Leaving Newbern
Yesterday's baseball game was a lot of fun, as usual, though less packed and crazy than normal due to the huge rainstorm earlier that left most people probably thinking it was rained out. I have a new digital camera (hooray!!) so I got to take pictures.
Afterwards, we went to buy beer (technically illegal on Sundays, but there's one backroads store that sells it) and came back via the back roads to see the beautiful sunset over the fields. This area really is one of the most beautiful places I have been to, just made for riding around in a car down the deserted roads, no people, just fields, a few cows, catfish ponds reflecting the light. It is quite overwhelming to come back here after an absence and see it and smell the air, falling in love with the place all over again. It's so impossible to photograph well (at least with my meagre level of skill and equipment) but somehow you still feel compelled to try.
I was up early this morning to get my old landlord to let me into Beacon Street so I could find a couple of things I had left there. On the way I took this photo of one of my favorite ever views - sitting at the stop light just coming into the downtown in the early morning, seeing the buildings ahead over the crest of the little rise. And again, it looks so banal in a photo.
After I had got my things, his friend who had rode in with him, who was another preacher, decided to try to convert me. At 7am this was quite surreal. Although this area is so religious, and people have tried to get me to come to church a lot (including my born-again preacher landlord) no-one has ever, until today, tried to question me on my religious beliefs, let alone attempt to save my soul. The conversation went roughly thus:
'Hana, do you go to church anywhere'
'Um? Well no, actually I hold firm to my agnostic beliefs.' [I said agnostic rather than atheist hoping it might sound a little less bad.]
'And what might those be?'
'Well, I believe in right and wrong all right, and good and evil. I'm just not too heavy on the dogma side of things.'
'Do you know we have two choices in life?'
'And what might they be?'
'To live in Jesus or not to.'
'Well, really I don't think this is going to work on me.'
'Do you believe in Jesus, that he lived and died on the cross?'
'Oh yes, I believe he existed, I think he was a very wise man.'
'Do you now, well you know what Jesus said? In John 14:6 he said 'I am the Way, the Truth, the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
'Really, I'm sorry, this isn't going to work for me.'
'Well, God bless you anyway baby, he looks out for you and loves you anyway. Safe journey!'
'Well thank you, good-bye now!'
Afterwards, we went to buy beer (technically illegal on Sundays, but there's one backroads store that sells it) and came back via the back roads to see the beautiful sunset over the fields. This area really is one of the most beautiful places I have been to, just made for riding around in a car down the deserted roads, no people, just fields, a few cows, catfish ponds reflecting the light. It is quite overwhelming to come back here after an absence and see it and smell the air, falling in love with the place all over again. It's so impossible to photograph well (at least with my meagre level of skill and equipment) but somehow you still feel compelled to try.
I was up early this morning to get my old landlord to let me into Beacon Street so I could find a couple of things I had left there. On the way I took this photo of one of my favorite ever views - sitting at the stop light just coming into the downtown in the early morning, seeing the buildings ahead over the crest of the little rise. And again, it looks so banal in a photo.
After I had got my things, his friend who had rode in with him, who was another preacher, decided to try to convert me. At 7am this was quite surreal. Although this area is so religious, and people have tried to get me to come to church a lot (including my born-again preacher landlord) no-one has ever, until today, tried to question me on my religious beliefs, let alone attempt to save my soul. The conversation went roughly thus:
'Hana, do you go to church anywhere'
'Um? Well no, actually I hold firm to my agnostic beliefs.' [I said agnostic rather than atheist hoping it might sound a little less bad.]
'And what might those be?'
'Well, I believe in right and wrong all right, and good and evil. I'm just not too heavy on the dogma side of things.'
'Do you know we have two choices in life?'
'And what might they be?'
'To live in Jesus or not to.'
'Well, really I don't think this is going to work on me.'
'Do you believe in Jesus, that he lived and died on the cross?'
'Oh yes, I believe he existed, I think he was a very wise man.'
'Do you now, well you know what Jesus said? In John 14:6 he said 'I am the Way, the Truth, the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
'Really, I'm sorry, this isn't going to work for me.'
'Well, God bless you anyway baby, he looks out for you and loves you anyway. Safe journey!'
'Well thank you, good-bye now!'
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