Moose In Destin, Florida?

No, there are no moose in Destin, Florida but we have enjoyed our visit. The weather has been cool, something moose might enjoy.

I thought I would post a few pictures of somethings we have enjoyed while here.

The first three morning we got up to see the sunrise. The girls enjoyed that and also looking for sea shells while the beach is relatively untouched. Here is a morning fisherman that we saw.

















During the month of October the Monarch butterflies migrate through this area. We saw thousands flying around. We wondered where they spent the night and the next morning we found out. Here are some of the butterflies roosting on a tree. There were probably 100 or more on this small tree.

















Along with the Monarch's we saw this brand of butterfly. I don't know what it is called but it is very beautiful, more so than the Monarchs.

















We ran across this little fellow who had a crabby attitude. However, he clawed his way into our hearts and pictures.

















We visited the Gulfarium in Fort Walton, Florida. It was fun. They had a dolphin show and a sea lion show, followed by a joint show. Here are the girls enjoying the show and also a shot of what they were watching.

(That is a fish in the sea lion's mouth. The dolphin took it.)

This shot shows the gulf and the kind of weather we have been enjoying. That is, until today. The remains of Fred are moving in. We had a little rain today but quite a bit is forecast for tomorrow. Saturday should be nicer.

Well, that is the update. Probably the only one for this trip. We're only about 9 months away from the next Moose Quest.

Bill

Singing School Day 2

We've been rather busy here. We moved in Saturday night and on Sunday we worshipped with the local group here. They move their services to the college campus auditorium. There were several hundred people in attendance. The singing was great, of course. The young man who preaches here always does a fine job. I think the girls really enjoyed hearing him. I know that Nan and I did.

Our scheduled day starts about at about 6:30 for breakfast. Class starts at 8 a.m. and goes through 11:30. From 11:30 until 1 p.m. we have lunch. With 250 - 300 people here, it takes a little while to get through the line, get food and eat. So, when we finish eating it is about 12:45 and my class starts back up at 1 p.m.

The girls attend a singing for teenagers from about 1:30 until 3, I think. I get out at 3:30. We eat at 5 p.m. and I am back in class from 6 until 9 p.m. Nan and the girls attend the evening song leading where those learning skills as song leaders lead the entire group (minus my class). It is interesting to watch the growth of the men who are in the beginning class. The first night, which was last night, they generally make several mistakes and are very nervous. By Thursday night, their last night to lead, the improvement they make is so obvious. Fellows who couldn't even hit the starting note or keep time do both very well. Yesterday one of the beginners commented that the brochure about the school didn't mention the nightly song leading schedule. I asked him, "If it had, would you have come?"

As far as my class lyric writing class goes, I'm learning lots of the "rules" for hymn writing. So far I have not found my creative side. It is possible that it doesn't exist! I'll stick with it and we'll see what comes of the week.

Well, I've lost Nan and need to find her. I'm sure she is busy with several of the new friends she has made. The girls made friends quickly and disappear with their new companions after class.
It has been a very good 3 days here so far.

More later...

Singing School

We left from Joel's and Anna's this morning. We passed Arthur in his truck about Mt. Pleasant, MS. He's heading home.

Revised: 10:23 p.m. CDT

We arrived in Oklahoma just fine. It was a good trip with little rain - mostly in Alabama this morning. We've already seen many friends and are glad to be here safe and sound and finally out of the van. We our moose quest just 2 weeks ago and now this trip, it was a little tiring. We got to be with Jeff last trip, Joel this trip. It is good to be with our sons occasionally.

Home

We arrived safely home at 12:58 p.m. on Saturday, July 8th. Our trip was very enjoyable. The kids all had a great time at camp. We are always thankful for the safety and protection the Lord provides.

Since it is late I will post more tomorrow.

Gas Prices

We drove until our tank was nearly empty trying to find cheap gas. We ended up paying $3.03 per gallon in Lake Placid, NY. We saw prices as high as $3.21 for regular.

July 5th and 6th

I got up early and went up to a pong on top of the mountain. There were fresh prints all around the pond but no moose or deer to be seen. Later we drove around and Nan and Heather did some shopping. Maura, Colton and I examined a bee hive at one of the tourist traps. It was quite interesting.

Because they live quite a distance from the church building we needed leave around 5 o'clock. So, the rest of the day was spent getting ready for church and packing up our stuff to leave after church.

We saw several folks we knew at the church in Milton. Tom's influence is still very obvious.

