Home

After a sparkling drive home through splendid landscapes filled with vibrant, Spring colors, we arrived home at 9:00 pm last night.

The trip was timed to place us in the little hamlet of Runnemede New Jersey at suppertime Tuesday because we know of an exceptional diner, called Phily, in this town.

 She sits like a cruise ship docked at Tinytown.

This is the main entrance at left.

 This is the right side.

A decorative antique.

Phily's not only has great food but the servings are good enough for two meals. However we did not opt for a doggy bag since we were traveling.

Here's a sampling of the above-mentioned Spring colors ...

 In Runnemede, NJ.

 A little magenta to cheer the soul.

Tread not on the royals.

A walk in the woods.

And with that our Florida adventure has come to a close.

A Send Off

Supper last night was provided by an elder in the local congregation. He and his wife had invited us and, as it turned out, quite a few others from the congregation also. His name is Emmanuel, Manny for short, he is originally from Nigeria, and went to Paris where he was trained as a Cordon Bleu Chef. So, needless to say, this dinner was quite a treat.

 The Main Course.

Dessert.

After calling the crowd together for the pre-meal prayer, Manny announced this occasion marked the end of the Sheppard's 3-month visit to their congregation, and that they were all happy to have had us visiting with them. The group responded with a round of applause.

Manny's dog, Portia, had put on

her best dress for the occasion.

I asked Manny about an old brown-and-white portrait photo I saw on his wall. He told me it was his father, who was the first of many in his family to embrace the truth thanks to the ministry of Bible Brown. If you read the Yearbooks, you've heard of him.

Conversation covered a wide spectrum of topics including a little about experiences in race relations. It was all very interesting and, although as Christians we know no barriers to our brotherhood based on nationality, language, or race, it is still a high privilege actually to experience it, particularly as Carol and I did last night as the only two white persons present being welcomed so heartily as part of the family with many expressing the desire that we return here again.

Toward the evening's end I asked for a group photo. As they all assembled, I took a video of them followed by a final photo. I post the results here ...

And for those of you reading this on a device that, for whatever reason, refuses to load and play the video, here is the group shot ...

I won't list all the names here but in the center is my young

friend Qis. Left of him is Elise, the pioneer sister who has

been mentioned here before. The brother directly behind

her is Manny.

We had a thoroughly enjoyable time with everybody. The whole experience has been stimulating and enriching. 

And now it's time to load our luggage into our Toyota so we will be prepared to steer it homeward early tomorrow morning.

The Days Dwindle Down

Our plan was to remain in Florida until the Memorial and that was yesterday. Attendance was robust. The congregation has 107 publishers and 248 attended. The man I've started a Bible study with was present, accompanied by his teenage daughter. The event was held in the auditorium of a center for the elderly.

 Here we are with a dear sister, Philomene.

An excellent pioneer sister: Elise.

Elise was accompanied by two young people she studies with, a young lady and her brother. They also regularly attend meetings. When Carol asked Elise for the above photo the young man was eager to be a part of it. Regarding Bible truth and JWs, he wants to be part of everything. He is eager to become a spiritual "brother."

Today we had a few errands to run and got caught in a thunderstorm. Florida clouds dispense rain with the greatest generosity and insistence.

It was rain, but it was warm rain.

Later, after we got back, we caught a tornado warning on the TV. There was strong possibility of one forming along the road we just traveled, not far away. There were also flood warnings. But that was two hours ago. Things have simmered down.

 It's all a matter of attitude.

 As long as you're prepared to keep dry.

Really?

Back to the Barber

The old pate gradually grew hair-intensive and I looked like a bad caricature of a 1964 Beatle. Today, a visit to the barbershop was mandatory if I wanted to see the people I was talking to next time I went in the ministry.

While Carol occupied herself in a bookstore next door, I entered a one-of-a-kind barbershop to discover 2 barbers trimming customers with five men, and one woman with a little boy, waiting in black upholstered chairs. "Do you have an appointment, sir?" asked the closest barber.

"No. Do I need one?" I said.

