Rich on the Road

Tonight's Lone Star Adventure (Sunday in 9pm news on Fox 4) takes us Eagle Watching.  I've highlight four Texas lakes where you can get an Eagle tour or have a good shot of seeing one on your own.  The return of the Bald Eagle, nearly extinct a few years ago in the lower 48 states, is a wonderful conservation story.  Every winter we see more Eagles in Texas.  They are likely to pop up anywhere.

Fairfield Lake was the place to see them, even when they were rare.  The State Park no longer offers the Eagle watching boat tours but there are 3 or 4 nesting pairs and if you spend any time there at all you are likely to see them.

Further south, on Lake Buchanan, you will find the Vanishing Texas River Cruise -- a great tour anytime of year but, maybe, the best way to see Eagles in the winter.  The link to that is www.vtrc.com

If Lake Texoma is a better option -- and an airboat ride sounds like fun -- try Capt. Steve Barnes at this link

I knew this would come up sooner or later.  And, so did the people behind www.iamsecond.com   I am really third.  It's the title of a book written decades ago by football Hall-of-Famer Gayle Sayers and the guiding philosophy of Christianity:  God First.  Others Second.  Me Third.  The IamSecond folks agree with that.  But, the overriding message is that God is First.

The reason I'm blogging about it today is an article I found in the Fort Worth Star Telegram about the subject.  It's found here: http://www.star-telegram.com/religion/story/1162088.h
tml

Good examination of the subject and worth a read.

Which reminds me, that I never have read Gayle Sayers book.  In the early '70s a TV movie was made called "Brian's Song" about Sayers relationship with teammate Brian Piccolo -- first integrated roommates on the team, eternal friends.  Piccolo's loss to cancer, the faith the two men shared ... it was a tear-jerker and powerfully moving.  I need to read Sayers' book.

Rich

Neat story from Associated Press on advice that Jenna and Barbara Bush left for Sasha and Malia Obama:

In an open letter to the Obama kids, 27-year-olds Barbara and Jenna Bush advised the girls to relish it all — to "go to anything and everything you possibly can."

"Just go," they wrote in a letter published in the Wall Street Journal. "Four years goes by so fast, so absorb it all, enjoy it all!"

The twins reminisced about their favorite memories of the White House, and gave plenty of specific advice, too, to 7-year-old Sasha and 10-year-old Malia:

_Surround yourselves with loyal friends.

_Trick-or-treat down the plane aisle if you're traveling on Halloween.

_Cherish your pets "because sometimes you'll need the quiet comfort that only animals can provide."

_And this: "Slide down the banister of the solarium, go to T-ball games, have swimming parties, and play Sardines on the White House lawn. Have fun and enjoy your childhood in such a magical place to live and play."

The note also had some serious stuff -- about how the Bush twins feel the image of their father got distorted over the years:

"He is our father, not the sketch in the paper or part of a skit on TV," they wrote.

As for the Obama girls' dad, they added, "Many people will think they know him, but they have no idea how he felt the day you were born, the pride he felt on your first day of school, or how much you both love being his daughters. So here is our most important piece of advice: remember who your dad really is."

It's remarkable, when you think about it, how well White House kids have done over the last fifty years.  Richard Nixon's, Gerald Ford's, Jimmy Carter's, Bill Clinton's. 

The Bush twins had a few minor escapades during their college years but very minor stuff, in retrospect.  The Obama's, too, are blessed with beautiful daughters -- who are embarking on quite an adventure.  And, getting pretty good advice from their predecessors, it would seem.

Rich

Today I had a laugh-out-loud moment while reading the Fort Worth Star Telegram, courtesy of a political cartoon by Max Ramirez that lampoons my native state of Minnesota and its (sometimes whacky) politics.

Somewhere at home I still have an action figure of Pro-Wrestler/Actor and former Governor Jesse Ventura.  At her home in Minnesota, Mom has a coffee cup that reads: "My Governor Can Beat Up Your Governor."  Jesse has grown even more eccentric since he left politics.

