When I was a young kid in Fresno, my dad would pile us kids in the VW bus and head out of town many Sunday afternoons.
When we’d come to an intersection, he’d ask which direction to go.
Sometimes we’d end up in the mountains. Sometimes we’d pass miles of fields before turning back.
It was about the adventure.
That idea stuck with me.
My early teens in San Mateo (on the San Francisco Peninsula) were spent exploring the area by bike. My wanderings took me as far as Half Moon Bay and Fisherman’s Wharf.
The people and places fascinated me.
Then I got a car.
That old wagon took me all over the area. I learned all the back roads between San Mateo and Santa Cruz.
I was able to explore the natural beauty of the mountains and coast.
When I moved to Virginia at 16, I could not afford to explore much in my gas guzzler, but our neighbor’s land bordered the National Forest.
I would explore on foot for hours.
Decades later, the exploration bug still bites me regularly.
I’ve driven coast to coast several times.
My favorite trips were when I took the time to explore.
I don’t mind flying but if driving is a practical option, I’m all over it.
Last year, to get to a writer’s conference in Wheaton, IL, I drove the old Lincoln Highway from Cheyenne to Wheaton.
Old Lincoln Highway somewhere in western Nebraska
I took three days to cover the distance that I had to cover in one on the way back.
I loved it (the three-day part that is).
This summer, we are heading to Oregon.
Most of the family is flying.
I’m driving.
I’ll take three days to explore the country between here and there (along with my youngest daughter).
If course, it helps that we’ll be saving airfare and a thousand bucks on renting a minivan out there.
But those benefits are just my justification to take the time to explore.
We plan on taking the old highways when we can, going to places like Steamboat Springs in Colorado, Promontory Point in Utah, Mount Lassen in California, and Crater Lake in Oregon.
If I’m lucky, I’ll drive through Yellowstone on the way back.
If you have suggestions for other places to check out between Denver and Portland, let me know!
I plan on posting video from this and last summer’s trip on my soon to be refreshed YouTube channel this summer.
Be sure to join me there.
In the meantime, comment below about your greatest adventures.
This article addresses a perspective on my faith. Even if you don’t share that faith, I suggest you read it with an open mind and think about it from your world view. For all, I’d be interested in your perspective on my thoughts. Feel free to contact me or add your comments to this blog or the same post on my Facebook page.
I’ve seen some amazing things in my life.
I’ve seen canyons and beaches that inspire awe for the Creator.
I’ve experienced storms and waves that made me tremble.
I’ve crossed amazing bridges and seen the views from high buildings that impressed me with their engineering.
Then there was that evening last November when I stepped out onto our deck into the Northern Lights.
Did you see it?
It wasn’t that impressive.
Until I started taking photos.
The longer exposure times required by the camera (in this case my iPhone) accentuated the colors to the point that they lit up the sky.
I was amazed at the vibrancy of the colors hiding in the sky right there in our back yard.
The pastor’s heart in me screams out,
“That’ll preach!”
It should come as no surprise that I love to read.
If you’ve known me for long, you probably know that the first thing I read every morning is the Bible.
I used to read through the Bible every year. That was a lot of reading.
I usually understood the basic message of the day’s reading, but only just. I had no time left to dwell on it.
Three years ago, I cut my pace in half and created a plan to get through the Bible in two years.
After reading through the day’s passage, I spend time studying one or two verses. I look at them in the context of the surrounding verses and their cultural and historical context.
It is the results of those studies that I share on my daily devotions pages.
I certainly won’t claim to be any great (or even average) theologian.
But when I spend time digging into the stories and lessons in those daily readings,
the life-giving lessons come to life.
Try it!
It’s like the Aurora Borealis coming alive with longer exposure, you’d be surprised how much more vibrant the Bible becomes when you dive deep.
If you are a fellow writer, I challenge you to post what you learn each day.
You might just bless other people with your insight. In the process, you will certainly be blessed by what you learn as you write.
1968 Plymouth Satellite (Photo cleaned by ChatGPT)
This was my first car.
I’d love to have it back.
But back then…
Let’s face it, I loved it back then too.
