There were many things that gave me hope and a renewed vitality over this past Summer, but I will share just a couple little outdoor adventures.

Our regular outdoor adventure club was expanded with several extra guests, as we took a weekend trip down the Deschutes River with some 24 persons. The weather was perfect. It was the hottest day of the year, with a soft breeze feeling like the draft when you open an oven. The ice-melt water of the river made a perfect balance, and we frequently jumped in to cool off.

A defining moment came when we did a little cliff?jumping into the river. I felt young again, and also foolhardy. Somehow I got it into my head that I was going to do a flying forward rotation with a half-twist from a height of nearly ten meters. Of course I had never done such a thing before, and had no idea what I was doing. For a while there it felt wonderful, flying through the air like a dream, but then a second later, the reality of the physical world struck me like a 2x4 across the chest. Of course I richly deserved it, but it would take me months to fully recover.

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When I am faced with a daring challenge in life, I tend to defy common wisdom, and leap head-first. What is my problem? Do I have a death wish? On the contrary, I tend to enjoy life a little too much. The next time that Dieter and I were sitting in church together, the pastor preached on ?If God asked you to jump off a cliff, would you do it?? (the pastor didn't know about our adventure the weekend before.) I was one of the few to raise my hand. Where will it take me next?

This Summer I was also blessed with an opportunity to visit Catalina Island again. I thoroughly enjoyed floating around with the fish, snorkeling off the beaches near Avalon. I was directed by special providence to the best camping spot on the island that night. I watched the sun set over the fog coming in, and then watched it rise after the fog had covered the island. I was above it all, with a bird's eye view of the entire natural preserve.

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