"No you don't but you'll have to wait a few minutes," he said. I glanced again at the seated crowd and imagined Carol would be able to read three books and a magazine article before she'd see me again. But I was in for a surprise. The barber who spoke to me finished with the man in his chair and all the other men got up to accompany him out. The woman with the boy approached me and, patting me on the arm, said, "It's usually better to have an appointment here. Then you don't have to wait very much." I mentioned I was used to a little wait. She patted me on the shoulder and said, "Sometimes the wait here can be quite long."

I said, "It looks like I won't have much waiting today. All these fellows are leaving."

She held my arm and said, "Yes, and I'm leaving too. See you at the meeting Tuesday night." And, as she left with her boy, the realization seeped in that this was a Witness from the local congregation I had never spoken to and had failed to recognize.

The barbershop warrants being called one-of-a-kind due to a number of features I have not observed elsewhere.

 Each barber chair has its own video screen to

entertain the customer.

A heavily bearded young man wearing a baseball cap appeared on the scene to begin his shift and invited me to a chair. Turned away from the video screen I faced this decorative specimen of Americana.

Either it's decorative or my barber parked it there.

As I sat in my chair another barber arrived, boosting the squad to four, and he eagerly showed his forearm to my barber. He had recently had it tattooed with a large design difficult to discern through the massive bruise. My barber responded with, "I'll never understand this kind of thing. It's definitely not for me. It makes me shudder to look at that." I felt gratified to have such an eloquent spokesman. The comments did absolutely nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of the tattooee who skipped off to display his wounds to the other barbers.

Note the large speakers and set of drums at the end of the room.

I asked about the drums and guitars hanging on a wall. I learned that every Tuesday there is a free Rock concert starting at 8:30 pm, 30 minutes before the barbershop hangs up the clippers. I inquired whether haircuts administered during that half-hour enjoy the same level of quality. He assured me they did. The concert of course continues for a couple of hours.

My haircut was of acceptable quality and the suspicion raised by all the barbers wearing caps was apparently unfounded.

Day of the Lizards

I believe all discerning people understand why shopping centers have, in recent years, begun providing areas furnished with upholstered chairs and sofas. Without question the serious and qualified shoppers in this world are the ladies and, just as they require a parking lot to park their cars, they also need reasonably comfortable chairs and sofas to park their husbands. I don't have hard evidence but I suspect the backless granite ledges encircling the fountains were offering insufficient hospitality to the old male gluteous maximus. Perhaps such seats of stone are their own hard evidence.

It appears Florida is pushing this concept to impressive new levels. We were at a store today that provides a roofed bay, 40 feet by 40 feet, open on one side to the exterior, furnished with about 8 sofas and many matching chairs, and decorated with potted plants.

I spent a little time in this area today, not that I didn't also look around the store. But we all know how a man shops. If he needs new socks he goes straight to the socks department, oblivious to all signs advertising specials on this and that. He knows the color socks he wants, snaps up the front pair on the rack and bee-lines to the check-out counter eager to pay whatever price in exchange for a speedy exit from the store.

While outside I noticed busy lizards and approached to watch them. I was impressed with the spiral curl these fellows can put in their tails, more nicely done than a fiddlehead.

The fellow on top was eating tiny dead leaf

fragments. Perhaps he had his fill of insects

and felt for a little salad.

As interesting as it was to observe the behavior of the lizards, it was even more interesting to observe the behavior of the ladies emerging from their treasure hunt in the store. One woman came strutting out, bags in both hands, talking to herself, congratulating herself on what she found. Carol told me that inside the store it is not uncommon for women to hold up a piece of merchandise and talk to it. I also saw a woman leave the store, get as far as the curb, then dance the rest of the way to her car. 

And what do the men on the sofas do? Most fiddle with a phone, some snooze, and one old fellow with a long beard used his sofa to perform stretch exercises. What passersby must have thought to see a sofa with a right leg jutting up from it I cannot guess.

As Yogi Berra said, "You can observe a lot just by watching."

Heavenly Things

We enjoyed a quiet day by the pool today. A fountain in a nearby pond sprays water into the air and when the breeze comes up it sends a fine mist over us, reclining on our lounge chairs, and sprinkles us with fine cooling droplets. On an 85 degree F. day, this is pure heaven.

(I even took a minute to spot faces in a passing cloud).

Uncle Alvin

Speaking of paradisaical conditions, I am sure you have heard of "the land flowing with milk and honey."  May I recommend you try putting these two items in your morning coffee? We may not be living in a paradise just now, but a morning coffee flowing with milk and honey is a small beautiful taste of it.