I hauled logs, furniture, and an entire elementary basketball team (their bus didn’t show up and they would have had to forfeit).
Once, while hauling logs down from our woods (behind the wagon in the photo) I ran out of gas. I had bottomed out on the gas tank enough that the gauge didn’t go past quarter tank.
The only fuel we had on hand was 2-cycle oil and gas mixes for the chainsaw and Lawn-Boy mower.
I dumped in the stronger Lawn-Boy mix.
It still wouldn’t start.
I pulled out the chainsaw and cut down one small tree that stood between me and the sloping field. I made sure the gates were open.
I tried to push.
Not a chance.
It was a manual transmission and predated clutch/starter interlocks so, I cranked the starter with it in gear and started rolling down out of the woods.
I dared not touch the brake as I bounded across the field. I sailed out the gate, down a short stretch of the road and into the driveway where I coasted to a stop right in my parking space.
See, even practical cars can be, umm, fun?
Surely, I made up for that ridiculous practicality later in life, right?
Nope.
So far, if you count company and wife’s cars, I’ve had 4 wagons, 3 pickups, 8 sedans, 8 minivans, 2 SUVs, and 3 hatchbacks.
Lest you think those were hot hatches, they were a diesel VW Rabbit, a rusty old Tercel, and a brand spanking new 1987 Ford Escort Pony. The “Pony” in the name meant basic – no AC, no power anything, and a blank piece of plastic where the radio went.
Have I ever wanted a sports car?
When I was a kid, a drooled over the ads for Porsche 911SC Targas in my Road and Track magazines.
I’ve always appreciated the artistry and engineering that goes into designing beautiful cars.
And I’ve appreciated that other people spend money on them because I am way too practical to devote that kind of cash to transportation.
So, what does that say about me?
You might want to say it means I’m poor.
I grew up poor, and I’ve never been wealthy by American standards, but I could have bought a sports car if I wanted to.
While I don’t judge those who have sports cars or luxury cars or anything more expensive,
my priorities have always been elsewhere.
I will probably splurge a little on a classic car when I retire. I’ll be keeping my eyes open for that amazing work of art know as a VW Squareback.
They’re not too expensive (yet), they’re easy to work on and parts are readily available.
It doesn’t hurt that I could use it to promote the Wil Clarey Series (one is featured in the books).
Okay, would you believe a few people have asked me that?
Fine!
No one has been asking.
But I’ve been seeing quite a bit of traffic on my website, and I feel bad about the lack of new content before and after my very late Christmas story.
Don’t get me wrong. I never want to write out of guilt.
Frankly, I don’t feel guilty since I’ve been posting to my other website (WITLBible.com) and my Facebook group every day.
But I have been itching to write more than just short form devotionals.
So, here’s the plan.
Or at least the goal.
I will post one blog a week.
Every Thursday morning.
I think.
Maybe.
Sometimes it will be serious.
Sometimes not so much.
I’ll write about writing.
I’ll write about life.
Maybe I’ll write a little about travel, and cars, and parenting, and the mountains, and… you get the idea.
I might even post some excerpts from the Wil Clarey Series or Reymons.
Hopefully, these blogs will give you something to think about or at least laugh about.
If you have suggestions, I’m all ears. Or eyes. Or something like that.
But wait! That’s not all!
(can you hear the infomercial narrator voice)
This summer I plan on reviving at least one of my YouTube channels.
Granted the content uploaded so far is pretty terrible and it probably won’t be much better to start with, but I enjoy producing the content.
I have one video ready to upload, but I want to have several ready so I can start consistently and hopefully maintain my momentum as I get quicker at editing.
The channel I’ll start with is The Wandering Pen.
The content will focus on travel and maybe some classic car content.
As my skills increase, I may reopen Blind Squirrel Productions, my DIY channel and a channel for my devotional website.
In case you are wondering, I do not make any money off any website or channel (maybe someday). I do not accept donations.
I do have good reasons to do all this.
My goals are:
To spread the joy of Jesus with anyone who cares to receive it.
