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Fr. Bryan’s Ordination

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Yesterday I had the great privilege of attending the ordination of my friend (now) Fr. Bryan Ketterer to the priesthood for the Diocese of Tulsa. Continue reading →

Weekly Photo Challenge: From Lines to Patterns

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I’m back with another try at the Weekly Photo Challenge from dailypost.wordpress.com.  This week the challenge is “From Lines to Patterns.”

From lines to patterns. We see lines and patterns in the world around us, in nature and things man-made. Sometimes we don’t realize they’re there: on the street, across the walls, up in the sky, and along the ground on which we walk.

Today’s challenge is inspired by Evan Zelermyer‘s stunning urban, abstract, and architectural images from his “Shape, Line, Texture, Pattern” post published earlier this week. I’d love to see your interpretations of these elements, so grab your camera, get outside, and snap a great shot of shapes or lines that you stumble upon, or a cool texture or pattern that catches your eye.

 

The photo you see above, attached to this post, was taken at last weekend’s Redman Triathlon, held in Oklahoma City. What you see is part of the corridor that lead from the biking transition area onto the marathon course.  I thought the shadows through the plastic fencing, as the setting sun cast shadows through it, was an interesting pattern.

I was in OKC with my friend Mark Steichen to encourage my godson Jon Mills as he competed in his first “iron-distance” (I hope I used the term correctly) triathlon, a crazy 2.4 mile swim, SONY DSCfollowed by a 112 mile bike ride, followed by a full 26.2 mile marathon.  It was terrific to be there with Jon’s family and friends to cheer him on, on a beautiful late summer day.

Jon has been such an inspiration to me.  I met him during my first years as a campus minister at the University of Tulsa, where he was a student.  Over the years it’s been my privilege to see Jon grow in so many ways, including tackling the rigors of medical school, getting married and starting a wonderful family.   Jon was my volunteer swim coach for a few years as I tried to improve my skills (i.e. not drown), and he allowed me the honor of being his sponsor when he joined the Church.

So even though the photo of the shadow lines is really nothing special, it symbolizes for me how the lines and lives of people crisscross over time.

John and Matthew on the Bismarck Sea

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Last week I had the really great honor to welcome two of my very good friends to PNG for a visit.  Matthew Pepper and John White were two of the first students I met when I was introduced to the St. Philip Neri Newman Center at the University of Tulsa in August 1998.  They had a great impact on my decision to leave the corporate world and begin working as the campus minister there for the next 8 years.

During their time at the Newman Center and the volunteering they each did after college, we’ve had several opportunities to travel together over the years.  Now that they are both married and have children, those opportunities are more limited, but they were both eager to visit me in PNG and support my missionary effort here at St. Fidelis Seminary in Madang, PNG.

We can now add Papua New Guinea to the list of countries that we’ve seen together, which includes Italy, Austria, Switzerland, France,  Czech Republic, Guatemala, and Peru.  John and I also visited Greece and Turkey.

Their trip here started off in true PNG fashion – they were delayed overnight in Port Moresby when their flight to Madang was canceled for “operational necessity.”  Nonetheless, they arrived first thing on June 28th.

The highlight of their visit was the 2 1/2 days we spent on Karkar Island, a fairly large island off the north coast of PNG in the Bismarck Sea, across from the village of Megiar about an hour north of St. Fidelis.

The local parish priest is a diocesan missionary priest from Poland, Fr. Bogdan.  Another Polish priest, Fr. Adrian, pastor of the Holy Spirit Parish in nearby Alexishafen, suggested that I call Fr. Bogdan and invite ourselves over for a visit.  It seemed brazen to me, but I’ve learned that it’s the thing that expats do when they need a break.  Everyone loves visitors it seems.

Fr. Bogdan picked us up early Saturday morning, June 29th for what was one of the most harrowing road trips I’ve ever taken.  Flying up the North Coast Highway at breakneck speeds, barely braking for ravenous potholes and meandering villagers, somehow we made it to Megiar without any accidents.

