Yesterday was day 11, not day 10! It's so nice not to have to adhere to a timetable! Did a little online research last night, and found that there was a UU church about an hour west of Sulphur in Beamont, TX. Plugged it into my Street Atlas software, and departed Sulphur in time to arrive 15 minutes before their start time at 10:30. Here's a photo of their church:
I knew they were small because the UUA site said they had 17 members. They've lost a few, there were only 9 besides myself, but I appreciated the experience because it was closer to what I will experience in Belize if and when I try to start a fellowship there. The "service" was very loosely based on what appeared to be a small group ministry program called "Evensong". I say loosely, because after some opening words, a doxology, a responsive reading and joys and concerns (at which point a member said there usually weren't any!), it turned into more of a membership committee meeting about how to attract more members. I found this really interesting because they were dealing with the same issues we have at First Parish in Portland (http://www.firstparishportland.org/), and when the discussion centered on what had attracted the existing members, it was deja vu all over again! Social action, the physical property, etc. The worship leader mentioned that only two people showed up at the previous board meeting, which is probably why the service turned into a committee meeting that was leading up to local Earth Day events. A lesson I took from the experience was that my desire for a spiritual experience was unfulfilled on an emotional or intellectual level, and I find that experience central to my personal reason for being in church. Of course, that may not be why the Spindletop 9 go, but it may also be why they are only 9. I need to ponder how to start and nurture a fellowship that will in turn nurture my own spirituality, and attract and retain others who seek the same.
I mentioned at the start of this post that I had plugged their location into my software on my laptop. Here's a picture from the cab of my truck:
My lap top is beside me, and I have a device that plugs into one of the two cigarette lighters that supplies AC to the computer's wires that I normally plug into an electrical outlet. I expect they convert the power back to direct current, but whatever is going on, I can run all day. There is a little yellow GPS receiver on the dashboard that feeds location info to the laptop, which has the Delorme Street Atlas USA software on it, and on which I have plotted my trip. It shows the route, and my progress along it. For the first few days I kept hearing this voice that wasn't coming from the radio, and it turned out to be coming from the laptop telling me about turns, etc. It was very persistent trying to get me back on my planned route when I changed my departure route from Camden, AL, but after a while it figured oiut how I was going and reset the route itself.On the dashboard, sort of behind the steering wheel is another portable GPS that isn't getting much use now other than telling me my elevation of above sea level. The high point of the trip was about 2900 feet in the mountains of Virginia. When I hit Mexico, I'll plug that GPS into the laptop, and my Mexican roads software will take over. I don't know yet if I can preplan that route with the software. Another gadget you can't see is my Sirius satellite radio receiver, allowing me to listen to several different NPR feeds, although I am finding they repeat quite a bit. That's my black computer bag, sitting on top of one of the boxes. Everything is a bit untidy here, it generally is better at the start of a day.
Today was hard day of driving. The roads from Mobile through Houston have been primarily concrete, which means it has a rough surface causing the trailer to bounce, and therefore the truck bucks and bounces. It is especially true where there is construction, which magnifies the issue with restricted travel lanes. Today as I approached Beaumont I almost lost control when the trailer started bobbing uncontrollably until I braked hard. I was glad when I got on an asphalt surface on rts 59 and 77 south of Houston. Here are photos of the view backwards and forwards as I cross the plains:
One thing I have found interesting is the difference between the cows/beef animals in New England and here. In New England they seem much more sociable - when out in a field they seem to hang out together. Here they are all spread out over wide areas, rarely do you see two animals in proximity.
Tomorrow I arrive in Brownsville, and start dealing with the complications of getting into Mexico.
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