Sitting with legs lodged in different directions while balancing on the edge of a raft and rowing for three and a half hours made me aware of muscle groups I did not know I possessed. This advanced two and three level whitewater trip on the lower Eagle River outside of Vail, Colorado, was a blast. Not only was the scenery–red rock cliffs and snow capped mountain peaks–breathtaking, but the water was clear and cold and rushing rapidly. All of the trip, save one small section, was whitewater. I had the three grandgirls on this trip, Mikayla, Miranda and Aurora with me. Our guide was fantastic and we felt safe under his care. We all loved the level three rapids we encountered. Dressed in wet suits, wind breakers, life vests, helmets and water shoes, one would think we would not be cold, however, being regularly soaked in the rapids, we were quite cool. There was one rule drilled into us, “Stay in the boat!” And we did! The only real problem for me was getting out of the raft when the trip was over. My muscles did not want to respond and my feet were numb from sitting in 40 degree water for over three hours. Oh, did I mention that I sat at the very front position on the raft, the one that takes the brunt of the action? Did I mention that you do not sit in the raft on level three journeys but on the edge of the raft? You lock your feet into crevices that fill with water to secure your body for pulling the oar and to keep your body from falling backwards into the water. And in case you wondered, Aurora did not row, but held onto safety ropes to keep her safely in the raft. What a great day we enjoyed together!

While we rafted, Kathy and little Micah mountain hiked with guides. It was rated a moderate hike, but Kathy said there was a misprint. She declared it was moderately extreme. In fact, it was a five hour hike going straight up the mountains with an over 2500 foot ascent. Little Micah stayed at the front with the lead guide while Kathy and the rear guide followed. The destination was a beautiful waterfall about 11,000 feet above sea level. They actually walked over five miles on the journey and Kathy said she had a few sore muscles when finished. Micah started out in clean white shorts and tee and came back covered in dirt from head to toe. What a great day they enjoyed together! WEG

No not San Antonio but the Pueblo, Colorado Riverwalk was our surprise for the day. After driving through the dry flat lands of the upper Texas Panhandle; the near desert of far northeast New Mexico and the mountainous views of the Raton Pass into Colorado we settled into Pueblo and discovered that a riverwalk was right by our hotel. We needed exercise and a walk along a river in the cooler Colorado air was the right prescription. What a delight! The riverwalk is wonderfully laid out and clean and frankly, wonderful. Sculptures and outdoor art mix with water features and gardens. Boats ply the water as folks sit in outdoor cafes in the cool breeze under a warm sun. Who would have thought that such a great ambience was in this location, but it is and it was a fantastic find.

You can never forget the place of your birth and upbringing and going back opens the floodgates of memories. So on our month long journey with four grandkids in tow, Kathy and I happily went back to my place of origin and formation, Granite, Oklahoma. We wanted to give the grandchildren a taste of what it was like where Poppy grew up.

The area around Granite has a rugged beauty. The granite “mountains” indiscriminately pop out from the flat countryside reaching upward to about a thousand feet at the highest. The deep red soil rolls flat for as far as the eye can see, broken occasionally by red and grey clay protrusions that run along creeks and rivers. It looks like an old Wild West movie set. Somehow, growing up here, it did not look this beautiful or interesting.

We took the grandkids to my childhood home, the mountain lake, our farm and the St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery to see the graves of many family members stretching back to their great, great, great grandparents. They were intrigued and asked many questions and, I believe, got a sense of my past and the values that drive our family thinking and acting, most especially our Christian faith and life. WEG

The cemetery filled with Graumann family members

Chicago is rightly known for its art and architecture. The mix of Gothic, Art Deco and Modern in the buildings in Chicago create a wonderful and harmonious blend. Because the skyline has many famous skyscrapers–the Willis (Sears); John Hancock; Trump; Wrigley and Tribune to name a few, one looks upward for long periods of time. Yet, the magnificent public sculptures that fill courtyards keep one looking at the beauty on street level. Parks dot the landscape and the Millennium Park and Grant Park with majestic and playful fountains and large plantings of flowers and shrubs call one to relax under the shade.

The Chicago Institute of Art is a fine museum with an awesome collection of Impressionist art. All the major painters are represented. In addition, the museum houses collections of art from antiquity and the Orient and Africa. What a wonderful day we enjoyed walking amidst the abundant art and architecture of this great American city. WEG

I got to eat my favorite pizza today in Chicago–from Lou Malnati’s. I’m not the only one who thinks it is the best pizza. It regularly gets voted the best by various rating groups. Think butter crust that is flaky and crisp and deep dish style without being thick and gooey. Think Italian sausage that is cooked and sliced length wise and chopped tomatoes and specialty cheese and roasted garlic and sweet onions. I enjoyed every last bite! What made it even better for Kathy and me was that we were joined by Chuck and Karen Mueller, our good Chicago (Roselle) friends.

We enjoyed our entire day–walking around the “loop” area of downtown Chicago. We just walked and enjoyed the weather and the stunning architecture of the city with big shoulders. Huge gargoyles adorn the city library; a Target store has an amazing ironwork facade; huge skyscrapers jut heavenward in every direction; flower plantings line sidewalks, softening the urban landscape; the Chicago River crisscrosses the city spanned by wonderful pedestrian bridges; Macy’s flagship store has a subway stop in its basement; Union Station is still a traffic hub and is wonderfully restored; magnificent sculptures pop up in front of buildings; restaurants sport comfy outdoor seating and the “el” runs around the city core on elevated tracks that are an Art Deco masterpiece. Chicago is a pedestrian city, easy to walk, although quite large, and easy to love. It is hustle and bustle, and it has a large downtown population, so it feels alive and vibrant. It was a good day in a great American city.