While doing a little Bible reading by the pool (on my iPad) I came across a tiny detail in the book of Job that sparked my curiosity. It is the part where God first speaks to Job and says, "Brace yourself, please, like a man; I will question you, and you inform me. Where were you when I founded the earth? Tell me if you think you understand. Who set its measurements, in case you know?"

Instead of 'brace yourself like a man' older translations say, "Gird up now thy loins like a man..."

I wondered what exactly this meant. What, specifically, was Job being called on to do? I had a vague idea of course but I wanted a more specific, clearer picture. So I checked other translations on my Bible app (a very interesting app by the way with about 50 translations).

The Modern English Versions reads, "Prepare yourself like a man." The Good News Bible says, "Now stand up straight and answer the questions I ask you." That was pretty clear. Eventually I came to The Message Bible and read this, "Pull yourself together, Job! Up on your feet! Stand tall! I have some questions for you, and I want some straight answers. Where were you when I created the earth? Tell me, since you know so much! Who decided its size? Certainly you'll know that!"

Now that may be more of a paraphrase than a direct translation, but it sure is clear. God was telling Job to steel himself for some blockbuster questions.

I kind of like some of the unusual renderings in this Bible so I downloaded it.

 

 

Tuesday Errands

With minor errands to run we jumped into our car around 1:00 p.m. and almost jumped out again. The sun had turned it into a kiln and I was glad for the chance to start up air-conditioning before the dash oozed onto the floor. Needless to say these are the observations of a northerner to whom a day at 87 degrees Fahrenheit is warm. I wore shorts and flip-flops. For many locals though it is merely another brisk late winter day.

Yes, that's a coat.

As I may have indicated in a previous post, road traffic here is not noticeably different from what we've seen in Mexico. One tends to dial upwards the defensive attitude. I offer an illustrative example from this afternoon's navigation.

This fellow first appeared in the rear view mirror,

directly behind me.

The first scenario to quiver the old gray matter was, What if I stop at a red light and he stops right behind me but too abruptly? This concern was soon superseded by the truck's turn into the left lane where he began gradually to overtake us. I would soon have this pending avalanche tottering along beside us. There was nothing much I could do and thankfully he passed us without the kind of incident that attracts those folks who report the evening news. Stopped at a red light the next concern was, When he steps on the gas again will the conglomeration move forward with him unitedly? Or will it stage a spectacular act of obedience to the law of gravity reaching as far as our car?

I am happy to report we made it home unscratched.

The Weekend So Far

Our midweek meeting shifted from Tuesday to Friday evening this week to accommodate a Circuit Overseer's visit to a neighboring congregation. One meeting part called for a re-enactment of an experience from last year's Memorial invitation distribution. Two sisters got on stage and re-enacted how placing a Memorial invitation led to a Bible study that, in turn, led to the person embracing the truth.

To cap it off we then learned that the re-enactment was performed by both of the original persons. I commended the new sister afterwards for her willingness to re-enact her own story.

She was also part of our group in the service this morning. While walking in the territory I asked her what was the key thing that persuaded her to become a Witness. She said it was being shown John 5:28, 29, "Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out ... to a resurrection."

It made her realize that the dead are asleep in memorial tombs waiting for the resurrection. That relieved her of a nightmare she had about her father who died when she was a teenager. He'd had a drinking problem and she was taught this sin put him into hell fire. She had terrible dreams of her father on fire. She was greatly relieved and grateful to learn what the Bible really teaches.

Now she's helping others extinguish such

scare tactics.

A US Mail truck stopped on the street and the mailman went digging for things in the back. I approached him and offered him a Memorial invitation. He said, "I don't need one. I give them out too." 

"You're a Witness?" I asked.

"Yes," he said. He was baptized in 1992. From total stranger to a dear brother in 5 seconds.

 We continued door to door with

invitations while he joined us

on the street delivering mail.

At one door Carol and I had a very good conversation with a young man holding his baby daughter. He expressed genuine interest, asked for details, and said he'd come. I told him I'd look for him.

We returned to our condo to find a Memorial invitation stuck in our front door.

