Looking to July ...

Today is the first day of July. I am looking forward to the next 25 days at home before hitting the road on a three-week road trip to the East Coast of the U.S.

       It already feels like the "Dog Days of Summer" here in Colorado, with temperatures above 90 degrees (25c) every day this week. 4th of July weekend begins today and America takes a vacation for the next few days.
       I have a full month of a variety of things I enjoy and look forward to:
* First two weekends of July: Umpiring Colorado State Championship Baseball;
* July 16-17 and 23-24: Preaching on Shalom at Lookout Mountain Church here in Denver;
* Planning for the Fall - travel as well as new ministry opportunities with The Isaac-Ishmael Initiative;
* Mid-July: Umpiring two regional and national baseball tournaments here - the American Amateur Baseball Championships and the USSSA Global World Series (it's not REALLY global or world, they just think big!)
* July 26: My friend Jim and I hit the road for points east - Cape Girardeau, Missouri and then onto upstate New York and the Adirondacks;
* July 29-31: Retreat at Raquette Lake, NY for the board of directors of the Alumni Association of my college, Cortland State.
And then it will be August, with the first 2 weeks of the month on the East Coast visiting colleges with Steven and attending my nephew's wedding.