To encourage those who don’t feel like they fit in (nerds like me and the neuro-divergent like my son and Wil Clarey).
To help people understand and accept the neuro-divergent.
To encourage my fellow writers.
To explore different creative avenues for all these words trapped inside me.
And, admittedly, to increase my platform so that I can get my novels published.
In fact, I had one completed to the first draft stage and reading for editing and review.
It was a first for me – a murder mystery about the mysterious death of a family patriarch on Christmas Eve.
Then on the 22nd of December, my wife’s father, the patriarch of her family, passed away at the age of 89.
Suddenly that murder mystery seemed in poor taste.
I will edit and refine it to be a good Christmas story for next year.
On the 23rd, I decided to attempt to write another story for this year with the goal of having it completed by New Years Eve.
I am happy to report that I finished the first draft around 9pm on New Year’s Eve.
And I realized that it was so rough that I couldn’t possibly post it until it went through some significant editing.
Then the thought occurred to me, “What if I shared it in the context of explaining the writing process?”
With that in mind, I am creating a new page on this site to go through the writing process with you, the reader and writer in hopes that you may be encouraged to go through the process for your ideas.
Editing what is hopefully close to the final manuscript of Wil Clarey: The Impossible Summer.
Redoing my book proposal and “One Page” (those are very hard for me).
Writing a daily devotion for the Walk in the Light Bible Study.
Earning a living.
Keeping up with maintenance on two vehicles and a big house (and not doing that well at it).
And staying active in next generation ministry.
But vacation begins now!
It’s actually kind of a working vacation but that will mean more material here and on my YouTube channel!
First, I’ll be driving on the Lincoln Highway from Cheyenne to Chicago.
The Lincoln Highway was the first designated coast to coast highway route. It is far older (1913) and longer than the famous Route 66 and just as full of history.
For a history buff who also loves road trips, that sounds like heaven.
I’ll be gathering video and photos of many interesting places and stories along the way and sharing them in what will probably be a three-part series that I’ll publish in a couple of weeks.
You may have noticed that I will only be traveling on that highway from Cheyenne to Chicago.
Cheyenne is straight north from here and is the closest place to hop on the Lincoln Highway.
And Chicago (Wheaton College to be exact) is the site of the Write to Publish conference I will be attending next week.
There I will be concentrating on learning how to get my book published and marketed.
I’m sure some of that will include ideas for platform building which may affect what you see here so stay tuned for more.
In the meantime, if you read this before June 15th, please pray for traveling mercies and for this brain of mine to soak in some good information at the conference.
(And if you are about to criticize me for letting people know I won’t be home, the rest of my big family is staying home – not to mention the two ferocious dogs).
I was good at cross country running when I was young.
In High School, I rode my bike so much that I had a hard time finding pants that fit. Pants that were skinny enough for my waste were too skinny for my thigh muscles.
It’s how I recharge after a day of dealing with people.
Nowadays, I find my alone time in my “cave” (a spare room with no windows in the basement).
The bike tires are flat, so my gut isn’t. Pants that fit my waste have plenty of thigh room now.
So, what’s with the title? Am I writing about superheroes?
Maybe someday.
Proverbs 27 has a verse that says,
“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”
(ESV)
As much as I love my alone time, I can’t do life alone.
I would flounder, lose my motivation. Life would stink.
Since I was a teenager, I started intentionally reaching beyond myself. I purposely sought to get to know other people.
The friends I’ve made over the years have challenged me in so many ways. They’ve encouraged, challenged and corrected me enough to keep my on the right path for my life.
When I’ve strayed from that path, they’ve guided me back to it.
Hopefully, I’ve guided a few of them in return.
All this comes to mind now as our church is getting ready to kick off small groups for the fall season. I’ll be leading a men’s breakfast every Saturday morning in Brighton, Colorado. We have dozens of others groups in the area. Email me if you want any information about them.
If you aren’t in this area, I strongly recommend getting involved in some sort of small group.
If your church does not have them or you don’t go to church, start one of your own.
People grow better together.
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17 NIV).
Our garden has been a major time sponge as of late.
