Colonel and Mrs Hatch...Departing

(Suffolk, VA 1/26/2010) As we motored our land-yacht and dinghy (RV and tow-car) out Virginia Highway 58 past the familiar sights and we saw Suffolk VA in our rear-view mirrors I asked Joy to pucker up. ---
One of the things I enjoyed about the last 10 years of my Air Force career was the opportunity to work in the "joint" world. Joint in military parlance is when all four military services are working under the same command. As a blue Air Force guy, I had to learn the ways and traditions of Army green, Marine khaki and Navy blue...the mix of colors in the joint world we affectionately call Purple. The Navy traditions particularly interested me since my Dad was a career Navy officer. Joy and I had a special privilege several years ago to see these traditions up close and personal when a former co-worker, CDR Joe Leonard, took command of a Navy ship in Pascagoula, MS and we were invited to attend. The change of command was conducted while the ship was dockside. After the ceremony we were given the opportunity to board the ship for tours. As a Colonel, Joy was impressed that I was given the courtesy of being piped aboard the ship and announced over the ships PA system. Careful to render the proper military courtesy's I saluted the US flag flying at the ship's stern before stepping onto the gangplank to make our way "over the side". At the top of the gangplank I returned the salute of the officer of the watch and we stepped on board (OBTW: I am pretty sure I did it right in person, if I am explaining it wrong I am sure some of my Navy friends will correct me). The bosun's pipe shrilled it's melodious OooEEEooo whistle. "Colonel and Mrs Hatch...arriving" the loud speaker blared. We had our own tour guide and crawled around the entire ship for a good while. After some refreshment we reversed the ceremonial procedure for our departure. The bosun's pipe shrilled, OooEeeooo, as we stepped down the gangplank. "Colonel and Mrs Hatch departing", we heard behind us just as our feet hit the dock.

As we pulled our rig away from Suffolk, our home for the past 7 years, full of our own individual memories, and took a navigation heading South to eventually head West, I said again to my wife.

"Joy, pucker up".

"You're driving", she scolded.

"No not that. Get your whistler ready. You're a better whistler than I". I reminded her of the Navy ceremony.

"WoooEeeOooo" we both whistled mimicking the shrill of the bosun's pipe.

"Colonel and Mrs Hatch. Departing"

Flex-ability

Several people have been wondering how I was going to do living in an RV for an indefinite period of time. Will I miss a permanent home, having all my possessions around me, a good shower, a place to go to be alone. Certainly all of those things are different now but I think the thing that is going to stretch me the most is-will I be able to handle the bumps in the road. I like routine, I like knowing what is going to happen, having plans and sticking to them, to-do lists, getting things done. I don't do well with glitches or unexpected problems. I don't like having to make a plan B,C and D!!! I want to go with plan A!

But that's what life is going to be like now. I can't count on plan A happening. I have to learn to accept that sometimes things are going to come up that I can't control that will mean adjusting to a new plan. For instance, just trying to leave Suffolk meant going to plan C on the spur of the moment. Buy it also meant getting to have dinner with some friends and having a wonderful reunion with some friends who happened to be in town from Italy for one day! If we'd gone with plan A we would have been long gone and missed both those opportunities.

I just finished a study on Job and one of the greatest verses I am taking away from that study is 26:14. "Behold, these are but the outskirts of His ways and how small a whisper do we hear of Him! But the thunder of His power who can understand?" I see just the outskirts of His ways. I don't know all that is happening and why so I need to put my hand over my mouth and trust His sovereignty.

As I write this we are sitting in the parking lot of Camping World in Savannah, Georgia. Our blinkers stopped working for some reason and we are waiting to have them checked. Plan B is now in motion.

