I was born and raised in Michigan, left as a young adult, and recently returned as an older adult. While I am relieved to be back again, to walk and live among all that is nature once more, I am dismayed at the fall of the culture here. Or, in more Christian terms, the fall of Michigan man into baseness, selfishness, and corruption. When I was young, Michigan was considered “progressive,” and it relished its own high-mindedness. Not that this progressive attitude was necessarily one with Christianity, but it was something; it was better than shrugging ones shoulders and letting greed and selfishness simply take over.
Thanks again to all of you who liked my first cross-country road trip posts! This one has taken me tooo long to get out because–and if you read my blog you won’t be surprised–Fallout 4 came out and I’ve been pretty absorbed in it. In any case, for those who didn’t see my first cross-country trip post, here’s the series intro:
Hello from A MUCH BETTER PLACE than where I, and my family, had lived! I wrote earlier about our experience in trying to buy a home from thousands of miles away, but now we’ve arrived (in Michigan from Southern California, if you must know)! I’m not here today to discuss our property or the process in obtaining it, but to relay some photos and comments about our trip as well as a bit about the area we now live in. This is the first post in a series, and I promise, I’ll try not to be long-winded. I simply hope you enjoy the photos and any funny or interesting things that I can share.
Hello gamers! So have you taken some time out from playing Fallout 4, which just came out today, or are you visiting here because you’re curious about it? Well, my family looked very much forward to playing it, and now it’s here! We ordered a Fallout 4 bundle from Gamestop because we knew we could use a new XBOX and controller, and Gamestop’s bundle came with an exclusive Fallout faceplate. (We made an unboxing video of it, posted at our Youtube channel, Lingering Trees.)
A modded view of Richfield City Cemetery, Utah, October 2015 (c) Vicki Priest
First, a big Thank You to those bloggers who liked my first cross-country road trip post! Second, for those who don’t know, I’ll repeat the series intro here:
Hello from A MUCH BETTER PLACE than where I, and my family, had lived! I wrote earlier about our experience in trying to buy a home from thousands of miles away, but now we’ve arrived (in Michigan from Southern California, if you must know)! I’m not here today to discuss our property or the process in obtaining it, but to relay some photos and comments about our trip as well as a bit about the area we now live in. This is the first post in a series, and I promise, I’ll try not to be long-winded. I simply hope you enjoy the photos and any funny or interesting things that I can share.
Road trip photo, Utah, from a freeway turn-out. Oct 2015. Taken with a phone camera and slightly edited.
Hello from A MUCH BETTER PLACE than where I, and my family, had lived! I wrote earlier about our experience in trying to buy a home from thousands of miles away, but now we’ve arrived (in Michigan from Southern California, if you must know)! I’m not here today to discuss our property or the process in obtaining it, but to relay some photos and comments about our trip as well as a bit about the area we now live in. This is the first post in a series, and I promise, I’ll try not to be long-winded. I simply hope you enjoy the photos and any funny or interesting things that I can share.
Hello Everyone. I have been quite absent from my blog of late. Well, not absent, since I’ve moderated comments and made comments, but I’ve been too entwined with our cross-country move preparations to write anything.
Some people may have the good fortune to be energetic toward organization (have OCD), or the income to hire maids and other help, or live in a house with room to move, store, and . . . be organized. But us, no. We live in a small apartment (although I used to live in a bigger house). I would like to sincerely and vehemently correct anyone who says that living in an apartment can be better than living in a house (a house that you own). Some reasons as to why we have known for some time, but other reasons we have just learned because of the major move we’re making. Let me list them, but first let me say that I hope this helps some people out there. Even at my age, some costly things regarding living in an apartment have taken me by surprise. I wish I had known about them earlier, before we rented this particular apartment.
I knew I missed something in the new The Descent DLC playthrough I did for Lingering Trees, but, being busy doing other things, I waited a bit to go back and try and figure it out. OK, so I did figure it out, and I found about the best part of the DLC. The Nug King with his nug minions.
The King is accessed from an area that looks inaccessible on the fourth map (Forgotten Caverns) down in the deep. But first, to get to that area on map 4, you have to walk to it from map 5 (Bastion of the Pure). Travel to the farthest area on the left side . . . it looks like an undiscovered area, but it’s jut that it goes back “upstairs.”
Bastion of the Pure map. Travel to the west to go back up to the Forgotten Caves map.
Once you’re back on map 4 (Forgotten Caverns), go left and then south toward the big chasm. When you reach the chasm, look to your left, and along the wall there’s a rock that has some writing on it. It says something like, “only those who believe can cross.” I can’t read it now because the dialogue ceases to exist after you find your way across. Anyway, from that rock, just start crossing into the chasm on faith, and . . . a green bridge forms in front of you.
Forgotten Caverns map. Travel west, and then south, to the chasm that’s for believer’s only.
I won’t say more, but let you enjoy the Nug King for yourself if you haven’t yet. But, for anyone interested, I have an episode about it up at YouTube.
Let the light of late afternoon
shine through chinks in the barn, moving
up the bales as the sun moves down.
Let the cricket take up chafing
as a woman takes up her needles
and her yarn. Let evening come.
Let dew collect on the hoe abandoned
in long grass. Let the stars appear
and the moon disclose her silver horn.
Let the fox go back to its sand den.
Let the wind die down. Let the shed
go black inside. Let evening come.
To the bottle in the ditch, to the scoop
in the oats, to air in the lung
let evening come.
Let it come as it will, and don’t
be afraid. God does not leave us
comfortless, so let evening come.
