New Portland Fair, and such...

Good morning!

The day is off to a wonderful start! I was up and moving by 5:00 AM this fine morning, which would be considered a late start for many of the thru-hikers out there. But, whereas I am not on trail, it's not a bad start time. I do have a busy day, though, as I'm sure many of you do also. I first headed out to the Church to tear down, and carry off, the big signs that I had put up for our recent Motorcycle Church. By the way, that is a "way fun" ministry, with lot's of bikes, bikers, music, food, and messages. It was our third year of this ministry, and was awesome... and it seems to get better each year! ... so... see you there next year!

Busy... oh, yeah! Speaking of busy... I had a call a few days back from a friend at Church. I had told him to call me when he needed help putting up his new garage. Well, Andy called me, and today is the day. I said yes! Of course I will be there!... and I will. I just happened to forget that this weekend is New Portland Fair weekend. We have been attending it these last few years as vendors, with our ScriptureSticks. We never expect to sell any, are not dissapointed if we don't, and are pleasantly surprised if we do! Actually, we end up giving a few away, which serves to accomplish our intended goal... to have people be exposed to a little bit of scripture, and then carry it around for others to read.

Well, I best be getting going... while I did the sign demolition, Cari got everything together for the fair, and had it 99% loaded in the truck. About all I had to do was load a cooler, give her a kiss, and wish her well. Yup, she is going to go to the fair alone... I will help Andy for a good part of the day, then head for New Portland to help. Should be done around 8:00 PM., and come home. Tomorrow we do the Fair together, which will be fun.

So it goes... we run around, doing things, and hope we don't forget someone important (anyone...). We also hope that we don't lose sight of someone most important... God!

So, gotta go help Andy, and the crew. You all have a good time at the New Portland Fair, and stop by and say "Hey!", to my wonderful wife, Cari...

God Bless!

Stickman

The Hiking Hugger!

Hey everyone! Boy, hardly a day goes by, that I don't get some kind of a Blessing... a "Hug from God", if you like. (I don't always get time to sit down and tell you all about it). Well... this past week, while returning to Madison from a lumber delivery in Fryeburg, I stopped for a quick break in Bethel. As I headed toward the entrance of the convenience store, I noticed some familier "trail sign"... a couple of well-worn backpacks, and two sets of trekking poles! I instantly slowed my pace, realizing that there MUST be two (or more) thru-hikers in close proximity... they never stray far from their packs. I glanced around the area... THERE THEY WERE! They appeared to be friendly, so I approached them. I made small talk, and one responded that he was "GRIZZ"... Thank God he was friendly! The other hiker was known on the trail as "TREAT". Real friendly. I caught them during a rest break/feeding time, but they were more than happy to chat. They were having a wonderful hike, looking forward to more of the better weather to hike in. They had their sights set on getting to the hostel in Andover, for a bit more rest and food.

My spirits were lifted during the brief encounter. I wished them well on the remainder of the journey, and gave them contact information, should I be able to assist them in any way up the trail. They also were an encouragement to me, that I might find a way to get back on the trail, (someday, soon).

I always find hikers to be fascinating, each in their own unique way. Almost anyone, given opportunity, will share with you something that they have done, are doing, or are planning to do. This encounter was no exception. TREAT shared with me that he is also known as "THE HIKING HUGGER". Yes... THE HIKING HUGGER! Now, I can't say that I was a recipient of any hugs, but on investigation, I found that he has hugged... (wait...please go to the following to find out!)

http://www.thehikinghugger.com/

...As you can see, he isn't afraid of hugging! As you can also see, he is "hiking for a cause", as many of us do. What do you MEAN, you didn't check out the site! OK, while you do that, I'll close, while asking God's Blessings on all of you! Take care, ponder the paths of your feet, and let all your ways be established. GOD BLESS!

Stickman