We stopped for lunch after visiting the Swamp - Five Guys, Subway - the usual. Everyone gets $10 when we stop for lunch. Some find cheap eats and pocket the change for later snacks and souvenirs.
We had a couple hour ride to Venice and took time to check into our hotel before an evening concert at Village on the Isle Retirement Community. It was great to get off the bus and have some time to freshen up. One room of our folks had some early excitement when the toilet overflowed. There’s always one for the story books, but things usually go pretty smoothly when we travel and check in.
We were also greeted by Kelly Bratburd who joined the tour in Venice and by the Shiflett and Vlasic parents who came from Maryland to spend the weekend with us. They let us know that a Red Tide algae was settled on the coast right around Venice, killing fish and affecting air quality, so we decided to forgo our evening plans to watch the sunset on the beach.
Paul Lopez, our bus driver, heroically maneuvered the bus to our destination thought narrow streets, and we were greeted by the chaplain Don Hillerich. We ate a meal provided by Village on the Isle and then prepared for the concert. We broke the news to everyone about the Red Tide, and they took it well.
Village on the Isle is a retirement/continuing care facility operated by the Lutheran Church. Some of the audience members arrived a good 40 minutes early to get a seat, causing some of our folks to wonder if we had goofed on the concert start time. The place was packed, and we ran out of programs.
Our concert featured lots of anthems instead of our full concert format. The audience was most attentive, and several
could be seen mouthing along with familiar words and tapping toes and hands. A funny moment was when Deborah Bowe had to act as a music stand for Cole Taylor as he played his violin. The audience was most appreciative, and they gave us a standing ovation.
We greeted our audience members and visited for a while. Many residents told about their singing experiences from
high school, church or college and were excited to shake hands and talk with our group.
Majority of our group returned to the hotel, but a very small contingency went into downtown Venice for ice cream and a short walk. Lots of people chose to swim at the hotel. Several chaperones followed Red Tide reports to create contingency plans for our beach day - lots of excitement building about the beach!!
Sunday, June 24, 2018
Saturday, June 23, 2018
2018 Tour - Day 7 - Morning Report
We arrived back at Coral Ridge Presbyterian at 8 am and got ourselves loaded. We’re getting our departures and arrivals down to a science by this point in the tour.
We have only had a couple host night stays so far, and last night was one of them. We all enjoyed fellowship with the friendly folks at Coral Ridge.
There were 5 Fork Stories today, three of them dealing with wildlife - frog in car, cockroach in bed, bee sting on foot. Sasha won his second Fork award for his tale of finding a mostly naked man asleep on the bathroom floor in his host home. We gave him a Fork decorated with a fig leaf.
We drove along Alligator Alley (I-75) to cross the state from east to west. Near Naples, we visited the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, am ancient cypress forest under the care of the Audubon Society. It was Friday Funday, so all those 18 and under got in free! There was a discovery room with some animals to visit, and several people met Candy Corn the snake. Many traversed the 2 mile boardwalk that wound its way through the swamp, searching for alligators, birds, and other wildlife.
Highlights from a couple people included:
David Hembrough/Noah Lenker: we spotted a good old baby snake 🐍 and it was his feasting time. We also saw a couple raccoons.
Taylor Cappeluti: the alligator was hiding in a mess of plants, it made a big splash and then swam a few feet and disappeared; It was really long (approximately 9 feet) and it didn’t look amused.
Many commented that some time in the natural world provided a rest for the soul and awakening of the senses.
Click here for photos of Day 7
Click here for photos of Day 6
We have only had a couple host night stays so far, and last night was one of them. We all enjoyed fellowship with the friendly folks at Coral Ridge.
There were 5 Fork Stories today, three of them dealing with wildlife - frog in car, cockroach in bed, bee sting on foot. Sasha won his second Fork award for his tale of finding a mostly naked man asleep on the bathroom floor in his host home. We gave him a Fork decorated with a fig leaf.
We drove along Alligator Alley (I-75) to cross the state from east to west. Near Naples, we visited the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, am ancient cypress forest under the care of the Audubon Society. It was Friday Funday, so all those 18 and under got in free! There was a discovery room with some animals to visit, and several people met Candy Corn the snake. Many traversed the 2 mile boardwalk that wound its way through the swamp, searching for alligators, birds, and other wildlife.
Highlights from a couple people included:
David Hembrough/Noah Lenker: we spotted a good old baby snake 🐍 and it was his feasting time. We also saw a couple raccoons.
Taylor Cappeluti: the alligator was hiding in a mess of plants, it made a big splash and then swam a few feet and disappeared; It was really long (approximately 9 feet) and it didn’t look amused.
Many commented that some time in the natural world provided a rest for the soul and awakening of the senses.
Click here for photos of Day 7
Click here for photos of Day 6
Thursday, June 21, 2018
2018 Tour - Day 6
From Calista Kibak...
We traveled to Bethesda by the Sea Episcopal Church, slowing down to see the oceanfront littered with yachts. There were countless palm trees, some that were supported by wooden planks. We were informed that Trump and Melania were married in this church, at which everyone was visibly less excited. The church itself was beautiful, and had a delicate layout complete with a courtyard, koi pond, a separate outside area, and a ceremonial area. The stained glass in the sanctuary was mostly blue, but included every color imaginable. We sang a few songs in the sanctuary before Nick gave a short sermon about unity, the tour theme, relating the culture uniting marines to the culture that connects all Christians. After that, we walked around to appreciate the beauty and many of us saw tiny lizards (which I personally thought was the most exciting part).
