Purple sage and javelinas

My family and I ran away for four days. We packed the Prius with a 6-person tent, 4 sleeping bags, food, and the four of us and drove west from San Antonio to Seminole Canyon State Park, stayed one night, then went to Big Bend National Park, where we stayed two nights, then went north to Alpine, back east to Seminole Canyon for our last night, and, finally, a drive to Lost Maples State Park on the way home. No internet, no phones, no TV, no radio. For 4 days there was no war, no lying Republican government, no federal deficit, no idiot president - just the family and nature. We saw lots of stars, purple sage in bloom, a green desert (West Texas has gotten as much rain in 18 months as it has had in the past 10 years), roadrunners, mocking birds, buzzards, hawks, eagles, deer, jackrabbits, cottontails, wild turkeys, javelinas and various other birds, bugs, and critters. There were mountains, canyons, rivers, streams, deserts, wetlands, mesas, and dirt roads. All of it was wonderful, all peaceful. It was bittersweet, though, since it was our first family adventure without our oldest son, who is away at college. We get to see him again at Thanksgiving. I guess we weren't really ready to let go of him.
I'm now in the process of trying to contact more potential members of Veterans for Peace so we can start a San Antonio chapter. I have a few contacts, but a busy schedule that may limit my opportunities to sit down and meet with them face to face. I'll take it all slow and steady.
Oh, there's so much I want to say about what's going on in the world and in our country, but I'm gonna wait for that. Still trying to hang onto the peaceful feeling I got from our vacation.

My Issues

I just got back from 90 days of teaching English in Iraq. I'm against the war, but just had to go see for myself what was going on there. I came back even more committed to getting us out of there. I'm going to Austin to connect with the Texas Veterans for Peace group, as well as a group actively trying to counter military recruiting on high school campuses. I am also going to campaign for John Courage for Congress in Texas congressional district 21. That's not my district, but John is a man I know, I've worked with, and I admire and respect him. I know he will be a unique person in Washington - an honest politician. There are not many people I believe in, but I believe in John. He's a vet and a retired school teacher and a person who is dedicated to making life better for all of us. I'm also working on a conscientious objector website. It's a selfish cause - I have three sons who would be subject to a draft if it were ever brought back. This is my proactive response - research what legally constitutes a conscientious objector, then officially recognize and register young men and women who believe they should be protected from the draft on moral and religious grounds. And somehow, I'm going to keep teaching English as a second language full time, too.