Dorlene's Days

Goodbye Blogger!!!

2010-03-06T00:42:00.002-07:00

I'm not posting here anymore as I've moved my blog. I found a new provider that I enjoy working with so come visit me at DorlenesDays.wordpress.com.

Walking around Bellevue....

2009-11-23T21:45:00.010-07:00

It was a neon blizzard! And we hope that is the only form of snowflakes we see all winter THIS year in western Washington! :)

Tonight Debbie and I went for a walk with Myrna around downtown Bellevue. A little shopping, a little sight-seeing.....a little rain. It was quite nice.

Our first photo together since we arrived in the North Seattle/Bellevue field last week. It's great to work with Debbie and I look forward to our friendship growing.

We enjoyed the festive feeling in the air with the lights coming on and the shoppers out---without any frost in the air!

Fancy stores and restaurants line Bellevue Way and, though the economy has not been very good, still the shoppers are beginning to think about Christmas already and it's not even Thanksgiving yet!

Co-Workers -- and our little Friend!

2009-11-03T16:41:00.004-07:00

Out on Whidbey Island we have a special friend, Kai Gallagher. He's 4 yrs old and such a bright spot in all the lives around him. We thoroughly enjoyed staying a weekend with his grandma Marlene and mom, Sarah. If only we had a suitcase big enough, we'd take him right along with us.

Scenery from this past week:

2009-10-30T12:28:00.004-06:00

The incredible sunrise from our field one morning last week. We all stood and watched with wonder. A perfect way to start a new day!

Crescent Lake, or Lake Crescent, out on the peninsula. We were on our way from our retreat in the woods at Forks to Carolyn's parents' place in Sequim. Anyone for a frigid swim?

Back the way we came.....what a beautiful spot!

Sister Time on Horseback!

2009-10-30T11:26:00.011-06:00

This past week we had a day with Carolyn's sister, Lisa, in her field out on the peninsula in Western WA. Some folks know a lot about this town, though they've never been there, due to a series of books that supposedly take place there--Forks, WA. Anyway, we were out on a horse farm/bed and breakfast there so we spent part of the day on horseback. It was a great time together. Above, I'm on Taz. He is an old horse now so I can even ride him! He was wild in his youth and, yes, his name is from "the Tazmanian Devil." The man who owns the property rode him for many years and even got bucked off at least once. Now he's a great mountain horse--he can handle anything, a true gentleman.

Finally! All saddled up. Sharry (our hostess) is on Paddy, then me on Taz, Lisa on Truffles, Carolyn on Star, and Brenda on stubborn ol' Bella. Off we go!

Along the trail through dense forest--rainforest style! It was an absolutely beautiful, if a little damp, day. The vine maple was intensely gold, orange in some places, and the moss on the trees was beautiful. Wish you could have gone along.

The trail ended in a clear-cutting operation so we wandered through the mess to find a view. This picture doesn't really do the beauty around us justice but WE enjoyed it immensely. Taz lead the way back with great enthusiasm--guess the barn was working it's usual magic. :)

Yes, we did return to our field in time for our Wednesday gospel meeting--refreshed and invigorated from our "sister time" in the woods. We're so thankful for the many privileges we find along the way.

Washington Special Meetings

2009-10-21T17:20:00.004-06:00

Kelso/Longview December 6th

Sequim, WA December 13th

Bellingham, WA December 16th

Arlington, WA December 20th

If you want a copy of "who goes where" please email me at decross@q.com and I'll send one out to folks I know. :)

Thanks for checking in!

Mt Pilchuck

2009-10-06T22:08:00.016-06:00

Here's the mountain we climbed this sunny Monday in early October. I took this photo from "downtown" Granite Falls. Yes, we climbed right out to the very rocky point on this mountain. What a beautiful day to do it! We'll not have too many more such nice hiking days so, after a very full and busy weekend, it seemed a good opportunity for some exercise and it's benefits.

Ah! There! We finally managed to get the sign, and both our heads in the frame! It's kind of tricky when there isn't a third along to take the photos. By "Summit", behind my head, it says "3" as in 3 miles. Here we go....6 miles on a sunny afternoon but we're a little tight on time. We ended up going up and back in just about 2 and a half hours. Not bad.

The view in the lower elevation as we came out of the old-growth forest. Notice the color beginning in the bushes. It sure was a grand and glorious day.

At one point along the trail we found a place for a photo-op. A passing hiker was kind enough to take this photo. We thought it would make a good companion photo.

This was the view down from close to the summit. Snow had fallen here and on the northeast side of the mountain it didn't melt even though the day was sunny and clear. Fall is definitely here now.
Mt Pilchuck has a lookout at the top just like Three Fingers (last week) did. So we're finally there!
Here's Carolyn climbing the ladder into the lookout. Us and our ladders!

Just across the valley we could see the mountain we climbed last week (last post). Three Fingers is over 6000 ft high and just the day after we hiked it it was covered with this snow. We just made it.
Glacier Peak is the 4th highest peak in the North Cascades at 10,520 ft. We were lucky it was such a clear day in October.
The views of the other mountains around us from the summit lookout was outstanding. Here is Mt Baker in all his glory. He stands at 10,781 ft and is the third highest peak in the North Cascade Mountains. Western Washington is SOOO lucky!
So....here we are at the summit, outside the lookout, on an overhang of rock. We thought this might be a good companion photo. What do you think? :)

Mt Three Fingers!

2009-09-29T00:08:00.018-06:00

The" jagged skyline of the Cascades as we drove through the pearly early morning air on our way to the trailhead. Carolyn and I were on our way to climb "Three Fingers"--a challenging 7.1 mile climb (one way) to the summit of one of these jagged peaks.

At the trailhead. Two miles to Saddle Lake, two and a half further to Goat Flats and then the final 3 miles to the summit.

The beauty of "Goat Flats" which is a little over halfway to the summit. This provides a number of campsites (no fires though) and even a toilet! No walls though...just great scenery.

The second shot is a closeup of the upper peak in the first frame. You can see the lookout perched on the summit in the second photo. The ice field (in the foreground) that has to be circumnavigated before reaching the pinnacle peaks (directly above the icefield). From the lookout on top you can see down into the blue glacier ice crevasses below.

Distant views we enjoyed along the way as we climbed.

Our destination as visible from "Tin Can Gap". On one of those peaks there is a lookout bolted onto the rock summit. The last leg of the journey will be to traverse a set of ladders mounted to the rock sides of the peak. As one friend said they really are "ladders over the abyss" as to fall would mean certain death.