From Polly
After visiting Bethesda by the Sea, we drove a short distance to City Place - an outdoor mall area where youth flocked to H&M and we all had good choices for buying lunch.
We drove south to Fort Lauderdale and arrived about an hour later at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. The building is very striking inside and out. Our host John Wilson met us and shared how he knew Polly’s parents early in his career and remembered her as a little girl. It is this connection that brought us to Coral Ridge, but many others had childhood memories of watching telecasts from Coral Ridge with pastor/evangelist D James Kennedy. Steve Kalnoske had playing the organ at Coral Ridge on his lifetime bucket list, so it was a special visit all the way around.
During our dress rehearsal time, we passed out folders and then decided to sing our first song in the narthex of the sanctuary at the recommendation of their music staff. We were all a little tired from the bus ride, but the effect of singing in this beautiful resonance chamber was instant energy and even electricity for the group. Faces lit up with joy.
For dinner we had Chick-fil-A sandwiches, and the stack of containers with pickles for the sandwiches was huge. After dinner we took turns changing (girls then guys) in the fellowship hall and then gathered for a small chat about knowing and claiming that we are children of God and living into that knowledge by acknowledging that others are God’s children and must be treated as such. We each were asked to think about someone who gives us the most frustration and remember that person is God’s child, too. The song Child of God has gotten to be a favorite since Carol Worrell introduced us to it about 10 days before we left for tour. It gets stronger every night, and the audience sings with us, so it’s especially moving!
Our concert was in a large space with a smaller audience, but they were most receptive and encouraging. We had a wonderful AV person named Kevin who was so helpful to us and later said how much he enjoyed the concert. We sang Come, Unity from the narthex and then at offering the small men’s group sang How Great Thou Art there also. Each place we sing in is so different, but it is a joy to see and hear everyone adapt to the space. Charlie Bratburd played percussion for God Has Chosen Me, and it was especially effective in that space. The solo ensemble in the Chichester Psalms is sounding really good. People commented about the great variety of music we shared.
Mary Nieter from Damascus UMC traveled to see us and brought a good friend with her. A few folks from a Baptist conference being held nearby came also. We enjoyed an overnight in host homes greatly. The gardens, landscaping, and vegetation are so different from Maryland, and it was neat to see people’s homes, which have no basements. The people were very hospitable and friendly and made us feel most welcome in their homes. Our group often gets better sleep in host homes, so that was a good thing at this point in the tour.
Click Here for a video clip from Sea Episcopal
We traveled to Bethesda by the Sea Episcopal Church, slowing down to see the oceanfront littered with yachts. There were countless palm trees, some that were supported by wooden planks. We were informed that Trump and Melania were married in this church, at which everyone was visibly less excited. The church itself was beautiful, and had a delicate layout complete with a courtyard, koi pond, a separate outside area, and a ceremonial area. The stained glass in the sanctuary was mostly blue, but included every color imaginable. We sang a few songs in the sanctuary before Nick gave a short sermon about unity, the tour theme, relating the culture uniting marines to the culture that connects all Christians. After that, we walked around to appreciate the beauty and many of us saw tiny lizards (which I personally thought was the most exciting part).
From Polly
After visiting Bethesda by the Sea, we drove a short distance to City Place - an outdoor mall area where youth flocked to H&M and we all had good choices for buying lunch.
We drove south to Fort Lauderdale and arrived about an hour later at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. The building is very striking inside and out. Our host John Wilson met us and shared how he knew Polly’s parents early in his career and remembered her as a little girl. It is this connection that brought us to Coral Ridge, but many others had childhood memories of watching telecasts from Coral Ridge with pastor/evangelist D James Kennedy. Steve Kalnoske had playing the organ at Coral Ridge on his lifetime bucket list, so it was a special visit all the way around.
During our dress rehearsal time, we passed out folders and then decided to sing our first song in the narthex of the sanctuary at the recommendation of their music staff. We were all a little tired from the bus ride, but the effect of singing in this beautiful resonance chamber was instant energy and even electricity for the group. Faces lit up with joy.
For dinner we had Chick-fil-A sandwiches, and the stack of containers with pickles for the sandwiches was huge. After dinner we took turns changing (girls then guys) in the fellowship hall and then gathered for a small chat about knowing and claiming that we are children of God and living into that knowledge by acknowledging that others are God’s children and must be treated as such. We each were asked to think about someone who gives us the most frustration and remember that person is God’s child, too. The song Child of God has gotten to be a favorite since Carol Worrell introduced us to it about 10 days before we left for tour. It gets stronger every night, and the audience sings with us, so it’s especially moving!
Our concert was in a large space with a smaller audience, but they were most receptive and encouraging. We had a wonderful AV person named Kevin who was so helpful to us and later said how much he enjoyed the concert. We sang Come, Unity from the narthex and then at offering the small men’s group sang How Great Thou Art there also. Each place we sing in is so different, but it is a joy to see and hear everyone adapt to the space. Charlie Bratburd played percussion for God Has Chosen Me, and it was especially effective in that space. The solo ensemble in the Chichester Psalms is sounding really good. People commented about the great variety of music we shared.
Mary Nieter from Damascus UMC traveled to see us and brought a good friend with her. A few folks from a Baptist conference being held nearby came also. We enjoyed an overnight in host homes greatly. The gardens, landscaping, and vegetation are so different from Maryland, and it was neat to see people’s homes, which have no basements. The people were very hospitable and friendly and made us feel most welcome in their homes. Our group often gets better sleep in host homes, so that was a good thing at this point in the tour.
Click Here for a video clip from Sea Episcopal
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