Read 4-26-5

     I finished reading Thomas Jefferson on Democracy, which was an interesting read. It's a bunch of quotes taken from Jefferson's letters and such. Since he never bothered to deliver any large documents outlining his thoughts on such matters, other than the obvious group effort documents. It's some keen insight into how Jefferson viewed America and democracy. He is valued himself a Materialist, and his Humanism and Rationalism are quite evident. In light of his skepticism of everything, he still has that deistic 18th century worldview, that the founding fathers are famous for.     I also finished The Great Gatsby. As the inventor of the 'Gat,' Gatsby will always be remembered in that aspect. Actually, it was a fun read. The style of the author was a bit interesting at first (being written in the twenties and all). There were a few prepositions and pronouns more than I expected.This reliance cannot deceive us, as long as we remain virtuous; and I think we shall be so, as long as agriculture is our principal object, which will be the case, while there remain vacant lands in any part of America. When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become corrupt as in Europe, and go to eating one another as they do there. (Jefferson, 70)

Balm of Gilead (24-Apr-2002 - 24-Apr-2005)

As of 04-24-2005, the Balm of Gilead will cease operations under the address of balm-of-gilead.org. This website will continue at it's current address of hettinger.us. The reason for this is the three year run of that domain name will be at an end, and the board of directors have decided not to renew this address.

Indian Bathtub Hotsprings

      The hotsprings of the month this month is Indian Bathtub again. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, as it has been raining off and on for the last two weeks. It was a sunny day and everything was green! This hotspings is only about an hour out of Boise, so I'm surprised at how low traffic it is. I guess you have to know where it is to go visit it. This time, I went from the westward approach. I drove part of the way, but I don't have a 4x4 Mustang convertible, so I decided to walk part of the way. The hotsprings was in excellent condition, and the bottom was substantially clearer, with less mud all around. Perhaps the rain had something to do with that.

Reading 4-16-5

     I finished up The Hunchback of Notre Dame. A very interesting book. You can see how Hugo pitted oposite characters in this stroy, and it worked well. Though it was rather dark and brooding, much like Toilers of the Sea.
      I also finished Benjamin Franklin's autobiography, which was a fun read. It had some great historical information (coincidentally, 2006 is the 300th anniversary of Franklin's birthday), as well as a little bit about his relationship with George Whitfield. There were definately some good quotes in it...

Shoshone Falls 4-7-5

     I had a few extra minutes this morning, and decided to explore around Twin Falls. So, driving along, I saw a large cement slab in the Shap of Idaho (perhaps in case you forget where you are). Anyways, after driving down to the falls, I stopped at the booth and footed it the rest of the way. The Guard gave me a handout entitled "Shoshone Falls: Niagara of the West""Springtime is the best season to visit Shoshone Falls. In years of heavy precipitiation, the Snake River swells with snowmelt, creating an awesome display at the waterfall. Swirling mist, swooping birds, and rainbows rise from the sheets of water."