Dinner Time -- Fun Time!

For the past two or three weeks, as Meredith and Cristian keep their house ready for showing, they have been coming to our house for dinner. And as Meredith is decidedly the superior cook, we have a great arrangement: I buy the food, she cooks it, and I clean up after dinner! I love it! And there is a bonus that comes with this arrangement: while Meredith is busy cooking, I get to feed Adrian. And boy, do we have fun!

There is very little that can distract Adrian from his supper. He is such a good eater. He has two beautiful teeth right in front, but we're not quite ready to tempt him with finger food. So sweet potatoes, green beans, carrots, all fruits, even avocado are at his disposal.

When she had the time Meredith used to cook organic veggies for him, but not being as resourceful as she, I am satisfied to just keep my cupboard stocked with organic Gerber! Look at that expectant face! He'll take either one.

"Bring it on, Ludee!"

"Yay! I'm building strong muscles and bones!"

I think our grandparents had a good thing going - back in the day when generations lived all together in one big house. I remember my grandmother telling us stories of Aunt Sadie and Grandma Foster, both of whom lived in the big house and helped the younger generation grow up. Ah... the good old days.

Grace Conference Review

We returned from the Quentin Road Grace Conference yesterday, refreshed, renewed and recharged! I have been on both sides of many conferences over the years and I believe I enjoyed this one as much or more than any previous ones. For one thing, we didn't lift a finger for ourselves from the moment we arrived at the airport until we were dropped off at the American gate on Saturday! Every meal was provided, every ride was taken care of. The day's events just flowed easily from early morning to late evening. The church did everything!

Over the course of two days we were able to hear five plenary sessions, four workshop sessions, enjoy three homecooked meals and a gourmet banquet, and a first class gospel concert. And though I got a little sleepy Friday afternoon, I never got really tired. This should be a model for conferences everywhere!

Here are a few pictures I took. I made a note to myself that I MUST buy a better camera before my next big event! I apologize for the poor quality of these photos. Bill, where were you with your camera!!! Here goes...

This was definitely a "whole church" event, as they rolled out the red carpet in every way possible.

Dr. Robert Lightner was our first plenary speaker. Dr. Lightner was Graham's mentor throughout his years of study at DTS. His topic for this session was "Identification with the Infinite" from Ephesians 1:1-14. His three points (I'm a pretty good note-taker!) were 1) we have been released from the control of the sin nature; 2) we have been identified with Christ's redemptive work; and 3) we have been united with God for service to Him. It was a very good sermon from a very sweet gentleman.

I'm embarrassed to include this photo, but it was the best of four that I tried to take in this cavernous auditorium. This session was a panel discussion with all four speakers. From left to right they are Dr. Ron Seecharan, Dr. Robert Lightner, Dr. Charles Ryrie, and Dr. Larry Moyer. Panel discussion is not my favorite venue, and this one did not disappoint!

At the end of Dr. Lightner's workshop Graham presented him with a copy of his Daniel curriculum. He promised to read through it soon and give Graham some input.

After dinner Thursday evening we walked some of the grounds of the Quentin Road Bible Baptist Church. It's a sprawling complex with several buildings that house a preschool, a K-12 Christian school, Dayspring Bible College and Seminary, and the new Daypring Institute of Culinary Arts! The preschool has an enrollment of 1600 children! Talk about outreach!

Dr. James Scudder (pastor of Quentin Road church) was the evening speaker. His topic was "If Salvation was Expensive it Would be Easier to Sell". His was pretty much a critique of John MacArthur's book, "Hard to Believe," MacArthur's answer to proponents of salvation by grace through faith.

Friday morning's speaker was Dr. Ron Seecharan who spoke on the question of "What About the Heathen?" He gave some compelling arguments that God has given general revelation to the world. He offered the principle of God-consciousness and explained negative and positive volition - those who truly seek God will be found by God. Ultimately man has a free will and can accept or reject God.

