The Bourbon Cheapskate, Vol. 48: The Great Wheated Bourbon Blind—Round Two

Posted on August 6, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

The Great Wheated Bourbon Blind: Round Two

Round One of the Great Wheated Bourbon Blind sent Maker’s Mark Cask Strength and Seelbach Wheated to the championship. It also eliminated Weller Antique 107 and a Larceny Barrel Proof that I poured myself at Heaven Hill.

That was enough to remind me why I wanted to do this blind in the first place.

Labels create expectations. Reputation creates expectations. Personal connections certainly create expectations. A covered bottle does not care about any of them.

Fifteen wheated bourbons entered the full blind. I tasted every one before revealing a single identity, then divided the results into three groups of five for the posts. The top two scorers from each group advance to a six-bottle championship.

Round Two brought another five anonymous samples—and the closest elimination of the entire competition.

Sample F

Color: Very light copper.

Nose: A little light but very pleasing, with caramel, light oak, mild cinnamon and vanilla.

Palate: Almost a carbon copy of the nose. A little oak appears first, followed by cinnamon, honey, caramel and vanilla.

Mouthfeel: On the light side, but acceptable.

Finish: A little leather lingers initially, but cinnamon and honey last the longest.

Score: 79.96

Sample F was not especially complicated, but it was delicious.

That distinction matters. Complexity can make a whiskey more interesting, but a straightforward pour that does a few things well can still be enjoyable.

F offered familiar wheated-bourbon flavors without much depth or weight. The light mouthfeel and relatively simple profile kept the score below 80, but this was still an easy whiskey to like.

Sample G

Color: Light copper.

Nose: Toasted oak, nutmeg, honey and buttery toffee.

Palate: Honey, light leather, cinnamon, nutmeg and buttery caramel.

Mouthfeel: Lightly creamy.

Finish: Quicker than I would like, though the flavors are good. Honey, oak and nutmeg linger.

Score: 82.03

Sample G had excellent balance through most of the tasting.

The honey, toasted oak, nutmeg and buttery toffee complemented one another nicely, while the lightly creamy mouthfeel gave the whiskey enough substance to compete.

The problem was the finish.

It was good while it lasted. It simply did not last long enough.

That would become painfully important.

Sample H

Color: Light copper.

Nose: Maybe the best nose of the competition to this point, with brown sugar, toasted oak, toffee and light cinnamon.

Palate: The brown sugar becomes honey and warms with light cinnamon, toffee and graham crackers.

Mouthfeel: Lightly creamy.

Finish: Not as strong as the rest of the tasting, but still solid. Sweet honey is balanced with cinnamon and toffee.

Score: 82.89

Sample H announced itself immediately.

The nose was rich, sweet and inviting. Brown sugar, toasted oak and toffee created the kind of opening that makes it difficult not to form an early opinion.

The palate followed through with honey, cinnamon and graham crackers, while the creamy texture helped everything hold together.

The finish was not quite as impressive as the nose and palate, but the rest of the pour had already done enough.

Sample H moved into first place in the group.

Sample I

Color: The lightest copper in the group.

Nose: Toasted oak dominates, with nutmeg, light caramel and vanilla behind it. I did not love the aroma, but I found it intriguing.

Palate: Cinnamon and buttered toffee rush through immediately, followed by honey graham crackers and vanilla.

Mouthfeel: Borderline creamy.

Finish: Strong. The cinnamon becomes a sweet syrup and lingers beautifully.

Score: 82.13

Sample I was a reminder not to give up on a whiskey too early.

The nose did not win me over. Toasted oak dominated, and the overall aroma felt less welcoming than the others.

Then I tasted it.

The palate came alive with cinnamon, buttered toffee, honey graham crackers and vanilla. The finish was even better, with the cinnamon turning syrupy and lingering beautifully.

The nose may have held the score down, but the palate and finish pushed Sample I firmly into contention.

Sample J

Color: Solid amber.

Nose: Toasted nuts and toasted oak appear early, with light caramel and vanilla behind them.

Palate: Caramel, brown sugar, hazelnuts, mild oak and vanilla.

Mouthfeel: Borderline creamy.

Finish: On the light side but pleasant, with brown sugar, caramel and nutmeg.

Score: 79.42

Sample J had one of the most distinctive profiles in the group.

The toasted nuts and hazelnuts set it apart from the sweeter honey-and-graham-cracker pours surrounding it. Unfortunately, distinctiveness alone was not enough.

The finish was too light, and the overall experience never became as rich or complete as the leaders.

It finished fifth in the group.

The Blind Rankings

Sample H took first place with a score of 82.89.

Sample I finished second at 82.13.

Sample G landed just behind it at 82.03.

