And you thought we were dead...

I know, I know - blogs are supposed to be regular updates on things.  So maybe I can't keep track of time in my old age, or maybe I've been too lazy to post anything...  In any case, here is a six-month catch-up of our mission adventures, which are coming to an end in very short order.  The time has flown by and our release date is coming soon (2 October).  We're going to take a bit of time before coming home and see what we can see in Maine and Nova Scotia before wending our way back to Colorado.  But I digress - here are a few photos and some brief narrative since the last post.

Winter hung around Palmyra until about the end of April this year. The mild winter was followed by a dry spring and even dryer summer.  The farmers have been worried all summer about their crops and the grass has been brown.  The corn is probably a foot shorter than last year.    

Bob Parrott, the forester and keeper of the Sacred Grove, was gracious enough to take us on a little private walking tour of the Grove.  We learned a lot about the history of the Grove and the trees.  

Ann and Bob Parrott by 200+ year old Sugar Maple 

A wintry sky

This is what Bob refers to as an "Adversity tree" - one that has had to overcome some serious difficulty, becoming stronger in the process.   This particular one has grown two trunks from the spot when it was broken off in a storm and then one of the trunks growing back into the other for mutual support.  

"Adversity Tree"

The Saturday before Easter we had an Easter egg roll at the Hill Cumorah.  We had a children from the surrounding area come and have a great time rolling eggs, eating the candy in them and learning about the real meaning of Easter.  It was a beautiful day and a fun activity.

We've gotten to work with some great missionaries over the past nearly year and a half, including these great Service Missionaries.. These three, Elders Smith, Toone and Thompson were unable to serve regular full-time missions, but are able to serve in this capacity.  They serve in 6 month increments, with the option of extending for other 6 month stints.  Both Elder Smith and Toone are finishing up a full two years.  Elder Thompson is still in his first six months.  They have performed a marvelous work here in this area, serving in a bunch of different capacities.  It had been wonderful to associate with them and their compatriots who aren't pictured here.

Elders Smith, Toone and Thompson

 These are a few of our wonderful sister missionaries we get to work with everyday.  What a blessing that has been!  They are beautiful inside and out!

Sisters Smith, Bowman and Phoomphuang

Sister Barlow at the Book of Mormon Publication Site Open House

Sister Hirschi with President & Sister Francis at the Open House

Sister Pimsuwan

Sisters Crofts and Fuhriman at Pageant

Sisters Goates and Graham manning the Hill Cumorah Visitors' Center Desk

Sisters Ingersol and Edmunds on a slow day at the Grandin Building

Sister Arnett and former Sister Abby Davis back for Pageant with her family

  

And some great Elders as well!

Our District - Sisters Ringler, Reynolds, Christensen, Edmunds and Elders Fiessler and Bellon

And some great senior couples, like the Watt's!  

The Watt's - our downstairs neighbors participating in the Health Challenge at Chill & Grill

The great people of the Palmyra Ward, where we're assigned, have been welcoming and warm.  Bishop Taylor and his wife Jodie are great examples of disciples of Christ.

Ann with Jodie and Bishop Don Taylor

Our daughter, Melissa and her family came to see us in June at the far end of a massive road trip.  We had a great time with them, showing them the historic sites and other attractions in the area.

With Jared's sister Alaina and her kids, who tagged along in Palmyra

Lyla and Grandma on an evening walk in the Sacred Grove

Tyler and Grandma

 We went to the annual Mennonite auction again this year.  Luckily Ann did not buy any more chairs.  Getting one home is challenging enough!  Melissa and Jared were with us this time and they enjoyed the festivities.  They put on a wonderful breakfast before the auction - check the donuts out - homemade and still warm!

Beautiful quilts!

Family volleyball game at the auction

By the Smith's Farm House

Our son, David and his family came just as Pageant was about to begin.  They stayed for the dress rehearsal and then got out of dodge before the crowds arrived.  On a normal summer day we will see 3-400 people at each of the historic sites.  During Pageant that number jumps to around 3,000.  It's pretty crazy!

Sunday by the Sacred Grove

In the Smith's log home

Ryan, Ethan and Matthew under the Sugar Maples with Grandma

In the barn

At the Whitmer Farm

Waiting for the fireworks on the 4th of July at Lake Canandaigua

The Hill Cumorah Pageant was wonderful again this year.  Our daughter, Sarah and her life-long friend Amy Crockett were both cast members this year and stayed with us.  It was fun to have them.  Here are a bunch of photos of the Pageant and cast.  There are over 750 cast members and 150 support people - the largest outdoor theatrical production in the country.  I loved taking photos of the cast as they mingle with the crowd and bear testimony of the Savior prior to the performance.

Sarah had two roles in the production (as many cast members do) She was a trumpeter in the opening scene and a Nephite mother who got to send the little boy off to jump into Christ's arms - a really touching part of the pageant.

Sarah sharing her testimony with the audience

Wicked King Noah and Sarah

And the Trumpeter Costume

Elder Brent Walton, from Palmyra - Church Publications Missionary

Dick and Irma Halstead, new converts in the Palmyra Ward - great people!

Amy Crockett and Sarah

The gathering crowd

Opening - Sarah is the trumpeter on the far left

The sub-title of the Hill Cumorah Pageant is "America's Witness for Christ" and the scene where he comes to the Nephite people in the Americas is pretty awesome.  

Sarah is in the center of the image reaching for the little boy

Our son Mike and family came to see us right as Pageant was ending, so they got to see it.  We had a lot of fun with them.  We took a little trip to Lake Ontario late one afternoon.  It was windy, but beautiful as always.  And, yes, I did take more pictures of the lighthouses at Sodus Point.  I just can't seem to help myself. Sigh...

Remick - almost 2

Eily - age 7

Tamara and Mike

Eily, Tamara, Caleb, Remick, Porter and Mike

With Mike and Tamara's visit, all of our kids and families have visited us, for which we are most grateful!  It was wonderful to see them all and share these sacred sites with them.  We also shared Chill and Grill with them!   THE place for ice cream in Palmyra!

Good friends, Pat and Cynthia Anderson also came during the last weekend of Pageant.  It was good to see them!  They were real troopers as they saw the sites along with Mike and Tamara's four little kids!  

We cobbled together an afternoon and a P-day a few weeks ago and took a little trip to the Amish country in the far southwest corner of our mission boundaries, south of Buffalo.  It was beautiful countryside and we had a great time poking around and shopping at the little shops many of the people had in their homes.  It was a very humble area - much poorer than the beautiful farms we saw around Lancaster, PA a few years ago.  

Some serious Bumble Bees in the area...

B&B where we stayed

I loaded a birding app on my phone which plays the songs and calls of a bunch of different birds  I've had fun getting some birds to come to the calls.  Cardinals are apparently very territorial and will come right over when they hear the call - they'll fly up within a few feet and land and start squawking.  Red-winged Blackbirds do the same thing.  This one was out in a field at the Smith Farm and I played the call and he came and landed on the fence post 10 feet from me.  Every time I played the call he'd puff up and let me know this was his turf (2nd photo).

This Hibiscus is growing right outside our front door.  Pretty impressive!  It has apparently liked the warm, dry weather this summer.

We drove down to Hammondsport, NY, about 60 miles south of us to go to the Glenn Curtis Museum a week or so ago on a P-day. Curtis was a contemporary and rival of the Wright Brothers in early aviation.  He was born in Hammondsport.  Lot's of cool airplane stuff, old cars and motorcycles.

Curtis JN-4 "Jenny" 

Curtis P-40 being restored - found in a Florida Swamp

The Sacred Grove - peaceful as usual...  We'll miss it.