STOPPING AT THE AMANA COLONIES

After leaving Madison we headed southwest toward Iowa, on our way to Kansas City for our next convention. Late in the afternoon we pulled into the campground at the Amana Colonies and were informed that water would not be available after 5 pm due to the freezing temperatures. The next morning we had to wait until about 9 am before the thermometer crept to 32 degrees so that we could connect the water hose and take showers.

Then we drove into town and spent a little time in the historic Amana Colony. Here is Connie at the Woolen Mill after she purchased a worm, woolen scarf to fend off the chilly weather.

We enjoyed some shopping and some historic investigating. The woolen mill is still operated and then the products are sold in the same building. Our visit was timely on account of the very early cold temperatures.
We discovered the Brick Haus Restaurant in Amana and enjoyed a wonderful lunch. Seated next to our table was delightful group of ladies who belong to the Red Hat Society. We had heard of "Red Hatters" and so we asked if we could take their picture. They obliged -- and that gesture led to the responsibility of being their de facto photographer for awhile. They were a lively bunch!

VISITING KRISTY & KIRK

We've arrived home after 28 days and 4.300 miles on the road. Next is a trip to Lancaster and Gettysburg, PA. Our first two weekends in October were spent in Chattanooga with Kristy and Brian, and then Madison with Kirk. Chad and Jen were off to warm Guatemala, and we endured 25 degree cold in Wisconsin -- but it was worth it!

In Chattanooga we arrived in time to participate in Kristy's neighborhood Garage Sale. Here is the "Sale Lady and Crew" on a beautiful fall morning.

Then before we left town on Monday morning we were able to visit Kristy at her school. Here is Kris and Mom in the classroom. It is in the blood!
We even were able to sit-in on one of Kristy's classes. It was fun to interact with the students and see Kris at work.
The next weekend we were in the cold north with Kirk. It even snowed a little at our campground. We had a great time hanging out with Kirk, which included grilling brats at the KOA.
Before we left the Madison area we were able to visit Kirk's place of employment. Here is Kirk at the front door of the offices of REM Wisconsin. We were very impressed with the quality facilities and friendly staff members of this interesting company. Kirk loves his job and we were pleased to see him doing so well.
Here is Kirk in his office cubicle at the REM headquarters. His work keeps him very busy as he manages the lives of six clients. We even were able to meet one of Kirk's charges. We left Madison on Monday, October 12th and headed for Kansas City by way of the Amana Colonies of Iowa.

A Visit to Uncle Remus

We began our fall convention trip two weeks ago by traveling to the sunny state of Georgia. We just left Madison, Wisconsin where the temperature dipped to 25, and we had snow flurries! What a contrast!

On our way through Georgia we happened to see an interesting place. It was the Uncle Remus Museum in the small Central Georgia town of Eatonton, about 45 miles southeast of Atlanta. This town was the boyhood home of Joel Chandler Harris, who was the author of the Uncle Remus stories.

As a boy my dad would read the stories about Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox. These stories were created by Mr. Harris and originally published in the Atlanta Constitution newspaper. A number of years ago Cousin Dave Gunzel gave me a small book containing some of these stories as a gift. I have kept that book in my office as a remembrance. We enjoyed a short visit to the very fascinating museum that is located in a log cabin made from two original slave cabins.

You can learn more about the museum at http://www.uncleremus.com/index.html. Here is Connie being welcomed by Brer Rabbit.

This plaque explains the historical significance of the site.

Connie is standing at the door...it was a neat museum.

Here I am stirrin up trouble!

I got stuck in the "Briar Patch"

From Eatonton we traveled on to Macon for our first convention. We camped at the beautiful Lake Tobesofkee County Park just west of Macon. The only problem was that we did not get an opportunity to enjoy the lake property, except for a very short time in the morning. Here was our view from our trailer's front door.

Summer is over!!

Summer is over, but it was great while we had it! Our last trip of the summer was over Labor Day weekend and we enjoyed several days at the Outer Banks. We returned to "The Refuge" at Wanchese, NC, and camped again at a beautiful spot on the backwater of the Pamlico Sound.

