Category Archives: Perfect Pairings

Perfect Pairings – Oil

Horizontal drilling into the Cana Woodfod Shale, Canadian County, Oklahoma, fairly recently

Psalm 114-14-15

14 He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;

15 And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.

Don’t worry folks, I haven’t gone off into the deep end. I am reading a book about the history of the oil industry and this scripture was telegraphed as a prearranged signal by a predecessor company of British Petroleum that a well they were drilling in what is now Iran was successful. Personally I think the verse refers to olive oil. As part of the research for this post I found that there are lots of swindlers who use vague Bible quotes such as this to try and fleece trusting people out of their money by promising amazing insights into where the oil is by using the Bible only. And that brings to mind another verse:

¹⁶“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

Matthew 10:16

This is a well fed coyote, not a wolf, that I met on a geocaching excursion in Bixby, Oklahoma.

Perfect Pairings

The Quiet Waters Near Rattlesnake Lake

During our vacation to Seattle last week one day we visited Rattlesnake Lake about 25 miles west of Seattle and in quest of fresh water we stumbled upon the “Cedar River Watershed Education Center” run by the City of Seattle. You see the local watershed is where Seattle gets most of their water so they want to make sure people understand just how important the area is for providing clean water to Seattle.

We found some water to refill out bottles there and also found the coolest thing, drums that were played by water through some drip valves. It was the coolest thing and I just love serendipity. Unfortunately I didn’t bring my video camera along and didn’t underestand how to make the video function work on my regular camera.

(by MyCinerama on youtube)

But YouTube saves the day. Lots and lots of people have made videos of the drums. I have embedded one by “MyCinerama.” I found the effect of the drums to be very calming which brought to mind the following verse.

He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.

Psalm 23:2
(New Living Translation)

Baloney’s Perfect Pairings

Perfect Pairings – “Pure Joy”

We retrieved SuperPizzaBoy from his summer camp about a week ago.

(Yogi Photo)

He attended Charis Hills Camp northwest of Fort Worth, Texas. Charis Hills is a summer camp for kids with learning differences. They are a Christian based camp and all the kids are given a Bible along with their water bottles.

(Camp Photo)

SPB got to do a lot of stuff including horseback riding.

(Camp Photo)

When you register for the camp the parents and the kids list their preferred activities in order of preference. The staff does their best to match everybody up as best they can and it seemed to work out pretty well. Note that video games and texting were not among the activities listed. (Yee Haw as they say in Texas.) In fact no electronics are permitted at all, not even digital cameras. We gave SPB some recyclable cameras to use.

(Camp Photo)

So SPB got to stretch himself a little bit, archery wasn’t one of his preferred activities but hey, I think he liked although it was challenging.

(Camp Photo)

Now, drama and performance, that is right up his alley.

(Camp Photo)

Everybody does swimming every day.

(SuperPizzaBoy Photo)

Everybody also does an academic component called Nova. In Nova they learned about the Chisolm Trail, and other things having to do with the history of the area. Much of it is hands on like learning how to make root beer and hard tack.

(SuperPizzaBoy Photo)

They woman who taught Nova is a public school teacher from the area and also participates in Civil War reenactments and could really bring the lessons home.

(Yogi Photo)

What really makes the camp go are the Camp Counselors. We got to meet many of them. You won’t find a harder working, more engaging and compassionate group of young people anywhere.

(Camp Photo)

They are also a bunch of hams.

(Camp Photo)

To engage kids of this age you really need high energy and patience.

(Camp Photo)

And these folks have it.

(Camp Photo)

SPB was worn out by his experience and was ready to go home but he had a great time and learned a lot.

(Yogi Photo)

At the awards ceremony you could tell that they went to great lengths to make sure that every kid had a special experience.

(Camp Photo)

Plus you have to love a place that has a camp cow.

(SuperPizzaBoy Photo)

So I used this verse a couple weeks ago when I posted about taking SPB to camp and said that he needed to “Man Up.” Well he did, now I’m focusing on the “Pure Joy” part of the verse.
Perfect Pairings

We are big fans of Charis Hills Camp.

Note about the photographs. The camp staff posts online photographs taken during the camp. They also make available at nominal cost a USB drive where they burn the photographs taken during the days of camp. All told there were well over two thousand photos taken and uploaded and burned onto the drive. So that was cool. We were able to pick out bunches of photos of SPB engaging in the various activities. I’ve designated who took what photo underneath the photos above.