Sample F scored 79.96, while Sample J finished at 79.42.

That meant H and I advanced.

G was eliminated by one-tenth of a point.

One-tenth.

In a blind involving 15 bottles, Sample G had delivered the seventh-highest score overall. Had the finish lasted just a little longer—or had one small detail landed differently—it might have reached the championship.

Instead, it became the first bottle out.

The Reveal

Sample F: Old Fitzgerald 7-Year Bottled-in-Bond

Sample G: Green River Wheated Full Proof

Sample H: Maker’s Mark 46

Sample I: Old Elk Wheated store pick

Sample J: Larceny

This reveal may have surprised me even more than the first one.

Maker’s Mark 46 won the group.

Not Maker’s Mark Cask Strength. Not a limited bottle. Not a difficult-to-find release.

Maker’s Mark 46.

It is commonly available, usually affordable and sometimes overlooked because there is nothing especially rare about it. Blind, none of that mattered. It produced one of the best noses of the entire opening round and earned its place in the championship.

Old Elk Wheated took the second spot. Its nose was not my favorite, but the palate and finish rescued it in a big way. The cinnamon, buttered toffee and honey graham cracker notes became more impressive as the tasting continued.

Then came Green River Wheated Full Proof.

This was one of the bottles I expected to contend. It has impressed me repeatedly, and nothing about this tasting changed my opinion that it is excellent whiskey.

But excellent was not quite enough.

The finish was shorter than I wanted, and Green River missed the championship by 0.10 points.

That is not a collapse. It is not an embarrassment. It is a brutally close elimination.

Old Fitzgerald 7-Year Bottled-in-Bond finishing fourth was another surprise. It was delicious but straightforward, with a lighter profile than I expected from a bottle carrying that age statement and that name.

Standard Larceny finished fifth.

After Larceny Barrel Proof failed to advance in Round One, the regular version followed it out of the competition in Round Two.

The Larceny family was officially done.

Moving On

Maker’s Mark 46 and the Old Elk Wheated store pick advance to the championship.

Green River Wheated Full Proof, Old Fitzgerald 7-Year Bottled-in-Bond and Larceny have been eliminated.

Maker’s Mark 46 may already be the biggest value story in the entire blind. It reached the final six while costing less than many bottles that never came close.

Old Elk advanced because its palate and finish overcame a nose that initially left me uncertain.

And Green River missed by the smallest possible margin.

Round One eliminated two bottles I expected to contend. Round Two eliminated another. At this point, the blind was doing a very effective job of ignoring my assumptions.

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Copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.

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I Don’t Need Every Student to Like Me

Posted on August 6, 2026 by Douglas Blaine
Daily writing prompt
What’s something you used to worry about but don’t anymore?
View all responses

When I first became a teacher at 50, I wanted every student to like me.

That probably isn’t unusual. Most teachers want their students to enjoy the class, feel comfortable in the room and believe their teacher cares about them. I certainly did. I still do.

But somewhere along the way, I began to understand that being liked and being a good teacher are not always the same thing. Sometimes the thing a student wants most is not the thing that will help him most.

Students want extensions on assignments they had plenty of time to finish. They want another chance after ignoring the first several chances. They want to talk while someone else is speaking, use their phones when they should be working and receive a good grade because they tried—or because they meant to try.

Sometimes they want the teacher to look the other way.

It would certainly be easier to do that. There would be fewer arguments, fewer complaints and probably fewer students leaving the room muttering about how unfair I am.

But easy is not always helpful.

A teacher who truly cares about students has to be willing to tell them no. He has to enforce rules they may not like, assign work they may not enjoy and give grades that reflect what they actually did rather than what they hoped to do.

He also has to expect more from them than they sometimes expect from themselves. That does not always make a teacher popular.

I still care whether my students like me. I would be lying if I said otherwise. Teaching is much more enjoyable when students want to be in the room and believe you are on their side.

I also still worry about being misunderstood. Teachers have to. A comment can be repeated without its original tone or context, and suddenly you can find yourself sitting in front of the principal explaining what you actually said and what you meant by it.

That worry has not gone away. But I no longer worry about being every student’s favorite teacher.

I would rather be remembered as the teacher who was fair. The teacher who cared. The teacher who told the truth, kept his word and refused to give up on students even when they had begun giving up on themselves.

Sometimes students understand that while they are still sitting in your classroom. Sometimes they do not understand it until years later. And some may never understand it at all.

That is difficult, but it is part of the job.

My responsibility is not to make every student happy with every decision I make. My responsibility is to teach them, encourage them, challenge them and prepare them for what comes next.

So yes, I still hope my students like me. I just don’t worry anymore that they all have to.

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Copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.

