Ahhhhhhh - 'Tis Good to Rest

Stopped at the Starbucks here in Morningside (Sioux City) for a coffee and free wireless. Nephew is home watching the house (and feeding the two dogs). Dad got his Oliver 60 ready in time for the parade in the tiny town of Bronson, Iowa. Aunts and uncles a some cousins came by my parents place north of Sioux City where we enjoyed a meal and some fun. My cousin Norm is a wonderful guitar player and singer, so we played and entertained the seniors for an hour or two. Gotta play more often. Went up to a high bluff overlooking the bridge over the Missouri at South Sioux. Water level is amazing. The spot were we gathered last year for my 30th High School reunion (right on the river) is a good ten feet under water. The Dakota Dunes is surrounded by a makeshift dike, protecting it from the Missouri on the west and the Sioux River to the south. Our LCMS congregation there is evacuated and worshipping at Concordia in Sioux City. Yesterday we traveled to Vermilion and saw the National Music Museum on the University campus. Really worth seeing. Full collection of Gibson guitars and mandolins. Quite a few banjos. Many 16th-18th century violins, violas. All sorts of wind instruments and horns. I missed the accordions though ;?{D. The Yankton Dam was a spectacular sight. The volume of water coming over the spillway is on the level of Niagara Falls! Reminded me of many short trips of my youth. I fished at that spot as early as I can remember fishing. Caught a 5 lb Walleye at age 6 or so. We stopped by the old farm place of my wife's grandparents. The buildings are all gone. Bitter sweet. Then over to the little community of Mission Hill where Kathy's grandparents and their relatives are buried.

Every night it's a great dinner cooked up by mom. More friends and relatives. After they're all gone, I've been working on my revision of Walther's "Church and Ministry" and reading Hellmut Lieberg's "Amt und Ordination bei Luther und Melanchthon."

Just sneaked out to buy some shotgun shells and clay pigieons for this afternoon. Nice that my folks live on an acreage on Hi 75 north of Sioux City. My two boys have become very good shots just by shooting a couple of days a year here.

P.H.