I've moved from the first onto the second of the ladders to the summit and Carolyn is on the third. We're almost there!

After ascending the ladders we are standing on the rock on which the lookout rests.

Just some of the great 360 degree views we enjoyed from the lookout.

Here Carolyn and I are in back of the lookout. By the time we got to the summit the temps were in the low 40's with a bad wind so I grabbed a sleeping bag inside the lookout and wrapped up in it. I still wasn't any too warm!

By the time we left the lookout the clouds had completely descended and this is what the "ladder over the abyss" looked like.

Coming down the top quarter of the mountain was a complete white-out. Here Carolyn and I are coming down the trail. To our right it was a sheer drop off.

One of the only type of wildlife we saw all day---the marmot. There were a few of these creatures and they were quite curious about us and not nervous at all. Wouldn't eat Carolyn's peanuts though!

Weekly Trips to Whidbey Island

2009-09-18T14:19:00.007-06:00

The grand and glorious Northwest!!!! Blue, blue skies, bluer waters and the nicest people.

A vista on Whidbey Island from the home of some of our friends. We will make this trip to Whidbey Island every week this fall as we have gospel meetings there on Thursday evenings. This week we were a threesome as Suzie hasn't left for California Special meetings yet. Next week and for about the following 6 weeks Carolyn and I will have to go it "alone." :) Pretty tough to take!
The view from the ferry shortly after driving aboard and coming up from the car deck. A delightful day on Puget Sound! Who would want to be anywhere else?!

My two companions on the ferry (The Kittitas) just as we were arriving at Whidbey Island. As much as I'd like to say that all our weekly trips will be in such glorious weather....well, I must be honest and say we will, most likely, see our share of gray, rain and drizzle on these crossings.

As those of you who really know me are aware--I love traveling by ferry and don't mind whatever the weather might be! :) However, this crossing is so short that you barely get up from the car deck, grab a drink of something (usually hot) and it's time to return to the car deck for off-loading. Ah well---it's a trip on the water!

Catch-up Time

2009-09-13T00:01:00.002-06:00

It's been too long since I posted anything. I've gotten into the bad habit of only posting photos with short blips. Since my last photo post I've been so busy having a good time that I haven't even found the time to take photos! I know lots of you would have loved to see photos of Milltown 1 and 2 conventions and all the lovely WA folks I got to see again after 7 yrs away....not to mention how much you would have enjoyed the photos of sunny Las Vegas, while I was there visiting a very dear friend who's 88 now. You might have laughed at the photos of me lounging by the pool and diving in every 10 minutes trying to stay cool in the 100+ degree weather every day. Or...maybe you would have enjoyed the photos of the outlandishly ornate and posh casinos on the strip. Without a doubt you would have loved the photos of The Phantom of the Opera with all it's special effects and great music. Then there was the fun and gentle hike that the sisters in Vegas took a few of us on one Saturday--that would have brought a smile to your face.

But.....sorry...I was just too busy soaking up every minute to even THINK of picking up my camera. But there's hope! Now we're back in our field and we're settling in again. We'll work on getting some photos on here soon. Take care.

Sunset from Milltown

2009-08-06T14:07:00.002-06:00

Kirstin and I walked down to the cemetery (where many friends and workers are buried) one evening recently and stayed to watch the sunset. It's a quiet, restful, reflective spot that we visit each year during preps. Our past overseer, Syd Holt, is buried there along with maybe as many as 60 friends and maybe 10 other workers. It's good to be back in WA!

Sing, Russia & Kaz Night in Laramie

2009-04-21T23:58:00.002-06:00

I just received this photo today from our evening in Laramie last Friday. We had a potluck, sing, and Jana shared some of her experiences with us. It was a lovely evening even IF a huge snow storm the night before prevented folks from coming from Elk Mountain. We're glad for everyone who could make it and here's a photo for those who couldn't so they can see who was there. :)

Flaming Gorge, Utah

2009-04-21T22:33:00.017-06:00

Today we had a treat! Al and Laura Anne Wilson took us on a road and sightseeing trip. We made a loop completely around the Flaming Gorge Reservoir. We began here in Wyoming at the northern tip and enjoyed these rock formations in a lunar landscape. Most of the reservoir, and the dam itself that created the reservoir, are in Utah. It was a very pleasant day with a picnic lunch and even some wildlife. Enjoy!

The beautiful Green River. Yes, that really is it's natural color. It is caused by the algae and other growing things on the bottom of the river. This is the river the town is named after. Al and Laura Anne live in Green River.

The reservoir itself. Created by the Flaming Gorge Dam, this reservoir is 91 miles long and was built to control the waters of the Green River as it fluctuated so much. It was commissioned in 1957 and JFK turned the first generator on in 1963 just 2 months before he was assassinated. The dam is to the far left of where this photo was taken. I didn't include a photo of the dam--not much to see.

Our host and hostess: Al and Laura Anne Wilson. They were great tour guides!

Our tour came complete with unexpected wildlife sightings! We came around a bend in the road to find these mangy looking sheep standing in our lane. They survived the winter and now they're enjoying signs of spring.

Towering Rock "Towers" along Sheep Creek Loop. The loop wasn't completely open but we were glad we got to see a few miles of it.

Hmmm....a lovely indication that the sun is returning to this high country. The first flowers we've seen out in the wild.

YES!!! Spring is here--we got to see a Mountain Bluebird so we know spring has arrived, in spite of a few spring blizzards!

The most stunning thing we saw all day---the red canyon that gave Flaming Gorge it's name. Absolutely beautiful!

A Very Strange Bird!

2009-03-21T19:39:00.005-06:00

We went out early this morning to see the Sage Grouse "strut." We didn't know what to expect and we were quite amazed by this display! I hope you have audio capabilities because the sound affects are interesting as well. :) Enjoy!

Ladies' Tea Party Full Post

2009-03-09T15:09:00.019-06:00

Here our household was right before we left for the tea party. We enjoyed putting our hats and gloves and heels on.

Here's the full group of us--hat wearers and non-wearers alike. We were missing a few but it couldn't be helped.

Tessa was our hostess and she really out did herself! The food was amazing!

Jolene wore her mom's wedding hat from 44 or 45 yrs ago. It was still beautiful!

Jan's teacup was an antique and so very delicate. She was brave to actually drink tea out of it.

Jana was the picture of elegance and taste with her second-hand hat and borrowed flowers....not to mention Jane's teacup that was glued to the saucer.

Jane came all in black from the tip of her head to the bottom of her feet. Now if only her hat would stay on!