Yes, there has been some extra travel from family circumstances and some volunteer obligations. But what has occupied a large portion of my free time has been taming the jungle that is our backyard.
That’s given me lots of time to mull over the lessons my garden has given me.
Here’s a few of them.
If you expect any fruit(or vegetables), you have to plant some seeds.
I didn’t plant this garden to save money. I dare say the cost of seeds, water, a new sprinkler, and garbage bags for the weeds will make these some expensive veggies. That’s not even counting the cost of my time to tend the garden.
But, have you ever had fresh sweet corn straight off the stalk? Nothing compares – except maybe that crisp snap of just picked green beans, or that tantalizing aroma when you slice a cucumber just in from the garden.
I’m hopeful for these sensations come harvest time.
I’ve also lived long enough to see some of the kids I’ve taught over the years in children’s church and youth groups grow up to be joyful, thoughtful, caring adults. While I can’t claim all the credit for that, I can tell that some of the seeds I planted in their lives years ago have taken hold and borne fruit .
Sowing seeds costs, but it is so very worth it!
Soil prep is important.
The ground in our backyard is mostly clay. Even the shallow roots of grass have a hard time taking hold and staying put.
When I first planned a vegetable garden, I knew I had my work cut out for me. I rented a tiller. Then mixed in many bags of top-soil. That gave the veggies the nutrients they need and provided room for roots. How much room remains to be seen when I harvest the carrots.
There’s an old saying for those who want to preach or teach – “They won’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
Many people today have a warped view of the Gospel as just an old religion full of rules. Sometimes it takes time and consistent care to bring people to the point where they’ll even listen.
Every person is different and the real work is done by the Holy Spirit.
But God uses those times when you simply listen to people, help them, or just have fun with them.
When they see the reality of the Gospel at work in your life, they’ll be more receptive to it.
I also found that –
Weeds are a pain, but you gotta take care of them.
We’ve had a very wet Spring and Summer this year. When I was out of town for a while in late Spring, I came home to grass over a foot high and weeds taller than me. Our flower beds and xeriscaped area were completely overrun with weeds and the vegetable garden wasn’t far behind. This past two weeks, I’ve been working constantly and am down to spreading the last few bags of mulch. Thankfully, I’ve had some help.
The same is true for our lives.
The sins and distractions that keep us from being fruitful constantly crop up.
We need to accept the help of friends and God to get it clear.
Jesus comes along and does the hard work but we need to be willing to let him.
The work doesn’t end there. The weeds will keep coming back and I’ll keep pulling them, though it will be much easier now that the bulk of them are gone.
Plants need water – water comes from storms.
In Colorado, we usually have to water a lot. We’ve been blessed with a lot of wet weather lately so I’ve saved a ton on our water bill. Unfortunately, I’ve also had to fight to keep our basement dry. Our cars and trash cans bear the scars of hail.
One storm a couple years ago brought so much damage we had to replace our roof.
But we ended up with a much stronger roof.
To grow spiritually, sometimes we have to apply water ourselves with times of study and prayer.
Other times growth is thrust upon us with the storms of life.
Oddly, the single event that brought the most growth in my life was divorce. The emotional pain was horrendous but it opened my eyes to areas where I needed to change and caused me to seek a much closer relationship with God.
I never recommend divorce or any other tragedy, but I strongly recommend that we use those times to grow.
Not everything is a metaphor.
The largest plants in our garden are the corn stalks. Given their size, I’m not as concerned about the small weeds around them.
I thought about that in terms of sin and the predominant ministry in my life – student ministry.
The metaphor doesn’t work.
Even small sins can have serious consequences when you are a leader of young people. It’s critical that I keep a tight lid on even small sins. I need to keep my mind pure so even the smallest sins don’t take root in my life.
If you’re human (and I hope you are), you know that’s not easy. I’m far from perfect and have the same struggles as anyone else.
But one small sin, leading to another could wipe out all the work of ministry I’ve ever done.
My gardening thoughts covered many other topics. Maybe I’ll post some of those at harvest time. Until then, Keep planting seeds, watering, and pulling weeds.
Solano Writing 