Stop 57 - Back in Blue (Peoria, IL)

Soaring into blue yet yonder

Taking respite's delight in wonder

Remember men who led

Even cried, died, and bled

Defending a simple thought

That liberty cannot be bought

Property, thought and life for all

Even if your strength be small

On morrow's light look up high

And remember the treasure for which men die

Happy Veteran's Day from a new Airmen based in Peoria!

Stop 56 - In and Out of California

Looking at a tourist guide for Northern California can leave one with more options than a Walmart Cereal aisle. What spoke the loudest from all the options clamoring for my short trip's attention? Well, food of course! 

Pulling into California's infamous chain, we ordered from the secret menu where the vegetarian items are hidden. Chomping on cheese and potatoes seemed a fitting way to say, "I love my country"

Along with eating, my patriotic gratitude included joining a public fast. The Call Sacramento was designed to gather many thousand youth (yes I am still young) and place them in the hot sun for an agenda of loud music, louder prayer, and silent sieges. Why would someone bake like a California Raisin on a perfectly good Saturday? Rather than read gloomy headlines in hopeless despair, I hope to write the news with the pen of prayer. 

My sincere belief is that a good Father would not help His children clean up a mess without their permission. Against the menacing statistics of rampant child slavery (otherwise called prostitution) in Northern California, thousands Called desperately for freedom to shine forth. Did anyone hear the prayers? Shortly after the prayers went up, the following headline came down the news wires

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/04/BU841F8URH.DTL

Stop - 55 The Islands

Departing from the great and relatively massive continent for an island chain with fewer people than some suburbs. Inward expectations were filled with images of cloistered living in a land bubble floating atop a giant ocean.   Although paradise seems to be a secondary definition for an island, my childhood stomping grounds of the Midwest were a far cry from a country whose appearance is somewhat dot-like on a world map.

Entering the Bahamas melted away my mist of erroneous predictions as a sun on a foggy beach. Warm smiles, generous hosts, amazing friends, and easy going lifestyles gave me an immediate love for the Bahamas. My enormously generous hosts immediately sent waves of exotic fruit and exquisite local dishes into my plate. Who knew mac and cheese could be spice enhanced into a local delight worthy of many tourist filled restaurants.

Close partnership with the United States failed to hide many clear cultural distinctions. When opening a National Exam Study Book, the Ten Commandments appear on page two without a famous actor in a long gray beard. Even more shocking, the small nation opens the doors of freedom with an absence of rules, laws and taxes to 'protect' every area of life from librty. Local newspapers even carry editorials on subjects last  culturally debated by the United States in the 1950's.

After the double shock of culture and hospitality, my hope is two return to the Bahamas for a second helping of pleasant surprises and true friends.

Stop 54 - Douglas, Wyoming

(picture from http://www.jackalope.org/Douglas/DouglasHome.html)

While driving cross country on a personal retreat from the daily grind, I stumbled upon a wonder of a legendary kind. The Jackalope seen above stands larger than a small car. From myths of farmers long ago, the rabbit with antlers emerges as a small Wyoming town's claim to fame. Embalmed in legend by the town's statue, the animal further appears on bridges, legislation, and hunting licences.

Although the Jackaplope remains a gullibility trap for tourist and urbanites alike, do some legends hold seeds of truth behind the thin veil of lore?

Stop 53 - Peoria, IL

"If it plays in Peoria" was an old adage about my current town of residence. As a testing ground for media, a show's performance in Peoria was considered an indicator of how well the entertainment would be received by the rest of the country.

Moving to the quiet urban island in an ocean of farms unearthed some surprising treasure. Driving during rush hour (or the small city's lack of traffic hour) incidents of chivalry abounded with drivers continually slowing down to let others be first. In addition, the city contains a wealth of effective charities bringing quantifiable change to poverty's chains. (see South Side Mission) The crowning jewel came when I was able to play a friendly game of catch and chat with neighbors on a warm spring day.

Hopefully, Peoria's reputation as a barometer will also prove true with the concept of a friendly community.