy used copy of John C. Miller's Alexander Hamilton: Portrait in Paradox. What a deal!

Our Labor Day Weekend

Well, here we are, just moments before loading up the cars to leave after a wonderful Labor Day weekend with Amy, Kevin, Mary Carol, Jackson, Hayden, Chelsea, June and Andy, Uncle Art and Aunt Liz.

As you can see, we just your normal, unexcitable family; nothing really going on when we get together. We hug and pat one another on the back. Nobody ever tells a tall tale, not even a white lie. Nobody gets a slight buzz. The kids are soooooo-good. We're always on our best behavior. We're just like those dudes in the pix. Everyone shows a big toothy smile; Art and Andy suck in their tummies (with their hour-glass figures, the women don't have to ), and all of us look straight into the camera like we belong in the White House. We is the ideal family. What a photograph! Dad-gum! We's cover-magazine stuff. The whole thing is almost professionally done!

However, when we're at the end of our ropes, getting on one another's nerves, getting up too often in the middle of night to pee, and asking once to often for that second shiraz (and "You got an extra beer, Kev?"), we tend to look a little more less normal (say, for example) like those fruit-cakes people in the botton photo. Andy is still picking his teeth from those fish tacos. Mary Carol, as usual, can't get her tongue back in her mouth. June is still biting her tongue so as not to say something infelicitous. Carol is in her usual state of shock. Art, getting a bit romantic with his wife (who apprently loves it). Kev, his near-explosive self, about to go bananas. Cooper the Mutt, squirming his butt off in MC's arms. How Amy manages to smile is beyond us. The picture was uncomposed, just a random snapshot of the Kuhns and Harnacks. We're outta here!

Hush! Hush! But do look at Chelsea!

Unbeknowst to everyone (we were all watching the Iron Man Competition), Liz and Chelsea slipped away to take a look at Liz's new VW convertable; and when we looked up, Chelsea was easing the beautiful red machine ever so nicely around the bank's parking lot. Liz was giving her niece her first driving lesson. There were no other cars in the lot; it was as safe as safe can be. By all accounts, Chelsea did exceptionally well, not a jerk when on the gas pedal, not a head-bob when putting on the brakes; Chelsea drove slowly with great precision; the ride went as smooth as silk. It didn't last long, but it was such a pleasure to see Chelsea learning to be responsible at the wheel.

Amy and Kevin's New Home

While Art and Liz were driving down from Indianapolis, June, Chelsea, and Andy were heading west to meet them at 3104 Hilltop Place in Prospect, KY, the new home of Amy, Kev, Mary Carol, Jackson, and Hayden. It's beautiful, and we felt so welcome.

On Saturday evening June, Carol, Liz, Art, and Andy went to Grace & Glory Lutheran Church in Goshen, Kentucky, to worship the Most Holy Trinity, listen to the Scripture readings, hear Pastor Tim Koenig's excellent homily, and share the Sacrament of Holy Communion. It was a beautiful liturgy, greatly appreciated by all--most of all, I hope and pray, by God who blesses us so richly.

On Sunday we relaxed a good bit, ate Amy's blueberry breakfast casserole (almost a sacrament in itself!), slipped over to KY 42 to watch the Iron Man Triatholon, walked over with Carol to see her new home (a stunningly lovely condo!), ate scrumptuous fish tacos for dinner, and sipped red and white wines (some had a beer or two) during the afternoon. While we chatted and yakked (stepping ever so light on matters political :-), the kids went over to the big pool. The new Kuhn house/resort is gorgeous (five bedrooms and two huge porches, and a fire-pit on the ceramic deck, among severeal dozen other amenities). On Saturday night towards bedtime, all the kids fixed us "s'mores" so that June and I were able to gain back a little of the weight we've lost. O, it was good! It was great! We is gonna come back!

Labor Day: The Iron Man Competition in Louisville

While at Amy and Kev's home in Louisville, we spent a good bit of time watching and cheering on riders in the Iron Man Competition. Here are some excerpts from today's coverage by Michael Grant in the Louisville Courier-Journal:

Seemingly impervious to the elements, not looking particularly fatigued but very hungry, Maximilian Longree triumphantly burst into Fourth Street Live yesterday after he won the second Ford Ironman Triathlon.

The German finished the endurance race in 8 hours, 33 minutes, 58 seconds -- almost 21 minutes ahead of defending champion Chris McDonald (8:54:52). It was a shocking display of dominance. Longree ignored harsh weather conditions to better last year's winning time by almost six minutes.

For the women, 34-year-old Mariska Kramer-Postma of the Netherlands came from behind late to win in 9:54:17.

The 93-degree high temperature and stiff wind didn't seem to bother Longree. He won by passing McDonald near the midway point of the marathon and finished the 26.2-mile run in 2:48.55 after the 2.4-mile swim and 112-mile bike ride.

Ironmans make Longree hungry. Usually he celebrates with pizza, but after chewing up the competition yesterday, he took a big bite of a bacon double cheeseburger delivered from the Hard Rock Café.

Longree, 27, left nothing to chance. He placed his food order three weeks ago so it would be waiting for him at the finish line. He wanted "a real American burger and not the fast food from Germany."

"Here in Kentucky I heard about the burgers," he said. "I ordered it three weeks ago via e-mail. Three miles before the finish line I let them call the race director to get me the burger. It was great."

Longree can afford all the burgers he wants after earning $10,000 for his first Ironman victory. His previous best finish was third place in Ironman Austria in July 2007. Bothered by a stress fracture in his right foot, he hadn't competed in an Ironman since the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii in October, when he placed 17th.

After the swim, Andrew Johns led, finishing in 51:27. Longree was 14th. Johns was slowed by back spasms, however, and had to quit. McDonald took the lead around the 80-mile mark of the bike ride. The Australian had the lead for most of the first half of the marathon until Longree made a strategic decision to speed up the race.

"After 12 miles he had a good pace," Longree said. "I tried to go with him. But then I felt, 'I have to go my pace.' It was much higher, but if you go another pace you could come out of your rhythm. "It worked. I'm really happy. I'm not so tired. But I will be in a few hours."
McDonald said he simply couldn't keep up with Longree. "I had nothing on the run today," he said. "I had a seven-minute lead on the bike. I just couldn't find a rhythm at all. I struggled every single step."

Last year gave McDonald his first career Ironman victory. Yesterday it was Longree's turn. "It's so unbelievable for me now to really win a race," he said. "You can't sleep the night before because you're so nervous. Then you're tired. You go into the race and it's really tough. I will enjoy this victory with my family."

As we watched the riders fly by, we rallied, hooted, and rooted on a good many women--Iron Women! When the lovely lady in the bottom photograph saw that I was going to take a picture of her, she looked over and said, "Oh, please, don't! I haven't got any lipstick on!" And then she smiled.