Our final speaker of the conference was Dr. Charles Ryrie. Ever seen a Ryrie Study Bible? Dr. Ryrie was the first of many scholars to come out with a study Bible. I have heard him speak at a GES conference and his methodology is to speak "off the cuff", which probably means picking something from the extensive storehouse in his brain! He chose Matt. 17:24-27 about the coin in the mouth of the fish to say that the Lord owns everything, controls everything and serves everyone! How delightful!

Here is a picture from the Gourmet Banquet Friday night. All the food was prepared by students from the Institute of Culinary Arts. We were very impressed!

The evening was capped off by a Concert by Greater Vision, a marvelous trio singing great gospel music! We're ready to sign up for next year!

Quentin Road Grace Conference

We're flying up to Chicago tomorrow morning to attend a Church Leadership conference at Quentin Road Bible Baptist Church in Lake Zurich, IL. This will be our first time there, so we don't know what to expect. Except that Dr. Bob Lightner will be one of the featured speakers, as is Dr. Charles Ryrie. So Graham is totally looking forward to it!

This conference is hosted and planned by the Quentin Road Bible Baptist Church. Having worked in two churches and a Bible College, I know all too well the extensive preparation that goes into one of these events. It will be very refreshing to be on the receiving end of all their hard work! I plan to take lots of pictures, especially with Dr. Lightner and Dr. Ryrie. So, in addition to the blog, I'll have a new page for the website as well.

My friend, Karen Nash, is taking Treasure for me. It will be like "summer camp" for her to play with some other dogs for a few days. Meredith is very busy planning for their move - packing her things and showing her own house. Plus caring for Adrian all the while. I'm sure everyone will survive a few days without Ludee! Don't-cha think?

Bill's Pictures from Cataldo Mission

I just got Bill's last disk of pictures from our trip. Here is an example of his attention to detail as we toured the Sacred Heart Church in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Because I am "attention-deficit" oriented, I'm getting all the following information from the internet!
A usual practice, but especially useful with digital cameras, is to photograph any signage that will help me remember what or where my pictures are from. Apparently Bill thinks this is a good idea too, because he also captured this sign on the wall of the mission.

Not only is the building itself very pretty and photogenic, but the grounds were really lovely. There is much that is green - beautiful lawns, trees, a park-like setting around the perimeter of the church. There were some very beautiful rhododendrun bushes as well.

Did I mention his attention to detail? This gives away his vocation as a designer/engineer, doesn't it? So it's really not just his camera that does all the work! This building is in very good repair. Quoting from Wikipedia now, "In the early 19th century, the Coeur d'Alene Indians had heard of these powerful "medicine men" in black robes with a book and wanted some of these men for their own tribe. They sent men east to St. Louis, and in 1842 Father Pierre-Jean De Smet responded to request and came to the area. Fr. Nicholas Point and Br. Charles Duet came and helped to pick a mission location. The first was along the St. Joe River, but was subject to flooding. In 1846, they moved it to the current location.
In 1850, the church was taken over by Antonio Ravalli, who began designing the new mission building. He made sure that the building was constructed by the Indians themselves, so that they could feel part of the church. It was built using the wattle and daub method, and was finished some three years later, without using a single nail.
In time, the mission became an important stop for traders, settlers, and miners taking on the role as a hospitality and supply station. It was also a working port for boats heading up the Coeur d'Alene River.
In 1961, it was designated a National Historic Landmark, and in 1966 was put on the National Register of Historic Places.

I wish I knew how long this organ has been in the church. Isn't it beautiful?

Here is the confessional - looks like it's been around a very long time.

I do remember the docent telling about the materials used in the construction of this altar. Though it looks like marble, it's only painted to look that way. All the materials were taken from available resources in the area, so lots of wood and paper was creatively masked to look like more costly materials.

Another comment I found on the internet: "The Mission walls stand a foot thick, without the benefit of nails. The structure was woven carefully of straw, mud and wooden pegs. Inside, there are no pews because the Indians preferred to worship in an open room. Over 300 members of the tribe labored over the construction." I don't remember what was said about the pictures on the walls, but they certainly are reflective of the mood that is set in this most interesting church.