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Quick Thought – Thursday, August 6, 2026: To Tell the Truth—Calling on God in Truth

Posted on August 6, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Read

Psalm 145

The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
Psalm 145:18

Reflect

You’re probably at least a little familiar with James Patterson, who has published or collaborated on more than 200 books. He’s a prolific author, but before he was writing novels, he was a very successful advertising executive. He started as a junior copywriter at the prestigious J. Walter Thompson advertising agency and eventually became chairman and CEO of its North American operations.

During those years, Patterson made a lot of observations about American society. In 1991, he and Peter Kim published many of them in a book called The Day America Told the Truth.

The methods and conclusions behind the book were later criticized, but the picture it painted was still unsettling. Patterson and Kim argued that Americans had become very comfortable with dishonesty. People routinely said what others wanted to hear, concealed what they were really feeling and lied to friends, family members and even their spouses.

That was more than 30 years ago, but the problem certainly hasn’t disappeared. Trust has eroded badly in our country. We don’t tend to trust one another, and confidence in institutions that were once widely respected—such as the media, the military and the government—has declined considerably.

It’s easy to point fingers at dishonest politicians, misleading news reports, deceptive advertising and people who say whatever benefits them at the moment. But honesty requires us to look at ourselves too.

Have we ever exaggerated a story to make ourselves look better? Have we hidden part of the truth because telling all of it might be uncomfortable? Have we told someone that we were fine when we were actually angry, hurt or afraid? Have we said what another person wanted to hear instead of what we really believed?

We may be able to hide the truth from other people, and sometimes we even manage to hide it from ourselves. But there’s no reason to pretend before God. He already knows the fear beneath our confidence, the hurt behind our anger and the doubt behind our religious words.

Psalm 145 tells us that “The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.” It also tells us that “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”

That means we can come before Him honestly. We don’t have to tell God what we think He wants to hear. We don’t have to pretend that our faith is stronger than it is or that our hearts are free from anger, fear, jealousy or doubt. We can call upon Him sincerely, without excuses and without hiding.

So what is true? Whom can we trust?

Only one foundation will never shift beneath us: the Lord God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. People may deceive us. Institutions may disappoint us. Even the best and most honorable people will sometimes let us down. But God remains faithful. His character does not change, His promises do not expire and His truth does not bend with the culture.

And when we trust the God of truth, we should allow Him to make us more truthful too. We shouldn’t complain that honesty has disappeared from society while excusing exaggerations, half-truths and convenient omissions in our own lives.

When the world lets you down, turn to the solid rock and place your foundation there. Call upon the Lord honestly. Walk in His light, speak His truth and become someone others can trust.

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Reflection copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt and Charles Fulton.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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What I Choose to Think About: Finding Joy After Loss

Posted on August 5, 2026 by Douglas Blaine
Daily writing prompt
What’s a quote that perfectly describes your outlook on life?
View all responses

Apparently, WordPress has declared this Quote Week.

Two days ago, it asked for my favorite quote. Now it wants a quote that perfectly describes my outlook on life. At this rate, the next prompt will ask which quotation I would embroider on a decorative pillow and place beside a sign that says Live, Laugh, Love.

This question is different enough that I can answer it without simply copying my previous post, and two quotations come to mind:

“The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.”

“Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it.”

I think they belong together.

The first does not mean that we can simply think ourselves happy. There are circumstances that hurt too deeply for that, and pretending otherwise would be dishonest. But we can absolutely think ourselves unhappy. We can feed our minds constantly on disappointment, fear, resentment and everything that has gone wrong until those things become the only reality we can see.

My stepdad used to reflect on the old saying, “You are what you eat,” and extend it beyond food. We are also shaped by what we consume mentally and spiritually. What we repeatedly watch, read, hear and rehearse in our minds eventually becomes part of us.

The Bible recognizes that. James tells us to “count it all joy” when we meet trials of various kinds. Paul, writing from prison and facing the possibility of death, repeatedly tells the Philippians to rejoice. Neither man was claiming that suffering is enjoyable or that terrible circumstances somehow become good if we smile hard enough.

Dad used to explain Romans 8:28 in much the same way. “All things work together for good” does not mean that all things are good. Some things are painful, destructive and completely contrary to what God desires. The promise is that the Lord is able to take even those things and eventually use them toward a good outcome.

I have a very personal reason for believing that.

My mother died on July 30, 2007, and we buried her four days later on August 3. Those dates will have just passed again when this post appears. I will never be happy that she died. I will never convince myself that losing her at 67 was a good thing or that the years we lost somehow did not matter.

I could spend the rest of my life thinking only about what cancer took from us. I could dwell on everything she missed, every moment when I wished she were still here and every year we should have had together. Every one of those thoughts would be understandable. Most of them would even be true.

