{"id":864,"date":"2009-08-28T04:01:21","date_gmt":"2009-08-28T04:01:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2009\/08\/different-places-and-their-distinctive-smells.html"},"modified":"2009-08-28T04:01:21","modified_gmt":"2009-08-28T04:01:21","slug":"different-places-and-their-distinctive-smells","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/08\/different-places-and-their-distinctive-smells.html","title":{"rendered":"Different Places and Their Distinctive Smells"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever noticed how different places have different and distinctive smells? I expect you have, especially if you’ve visited a seaside community on vacation. Even before you can hear the waves crashing on the beach or the seagulls calling, you can smell the change in the air, the hint of brine that grows ever stronger as you approah the shoreline.
\nOf course some places are known for their unpleasant odors. I think of a stretch of Interstate 5 in central California, where the road passes an enormous cattle ranch. Yes, you can imagine how it smells . . . something like unprocessed fertilizer.
\nOn my recent trip to Montana, I was reminded of how wonderful certain places smell. After flying into Bozeman, we drove to Butte, where we stopped for dinner. Getting out of the car, I took a deep breath of the cool air . . . and I delighted in the smell of pine trees. There weren’t any pines nearby. But the mountains around Butte are pine covered, such that the whole area is bathed in the fresh scent of pine. Later, on some of my hikes in the mountains, the fir trees were so pungent that it seemed as if I was walking through a giant Christmas tree lot. This aroma, which might be my favorite, blesses millions of acres throughout Montana. (Photo: a trail in the Montana mountains, redolent with the sweet smell of fir trees.)
\n
\nIf you live in a place for a while, even for a few hours, you can quickly become immune to its distinctive scent. That’s good news if you live near a cattle ranch, but rather sad if you make your home in the mountains of Montana, or even in the Hill Country of Texas. Two years ago my family and I drove from California to Texas, the first step in our move to Boerne. I remember getting out of the car soon after we entered the Hill Country. The air smelled faintly of woodsy cinnamon, but there was nothing nearby that created the odor. I expect it was the common Hill Country combination of oak trees and what we call “cedars.” (In fact, they are Ashe Junipers.) I loved that smell as it welcomed me and my family to our new home. (Photo: A typical Hill Country scene, with hills covered by oaks and “cedars.”)
\n
\nI almost never detect that smell anymore, though I expect it is all around me. Every now and then, when I return home after an out-of-town trip, I can once again enjoy the spicy fragrance of the Hill Country. But then it becomes ordinary and I stop perceiving it. Perhaps one of the gifts of a vacation is that it allows us to perceive our ordinary life, even to smell it, with fresh delight.
\nHave you ever been anywhere that had a distinctive smell? Where? What smell? <\/em>
\nThus I come to the end of my recent blog series that might be called “What I Did On My Summer Vacation.” On Monday I’ll return to more serious pursuits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Have you ever noticed how different places have different and distinctive smells? I expect you have, especially if you’ve visited a seaside community on vacation. Even before you can hear the waves crashing on the beach or the seagulls calling, you can smell the change in the air, the hint of brine that grows ever…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vacation"],"yoast_head":"\nDifferent Places and Their Distinctive Smells - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=864"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/864\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}