State Tournament in Bay Minette

We head to south Alabama for a weekend of baseball
in the midst of a record heat wave,
and meet a real survivor.

After being delayed two weeks because of Hurricane Dennis, the State 9-10 yr Little League Tournament finally got off the ground on Satuday, July 23rd. The Huntsville Nationals team traveled down together on the day before so they could get acclimated and get settled into the hotel,...which meant swimming in the pool of course!

The next day the boys practiced, rested, and then headed to Bay Minette for the opening ceremonies. Our first game was a thriller. The team from Phenix City came out of the gate with 3 runs in the first inning, but we rallied back and took the lead in the second. Each team scored runs in the subsequent innings, but somehow our boys held onto a one run lead heading into the fifth inning. And that's when the wheels fell off,...the PC boys had a breakout inning, scoring a total of twelve runs, and effectively putting the game out of reach. We lost 18-8.

The loss put us in the Loser's bracket, which actually worked in our favor, since we didn't have to play again until Monday evening. That left Sunday available for hitting the beach! On the way back from Gulf Shores we hit Lamberts resaurant, best known for the way the servers throw rolls to people. It was a great day of fun.

Monday night we faced Opp, the other team to lose the first night. Scouting reports gave us a good chance to win, but Opp pulled out to a quick 6-0 lead. A short rain delay gave our boys time to regroup, and they came out rallying to pull within one run in the 4th inning. Things started to unravel in the fifth inning though, and our boys gave up 8 straight runs. It ended at 14-5.

The loss was emotional, but by the time we got back to the hotel, the boys had forgotten all about it. They were much more interested in the pizza party at the hotel pool! Karen, Philip and I picked up the pizza on the way back from Bay Minette, and while we were at the Domino's we bumped into a guy named James who was going to start working there the next day. Turns out he was one of the guys on CBS's Survivor Palau!

He chatted with us for a bit and we got our picture with him. Turns out he was voted off the island ninth, and then spent three weeks in Austrailia while the remainder of the filming took place. Quite a coincidence running into him!

All-in-all, it was a great weekend of fun. And of course football is right around the corner!

Baseball All-Stars

Philip's All-Star Baseball Team
Wins 2005 District 8 Championship

The McGucken Park "National League" 9-10 year-olds
win the right to go to the State Tournament.

Though the regular season was once again somewhat disappointing, Philip's selection to the All Star team paved the way for another GREAT summer of baseball! Coming into the tournament as the underdogs to three other teams made up of mostly travel team players, the National League All Stars blasted their way through the competition in fine style. They had to play 6 games to make it happen, including an extra game when the Loser's bracket champs beat them, but they bounced back in a BIG way in the chamionship game!

Tournament Results:

* Game 1-National beats Lakewood 23-3
* Game 2-National beats Civic 6-5
* Game 3-National beats Patriot 10-7
* Game 4-National beats American 12-9
* Game 5-National loses to American 9-11
* Final - National beats American 25-7

The victory brought with it all sorts of benefits (like embroidered bat bags!), but it also threw our remaining summer plans into a tizzy. Philip and Adam's first "Hau56 Camp" was scheduled for the same week as the State Tournament. It was to be a biggy because it's the only year that Gerrit, as a rising Senior, would be a counselor at one of Philip's camps.

We started working out plans for dropping the boys off at camp on our way back from the tournament, but they'd have to lose in order to have any time at camp, and that didn't sound like a great solution. Ultimately it was Dennis that solved the problem for us,...Hurricane Dennis that is. When Dennis' landfall was predicted to coincide with opening ceremonies down near Mobile, the state tournament officials decided to postpone the tourney, leaving Philip and Adam free to go to camp after all!

Amazing how things work out.

Blountsville Civil War Reenactment

We take a trip to nearby Blountsville

to get a little glimpse of what life was like
during the "War of Northern Agression" :-)

One Sunday in April we decided to do church a little differently.

Down in Blountsville, Alabama, about 45 minutes south of Huntsville, there was a Civil War reenactment going on. The event was designed to recall the "Forrest-Streight Raid" which occured there in April of 1863.

As part of the weekend, they were holding a traditional outdoor church service, complete with "Sacred Harp" singing, and a good old-fashioned time of preaching. We decided that sounded pretty interesting, so we packed up and headed down.

The weather was gorgeous, the singing was awesome, and the whole set-up for the battle was most impressive. After the service, we were able to wander through the camping areas, and across the battlefield, talking to participants as we went.