But they would not be the whole truth.

The whole truth includes the things she taught me, the faith she poured into me and the touch she left on countless lives. It includes the fact that I got to have her as my mother. I did not get to keep her as long as I wanted, but I had one of the best mothers I could possibly have been given.

The fruit of her life is not money or property. It is people.

I see it most clearly in my daughter. Lizzi is a better mother today because of the influence my mother had on her life. She understands the value of grandparents because she had one of the best ever as her grandmother.

Because of that, Lizzi has been deliberate about including her own parents in the lives of her children. She has taken every opportunity to involve my ex-wife, me and Daryl in the lives of Sully and Aurelia. She knows that grandparents are not merely extra people who show up for birthdays and holiday photographs. They can shape a child’s faith, character, security and understanding of family.

My mother never met either of her great-grandchildren, but her influence has reached them anyway. The love she gave Lizzi taught Lizzi to make room for us, and now we have the privilege of pouring that same kind of love into another generation.

That brings a very large smile to my face.

Cancer ended my mother’s life, but it did not end the fruit of it.

That is where these two quotations meet for me. I cannot control everything that happens in my life. Nobody can. But I can decide what I will allow to occupy my mind and how I will respond to what has happened.

I can grieve what I lost while remaining grateful for what I had. I can acknowledge the hole my mother’s death left behind without staring only into that hole for the rest of my life. I can mourn her absence while rejoicing in the evidence that her love is still moving through our family.

Making myself miserable would not bring her back. It would not honor her or the Lord she loved. It would only surrender more of my life to the same loss.

So perhaps happiness does depend, at least in part, on the quality of our thoughts. Not because thoughts erase reality, but because they help determine which parts of reality receive our attention.

Life is filled with things we cannot choose.

What we do with them is often still up to us.

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Copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.

 
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Quick Thought – Wednesday, August 5, 2026: The Top Button of Faith—Keeping Christ at the Center

Posted on August 5, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Read

2 Corinthians 11:1-6

For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.
2 Corinthians 11:4

Reflect

Eli was in a hurry. He had forgotten to set his alarm, so he woke up almost an hour later than usual. He had just enough time for a two-minute shower, a sip of coffee, a bite of toast and a quick brush across his teeth. At least he got to work on time, but when he arrived, everyone was looking at him very strangely. He’d looked at himself in the car mirror while he was on the road and everything looked OK. His hair was combed and he did have time to shave.

But that mirror didn’t show what everyone else was noticing. In his rush to dress quickly, Eli had missed the top button on his shirt, and so every other button was out of place. He was on time, but he looked a complete mess, at least until he ducked into the restroom to remedy the mistake.

We’ve all probably done that at least once. If that top button is wrong, then the entire shirt is wrong. It doesn’t matter if you’re wearing a stunning tie or if the shirt is meticulously pressed. If the shirt is improperly buttoned, you will draw some strange looks from folks.

Our faith is that way, too. The core of the Christian faith requires some vital elements to be in place. Pieces of the life of Jesus Christ need to be acknowledged and agreed with, like his divine relationship with God, his birth by a virgin and his death on the cross and subsequent resurrection in three days. If that Jesus isn’t at the top of our “faith shirt,” then everything else is going to be out of balance.

That’s why there is a disconnect between Christianity and other religions. Their top button is completely different, so everything beneath that will be different from what we believe. We should absolutely respect their right to believe what they want to believe. It’s not up to us to look down on people for believing differently, but we have to recognize those vital differences. We should lovingly share our faith with others who don’t believe as we do in the hope that they will see the necessity of salvation in the risen Christ.

Today, make sure your top button starts off correctly. A good place to start is the Nicene Creed. (I’m using the Anglican version, but your church might have a different version whose wording is slightly different.) We might look different and our methods of worship could differ greatly, but we can all stand strong together as fellow Christians when we button our faith in the same way.

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Reflection copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Tasting Tuesday: The Great Wheated Bourbon Blind—Round One

Posted on August 4, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

I like wheated bourbon.

Apparently, I like it enough to own 15 different bottles and decide that tasting all of them blind sounded like a perfectly reasonable way to spend my time.

Originally, I thought there were only 14. Then, after tasting the first 10, I remembered the bottle of Hard Truth Wheated Bottled-in-Bond sitting on the shelf immediately to my left.

Not buried behind six other bottles. Not hidden in a box. It was in the center of the shelf, right at the front.

In my defense, once a whiskey collection reaches a certain size, bottles apparently develop camouflage.

So the field grew to 15.

Trying to cram all 15 into one post would have been overwhelming, both for me and for anyone attempting to read it. Instead, I divided the results into three groups of five. The top two bottles from each group will advance to a six-bottle championship blind.

