I don’t really know what to make of this. I took it at my desk today– a reflection of the arbor and sky. A nice view where there shouldn’t be one. Add it to the list of unexpected things from today… a reminder in Problem of Pain that God actually goes to great lengths to make us better. Part of what it means to be loved by Him is to be forcibly changed to be more like Him. And that is painful, but good.

Don’t try this at home.

I was driving down the interstate and saw these most interesting clouds today. Like a canvas. From my iPhone.

I upgraded my press coffee maker recently and have been very happy with the results. This, of course, is equally the responsibility of a new batch of Primavera Coffee, which remains (in my humble opinion), the best Coffee east of the Mississippi. Charlottesville doesn’t hold a candle… yet I digress. Let me sing the praises of a larger press: you can make as much or as little coffee as you’d like. With the smaller, 6ish ounce press, I could never get the proportions right. Although this was probably my fault, the larger one has given me new reason to make coffee. I use the Bodum recommended proportions: 1 heaping Tablespoon grounds to 4 ounces of water. This morning I brewed Kenya AA Gichi. Mail ordering coffee, it turns out, can be worth it.

At some point, we all have to grow up. An occasional smoke on this beautiful churchwarden will certainly help.

Beautiful vineyards on a beautiful day.

This morning I went skiing with the Stampers. The water really was perfect, like glass.

Sometimes I feel like I stay busy all the time, while my friends are off doing crazy, adventurous things. Traveling the world, exploring things near and far. Sometimes I’m content just staying put and doing what is before me, but sometimes I want to taste what the pizza is like in Rome, or see glaciers and mountains face to face. I wonder if it’s something like Galadriel faced when she had the chance to take the one ring and become an all powerful, all terrible force. But instead she chose to remain herself, and fade. Where have such epic stories gone?

The clouds were just right when I stopped to snap this photo…. but my memory card was sitting on my desk, three blocks away! Cluster cuss! The moment was not to be missed, though. Here’s what I got.