Back to Venezuela

Our Family goes back to Miranda to work with

our partner church over Spring Break

Group shot at the new land during our going away service.
We held up a copy of the Huntsville Times in hopes
we can get published in their Travel section.

In contrast to last year's rush of excitement about international missions in our church, life seems to be intruding more and more in 2005. When it came time to make the arrangements for this year's Spring Break trip to Venezuela it turned out that only our family could get away during that week. So, off we went.

It was a very different trip in many ways. Without others along to introduce to the new culture, language and food, we pretty much arrived and got right to work. That also served to make it a more special trip, since it felt like we were back home, visitng our family and friends. For the first time we got to be a part of a baptismal service and share the Lord's Supper with the Miranda congregation. We also got to be there for the Easter Sunday services. The result was a great time of fellowship, worship, and service!

Tying up Loose Ends

2004 was certainly an eventful year for us,

and we managed to keep up the pace
right through to the end.

November Getaway to Seattle

After years of business trips to destinations all over Europe and the states, Dave finally had the opportunity to take Karen along on a conference trip to Seattle. We LOVED the city! While there we had a chance to watch the Seahawks win a nail-biter against the Miami Dolphins, we ate an evening meal in the Space Needle, watching the lights of the city as the restaurant turned, we went to church at Ken Hutcherson's Antioch Bible Church, and we took long walks along the waterfront. It was a memorable trip and a great chance to get away for a while.

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Thanksgiving in Kentucky

Thanksgiving was spent in Kentucky, in what has become a tradition at Aunt Kathy's house. The whole Burke side of the family showed up, including Dave's parents from Charleston, and sister Amy with her family from Atlanta. Grandma and Grandpa Burke were doing well, and Grandpa is gearing up to celebrate his 97th in January.

The food was awesome, the fellowship was great, and the football gave us opportunities to sneak naps.

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4th Annual "Guy Road Trip"

Our fourth annual "guy road trip" to a football game took us to Atlanta this year, to watch the Falcons play the Raiders. The seats were the best we've ever had (right on the 50-yard line) and the game was,...well it wasn't so good for the Raiders. But there's always next year! The Falcons won the game handily and, as a result, sealed first place in their division. We made another attempt to lure the cameramen our way by wearing our Santa hats and proudly waving Tuck's sign saluting "St.Vick" (a reference to Atlanta's quarterback, Michael Vick), but to no avail.

We traveled to Atlanta on the day prior to the game this year, so we could stay with Amy and attend their church's Christmas program. The pageant included a "living, singing Christmas Tree, and an adaptation of the Dickens "A Christmas Carol" written by Eric that was brilliant! Eric also played the part of a Roman Centurion. The whole thing was excellent, and got our Christmas season started off in fine form.

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Lots of Warmth But No Heat

Just days before Christmas, as Alabama temperatures uncharacteristically headed into the teens, our heat went out. Apparently our exhaust fan had been "laboring" for nearly a year, but it waited until December 18th to give up the ghost. We called a repair guy and he quickly identified the problem, so we thought everything was hunky dorey. Little did we know that getting the part would turn into a nearly two-week ordeal. Two days before Christmas it became clear that the part wasn't coming anytime soon. Christmas had brought the delivery system to a near halt and the holiday was upon us.

Once that sank in, we hung sheets in doorways and borrowed space heaters, and fired up the gas fire place to create pockets of warmth in an otherwise chilly house. The thermometer in the hallway read in the 40s for several days, and we started to get concerned for our water pipes during the overnight lows. But for all the adversity, we recognized early on that this was one of the most special Christmases we can remember. Something about those close quarters and facing adversity together brought a neat quality to the holiday this year.

The part finally came in on the 28th (Tucker's birthday), and now we just have to wonder what the utility bill is going to look like after running all those space heaters so long :-\

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Maiden Voyage

Just before Christmas, Dave got a message from Kristen Barnett saying that her brother, Lewis, was coming to visit with his daughter, Lizzie, after Christmas. Lewis was Dave's school-mate, college roomy, and best man, and since Kristen and her folks live near Atlanta, in Kennesaw, Georgia, a plot was hatched to make some real use of that new pilot's license.

