Family, photos and fireworks

The last few days, Karrie and I spent with friends who have adopted us as family. They have a large family with a lot of moving parts and we blended in the best we could and felt like a part of the root system of this great tree. We became an intricate part of a great machine that helped in the kitchen, learned in the garden and laughed in the family room.

The reason I mention this, is because that is how we should be as a community. You have heard me say this before, but I think it is worth repeating. We need to look out for one another, help when we can and be genuinely concerned with the issues around us. A big part of that is looking past our differences, embrace those differences and leave the judgment to God. Pray equally for those we dont understand and for those we do. If we truly start caring about the family next door, then maybe the family next door will care too. But I kind of went down a yeah but trail or rabbit trail there. Let me get back on track. Family is important, blood or otherwise and like a pride of lions we need our group to protect us, feed us and teach us. Especially as we live among the giants. The giants being less of teams in San Francisco and New York but our day-to-day issues that bog us down. Money, relationships, crime, depression, entitlement, laziness and self-esteem, to name a few, but the big one being the spiritual warfare that surrounds us all. So with all that, thank you, Kuiper Family, once again for filling us up and (spoiler alert) we cant wait to have a few more of you running around the Coulee.

I also got a chance to go to Turnbull Wildlife Refuge over the weekend and take some pictures. What a gorgeous place. It is near Cheney, and I highly recommend anyone spend a day there with their camera and family. I got a few birds added to my life list, a Ruddy Duck being the coolest one. We did not see the moose or elk that fill this sanctuary, but I did get a lot of great pictures and spent a good bit of time watching a porcupine eat a tree. I highly recommend a trip to all of you, especially you birders. But more importantly, just get outside and enjoy what we have too. Check out the ospreys in the lower Visitor Center or the geese lounging at North Dam Park. Go catch a fish at Steamboat Rock, swim at Spring Canyon or climb Candy Point Trail. Take your camera along, too, because you never know what you might see and you definitely want to capture the smiles on your familys faces.

As we drove home Monday night we got to experience each towns little firework show. From the seats in our car, moving down the asphalt trail we saw bits of American tradition and pride sparkling in the night sky. Our nations independence on display from Mead to Grand Coulee and all those communities in-between. It was not a spectacular T-N-T booming show but it was enough to let us know we live in a great country and happy we dwell not only in a great county but a great area. Our independence was paid for with blood a long time ago, and patriots continue to fight to keep our nation the way God intended it to be. Those specks of bright light against a dark background are to remind us of hope, life and the cost of freedom. We are America, the United States of America to be exact. From sea to shining sea and all the pit stops in the middle. May God continue to bless this great nation.