We drove to Indian Lake and arrived around 12:30 a.m. We had booked a room at a place that only charged $45. It was a great value for the money. They had a very good breakfast the next morning. I mean, you can't ask for too much for $45. Of course, Nan, being accustomed to the finer side of life, insisted that we move on. We had booked two nights for only $90!

After eating breakfast we headed to Lewey Lake where we planned to canoe for a while. I remembered that there was a bed and breakfast along the route to the lake. I told Nan about it but it seemed like her confidence in my accommodation selection abilities had waned. But then we passed the Snowy Mountian Inn. We turned around because she wanted to see the available rooms. It wasn't long before we were carrying our luggage in.

Here is the little cottage we rented.




Here is the view out of our window.



We got down to the lake and canoed about 3 hours. It was really enjoyable though we had some wind at the end that made paddling back a bit of a challenge. Here is a picture of Lewey Lake. You can see why it is a really nice place to canoe.



You can get more information about Snowy Mountain Inn here. John and Judy are our hosts. They have a great place, serve wonderful food, and have taken care of every need. They have room for 4 couples here. Next year we need to bring friends and spend a week at this great place with great folks enjoying this great part of the country.

After our great meal Nan and I went into an area where John said it was likely to see some moose. We didn't but here is one of the scenes we saw while riding. Can't you just see a moose enjoying this location? Somebody needs to tell them.



We have until about 3 p.m. tomorrow to do a few more things and then it is off to pickup the kids from camp. We've had a great week. Hopefully I can post more tomorrow evening.

By the way, we have no cell phone service in this part of the Adirondacks.

Tuesday Pictures

On July 4th we went to the parade with Heather and Dave and the kids. Here is a cool gent we saw.



Here is a cute kid we saw. She looks a bit familiar.

Monday Pictures

On Monday we rode from Glens Falls to Lake George and back. About 21 miles. Here is a picture of Lake George.

We then rode along the northen shore of Lake George and crossed over into Vermont. Here is a very nice Vermont farm we saw.

July 4th

We had a very nice day today. I had hoped to get up at about 5:30 this morning to do a little bird watching here at Heather and Dave's house. I got up at around 7:30. I guess that bike ride took more out of me than I expected.

Our plans for the day got changed. We wanted to go paddle some canoes with Heather and Dave but the forecast for severe thunderstorms caused us to decide to attend the 4th of July parade in a small town about 5 miles from here. I had forgotten how much fun small town parades can be. We saw the governor of Vermont, several people wanting my vote for other offices (I told them they could count on me!), fire trucks, military vehicles, horses, etc. The kids really enjoyed it and I took lots of pictures.

We brought the kids back for lunch and left them with a baby sitter. The 4 of us adults went to Montpelier, the smallest state capital in our great 50 states, and had lunch at a fine Italian place. We talked for about 2 1/2 hours, walked the town and then came back to the house. We got to go up the mountain at the back of Heather and Dave's place to a pond where beavers have built a dam. There were many birds and quite a few tracks from either deer or moose. We pretty much agreed that moose tracks must be larger. However, the owner of the pond indicates that a moose has been frequenting the pond lately. Tomorrow morning (Wednesday) I'm going back to the pond to see what all might be around.

It was a lazy day, one we all enjoyed and needed. We ended the day playing Phase 10, a highly frustrating game for people like me whose luck and skill are equally lacking. The conversation during the game was great and overcame any stress caused by the game! After all, it is just a game.

We have heard from Julie each night. Camp is going great. As we expected, we are not hearing from Jennifer or Jeff.

Once again it is time for bed. Think of the little signs on the old Johnny Carson show...more to come.

Biking at Glens Falls - Vermont

We arrived in Vermont at Heather and Dave's home. They have a wonderful place tucked into the side of a mountain with a river and railroad track running nearby. The woods are full of birds.

Since they don't have a DSL connection (after all, we are in Vermont) I won't post any pictures but we saw some really beautiful places yesterday. The farmland in Vermont is ideal. I could get used to that lifestyle, I believe.

We made the bike ride from Glens Falls to Lake George. In some places it was a tough ride because the hills were so steep. However, we made it and enjoyed the ride.

Heather and Dave have a wonderful family. Their kids are just delightful. At breakfast this morning all of us adults were talking. Very quietly Maura said, "Excuse me." Then Colton said, "Excuse me." Neither were acknowledged and began to repeat the phrase, each getting a little louder. Finally Colton said, "Excuse me first!" at which point they were acknowledged and Maura got to make her request.