All 15 were tasted blind before I revealed a single identity. That was important. Had I revealed each group immediately, I would have known which bottles remained in the later rounds. By completing the entire opening blind first, I gave every whiskey the same chance to surprise me.

And there were plenty of surprises.

Here is Round One.

Sample A

Color: Light to mid-copper.

Nose: Dried fruit, caramel, brown sugar, oak and nutmeg.

Palate: Brown sugar, caramel, cinnamon and raisins.

Mouthfeel: Lightly viscous.

Finish: Better than average, with brown sugar and cinnamon lingering.

Score: 82.79

Sample A was the most complete whiskey in the group. The dried fruit and raisin notes gave it more depth than most of the other pours, and the lightly viscous texture helped carry the flavors through the finish.

It never overwhelmed me, but it remained balanced from beginning to end.

Sample B

Color: Deep amber.

Nose: Toasted oak, brown sugar, nutmeg and caramel.

Palate: Brown sugar and cinnamon arrive immediately. The whiskey is beautifully sweet, with toffee and cherries joining them.

Mouthfeel: Lightly viscous.

Finish: Very nice, with tart cherries, cinnamon and toffee.

Score: 82.13

Sample B was the fruitiest whiskey in the group, though it expressed that fruit differently from Sample A. Instead of raisins and dried fruit, B brought tart cherries that worked especially well with the cinnamon and toffee.

It had a rich sweetness without becoming one-dimensional, and the finish gave it enough staying power to remain in contention.

Sample C

Color: Deep amber.

Nose: A little oak funk appears initially. The aromas are savory but inviting, with caramel, vanilla and light oak.

Palate: Honey sweetness arrives immediately, followed by vanilla, caramel and light cinnamon.

Mouthfeel: Thin, but not awful.

Finish: A little short, though pleasant. Honey, cinnamon and vanilla last the longest.

Score: 79.53

Sample C looked as if it might be one of the heavier hitters. The deep amber color certainly suggested something rich and substantial.

The whiskey itself did not quite live up to that visual promise.

The honey sweetness was enjoyable, and nothing about the pour was especially unpleasant. It simply lacked the depth, texture and finish needed to compete with the leaders.

Sample D

Color: Light copper.

Nose: Slightly floral, with some proof getting in the way. Nutmeg, caramel and vanilla eventually emerge.

Palate: The proof arrives first, followed by brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and caramel.

Mouthfeel: Just shy of creamy.

Finish: Mid-level and tasty, with brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla.

Score: 79.75

Sample D had plenty of flavor, and its mouthfeel was one of its stronger qualities. But the alcohol interfered with both the nose and the opening of the palate.

Higher proof can amplify a whiskey’s best qualities. Here, it occasionally seemed to stand in front of them.

Once the proof settled, the brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla worked nicely together. Unfortunately, it took too much effort to reach them.

Sample E

Color: Deep amber.

Nose: Caramel, oak, nutmeg, brown sugar and vanilla.

Palate: Brown sugar, oak, vanilla, caramel and cinnamon.

Mouthfeel: Lightly creamy.

Finish: Quicker than expected, with cinnamon, vanilla and light oak.

Score: 80.29

Sample E may have been the most frustrating pour in the group.

The color, oak and creamy texture suggested that something bigger was coming. It had the pieces of a strong whiskey, but the finish disappeared before those pieces could fully come together.

It was good. I simply expected it to be better.

The Blind Rankings

Sample A finished first with a score of 82.79.

Sample B followed closely at 82.13.

Sample E placed third at 80.29, followed by Sample D at 79.75 and Sample C at 79.53.

A and B earned the two championship spots from this group. The other three were eliminated.

At that point, I knew only that the top two had given the most complete performances. I had no idea whether I had just advanced two established favorites, two obscure bottles or something in between.

It was time to look beneath the covers.

The Reveal

Sample A: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength

Sample B: Seelbach Wheated

Sample C: Bushwood Wheated Bourbon

Sample D: Larceny Barrel Proof

Sample E: Weller Antique 107

I did not expect that.

Maker’s Mark Cask Strength advancing was hardly shocking. It is a dependable cask-strength wheater from one of the most recognizable names in the category.

Seelbach finishing second was a little more surprising, especially because it advanced over two bottles I would have expected to contend for the overall title.

Weller Antique 107 is practically a wheated-bourbon all-star. It has the reputation, proof and Buffalo Trace connection that keep people searching shelves and chasing store allocations.

Blind, it finished third in this group.

Then there was Larceny Barrel Proof.

This was not simply a random bottle I grabbed from a store. I poured it myself while visiting Heaven Hill. That gives it a personal connection, and I expected the whiskey inside to be one of the stronger entries in the entire field.

Instead, it finished fourth.

