Life with The Swell Guy!

A Little Monday Music

 No back up band. No Auto-Tune for voice correction. Nothing fake. Just a guy playing and singing. Enjoy.

Back to Kenya....for a moment

 
On Friday night our friends, Kevin & Cindy, took us to a place called Alando in Bethlehem, PA. The small restaurant serves Kenyan food. Our waiter, Louis, was from Mombasa on the coast of Kenya and went to university in Nairobi. He was familiar with the Mathare slum where Baby Girl works and where Missions of Hope ministers. I ordered a beef dish that included kale and ugali (which is more or less like hardened grits). We had chapati with the meal which is like a tasty naan or flat bread. It was spot on and took me back to many of the meals we had in East Africa last fall. It was a great way to end our trip Up North. Good times thinking of our girls...

Get in the closet Baptist Boy.

So I am traveling this week and have a light computing set-up. It will not allow me to embed videos on the The Swell Guy Blog. Too bad. The trailer was just released for Blue Like Jazz - The Movie. It looks SWEET. The line above was from the trailer. Here is another... Some Guy: Is this gonna get weird? Donald Miller: Probably. Check the trailer at www.bluelikejazzthemovie.com Go ahead and watch it. NOW! You are welcome.

Summertime

 
In the early 1970s my grandfather, Albert Fickes, retired and drove everything he owned in a truck with attached fishing boat to New Port Richey, Florida. He fell in love one last time and married Alida. She was funny, quirky, and perfect for him.

For just a few short years until Grandpa Albert fell to cancer our summers meant a family car and camper trip south to Florida from Virginia. Better than South of the Border...better than a trip to Busch Gardens or Weeki Wachee...better than a day trip to the brand new place called Walt Disney World was time spent with Albert and Alida.

Albert completed the autumn of his life living a long summer. Everyday was an Aloha shirt and visor. I like remembering him in this photo with his bride and my mom.

I trust that we have a long, long summer that stretches deep into autumn.

I'd like to think I am a good bike handler, but I can't do this.