A Contemplative Weekend

Things were really quiet around here this weekend. We had the game of course on Saturday and then we spent part of Sunday watching our junior team (Gators) play and pull out a 31-28 victory. They hit a 30 yard field goal as time expired to win 31-28. Congratulations to the Gators! We went for a few long walks around town and then decided to go to the coast on Monday if the weather stayed nice. We woke up Monday morning to clear and sunny skies again, so we drove a little over an hour to a small town on the west coast of Finland. The town is called Molpe and it is right on the Baltic Sea. We spent a few hours there sunbathing and swimming in the sea. I also did some reading this weekend. When I was at Trinity the last 6 years coaching and teaching full-time, I found that I had very little time for reading. I have always enjoyed a good book, so I have been renewing my passion this summer. I just finished Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides on Friday. This was an excellent book that recounted the greatest rescue mission ever recorded during World War II. The rescue was led by the newly formed Army Rangers and several Phillipino Guerilla Forces. Their objective was to find and safely bring home some 400-500 American prisoners of war who had survived the Bataan Death March and had been held in a Japanese prison camp deep in the Phillipine jungle for some 3 years. If you are not a reader, then you can watch the story in movie form. I believe the movie is called something like the Great Escape, and it stars Benjamin Bratt.
The new book I have started is called Quiet Strength by Nathan Whitaker. It is a memoir centered on the life of former NFL coach Tony Dungy. I must admit that I subscribe to the Tony Dungy school of coaching. I had a chance to meet him when I was younger and most of my philosophies of coaching mirror his in some way. I used to watch Tony practice when he was a Steeler back in 1977-78 playing defensive back for the Black and Gold and I was a young wide eyed kid at training camp. More important than being a great football coach, Tony is a devoted husband, father, and a man with a profound faith in God and the utmost integrity. He and other men like Joe Gibbs crash the myth that you have to be a yelling, cussing, egotistical maniac to be a successful coach in the NFL. Anyway, I have read about 100 pages so far, and I can't put it down. I give this book a solid thumbs up.
Well, it is back to practice tomorrow. Tuesday is my busy day as we have two practices and also a short film session. I have the game this weekend and then we take the train to Helsinki early Sunday morning. Estalita and the kids fly out early Sunday afternoon. It is nearly time for the kids to start back to school in the states, so they must get back and get ready. I'm not sure I want to come back to an empty apartment right away on Sunday evening, so I am contemplating going to Latvia for a day on Monday. There are some really cheap flights on Ryan Air ( as in 10 euros), so I might fly over and do some exploring. Some of the guys on the team went there for a visit during our bye week back in June and they really liked it. I may give it a go on a whim. Here are a few pics from the coast on Monday.

Kamryn leaping from the high dive into the sea

Kodie low-diving it

Practicing for the Airborne Rangers

Mother and daughter

Kamryn getting up the nerve

Some small fish the kids were literally catching with their hands along the shoreline

Molpe Beach

Ouch!

Kamryn off the high platform

Lights out.