This is what we saw every day out our picture window in the trailer. The weather was beautiful and we love this location.
One of the days we visited friends Herb and Elaine Haines and saw their beach house building project. The Haines' were friends from the 80's when we lived in Fairfax, VA. They are building their retirement home in Rodanthe, NC, which is about 25 miles from the Hatteras Lighthouse. Elaine's parents purchased the property many years ago, but never built.
On Saturday we climbed Jockey's Ridge, the large sand dunes in Kill Devil Hills. Connie has always wanted to do this -- and as a good husband, I went along for moral support.
Jockey's Ridge is where you can learn to fly -- or, at least, hang glide. No, that is not me! (Or Connie, either.)
We took two great bike rides over the weekend. Our second ride was from Duck to the Sanderling Resort on the northern end of the Outer Banks. Along the way we passed the Costal Research Facility and saw this "danger" sign. At this facility they study ocean waves, but it previously was a military training where munitions were tested.

Remembering 9/11 -- I was at the White House

I wrote the following testimony on 9/12/2001, the day I returned home from Washington, D.C. after the 9/11 attack.

I AM THANKFUL FOR THE LORD'S PROTECTION! I WAS AT THE WHITE HOUSE WHEN AMERICA WAS ATTACKED!

On Monday morning R.C. Winstead, a PAFC board member, and I drove to Washington D.C., to attend a legislative conference for Christian school leaders. Little did we realize the extraordinary significance of the conference theme when it was introduced at the opening session on Monday night. That theme, "For Such A Time As This," became so prophetic and momentous as the events unfolded over the next twenty-four hours.

Tuesday morning, after an hour-long preliminary meeting, the entire group of about 140 was loaded into buses at about 9:00 a.m. to travel from the Holiday Inn on the Hill up Pennsylvania Ave. to the White House complex for a special "White House Briefing." The buses dropped us on 15th and E Street, which is on the east side of the White House grounds. We leisurely walked up the sidewalk to Pennsylvania Ave. on this gorgeous morning. We were surrounded by numerous tourists and government workers -- all enjoying the beauty of that very special place.

Then we walked west in front of the White House to 17th Street where we were to enter into the Old Executive Office Building to be cleared by White House security. As we arrived at the entrance we were only there a few minutes before a group of employees began to quickly emerge from the building. Immediately we were told to get away from the building because a plane was heading toward the White House.

I must confess that my first thought was that a small private plane, piloted by a kook, was trying to make some crazed point. So we obeyed the policemen who began to shout at us and we moved down the street for protection. At the same time cell phones began to chirp and members of our group began to receive calls from family and staff members in different parts of the country. Near me was a pastor from Hackensack, New Jersey, who received a call that gave us the shocking news about the first hit to the World Trade Towers.

In the minutes that followed we began to learn the tragic story. It also began to dawn on us that we were definitely in harms way. I remember fear beginning to rush into my mind due to the realization that our nation's capitol was under terrorist attack. And here we were -- a block away from the seat of America's power. Then I remember one of the men saying to three or four of us -- "let's pray!" There we stood -- praying for our safety and for our country. Then I can say that God's peace came to my heart. And all up and down that street groups were calling heaven -- asking for God's strength for us and wisdom for our country's leaders.

In a few moments another call told us that the Pentagon had been hit. I did not learn until today that my colleague R.C., and another friend in the group, saw the aircraft circle above us. Perhaps this occurred while I was in the prayer group -- I don't know. I do know that God was good to keep me from seeing that plane. Because of my long acquaintance with the Washington area, I would have known that this meant something was terribly wrong. I know that all aircraft are strictly prohibited from leaving a narrow route along the Potomac River on approach to Reagan National Airport. The Lord not only protected us -- He throttled my fear by keeping my mind in the palm of His hand.

Soon our group was urged to move west to 19th Street and then south toward Constitution Ave. to an area where we could maybe meet our buses. By now the traffic was turning to absolute gridlock as all government workers poured out of the buildings and headed for home. When we reached Constitution Ave. the sirens began to wail as fire engines, police cruisers, and many unmarked law enforcement vehicles began to emerge from all directions.

Then we saw the large cloud of dark smoke emerging from the Pentagon -- several miles to the southwest. It was then that the reality really began to set in. The unthinkable had happened. Everything had changed. But the changeless God of the universe was right there with us on Constitution Ave. And we could sense His protection and peace.

We've learned today that the plane made two passes over the White House. Could it be that God kept that plane from exploding into the White House specifically because 140 Christian leaders were there at the door? We don't know God's ways. I just know that God's protection was on our lives. He must have things for us yet to do. What a challenge! What a privilege!