Odds And Ends

Yesterday, on the way to the Kingdom Hall for the service arrangement we passed a Demolition-Derby-type accident involving a half dozen cars. A number of Police cruisers with flashing lights had accumulated at the scene. Car drivers, passengers and Police officers milled about on the street. Detritus of automobile provenance littered a good stretch of road. An entire car bumper rested along the center white line and a man with a large broom pushed debris from the road. Business as usual on a Florida expressway.  We have a theory that the hour-long traffic lights tend to make drivers more impatient here.

This is not the actual accident, but

it gives the general idea.

At the Hall, for whatever reason, the eight of us going out were confronted with a peculiar problem. No one had a territory. No one that is but me. I had picked up one at the previous meeting in case we chose to go out sometime when there was no group arrangement. I had the pleasure of being Thursday morning's hero.

Later that morning Carol and I left to make a return visit on an interested person. Stopped at an intersection to wait out one of those hour-long red lights we were treated to the unusual sight of a police woman giving tickets to pedestrians for jaywalking. I knew this happens but I had never witnessed it before. The culprit walks away holding a ticket the size of one of our tracts.

Since our TomTom GPS has stopped working I am using a GPS iPhone App. It seemed to perform reasonably well but the female voice giving directions is remarkably bossy. None of this, "Right turn 50 feet ahead." Instead it barks, "Turn right in 50 feet!"

We used it to make the return visit in a gated apartment complex. We followed instructions until we heard, "You have arrived at your destination."

High marks for at least bringing us to where we

could at least see our destination.

Now I'm trying out a different GPS app. We're hoping to get something a little more astute before we begin our voyage home.

Things Lately

Saturday morning Carol and I were giving out invitations to the Memorial when we came across a man playing soccer, sort of, on the street with a few boys. I approached him and jokingly asked, "Who's winning?" He called to one of the boys, "Hey, Winnie, come over here. This man wants to talk to you!" A 12-year-old rushed up to me and said, "Yeah?"

His face - a perfect picture of puzzlement.

 I reiterated with extra enunciation. "No, no, I wasn't asking to speak to somebody. I was just asking 'Who's winning?'" We enjoyed a laugh together and I left an invitation.

After an hour distributing invitations Carol and I went to see the man who had expressed in having a Bible study. We had a very good 20-minute conversation but not a sit down study. It was not a convenient Saturday for that.

He was holding a yard sale and his lawn

was filled with furniture and other things.

I did make it abundantly clear on the first visit that the home Bible study is free but he obviously had other reasons for a yard sale.

Today's highlight was Flanigan's, where we had decided to go someday. Today was it.

This is an Irish restaurant specializing in beef and seafood.

It exceeded expectations as the photos below indicate. If you come to south Florida, do go for a meal at this excellent eaterie.

 

The appetizer of loose onion rings were a delight. 

And the main course was perfection itself.

Yesterday

We spent a little time at The Sawgrass Mills Mega-Mall again yesterday. We had a few items on our list. This mall is so huge you have to explore it on the installment plan. And by all means get yourself a map, or you may never be heard from again.

The Logo at the Entrances

Since we skipped lunch we went for an early supper. We chose The Cheesecake Factory located in the outside sidewalk portion of the mall.

The Restaurant.

Yes, at first glance that statue on top could appear to be a religious icon but closer inspection revealed this was not the case.

The winged figure is holding a cheesecake! This restaurant is merely the home of heavenly cheesecake. OK, it's a go. We went in to dine.

Since it was about 3:30 p.m. I was asked if I wanted supper portions or lunch portions. I chose lunch. Good thing! The plate was loaded with a huge amount of food half of which we brought home in a doggy bag. Supper must be served on a fork-lift. 

Of course we left a little room for the house specialty dessert. 

A Great Beach Day

The weather forecast for today indicated an ideal Beach Day. We chose to seize the opportunity and headed out to Pompano Beach, but unfortunately we had a little business to dispatch first and we arrived at Pompano Beach around 11:00 a.m.

The place was teeming with people and every imaginable parking space was taken. Our passing peek revealed a tightly populated, standing-room-only beach. We continued on as we had the last time we attempted this beach. A mile up the road we had found a parking spot right near the beach by a Marriott Hotel and today we happily found the exact same parking spot awaiting our arrival.

