Our journey across the country was an uneventful experience. Lisa and I traveled with two cars in tandem: Lisa and Zoë in one car, and our dog Harry and cat Ginger and me traveling in the second car. When the cat wasn’t slinking around the back of my car or settling down in my lap, there were plenty of opportunities for reflection along the way. The trip could even be called therapeutic… even for Lisa who had never driven more than three hundred miles in a day, but who averaged nearly six hundred miles a day during our four-day trek. Lisa even took a stab at conquering her fear of traveling across high bridges. You may want to ask her about how much she enjoyed crossing the bridge from Mississippi to Louisiana.

One of the challenges on our trip involved the discovery that many hotels no longer are pet friendly. I can remember a time when we had no problem finding a place that welcomed family pets but, sadly, those days appear to be gone. On the other hand, it’s wonderful to see how inviting and hospitable this community is when it comes to pets. We were pleased to see that Eldorado Park, across the street from our home, allows and even encourages people to walk their pets in the park. I look forward to taking walks with Harry when the temperature dips below 110 degrees.

Warmth, welcome, hospitality, and openness. These are all qualities that I have experienced since my arrival by the people of St. Stephen’s. These are the signs of a community of followers of the Way.

Beginning in September the Fry’s would like to begin showing our gratitude to you by opening up our home and table and extending hospitality to the people of St. Stephen’s church. Beginning Monday September 10, we will be going through the membership list at St. Stephen’s and inviting groups of 7-10 to join us on successive Monday’s for an informal dinner at our home. In the past we have provided the meat or entree and drinks, asking our guests to bring a side dish or dessert. We have found this is a wonderful way to get to know each of you, as well as giving you a chance to get to know us more informally. So look for your invitation in the mail and make plans to join us for dinner on a Monday evening sometime in the near future. Wish I could come up with a catchy name for this event. Thoughts, any of you creative types?

Greg+