3/25/2018 Carnivals & Quarry Gardens

We usually go home to eat but last week after an extra long day, we stopped at Panda Express.  From the fortune cookies - Mike is the top one.  And guess who got the second one.

The missionaries always volunteer to help at the Chiles Elementary School annual carnival.  The school and parents and PTA set everything up, the missionaries help man the booths so parents can be with their children. The center area had eight or nine of the large inflatables - a rock climbing, basketball, football, bouncy ..and others.  Mike & I were assigned to the food area for both shifts, each item is one token.  We had frozen yogurt, but the pizza and nacho booths were the most popular.

 

Football toss

 Inflatable rock climbing wall - we had not seen an inflatable one before, but the kids loved it.

 Cake Walk

 Basketball, manned by Elders Jheng and Altimarano.  The YSA really does get great missionaries.

 

more inflatables

Helping the 5th graders break up the ice for the bottled water.

Our YSA sisters - Sister Newman and Sister Studdert.

 This was a huge poster where you could write an uplifting/happy note -- Elders Walker and Bradbeer were assigned the task of handing out pens and encouraging people to write.  

 They were official "stampers" - as the kids came in and paid their hands were stamped.  When we first walked up to the volunteer check-in booth, the ladies there gave a cheer -- "We love the Mormons.  You come every year..."

 Elder Waite with Albert and and Alberta, the UF mascots.  UF allows each school in the area to schedule one event when they will come for free to do whatever the school needs them to do - this time they just had to walk around the park and mingle with all the families who take lots of pictures because it isn't easy to get that close to them at a ball game or other events.  The blood here runs orange and blue from the aged to the children.

That statue at the school with the mascots.

We saw this on the way home.  The logs remind me of my dad and Snowflake Arizona

 

Cedar Lakes Woods & Gardens was made from an old lime quarry by a retired orthodontist.  He turned it into gardens and waterfalls and koi (the big fish that look like goldfish) ponds.  It is about 30 minutes from Gainesville.  We met the Schroeders, another senior missionary couple who serve at UF digitizing records and then as member support missionaries to one of the small branches.  This is them with the sister missionaries from Williston. 

The entry itself is quite interesting - one way road

 The sign at the bottom of the little rise says that those coming down have the right-of-way, but if you are going up the hill and there are cars behind you, the cars at the top have to stop.

 The cattle roaming around on several fields looked like the 7 lean years in Pharaoh's dream

 Bat House - a shoe box compared to a mansion if you've see the UF bat houses we posted earlier.

 A bit of encouragement..

Extra large turtle - grateful we got to see him because he headed into his little house and stayed.

 Now just lots of pictures - really beautiful place that was built over several years by the man who owns it and a Florida native who is a talented gardener.  He is multi-skilled and has the Art Combe touch - for those of you who remember Art from Littlefield.

 

 

 

The owners home is right behind this tower which has a porch with swings and benches.  That part of the home is open to all who come to visit the gardens. 

 Close-up on the picture above.  You can see the stone work - individually placed.

 

 Always the big fun trees

This is nesting time.  The gardener said the male and female take turns sitting on the eggs, also there are signs posted that at nesting time the swans are very protective of the eggs,  warning you to be careful.  The actual nesting area is cordoned off.  They are hopeful to get cygnets this year.  Last year the raccoons got to the nest and took the eggs. 

 

Sister Schroeder and I - we are actually up on a little rock ledge by the pond the little waterfall drops in to.  There was one little baby fish holding itself right under the waterfall enjoying every drop.

 

 Two  nice couples from Canada -- we always mention David Stratton and his Winnipeg mission .. 

Love it!!  A favorite Williston landmark.

The Lifeline of Prayer - Elder James E. Faust, Ensign, May 2002

Elder James E. Faust:  No earthly authority can separate us from direct access to our Creator.  There can never be a mechanical or electronic failure when we pray.  There is no limit on the number of times or how long we can pray each day.  There is no quota of how many needs we wish to pray for in each prayer. We do not need to go through secretaries or make an appointment to reach the throne of grace.  He is reachable at any time and any place.