Prisoner of Hopes

Tag: Nature

  • Give a Hoot: Rural Road Trips Missouri

    Give a Hoot: Rural Road Trips Missouri

    Encounters in nature are calming and peaceful. Sayings like ‘leave only footprints, take only pictures and kill nothing but time’, remind us that our wild spaces should be protected. Every outdoor enthusiast seems to understand the gift and works hard to protect and preserve natural spaces. Unfortunately, there are others that are not so in…

  • Camp Fire Coffee: Rural Road Trips Missouri

    Camp Fire Coffee: Rural Road Trips Missouri

    There is nothing quite like an early morning cup of coffee cooked over a camp fire. So hot it burns your tongue and full of smoky goodness, it is happiness in a cup. I get up early (5:30). It is peaceful and still. So far it’s just me and the birds and an occasional squirrel.…

  • Nature’s Cathedral: Travel Goals Australia

    Nature’s Cathedral: Travel Goals Australia

    There is something magical about authentic encounters in nature. I am never more aware of God and moved to worship than when I am surrounded by the natural world. Walking in the early morning woods while the dew is still heavy on the leaves. Watching a deer silently follow me along the trail. Viewing the…

  • Headed Home

    Headed Home

    I am driving home after a lengthy stay with my son. Leaving his house, I have very mixed emotions. I am feeling that (I am dropping you off for college, I don’t know when I will see you again, you are smart and capable but my life’s mission is to make sure you are okay)…

  • Wildlife Adventures: Rural Road Trips Missouri

    Wildlife Adventures: Rural Road Trips Missouri

    It started out as a simple hiking trip, just a few days with a friend to explore a highly rated woodland trail. Nature had other plans. Reviewing the forecast as we packed, we decided that two days on the the at temperatures well over 100 with high humidity was probably not smart. So we decided…

  • Summer Struggles

    Summer Struggles

    I have a love/hate relationship with my yard. It is spacious with wonderful trees. I have small garden spaces and patios. I even have a large freestanding octagonal swing structure surrounding a fire pit. We also have delightful wildlife that, four months out of the year, turn into creatures of mass destruction. I love to…

  • There is not a “right way” to camp

    There is not a “right way” to camp

    There is no right way to enjoy the outdoors. I could walk forever with a pack on my back listening to the sounds of wildlife. It is nice to have our RV parked nearby to provide a dry place to sleep and storage for clothes and food. Backpacking, tent camping, rv life, a cabin or…

  • Serenity

    Serenity

    Up at dawn, I sip my coffee in solitude and say a prayer of gratitude. It is peaceful. The birds are making the small chirping sounds that accompany a new day. My family thinks I’m a little crazy for getting up with the sun each day. But to me, it is serene. A time when…

  • Down by the Riverside: Travel Goals Portugal

    Down by the Riverside: Travel Goals Portugal

    In the evening, the air is different. A breeze moves in and the sailboats head upriver. In the approaching sunset, a faint glow emanates from behind the clouds. The light shifts subtly, and a chill descends on the riverside. It is calm by the river. People laugh and talk. Lovers hold hands as they watch…

  • Acting Like Children: Travel Goals: Travel Goals Portugal

    Acting Like Children: Travel Goals: Travel Goals Portugal

    I love a good park. Parque das Nacoes was created in 1998 as the site of the Lisbon World Exposition. It is a large modern park along the banks of the Tagus. After several failed attempts to exit the Oriente metro, we eventually found our way to the central section of the park. We had…