Heidi was wearing a hat too....but didn't seem to want to be photoed. Ah well...thanks Heidi!

Wava brought the color and grace to our event with her glowing smile.

Karen was gentile and elegant as well...you'd think she was posing here but really I just caught her in a quick moment.

Here's part of our food buffet. The ladies cooked up a storm and we enjoyed every bite.

Crystal--our resident photographer came well dressed for the afternoon.

Alissa is unique in that she had the only edible hat. Yes, it was the cheese ball disguised as a hat.

Ali helped Tessa plan the party AND made her own hat and outfit. She's a stylin' babe, eh?

Here are Tessa's scones--fresh out of the oven. Yum!

Jan---oh so elegant Jan, with her antique teacup.

Of course...we had to have TEA--afterall it's a tea party. And dessert.

And even Amelia came with a hat. It didn't last long but here she was--all ready to party.

Tea Party Installment One

2009-03-07T16:56:00.005-07:00

The back of Dorlene's "hat that never should have been." We had a ladies' tea party here in Laramie and I couldn't find a hat so made one out of cardboard and tissue paper. Yikes! There will be more photos coming of everyone there but the connection today is very minimal so photos won't load.
Crystal Cronk said she HAD to get a photo of my whole outfit, including the shoes, so here it is! I promptly gave all my finery away to a little girl at the party. She loved it!

"WY Rendezvous"

2009-03-04T08:30:00.003-07:00

All but two of the WY workers met for lunch and visits this past Friday at the Chugwater grounds. It was such a nice day! Now on to our prep lists....won't be long now! :) And then come conventions!

WaterPolo Anyone?!

2009-02-26T00:23:00.019-07:00

The past couple of nights here in Laramie we've been enjoying a new treat! The college students have gotten involved with waterpolo. Since we've been staying with some of the girls, we were invited to attend a couple of games. The girls pictured here played the first night and only lost by 1 point. The following night the co-ed team played and were triumphant. I love this photo showing their good hearts. They are such GREAT girls!

Bathing beauties....er, no. More like fiercely competitive, innertube overturning whirling dervishes! Waterpolo is a high-paced, high-energy sport and our girls went all out. The good "guys" are in the blue hats and the bad "guys" are in the white hats.

Merra resting by the wall during a quieter moment.

Janae -- our awesome goalie. She could smack 'em down, or catch 'em most times.

Roxie battling for a goal. She usually made the goal every time too.

Whitney---sometimes one expression is worth a thousand words!

I'm not a very good photographer--Lindsay had just made a great pass down court when I took this.

Jessie seems to be clarifying the game plan here....her legs are shorter so she had quite a job moving around.

Janae has command of the ball here and is on her way....sorry, I thought I had her face!

Heidi's working hard pumping both hands and legs to make time getting after the ball.

Ali's cruising with the ball down "court". It is a very challenging game!

My favorite photo--at the end of the girls' game they all looked so happy in spite of losing by one point. They had a great time and their sportsmanship was outstanding.

More Waterpolo Photos-:The Co-ed Game

2009-02-26T00:07:00.017-07:00

Roxie dominating -- as only Roxie can! :)

Danny playing goalie--he did a GREAT job!

Erik seriously contending forthe ball (in the white

cap with his back to the camera)

Blogger's having problems tonight so these photos will have to be in several posts. I'm trying to show photos of all the players. Sorry to say--sometimes I thought I was getting their faces and then their innertube spun away and all I got was their back! Sorry!

More WaterPolo Photos

2009-02-25T23:36:00.014-07:00

The second night of waterpolo the co-ed team played and there was a huge turnout from the friends. This photo is only a few that were lined up along the railing. Everyone enjoyed themselves, whether playing - or rooting.

Tyson powering down "court."

Ali went for the ball and didn't quit 'til she made a goal!

Whitney going for broke.

Tyson taking it easy between power plays.

Lefse Lesson!!

2009-02-24T17:34:00.025-07:00

Last week in Laramie we had an unexpected treat! We found out that some of our friends, Bob and Kathy Berwick, had just recently learned how to make lefse. When we mentioned how interested we were--they immediately set up a lesson for us. What fun!

Gary and Carol Ethan were our instructors. They are friends of the Berwicks and very Norwegian. They even owned a Scandinavian store a few years ago. They were great teachers and we thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon with them.

We learned the art of rolling out the lefse to just the right thinness--not adding too much flour along the way.

At first Gary used the lefse stick to move and cook the lefse but eventually we both got to learn how to do that too. After Jana's first attempt (pictured here) that didn't quite make it all on the griddle, we both even managed to fit it all on! Of course---the very best part was eating as much lefse as we wanted!!!! :) YUM!

Here Jana is sliding the lefse stick under her rolled out lefse so she can then lift it and carry it to the 500 degree electric lefse griddle. Then, below, she rolls the lefse out onto the griddle---trying to get it centered. This is NOT as easy as one might think!

Jana's Grandma Printz

2009-02-24T17:05:00.009-07:00

Monday after lunch with Lorraine and Joyce in Laramie, we made a quick trip over to Sidney, NE to see Jana's Grandma Printz. She keeps as well as can be expected and it was such a treat, for me, to be along for the visit.

When we arrived there this morning she pulled out her bible and turned to the book of Ruth. When your mind can't retain anything else it CAN retain what God has written in your heart.

Was there ever a sweeter smile? I love her cheerful sweetness even when it must be so confusing and scarey with Alzheimers!

We took Elizabeth down to the activity room for some piano music. We ended up playing and singing hymns for just about everyone in the place! They seemed to really enjoy it.

We really enjoyed our time with her and she loved being with her Jana.

A fun day with friends!

2009-02-23T23:06:00.003-07:00

This past Saturday, the 21st, Crystal and Warner asked us to go cross-country skiing with them and a few others. In spite of a tiny bit of difficulty finding equipment to rent, I am so glad we went! It was a beautiful day and it was great exercise as well as fun with friends. I'm hoping we'll find time and opportunity to go again before winter is over.

February back to Laramie!

2009-02-18T17:12:00.002-07:00

Yes---can you believe how very PINK this blog has become?! I never would have thought it could happen but....it's the green that made it work for me.

So, here we are back in Laramie--still photo-less but here anyway. A certain friend gave me a hard time recently for not updating my blog so I thought I better give an accounting of our days.

We're having both Sunday and Wednesday meetings in Laramie for about 6 weeks so it will be great to have time with the Laramie friends. Our first meeting was this past Sunday and it was wonderful to see all those familiar faces again.

