90 Miles Cuban Cafe

Posted on August 1, 2012 by Roger

Lunch in Chicago with six friends from work. Our original destination was Kuma’s Corner, but it was in the middle of a construction zone and had a sign on the door that read “We hope to reopen around five pending the city of Chicago is finished doing their waterly bidding.” (Don’t feel badly. I don’t know what it means either, except that the restaurant was closed.)

We did a bit of searching and found another place nearby — 90 Miles Cuban Cafe.

There wasn’t much to it — about 15 stools lining the newspaper-covered walls and an outside eating area.

Just our group pretty much filled the place. So we ate outside.

I had the Media Noche — ham, roast pork, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard on sweet bread with plantain chips.

It wasn’t bad, a little bland perhaps, but it was still a fun place to eat (and discuss some very important business matters).

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P: Program AE

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Roger

I did some more experimenting with my new camera, this time with the “Mode Dial on P” with the AF point in the center. I think I even know what most of that means. Anyway, out of 60 shots, these are the best.

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Green Heron

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Roger

I took a stroll downtown the other night and walked though the small park along Route 14. On a cement wall maybe 20 yards from busy rush-hour traffic a Green Heron was doing what Green Herons do — standing quietly waiting for something tasty and oblivious to wander close enough to grab.

In my experience, Green Herons are pretty skittish and usually take off before I get close enough for a photo. This one seemed content to pose, so I started taking shots.

As I always do when stalking a bird, I took a few photos, took a few steps, took a few photos …

It definitely knew I was there.

 But it really didn’t seem to mind.

Even when I got within 10 feet, it didn’t fly off but instead turned and walked slowly away from me along the wall. I followed.

I leaned against the wooden fence that bordered the wall and kept snapping pictures. After about five minutes it decided it had had enough of that and began walking back toward me.

It came within four feet and looked like it had every intention of coming further. I was thinking of how I could get a shot of it next to my shoe when four kids wandered by about 15 feet behind me and flushed it to the other side of the pond.

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Baby Steps

Posted on July 14, 2012 by Roger

I finally bought a decent camera, and tonight I took it for a walk. I only used the full-auto mode, just to get a feel for what it could do — and because I don’t know how to do anything else yet. Here’s what I learned:

  1. This thing’s a whole lot heavier than my point-and-shoot.
  2. I have a great deal yet to learn.
  3. I still have to work for my photos. A good camera, by itself, cannot compensate for my inadequacies as a photographer.
  4. It works better when it’s turned on.

Of the 108 photos I took, these, for what they’re worth, are the best.

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A Thought on Scriptural Truth

Posted on July 4, 2012 by Roger

If 15 Christians hold 15 differing views on doctrine, there are only two possibilities:

  1. One of them is right and the other 14 are wrong.
  2. All of them are wrong.

Christian unity isn’t agreeing to disagree, nor is it agreeing to only discuss those few issues on which we don’t disagree. Christian unity (doctrinally speaking) happens when Christians come together with open minds and open Bibles and study together until, with the help of the Holy Spirit, they find the truth.

God’s truth is absolute. There is much in the Bible that I don’t understand, but I refuse to believe that I cannot understand the vast majority of it. I believe that I simply haven’t studied enough.

It’s a very short journey from “we can’t understand Scripture” to “there’s no point in studying Scripture,” and that is right next door to “we find our truth outside of Scripture.” And that’s exactly what the world does.

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