We trained, trammed, subwayed, ferried, taxied and walked our way across Spain, Italy and France during the past few months. We got to Chicago and immediately began to think of how to use a rent car to get around–then we thought of it, Chicago has very good public transportation, so we took the rent car back to the airport and took the train from the airport to our hotel. ( We did use the car to go to worship first.) Once at the hotel, we took the CTA (subway train) to downtown, made the transfer to another, got out and walked up to the Magnificent Mile area and had a delightful afternoon/early evening. Trees and flowers are abundant in Chicago and the streets were busy with lots of tourists out and about. We went into Bloomingdales and got no farther. We realized we had not been in a US store for quite some time and Bloomies is quite nice. Since Kathy loves coffee, we scoped out all the alternatives.

We headed over to my favorite chop house in Chicago, one I have eaten in several times–Harry Careys. Harry was the iconic sports announcer for the Chicago Cubs and popularized the 7th inning song, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” Amongst all that sports paraphernalia, Harry’s serves really good steaks in an Italian subway station atmosphere–white tile and dark wood. Kathy and I had a great time. We love walking in a city atmosphere and we figured if we could maneuver around Europe without a car, we could certainly do so in Chicago. WEG

You know you are in the US Midwest when you see churches like this popping up.

Ft. Wayne was in the midst of spring–lilac, pear, apple and cherry trees in full bloom and flowers everywhere. The seminary campus, designed by Eero Saarinen, was crisp and manicured. It was hard to believe that 12 years ago I began my service on the Board of Regents, the last nine as chair. Now, I was chairing my last meeting and participating my last time officially in the graduation events. Throughout the day, the old bell rang out in the campus upper plaza, as graduates who had finished all their requirements rang it out to the applause of friends and family, as is campus tradition.

My tenure has seen many advancements at the seminary. Two great presidents, Wenthe and Rast, had ably led these advancements forward–a ten year accreditation pin, the highest achievement; a new library; the complete upgrade to the infrastructure of the campus; a new curriculum; distance learning; technological advancements; hugely increased endowment fund; worldwide mission efforts and a great balance sheet. I was privileged to support them and cheer them on. And now that season of my life is over.

I was honored that a wonderful dinner was held in my honor and the after graduation faculty, staff and invited guest hors d’oeuvres fellowship was Texas themed in my honor. I also delivered the commencement address. Enough kind words were spoken to me that they will last for quite some time in my memory.

Now we are in Chicago and it is “my kind of town.” WEG

Perspective and angle are important in getting a full picture. You get a different perspective of a place by looking at it from the sea, rather than from the land. Ferries that hug the coastline are great for giving a new perspective of a historic site. We took the ferry from Lerici, Italy, to see the Cinque Terre (five lands) along the Italian Rivera. Along the way the ferry stopped in Porta Venera. It was a place of which I had never heard. It turned out to be a beautiful and wonderful place to visit. Surrounded by the Mediterranean and located at the opening of a beautiful bay, with three small but mountainous islands just off the shore, the cities pastel-colored buildings were overlooked by a large castle on one side and a historic church complex (over 1000 years) on the other. That was the magical perspective from the ferry. Once on shore, the walk along the ocean was flower-filled and refreshing. The narrow side streets were filled with shops and restaurants. Ancient rock walls and walkways led to higher streets. The church dedicated to St. Peter was all white flower bedecked in preparation for a wedding, and outer balconies offered commanding views of the majestic coastline that stretched northward toward the Cinque Terre. Porta Venera was an unexpected pleasure. WEG

Have you ever known a person, who at first glance did not seem interesting, certainly not popular, but when you got to know them, they turned out to be tremendously interesting and quite beautiful? That person represents Lucca, Italy, a hill town north of Florence and east of Pisa.

Lucca is not one of the tourist packed hill towns for which Tuscany is well known nor is it well publicized in the tourist guides. Geographically, it is in north Tuscany while most attention is focused on south Tuscany. Historically, the city was a pawn in the ever changing city state wars and maneuverings between Florence and Pisa, Florence and Genoa and Florence and about everyone else, never gaining enough power to fend off its ambitious neighbor, Florence. Religiously, however, Lucca was important, ever since the city became the first city in Europe where the whole population converted to Christianity.

Once you arrive in Lucca, with its high wall completely encircling the old town and its imposing towers reaching skyward, you begin to be surprised by what lies in store within the walls. First, the wall is walkable and people with baby strollers and bicyclers and strollers do just that. The old duomo (cathedral) is stately with a beautiful painting of the last supper by Tintoretto and a majestic cross dating from the 11th century with a legend that says it was made by Nicodemus (the man who allowed Jesus to be buried in his tomb) and angels before arriving in Lucca. St. Martin’s Church lies right across the square from the duomo. Below it, reachable by a stairway, are extensive Roman ruins and a large baptismal fount from the 5th century. Old Christian mosaics have also been uncovered. In the city itself, squares and narrow streets lead to more beautiful churches and one of Europe’s oldest clock towers. Relaxed and inviting, Lucca quickly becomes your friend, one you will keep for life. WEG

They told us the duomo was closed for the day, but when we arrived the door was able to be opened and we went in. Rehearsal was in session for a concert and it was lovely. Verona, with its intact Roman Coliseum (third largest in the Roman world) and elegant churches is much more than Romeo and Juliet of Shakespeare fame. Yes, we did see the balcony where Romeo spied his Juliet, but we enjoyed walking the bustling city streets to see the other major sites as well. Our time on this second leg of our encore journey is quickly winding down. WEG