So...thanks for stopping in and I'll try to get my camera up and running again before long and post some photos since I know they're a lot more fun to look at than my writing! :) I hope you had a nice Valentine's Day and that you're beginning to come down off the sugar high by now! All the best.

January in Green River and Rock Springs

2009-01-30T21:16:00.003-07:00

I think it's just about time for me to dust off the old camera and get busy again! Not that we haven't been busy--I've just not been taking photos. I should have, though, because it's been an eventful month since our return to the field on January 12th.

We had a few days in Laramie, and on Friday evening the 16th, the young folks in Laramie planned a skating party up at Vedauwoo. It was DARK and BREEZY but a lot of fun. Most of us skated in our boots because the ice was a little bumpy, but it worked. Then after some skating, we sang hymns and other songs around the campfire while we roasted strawberry-flavored marshmallows and lil' smokies, drank cowboy coffee and hot chocolate and tried to melt the bottom of our shoes while standing in the embers! Great fun. Wish you could have been there.

On the 17th Jana and I left Laramie and came to Green River. We've made the rounds of the friends here, thoroughly enjoying each and every one, and have had good contact visits as well. We've had someone out to all our gospel meetings, except one, so far.

This week we had the distinct pleasure of having some visitors! Connie Combe and Robyn Hill came over from the Idaho field to our west and stayed a few nights. Now they've returned and we made a day trip today to Salt Lake City for a little shopping. Tomorrow we have more guests from Craig, CO coming for the weekend, along with a gymnastics tournament in Rock Springs, and a 2pm lunch with a couple ladies here in Green River. Whew! But we better enjoy it while we can as we leave for Laramie again soon after the 8th of February.

So....there you have it, but sorry---without photos! I'll try to do better next time. Take care and thanks for checking in.

90+ Inches of Snow since December 1st!

2009-01-02T14:01:00.006-07:00

Now THAT's a "real" flocked tree. Everyday we've been enjoying eye-candy like this as more and more new snow keeps falling.

Dorothy's deck is just a big lump in the yard. It's built about 2 feet off the ground but with this snow you couldn't tell.

Lacy and beautiful but a bit of a "pain in the back" to shovel all the time! Coeur d'Alene is piled with snow.

Happy 2009!

2009-01-02T12:25:00.002-07:00

The holidays and New Years finds me in Ceour d'Alene, ID with my oldest sister Dorothy. We've seen over 90 inches of snow fall since December 1st and there's no end in sight. There's snow everywhere and there's no where else to pile it!

Stores are closed due to roofs collapsing under the weight and more is falling. I'll add a few more photos to try and give you an impression of what it's like here.

Special Meetings 2008

2009-01-02T11:58:00.012-07:00

It was a privilege to be included on the eastern MT route this year. Though the weather turned cold and windy on us, and we had some snow falling horizontally--only one meeting had to be cancelled and there were a few out in each place, no matter how low the mercury dropped.

Our iciest roads were from Melstone to Roundup and our coldest spot was in Plentywood/Froid where it hovered around -15 during the day with a wind that, we heard, brought the wind chills down to about -45 or so. It certainly FELT that cold as just scraping the windows and getting the car started made my ears and nose feel frost-bitten. In Miles City our last week most nights the temps were in the -20 to -25 range. It was plenty cold for me and I was glad to get back to Billings and single digits above zero again.

Here are a few photos from along the route:

This was a first for me.....this guy and one just like it were my roommates for a night on these rounds. They were some kind of "hissing cockroaches." This guy measured about 2.5 inches long. UGH! I was very thankful that they did not hiss at me...AND that they were securely in their cage!

This adorable young man kept me company for a few days while I was in his parents' home. He told me many entertaining stories!

When it's cold and snowy those metal-sided suitcases make for great transportation! That's Eldon for you--he was great fun all along the route.

Here's the crew on the eastern MT route for 2008. We sure did enjoy our times together and with the friends in the various places.

More Fun in Thermopolis!

2008-11-23T13:41:00.017-07:00

Fun in the barnyard with Darren and Daniel Leonhardt!

Have bucket will travel.....or, er......

Amilking we will go...!

We'll catch a goat.....

....and tie her legs (so she won't kick)....

...and Daniel'll clean her up....

Darren, practiced hand that he is, made sure that there was a nice steady flow...

Meanwhile....mama is happily munching away.

Who said goats can't be patient?

Ahhh! Success! A nice steady stream hitting the pail. Jana's a great milker.

In Thermopolis with the Leonhardts

2008-11-21T10:15:00.010-07:00

It's getting to be a "thing" with me--these mountain shots. I just love mountains and these, on the way up from Rawlins to Riverton always fascinate me with their lines of rock. This could have done better, for sure, considering we were traveling along at 65 mph but....we were on our way to Michelle's funeral. It was such a lovely, special day--just like Michelle herself.

This is my first art quilt--I call it "Fall". The second one seems to be spring or summer--not sure which. They were a lot of fun.

This is the second of my art quilts that I made for my sister Dorothy. Kathy Williams let me raid her stash--Thanks a million Kathy! And, Sue Williams let me use her sewing machine for hours on end, for the quilting and final assembly, so thanks to you too Sue!

Jana humored us and played a tradition--"Three Blind Mice." I missed the first part with the camera unfortunately but we might get the chance to retape this in the future where there's more light so it will "take" better. This video did not upload so.....hopefully you'll be able to see "Three Blind Mice" at some later date! Sorry.

Time with the cutest boys!

2008-11-18T00:09:00.017-07:00

Fresh snow on the mountains even though during the night we were pretty sure the howling wind might blow away the mountains, let alone the snow!

Brrrrr!

This is what we woke up to in the morning on our last trip of the fall to Elk Mountain and Chris and Kate Williams. We had a quiet indoor (for the most part) snow day before we made a trip to Craig, CO to see a couple of sister workers there.

I had a quilting project and just a couple of days to get it finished so I kept pressing on in spite of all the tempting distractions.

Music around the piano with Chris on the harmonica--oh, yes, and Fischer too, of course!

When the sun came out it seemed like the perfect time to build a miniature snowman on the deck.

Fischer is wondering where Hazen has disappeared to.

There he is!

He's driving the semi cab out of the underpass...., I guess???

Hazen at a pensive moment---"moment", not minute mind you--more like a fraction of a second! :)

The Hunt....such as it was!

2008-11-08T10:35:00.024-07:00

The Laramie Mountains on our way to Lusk and the 4-3 Ranch.

Red Sky at morning, .....hunters take warning.....?