Now the fine state of Minnesota appears to be sending former SNL writer/comedian Al Franken to the Senate.  Lord knows what whackiness will ensue from that.

Should be interesting - at the very least.

Rich

P.S.  The State Bird of Minnesota is, indeed, the Common Loon.

With the Cowboys out of it  -- Vikings gone, too -- I've been hard-pressed to figure out who I'm rooting for in Sunday's conference championship games.  Maybe, you are too.

So let me help.  In the NFC championship game I'm going with the Cardinals -- strictly because Kurt Warner's life is such a great Christian witness.  His is one of those stranger-than-fiction sports stories.  The guy was bagging groceries at a market in Waterloo, Iowa after graduating from college.  A small-college (Northern Iowa), undrafted quarterback who had to claw his way to the NFL via Arena League Football and, then, went on to win a Super Bowl with the Rams.  Now as an aging back-up (at least the Cardinals thought he would be before their playboy, Number-One draft pick out of USC played his way out of the starting job) Warner is playing like an All-Pro and on the verge of another Super Bowl appearance.

 Kurt Warner 2007 Speaking Engagement

Donavan McNabb also openly shares his Faith -- win or lose -- so I won't be too unhappy if he wins.  I say that but, honestly, it's very difficult for a Cowboys fan to root for the Eagles under any circumstance.  God forgive me.

The AFC title game is tougher.  But, I found a reason to root for Baltimore today.  Their rookie quarterback Joe Flacco.  Flacco also came out of an obscure program (Delaware) and, once I learned the back story, I admire what the kid has done even more.  Flacco was recruited to and played two years at the University of Pittsburgh.  But, the coaches there never appreciated what they had in the 6'6" Flacco.  When the coach who recruited Flacco was fired and former Cowboys assistant Dave Wannstedt (another guy I like and root for) was hired it became obvious Flacco wasn't going to get a fair chance.  He was stuck behind another player who had a decent college career but nothing special.  So, he transferred to tiny Delaware -- definitely small-time college football before Flacco got there. 

His performance as a rookie with the Ravens has been nothing short of remarkable.  Rookie quarterbacks are not supposed to be this good, this unflappable, this steady.

 Joe Flacco at Delaware

So, I'm rooting for Flacco because he represents a sore spot in my own (even smaller time) athletic career.  Sometimes coaches really don't give kids a fair shake.  Coach's kid, or the school official's son or whomever gets an unfair advantage for the wrong reasons.  Sometimes coaches just aren't very good judges of player talent and they go with the wrong guy.  Not necessarily with malice.  They just misjudge.  Sports, as with life, isn't always fair.

Anyway, I'm liking the Flacco kid the more I learn about his determination to succeed when dealt a bad hand.  Seems like somebody worth pulling for.

Rich

I'm going to post this in the Entertainment section but it comes from the folks at GodTube.com - a compilation of comics whose humor is clean AND funny.

GodTube is quite a story, in and of itself.  Founded by a local seminary student at Dallas Theological Seminary a couple of years ago, it's become an internet sensation, one of the fastest growing websites in the short history of the web.  Based in Plano, it is still growing.  Same basic business model as YouTube but without all the trash.  I still surf around on YouTube some but it's difficult because there is porn and near porn scattered all over it.  Even if you are just looking for the highlights of a sporting event it's difficult not to encounter objectionable images.

No such problem with GodTube.  Good stuff there.  Funny stuff.  Like this.  Enjoy.

That's just a small sample.  Hunt around and you will find several other comics doing fun stuff.

Rich

www.iamsecond.com has added a new Dallas Cowboy star to its online testimonials -- All Pro tight end Jason Witten. 

Here's the link directly to it:

www.iamsecond.com/#/seconds/Jason_Witten/    

     Jason speaks of a difficult childhood in a single parent home and gives credit to his wife, for leading him to his Faith.

   The Mavs Jason Terry, I'm told, will also soon be on the website.  If you haven't spent time surfing around iamsecond, take some time to do so.  It's filled with empowering stuff.  God stuff.

