Today is the birthday of the Church! Happy Feast of Pentecost! May the Holy Spirit of God reign over us and rain down upon us now and always. Pentecost always reminds me of the day in the Cathedral Church in Cologne when they sent young people up into the rafters to drop burning wicks from aloft. The hope was to imitate the "tongues, as of fire, which descended upon the Apostles" fifty days after the Resurrection of the Lord. You don't have to be a Risk Manager to see the potential hazards of dropping fire on people in church. Hopefully, your celebration of the Lord's Day was safer than that, but just as filled with God's great love as was the first Pentecost.
Last night, our first night at Tillicum State Park, offered a few visual hints about the Feast that was about to break upon us. Here are two samples:
The Vigil of the Feast of Pentecost
God is Good. All the Time.
Out of necessity, much of the first third of the Pilgrimage has been spent pretty close to Highway 101. Today was the first extended venture along the beach and it was a welcome change. The roar of the ocean is more constant than the roar of traffic, but it was a good and holy sort of roar. So far, 11 miles have been walked and we still have a few more to do. This is a blogging first: it is being written mid-journey. It just happened that an internet connection was available at the Baymart store near Bayshore (north of Waldport) . . . so we took advantage of it. The total distance today will be 13 miles, but we're presently waiting for a very heavy rain to stop. Wouldn't you know it, my sister Paula said on Saturday, "You mean it hasn't rained for the first 11 days of your walk?!" We both reached for wood to knock on, but the deed was done.
In order that we might finish walking today, return to Tillicum Park, and celebrate Mass, here is a photo collection from Sunday, Day 12:
Wild Irises
The Beginning of the Beach
at Lost Creek
Fishermen Near Seal Rock
(Fishing for Perch)
Seal Rock(s)
Buttercups at Driftwood Beach
Driftwood Beach State Park
Seals at Alsea Bay
We spent many days exploring the underbrush at Tillicum as kids, then venturing up Lost creek (by the Kerns' unique white cabin with the lighthouse bunk room on top) to find, among other things an old logging pond filled with water-logged logs. Peter Kerns and I had fun stepping across the logs from one side of the pond to the other. I guess we were both risk takers..... Safe travels!!!!
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