I loved our time with the kids....the kids, and their parents were definitely the BEST part of our time in Lusk on the 4-3 Ranch. Thanks JD, Lisa, Justin, and Melody!

We saw more mule deer than whitetail. The rutt is beginning so they were acting pretty stupid.

An owl we saw the last morning of our time actually hunting.

Snowed in on the South Dakota side of the 4-3 Ranch---roads were closed due to a little bit of snow being blown madly around in bad winds and ice underneath. We didn't mind an extra night with these lovely folks! :)

What do YOU do when you're snowed in? We puzzled and pictured and.....

You name it we did it....oh yes, I'm sure there was some music in there --after all, Jana is here!

But still little ones got bored and wondered if it would ever stop snowing....Callie looks longingly out the window. It's apt to be a very long winter.

An enjoyable day on Elk Mountain

2008-11-03T23:17:00.014-07:00

The view from partway up Elk Mountain last Saturday.

Owen Williams shot a nice bull elk early Saturday morning and the easiest way to get the meat out was on horses. I was lucky enough to be included even though I really was no help at all! Thanks Willis, Owen, and Pres!

Here's Owen with his "third smallest bull elk." I was impressed even if he wasn't.

It took a little work to get the head packed so the young mare wouldn't get jabbed by the horns but Owen managed it.

Owen put the elk meat on pack horses. Two young mares (just 2 yrs old) accepted the packs well without problems. I lifted a hind quarter to see how heavy it was. It had to be at least 60 pounds. Elk have a lot of meat on them.

Here we were nearing the end of the trail--almost back to the trailer. Pres took this photo. We just wish there was a way to get him in the photo too.

Our trip to Albin to see the Lerwicks

2008-10-28T16:22:00.012-06:00

A beautiful Wyoming sunrise through the gate at the old Lerwick homestead. Lots of memories in this place. Most importantly--LOTS of good beginnings in this place.

Lunch with Kosha, Peggy DeWit, and Phyllis.

Jana with her Grandma Phyllis--two beautiful ladies.

Auntie Lorraine enjoying baby Hattie and vice versa!

At Jim and Linda's it was especially wonderful to see all the young ones....enjoying hymns around the piano while Jana played.

Fun times together....Lorraine's in town!

2008-10-22T17:10:00.010-06:00

We had a few nights with some of Jana's relatives, Bob and Kathy Berwick. It was great to have Ada there for supper and a scrabble game (Jana won of course!). There were lots of laughs and good thoughts shared.

Tink gave Lorraine a little smooch as we got ready to take this photo...everybody has to get in on the fun you know. :)

Jana knows how to get things--including even Tink, under control. Isn't Tink well mannered now?

The Red Buttes

2008-10-20T22:24:00.010-06:00

Some of the friends here in Laramie live just south of town in an area where all these great rock formations just "sprout" out of the ground like giant red mushrooms. We enjoyed climbing around them. In the photo below you can see our friends' house through the opening in the rock--it's the one with the green roof.

This and that....

2008-10-20T22:13:00.004-06:00

While in Green River a little over a week ago someone very kindly took this photo. Maybe it will be our annual companion photo?? What do you think?

This is really old but.....Our days on the Chilkoot Trail: Reminiscing

2008-10-18T10:31:00.004-06:00

First snow of the year!

2008-10-12T21:17:00.006-06:00

Riverton received it's first snowfall of the season and we were so lucky as to be there making some visits on our way to Green River. It wasn't so very much--just enough to make South Pass very slick and more exciting than I would have liked. At first I thought I was imagining the iciness and going overly slow but....after seeing three jack-knifed semis and a truck on it's side in the ditch, I decided that I would continue to plod and hopefully avoid the ditch myself. As we came down off the pass we looked in our rearview mirror and saw that they had upgraded the conditions to "chain law in effect". Sounded like a good idea.

But, by Sunday afternoon the sun had come out and though it hadn't warmed to the point that the snow was melted, it did clear the roads. We'll return to Laramie on Tuesday--hopefully on bare and dry roads.

Here's Jana with some of her relatives--the Terry & Sally Olsons, including Donovan and his younger brother Jonathan and his new fiancee.

Medicine Bow Peak Hike

2008-10-04T01:03:00.051-06:00

What a beautiful morning and what a beautiful mountain (12,013)!

Joe and Jan Satake very kindly offered to take Jana and I up Medicine Bow Peak. Since we've both wanted to do it for quite some time, AND they're predicting snow for this area very soon, we knew that this was probably our one and only chance. It just so happened that Vern and Devin were going to be in town, Devin wanted to see his cousin (Jana) since her return to the US,

so we asked them if they'd like to come along. They were game; so the date and time were set and off we went. As you can tell, there was plenty of clowning around and fun, and the day was a total success. We had just returned to the bottom of the mountain and eaten our lunch when it began to snow and the wind picked up. We were glad to return to Laramie and the young people's get-together there. Here is a strange collage of photos from our day. I took photos as each one "popped up" on the summit to enjoy the view and feeling of accomplishment.

Devin waving from one mountaintop while we were on another.

The whole crew together at the summit.

Our host and hostess--what a lovely couple!

Fall in Laramie

2008-09-30T17:34:00.002-06:00

The leaves are turning colors and falling rapidly here these days. It's happening so fast! I hear rumors that it could snow any time now here in this part of the country though we haven't seen any indication of that type of activity. I can't say that I am ready for cold, and snow....and especially WIND quite yet but I AM enjoying these beautiful indian summer conditions.

Today we were privileged to attend, and have a part in, a lovely day as we laid an infant to rest. She was born and died last Wednesday as I was returning to the field from conventions in the midwest. She was so eagerly awaited but....for reasons we'll never really know, she was never to take a breath on her own. She was a beautiful baby and losing her has been heartbreaking to her parents as well as the entire field. It's a real help in times like these that we can leave what we can not understand in God's hands and know His comfort and help in putting it all in the correct balance; knowing with full assurance that He wants the very best for us, and will work the very best into us, through even the most difficult experience.

Jana and I begin gospel meetings here in Laramie this Wednesday, tomorrow, evening. It's encouraging to our hearts to hear the eagerness of the friends to get this news. Over the next week or two we hope to start other gospel meetings in both Saratoga and Green River, as we can find halls to use.

This Friday the young folks here plan a young peoples' get-together that will begin on Friday evening and continue through the weekend. Friday night there will be a potluck/sing to welcome them as they arrive. Jana will share some of her experiences in Russia and surrounding parts too. Then on Saturday the kids plan lots of games all day. Sunday we'll have a joint union meeting so everyone can be together, followed with another potluck before the kids all need to take off to get back home. We expect anywhere from 40 to 80 young people between the ages of teen years to mid-twenties. It should be a fun time.