Rich

The joy of my life is the newest member of Daughters of the American Revolution -- Peters Colony DAR chapter.  Catherine Belue Ray was sworn-in Tuesday night after a lengthy process of tracing her ancestory back to men who fought in the Revolutionary War.

Catherine and Ginny Poffenberger

It's been interesting, tracing her family from France in the 1600s to today.  I'm writing this from work and asking Catherine to help  -- here's part of what she's emailed me: 

   "The Belue's first came to America in 1639 aboard the Good Ship 'Welcome'.. according to copies of an old manifest.   I had three ancestors who fought in the Revoluntionary War... Renny, Zacharias and Reuben. Renny was the father, Zach and Reuben his sons. Renny and Reuben were my direct sires. They were all in South Carolina and family documents show they fought in Colonel Thomas Brandon's regiment. Family documents also claim they fought in the Battle at Cowpens.. which was a very pivotal battle and possibly turned the tide for the Americans.  All three survived the war and went on to draw pensions."

 The Belue name has been spelled in various ways.. Bellew, Ballou, etc.  And men in the family have served in virtually every American conflict.  At least, up to the Korean War when Catherine's father Al was in the Air Force.  Catherine's family research uncovered a photograph of one of the Belue's who fought for the South in the Civil War.    Civil War Veteran Thomas Belue

"Thomas Belue, kept a diary and its contents were published in a couple of books. Thomas was wounded in the head, but survived. He described being transported to a hospital somewhere and everyone thinking he was going to die, but he didn't."

My family history pales by comparision -- at least, what I've been able to uncover on my Mom's side.  Just a long line of farmers who came from Norway and Switzerland relatively late -- the 1800s.  Dad's side is probably far more interesting but, thus far, untraceable.

Anyway, congratulations!  To the DAR's newest and most beautiful member.

 Rich

The New York Times is not the place I expected to discover this story but that, indeed, is where I found it -- one entitled "Who Would Jesus Smack Down?"  It is about the unorthodox pastor of a mega-church in Seattle called Mars Hill.  His name is Mark Driscoll and according to the NYT:

In little more than a decade, his ministry has grown from a living-room Bible study to a megachurch that draws about 7,600 visitors to seven campuses around Seattle each Sunday, and his books, blogs and podcasts have made him one of the most admired — and reviled — figures among evangelicals nationwide. Conservatives call Driscoll “the cussing pastor” and wish that he’d trade in his fashionably distressed jeans and taste for indie rock for a suit and tie and placid choral arrangements. Liberals wince at his hellfire theology and insistence that women submit to their husbands. But what is new about Driscoll is that he has resurrected a particular strain of fire and brimstone, one that most Americans assume died out with the Puritans: Calvinism, a theology that makes Pat Robertson seem warm and fuzzy.

Pastor Driscoll is unorthodox in dress and use of English (although, reportedly, he's trying to clean up his language) but his approach to sin is decidedly old-school.

As hip as he looks, his message brooks no compromise with Seattle’s permissive culture. New members can keep their taste in music, their retro T-shirts and their intimidating facial hair, but they had better abandon their feminism, premarital sex and any “modern” interpretations of the Bible. Driscoll is adamantly not the “weepy worship dude” he associates with liberal and mainstream evangelical churches, “singing prom songs to a Jesus who is presented as a wuss who took a beating and spent a lot of time putting product in his long hair.”

Turns out he's a great admirer of Martin Luther (the first of the great reformers who spawned Protestant churches) and quite willing to call sin a sin.  What really piqued my interest, however, were the article's reference to Driscoll's sermons which are "mostly too racy to post on GodTube."

So, I checked them out on YouTube.  And, they are definitely for Adults Only.  Some of them even carry a warning:

“Under 17 Requires Adult Permission”

I'm a bit troubled by his apparent refusal to brook any dissension in the church.  Too much power, no one with the will or the permission to disagree -- seems like a recipe for problems.

Anyway -- if any of that interests you -- the entire article can be found at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/magazine/11punk-
t.html?_r=1

But, be careful if you check out the sermons on YouTube.  It's pretty raw stuff.  Real.  But, raw.