Perfect Pairings – Off to Camp

Sunday morning we loaded the kid up. We had a very detailed list and Sweetie got everything packed and checked it twice.

We drove way down into north Texas (right into north edge of the Barnett Shale Gas Field, for you other Gas Guys and Gals out there.) Here is a sight just a few miles from the camp.

$#fracking #barnett #shale #texas$
They are fracturing a well! Sweetie asked me if it was dangerous. I told her only if something went wrong. Uhh, I had to add that nobody off the site was in any danger.

Sorry, back to the matter at hand. SPB is attending Charis Hills Camp. It is a Christian based camp for kids with learning differences. We went down and toured it last week, we think it is a great place and SPB is going to have some major fun.

SuperPizzaBoy got a top bunk. We really do hope he doesn’t fall out! (I’m not trying to be funny)

Saying goodbye to Mom and Dad. He couldn’t wait for us to leave. And… he was told that he would have to wear a life jacket during swimming, and … well you know there are some other ands.

But… the verse below is his cabin’s verse this week. I can’t read it either, here is a translation:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

James 1:2-3

I think that this is God’s way of saying “Man Up!”

We would appreciate you keeping SPB in your thoughts and prayers this week.

Perfect Pairings

Parting Shots

We traveled down to north Texas. We had a little time to kill so we parked in a cemetery. (No I didn’t go geocaching.) I took some photographs of some of the gravestones. I love old graves. They often reflect a hard life.

A dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit or the messenger of God.

I see a lot of hands like this on graves. Using the old Google it seems that it can symbolize a last goodbye. It can also symbolize a passing of a spirit to heaven with a previously deceased spouse holding the hand of the recently deceased to help in the process. You can tell who died first by looking at the cuffs. Here it looks like the husband died first and is holding the hand of his wife as her spirit passes into heaven.

The hand pointing upward represents the ascension to Heaven. Myself, I plan on having a geoache near where I am buried. My finger is going to pointing to where it is hidden.

A Book represents a Bible, used to indicate a very devout person, sometimes it used for ministers.

A lamb used a lot on children’s graves, and in old cemeteries there are lots of children’s graves. The lamb represents innocence.

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

2 Corinthians 5:1

Perfect Pairings

In Memory of a Forest Fire Fighter

At the Rim Country Museum in Payson, Arizona stands a monument to forest fire fighters who perished in the area.

There are way too many names on the plaque. Six of them are from the nearby 1990 “Dude Fire.” Three people are from 1961 within a week of each other. I knew one of them. Constantine (Corky) Kodz was a Forest Service employee working as a fire observer in a plane that collided with another airplane over a forest fire known as the “Hatchery Fire” near Payson. Corky was not only a coworker of my Dad but Corky, his wife, and kids were close family friends and also members of our church. Kodz’s death was the first that I remember and it shook me up quite a bit. Especially seeing his wife and kids learning how to go on without their husband and father.

So excuse me if I get a little irritated when some people talk about how civil servants are lazy and don’t work hard..

Psalm 34:18
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit

Perfect Pairings

On the First Day of the Week

“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb,”
(Luke 24:1-2 ESV)

I hope that you are having a great Easter Sunday!

Perfect Pairings

Perfect Pairings – Tulsa’s Temple Israel

Temple Israel is a reform congregation in midtown Tulsa just off Utica Square. Their synagogue is a beautiful midcentury modern building. Check their web site. They have a virtual walk through of their facility. They also have a very active congregation. Lots and lots going on there.

(Great rules of life, regardless of your beliefs.)

I love their depiction of the Ten Commandments. From their website; “This sculpture of the Ten Commandments by Bernard Frazier shows the commandments superimposed on twin pillars to symbolize “The Pillar of Cloud by Day and the Pillar of Fire by Night.” This concept comes from Exodus, Chapter 13 Verse 21-22:”

(Sorry for the bad photo, me and my camera are having issues)

They have a beautiful Menorah also. I am going to quote again directly from their web site:
“This menorah was designed by Calvin Albert and takes the form of a pedestal with seven unfolding limbs in the form of a Tree of Life (Proverbs 3:17 — “It is a Tree of Life to them that hold fast to it.”). Part of the sculpture shows a circular binding piece symbolizing the universality of God’s presence. The menorah is fueled with a specially prepared oil.“

Even their sign out front is beautiful.

(I’m just hoping the mid-century modern mafia doesn’t hammer me).