I Got Taken

John and I drove to Detroit Metro this afternoon to catch a 6:20 am flight to San Diego. We're spending the night in a motel that we were promised would cost us $62, including our parking for the 4+ days we'll be gone. When we arrived the deal was off, the guy at the desk claiming that he has no control over what Expedia offered me--an offer I had gotten through an 800 #. I asked him if this happened often and he admitted that it did; I asked why they didn't break the partnership with Expedia and he didn't know. When I called Expedia, they told me to call Hotels.com. I finally got through to Stephanie, who acted as though my problem was a routine matter. After a lot of complaining I got a $60 hotel voucher. So the moral of the story is beware. And, if you get taken, call, complain, and demand justice.

THIRD WIFE

This morning another book on my list to write (by the above title) popped into my head. John was going through bookcases culling books to give away. I walked by and started challenging him on some, including a little book on cats. It looked new and I said I could sell it at our little shop (Carlton Gardens). He glanced through to see if it might have an inscription (thus making it less appealing to a potential buyer), and discovered that he had inscribed it to Myra, a cat-lover and his second wife---a little gift on their first Christmas together.

He read it to me and commented and we set it aside to be saved. It reminded me of how well John and I live our lives with two very wonderful ever-present dearly-departed wives. They frequently come into our conversation and John adores them both---though he once said as kind of a throw away line (without me fishing for it), "I always love my current wife most"---as though, like Henry VIII, he'd had a bunch of them. Who he loves most is here nor there. He adores me as much as I adore him and that's what matters. That Myra and Ruth are so near and dear and yet not resented by me is to his credit if any credit is due. It is the way it should be, and someday I might have something to say in print as THIRD WIFE. Maybe like Ruth and Myra I will know ahead of time that I am dying. Maybe it will be a letter to the fourth wife. I've always said that if I predecease John the one thing that is certain is that he will marry again. I can only hope that it will be as happy as these three marriages have been.

Here is a photo of dear Dr. Myra Kraker who taught in the education department at Calvin College. She was a wonderful friend who gave advice and encouragement when I was being so badly mistreated at Calvin Seminary. This is a typical faculty picture. The picture that I see propped up in a bookcase near my desk is with John and with flowers in the foreground. She's beaming and absolutely beautiful.

DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS!

John and I have been traveling since last Thursday morning. We're sitting in the dining room of Chisos Mountain Lodge in Big Bend National Park. Tonight will be our third and final night here. Tomorrow afternoon we'll be heading back home to cold Michigan (where the flood has receded).

Here is a photo of me at trail's end at the Window, where we hiked the first afternoon we were here. Yesterday we drove out to a trail that was unmarked but highly recommended and got into some very difficult but rewarding high elevations. Today we took a 10 mile hike up the mountains outside our deck. It's supposed to be a 6 hour hike but we finished in less than 5---dead tired but feel good.


John took this photo outside the dining room a few minutes ago--looking from the patio down to the Window.














The real reason for coming to Texas was to visit Ann and Paul Kelsey and a bunch of other good friends. I dedicated my last book, Leadership Reconsidered, to Ann, and we all had a party honoring her. What fun. Ann is battling cancer, but her spirits are high. She has a fantastic sense of humor and we all love her for it. Here is her ever-ready smile and laughter.