There we met Fr. Bogdan’s boat for the 1 hour open sea trip over to Karkar.  It was a rainy day and the island was obscured by heavy clouds.  Taking off from the shoreline, it seemed like we were heading off to Jurassic Park, barely glimpsing the top of the island’s huge volcanic cone.

Fr. Bogdan’s parish, near the village of Tumel, is just a few yards from black sand beaches on the islands western side. Nestled amidst coconut groves and cocoa tree farms, the island is peaceful and idyllic.   Originally colonized by German Lutheran missionaries, there are now a fair amount of Catholics on the island for whom Fr. Bogdan is the only priest.

Although Fr. Bogdan’s living quarters are sparse, he did his best to host us, showing us around the island, taking us snorkeling, and spent time with us in the midst of his busy Sunday Mass schedule (three Masses in different parts of the island).

Fr. Bogdan introduced us to Paul and Barbara Goodyear, owners of several coconut and cocoa plantations on the island’s west side.  They very graciously welcomed us to their home, spent quite a bit of time showing us the plantations, the processing facilities for copra and cocoa, showed us great places for snorkeling, and fed us a scrumptious German dinner.  Barbara came to PNG from Germany as a volunteer, where she met Paul, a local who was educated in Australia.

I never thought I would travel to Karkar and be feasted with roast pork with mango chutney, sauerkraut, German dumplings, and several wonderful desserts including cherry cheesecake.

Paul and Barbara could not have been better hosts and it gave all of us a wonderful experience.

Returning to St. Fidelis on Monday afternoon, July 1st, Matthew and John were able to see some of the life at St. Fidelis.  Unfortunately, my winning streak during our nightly games of Hearts came to a crushing end that night.

John and Matthew felt so bad at beating me that they insisted in helping out with the never-ending grass cutting chore at the school.  I think they learned quickly how tough the grass is here and how the turf is fiercely defended by “the Formics.”    (Somehow they managed to avoid being bitted even once while in PNG.  I really don’t understand it).

That evening, their last night at St. Fidelis, we celebrated John’s 36th birthday with cake, mint chocolate ice cream, and a little “something” that they had picked up at the duty free shop on the way through Australia.

The last day of their adventure was spent at the Madang Lodge.  Matthew and John wanted to treat me to a night in a luxury resort (with air conditioning!) and relaxing with a wonderful ocean view.   We had a great time there, swimming in the fresh water pool, eating pizza for dinner, etc.   Earlier in the day, we met Fr. Adrian, another Polish priest, who is the pastor of the parish in Megiar.  He gave us a ride back to St. Fidelis after the return boat ride from Karkar.  Definitely not the usual life of a missionary, but I’ll take it!

John and Matthew have left PNG now and are working their way home today after a stopover in Melbourne.  It’s hard to express how lucky I feel to have friends that would travel more than 16,000 miles roundtrip to visit.    I can’t wait to return the favor someday.

I know that some people get bored looking at vacation photos, but here they are if you choose to view them.

 

Oklahoma

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Home

I didn’t mention it here on the blog, but you might have picked up on the fact that I spent most of the month of May back home in Oklahoma.

St. Fidelis Seminary had a break between school terms and because of some family issues, I decided to spend that time in Tulsa.

My aunt, the only member of the older generation left in my immediate family, suffered a fall during Easter and has been recovering at a rehabilitation facility ever since.  My sister Stacey is currently the closest relative (100 miles away) and has been managing her care and financial issues pretty much by herself.

I decided to use my break time to come home and help out as much as I could.  I’m not sure how much good I really did, but I was able to visit with my aunt on a daily basis which I hope was a comfort to her.

My brother Kevin and his wife Maureen came to town one weekend too, which was awesome.  We don’t all three get together that often and it was unlikely to happen at all while I’m working in PNG.

