Pictures 7/20/06
Below you
can see additional pictures that I could not include in the Prayer Update
e-mails.
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We were
blessed by a visit from the Glick family, dear friends from Ohio.
This really
is just two
families. We met the Glick family some sixteen
years ago,
and have enjoyed many times of fellowship together.
Just
returning from a singing/evangelistic trip in Mexico, they shared
fresh
stories of what the Lord is doing in and through their family.
Dad's work
in the garage gave me some more motivation to go through
my stuff,
and get rid of what I really don't need. I am ashamed to say
that some
of this went from Chicago, to Maryland, then to Wisconsin!
At a
graduation for some friends, an address was given by Joshua Chegge.
I never
forgot the day several years ago when our family heard his testimony
in the
living room of our pastor's home. Joshua and his wife showed us
the scars
and shared an incredible account of God's deliverance in
the face of
cruel persecution for their faith in Christ while living in Africa.
One of the
activities at the all-school reunion was a milking contest
humanely
performed on this patient cow. Lydia, pictured above, tried her
hand, but
it was actually my sister Sarah that got the most milk in two
minutes of
any of the ladies that tried the challenge.
As hot as
it was, the younger ones enjoyed the water balloon catapult
activity.
As children of an alumni, we got to do it all for free.
...Hmm...
-interesting analogies here...
After some
practice, they got to be quite good shots, getting me much
wetter than
I had anticipated! (Each side was given five water balloons
per round.)
Dad rides
by on a float with his classmates.
Richard,
one of Dad's former teachers, enjoyed hearing about our family.
David took
the younger ones on a hike by the wild rice river, where Dad
used to
spend time as a boy.
Some of
Dad's relatives, Frank and Jean Kindseth had us over for ice cream
and
fellowship in Twin Valley, Minnesota.
As Mom and
Dad visited with the local pastor I timed the younger ones
on some
sprints in the gym.
After some
more suggestions from his older siblings, Matthew learned
that a fast
start is critical for a good sprint.
Samuel
watches over the rail as the cowboys prepare for the next round
of
competition.
How little
did we imagine that we would have the opportunity to ride a
horse
ourselves just a couple hours later!
The younger
ones don't get to ride horses very often, so this special
treat was
all the more appreciated.
We enjoy
seeing the beautiful flowers here in the States.
David must
have taken this picture while I was untangling one of the swings.
Isaac and I
used to catch various creatures in this stream.
Often used
for family reunions on my Dad's side, this site provide a nice
place for
us to camp for a night.
A morning
scene with a "breakfast buffet"
One last
"under-dog" before it was time to leave.
In
Barnsville, Minnesota, we stopped in to see my Dad's brother Mark.
Another
pretty flower.
This sight
wasn't so pretty. Derrick's haybine broke down in the field,
slowing the
hay production this year.
Derrick
works to jack up the twisted frame.
Replacing
the flimsy conduit poles, (on ground) with the heavier water
piping from
our bar gave the rigidity that we needed on the carriage.
Of course
we had to take time for "tests" as we completed different
phases of
the project.
The Bible
Club team gets ready for their two weeks in the Cities.
A sending
prayer, and off they go...
Back on the
farm, things were a little quieter, but we enjoyed a visit from
some of
Dad's relatives. Clarice, the lady with the white hair, is the cousin
of my Dad's
mother.
Noland
enjoyed a ride on our wagon as Matthew took him around the driveway.
Haying
season brings extra fun for the smaller Wallers, as I discovered
last
evening. They were jumping off a shed into a tall pile of soft
hay.
Derrick's
calves seem to be growing well.
Some would
even take corn from the hand.
In the
watered garden, our corn is growing very well.
But the
fields are a different story. The lack of rain the last couple months
has raised
serious concern for farmers in this area of Wisconsin.
While not
good for growing crops, the dry weather is nice
for baling
hay. Derrick has a growing stack of square
bales (yes, they
are actually rectangles) in our steel shed.
Matthew
tries out the back and armrests that Samuel added to the carriage.
Lydia with
another project that Samuel had made. Note the hinged door
on the
bottom for picking up the mail at the end of our lane.
With the
three youngest riding, it was still a smooth ride, -and good
exercise
for the one on the bike. :-)
The look
seems to say: "Are you finished taking pictures yet, so we can
go for our
ride?"
An old
v-belt seemed to give the right combination of strength and flexibility
for
constructing the hitch.
Some
plastic milk carton washers helped reduce the wear on the belts.
(Just in
case you ever build one of these.)
"Okay,
just one more picture, then we can go."
Here is a
big flock of red winged blackbirds that we saw on our ride.
Here are
some of the "red wings" as they flew by.
Derrick
works on the brakes for his car as Rebecca looks on.
"Sunny",
the neighbor's dog loves to be with the younger children, and
probably
spends more time at our house than her own "family" where
the
children are grown.
Rachelle
and Samuel planted some flowers by our house, adding some
color to
our yard.
Well, he
wasn't quite riding it, -yet! Matthew enjoys looking at the horses
at the farm
of some friends of ours.
In
yesterday's update from the Bible club teams, they sent a few pictures
that I
thought I would include. David is on the far right.
Teaching at
a Bible Club was a new experience for many of these young
people.
Here Sarah
tells a story for one of the clubs.
Hope you
enjoyed the pictures!!
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