And...that just about updates you on things here. Thanks for keeping in touch and I'll post again before too long.

I'm back...

2008-09-25T13:41:00.000-06:00

It's been quite a while since I posted here as I've gotten sucked into Facebook. But, some of my friends are very resistant to joining Facebook so I've decided to keep putting a few posts here so we can keep in touch.

I hope September is treating you well. I felt very privileged to be at two conventions in the midwest at Boyden, Iowa and Utica, South Dakota. They were wonderful, helpful days and now it is good to be back in Laramie. Jana just arrived yesterday so we are getting acquainted and settled. I'm sure it will be a busy year.

Some have asked how my mom is doing since her surgery in July so I thought I should share that she is making a complete recovery and chomping at the bit to be able to do a bit more. The doctor told her to lie low for 3 months. If you know my mom you know that 3 months is a very long time for her to be immobile and inactive! So, October 1st is her release date and she is ready!

The photo I posted below is of the windmill outside Willis and Kathy Williams' home on the Double 8 ranch in Elk Mountain, WY. It's a typical sight here in this state known for it's wind. I was glad for a few days there before I left for conventions and hope to have a few more now and then throughout the coming year. While I was there Orlinda took me out to spot elk one cold windy evening. We were in luck and on the slideshow to the right there are a couple of shots I managed to get. It was late enough in the evening and we were at quite a distance so they didn't turn out real great but....I hope to see more before the Rut is over.

Thanks for keeping in touch and for checking in now and then. Hope you enjoy a lovely indian summer for the next 2 or 3 months! :)

Facebook Badge

2008-09-09T08:14:00.001-06:00

Not hardly here anymore....

2008-08-22T18:55:00.000-06:00

Hi,

I haven't been posting anything here because I've moved to Facebook. Check it out. It's easy and free to join.

See you there,
d.

Our days on the Lost Horse

2008-05-23T08:16:00.000-06:00

HAPPY KNITTING---I MEAN HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2008-01-06T20:39:00.000-07:00

I hope your year has gotten off to a good start. Mine was quite restful and delightful at my sister's in Coeur d'Alene, ID. She had a few days off and I had a chance for lots of rest, peace, quiet and......KNITTING! :) I had quite a few projects that I had started, or nearly started, at various times in the past so I took them all with me and it "felt" great to get some of them finished.

I returned to my field yesterday and we had our first gospel meeting today. It was so good to see all the friends again PLUS we had our contacts out as well as a new couple! The new couple are from Chile. They have been to a few meetings in Chile and met Percy Broughton there. So we are very excited to have them come to our meetings here now! The man of the family is getting his doctorate in forestry here at the University of Montana so they plan to be here for a while. Hopefully we'll see lots more of them.

I've only been gone from the field for 6 weeks due to special meeting travels but it seems like the children are all quite a bit larger than they were when I left so I guess they're healthy, happy, and doing well. It touched my heart to have a little 3 yr. old girl (Shelby) tell me as she was going out of meeting that we have to go and stay at her house right away. It was the sweetest "welcome back to the field" I think I've ever experienced.

We'll have Wednesday night gospel meetings up in Stevensville again like we did last fall. We're also hoping to start gospel meetings on another week night out on the east side of our field as we hear there may be some interest there. I'll keep you "posted" on that.

Take care and thanks for checking in.

Back from special meetings in Manitoba!

2007-12-24T18:02:00.000-07:00

Hello again,

It's been a while since I posted as I was enjoying great times in Manitoba. My schedule is over to the left still, though that will probably be changed here soon enough. While in Manitoba I didn't find wireless access even once! So....no posts. :)

We, Sandy Pheifer and I, flew to Winnipeg on the 19th of November from Billings, through Denver. We had forgotten it was Thanksgiving week so we were a little surprised at the crush of travelers but we did have good flights and arrived in a brisk and windy Winnipeg in time for the workers' tea. We were loaded down with lists and plans and were soon on our way.

What a wonderful 4 weeks! As always with special meeting rounds, I came away so very thankful for the beauty of God's work that I saw in His peoples' lives there. I also came away with many "for life" (hopefully for eternity too!) friends and a broader perspective of this great Family. I'm glad for the effect it had on my heart and I don't want to forget any impression made during that time.

We flew back to Billings after the workers' meeting there at the Portage la Prairie convention home, on December 18th. Sandy went to Cody, WY for their special meeting and I went to Sheridan, WY.

Now this finds me back "home" in Missoula and shortly I'll leave the field for a little rest and "catch-up on my correspondence" time with my sister Dorothy in her home in Coeur d'Alene, ID.

As another year winds down to a close I hope you are thankful for past help, encouragement, and provision AND that you're looking ahead with great anticipation. All the best and I hope to post again before the actual new year begins.
d.

2007-11-02T17:01:00.000-06:00

Here we are at the end of another week. We're at Kimmo and Monica Virtaneva's these days. It's been so nice to be here while Kalle is feeling a bit better. He's on about his 37th medication and this one is allowing him to do so much more than some of the others recently.

For those who don't know his story: he was hit by a car when he was 10 and sustained severe brain trauma. Since then the entire family's life has undergone a dramatic change. It's been a crash course, for Kimmo and Monica, on how to deal with brain trauma as there really weren't very many resources for them to draw from. They love Kalle so much and it's very evident in all they've done for him. He's now 17 going on 18.

These past few days we've even been able to joke with him so that is very special as his world has been very dark for a very long time. Yesterday I went with him and his mom to his riding therapy session. It was SO great to watch him ride the horse under direction and see his constant smile for the entire hour!

There are times when things aren't so easy. For just one example: his brain often throws him into unexpected catatonic states. When this happens he can't move at all but he can hear everything that is going on around him. It's such a helpless thing. I really feel for him. While we've been here it's happened several times but luckily always while he's been sitting down. Mika and Kaisa (his brother and sister) were telling me that one time it happened while he was in a swimming pool and he almost drowned. All in all, it makes one very very thankful for a healthy brain and body, eh?

His mom shared something with me that really touched my heart. She said that recently Kalle has told her that he used to pray that he would just die rather than live with his brain the way it is. Now he prays each day that God will just help him get through that day. Isn't that what we all need? I'm thankful that our God is the one God who can help every one of us in just the way we each need.

Hope your week, and the approaching weekend, is a happy one.

2007-10-27T15:17:00.000-06:00

It's hard to believe it's been a week since I last posted here. It's been a busy one, that's for sure.

