People and Stuff

It has been two months since we moved to Idaho.  I can honestly say that never before in my life have we acquired so much stuff in so little time.  Wow.  Our home is now fully furnished.  All in two months.  Whenever I told Layne that I had found something that would work in the house, he answered, "get it!" What an amazing response from him this is!  I like it.  It looks like we are slowing down at last.  No more stuff for awhile.  You may imagine that the part of Idaho that we now know is where to shop.  But we hear there is more to Idaho than this.

Our friends Pat and Larry Green have taken on the responsibility of showing us some of the Idaho sights located beyond the shopping malls.  Last week they invited us to join their "Thing" group and drive out to Swan Falls and a place called Walter's Ferry.  In case you are not familiar with "Things," they are volkswagon jeep type cars that really are called Things.  Pat and Larry belong to a Thing Club; a group of Thing owners that love to get together and drive all over the area, especially to places where normal cars would dare not go.  Last week we joined them in their Thing and off we went, in a Thing procession, to the Falls and the Ferry.  Pat and I sat in what could be called the back seat and attempted to bond in our usual chatty way amidst the very loud noise of the engine roaring in the back of the car, which is, as you may remember, the location of engines in volkswagons.  Amazingly enough we got used to the noise and managed a continuous conversation in spite of it.

"Things", all lined up during our Thing trip.  Pat and Larry's is on the left.

Layne looking at the Snake River below.  The "Falls" and Dam are  close by.

We toured a small water generating plant called Swan Falls.  In spite of a detailed tour, I could find no falls; just an electrical generation plant that has some water running through it.  But no falls.  Still, it was interesting.  Next we went to Walter's Ferry, a location south west of Boise where gold was discovered in years past.  That brought lots of people to the area, necessitating a way to cross the Snake River to the gold mines.  Thus the ferry.  Eventually the ferry became a bridge.  But the place is still called Walter's Ferry.  A doctor and his wife eventually bought Walter's Ferry and surrounding area and settled there.  His wife was a collector of things of all sorts.  The doctor kept putting up buildings to hold her growing collection.  He died.  She kept collecting and eventually filled the land surrounding the full buildings with statues, signs, and objects of all sorts.  At first it looked like lots of junk.  But as we walked the path around her property, a lovely collection of bronze statues emerged to reflect her strong Christian faith.  Positive affirmations of faith and family filled the path along with the statues, telling a story as we went.  It ended up to be very impressive.

Larry and Layne in front of a home-made chapel at  Walter's Ferry.

Me with some of the bronze statues, these depicting a teacher and her students.

Layne in front of a depiction of the Tomb where Christ was laid,
located along the path around the Walter's Ferry property.

Pat and Larry also wanted to offer us some friends, so they invited us to an Easter dinner, with two other couples.  The eight of us bonded over Easter conversation and met again at our home to discuss our mission to Mongolia.  It was a fun time, and, I believe, we will enjoy an ongoing friendship with these folks.  Making friends here seems to be easy.

Layne discussing Mongolia with new friend Marianne Wilcox
on the left and "old" and true friend Pat Green on the right.

Now that we are mostly settled, I am enjoying our Idaho home.  It is so inviting and warm.  In fact, I enjoy everything about this place except the absence of family.  Happily, my sister Maryanne and hub Bob came to visit for a few days.  Maryanne is very good at decorating so I picked her brain the whole time they were here.  The place looks much better for her influence!  Son Gerald and family are coming back today for over a week. That should fill my family cup for awhile.  I'm so excited to have them with us.

Sister Maryanne Berrett with her hub Bob.

Layne and I watched General Conference together and enjoyed it very much.  I love the thoughts that come to me as I listen.  I have started writing the applications to my life come to me as I listen and feel so encouraged and enlarged by the practice.  My overarching feeling is that relationships are absolutely the most important thing in life.  I'm going to make a greater effort to seek them out.

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by blessings.  I wonder what the Lord would like from me in return.  To have health, comfort, freedom, familyand gospel blessings is overwhelmingly wonderful.  I feel so grateful.