The Many Faces of Eleven

Adrian turned eleven months old on Monday. I love watching his face as he explores his world and learns how things work. He has a favorite toy at Ludee's house, this little drum that plays music, lights up, and even changes from a drum to a roller with the flick of a switch. Adrian spends long moments rolling it in his hands, flipping it over, and now has discovered the little switch that makes it change. It won't be long before he is doing that part too!

There are moments, also, in which he shows his pensive side. These are the expressions that reveal his daddy's personality best. He's going to be a thinker like Cristian, a problem-solver, a bridge-builder. Maybe he even has a little of Uncle Murphy's analytical style. Only time will tell.

One thing is certain: he definitely has his mother's "joie de vivre"! I can't remember a moment that she isn't deliriously happy with this precious child. What a positive influence that will have on his outlook in life.
Just one more month and we will celebrate that first year milestone in the Moza household. The fun is just beginning!

Some Pics from Vancouver

Vancouver is a really beautiful city, and I wish we had been there before the rain came. We found out that the two days in June that we were there were the two coldest on record, and one day the cold was hampered by rain. But we did get a wonderful tour around the city, including some time at Stanley Park and Granville Island. We were fascinated by the amount of glass used in building the many skyscrapers in the city. The architecture was a mix of old and new, but for the most part, Vancouver is very modern. It will be a partner site for the 2010 Winter Olympics and there is evidence of planning and expectation everywhere. So here are some of my favorite shots that Bill, Graham and I took.

This steam clock is in an area called Gastown, known for its history, cobbled streets and heritage buildings.

There is a very large and bustling area called Chinatown that we walked through on our way to the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. There are lots and lots of shops that spill out onto the sidewalk. We had fun trying to identify some of the food items for sale! Very interesting and colorful too.

This stone sculpture is called an "inukshuk" and it is the official emblem of the 2010 Olympic Games. The sculpture is a part of the Inuit culture, but has been adopted as a symbol of hope, friendship and hospitality.

Bill took this picture from Granville Island. We had an hour or so for lunch and shopping and I believe we had just gotten some ice cream at a little shop. He took several wonderful pictures of all the boats in the bay amassed against the modern skyline of the city.

In fact, here are some of those boats. I love the little water taxi cruising by! There is a lot of water activity, from these little taxis to aircraft landing in the bay to giant cruise ships and tankers. You could sit and watch the water all afternoon and not get bored.

Another beautiful shot of sailboats in the bay.

On Thursday, which as you recall was the coldest day on record for June 5th, plus a hard rain to boot, we went out on a "Sea Safari" into Howe Sound. We were all decked out in "waterproof" gear (ha!) and packed into a boat like this one, then wisked off at speeds I don't want to think about. The rain was blistering our faces, so we really couldn't look up to see anything. There were a couple of nice stops where we pulled our cameras out of plastic bags to take some fabulous pictures, then back up to speed and freezing rain again. About ten minutes before the end of the ride we all began to feel moisture creeping into our protective suits so that, when we finally landed and stripped them off, we were all soaking wet.

Here is Bill trying to separate his cash and cards from his waterlogged wallet. Fortunately, our T.D. recognized our misery and had our lunch of hot soup, coffee and sandwiches quickly served and scooted us up to the ferry landing an hour early. He even boxed up the desserts and brought them on board the ferry for us. Hooray for Russell!

Getting back early gave us an extra hour for a hot shower and change into warm, dry clothes before going out again (in the rain) for a walk through Chinatown, the Chinese Gardens, and then dinner at a Chinese Restaurant.

All that rain and cold could not dampen our memories of a very beautiful city, deeming it worthwhile to come for another visit on a warmer, drier tour.

Fun at Ludee's House

Adrian has decided that Ludee's house is for "playtime" and we're finding that he can play and be happy for long periods of time now. So today Meredith and Cristian left him here while they took care of a business appointment. Adrian entertained himself on this quilt with his toys for a full hour.

Books are fun when there's a hole in the page that little hands can grab on to!

