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Along the unimproved roads of the Vedauwoo National Forest are long stretches of boundary fences. They are hewn from the local trees by skillful lumberjacks. These boundaries are not elaborate but instead they are simple in design yet sturdy and durability. Over the years they withstand the brutal weather of the Wyoming wilderness.
These territory markers captivate the eye. I am drawn to follow their endless lengths that disappear into the woods. The forest swallows them up.
Tall grasses lick the lower rails. Foliage from bushes, trees and weeds crowd the guardians of property lines. Yet, with little maintenance these consistent fences just keep on existing, marking off territories and keeping mostly humans from trespassing.
There is a test from the wilds of the backwoods. Can these man-made structures hinder the wildlife and make the existence of the wilderness fauna feel unwanted stress? Will human intrusion strain the wanderings of the beasts of the field?
The prairie goat, Pronghorn Antelope, saunter up to these fences. A herd of these goats then slip underneath them without hesitation. They seem to big to manage this maneuver but having witnessed it many times I am a believer.
Deer hardly blink at these obstacles of split timbers. They can leap over them from a standing position. When God made these graceful creatures, He knew that a jumping ability as well as eyesight, olfactory sensory perception and speed were great assets to them.
Elk for massive and powerful creatures. A fence like these can be jumped over or smashed. They are creatures of determination and know where the bypass areas are.
Small animals like rabbits, badgers, squirrels or chipmunks use the fences as a hiding place or freeway or shady refuge. None of these little creatures whine about any intrusion but instead accept them as part of the terrain. Humans, who are created in the image of God, should be so flexible.
Time marches on and the weather beats against the wooden fences with every passing season. Instead of wearing out the fences change color and sport a weathered look. They actually look better and more fitting with the environment over time.
Man’s intrusion into the wilderness is not always bad. They have been ordered by the Creator to exercise dominion over creation. It is good and right when man enters the world of the woods and leaves a good trail of his visiting the wilderness.
photo credit: brucefong photography
We were out for some fun and running errands. From location to location we steadily kept up our pace and systematically checked off all of the items on our Texas check list. The setting sun gave us the signal that the day was coming to an end.
Our low growling stomachs reminded us that we had been depleting our energy reserves. It was past time for dinner and we had not planned anything for the evening meal. We looked up at the new strip mall where we were finishing up our day of errands and saw an interesting looking restaurant.
Adventure and hunger are two fascinating appetites of life to partner up for a new moment of exploration. This was a Japanese food eatery. “Let’s give it a try.”
The ambiance of the restaurant was splendid. Lighting was subdued but inviting. The decor was ethnic specific and well apportioned.
Friendly smiles welcomed us and the receptionist led us to a comfortable table. The menus were fresh, sprinkled with pictures and the prices were acceptable. From a familiar list of options we placed our order.
Pleasant conversation had us reviewing our day. We shared our reactions to specific events as we talked over this feature and that episode. Reliving what we had just lived that day is a part of what fun marriages do.
The waiter showed up and presented my bride with her order. It was not just amazing. Instead, it was spectacular.
We both pulled out our phones and began snapping pictures. Carefully, we turned the bowl at the best possible angle. Then, we checked the pictures and began moving glasses of water, napkins, salt shakers and other distracting items out of the shot.
All through the process we shared our results with each other. Together we marvelled at the presentation. It made the event fun.
Presentation, fun and taste were now combined for a wonderful meal. A new restaurant was being added to our favorites list. What an enjoyable day this turned out to be.
Life is like that. At least it should be. When God the giver of life graciously gave us the gift of life through Jesus Christ, He had every intention that it should be a splendid. Like any gift we would give, we look forward to the beneficiary to use the gift and thoroughly enjoy it.
Are you loving life? God wants us to. That is why He gave us Jesus.
photo credit: brucefong photography
Sharing time with my bride is a blessing. During our busy days I eagerly look for opportunities for us to merge our schedules into fun times together. Some times I even take her shopping.
Yes, that is a perfectly allowable choice. It is in the fine print on my “Man Card”. The explanation is under point 27, subsection 12, footnote 75.
We entered a specialty store. The exclusive product was women’s accessories. There might even be a subset of specialty stores that describes this venue better, but I frankly do not know what it is.
My bride made her rounds. Women have a peculiar shopping technique. The must bond with the products by tactile interaction.
When a woman touches a product she is sensing something about a possible purchase. Some just use glancing tips of their fingers. Others grab and others hug the items.
Then, there are those who hold the product up in the air. Maybe they are attempting to get different lighting angles to help them make their decision. Yet, others pat the product as if to assure it that their decision NOT to purchase is not personal.
