A Beautiful Place to be Working

Jon had some time to write last night, so he sent a beautiful description of the town where he currently is.

"I'll tell you a little more about my surroundings, etc. I've been getting up to run every morning, and generally hit the trail just before the sun comes up. This morning I crossed the bridge over a fairly wide placid river with a wide concrete promenade on one bank, lined the whole way with planters. The sunrise was spectacular, lighting the eastern sky with an incredible fiery glow. The river, placid at this point, acted as a reflecting pool, and the sunrise, the glowing sky, the river line, and buildings were all reflected in the river. At that moment , a large flock of birds took flight from the far river bank and wheeled through the sky--it was intensely beautiful, mysteriously peaceful, awe inspiring, and also somewhat personal (that God had prepared this moment for His pleasure and I got to sit in...). Well, I ran east following the river, and turned around to head back to the hotel. Facing west, the slightly past full moon was just off the horizon-line of the buildings in the town center. One church steeple in particular was almost silhouetted by the moon, and at the top of the steeple was an orthodox cross. Due to the back-lighting of the moon, I expected the cross to appear black; but the sun, just coming clear of the horizon behind me, lit the face of the cross with a mother-of-pearly luminescent glow. The effect was astonishing, and as I was still running along the bank of the river, it was all reflected... Truly a very visually stimulating morning, and all before the city was awake.

Of course, I should fill you in on the early morning hours prior to my run. The roosters started crowing at about 0330, not just one, but several. I don't know what happened to their body clocks, I'm sure their not suffering from jet lag like I am... Then the dogs started barking at about 0430. According to the 101 Dalmatians, the twilight bark takes place in the evening, but I can tell you that the dogs here conduct their gossip in the predawn. The city is littered with parks, the fall colors are coming in beautifully, and the smell of freshly fallen leaves (yesterday this was particularly pronounced, as it had rained during the night) permeates the air. The city is in a river valley, with gently rising ridges and peaceful valleys that seem to follow the course of the river (vice running at right angles to the river). The town is an incredible eclectic mix of buildings that were built hundreds of years ago and modern structures of steel and glass--and everything in between. The main element of sustainment here is coffee, served very strong, thick, and in small cups, generally less than 6 ounces--though there seems to be no limit to the number of cups one might drink... Being a life-time coffee lover, though having recently given it up, I just had to have a cup. It was truly good coffee, and I regret not being able to truly drown myself in it..." In case you are wondering, his blood pressure has been too high, so his doctor has told him to give up coffee. It has been about a month-long process so far, but his has noticed a drop in his blood pressure when he is not drinking lots of coffee every day. He has a portable blood pressure machine that he uses to keep track of his pressure each night.

All for now.

Sheryl