Lewis and Clark Ride

Since my road bike is in the shop, I took my mountain bike out of storage and road on the Katy Trail today.  The Katy Trail runs from a few miles south of Kansas City to St Charles, MO.  It's crushed limestone and follows the old railroad tracks (a Rails-to-Trails project).  I rode the last 4 miles of it today...in the rain.  St Charles is where Lewis and Clark began their journey up the Missouri River.  The city itself has a Galena, IL, or Stillwater, MN, feel.  I've taken Kathee there a couple times on dates and Gideon there to the Lewis and Clark museum.  

This is the L&C monument in the town park.  After stopping at the monument I stopped at the coffee/bike shop that is right off the trail to air up my back tire and then hightailed it home in the rain.  

This is the Missouri River in St Charles, where the boys set out to head up the Missouri.

Gideon Meets with the President

A few weeks ago while Gideon and I were walking to the busstop he noticed the daffodil's coming up outside of one of the buildings on campus.  He asked me if it would be okay for him to pick some when they bloomed and give them to Kathee as a bouquet?  I encouraged him that that was very thoughtful and good to be thinking about his mother and wanting to blessing her and express his love to her.  However, I said I wasn't the person to talk to about whether or not it would be okay.  I reminded him that there are some 75+ kids living on campus and that if each child did that then no one would be able to enjoy the flowers.  I then told him that I couldn't make that decision.  So he asked who could.  I said, "Someone higher than my paid grade."  So he asked if "President Dalbey could make that decision?  After all, Papa, he keeps this place running."  I said that if he saw President Dalbey around campus that he had the freedom to ask him about the flowers.  

As a bit of background, we like to have President and Mrs Dalbey over to our place once a semester.  We love spending time with them and think the world of them both.  And when they are over, Mark plays with our kids and loves on them like a grandfather (their grandkids are our children's ages, by the way).  Whenever Mark sees the girls in chapel (which is a lot) he comes up to Kathee and I, asks to hold one of the kids and chats with them.  He's awesome!  

So, back to the story.  On Tuesdays and Thursday's I have class from 8:30-9:45 and since Gideon's bus stop is outside the building I have class in, he likes to come into the classroom with me and talk to my friends and be cool.  Today, as we were walking in, Doctor Dalbey was speaking to someone in the hallway.  Gideon said, "There's President Dalbey!"  I had completely forgotten about our discussion about the flowers, and so when he said, "I have a question for him," I said he just had to wait until the conversation was over and then he could ask his question.  

So he waited until it was appropriate and asked Mark his question.  When Gideon approached, Mark called Gideon by name and told Gideon it would be fine for him to pick one flower for his mother and give it to her as a gift.  Seriously.  How cool is that?  

Just another reason I absolutely love Covenant Seminary!  

 

Updated pictures of the kids