The Columbia River of God's Faithfulness

(Eastern Oregon: 1/8/2010) Coming into Oregon from the east always makes me think of Lewis and Clark and the Corp of Discovery. I wonder how much of the country they explored on their great adventure has really changed since 1804-06. They rode the river, we rode the interstate and crossed the Snake River in Idaho about 7 times before negotiating the ascent of the Blue Mountains on the boarder of Idaho-Oregon. As you come down from the mountains the terrain clearly changes after 25 miles or so and there is a distinct transition of entering the majestic Columbia River gorge. Joy was doing a crossword puzzle and I was enjoying the glorious scenery and anticipating our first view of the historic river. Over the years of traveling with the kids we realized they got antsy the longer they were in the car and the closer we got to our destination. As a way of occupying them we would ask them to look for something that was ahead on our route. When we lived in Little Rock, AR and visited Grandma and Grandpa Vinyard in Plano, TX we would challenge the girls to see "who can see the water tower first"; the objective being a large water tower just outside town with Plano and a Texas star painted on it. On the to way to the Oregon coast when we lived here before we said, "see who can see the ocean first". With little more than 3 hours of driving left on the end of our 7 day journey I played the game with myself with keen anticipation for the first view of the Columbia. Thinking of the mighty river led me to think about the imagery of water and rivers in the Bible and Christian music and writing. The strong, steady,and certain flowing of a river particularly images God's power and faithfulness. As I thought about God's faithfulness to us over the past 8 months of having our house on the market, the past 7 years of life Suffolk, VA and closing out my Air Force career, and the 17 years since we have been away from our beloved Oregon...the River came into view. "I see the river first", I said to Joy. Just then her phone rang. For some reason I looked at the clock; it was 8:05 a.m. Pacific Time, 11:05 Eastern Time Friday 8 January 2010. The day of the closing on the sale of our house. We had signed a power of attorney over to our realtor Maggi Davis, and as Joy talked I realized it was Maggi calling telling us that the closing was complete, the paperwork was all signed and we were officially homeless! I had no sense of emptiness or loss, but really rather a sense of true closure and a profound and almost tangible feeling of peace. When Joy hung up from talking to Maggi I played another game with her we often play. I asked her what song she could think of with the word "river" in it. She immediately replied, "Like a River Glorious". All the while our truck's huge windshield is filled with a view of the mighty AND majestic Columbia River. "Like a river glorious is God's perfect peace, over all victorious in it's bright increase. Perfect yet it floweth perfect every day. Perfect yet it floweth deeper all the way." And the chorus: "Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blessed, finding as he promised perfect peace and rest." Great God exalting words on which to meditate while viewing the Columbia!
And then, as if the Lord added an exclamation point to these events and thoughts what hymn would we sing on Sunday morning when we worshipped at Newberg Friends Church with John and Erin? ...Like a River Glorious!!

Oregon's Green "Cradle-to-Grave" Life-Style

(Manzanita, Oregon: 1/13/2010) Oregon has always been a leader in protecting and taking care of the environment. Lately they are trying to crank it up a notch and be national leaders in wind energy and energy conservation while continuing to encourage and even extend policies and practices of recycling. But when we saw this sign off Hwy 101 on the Oregon Coast, we realized they are really out on the edge in the life-cycle of all things "green".

Del Rio family reunion part I

When your family is spread out across the United States like ours is you have to plan and take advantage of the times you can be together. You take 'em when you can get 'em. With Katie, CJ and Kylan in Texas for a just a year and since we were not able to to be together over the holidays we thought the first long weekend in the new year would be a great time to get the family together for a few days. Ed and I really enjoy these special times as we catch up with each other and appreciate the blessing of a family who loves each other. We especially enjoy seeing the girls laughing and teasing with one another...which they do as adults with a greater gusto and competitiveness than they did growing up! Invariably we all come to belly-laughs as we retell for the umpteenth time the "remember when" old stories and memories. Ed enjoys having time with the sons-in-law, playing golf and growing in his relationship with them. We are so thankful and proud of our girls. I think Kylan just eats up all the attention that she gets with Mamaw, Papaw, Aunt Emily, Aunt Erin and Uncle John to play with. It's also great having photographers in the family to document these times!

Del Rio reunion part II

This weekend has been great. The weather has cooperated allowing us to be outdoors and active (in the 60's and low 70s). On Saturday Ed, CJ and John took advantage of that and played golf while Joy and the girls took Kylan to the playground and had relay races, played freeze tag, climbed on the toys, slid down the slides, ran and jumped and skipped and pretty much exhausted everybody but Kylan! Katie has been a wonderful hostess and the food has been great. We had a Wii tournament (video games) in the evening and ended with a rousing game of chick-a-boom to end the day. Sunday we went to church at Del Rio Bible Church and then headed out to the lake to enjoy the low 70's temperature on the water. Emily, John and CJ were brave enough to put on a shorty wet suit and jump into the 52 degree water for some wakeboarding. The rest of us cheered and encouraged them on. We came back to the house for a bbq cookout with several of CJ and Katie's friends. Monday morning we made our first trip back to the airport to send Emily back to her home in Virginia on the 6:15 a.m. flight. Tuesday, Erin and John were to leave on the same flight only to have their plans upset with ground fog and a canceled flight. We're praying for clearing weather so they can catch the only other flight out of DRT at 4:15. As the family again scatters to four winds and their respective homes we are full of thanks to God our faithful provider that we have these times and look forward in faith to the next reunion whenever and wherever it may be.

The Family Comes Through...

(Newberg, OR: 1/9/2010) John and Erin confused us the first time they said they were getting together with "the family". "The fam" for short, we came to realize these were not blood relations, but an incredible network of family (by blood and marriage) and friends they have made from school, work, and living in the great Northwest. Numbering over 30 at times John and Erin are truly blessed by their heavenly Father to know this family and to call them friends (check out John 15:15). So in some ways it was no surprise when we asked if they could come up with some help to unload the moving truck at the storage place we rented in Newberg, that they said, "no problem, we'll just call the fam to help". So, Saturday 9 January we connected with another part of our extended family when we were blessed to have some from J&E's fam help us unload the truck and pack the storage shed with our stuff. Sherry Macy even brought early morning coffee for the gang. So a big thanks to some of the fam...Rochelle, Jonathan and Rachel, Pete and Linsey, Uncle Howard, and John and Erin for all the help!