I find that more and more I really enjoy our state and city parks here in Tyler, Texas. This is especially true during the summer months. In fact I should take a moment and plug the state park pass. For seventy dollars customers get free admission to any state park around the state, and half off camping fees. In addition there are other benefits and discounts, and the membership lasts a year so for my family it pays for itself in swim time alone.

That being said, I took the boy to a Tyler park that we don’t normally frequent but may have to start. It’s Faulkner Park just off of 69 south, and I’m not sure why we’ve not spent much time there. It’s really a big park with a lot to do there. Of course the big draw for the youngsters is the spray park, which is essentially a system of elaborate sprinklers and water spouts the kids can run through and under. My son also enjoyed the walking trails that wind around behind the spray park. My one criticism is the lack of good shade. As a parent I enjoy being able to sit at the picnic tables and work or read while the kids play, but it heats up fast out there. To be fair it’s not like the park service didn’t try to create shade. They erected some umbrellas around the tables but they’re not terribly effective. Best bet is to find one of the young trees to sit under. Overall, Faulkner is a really terrific park, and I should add, that it’s not super crowded. Just don’t forget the sunscreen.

I ventured out last evening to check out the new socio-political documentary by Dinesh D’Souza entitled “America the Movie.” The venue I choose was the old Tyler staple, “Times Square Cinema Five.” The Theater itself was clean and comfortable. It had been many years since I visited so I was unsure what of the condition would be. The owners have done a remarkable job of maintaining it since it seems to me that these establishments last about five to ten years before they become run down and the public clambers for a new, bigger, cleaner, safer location. Times Square seems to have beaten the odds though. On the other hand, the screens are smaller, than those of say, “The Regal Tyler Rose Stadium” Cinema fourteen. (And no I did not make up that grandiose name). For those who venture out more seldom to the movies, Times Square is going to have a lot of appeal. The crowds are smaller and the experience is not as overwhelming as a larger theater. But the venue is nice nonetheless. Also I’m told the theater is locally owned so if patronizing local businesses is important to you, this is the going to be your choice.

The movie itself really has two parts. The first part investigated the assumed crimes committed by United States throughout its history, correcting misconceptions and placing causes and effects in their historical context. But America the Movie does not attempt to whitewash the nation’s historical record either. Mr. D’Souza is very honest about our historical short comings. What he does do is try to identify corrective action that either was taken, or should be taken. He also weighs our nation’s negatives against the good that America has done around the world, and found the balance falling decidedly on the side of the good. The second part of the movie traced the intellectual roots of the leftist movement which blames America for so many of the ills of the world, particularly poverty and genocide. Mr. D’Souza identifies key leaders of the American socialist thought who’ve influenced current national leadership, including Hillary Clinton and President Obama.

All this being said however, this is a really well done film. This is not one of those awkward, low budget productions created to provide a “religious alternative,” that airs on religious TV networks after midnight. Nor, I should say, is it merely shallow flag waving. It is a case for traditional and historical America. It is meant to remind us that the country’s influence has been far more positive than negative. I can’t say that I came out of the theater with a whole new paradigm about the nation and our history. What Mr. D’Souza has done is compile a whole bunch of information into one and a half hours, and present a defense of the country. So will many minds be changed? I don’t know actually. It’s possible that only those who share D’Souza’s views will attend the film. But if those who do are able to take friends who do not, well maybe some people will come away feeling a little bit better about our nation and its history. Here’s to hoping that’s true.

To whom it may concern: the age of the door to door salesman is over. I realize he was once immortalized as the youthful dreamer, pounding the pavement and seeking his place in the world; the lover trying to scrape out enough of a living to make his beloved a bride. But George Bailey is dead and the internet is very much alive. And it’s the internet (I think), that put a final end to the door to door sales way of life. In this day and age I can locate nearly any product, make a purchase and have it delivered to my house without consulting a single salesperson. There’s no hard sell and no tedious negotiations. But if all this is true why am I still being pestered by someone whose job is as obsolete as the phonebook?

I was recently roused from my morning shower by my son who informed me that there was someone at the door with a bill. Now obviously my son and I had a conversation about answering the door for a stranger, even one who “knocks funny,” or is wearing a uniform. But that aside what kind of sales person waits on the steps while a child drags their parent from the shower? The rest of the spiel was of course a hard sell about how I needed to change from my current energy provider to the one he was selling. He chided me for not keeping my old bills and virtually insisted that I enroll in his new “Green Energy” program. Which begs the question, “what defines green energy anyway?” Is there a huge wind farm around that I’m unaware of? When I asked him to leave his card he claimed not to have any. “Sorry pal, I’m not buying. Have a nice day.”

Of course energy companies are certainly not the only ones to stoop to old school tactics. How about vacuum companies, or one in particular? You know the one, in the last seventy years it’s become a household name. And admittedly they make a very sturdy product. I doubt their basic design has changed since the end of World War II. But I’ve always found the company’s recruitment of the young and directionless a little cult-like. I’ve also never actually seen a store selling this particular vacuum. I can’t help but imagine secret induction rituals and huge posters of the founder decorating corporate offices / temples somewhere. I remember a friend of mine doing a stint with the company when trying to avoid college and forming an alternative plan for his life. I don’t know whether or not he actually got his degree, but I’m pretty sure he never sold a single vacuum.

Early one morning last summer another young man knocked at my door and tried to sell me a collection of children’s books. He probably thought I would be an easy sell when he caught a glimpse of my existing library. Being that I teach, it’s a little out of control. “Look man, I don’t mean to be rude but there’s this little website called amazon… And the great thing is there’s no minimum purchase and no club fees. Sorry but no thanks.”

All this brings me to my favorite type of door to door solicitor, the “missionary.” There are two main varieties in this category. They are the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Mormons. I’ve always found the former much less interesting than the latter. I’ve also found that the JW’s tend to be fairly easy to ward off by announcing my own denomination. (It’s one they tend to disapprove of). Mormons are a slightly different story for me. I have something of a soft spot in my heart for them, due to the fact that I would encounter their youth while traveling overseas as a young man. The only other Americans (aside from others in my group) I could talk to were Mormons fulfilling their missionary obligations. Even then though, I’d rather they not arrive unannounced at my door. I might be willing to have them over at a prearranged time, but given that coffee is forbidden to them I’m not sure how we’d fill in the awkward pauses.

It’s hard to believe it but we’re already beginning July this week, and Vacation Bible School is on again at Christ Episcopal Church in Tyler. For parents like myself summer can sometimes be a mixed blessing. The freedom to travel a bit and break out of the routine is great, but too much down time presents a problem, namely how to keeps the kids occupied. Enter the local church community. Christ Church has been putting on a VBS program for quite a few years now and they’ve always been really well done. And not only are the kids having fun and keeping occupied, they’re learning the solid Christian values I want to try to build into my son at home.

This year’s theme is “Weird Animals, Where Jesus Love is one of a kind. Come join this zoo crew!” The times are July 14th to the 19th, from nine in the morning until noon. The deadline to register is July 7th. It will be held at All Saints Episcopal School. The address is 2695 S SW Loop 323, in Tyler. To register for Vacation Bible School or to get more information on Christ Episcopal Church itself, visit their web page at http://www.christchurchtyler.org/ .