Yes, time has been flying by at an almost unbelievable rate. I suppose that by the time I am 50 I will realize that time was not passing as quickly now as what it will be then, and if God sees fit to give me even more time and I make it to 70, well, then I might really be beginning to have time in a proper perspective. So no, when I say that time is flying I don’t mean that I saw a clock being tossed out of the window; I mean to say that I feel like time is slipping through my fingers at an incredible rate – the minutes of are slipping past like grains of sand through my fingers.

I mentioned in my last blog that I would try to give you a little bit of information about my time in Vermont this summer. It is hard to believe but we have been back for almost 2 months already and I have not yet given you the promised story…

So, here goes an attempt and perhaps my memories will even be clear enough that you will not feel like you are reading through the foggy mist of the distant past .

On July 4th we took the opportunity to go visit a place called Wilson Castle. It turns out that it was a mansion built by a Dr. in rural Vermont in an effort to please his wife who was from England and used to high society. Her father provided the funds for building the house. The lady was still not happy since a rural area did not provide enough guests to entertain so she ended up moving back to England leaving him with the castle etc. The place is actually quite fascinating; there are many interesting pieces of furniture etc. inside. Most of the furnishings were made specifically for each room and tended to follow a theme including having the wood imported from overseas to mach the rest of the room. All throughout the house there are many beautiful stained glass windows that have not been touched since its construction (and I can’t remember when it was built, perhaps mid to late 1800s? I know it is over 120 years ago). In any case, the Dr. could not afford to keep the place (it also had fields, livestock, barns, servants, etc.) so it was finally sold off for very little. Around the depression it was sold again for a very small sum (even though it cost over a million dollars to build initially). Today part of it is a museum and the servants quarters are a house to the current owner who lives there some of the time. She is the daughter of the man who purchased it during the depression. Some of the rooms had fascinating artwork, others had musical instruments, others had artifacts from around the world. I was most certainly worth going and seeing!

Another day we went to Red Rock Park near Burlington Vermont. It is not a very big  park, but it is basically just some nature trails. We had fun looking around, walking, and taking pictures. One edge of the park borders Lake Champlain and there are some red rocks there, hence the name of the park.  While we were there we also took  pictures of flowers and squirrels, enjoyed the sights and sounds of nature, and enjoyed spending time together. (By the way, trying to get a close up of a squirrel proved to be harder than what I guessed, but in the end patience paid off ) There were quite a few sailboats out that day and we thought is was fun to watch them sailing along and not hear loud motors breaking the stillness. I hope the sign in this picture is large enough for you to read. I don’t think I have ever seen a regulatory sign with a message addressed to dogs before. Just in case you can’t read it I will quote it. “Attention Dog Walkers Pick up after your dogs and use a leash. It’s the law. Attention Dogs Grrr, Bark, Woof-woof, Good dog.” I must say that Bethany and I have both gotten several laughs out of that sign. If only the dogs knew that they were being talked too, and if only we knew what the sign was telling them. But I guess it doesn’t really affect me since I do not have a dog at this point in my life. But so much for my pet habits… they really don’t help you to understand what I did this summer!

Another evening we made the drive through some scenic rural parts of Vermont to a place called Texas Falls. It was interesting, photos don’t really do it justice. It is a series of three small falls, but the water was so clear and the setting so lovely that looking at a picture is a bit like thinking that a picture in a cookbook would give you a true sense of smell and taste. We had a nice time there and especially enjoyed the chance to be out in nature for a little while. Overall our summer was really a blessing. The class that I took went well, and I was very grateful for the help that Bethany gave me in the evenings and on weekends with my studying. I can say that we are both glad to be back in Tennessee and are looking forward to having some time to spend doing ordinary everyday things. It will also be nice to be close to most of both of our families and fellowship with fellow children of God.