The Sanguine Sixties

  Our son Luke graduated from Iowa State University on May 17, 2025 with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Kinesiology. We are. Here he is above with his fiancee Megan.  Four years ago, when we brought Luke to Ames for his freshman year, we first saw the campanile (in the background), an iconic structure on campus. Luke decided to attend Iowa State fairly quickly. When my sister Theresa brought Luke and her son Will to Iowa State for a visit, Luke said it just clicked.  Above are Luke and his roommate Jack. Luke is wearing a Haitian stole, to represent his country of birth and a George Washington Carver stole from his scholarship program. The graduation lasted from 7 to 9:30 pm. We got there quite early and while we waited, look whose name we saw flash on the sign. We were able to see Luke process, one of about 1,200 graduates from the College of Health Sciences and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Other colleges at Iowa State had their graduations earlier in the...

I love peonies for many reasons. They are beautiful and come in many colors. They have a delightful fragrance. They are perennials, and they bloom in May, one of the most beautiful months of the year. I have four peony bushes in my front yard. They were transplanted a few years ago from my grandparents' farm, where they had been blooming for at least 80 years. This is the number one reason peonies hold a special place in my heart: they remind me of my grandparents and specifically spending time with them in the summer. Another thing I like about peonies: they reach for the sun. For some reason, my peony bushes bloom at slightly different times. Here are the buds leaning towards the sun. We should turn toward God, like the peonies do the sun. I think we want to but sometimes get distracted.   Only three of my peony bushes are blooming, but I have faith that in time, the little fourth bush (second from the left) will bloom.

Ahhh, spring break. To me, those are magical words. When I was a kid, I looked longingly at the families who would go off to Florida around the Easter holiday. A couple times it seemed like I came tantalizingly close to being invited along. But it never quite happened.  I dreamed of the beach and the ocean and collecting seashells, to go along with my rock collection. I finally made it to the Sunshine State when my parents began traveling there in February in the late 1990's. Since then, I've probably been there at least a dozen times. Most recently, John and I were there earlier this month, courtesy of a condo stay at Ft. Walton Beach on the Emerald Coast that we won at last year's St. Mark's School Auction. Below are some photos of our trip, in no particular order. Beautiful pool with the Gulf beyond. Here we are on the first day of our trip. I spent a lot of time walking on the beach. Our condo complex abutted Eglin Air Force base, the largest air force base in the w...