Summer Happenings

We've had a busy summer. Every summer is busy for us because our ministry, Positive Action For Christ, sells and ships most of our products during the summer months. This year has been true to form and we are thankful to be busy, active, and productive. The Lord has been good to us and to our ministry during these challenging times.

Over the 4th of July weekend we camped near Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and watched fireworks at the Waterfront Park on the Albermarle Sound. Prior to the fireworks we enjoyed the patriotic concert given by the U.S. Army TRADOCK Band from nearby Fort Monroe in Virginia. This area has a big military influence and the crowd was very patriotic.

Earlier on the 4th we stumbled upon one of those famous citizen "Tea Parties" at the little county seat town of Currituck. We sat for an hour or so and listened to the speeches. It was very interesting.

During this summer I have embarked on a task that I have been contemplating for some time. I have researched slide scanners over the past few months and finally found the best scanner for me. That choice was ultimately the Image Lab scanner that is pictured below. This little gadget easily converts old 35mm slides into a digital format that can be uploaded to a computer. Here are some of the vintage family slides that we have been able to reclaim for viewing.

Here is our first date, recorded by Connie's dad in 1960. What kids we were!

Look at this great memory of our kids in Connie's parents' backyard.

A wonderful Christmas memory with Grandma Carlson.

And here is one of Connie's early bikes and gives an indication where our Carlson "bikeride" tradition began.

Tennessee Travelers

We took a vacation trip -- plus a homeschool convention -- during the last twelve days of May. The trip started with a three day stop in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to help at the very large North Carolina Home Educators Conference. We parked our 5th Wheel at the Marshall Baptist Church, where our good friend John Homes is the pastor.

Homeschool conventions are long days and very tiring, but it was a very profitable and enjoyable experience. We also had the privilege of attending Sunday services at Marshall Baptist and we appreciated being able to park on the beautiful church grounds for three nights -- next to the church cemetery.
Before we left Winston-Salem we rode our bikes on the paved Salem Creek Trail to Salem Lake. This was a nice trail from the historic Old Salem Village to Salem Lake. Then we headed west over the Smokey Mountains to spend several days near Kristy and Brian in the Chattanooga area. We camped for four days at the beautiful Harrison Bay State Park that is about six miles from Kristy and Brian's house.

On Tuesday night the whole Walker Clan came out to our campsite for Root Beer Floats and an old fashioned campfire. Here's our campsite -- and Brian's parents. It is always a treat for me to spend time with Brian's dad -- my great friend of over 30 years. We had a wonderful night!

Here is our campsite as it looked just before we pulled out. We first camped at this campground 40 years ago when Kristy was not quite two years old. I can assure you it was much more enjoyable now with our comfortable 30 foot trailer that has all the comforts of home.

Before leaving the Chattanooga area we had the opportunity to ride the great Tennessee Riverpark bicycle and walking trail. This trail is fantastic! Ultimately it will be a 22 mile trail, but we rode almost seven miles from a few miles south of the Chickamauga Dam to downtown Chattanooga. Of course, we had to ride back to where we parked our truck. We did enjoy a cup of coffee at Rembrandts, which is Kristy and Brian favorite coffee haunt.

From Chattanooga we headed north to Nashville for three days at the Nashville KOA. This delightful RV park is just a mile north of the large Opryland area that features the historic Grand Ole Opry. Kristy and Connie are pictured here in one of the atrium areas of the huge

Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Resort. We toured the sprawling facility and wandered through the shops. Plus we had coffee!
On Saturday night we attended the Grand Ole Opry show at the impressive and grand auditorium where the Opry now resides. The show was good family fun and enjoyable. Many of the performers were the old timers. We especially enjoyed the Riders in the Sky, who pattern their style after the old "smooth" harmony western group known as the Sons of the Pioneers. Their rendition of the song Tumbling Tumbleweeds was outstanding!
The evening ended with a historic appearance by Comedian Steve Martin playing the banjo. We were clueless that he was on the program, although most (all?) of the sold-out crowd was very well aware of his scheduled appearance. He was good! No, he didn't tell jokes, just played the banjo to a standing ovation. It was a fun experience.

Spring Has Finally Come?