For days prior to the flight Dave scrutinized weather patterns, planned the route, and flew it repeatedly using the MS Flight Simulator program. Driving would have taken around 3 hours each way, but flying would take just a little over one hour. As Dec 30th approached, the weather started to look dicey. The forecasts finally got so bad on the night before that Dave was resigned to having to drive. It was a long night, but as morning broke, the forecast changed and Tucker and Dave headed for the airfield with their fingers crossed. By all accounts, the weather on the far end was good, so they took off and started the trip, knowing they might have to turn around if things deteriorated.

The flight ended up being wonderfully uneventful, yet totally exhilarating. There wasn't a single hitch in the plan. Tuck proved to be an extremely capable navigator, and his eagle eyes routinely saw checkpoints long before Dave could see them. He even spotted the buildings in downtown Atlanta as we neared our destination. When we landed at the Cobb County/McCollum airport (NW of Atlanta) the folks there treated us royally, and Kristen and Lewis picked us up just a few minutes later.

We spend a delightful few hours eating lunch with the Barnetts, reminiscing about old times, and wondering at how the years had passed so quickly. Dr Barnett presented Dave with an autographed copy of his second book, Pebbles in the Water, complete with a thoughtful note commemorating Dave's maiden flight. It was a great visit!

At about 3:30pm, we headed back to the airport, ran through our checks, and took off for home. The weather had cleared even more by then, so it was a delightful flight home, giving a fine finish to a great day.

Hurricane Ivan

Hurricane Ivan comes to Town

And Leaves a Lasting Mark on our Yard

After barely getting out of Venezuela before Hurricane Ivan blocked all flights out this summer, we thought we had escaped. But Ivan apparently wasn't giving up so easily! Not long after we returned, Ivan made his way up through the Gulf of Mexico and barreled up into Alabama. The "Redneck Riviera" region of the Gulf coast was pretty much destroyed in places.

And, by the time the hurricane reached Huntsville, the winds were still pegging out at over 60 mph. We were amused when the entire state canceled classes for the day, particularly given Huntsville's penchant for going hysterical over the slightest chance of snow or tornado, but it turned out the weather guys actually got this one right. As the afternoon wore on, the winds picked up. The worst of it wasn't supposed to hit until around 10pm, but it moved in faster than expected and we ended up losing the tree in the front yard at about 3pm. Fortunately, the half that came down was the half facing the street, instead of the half hanging toward the house! Dave came home from work, and with the help of the boys and our neighbors across the street we got the worst of it cleared out of the road before the height of the storm.

The next day, the remaining half of the tree had to be dealt with, since it was hanging ominously toward the house and the trunk was obviously rotted to the point where it wasn't going to stand long.

There was only one thing to do,...Dave had to get a chain saw. Don't you just hate situations like that! :-)

With the decision (and the purchase) made, Dave and the boys set about figuring out how exactly to cut the thing down without damaging the house or themselves. As the neighbors wandered by they offered lots of advise, and some of it turned out to be quite fortunate, since our original idea would surely have proved more exciting than we intended. So, armed with power tools and good advice, we tackled the task and when all was said and done, we came away victorious! The city came by a few days later and hauled away the remains, and all that's left (for now) is the stump.

The Tree Masters

Private Pilot

Dave Gets His Pilot Certificate

Finally!

Dave returns from his checkride with his pilot certificate.

It was a long, sometimes frustrating journey getting there, but finally on Sept 23, Dave passed his checkride and is now a licensed Private Pilot! Achieving that goal means that Dave can now fly anywhere (except into clouds), day or night, and without ever having to get an instructor's permission! And more importantly, now he can take passengers!

With the boys champing at the bit, Dave plotted out a nice little one hour round trip over the city of Huntsville and down to Lake Guntersville. Tucker was the first to go up, and thoughtfully provided a cooler with "in-flight snacks". He also brought along the camera so we could record the event. The weather was perfect and the scenery spectacular. Tuck even had the chance to take the controls for a bit over the Lake.

Tuck snapped this picture just after takeoff. The Space & Rocket Center is right of center, and downtown Huntsville is in the upper left corner. (click for full-sized image)

Tucker at the controls

Gerrit was the next to go up (the next day), and he manned the video camera. We called home as we passed the house so that the rest family could come out to watch us fly over.

Circling Lake Guntserville, looking down at the Guntersville Municipal airport (8A1).

After all of that, Karen decided it as her turn. The weather wasn't great, with lots of haze and clouds beginning to move in, but we finally decided to go anyway. It was a slightly bumpier ride than the boys had, but still plenty clear enough to see the sights. It was another fun flight, in what is sure to be a long string of fun trips through the wild blue yonder!