I'll post pictures when I get a chance. Maybe we'll find a WiFi connection somewhere.

For now, no moose as of yet. However, Dave says that they do have a moose in the neighborhood.

Camp Delivery

We started the day off by attending worship with the church in Washington, NJ. We saw many folks we know. Some of the folks were people we met for the first time last year. The congregation is such a close group. Both Bible class and worship were interesting and encouraging. Brother James Finney preaches for the church. He turns 90 on July 4th. The last time I saw brother Finney was in 1976 when I was 16. It is amazing to see him now. You'd probably guess his age at 65 or 70. His mind is clear, his lesson right on target (and even short!), and he is such a pleasure to be around. Several folks half his age said his mind is better than theirs!

After services we ate at a Chinese restaurant and then drove up to the camp. We arrived at about 2:10 and realized that registration was a 3. Since we had never been early before we hadn't had that problem.

So with a little time to kill we drove down to the Delaware River to see the flooding. I couldn't get a good picture that really details the flooding. You'll notice the No Pedestrians sign on the side of the bridge. There is barely enough room for one car but folks pass each other on the bridge. I didn't want to test whether or not these northerner would be patient we this southerner and not make me jump off the bridge.

We delivered Jeff, Jennifer and Julie to the New Jersey camp today. They all were looking forward to seeing old friends. Jeff is a counselor again this year. Lots of the kids were excited to see him. The girls got to see old friends and were excited in a way that only girls seem to understand.

Here is how we left the girls.














This evening we attended services in Fair Lawn where Sewell Hall preaches. It was good to see Sewell and Caneda. As always, his lesson was very good.

We thought we were late because when we arrived the parking lot was full of cars. It turns out that the Spanish church was finishing up their services. We got to see German and Miguel, two fine men that work in the Spanish churches around New Jersey and New York.

After services we drove up the New York Through-Way to Albany where we are staying tonight. Gas was $3.17 per gallon on the Through-Way but I refrained from purchasing any. In the morning we'll find out what the price is on less captive roadways. Tomorrow is the big bike ride from Glens Falls to Lake George. Hopefully the trail is open and the weather cooperates. The forecast calls for a 30% of isolated afternoon thundershower. That shouldn't normally be a problem, but I have this friend named Murphy...

So, there is the update for today. My first post that includes pictures. But no moose picture yet. But then, we aren't in moose territory yet. That will probably come on Thursday.

Room At The Inn

We arrived in Bethlehem and found room at the Inn. We got away about 7:30 a.m. and arrived at 9:30 p.m. As best I can tell that is about 14 hours. Seems I've heard that somewhere before.

For those who might be interested, gas prices have been very consistent through 5 states. We topped off at $2.73 in Chattanooga, then paid $2.79 in Childersburg, Va, $2.76 to top off in Northern Virginia, and $2.79 near Allentown, Pa. Those prices aren't cheap but I figured that if gas was $2.73 in Chattanooga it would be close to $3.00 up here. Nice surprise.

For all the talk of rain up in this area, I don't believe we saw a drop all day. We also haven't seen any evidence of flooding, though I am not trying to contradict the news. Just a beautiful day for driving. Nan, Jeff and I shared the driving and none of us got too tired.

We enjoyed being with Jeff all day. We don't get too many of those days now that he is away in college. He has sure become a fine, responsible young man who is just a lot of fun to be with.

There wasn't too much time for anything but driving today. Tomorrow we should have more news and perhaps pictures. We are looking forward to worshipping with the brethren in Washington, NJ tomorrow morning. There are several friends there.

NOTE: I didn't have the blog setup so that anyone can post a comment. That has been corrected. Sorry.

Time for bed.

It All Begins On July 1, 2006

On Saturday our travels should take us from Chattanooga into the flooded Northeast. If all goes as planned we will make Bethlehem, Pa and stay at Residence Inn. If there is no room in the Inn we hope that they have a manger!

I estimate the trip to be about 14 hours. MapQuest says 12 but I figure that with bathroom breaks, gas and food stops, we'll add at least 2 more hours to that total. We'll add even more if we find roads out or detours around flooded areas.

We went to AAA today to see if they had any news about road conditions. The lady there printed off about 10 pages of road conditions. We were quite amazed that so much information came up. Then we learned that she had printed road conditions for the entire US including Puerto Rico. Our adventures won't take us quite that far.

We got new cell phones today so our batteries ought to stay charged up now. Call us occasionally and help to keep us awake.