River-Rat Reflections: The Best of Big Bend

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

The Best of Big Bend

We walked out of our room at 8:45 this morning, noting the frost on the windshield of our car as we headed for the trail up and around the mountain, an 11+ mile round trip hike, 8 miles of which, I am convinced, go up. After nearly 4 miles up we reach the meadows---about a mile of smooth hilly terrain. Then we start down and after another mile the real hike up the mountain begins. Every time you think you're on your way down you round a bend and are on your way up again. With my problematic knees I wasn't at all sure that I'd be able to make the hike this year, but 600 mg of Ibuprophen before I started did the trick. On our way up we saw this Mexican Jay. Every time I snapped a picture, he moved closer, finally giving me a nice profile pose. One of the favorite sights of this hike is the boot, as shown in the pic below. When we got back to the lodge at 2:30 we sat out in the sunshine on our deck until it got so hot we had to go in. The lodge is right below the gigantic rock formation known as Casa Grande. Below is a snap of it as the sun is going down. Also a snap of me with another mountain formation in the background.

About Me

I am married to John Worst and have a son and granddaughter, Carlton and Kayla Tucker (now married to Ariel Sosa) as well as two step-daughters, Laura and Sarah and three more grand-kids, Mitch, Ashley and Zach. I did my doctoral degree in history and have written more than twenty books and have taught at colleges and seminaries for more than 30 years. John taught music at Calvin College for 35 years and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. Besides reading and folk-art painting, my favorite activities (with John) are hiking, biking and kayaking. Most of our days are spent at our shop, Carlton Gardens, which we refer to as a "hobby gone wild."

My Calvin Seminary Story

I began teaching at Calvin Theological Seminary in 2000--the first full-time woman professor in the school's 125-year history. In 2003, less than 3 months after Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. was installed as the new president, I was, without warning, removed from tenure track and given a terminal appointment. I have repeatedly asked that all the evidence be opened only to be blocked by a dishonest cover-up. When independent mediators were retained by the seminary board in 2005, they called for "retroactive pay to 2003" and my appointment as full professor. They also stated that the charges against me were inflammatory and should be removed from the record. That report was buried. I finished my second terminal appointment on August 31, 2006, and shortly thereafter published my story here.

A Provocative Poem

PEDESTALS

Thousands
cheer,
chant,
and clap
as one of their own
is proudly carried toward the
lofty pedestal.
The audience
urges him
up the stairway,
step by step,
higher and higher,
far above the masses
on the prominent platform.
The media is there
with lights,
cameras
and prime-time coverage.
Publishers huddle
around the base,
for they know
pedestal-people
sell well.
The crowds
on satellite hook-ups
hang on
every last word,
for he seems
so close to eternity.
Yet he feels
unsure,
unworthy,
afraid
and very alone . . .
But at that height
no one notices,
no one questions,
no one confronts.
And so,
in a split second,
the trap door swings,
the noose tightens,
the crowd gasps.
Undeterred, the mob moves on
to build more pedestals;
to encourage another
of their own
up the starlit steps.
But mostly
to wonder
why those
at the pinnacle
keep falling
from the heights.
© 1988 James N. Watkins