I had a great Sunday afternoon with Logan and Elissa Braaten last week as our gospel meeting had to be canceled. It was so nice to see them settled in their new home. They will celebrate their first anniversary the 6th of January so they are still newlyweds. Elissa is a trained photographer so she took some companion pics of Aunt Alice and I. I haven't seen them yet so we wonder how they turned out. Later that evening Duane and Jeanette (Logan's mom and dad) came down from Kalipell so we had a really nice time with them too.

After our Wednesday gospel meeting, on Thursday morning, we picked up my mom and dad and all went to the wilds of north Idaho for a couple of nights in a cabin with my sister, Dorothy. Dorothy had her birthday on Wednesday and it was a significant one (I won't say how many years!) so this cabin thing was how she chose to celebrate it. We had such a nice relaxing time together. I got a picture of her with her birthday treats so one of these days I'll get it put on my blog. Keep watching. :) Nothing happens too quickly around here though so don't hold your breath.

Speaking of photos....if you haven't scrolled down and looked--I've posted some new photos to the left here. I put quite a few on because I was having so much fun! These are mostly my favorite AK photos as well as recent MT/WY photos. Enjoy--or not, as you choose.

We're back in Missoula now and in the swing of things. I look forward to our day and the meetings tomorrow. Thanks for checking in and I hope you're enjoying your weekend.

2007-10-20T21:08:00.000-06:00

Thought I would touch base again. We had a lot of fun last night. We all got together at the Stevensville Senior Center at about 6PM or so. One of the ladies in the field had baked 50 HUGE potatoes in her convection oven and everyone else brought every kind of topping they could think of. Of course they made sure there were a few desserts too. :) Like caramel apples and brownies and a couple of particularly gooey desserts. YUM! Then, after we ate, the kids all carved pumpkins--some of us were kind of BIG kids but we carved pumpkins anyway. (You know, just had to encourage the kids and keep them company, right?) Following the pumpkin-carving we sang a few hymns too. It was just a lovely evening all the way around. Wish you could have been there!

Tomorrow we're not able to have a gospel meeting as the room at the library here in Missoula isn't available. It feels very strange but sometimes it can't be helped. We're glad that we've had interest in every meeting so far so we hope they'll come again next week when we will be able to resume our meetings there once more.

Today my sister Dorothy came over for the afternoon. You see, she had been given two tickets to a Grizzly game in her company's corporate box. She was even kind enough to ask me to go with her!!! Wow. How could I refuse? :) It was such a nice afternoon with her, and the Griz won too. Even better. For those who aren't sports fans: the Grizzlies are the University of Montana football team and they are undefeated this year. They seem to be quite a hot item and all the games for the entire season are sold out so I had quite a privilege today. Believe me I fully understood and appreciated it. Most of all I appreciated being in a box seat as it sleeted most of the game and there was a brisk wind. I felt quite badly for the rest of the spectators while we were all cozy and dry. Well....I guess I shouldn't say that because I didn't feel badly enough to leave the box and endure their hardship! :)

So that brings you up to date with my little world. Thanks so much for the comments some have left at various times. It's great to hear! Take care and hope you're happy and healthy.

More on the cat.... :)

2007-10-18T17:52:00.000-06:00

It turned out a little better than we thought at the time I last posted (last evening). This morning we all went out and looked at the site and found drops of blood and a bloody paw print or two so we know that the cat WAS clipped by the bullet. The reason I say this is "better" is that now the cat will associate man with fear and pain again which just might recondition him to be stay away and therefore it won't be necessary for the Fish and Game to track him and kill him. It doesn't appear from the amount of blood that it was a serious wound and he ran away without any difficulty after the shot was fired. Then when the dogs came to track him he was able to evade them. So...the hope is that he was just wounded enough to know to stay away from man and buildings in the future.

Just wanted to post that update--though you may have absolutely no interest. Hope your week is going well.

The cat came back!

2007-10-17T21:53:00.000-06:00

Here's the update on the mountain lion situation here on the Lost Horse. As I mentioned in my last posting, a mountain lion killed a deer right in the tackroom/stable area of the friends we're currently staying with. Then the lion drug the deer carcasse under the camper and ate on it. We came on Tuesday afternoon as the folks of the home returned from a trip to Idaho so we all found out about the situation at the same time. The hope was that the cat would return that night to feed on his kill again and the man of the home was keeping watch to try and shoot it. The reason the lion has to be put down is that he is obviously not afraid of humans and the game warden says this is the kind of mountain lion that will end up attacking humans. Well....the man went out several times in the night but had no luck finding the cat there.

This morning after breakfast the game warden came with another man who has hounds. They tried to get the scent and track the cat. I followed from a distance and got a wonderful walk/hike out of it but alas, no cat.

Tonight Aunt Alice and I had our gospel meeting in Stevensville so when we returned we checked in with the main house (from our little cabin) to find out how things were going. We found out that the CAT CAME BACK! At at about 7:40PM just as it was getting really dark the husband and wife were sitting out keeping watch. They shown the light and there were two big eyes looking at them. Of course, they saw the rest of the cat too. Anyway, the man took a shot but unfortunately didn't hit the cat so the cat took off. Now the men and dogs are out in the dark on the trail. They hope to get the cat before morning.

As sad as it is to me to think of a beautiful wild animal being put down, at times a cat will demonstrate that they have no fear of humans. This cat killed a deer right in the barnyard so to speak. This is such bizarre behavior when this is such open country. If they don't get this cat it's pretty sure to target the horses in the pasture...or even worse, the woman of the home (she's very small) as she's out hiking and walking in the woods. We'll all rest a lot easier when it's gone.

I can hear the dogs baying as I write this. Hopefully I'll have more to tell you in the morning.

That's all the excitement from this neck of the woods.

Special Meeting Plans

2007-10-16T21:04:00.000-06:00

Just thought you might be wondering what those 4 Manitoba links are about on the far left of this blog. The plans this year are for me to go to Manitoba for their special meetings. Yes, those four cities (I think "towns" would be a better descriptor) are the four places I will be each of 4 Sundays between November 19th and December 18th.

We'll fly out of Billings on the 19th of November, through Denver, and into Winnipeg. Our returning flight is the same coming into Billings on the evening of the 18th of December. This is really nice as it allows us to get in on the last of the MT/WY specials too. I'm to be at the Sheridan, WY special on the 23rd. This is doubly nice as I've not been to Sheridan before. Well, I should say I've only driven through Sheridan. Now it will be really nice to meet the friends there.