My eyes widened suddenly. She was coming to me with several products in hand. “Yipes! She is going to ask me my opinion.” I force myself to remain calm and act confident.
She assumes the role of a TV Show Hostess Spokesperson. In turn she displays one choice, shows me the features, talks about the pros and cons. I listen, acting as if I am tracking with her.
While uttering a timely “Um” or thoughtful “Ah” I miss the transition to a question. My “Uh huh” is obviously misplaced. “What? Oh, I’m sorry. I was thinking about this one here.”
It is a clumsy recovery. I have been discovered. Yes, I am a dolt. I do not understand colors.
In fact I was getting dizzy staring at the wild patterns and countless colors. How does anyone know how to describe these items? For me to give an opinion is like throwing dice and calling out whatever numbers happen to land on top.
Knowing what the numbers mean is the trick. But, I can’t get past my panic attack that feels like being asked a question by a professor in front of my learned classmates and I haven’t a clue as to the answer. Now, the sweat starts to pour off of my head. Help! I feel nauseous! Really!
photo credit: brucefong photography
Sometimes we question our eyes. That really can’t be true. Someone must have set that up to fool us.
If a natural phenomenon occurs in nature but we just are not used to seeing it, we stare in unbelief. When a wonder of creation invites us to examine it, we gaze and observe. Then, we process what we are witnessing.
My ATV was in park. I had to stop. The vision of the rock formation was so unusual. 
It was large. Yet, it looked like a giant child had a building block set and put together a few stacks of boulders and left to set what else might capture his fancy. Boulders that had no other reason to be resting on the edge of another stone, ready to fall off and tumble-down to the earth looked like someone perched them there just to smile at the travelers who would stop and stare.
The formation was both majestic and symmetrical. Against the bright blue Wyoming skies its orange, rust and white colors gave a picture of a delicious dessert following a feast of a meal. Smooth surfaces belied the effect of the wind and waters that beat against it for centuries.
On the ground were the turning aspens of the Autumn. Deciduous trees gave green highlights setting off its sandstone neutral colors. Lifeless tree trunks and skeletal tree trunks splayed their empty branches and limbs towards the sky etching a history that the harsh weather would take life as well as entertain it.
Some time when no human eyes or ears could witness a change, the wind, water or shifting of the earth would send some of those boulders tumbling to the ground below. The sound of a small avalanche would echo in the woods. A few animals would tense, flee and rest easy soon after.
The stones will stop rolling. Dust will settle back to the ground. Then, the shape of the formation will be altogether different.
Change comes slowly to rock formations. God has assigned different changes to take place at different times. No one can stop change from happening.
Life is like that. Each day there are small shifts. Eventually, a significant movement scatters all of the possibilities.
As life moves on, so change makes each day develop according the plans of the Almighty. The result is amazing. Other see and wonder how it all happened. For followers of Jesus there is a simple smile and response, “It is the will of the Creator God.”
photo credit: brucefong photography
Andy asked if I wanted to join him on an ATV ride through Vedauwoo National Forest. “Sure!” was my initial and only response. It was October and the promise of a sensational vision for a Houstonian was all of the motivation that I needed.
God created our world with an annual weather warning. Before the harsh winds of winter, the brutal blizzards of the mountains and the frigid temperatures of the stormy season He gave us the Autumn. This is the time of the year to count our blessings of the past Spring and the enjoyable invigorating days of the Summer.
The deciduous trees can feel the cold coming long before any mammals can detect anything. Slowly but steadily they turn-off the sap that feeds the life from roots to leaves. The chlorophyll disappears.
Green leaves now turn red, orange or yellow. The forest is rich with the bright colors that entertain but also signal the coming of winter. It is time to hibernate, hunker down by a warm wood fire for the next handful of months.
A cold snap had already visited this 7,000 foot elevation several times. The trees do not fight it. They submit to forces greater than themselves so that in the Spring they can revive and awaken to a new year.
Andy was leading the way. I stopped. He kept riding.
That is when I gratefully snapped a picture of his entering into the wonder of Autumn. There were no freeways filled with vehicles or throngs of crowds rushing to work or air controllers trying to schedule massive airliners on to a crowded runway. Instead, the sound of a smoothly running ATV carrying a good friend through the spectacular woods was a vision exclusively laid out for my eyes.
The Creator was displaying His masterpiece in motion. Add texture and depth to this rainbow of colors and I could feel my soul breathing in deeply the refreshment of life. Every human being should be so blessed.
When I reached for the key to start my ATV, I found myself smiling. Life is busy. It is full of heavy responsibility.
Decisions of major proportions no doubt were piling up on my desk back at the office. People were wondering when they could discuss the next major issue that they were wanting some direction before they pulled the trigger and committed resources. For now they had to wait while I recharged my batteries with the One who called me into His service.