 

Friends

My friends in Tulsa really took care of me while I was home.  It seemed like someone was always willing to have dinner,  go to a baseball game, throw the frisbee around, see a movie, or just hang out in a coffee shop for awhile.

I thought I might suffer from some reverse culture shock when I came home, but I don’t think I experienced anything of the sort.  Dropping into my home city, driving the familiar roads and visiting the familiar faces was just like putting on a glove.  Of course, I really hadn’t been gone all that long anyway.

What surprised me was how much bigger my friends’ children had grown in the past 5 months.  I should have expected it, I guess, but they’ve all grown up so much.  Cuter and more precocious too!

 

Storms

If you’ve read much of my blog, you won’t be surprised when I say that I have a strong attachment to my home state of Oklahoma.  I’m sure others feel the same way about their states, but as far as I’m concerned, there’s just something special about the people there.

I left Tulsa to return to PNG just after the terrible tornadoes struck Moore, Oklahoma.  It brought back memories of the devastating 1999 storms and actually surpassed them in destruction.  I knew people who lost their homes in 1999, and once again I learned that a college friend and his family lost their home this time.

Oklahoma, for all of its good attributes, does seem to attract more than its fair share of tragedy.  Storms, earthquakes, domestic terrorism, economic depressions, droughts, dust storms, wild fires, and flooding seem to happen with some regularity.

What I find interesting is that the people always seem to rise to the challenge.  It would be hard to find a more giving or more generous people, united by both the blessings and challenges of living there.

Sometimes so many people want to help their neighbors in need that organizers don’t know what to do with all of them. As I was heading to the airport, I heard a story on the radio about a Moore area church asking for volunteers to help clean up their property so they could have a memorial service.  Over a thousand people showed up to help on a Tuesday afternoon.  Incredible.

SinceI left Tulsa, there have been even more devastating storms.  One in Broken Arrow, a neighboring city to Tulsa, was only about 5 miles from my home.  The one in El Reno, west of Oklahoma City, killed 20 people, caused massive flooding after 11 inches of rain, and at one point was making a beeline for Stacey’s house in Edmond.

You would think that many people would be making a run for the border after so many storms in such a short time.  I’ve learned though that this only seems to endear Oklahoma to the people and just makes them roll up their sleeves and work all that much harder to repair the damage, try to learn something from the storms, and be just that much better prepared for the next one.

I know it sounds crazy, but being away from the mayhem is hard.  I’d rather be there in the thick of it, ready to help if I can.  I know there would be people to help me if I was the one needing it.

(Note:  the photo slideshow on this post is just some pasture shots that I took in Craig County near Grand Lake.  Nothing special but they do remind me of home and its wide open spaces.)

Eleven Days An Ordained Man

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I just have to share this, it’s too good not to.

My friend Bryan Ketterer, a student of the St. Philip Neri Newman Center at the University of Tulsa while I was campus minster there, was recently ordained to the transitional diaconate.  He’s currently studying at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver and is expected to be ordained to the priesthood next year.

During much of his time in the seminary, now-Deacon Bryan sent out almost weekly emails to his friends with updates about his studies and what seminary life is like.  Almost all of them began with a pretty cheesy limerick, but knowing Bryan you would agree they fit perfectly with his personality.

Although I missed his ordination while I was traveling back to PNG, I read with great interest all the accounts of his ordination, along with the priesthood ordination of Tulsa’s newest priest, Fr. Todd Nance.

This morning, I received the following email from Deacon Bryan and knew that I would have to share it with you.  I know he won’t mind.  He’s said I could post his missives before.  It is wonderful to see such a joy of vocation!

Eleven days an ordained man,
This feels so right; I trust God’s plan.
I’ve much to learn,
And yet I yearn
That God complete what He began!

