Well, here we go again! It has been several days since my "every-other-day-posting".
Good reason though. Linda and Fred arrived here on Friday night.

As we walked into the office on Friday, I noticed this tree. I walked over to it and could not believe that blossoms were growing all over the trunk. OK all you horticulturists and gardners out there. What is the deal? It sure looks pretty though.

We got up on Saturday morning and went for a walk downtown and saw several of the significant sights. Walked into the old railway depot and were listening to an old man tell us about the depot, when Dad got a phone call and we had to leave to get him to the office to help some of the Sisters. We felt bad because it sounded like an interesting tour and he was dumbfounded that we all walked out. After Dad got the girls settled we headed for our Saturday tour. Off to Far West up north. That is a special place. You get a real reverent feeling there. And on Monday we found out that on Sunday a new ward was formed. The Far West ward. There is so much history connected to Far West. Dad and Fred found plots where their great, great greats lived.

This is a picture of Linda and Fred walking down the path at Adam-ondi-Ahman. Kind of a special walk.

We headed for Jamesport afterward and this is their country store. Everything is dried and in small packages. Everything!

This is shelves of jams and jellies. You could find whatever kind of fruit jams you could think of.

The last pic in the store. More containers filled with food stuff. There were a few Amish in the store, but they don't like their picture taken, so I did refrain. There was one table divided in sections and a PRODUCE sign hanging above it. Along the sections of dried goods was a container of something on the shelf. You could take the lid off and spoon out some of the goods inside to get a taste. The fresh produce was one stalk of rhubarb. Can't figure that out except that I think they probably grow their own fresh produce. We saw two horse drawn wagons passing each other on the road. Two small boys were on one wagon with ice cream cones in their hands. Overalls and straw hats on and they waved their cones in passing to the others in the buggy. It was so sweet. They were so excited to see their friends. They are a very calm and quiet people. Would love to get to know them better.

Whoops! I did get one pic of the back of a mom and small boy and someone they knew in the store. See the straw hat on the small boy

Next stop was in Richmond, Missouri. Here is the burial spot of Oliver Cowdery and Peter Whitmer Sr. Several old grave stones that they have laid down and put cement around since they were deteriorating so much.

Then downtown was a statue of Alexander Doniphan. When George Lucas wanted to kill the Prophet Joseph, Doniphan stood up and said that whoever killed the Prophet, he would see them in hell. He saved the Prophet's life. He was a champion for the cause. How would you like a statue like this with these words on it describing you! Yes, he was a great man and this was not put up by the Church. There were a few good Missourians!

Alexander Doniphan.

We went to the Bingham-Wagonner house with Linda and Fred. I believe I showed you pics of the house a long time ago. I am absolutely fascinated with these little doors in each room. Usually two doors in each room. A crawl space goes around the whole outside of the house. Kids could play and crawl through it and camp out or whatever. It was actually a storage place, but I have a feeling that kids played here a lot.

On Monday we went to Kansas City to the Steamship Arabia. Wow! this was great. A steamship that headed up the Missouri with 20 tons of goods on it and 11 stops to make up the river. It sank just 6 miles up the route and was buried for 132 years before it was dug up. We heard from one of the sons who was in on the dig and it was amazing. After being buried for that long they had to preserve the wood in a certain way. I bought a book about it. Pictures about how it was dug up, preserved and now displayed in the museum. All of the goods are still not cleaned up. They think it will take 15 more years to get it done. Some of the wooden buckets and slates on the Arabia.

I really can't get my pics right any more.

I even love the curtains in the Bingham Wagonner Estate. I was born in the wrong century!

This sign in the window tells the ice man that we want 75 pounds of ice today!

The actual stern of the Arabia. Amazing!

Beautiful dishes that came out of the ship.

Keys and more keys. This ship sank in 1856. These are old and completely preserved.

Food that was preserved in bottles. Yes, they actually opened some and tasted it. OK.

Silverware, coffee grinders, etc.

After the Arabia, we went to Linda and Fred's nephew's home for dinner. It was decided at that time that they were going to leave on Wednesday morning with Merilee, Fred's sister, and her husband, Norman. We went back to our apartment and at 10pm got a phone call that Tuesday morning would be better. Well, I did not have enough time to switch my thinking and so Tuesday morning was a very tearful departure for Linda and I. Oh, it was hard to say goodbye. We just had some very relaxing and enjoyable time with them. Felt like we had been with them just the week before, and hated the idea of it not happening again for several months. Goodbyes are the worst. I cannot think of anything fun about saying goodbye.

So they left and we left for work.

After work today, I went with four other seniors to the inside of a mountain. You actually drive in to the mountain and up to an orchid growing store. It was unreal. These are pics of some of the orchids. Not real good color because of the yellow lights in the place. They are unreal. So many varieties, colors, patterns.

Can anyone see the frog in this display?

Yep! That little green thing sitting on the leaf is a frog in the terrarium. You can see one black eye on the frog. In the middle of the pic just below the top.

Another beautiful orchid.

And yet another.

It has been a fun few days.

Must get to bed so I can face the day tomorrow.

Loves and hugs.