In The Best American Poetry 1991. Mark Strand, editor; David Lehman, series editor (Collier Books 1991, p 119). From Kenyon’s 1990 book of the same title (Graywolf Press 1990).
English: Michal lets David escape from the window. A painting by Gustave Doré, 1865. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I’m not a feminist, but it doesn’t take a feminist to see the mysogeny in some Judeo-Christian circles when King David is so glorified while persons like Michal, David’s first wife, are vilified. If Michal can be so maligned, then any woman can. David treated Michal (and his other wives) like his property in more ways than one, and many “believing” men still see David’s actions in a righteous light.
King David, Israel’s most revered king [1], who was chosen by God for that role and for his part in God’s redeeming plan, was a poet and a bit of a prophet, but he did things that God did not approve of and which are utterly un-Christlike/un-Christianlike [2] (read about Judah and others that God used and you’ll see that He didn’t forcefully make them “saints”). As always, we should recognize and praise the good, but we need to also recognize the bad and not repeat it. We are also called to recognize and help the oppressed.
Background
What got “me going” on this subject at this time was a biography of David. In the introduction the author claimed that the only thing David did wrong was have Uriah the Hittite murdered because he wanted the man’s wife (Bathsheba). Though the author didn’t provide the reference for his claim, it comes from 1 Kings 15:5: For David had done what was right in the eyes of the Lord and had not failed to keep any of the Lord’s commands all the days of his life—except in the case of Uriah the Hittite. Since there are other things written in the Old Testament that David did that displeased God, this statement can be taken as a generalized commendation, just as other kings received generalized condemnations; and “in the case of Uriah the Hittite” David committed many deep sins, not just one. (Note, however, that this particular verse seems to have been added to scripture later since it is not in the oldest versions of the Greek Old Testament).
A view in the Deep Roads of The Descent DLC, Dragon Age Inquisition.
I purchased and have played the new Dragon Age: Inquisition DLC, The Descent, as soon as I could since we wanted to put it up at my husband’s and son’s YouTube Channel. I’ll do a formal review of it sometime soon, but for now, suffice it to say that this new add-on seems VERY short for the $14.99 price tag.
I was fairly dumbfounded when, at the new “expeditions” table, opening areas for 8 power points only opened bridges to small loot areas. The new dwarven dungeon is neat, but not as spectacular as anything in Skyrim. In fact, the blue-light speckled ceiling in one area looked like a copy of Skyrim’s Blackreach and other falmer dungeons). I’m not quite done yet, so I’ll see if I’m correct in assuming The Descent is very short. So far, however, the only reason why it has as many episodes in our playlist as it has is because of my mistakes!
In any case, I try and do a thumbnail for each episode and therefore have lots of screen shots. Here are some views from The Descent, and images that reflect Dragon Age: Inquisition, and all it’s add-ons, generally. They of course represent spoilers. (Feel free to use any you like, but only if you are willing to link them to this page.) Click on the images to see the full-size views (much better!).
Update (September 9, 2015): The last DLC for DA Inquisition, Trespasser, came out yesterday, but I did not purchase it. Since The Descent would take an experienced Dragon Age player only about 5 hours to go through–which is ridiculous for the $15 price tag–I decided against spending our limited funds on another Bioware DLC. Gamers need to stop supporting gaming companies that abuse their player base like this. The much much longer-playing (and interesting) Jaws of Hakkon was sort-of worth the $15; The Descent should’ve been $5. I’m serious. It is a short, straight forward run to simply get some new gear. I think the Destiny guy who angered so many simply voiced what all the game developers know: gamers simply “throw money at the screen.”
Darkspawn in the Deep Roads; The Descent, Dragon Age Inquisition DLC
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Another type of Darkspawn or related demon. The Descent, Dragon Age.
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Female Dwarf statue – right? The Descent, Dragon Age
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Dragon Age humor, “barreled treasure” in The Descent
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Check out those demons! Fighting Darkspawn in The Descent, Dragon Age Inquisition
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Looks like hell. “Reclaiming the Thaig” in Dragon Age, The Descent.
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Battling an Emissary Alpha in The Descent, Dragon Age Inquisition.
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Valta at the Ancient Lift, The Descent, Dragon Age Inquisition.
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Renn at the Ancient Lift, The Descent, Dragon Age Inquisition.
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In the Forgotten Caverns, The Descent, Dragon Age Inquisition. It’s pretty dark, and are those blue glowing eyes?
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Crazy guardian dwarf with lyrium gun, The Descent, Dragon Age Inquisition. You can only see these in a VERY DARK video (this image was filtered).
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Bridge exploding. An expedition will replace it.
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Lyrium veins in The Descent.
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The Barrier, rigged, The Descent.
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Exploding lyrium, The Descent, Dragon Age.
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Mysterious Bed, The Descent, Dragon Age.
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Battling an Emissary that was behind a Gate of Segrummar.
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Wellspring view, The Descent, Dragon Age.
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The Lyrium heart in Wellspring.
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The heart transforms into The Guardian, but the Titan itself seems to not wish the team harm (or any more harm).
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Nug King, The Descent, Dragon Age. Love the crown!
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Battle in The Descent, Dragon Age Inquisition. I don’t know what that purple attack is!
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Using the Veil against a Demon (or Darkspawn), The Descent, Dragon Age Inquisition.
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Sometimes battle is like a dance. Dragon Age Inquisition, bow abilities; The Descent.
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View from Heidrun’s Monument, showing ancient Dwarven homes.
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View from Ailsa’s Camp, with Sera.
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Just for fun. Sera gone invisible at Ailsa’s camp.
With Christian Eyes 