Tonight, Tuesday, we're staying in our own little cabin in the woods!! It's so delightful here. We're up the Lost Horse, outside of Hamilton, MT, up in the woods. We're here visiting some of the friends. The main house is just down the road, or driveway, through the trees but we have our own little 2 bedroom cabin--which is really a "house" more than a cabin. Our living room window and deck overlooks a beautiful valley. It's an exceptionally pretty view since the trees are all golden and the leaves are falling.

There is one added note of excitement to our "cabin in the woods". The folks we're visiting returned from a few days in Idaho this afternoon as we were arriving. As they were checking on their livestock, etc they found that a mountain lion had paid them a visit. Thankfully it didn't kill one of their horses but instead it had killed a deer right in their stable/barn/tackroom area. It had only eaten part of it's supper and then stashed the rest of it under their camper parked nearby. The man of the home knows a bit about wild animals and animals in general as he is a retired veterinarian. He knows the cat is dangerous as it came right inside the buildings and corrals to hunt so....tonight he gets to sit out and watch in case the "cat comes back." The hope is that it WILL come back to finish it's supper and then he'll shoot it. I ALMOST want to stay up and watch the action but.....my body wants to sleep more! :)

I just hope the cat does come back tonight so Stan can take care of it as I want to be able to take my walk in the morning without worrying about a troublesome and dangerous mountain lion on the prowl.

Well, that's my little update from my corner. Hope your corner is cozy!

Saturday October 13th

2007-10-13T08:12:00.000-06:00

Here we are again. It's been an eventful week. We found out on Monday evening that Harold Kolden, who was 95 a couple of weeks ago, had gone into kidney failure that afternoon. He was such a faithful and wise man all these years. He and his wife Ruth have been living at the home of his son Norman Kolden for the past several years where his daughter-in-law Bonnie has been their caregiver. She takes care of 6 older folks and three of them were relatives and professing. So, on Tuesday we went to visit Harold and Ruth. It was touching to see them laying in twin beds side by side. "Side by side"-- the way they've been for probably 70 or more years. Harold was resting peacefully and woke up for a few words with us. He said he had no real pain, just weakness and thirst. He was so accepting, as was Ruth. We had a little time with them and the family and then returned back up the Bitterroot valley where we were staying for a few days. It was unknown just how long the body could survive with failing kidneys but he didn't have long to wait. We heard Thursday morning early that he had slipped away during the night. When Bonnie went in at 1AM to check on him he was gone. His funeral will be in Kalispell on Monday the 15th at 3PM. We plan to go for the service but we'll just drive over and return all in one day.

On another note entirely--we were staying with Lyle and Bonnie Coleman later this week. They are a lovely young family. They have two boys, Chance and Cody who are in 6th and 3rd grade and then a little girl, Shelby, who is 3 yrs old. Its a busy household and I enjoyed seeing them working on the children's questions. Shelby knows who Jesus' mother is but...we haven't gotten there yet as we're still working on John the baptist's birth! :) So she is ready for when we DO get that far. These are the only kids participating in the questions right now as the only other 2 kids in the meeting are teenagers, but the boys don't mind answering all the questions between them and I really enjoy their eagerness.

On Thursday we went to Chance's football game. The previous Saturday we'd attended a couple of soccor games for some of the other kids in the field and I was struck by the difference between soccor and football mentality. During the soccor game the coach's son, who is the largest boy on the team by quite a bit, accidentally knocked another little boy flying as they were madly kicking the ball between them. The coach yelled to him, "Luke, say you're sorry and help him up!" Right before Thursday's football game the coach was yelling at his players, "Hit someone! Hit someone!" Quite a contrast between the two. But, all in all, I was impressed with the sportmanship and teamwork demonstrated at both the soccor games and the football game. We had a very enjoyable evening AND Chance's team won after a very hard fought battle. We all left very happy and went home and ate chili. :)

Now we are getting ready to go to Farmer's Market where one of the young professing ladies (Elissa Braaten) will be running her and her husband's "Farm to Market Pork" booth by herself this morning as Logan has to work. I haven't been to Farmers' Market yet so I look forward to all the fall harvest veggies and wonder how big the pumpkins will be.

This morning we read Mark 9 together. It was a good reminder that the worst offenses come from within ourselves, not from others. I need to be willing to "cut off" whatever there is in me that could offend my soul for all eternity.

Thanks for checking in and hope you're having a good weekend.
d.

2007-10-08T07:39:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my blog. This is my first blog so bear with me as I am learning this whole process. I don't even know if I'll have very much to put on here but it seems like for family and close friends this might be a good way to keep in touch without making lots of phone calls and trying to remember what I've told to whom! :) I know you get tired of hearing the same thing over and over.

So....it's Monday the 8th of October and it's raining and gloomy here in Missoula, MT. Fall is well on it's way to winter and the "termination dust" is making it's way down the mountainsides--particularly in the Bitterroot valley. I'm sitting on my bed while the first load of laundry is in process and I'm drinking my second cup of tea. Ahhhh!

I need to go out soon for my walk but I'm still waiting for it to get a little bit lighter as the mornings are coming later and later every day. BUT--not as bad as they are in Alaska right now, I know. For those of you there....well, I think of you every day and hope you're enjoying your special meeting rounds. Privileges like that help you forget the loss of daylight and the encroaching darkness, don't they?

Yesterday we had a really nice day. We're staying with a new couple to Missoula. They lived in Seattle before they moved here in March of this year. They are Theron and Chelsea Thompson. We have enjoyed them SO much and we're glad they chose to come to Missoula because we need them very much. Anyway, back to yesterday, it was Union Sunday so I went up the Bitterroot Valley and met with about 30 people there and Aunt Alice went out to Mom and Dad's to meet with all of the Missoula folks so that would be about 50 people or so.

Our gospel meeting at 3:30 at the library was attended well and we were very happy to see seven new folks there in the meeting! All of them have professing family of one sort or another (parents, sisters, wife, etc). They all listened very well and it did my heart good to see each one of them. We hope they'll want to come again. There was a family of four that usually come but didn't make it yesterday so we hope to be in touch with them some time this week.

After the gospel meeting we returned to the Thompsons' to find that they had invited the Tooles over for dinner. It was such a nice evening! Lots of laughter and visiting AND....now we're well on our way planning a field-wide baked potato-pumpkin carving-sing-potluck evening on the 19th of this month. So, you'll have to check back and see how it all went. It should be a lot of fun.

Maybe I better let this be all for this time and I'll write again soon. Thanks for checking in! Hope you have a great day.