I’m still trying to make heads and tails of this whole deacon thing, but it has been really profound as much as it has sunk in so far. I really see and think about things in a different way knowing I have been consecrated specifically for carrying out Christ’s mission on earth. It seems odd that this is the case having been a seminarian for six years and basically always thinking in this way, but it’s a significantly noticeable difference. It still feels a little foreign when I act as a deacon liturgically or give blessings, but it also just feels so right. Preaching has been a crazy experience too, knowing that in some way the Holy Spirit is moving through my gift of self in preaching and changing hearts and lives. And at this point preaching really feels like I’m just throwing myself out there and hoping the Holy Spirit’s got me covered.

It’s actually been a little hard appreciating the order I received since now I can’t stop looking ahead in excitement. Priesthood seemed so far off two weeks ago, and almost a distant hope at times, but now my heart has a little taste of what’s to come and I just can’t stop longing for it. I feel so limited in how I can serve God’s people and the world for that matter as a deacon, even though a whole new world has just been opened up to me. I think I have a beginning sense of the insane restlessness Fr. Todd Nance was going through in the few days before his priestly ordination on May 25.

 I know I have more musings rumbling around in my head and heart, but I’ll save them for another day and another limerick 😉

 Blessings!

-Deacon Bryan

 

(Photo credit:  David Crenshaw – Eastern Oklahoma Catholic)

Box of Treasures

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Gohn-Books.jpg

What a treat it was to receive a new Box of Treasures in the mail!

A load of new books from my good friend Pat Gohn covering a wide range of topics that will really come in handy with the students.  I was really glad to see a number of books on priesthood and women’s issues.

Pat also included her own new book, “Bold, Beautiful and Bodacious.”  I was hoping that she would include a copy as I’ve been wanting to read it.  I’ve just finished the Introduction and since I know Pat well, can read it with her own voice in my head.  A little weird, but comforting too.

My friend Brandon Vogt also included a few books in the shipment.  I don’t know how that came about, but he also included his book, “The Church and New Media,” a topic near to my heart and something that the Church in PNG needs to embrace more.

The library here at St. Fidelis has some excellent material in it, but it does lack some of the more modern publications by writers such as Scott Hahn, George Weigel, Pope Benedict XVI and others.  Fr. Cyril was particularly interested in seeing the second and third books in Pope Benedict’s Jesus series.

What a terrific gift to send to St. Fidelis!

Many thanks to Pat and Brandon for their contribution to the education of PNG’s budding seminarians!

A Plethora of Mail

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I have been very blessed of late for receiving several pieces of mail from home.  I can’t thank everyone enough for sending me mail and for incurring the not insignificant costs to do so.  I really, really appreciate it!

 

From my friend Maria H., currently studying at Stanford, I received a postcard of the California Redwoods.  Maria spent a year in China, learning Chinese and writing a really compelling blog of her experiences there.  She has a natural style that I wish my blog would come close to.  Someday perhaps!

 

A sizable box came from my sister.  Meant as a birthday shipment, it actually arrived in time for Easter, taking a month to come from Oklahoma.  That seems to be par for the course right now.  What did I get?  Stuff that I really, really appreciate:  two packages of plain white t-shirts, sunscreen, insect repellent, a new polo shirt, and most likely the only bag of Fritos in Papua New Guinea.  Nothing earth shattering, but as good as any comfort food.

 

Matthew and Tracy Pepper, of Santa Fe,  not only sent me a piece of New Mexico sky, but also a St. Patrick’s Day card.  I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the only one in Papua New Guinea as well.  It’s not a well known holiday.  I’m guessing that the Irish never spent much time here.  Too far from the Guinness factory probably.

 

Speaking of my birthday, I also received a wonderful card from my aunt Joanne.  Of course, no mailing from my aunt comes without one or two newspaper clippings to help you keep on top of all the doings in Tulsa.

 

The doings of my friends Abigail and Timothy Thomas also arrived in the form of their mission newsletter. The Thomases and their young daughter Amelia are serving as FOCUS missionaries at the University of Pittsburgh.  Abigail was a student of the St. Philip Neri Newman Center at the University of Tulsa while I was campus minister.  I am certainly very proud of the outreach that they are doing to the college students there.