The proof showed itself immediately, but it did not carry enough richness or balance to overcome the alcohol. The label and memory attached to the bottle could not help it because I did not know what I was drinking.

That is the point of doing this blind.

Bushwood finished fifth, though the scores were close enough that it was hardly a disaster. It was sweet, pleasant and easy to drink. It simply lacked the weight of the two bottles that advanced.

Moving On

Maker’s Mark Cask Strength and Seelbach Wheated are headed to the six-bottle championship.

Weller Antique 107, Larceny Barrel Proof and Bushwood have been eliminated.

That sentence still looks strange.

Had I ranked the bottles before tasting them, Antique 107 and Larceny Barrel Proof would have been among the names I expected to see in the final. Instead, both were gone after the first reveal.

Maker’s Mark Cask Strength proved dependable.

Seelbach Wheated earned its place with rich brown sugar, tart cherries, cinnamon and toffee.

And two favorites were left behind.

That was only the first round.

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Copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.

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Ten Places, Assuming Time and Money Cooperate

Posted on August 4, 2026 by Douglas Blaine
Daily writing prompt
What are your top 10 travel destinations?
View all responses

Ten travel destinations?

That seems ambitious for someone whose usual vacation planning begins with, “How far can we drive without needing another day off?”

Still, assuming someone supplies enough time, enough money and a reasonably comfortable seat for the longer flights, I can put together a list. I’m not promising to reach all ten. At this point, I’m not even promising to reach the first three. This is a wish list, not an itinerary—or evidence that I have recently won the lottery.

Paris would probably sit at the top. I want to see the Eiffel Tower, walk along the Seine, visit the museums and eat food I cannot pronounce with confidence. I’m sure I would also spend part of the trip looking for places connected to writers, artists and history while pretending that the amount of bread and cheese I was consuming was culturally necessary.

Washington, D.C., belongs near the top as well. I want to see the monuments, museums and historic buildings without having to squeeze everything into one rushed school trip. I’d like enough time to stand in places where history happened and actually absorb it before someone announces that the bus is leaving in seven minutes.

Daryl would love New York City, and I’d like to experience it with her. Broadway, Times Square, Central Park, the museums and all the famous landmarks would easily fill several days. I would probably enjoy the energy of the city right up until the moment I needed quiet, personal space or a reasonably priced sandwich.

I’ve already been to Hawaii, but I would return without hesitation. It is one of the few places where the scenery seems almost unfair to everywhere else. The beaches, mountains and weather make it easy to understand why people visit and begin calculating whether they could survive financially by selling coconuts beside the road.

Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain are different from the other destinations because I don’t merely want to visit them. I could imagine staying. Give me a house with a mountain view, a porch, enough room for the dogs and internet service strong enough to publish the blog, and I may need to be physically removed.

Italy makes the list because choosing one Italian city feels unnecessarily restrictive. Rome, Florence, Venice and the countryside all offer enough history, art, architecture and food to justify the trip. I suspect I could spend two weeks there and return convinced that American Italian restaurants have been withholding important information.

Australia would be incredible, although getting there may require spending so much time on an airplane that the flight itself qualifies as one of the ten destinations. I’d love to see Sydney, the coast and the wildlife, provided the wildlife agrees to remain a respectful distance away. Australia seems to specialize in creatures that can kill you while looking either adorable or completely prehistoric.

Japan would offer history, technology, food and the invigorating experience of being unable to read almost anything around me. I would love to see Tokyo and Kyoto, visit ancient temples and experience a culture that balances centuries of tradition with things that look as though they arrived from the future.

Argentina appeals to me for the scenery, culture and food. Buenos Aires would be fascinating, Patagonia looks spectacular and I have been given the impression that Argentinians take steak seriously. I respect any country that treats dinner as something more important than a rushed obligation between errands.

Great Britain would round out the list. London alone could keep me occupied with history, museums, theaters and landmarks, but I would also want to venture into the countryside, see castles and visit old Anglican churches. I would probably spend part of the trip comparing everything to scenes from movies and television while discovering whether the British actually drink as much tea as we’ve been led to believe.

That gives me ten, although they are not really ranked beyond Paris probably being first. The truth is that I would be thrilled to reach any of them. Travel costs money, requires time and becomes a little more complicated when you have jobs, responsibilities, pets and a bank account that insists on participating in the decision.

So those are my ten destinations, assuming life cooperates.

Should a mysterious benefactor be reading this and wondering how to use an excessive number of airline miles, I am available for further discussion.

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Copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.