Rich  

Venezuela's near-dictator (he's trying hard to become ruler for life) Hugo Chavez is making news again tonight -- threatening to expel a U.S. diplomat he said may have advised opposition leaders on how win a vote on whether the leftist can run for re-election.

So, the timing on tonight's Lone Star Adventure is perfect!  That's right Dallas -- more accurately the Dallas World Aquarium -- recently gave Chavez a priceless gift of 55 endangered Orinoco crocodiles.  I think it's a fascinating story and it's one I will tell on Fox 4 News at 9.   About ten years ago DWA and a Venezuelan official began working on a project to breed the aquarium's crocs.  It's the only place outside the animal's native Colombia and Venezuela where such a breeding program has been successful.  Just before Christmas DWA shipped the one and two-year-old crocodiles down to Venezuela where they will be kept in quarantine for a few months and then released in the wild.

There was a last minute snafu -- somebody in Venezuela demanding one more piece of paperwork to pile on top of the mountain of red tape DWA had already climbed.  But, you need to tune in to hear the whole story, or check it out here on www.myfoxdfw.com later tonight.

Hugo and his government don't like the US of A very much these days, but they'll take our crocodiles.  And, they should.

Rich

Behind every successful man -- is a mother-in-law that said he'd never amount to anything.

Let me begin this post with a disclaimer; my mother-in-law has passed away but I loved her and she was good to me.  My step-mother-in-law is still very much with us, a real sweetheart and I love her, too.

But, husbands have a long history with mother-in-laws -- and many are not as fortunate as I am.  Apparently, Barack Obama also has a good relationship with his MIL -- so much so that he's convinced her to move into the White House with him! 

There's a touching picture of the two of them holding hands on election night.  Marian Robinson has been the primary caretaker for the Obama girls on the campaign trail and will continue to do so in D.C.  Michelle and Barack have, reportedly, been urging her to come and she has now, reluctantly, agreed.

Q:  What is the ideal weight for a MIL?
A:  About 2.3lbs, including the urn.

MILs in the White House have a very shaky history.  President Harry Truman had a particularly troublesome relationship with his MIL --  Madge Gates Wallace never felt Truman was good enough for her daughter and belittled her son-in-law frequently, actually remarking that she knew of many men more qualified to run the country than Harry.  Truman, to his credit, always treated his MIL with respect and dignity.  He was a great man!

 Madge Gates Wallace (young version)

Two men were in a pub.  One says to his mate, "My MIL is an angel."  His friend replies, "You're lucky.  Mine is still alive."

Mamie Eisenhower's mother also frequently spent time in the White House but, like her daughter, often slept until noon and, apparently, didn't give Ike much trouble.  At least, not for public consumption like Madge Wallace.

I never forget a face,
But in my MIL's case I'm willing to make an exception.

We'll see how Obama's live-in, in-law works out.

Rich

Yesterday I told you about the rare bird that has birdwatchers from around the country flocking to Choke Canyon State Park in South Texas -- the Pine Flycatcher.  The tiny and fairly non-descriptive little bug eater is becoming a bigger deal by the hour.  Normally, it would never get closer to Texas than the mountains of Mexico.  Here's a press release put out today by Texas Parks & Wildlife:

Jan. 9, 2009 -- A rare bird at Choke Canyon State Park/Calliham Unit south of San Antonio is causing a flap in the birding world. This appears to be a new U.S. record--the first time this bird has ever been recorded in the U.S. The pine flycatcher was first seen at the park in December, but not correctly identified as a new record until a few days ago.

Although various reputable birding experts and Web sites are proclaiming this a pine flycatcher, the record is actually not official until accepted by the Texas Bird Records Committee, which could happen later this year. This would bring the total number of bird species recorded in Texas to 635, second only to California, which has about five more species recorded.