Guess who loves having his picture taken? As soon as he realized I had the camera out he put on his best smile for me! I think his Mommy has him well trained!

Oh boy! Grandpa's back home from selling his truck and now we can have some fun! Looks like he got hold of one of Grandpa's chins! I think we'll sleep well tonight.

Happy Fourth and Lake Louise

Wishing everyone a happy Fourth of July and hoping you had a safe and healthy holiday.

We have much to be thankful for in this great country of ours, but also much that needs to be preserved as we look toward a presidential election. Our grandson Adrian is our hope for the future, as are all our children and grandchildren. May God give them wisdom as they mature and take their places in society.

My next installment, and you'll see that I'm no longer putting pictures in the order we visited, is from beautiful Chateau Lake Louise. I had heard about Lake Louise casually, mostly as a prime honeymoon spot. But didn't really know much else about it. As you will see from these pictures, it is a lovely place, built around a glacial lake.

"Lake Louise is fed by glacial runoff from Victoria Glacier. Like many of the lakes in the Rockies the water is either deep green or blue. This is caused by fine sediments called "rock flour" floating in the water. Rock flour is fine powdery rock that has been crushed and ground by a glacier. Lake Louise is a beautiful green color."

The hotel itself is magnificent. It was built at the turn of the 20th century by the Canadian Pacific Railway. There are several "wings" to the hotel, the oldest one, the Painter Wing, dating back to 1913. The original wooden Rattenbury Wing burned down in 1924 and was replaced by the current Barrot Wing. The newest wing is the Mount Temple Wing and features several beautiful stained glass windows. The railway's interest in the hotel was to encourage travelers to utilize the railway heading West.

In 1884 the lake in front of the hotel was named "Louise", some say after the daughter of Lord Mount Temple, the president of the British Medical Association. Others say it was named after Princess Louise, the daughter of Queen Victoria.

The glacier that appears at the apex of these mountains is called Victoria Glacier. It is one of a composite called the Plain of Six Glaciers and the starting point of a popular hiking trail.

Here is Graham standing by a ledge in front of the beautiful view of the lake and glacier.

After lunch Bill and I ventured out with our cameras and caught some keepsake photos by the lake. Now that we're back home in Texas, it's hard to imagine that we were actually sitting next to a frozen lake!

Here's a shot of the lake by herself, and you can see that she's thawing out little by little. Russell said that the late spring and colder temps had prevented many of the lakes from thawing during our time there. Usually by June most of the ice is melted.

Hope you enjoy our visit to this superior first-class five star resort!

Other Related Projects

I have set myself up for several projects involving our trip to Canada, this blog being only one of them. Here are a couple of links to the Shutterfly book and webpage I've been working on. The book is a completed project - yay!! And the webpage will be an ongoing thing as I can incorporate all of our trips as they happen onto this one site. So, if you are so inclined, enjoy my labor!

http://favoritetravelmemories.site.shutterfly.com/

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8EcNmzhmxbMT4

Canadian Wildlife

I interrupt this blog for a much needed UPDATE to my descriptions of the following wildlife. I have just received a "Dear Sister" letter from Bill correcting my memory, or perhaps my comprehension of wildlife, having been sheltered from the same for so many years! Actually, this is a great way to get said brother to email me! Corrections will be in red, to match my embarrassment!

There were several things that we particularly wanted to see on our trip to the northwest. For me, it was the mountains. For some reason I find mountains, especially snow-capped ranges of mountains, so magnificent, so majestic, and the closest I've come to seeing them has been at an airport, changing planes.

Bill and Graham, on the other hand, were especially anxious to see some of the animals that live in and around the parks. For two days our Tour Director, Russell, teased us with his stories of seeing, or not seeing, various wildlife on this tour. He cautioned our group that the sightings might be few and far between, as that had been the case just two weeks before. "Just yell BEAR! if you see anything," he told us.