The parking is metered and we had few coins so I approached the hotel counter and asked if they'd be so kind as to give me coins for paper money. They were cheerfully obliging which I much appreciated. In gratitude I include an ad for them here.

A Hotel Where The Tall Can Comb Their Hair.

 Carol enjoying the sunshine.

Edwin keeping the sunshine off with

cowboy hat and Victoria B.C. T-shirt.

The above photos were taken just prior to setting up our beach umbrella. That was followed by sitting in the shade and reading an interesting book. Yes, we also took a cooling dip in the ocean where I got to see a couple of Pompanos mosey by. Carol had prepared a fine lunch accompanied by cold Starbucks Frappuccinos. The day was good.

On the drive home we followed a van with a sign on the back advertising the business of providing massages for dogs. If your pet dog seems a little tense or high-strung lately look up the Paws and Relax Company. It's a curious business. In my experience a dog needs zero help relaxing. They could give lessons. On the other hand maybe the company specializes in poodles and chihuahuas.

Monday Happenings

Returning from our meeting yesterday we spotted a sign advising us that tomorrow the fire alarms of our condo complex would be tested. We were told not to worry about running to safety. There is of course a level of assumption in such an instruction rendering it slightly dubious, but we got the point.

It was around 10:00 a.m. when the alarm went off for about 15 seconds. A short while later a man rang our bell to ask if our own alarm had sounded and I was pleased to report it had, and resoundingly so. He left content.

Fifteen minutes later the alarm blasted again and persisted. We went outside and saw the man who rang our bell hurrying along with a couple of white-jacketed technicians. He held up his index finger for me offering the traditional "Just a minute!" message.

The alarm was too loud to endure for what we knew

would be much more than a minute.

We waited downstairs in the parking lot. The alarm howled on and on. The Just-a-Minute man and his white-coats scurried about, failing to inspire an impression they understood the problem. Carol and I distanced ourselves from the pandemonium by going for walk down by the river. When we returned twenty minutes later the uproar had stopped.

We went to sit and read by the pool. After a few pages I looked up to see a transformer moving in the sky. It hung on a cable from the lofty arm of a crane. Here are the photos ...

 I got my iphone into camera mode just before the

transformer descended out of sight.

The crane was stationed in front and swung the

transformer over the roof.

I must confess my confidence in the stability of cranes has long been less than zero but this operation proceeded without mishap. But why was this done so soon following the fire alarm problem? We were not notified this was going to happen. Did the desperate fire alarm technicians fail to find any way of shutting off the abominable noise? Did they have to resort to firing a bazooka at the local transformer? We may never know.

Visiting

Yesterday Carol and I stopped by the condo of Pietro and Lina Graziosi (for those unfamiliar, they are our son Robin's mother- and father-in-law) and they boarded our Toyota for the ride to Santino and Nina Salvadore's condo. (For those unfamiliar, they are publishers in our congregation back home).

The ride was over an hour and brought us to a condo complex in a very pleasant area.

Carol and Lina approaching the complex with Pietro taking the lead.

We received a warm welcome. And took a few photos as souvenirs of the occasion.

Santino holding open the door poses with Pietro.

Santino insisted on taking a photo of me "so you can show everybody you were up in the treetops in Florida."

Edwin and the treetop. 

I could have come up with a better caption for the above photo if the palm tree had coconuts on it.

The four of us were joined by another Witness couple living a few condos removed from the Salvadore's, Francisco and Carmela. They are also from the Montreal area. Some of us spoke English, most spoke Italian, and everybody spoke French. The afternoon was an ongoing mix of all three.

We were treated to a wonderful and abundant lunch. First came lasagna and wine, then meat, potatoes, vegetables, and wine, accompanied by a large bowl of salad, and followed by two deserts with espresso.  After a lunch like that one can forget about supper. The conversation also was stimulating and rich.

From left to right, Santino, Pietro (standing), Lina (seated in

front of him), Carmela, Franciso, Carol, Edwin, Nina.

For those who wonder who took the photo of the whole group the answer is, 'Edwin has his methods.'

After lunch Francisco insisted we take a look at his condo on the same floor as Santino's. Variations in design are minor. From the condos I've seen so far they all appear to have the same basic layout. 

And that is the story of yesterday.