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Quick Thought – Tuesday, August 4, 2026: Avoid the Boast—What Jesse Owens Taught the World

Posted on August 4, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Read

Jeremiah 9:12-26

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches…”
Jeremiah 9:23

Reflect

It’s incredible to think that just three years before Germany launched its war against much of the world, it hosted many of those same nations in Berlin for the 1936 Summer Olympic Games. The Nazi regime intended to use the Games as a showcase for the strength of the new Germany and its claims of Aryan superiority. One humble American threw a wrench into those plans.

James Cleveland Owens was born in Oakville, Alabama, about an hour north of Birmingham. His family later moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and that’s where he grew up and got his famous nickname. His mother called him by his initials—J.C.—but people thought she was saying Jesse, and the name stuck.

What also stuck in people’s minds was his natural athletic talent. In high school, he equaled the world record in the 100-yard dash and recorded a distance in the long jump that would have earned him a bronze medal in the 1932 Olympics.

Jesse had a stellar track-and-field career at Ohio State University, and it was natural that he would represent the United States in Berlin. Still, Hitler’s reputation as a racist was already well known, and there was a serious movement to boycott the Games. The NAACP was among the organizations that urged Jesse not to compete, but after considerable debate, he decided to go.

Jesse entered the 100-meter and 200-meter races, the long jump and the 4-by-100-meter relay. He won all four events convincingly. He set a world record in the 200 meters, helped the relay team set another world record and established an Olympic record in the long jump. He already owned the world record in that event before the Games began.

There has been a lot of debate about whether Adolf Hitler snubbed Jesse when he won. Jesse himself insisted that Hitler did not reject him and actually waved to him after one victory. Jesse said the greater snub came from American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who did not send him a telegram or invite him to the White House as he did with some of the white Olympians.

What is clear is that Hitler wanted to display his country’s supposed perfection before a captive international audience. The facilities were spectacular, and Germany dominated the medal count, winning 89 medals and finishing atop the standings. The United States came in second with 56.

But in the marquee track-and-field events, a quiet, determined Black American outshined the athletes Hitler expected to represent his racial ideal. Without bragging, boasting or thumping his chest, Jesse Owens let his talent do the talking, and he walked away with four golden moments.

Today, Adolf Hitler is remembered as one of history’s most reviled figures. Jesse Owens, meanwhile, stands as one of this country’s greatest athletic heroes.

I’m sure you’ve met people who loudly champion their own abilities. They will be the first to tell you how great they are and how much they are capable of doing. Regardless of whether they are as good as they say they are, those people are rarely very high on anyone’s list of favorite people.

Then there are those who are the opposite. They talk little and never esteem themselves too highly, but they tend to come through in big situations. They are reliable, dependable and good at what they do—and people tend to think very highly of them.

That’s very much like what Jeremiah was talking about when he quoted the Lord as saying, “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches…”

But Jeremiah’s message goes beyond telling us not to brag. Wisdom, strength and wealth may all be gifts, but none of them gives us a reason to consider ourselves superior. None of them is a secure foundation for our identity.

Instead, the Lord says that the one who boasts should boast in this: that he understands and knows Him—the God who practices steadfast love, justice and righteousness.

That is a much better foundation.

Hitler boasted in race, military strength and national power. Jesse Owens’ victories exposed the emptiness of those claims. But even athletic greatness is not the ultimate measure of a person’s worth. The only boast worth making is that we know the Lord and are learning to reflect His character.

Today, do your work faithfully and give your best at whatever you do. The world notices who is dependable and who is not. But don’t make your abilities or accomplishments the foundation of your identity.

Let your work speak for itself. Don’t toot your own horn. Give God the glory, and let others see His steadfast love, justice and righteousness reflected through you.

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Reflection copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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What’s My Favorite Quote? WordPress Asked Me Again

Posted on August 3, 2026 by Douglas Blaine
Daily writing prompt
What is your favorite quote?
View all responses

What’s my favorite quote?

That question felt familiar.

Not “I think I may have heard something like this once” familiar. More like “Didn’t I just answer this while wearing the same clothes?” familiar.

So I checked.

Sure enough, WordPress asked me essentially the same question on May 1. That was less than three months ago. I realize a lot can happen in twelve weeks, but I have not spent that time climbing mountains in Tibet, studying ancient manuscripts or sitting at the feet of great philosophers.

Mostly, I’ve gone to work, written blog posts and tried to remember where I put things.

My collection of favorite quotes has not undergone a dramatic transformation.

Back in May, I explained that I don’t really have one favorite quote. I have a toolbox full of them. Some are useful when I need motivation, others help me keep perspective, and a few are especially valuable when dealing with difficult people, poor decisions or situations in which common sense has apparently taken an unscheduled vacation. That answer still works.

