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| Overlooking Niagara Falls, near Hamburg, NY |
The past few weeks seemed to fly by quickly. I left Silver Lake and moved a short distance
to the Fairgrounds in Hamburg, New York, where I spent a week at the NOMADS
Annual Meeting. The meeting is more like
a big family reunion – good friends greeting each other, bantering in casual
conversation, laughing and hugging, exchanging the love of Christ. I am not one for crowds so I tend to either
avoid those types of events or go through a period of anxiety. This meeting was different from the two I had
attended before in North Carolina and Iowa.
This time I saw many friends I had made along my way with NOMADS. Many friendly faces approached me with smiles,
hands outreached, hugs or handshakes, all of which made me appreciate the work
of the Lord in my life. I had
friends. It was an amazing, enjoyable
week.
The week was not without its interesting moments. First off, the chair of the NOMADS Board of
Directors had invited me to arrive earlier than most other folks. Before my head got too big from thinking I
was special, arriving early was not such a glamorous event as I thought. The Chairman asked me to sit through the
meeting of the NOMADS Board of Directors, and as noted by the Chairman, I was
not a member of the Board – yet. He
would announce the results of the board member election conducted earlier.
Here is a little background information. Leading up to the Annual Meeting of the
Board, I was encouraged to run for a vacant At-Large position on the Board. Upon accessing the NOMADS website to cast my
own vote, I learned that I was the only candidate for the position. “OK, Lord,” I asked, “What’s going on
here?” Back when I considered submitting
my name for consideration, I prayed for the Lord’s guidance on the matter,
figuring He would somehow lead me into His plan one way or another. I never realized He would simply eliminate my
opposition! Well, that’s the Lord for
you, ever creative. Needless to say, I
was a shoe-in for the At-Large position.
The NOMADS members elected me to the Board of Directors so
the early arrival meant I had the privilege of attending meetings – for information
purposes only. I later learned that my
appointment did not take effect until the end of the Annual Meeting. Consequently, I was asked to, in my own
words, keep my mouth shut and listen.
Well, it was a learning experience, and the experience continues.
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| Hobnobbing with fellow NOMADS (rear in white shirt) [Yeah, some NOMADS have heritage!] |
As for the remainder of the week at the Annual Meeting, I
managed to attend the NOMADS annual auction and surprisingly not buying much of
anything. I donated a couple of wine
baskets decorated with bottles of wine, of course, and some other items that I
thought would be suitable for a relaxing evening. Though I am usually excited about auctions,
especially the NOMADS auction, this time I suffered from a bit of
disappointment. A seemingly
insignificant episode occurred during preparations for the auction that cast a
shadow over my mood. Just as I delivered
the baskets and walked back through the building, I heard a distinctive crash
of a dropped glass. Well, I thought,
someone was not being very careful with the merchandise. My disappointment deepened as I later
surveyed the tables of merchandise and saw the otherwise beautiful baskets now
in disarray, and one missing a wine glass.
Oh, well, it happens.
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| Me (center in hat and black vest) viewing auction merchandise |
A bright spot of the Annual Meeting occurred while I was near
Buffalo, NY. I got together with a
friend in the area and visited Niagara Falls.
I had the opportunity to see first-hand and up close the series of falls
known as Niagara Falls. I learned there
is no particular falls named Niagara Falls, and I am not sure why. The layout of Niagara Falls is fairly known
if you have visited the area. There are
two primary falls: American Falls and Horseshoe Falls. There are also a few smaller falls the names
of which escape me at the moment. The
area is on the border with Canada and folks can walk to the Canadian side for
another viewing perspective. I was just
as pleased to see what I could from the American side.
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| American Falls |
There seems to be some fascination with the falls and
romance, though I failed to find the fascination. I agree there is a lot of romance to be had,
but I believe I could describe some form of romance just about anywhere. Yes, the falls are a lot of water falling
over a cliff, fascinating for sure. On
the American Falls, you can see rocks piling up as the water cascades over them
– so much for a cliff, as it slowly erodes over the years. That is not the case with the Horseshoe
Falls. I understand that is where all
the daredevils go over in barrels and such because there is roughly 100 feet of
water at the bottom, not rocks as you find at the American Falls. It was a fascinating and beautiful sight,
nevertheless.
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| View of the river before the falls |
Another bright spot occurred while spending my free time
exploring. I found a long-sought solution
for hauling my motorcycle. I had a Yamaha
V-Star Classic 1100 stowed in West Virginia and wanted very much to bring it
with me on my NOMADS travels. Wherever I
happen to be, I long to explore the countryside by motorcycle. I could use my truck but I prefer a good
bike. So, long story short, I exchanged
my trailer for a different style – a toy-hauler.
As I left northern New York and the Hamburg Fairgrounds, I
looked forward to picking up my new fifth wheel ‘toy-hauler’ and making my way
south. I planned to stop in West
Virginia before traveling to my next project in Kentucky. I drove leisurely south, thoroughly enjoying
the drive through Pennsylvania. The mountains
were full of brilliant fall colors. I
tried to take the route less traveled and experience the numerous small towns
along the way. As I approached one
particular small town, I noticed some vague familiarity. I soon discovered that it was in this small
town that I purchased my first travel trailer.
A newly married couple who had roots in northern Pennsylvania had sold
the one-year-old trailer after discovering their teenage children cared little
for the close sleeping quarters. Oh,
well, I was glad to take it off their hands.
I stopped at a diner in the area to enjoy the ever-refreshing character
of small towns.
I made good time heading south, arriving later in the day,
and spent a few restful days at my cabin.
I love the seemingly remoteness of the cabin, snuggled in the woods with
other neighboring cabins, and occasionally sit at my small computer desk
looking out the back at ubiquitous squirrels, occasional deer, and less occasional
turkey. I look forward to visiting the
cabin and enjoying at least one meal shared with a couple who I consider very
good friends. In little time, though, I
was anxious to travel once again. I
readied the cabin for a long sleep and headed out.
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| My Niagara Falls adventure! |