The last time a new U.S. record bird occurred in Texas was in 2005, when a social flycatcher was reported at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park near Mission. One thing making the pine flycatcher's recent appearance more newsy is it appears to be hanging around. It's been there for weeks, and birders from all over the nation have flocked to the state park to see it.
A park employee said people have come to see the bird from Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Colorado, California, Idaho, Indiana, Arizona and other states, as well all over Texas. To get more information or arrange a visit to the park, call Choke Canyon at 361-786-3868.

Photo © David McDonald

Today Texbirds (the internet listserve where Texas birders post daily) is hot with chatter about the fact that Choke Canyon -- and access to the bird -- will be shutoff from January 11th to the 14th -- for a pre-planned hunting period.  That could be a problem.  You literally have birders coming from around the country to see the little guy (never before seen in the U-S) -- only to find the park closed to all but hunters.  They may have to put down their binoculars and grab a gun to get through the gate.  Could get interesting.

Rich

Those who follow this blog know that Catherine and I are careful about the movies we see.  So much of what is coming out of Hollywood is simply not what we should be watching - or supporting with our money.  So, when we do stumble on a worthy film -- I like to share it. 

Slumdog Millionaire is terrific!  My weekend co-anchor Natalie Solis raved about it, so we gave it a try and it was better than I anticipated.

Interesting concept -- young man who grew up orphaned in the slums of Mumbai, India trying to win the freedom of his lost love by winning India's version of the game show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire."  His underdog backstory is woven into the drama, giving moviegoers a window into the stark poverty of the world's most populous democracy.

A friend of ours, Lois Montague, has traveled in India for her job -- working with outsourcing clients -- and returned to the U-S stunned by what she saw there -- by the relentless poverty and sheer crush of humanity everywhere she went in the country.  Some of that comes through in the film.  There is some violence and an early scene involving an outdoor toilet that will make you want to put down your popcorn.  But, no gratuitious nudity or sex scenes.  I wouldn't take a pre-teen along but it shouldn't offend the sensibilities of adults and, I'm guessing, young people would find it as fascinating as we did.

And, there's a surprising (and laugh-enducing) little Bollywood twist at the end.

Rich

Tim Tebow did not disappoint.  Leading his Florida Gators to another National Championship and witnessing his faith on national TV.  Tonight's eye black Bible verse -- John 3:16.

Many of us remember a guy with a rainbow Afro wig who, back in the 70's, who would show up at all sorts of sporting events holding up a John 3:16 sign.  Thus, it may be the one Bible verse most Americans can recite:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Tebow, youngest son of missionaries, born in the Phillipines, home-schooled, active in prison ministries -- the kid is a great story as a person and an athlete.  Linebacker size with sprinter speed and a cannon arm, we'll be watching him on Sundays.  If not next year, the year after.

Florida fans hope he'll stay for his Senior year.  My guess is he goes pro.

Rich

It happens every winter in Texas at least once -- some rare bird is spotted, bird-watchers from around the country find out about it on the internet and, literally, flock to the spot.

This winter it's Choke Canyon and a tiny little jewel of a bird called the Pine Flycatcher.  Here's a photo taken by David McDonald.

The bird is being seen at Choke Canyon State Park Calliham Unit -- it's about halfway between San Antonio and Corpus Christi.

For most who read this, it will seem strange that people would drive from Georgia or Kansas or even from DFW to see a tiny little bird that, frankly, looks a lot like other tiny little birds (what I like to lump together as LBBs -- little brown birds).  But birding is a treasure hunt for a growing number of people.  It's a passionate pursuit for millions of Americans.

Catherine and I occasionally like to join the treasure hunt.  We usually head for the coast at least once each spring during the height of the migration when the birding is spectacular.  And, if Choke Canyon was closer we would probably make the trek.  But, not when it's a full day's drive.  We're not nearly that hooked on the sport.

Anyway, if you would like to follow the happenings on line there is a great resource called Texbirds

http://listserv.uh.edu/archives/texbirds.htmlp>

Birders post every day about what's being seen and where.  Rare stuff shows up at Lake Lewisville (a Snow Bunting two winters ago) and, often at White Rock Lake.  And, the more experienced birders help the less capable -- like the Rays -- with directions and guidance.

Good Birding.

Rich