 

Most recently, I received a box from my wonderful friends Linda and Jeff Nielsen.  You may know Jeff as “Captain Jeff”, host of SQPN’s Catholic Weekend show.  They sent me two things that I’ve been really craving – CDs of recent SQPN podcasts and a box of chocolate covered coffee beans.    Because of the dearth of internet here on the north coast of PNG, I have been unable to download any SQPN podcasts for 4 months.  One episode could easily take 5-6 hours to download.  Just not possible when my access is limited to 3 hours every Friday morning.   The chocolate coffee beans are a really nice touch!  They became a favorite of mine when I visited the Nielsen’s house outside of Atlanta on several SQPN working trips.    These are also quite possibly the only of their kind in Papua New Guinea.

 

I know that a post about the mail I receive isn’t the most compelling type of blogging but it is a highlight of my day when something makes it all the way to this little outpost on the north coast of PNG.

7 Quick Takes Friday – July 6th

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— 1 —

Holy Moly it’s July already.  Only about 12 weeks left of summer here in Oklahoma.  Oh sure, we complain about the heat, but I know that everyone here secretly loves the heat and loathes the cold.

— 2 —

Have I mentioned the Catholic New Media Conference lately?  Plans are really coming together for our best one yet.  You should come.  Really.  Click that link and find out about it.

 

 

— 3 —

Independence Day was very enjoyable.  You can read about it here if you like.  Topped it off with a trip to the Tulsa Drillers minor league baseball game last night.  My brother and my good friends Jeff, Jim and Bryan were all there in spite of the 95+ degree temps.

— 4 —

Fr. Stanley Francis Rother

Sainthood cause for Oklahoma’s Fr. Stanley Rother has advanced a little bit.  An official relator has been appointed by the Vatican to explore the issue of his martyrdom.  I blogged about it here.  It would be a tremendous thing for Oklahoma and Guatemala if he should ever be canonized.  I hope I live to see that day.  Excitement is also building here amongst our Native American population for the canonization of Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha this October.

 

— 5 —

Squirrels.  Once again my nemeses caused damage to my house, this time chewing through the coax cables for my internet service.  Really?  They actually like that stuff? They should go get real jobs.

— 6 —

My first college band director passed away yesterday.  Paul A. Montemurro, called “Prof” by his students, was one of a kind.  Italian by ancestry, you were one moment his little “gagutz” (an endearing term we later learned means idiot), and the next the object of an emotional tirade.

Even so, you loved this bigger than life man as only true band geeks can understand.  I don’t know if I would have been half as successful in college if it hadn’t been the band community that formed around his bands at Oklahoma State University in the late ’70s and early ’80s.

Rest in peace, Prof!

— 7 —

Ordination of John Grant by Bishop Edward Slattery

Blessing and congratulations to Fr. John Grant, a former Newman Center student of mine who was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Tulsa last weekend.

It was a joy to be there and to share the occasion with so many friends.

(photo source:  Diocese of Tulsa)

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

When a house becomes a home

/ esteban

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Most of the time my house feels like just a house.  It’s where I work, sleep and eat.

Occasionally though, someone will show up and breathe a new sense of life into the old place.  Such was last weekend when my very good friends John and Nadine White came into town for our diocese’s priestly ordinations.

One of my former students and their classmate John Grant was ordained for our diocese by Bishop Edward Slattery.  If I can find some good photos of that, I’ll share my thoughts in another post.

With John and Nadine came their daughter Sophie (4yrs old and my goddaughter), and Dominic (2 1/2 yrs old).

Suddenly my house became a home, with all that comes with having small children.  Poopy diapers, pee puddles on the hardwood floor, broomsticks that became horsies, late night struggles to get the kids “down”, toast with the crust cut off, reverse psychology, and general pandemonium.

The photos above are just a small sample of the energy and excitement that now makes my house seem so quiet now that they’ve gone home.

