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Our Weekend

Saturday

After grocery shopping, and preparing a few things for Sunday supper, we had a pleasant, two-hour drive to Pittsgrove, NJ, with Bunny (Director of Chaplains) & Peg O’Hare for TFC’s South Jersey Banquet at Kountry Kitchen.

I prepared a slide show of the June Truck Rally for everyone to enjoy while waiting for the banquet to begin.

It is important to save room for dessert when eating at this restaurant!

Arlene and Bill Wright (foreground) are the contact people for this chapter, and coordinate the banquet.  It looks like they are checking to make sure the bill is correct.

After taking this photo, Pauline Wenger said, “I’m glad you stood in back of me so I’m not on the picture.”

So I surprised her by turning the camera on her!

God’s Gifts Ministry did a fabulous job of leading the audience in familiar songs.

TFC President & CEO, Scott Weidner (right), was the evening’s speaker.  In this photo, he and his wife, Karen, (left) pose with friends who came just to see them.

It was after 11 p.m. when we got home, so I will be ready for bed early tonight.

~~~

Sunday

We enjoyed hosting TFC’s Advisory Council Meeting in our garage this afternoon.  TFC President, Scott Weidner, was our special guest.  He and Harold & Marian Stauffer had other appointments, and left before supper.  (I forgot to take pictures of the meeting. )

Supper

We value the friendship and prayer support of these couples, and enjoy sharing the joys, happenings, and concerns of the ministry with them.

For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.  Isaiah 44:3 NIV

Work ~ Sunset ~ Photography

Thursday

After three partial days in the office (due to other appointments) one hundred trays of The Extra Mile newsletter were ready for the mail.  I had so many this time, the mail truck came to our house!

While doing some late afternoon cleanup in the kitchen, I noticed this beautiful sunset.

~~~

When my brother, Clair, stopped in to help load the mail trays earlier in the day, he asked if I wanted to go along with him for dinner.  He had reservations for his wife, but her mother had fallen, and Anne needed to be with her. 

The hors d’oeuvre meal was a thank you gift from his broker.  He thought I would enjoy the evening, because the featured speaker was a professional photographer.

The fruit and cheese tray.

I had so much fun meeting new people that I didn’t think about taking pictures of the delicious hors d’oeuvres.

The pretty light on our table.

Crystal Cooper crystalphotography.com had some interesting tips on taking photos with a digital camera.

This is the tiny camera she keeps in her purse.

Crystal’s hand while holding a drink. 

I didn’t photograph any of the people, because I didn’t know them and wasn’t comfortable posting their pictures.

Most of the people had regular, digital cameras, however, this lady, my brother, and I had SLR cameras.  I held this Nikon D200 and experimented a bit.  It was twice as heavy as my Nikon D50.

I’m not sure which I enjoyed most ~ the food ~ the photography lesson ~ or the date with my brother.

I think it was the date with my brother, and I didn’t even take a picture of him! 

As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.

But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children–with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.  Psalm 103:15-18 NIV

Mr. & Mrs. Thing

Author Unknown

I read this on my nieces blog madquackersmoo the other week, and thought it fun and thought-provoking.  I checked with her and the speaker who shared it, but neither knew who wrote it.

Internet Photo

Mr. and Mrs. Thing are a very pleasant and successful couple.  At least that’s the verdict of most people who tend to measure success with a thing-o-meter.

When the thing-o-meter is put to work in the life of Mr. and Mrs. Thing the result is startling.

There he is sitting down on a luxurious and very expensive thing, almost hidden by a large number of other things.

Things to sit on

Things to sit at

Things to cook on

Things to eat from

Things to clean with

Things to wash with

Things to clean

Things to wash

Things to amuse

Things to give pleasure

Things to watch

Things to play

Things for the long, hot summer

Things for the short, cold winter

Things for the big thing in which they live

Things for the garden

Things for the lounge

Things for the kitchen

Things for the bedroom

Things on four wheels

Things on two wheels

Things to put on top of the four wheels

Things to pull behind the four wheels

Things to add to the interior of the thing on the four wheels

Things, things, things.

And there in the middle are Mr. and Mrs Thing

Smiling and pleased pink with all their things.

Thinking of more things to add to their things.

Secure in their castle of things

Well, Mr. Thing, I have some bad news for you.

I just want you to know that your things can’t last.

They’re going to pass, there’s going to be an end to them.

Maybe you’ll just pass them off to the second-hand thing dealer.

Or maybe they’ll wind up a mass of mangled metal being towed off to the thing yard.

~~~

Well, it’s time for bed.

Put out the cat.

Make sure you lock the door

And hope some thing-taker doesn’t come and take your things.

Happy 37th Birthday

to

Our Daughter-in-Law, Chris

We Love You!

Our Shellbark Hickory Trees

Also known as Kingnut Hickory, Big Shellbark, and Shagbark.

Found on moist, fertile bottomlands across southern Pennsylvania.

The nut is covered with a thick husk that splits into four pieces when ripe.

By this time of year, our yard is covered with these husks and nuts.

They are a favorite thing for our little grandsons to gather.

Pull Apart

Examine

As with other edible nuts, squirrels compete with humans for this fruit.

Its bold-textured, jagged branch structure and thick twigs give it a striking appearance in winter.  

 The wood is hard, strong, tough and elastic, and is used in handles for tools and in athletic equipment. The wood also makes excellent firewood, and often is used in smoking meat.

Our grandson, Josh, was doing a report on leaves a few weeks ago.  He and his mom thought our trees might be Shagbark, but I am not sure if the bark is shaggy enough.

The Shellbark Hickory tree, Carya laciniosa, is similar to that of the Shagbark Hickory, but often not quite as shaggy. The fruit is larger than other hickories. 

 When Fall arrives, they are some of the prettiest trees in our yard.