Connie has been patiently waiting for the azaleas to bloom. Even though they are not as full and bright as they can be -- they are finally bringing color to our front yard. We are glad to hear that warmer weather has finally arrived in the north where our family and friends have toiled through a long, hard winter.
Last month our family conducted the 3rd annual NCAA Basketball tournament contest. This year modesty prevents me from going on and on about who won the coveted "Carlson Crowd" trophy. Connie kept after me and I finally consented to pose for a picture with the trophy plaque.

I beat out Chad by a whisker thin two points. I wish that I could say that my victory was determined by cunning and brilliant analysis, but that would be bunk. I happened to pick Sienna to beat Ohio State in the first round, and that turned out to be the difference. That was a wild guess. Chad, Kirk and I all picked the North Carolina Tar Heels to win the tournament -- and they did! But the difference was that one lucky pick. We have a good time each year in our family contest. Here I am with the prestigious award.

Galveston Trip

We returned to Galveston, Texas, for the second year in a row to exhibit at a Christian school convention. Wow, what a difference a year makes! Last September Hurricane Ike hit Galveston Island and did tremendous damage to this Gulf Coast historic strip of land. We were amazed at the devastation that was still evident five months after the storm.

Downtown Galveston was flooded with storm surge from Galveston Bay. Here is the Arts Center with the water line marked at about seven feet.

This boat was in a neighborhood about half way between the Gulf and the Bay. Don't know where it came from, but sites like this were seen all over the area.


A year ago we had dinner at what used to be this restaurant. It "was" called The Captain's Table, but it is doubtful that it will ever open again. The entire front of the building had been completely torn off.

On Saturday we spent four hours at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. It is a fascinating place. I am examining the Saturn Five rocket that is taller than the Statue of Liberty.

The most outstanding feature of visiting the Space Center is the tram tour of the real working areas of the Center. Visitors are able to see the actual control room where all space missions are directed. Then the tour goes to a large building where the astronauts are trained on all of the equipment and procedures that they encounter in flight. Note the large blue trap on the ceiling. This tarp, along with many others that were draped on other pieces of equipment, are necessary protection due to ceiling leaks. Even NASA was effected by Hurricane Ike.

This robotic arm is used to train the astronauts for outer space maneuvers. Every condition and activity expected to be encountered in space is simulated in this building. It is an amazing place!

After Christmas Trip to Florida

As soon as Christmas was over our family split to the four-winds. Chad & Jen headed for Mexico and Guatemala, Kristy & Brian for western Carolina and then home to Tennessee, and Kirk flew back to cold country (and his dear kitty "Roxy") in Wisconsin. So -- Connie and I headed for Florida. Here is Chad and Jen at some ruins in Mexico.

Actually, we headed for a planned vacation (time left over from 2008) at Maranatha Village in Sebring, Florida. Maranatha Village is a beautiful retirement community in south-central Florida, about 75 miles southwest of Orlando. The drive into the village introduces visitors to a picturesque lake and the well maintained grounds.

We had visited there briefly in 2005, but we wanted to come back with our trailer for a relaxing vacation. Well, we enjoyed ten days of "staying put" in the great RV Park. Our camping spot looked out on the golf course and provided a fun place to live for awhile.

We had a great time visiting Minnesota friends who now live at Maranatha Village. (See http://pillsburymemories.blogspot.com/.) Our days included bike riding, investigation of the area for future reference, and sanctified partying with our friends. We really liked the Village and found that the residents were very friendly -- human and otherwise.

We also had the opportunity to connect with friends from Bloomington-Normal, Illinois. Larry and Reta Shoup are full-time RVers who are working for the winter at a KOA located about 50 miles south of Sebring. The Shoups were our helpful tour guides on a day trip to Sanibel Island near Ft. Myers.

We also had the opportunity to visit a place where Connie's folks took us 25 years ago. This time we road our bikes to Highlands Hammock State Park, which is just a few miles west of Sebring.

Highlands Hammock is a nature preserve that exhibits the historic "hammock forest" of early Florida. The vegetation is thick and semi-tropical, with huge oaks and a cypress swamp. Back in the 80's, Connie's dad wanted our family to see what an early Florida forest looks like. It was a special thrill to go back after many years to ride through this historic state park.

We are back to the cold north now -- North Carolina that is. Next month we are off to a convention again on Galveston Island in Texas. We hope to visit the NASA Johnson Space Center outside of Houston after our convention is completed.