Quote of the Day - C.S. Lewis

Tonight at my church "home group" (a bible study DELUXE) which has become my spiritual family, we continued reading C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity. In particular, I read and we analyzed with my facilitation Book 2, Chapter 8 entitled "The Greatest Sin". It was the best chapter yet in the book and filled with highly repeatable quotes. Tonight I share with you this rather profound one:

"How is it that people who are quite obviously eaten up with Pride can say they believe in God and appear to themselves very religious? I am afraid it means they are worshiping an imaginary God. They theoretically admit themselves to be nothing in the presence of this phantom God, but are really all the time imagining how He approves of them and thinks them far better than ordinary people: that is, they pay a penny's worth of imaginary humility to Him and get out of it a pound's worth of Pride towards their fellow-men." ~ C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity

Special 17th Street Gang Family Feast

This evening my church family got together for a special meal out at the home of my church home group's leader couple (Ted & Janet) up Hog Canyon Road in the Estrella area northeast of Paso Robles, CA. I have affectionately christened my adoptive family the "17th Street Gang" since the regular host couple (Kevin & Heather) live on that street here in Paso Robles. Below are several images I captured before dark.

Note: I wish to convey my deepest thanks to Ted & Janet for most graciously hosting us and to everybody there for their contribution to our collaborative feast, but especially those who brought main course type things or made something themselves. Special props go to Janet's most amazing lemonade which had it been alcoholic I would now be in a blackout. I also thank Marty & Karen for allowing me to join their carpool. Also, thanks for all the food all of you sent home with me. I'm set for days now!

This is the view south and down-canyon from the hillock upon which we spent the evening.

This was the greater part of the 17th Street Gang in attendance this evening (+ 2 guests) although we were missing several pieces.

This was the start of a splendid sunset sequence this evening.

The clouds this evening had a subtly autumn appearance which combined with my noticing the change in the angle and intensity of the Sun in recent days in the context of my mild S.A.D. sobered me just a tad.

I used to photograph more sunsets in my "lost years" when I was oft driving home at dusk from an adventure whereas nowadays I'm usually not in position to capture a sunset from an unobstructed viewpoint given I live downtown Paso Robles.

Gary & Terry (of Gary's Original Sandwich fame in Atascadero in the 1990's) joined us tonight although they are not regulars but after tonight's vittles that might change I hope. Ted is working his grill magic.

The crescent moon combined with the clouds and setting sun made for an exquisite sunset.
All photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

Picture of the Day - My 2nd Winemakers' Cookoff

Tonight I attended the 2014 Paso Robles Rotary Club's 16th Annual Winemakers' Cookoff due to the generosity and love of my dear friends and adopted family Karen & Marty Self. I went with my sister in Christ and wingman, Christina Castle, all of whom are my 17th Street Gang family. I had a ball as did Christina Castle for whom it was her first year while it was my second consecutive year again due to the generosity of the Self's. The above image was the best I could muster given my rather buzzed state of lucidity by the end.I could have chosen an earlier image but the after-dark images capture the spirit of the event much more effectively.
Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

Picture of the Day - Hung Jory

This past morning my friend Jory from my 17th Street Gang bible study helped me cut down this long, sinewy digger pine (a.k.a. "grey pine") which was dangling ominously over a driveway in South Atascadero. I had requested prayers for work-site safety from said bible study last night as I had not heretofore felled this large a tree on my own. Jory used to do this for a living and being the no-nonsense retired U.S. Marine he is he insisted on helping me out. As it turned out it was more like I helped him cut it down as he did the cutting and I did the spotting and hauling. Above is him tied to the top of the tree before he started working his way back down cutting as he descended after removing branches on his ascent. Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

17th Street Gang Get-Together

My church home is North County Christian Fellowship in Paso Robles, CA, and my home group (bible study) home is the 17th Street Gang hosted by Kevin and Heather, founders of the Paso Bread Oven. Although we have a West Side sensibility, we being all things to all people, will on occasion imbibe East Side wines <insert grin>. Indeed, we even partake in East Side home brews courtesy of our fearless leader Ted "The Architect" Weber. Fermentations aside, we are about infinitely more than that: we are a group of Believers who love God and by extension love and support each other and seek spiritual reality through sound doctrine and faithful application thereof. We are not a cliquish set who only minister to ourselves and thus other Believers are welcome.

Kevin and Heather recently completed their patio project which turned out beautifully.

The centerpiece of this social space is the Pizza-Oven-That-Kevin-Built. (Pardon the "uncenterednes"s of this image.)

As this evening progressed a second round of coal creation was required. (Pardon the "unlevelness" of this image.)

Home group (bible study) co-host and 17th Street Gang fournier Kevin. (Pardon the focus issues in this image and others here - my little non-professional camera can only do so much.)

Home group leader Ted at left with NCCF assistant pastor Gary "The Original Sandwich" Del Giorgio at right.

The pizza mosh pit cutting board.

The gang hanging out during pizza mopping up operations. By this point I was full as a tick I could only watch helplessly as others indulged in a final pizza run of the evening.

All photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

Picture of the Day - My Home Group

My "homies" at my "home" home group at my "home" church which is North County Christian Fellowship in Paso Robles, CA. Listed in order from left to right are Ted Weber (leader), Heather Mikelonis (hostess), Andy Huyck (group chiropractor), and Kevin Mikelonis (host) (pronounced MIKE-lonis, thank you!).  Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).