Chester Cathedral

Our visit to the Chester Cathedral was memorable. As you can see by the architecture inside and outside, it was a sight to behold. The artwork on the walls depicted Bible stories, but the one that stood out to me was of Aaron and Hur holding up Moses' arms during an Israelite battle. The graves in the church were dated back as far as the 1600's. I checked out one that was of a father, mother and 3 children. There must have been a story behind those deaths.

Visiting Liscard and Chester

Left, John Leal gave Steve and I a tour of the church he pastors in Liscard, Christ Church. The stain glass windows, in the back of the photo is spectacular.

The following day, John and Heather drove us to Chester, where we walked the Roman wall. The clock on the right, was erected on the wall in 1879. We strolled through some of the streets of Chester, looking at the architecture and statues, amazed that some are still standing. We did experience an English rain (drizzle), but that didn't stop us from enjoying the fellowship we had with our friends.

Hiking on the Thurstaston Common (Reserve)

Upon arriving at our friend's house, John and Heather Leal, (pictured on left on hike) in Wirral (near Liverpool) we had a cup of tea and then drove out to the Thurstaston Common (Reserve). We had our hiking shoes on and did some brisk walking on the trails. We were high enough to look over and into the province of Wales. The water you see in the photo is the Irish Sea.
The unusual mushroom you see here on the left is poisonous, but quite pretty :( One thing we noticed about the colored rock and some of the formations, it's a shade lighter than what you would see in Sedona, AZ. The climb-able rocks were also similar, but our climbing skills are not as good as they used to be. Thankfully, we had no rain on the hike. The sun was out and positively beautiful.

Brownies at Camp

We had the opportunity to be with the Brownies at the Guy's Farm on their first day of camp. Some of these girls had never been away from their dad and mom. So there was a little whimpering :( But getting involved in all the activities, they were having the time of their life. Of course, dishes and "washing up" are always part of camp. It's part of their summer vacation. Emmanuel Church Brownies joined in the camp this year. We know the first night is always an exciting night, not much sleep. We were glad to have our own bed :) at home.

Our Ms. Emily has produced Tomatoes!!

As you can see from a previous blog, Ms. Emily has produced some red and ripe tomatoes. The first one was placed on the coffee table near where there are others to be picked. There are between 60 - 70 little green tomatoes that have sprouted. There are still more flowering, so that gives hope for many more. Mr. Keith Jr. has struggled, so recently we have put him in a larger pot to let his roots expand. These tomato plants are actual miracles, that they are still alive. We've been coached to understand the needs of tomatoes in different periods of their growth. So, when we leave on our vacation in a few weeks, we may have the neighbors water and keep an eye on Ms. Emily and Mr. Keith Jr. The way we talk about them now, you'd think we were attached to them :)

Last Boy's Brigade Meeting- out for the summer

Many of the boys didn't show up for the last meeting of the Boy's Brigade, but you had to see some of these leaders, that are dedicated to helping these boys earn their badges and work with their behavior.

If you ever hear me talk of Fred, he's the older gentleman in the front. He has been involved with Boy's Brigade, as he says, "donkey's years." The lady in the red shirt, Sue, she's a peach!! She helps keep the little ones in order. The other Sue, just behind Sue helps with the boys that are in the middle group. The other men involved, in the back, Steven, Simon, and the other names escape me, play their hearts out, soccer, dodgeball, etc., with the boys. We do pray the Lord will increase the numbers of boys and also raise up leaders for His Kingdom. Of course, you know the guy on the left, in the back, with the collar, he's my sweetheart for the last 34 1/2 years. I'll keep him!!