Apparently, however, the folks at WordPress expected me to gather a fresh crop of life-changing wisdom before the summer was over. I hate to disappoint them, but I haven’t. No brilliant new philosopher has stepped forward to reorganize my worldview, nobody has whispered a sentence so profound that I immediately embroidered it onto a pillow, and I have not replaced all my old favorites with something I saw printed on the wall of a Cracker Barrel gift shop.

My favorite quotes are still the same ones they were in May. I suppose I could choose one at random and pretend it has always been the unquestioned champion, but choosing one favorite quote is a little like choosing one favorite tool. A hammer is excellent when you need a hammer. It is less helpful when you are trying to tighten a screw, measure a board or remove something delicate from your eye.

Quotes work the same way. The right one depends on what is happening. Sometimes I need encouragement, direction or a reminder to keep my mouth shut. Other times I need a warning about pigs, mud or entering contests with stubborn animals. Life presents a wide range of needs.

Perhaps the real question is why WordPress asked me again so soon. Maybe this is a memory test. Maybe someone in the prompt department forgot to check the archives. Or maybe they have a giant spinning wheel labeled “Questions We Have Already Asked,” and today’s intern gave it another enthusiastic turn.

Whatever the explanation, I have done my part. I checked my previous answer, confirmed that I still agree with myself and resisted the temptation to recycle the entire post word for word. That feels like growth.

So here is my newest piece of wisdom:

Before asking someone a question, check whether you asked it three months ago.

I don’t know whether that qualifies as my favorite quote. But today, it seems unusually appropriate.

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Copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.

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Quick Thought – Monday, August 3, 2026: My Redeemer Lives—A Mother’s Faith in the Face of Death

Posted on August 3, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Read

Job 19:23-29

For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God…
Job 19:25-26

Reflect

My mom and stepdad had a fairy-tale romance. This photo was taken at Buttonwood Farms in Pennsylvania in 1975.

The battle was over. The race was run. The verdict was final, and it wasn’t an outcome that any of us wanted or truly accepted. The problem was that we had to. There was no alternative.

Mom was gone. There was no getting around it. Four days earlier, on July 30, she had taken her last breath with us gathered around her bed, and her spirit left her body and slipped into the Lord’s waiting arms. Now, on August 3, we stood around her grave and said our final goodbyes before the casket was lowered into the ground.

She had spent the last five of her 67 short years on Earth fighting a super-aggressive form of breast cancer that simply refused to let go. Six weeks before the end, she made the decision to quit fighting. The doctors gave her six months at the most, and that was with a horrible and debilitating concoction of chemotherapy that would have left her sick and miserable the entire time. Instead, she retreated to her family and the confines of her home to live out whatever time she had left. And in those six weeks, she continued to pour herself into us and teach us a last few lessons about living and dying.

Before she was a wife and mother, Mom was a college sweetheart at the University of North Texas.

I could probably write dozens of reflections about that last month of her life, and maybe one day I will, but there is one moment that stands out the most to me. Mom told me that she had just found out from the doctors that it was official—that there were no more treatments available to help her. I responded, “Well, I guess if we’re going to have a healing, we’ll need an old-fashioned biblical miracle.”

Mom turned her head slightly and her eyes softened.

“Honey, I don’t think that’s what the Lord is going to do this time. I think He has something else in mind.”

She knew. The end was coming, and she was embracing it. There’s no way she wanted to leave us, because she knew her passing was going to hit us like a brick wall—and it did. But she also knew she couldn’t escape it, so she faced it with the same dignity and class with which she had lived her life. Until her last breath, she pointed all of us to the Savior who had defined most of her adult life.

The last portrait of my mother, taken less than a month before she passed away on July 30, 2007.

Mom had a lot of “favorite” scriptures because she loved the Bible and read it constantly. But two verses that I associate with her come from Job 19, and they were part of the Scriptures read at her funeral:

“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God…”
Job 19:25-26

In spite of the frustration, fatigue and pain, Mom knew there was another reality waiting for her on the other side. Even after cancer had done its worst to her body, she knew death would not have the final word.

Job’s hope was not merely that some eternal part of him would survive. He believed that even after his body had been destroyed, he would one day stand in restored flesh and see God. Mom believed that too. Cancer could damage her body and death could take it from us for a time, but neither could overturn the promise of resurrection.

Today, I still visit Mom’s grave whenever I’m in the Atlanta area, and my daughter is wonderful about making sure Mom’s tombstone has pretty flower arrangements throughout the year. But Mom isn’t there to enjoy them.

She’s not only in “a much better place”—she’s in the best place of all, enjoying things far too beautiful for us to comprehend. She embraced the Lord’s will and ways while she was here, and because her faith rested in her living Redeemer, she now gets to embrace Him for eternity.

More than anything, that’s the lesson she wanted to teach us all before she left.

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Reflection copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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