I have to say, and our Tour Director admitted, that we got to see an unusual number of sightings once we got into Canada. Plus, our T.D. was almost as excited as the rest of our group when an animal happened by on the road. Often times he would see several cars stopped on the road and tell us, "There must be a bear ahead, look out the right side of the bus!" And sure enough, there would be a bear or maybe a long-horned sheep, right by the side of the road. We would stop for maybe ten minutes, until the last picture was taken, and then we'd start off again, always on the lookout for more wildlife.

So here are some of our pictures, in no particular order. Many were taken on the highway, and I couldn't tell you where to save my life. Others will be more identifiable and I'll tell you where, when and how we got that pic.

This cute little guy is a Marmot and we met him at our hotel in Spokane. Bill and I walked a path behind the hotel in the evening and again after breakfast and came across this fellow and his harem. He is obviously used to humans and knows that sometimes one will bring him some crackers (guilty!) or other yummy treat.

One of our stops on the way through Montana was the National Bison Reserve. Again, Russell cautioned us that we probably wouldn't see any bison out that afternoon, but, not too far down the road we came across this trio, and there is a newborn calf laying beside the two on the right.

Here we are at Sun Peaks, a ski resort just outside of Kamloops, Canada. Once again, Bill and I were out walking and noticed this cute little fella in the trees. He posed for some pictures, we continued our walk, and I swear the same little squirrel kept showing up where we were walking! I have no doubt he was hoping for a bite of something to eat, but I was fresh out of crackers!

These are actually mountain goats, although they are still cute and still remind me of my Westie.

Here we are on the road, somewhere in Canada, and these mountain sheep are grazing on some salt flats. These two were part of a group, but it was hard to get them into the grass for better contrast in the picture. Don't they have interesting faces? Reminds me just a little of my Westie!

Ahhh, now here is one guy that everyone was hoping to see! What is the second animal you think of from Canada? A moose, of course! Russell stopped the bus for us and we waited several minutes before this guy would turn and face us for a good picture. Isn't he just magnificent?

He says this is not a moose but an elk. Is he sure? It looks like a moose to me. Here is a picture he sent of a moose: And this one he says is a mountain sheep that we saw outside of Banff. Well, gee whiz, it was up so high, who could tell???

Normally Graham is a snoozer on the bus rides between stops, but as we got closer to these craggy mountains, he got more alert and began sighting in his "hunter's eye" to look for mountain goats. This picture is just incredible because the original photo was taken so far away that I couldn't even detect the goat in it. Bill put this on his computer and tweaked and cropped it until we got this closeup of this incredible goat. He is walking on a sheer cliff, folks! How in the world does he do it?

Here's the real goat:

What a story there is behind these pictures! We were snoozing along in the bus when, all of a sudden, Russell shouts "Bear! Bear!" and everyone wakes up, the bus driver puts on the brakes and pulls over to the side of the road, and there on our left is this black bear, munching some grass and flowers. So everyone is leaning to the left, taking pictures over each other, and we're all going crazy, when the bear decides he's had enough of us and starts meandering up and over the berm. Then, suddenly, he turns back, looks at our bus, and walks back into the highway and right in front of our bus. He must have seen some dandelions on that side of the road, because he went straight to them and gave all of us on that side of the bus an opportunity to get photos up close. After about ten minutes we had had enough and set out on a quest for "more bear!"

This last photo is Graham's ultimate prize. All along he had been hoping (and verbalizing his wish) to see a grizzly bear. "It will make my day if I can just see one!" All to no avail, as Russell assured us that grizzlies just don't come close to the highways. Sorry. So as we were headed up to Jasper on Saturday, we stopped for lunch at the Chateau Lake Louise - another beautiful, wonderful experience - and after lunch Bill and I took our usual walk around the perimeter, photographing the frozen lake, and left Graham resting on a bench. At some point, as he was about to doze off, he heard some commotion in a meadow adjacent to the lake, got up and ran to see what was happening, and nearly fell over himself when he saw these three grizzlies munching on the grass there. This is one of his pictures that Bill tweaked and cropped for him, and he immediately became the hero of the day, as he was the only one of our group to have seen the bears! What a joy!

Well, I hope you enjoy the wildlife. There's no telling what I'll pull out next!