Most of the above are photos the kids made themselves when they found out that my iPad has Photobooth on it.

Art from Chaos and Frivolity.

Thank God for children and good friends who share theirs with me.

Where did the week go?

/ esteban / 1 Comment

Does this happen to you?  Do you get to the end of the week and wonder where it went?

I’m not much of a blogger obviously, so I’m going to resist the shame of having two consecutive posts called “7 Quick Takes.”  So, pretend that this is something else.  (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)

A.

I have a boarder.  My “godson” Alex is staying with me for a few months as he transitions into the next phase of his life.  He’s not technically my godson, but I did sponsor him when he joined the Church five years ago.   It’s fun having him here and he’s promised to do all the mowing.  Deal!

B.

The mail just arrived with an invitation to the priestly ordination of one of my former students from the Univ. of Tulsa Newman Center.   Rev. Mr. John Grant will be ordained on June 30th by Bishop Edward Slattery at Tulsa’s Holy Family Cathedral.  You should check out his website:  frjohngrant.com.  His “wishlist” on Amazon.com is also interesting!  Just what do you get a newly ordained priest?

This is very exciting and I hope to go. He’s going to be such a blessed asset for our diocese.  Unfortunately, it’s also the wedding day in Denver for a very close friend.  I’m conflicted.

C.

I recently re-committed to an hour each week at our perpetual adoration chapel.  Tuesday morning at 1am.  I’m finding it difficult to adjust to this new timeslot.   A few years ago, I  had a 4am Thursday morning slot, which I found much easier to manage from a sleep perspective.

This week, rather than taking a nap beforehand, I just stayed up for it.  It worked out much better and I was more focused and alert.

I like having this commitment and would encourage anyone to give it some consideration.

D.

I’ve signed up for a retreat.  I’ve worked many, many retreats for college students, but this is the first personal one for so long that I can’t remember the last one.   It’s a two day drive to get there, but I’ve never been one to turn down a roadtrip.  Besides, I’m a proponent of having time before and after retreats as transition periods.

E.

I had the best time last Sunday afternoon.  For Mother’s Day, another “godson”, if I can still use that term, asked me to take some photos of his wife and kids at Tulsa’s Woodward Park.  The kids were great, so darn cute, and I really like spending time with them.   I’m definitely not a professional photographer, but I do think some of the shots came out well.  I really need to practice more with my camera.

F.

Most of the week’s work was focused on the upcoming Catholic New Media Conference.  We announced the speakers for the International Catholic Bloggers’ Summit, which is the theme for the final day of the 3-day conference.  It’s going to be great fun and so many good things are happening with it.  Another big announcement is coming, so keep an eye out for it.

G.

I rediscovered the blog of another former Newman Center student.  Her name is Sarah and she’s got a great sense of humor and a quick wit.  If you like perusing other people’s blogs, check out Just a Brown-Eyed Girl.

That’s it!  I’ll really try to find something interesting to write about next week.  Heaven forbid that I have to resort to politics.  We both really don’t want that to happen!

 

7 Quick Takes Friday

/ esteban / 1 Comment

Uno – Sunsets & Super Moon

I spent last Saturday evening on the east side of Grand Lake in NE Oklahoma.  For 60 years my family has had a cabin on the west side of the same lake, and for some unknown reason, I’ve never spent much time on the east side.   Grand Lake is a very large lake (~65 miles long and 1-2 miles wide), so getting from one side to the other is quite a drive since there are no convenient bridges.

So this was a treat!  No only did I get to spend time with some old and dear friends, but I got to see a sunset on the lake (hard to do on the west side, but you get awesome sunrises).  It was also the night of the “super moon”, which was cool.  Here are some shots:

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Dos – Closing Down McNellie’s Pub House

Sunday evening was a bit of a first.  I attended Mass at the Univ. of Tulsa Newman Center, where I was campus minister for more than 8 years.  As often happens, I ran into several of my former students.  It was decided that we would go out to Tulsa’s McNellie’s Pub House for a late night dinner.    We ended up with two tables of people, including two priests, various alumni and students.  It was a very nice time, but we ended up being the last group to leave, a bit past closing time and the staff ready to flee.    Felt like college again!