Thanks for the invitation, Andy. It was a fabulous ride.
photo credit: brucefong photography
No one likes drab. Color makes a splash that gives zest to life. But, overuse opens the way to appreciate a moment when color is gone.
The landscape in Wyoming is stunning. Vast open spaces capture the imagination of any human being who pays attention to life on the prairie. There is so much expanse to take in.
Erase the color when those grand moments come and something eye-catching emerges. Shapes, shades and proportions take front stage when the photoreceptors of our retina do not have the stimuli of our cones and rods picking up colors. We are left with the wonder of a different kind of emphasis.
Memories of ancient books and stories come to mind. People who had their voices draw a picture and fill in the breadth and depth of yarns told to the imagination of hearers. Images without color beckon hearers to join in the drama and fill-in the palate with their own choices of color.
Or the story keeps its focus on the life lived without the aesthetic wash of wonder. Movement, ease and linear lines keep a picture simple. Depth is very much a part of this kind of rendering.
Patterns of a tree that is denuded could be a frozen path of lightning across the sky. Gnarled bark lets texture shine. You 
can feel the rough exterior of the skin of a tree just by gazing at a picture that depends on shading and shape.
The tree has lived for years giving each bend, every twist and all branches a moment to tell a story. Wind storms, drought and snow have each left scars and tears on this living mass. History cannot be revised by modern observers.
Instead, for the initiated and observant a map leaves sign posts to trace the past development. Like a freeway through the portal of time moments of terror and times of plenty are all a part of a life of a tree. It blends into the grassy ground and reaches unashamed into the sky.
Then, God blazons the sky with the constant burning of the sun. Powerful rays rain down light, warmth and splendor on the Wyoming grasslands. Whatever for a moment seems ugly in a tree that no longer boasts life, its skeleton still calls for attention.
Color is not always necessary. At least the option of this world in moments without it gives us pause to think different thoughts. Still there is beauty just as the Almighty does everything beautifully.
photo credit: brucefong photography
Busy men always discover the elixir of a momentary break from the heavy responsibilities of their work. Getting away into the country, the woods or the lake can do wonders to rejuvenate the male soul. Hardworking men also learn that joining other men to find that relief is very effective.
It has been three years since I have been able to pal around with a special group of Michigan friends. My life took a surprising turn when I was recruited to my present position of higher education. The newness of the position and the long list of responsibilities were great so I stayed close to my job for two years. Finally, it was time to reconnect with great guys.
Describing the men that I shared a few days of adventures on the plains, in the mountains and through the woods is simple. They are a collection of different kinds of bucks. A men’s retreat described like a herd of wild animals is saying that they are just a bunch of guys.
There are the young bucks who hurried into the cabin. They are a lot of fun, full of energy, always moving, taking on new challenges no matter what the risks. When it is time to eat they have a voracious appetite that defies the possible space of a normal human stomach.
Then, there are the seasoned bucks. Their greying hair or loss of it identify them. They move slower. But, their deliberate speed is not to be confused with weakness. There is an ancient Chinese proverb: “Age and treachery will always win over youth and inexperience.”
The dominant buck is the one who speaks and everyone stops to listen, both young and seasoned alike. He gives direction, outlines the rules and cheers on the accomplishments of the recent activities. While dominant he is the hardest working, doing whatever it takes to insure that all of the other bucks enjoy their time away from busy lives.
Then, there is the most favorite buck of all. All of the bucks know him. He gives fodder for years of stories to be retold and redacted. He is the “little buck”.
From him comes the lesson for all men going to retreat with other men: Don’t make a mistake or the other bucks will never let you live it down. It is all in good fun. God has given each of us His amazing grace and the joy of being eternally forgiven so we in turn give that gift of forgiveness to our brothers from different mothers.
photo credit: brucefong friend photography
For a little time the big city is hundreds of miles away. Instead of horrific traffic, jam-packed calendar and unexpected problems that needed solving I could relax and rest. The venue for this renewal of my spirit is Wyoming. People are fewer and further between than the bustling metropolis that I call home and make an honest living.
Here the airport closes at 8:10PM. Wild animals graze right on the city limits. People smile and nod a greeting to you in the local variety store even though you have never met.
The sounds of a small town are different than the city. Here you can hear yourself think. The conversations that you have with other people are carried on with mouth and ears.
In the morning I got up early. I wanted to see the sun rise. It was splendid. Colors and hues modified by the minute.
Rays from the rising sun chased away shadows and promised warmth for every living creature. Like a spotlight that was caressing the landscape of the vast Wyoming plains, the sun pulled back the curtains of the night showed off what the Creator had done here in this gorgeous state.