Tres – Hazing

I saw this story on ESPN.com this morning which concerns the terrible hazing incidents within the band at Florida A&M University.  I spent many years as a member of the Kappa Kappa Psi band fraternity and worked as an officer of their national leadership.  Hazing has always been a big topic of concern and many resources have been focused on it to do all that can be done to stamp it out.  Even after so many years, I still have trouble understanding why it seems so pervasive and so hard to eradicate.

I agree wholeheartedly with the suggestion that the band remain off the field for the foreseeable future.  I think the only remedy is to completely start from scratch – no current members allowed to participate, all new staff, no revived traditions, and never ever any involvement with former members and alumni.   That’s the only hope I see for having a clean organization in the future and preventing any other deaths.   Those who are musicians and truly love music and performing music know that hazing has no beneficial part of that.  (I know these are supposed to be quick takes, but the soapbox jumped up and bit me.)

Cuatro – Attic

Yesterday I was changing lightbulbs at my aunt’s house.  I apparently got a bit overzealous with one of her recessed kitchen lights and managed to push the fixture out of it’s bracket and into the ceiling.  This required a trip up into her scary attic – not an easy space for someone as tall as me.  I managed to fix things up pretty quickly, but even on a cool overcast day, it was 100+ degrees up there and I came down dripping with sweat.    The things we have to do sometimes.

Cinco – Tulsa Drillers

Last night I had the pleasure of attending a Tulsa Drillers baseball game at Oneok Field in downtown Tulsa.  This is a gem of a park and I was with a good friend that I hadn’t spent any time with for quite awhile.  Perfect night for a game!

Seis – Serenbe

HGTV is giving away a “green” home in Serenbe – a little community outside of Atlanta.  I’m not suggesting you join the contest, because I’m going to win it.  No, really.

I’ve been to Serenbe a couple of times.  There’s a great little cafe/coffeeshop there that has the best cheesy grits.  I’m not a fan of grits in general, but these are mighty tasty!  I want to win the house just so I’ll have ready access.

Siete – Mowing

I mentioned our cabin on Grand Lake.  This weekend I’m faced with one of my most dreaded summer tasks – mowing the lake property.    This includes not only the lawn around the cabin, but the 75 yards of steeply pitched unpaved road leading to it.    I would dearly love a riding mower for this, but I don’t have one, so this chore becomes a royal CHORE.  Another chance to get all sweaty, but with the added benefits of ticks and chiggers.

 

Hey!  If you’re a blogger, podcaster, webmaster, etc. and involved with Catholic media, you should check out this summer’s Catholic New Media Conference.  Hope to see you there!

Check out other “7 Quick Takes Friday” posts here.

Slainte!

/ esteban

I thoroughly enjoyed St. Patrick’s Day.

The day started with a fun recording of Catholic Weekend.  It must have sounded fun too, because Captain Jeff accused me of having too much Irish in my coffee.  I didn’t have any, actually.

Later in the day, while out running some errands, I picked up this terrific Reuben sandwich from Tulsa’s Petty Fine Foods grocery/deli.  Let me tell you, this was some of the finest corned beef I’ve ever had and the sandwich, while nothing special to look at, it was proportioned just right.

I ate it in Woodward Park among the blooming red buds and some particularly twitchy squirrels.

The evening was spent with my great friends, Jim and Kerry Fox.  Along with their two young daughters, we watched some basketball, enjoyed the backyard with the kids, and supped on Jim’s corned beef and cabbage.  There might have been a few Irish beers too.

The culinary fare ended with this:  Guinness Chocolate Cake from Antoinette’s Baking Company, and mint chocolate chip ice cream.  A perfect combination I would say.

All in all, this was a 4 napkin day of good food and great friends.