Off in the distance are the Rocky Mountains. They are majestic even at this great distance. Snow caps all of the ridges and peaks that stand like a great wall daring anyone who really wants to go West but at their own peril.
High plains desert unfold in front of me. This vast land invites all sorts of wild creatures call this cave a home or that valley a place to forage for food. The racing sunlight pours over the plains making shadows dance, leap and finally disappear.
The sky turns bright blue. A multitude of cloud variations scamper across the heavens. The wind kicks up and shows us why Katharine Lee Bates penned the words, “For amber waves of grain.” It literally looks like the grasses are like a seas of moving waves.
Breath deeply for a moment, hold that breathe of fresh air and then release it. A smile invariably follows after you exhale. God did something special when He made the expanse of the earth.
The Creator must have spent extra time here in Wyoming during Creation. It is a splendid place to remember how big He is and how small we are. If life is weighing you down, take time to look up and see what He has so incredibly made.
Photo credit: brucefong photography
Three years ago I made this same flight. It was exciting then and exciting now to anticipate hanging out with great friends. There is something extraordinarily special about friendships that defy the test of time.
The last time we gathered to tell stories, laugh heartily, eat voraciously and tease mercilessly I was taking a break from a fabulous but rigorous work in San Francisco. This time I was snatching a respite from the fast-paced quickly-growing ministry in Houston.
As miles passed behind me, I could feel my spirit unplugging while the turbo prop plane flew over the night light lit skies of Laramie, Wyoming. Not even a dozen travelers disembarked the aircraft to be greeted by family and friends. One other couple waited with me outside of the airport terminal, laughing that this was the first time any of us had closed an airport.
My buddy drove up in the official Western rig of the outdoor world, a pick-up truck. We were all smiles and in constant conversation on the drve back to his cabin. I had experienced amazing Wilson hospitality many times in the past and knew that I was in for a treat.
Those who cheerfully serve others are less and less common. To make friends feel at home and enjoy a time away from busy responsibilities is a gift. Ron and Roxanne are very gifted at it.
When I walked into their cabin the conversation that filled the room with laughter and cheer paused with a welcome that warmed my heart. An addition was coming. Friendship among the guys is not real unless it is peppered with merciless teasing and revisions made on our past historical exploits and mistakes in the most exaggerated style.
Years had separated us. There were very rare telephone calls, occasional text messages, sparse e-mail and a Christmas card may have been exchanged. Nevertheless, real friendship picks up where it left off.
Friendships would deepen during the next several days of our reunion. We caught up on old news. Most news we laughed through but some we listened with soberness when life was at risk and trouble was lurking.
Good friends enjoy life better because of whom they have a chance to share it. When the atmosphere of joy is created through the wonderful mechanism of hospitality, something supernatural happens. Joy expresses itself with fellowship that can withstand the test of another set of years apart.
Thanks, Ron and Roxanne. You used the wonder of hospitality just as God showers blessing on those whom He loves. We who have received your expressions of love are grateful and call you, “Blessed!”
photo credit: brucefong photography
The airlines moves tens of thousands of people every day. They must have allowances for hiccups in the schedule. If I can I like to slip through the system before a hiccup swallows me up.
Rats! Hiccup! My connecting flight got me to Denver EARLY! We were so early we had to wait on the tarmac for our gate to open up.
During our wait my phone vibrated quietly. There was no human being on the other end of the line. Instead, a text message announced that my last flight had been delayed.
There is a hollow feeling that comes with this kind of notification. Admittedly, I frowned like a kindergartener who hears that recess has been delayed due to the weather. That is where most of us learn to deal with disappointment, eh?
Adding an hour and a half to my travels was not too bad. A casual lunch in the airport would take care of that unplanned stretch of time. My sauntering through the airport was aimless and clearly without any hurry.
God never hurries, right? He is never surprised, correct? If my theology serves me correctly He is always right where He needs to be when He wants to be there.
If I am to be godly, then I guess I can roll with some of the punches of life’s little annoyances too. Too bad life is not as simple as that. One piece of unexpected news is too often the beginning of several more pieces.
My phone vibrated again. Another delay was posted for my plane. Then, another adjustment came.
By the time four changes had been announced, the host at the airport came on live. There was something nice about that. A real human being announced that my flight had been cancelled.
At the customer service desk, no one was smiling. All of the agents wore a stoic face. They looked like veterans of many wars.
My agent booked me on the last flight of the day to my destination. I asked, “What happened to my plane?” “It had mechanical problems.” “Well, I don’t want to get on that plane at any time.” She stared at me and laughed!
She gave me a dinner voucher. That was nice. I will get to where I am going eventually.
Worrying does not help. Anger does not work either. Patience can serve others just at the right moment with the right kind of elixir.
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