July 4th, a funeral, a really good Sunday, a bear, and Arts Fest

I ended my last post with our trip home from Camp Hebron last Monday. So much has happened since then.  So here goes!

Wednesday, July 3
On Wednesday Austin stayed here for the day.  Part of the time he worked on painting his spinners for Arts Fest.

Of course he spent lots of time playing with the cats.  I finally told him that I thought they were ready for a rest.  So we played Scrabble.  One thing Austin often does is hold on to letters that he hopes to be able to use when he hopefully gets the rest of the letters he needs to complete a particular word.  I always tell him that's not a good idea, because in the meantime he makes low point words and might not ever get the letters he needs for that big word.   WELL.  He did it!  He was waiting and waiting for the rest of the letters to make the word "original."  And then he had what he needed, making a 22 point word, PLUS 50 points for using all his letters.  72 points!!  I wish I had taken a picture of his face when he realized how many points he got!

Later we met Lori at Hunter's daycare.  She sat in my van for a while so we could catch up.  We're like two ships passing in the night most of the time.  In and out of the same house most days, never seeing each other!  Of course Hunter needed to read a book to her!

Beautiful sky that evening.

Thursday, July 4
Thursday was Independence Day.  But no vacation day for the men.  Dick and Anthony and friend Pastor Vern have been working on a big project in the woods.  They're building an elevated "hunting shack."  Those corner posts have been firmly cemented deep into the ground.  I haven't seen it in person yet.  That would require walking in the woods (no trail) in the summertime.  I think I'll just look at pictures until winter, haha!

I spent hours writing my camping blog, then I cleaned the house.  After Dick came home and had showered and rested for a while, he grilled steaks and we had our first dinner on our porch for this year.  Steak and baked potatoes.  My favorite!

Anthony and Lori came over and hung out for a while, then we went to find a spot to watch the State College fireworks.  It was a foggy evening, but we still loved watching them.  All but Hunter.  He really did not like the loud noises at all.  I couldn't even persuade him that they were beautiful. Guess it's good we didn't take him to Longs Park in Lancaster where we sit right under them!

Friday, July 5
On Friday morning I saw the greatest little hack on the Today Show, and I just had to try it out.  When I realized it really did work, I decided to make a video to prove it!  I love cilantro and use it in lots of recipes.  I used to take it strand by strand and cut the leaves off with a scissors.  Then one time Lisa told me she just holds the whole bunch tightly together and cuts it with a scissors.  That is how I always do it now.  Maybe I'll try this method next time,  although I'm not at all sure it is a time saver.  

Saturday, July 6

On Saturday morning Dick and I left at 7 AM, headed to Lancaster County for another funeral. It started out foggy.  Because it was the weekend, we did not have to take a detour, so we got to see the progress on the road construction project on 322.  It's been ongoing for over a year and we never cease to be amazed at the amount of earth-moving that goes into a project like this.  That bridge in the lower left is brand new.  The lower right shows the one side of a future bridge.  I can't even imagine what will go into building the other side of it, because there is nothing but a deep valley on the other side of the road.   

The funeral for Bishop Howard Witmer (not a relative!) was held at Landis Homes Retirement Community.  Howard was ordained bishop of the Mennonite churches in the Manheim area when I was a teenager.  (I remember being SO glad that people thought he would be a better candidate than my dad.  It was bad enough being a preacher's daughter, and I did NOT want to be a bishop's daughter!!)  I always appreciated him, but became much better acquainted with him in the mid-eighties.   Howard and his sweet, feisty wife Miriam listened to us and heard the cries of our hearts for "more."  They invited us and a few other couples from various churches in the Manheim district to join them in a monthly prayer group.  Out of that group was birthed the vision for Grace Community Fellowship.  He asked Dick and I to be the praise and worship leaders.  Our first service was the first Sunday of January 1987. After a few months, when his son Dave had finished seminary in Virginia, Dave and Carol and their little girls moved home and he became our pastor.   There is so much more to the story, but this is not the time or place.  Those were exciting, wonderful, courageous days and years!! We loved these people dearly.

Dave and Carol eventually went on to help start a few other churches, always adventurers! Their little girls grew up to be awesome women, each with four children!  Two weeks ago Carol's five-year battle with cancer came to an end.  We have been following on Facebook, and have been awed at her attitude in the midst of it all.  Incredible testimony of complete trust in God.  Unbelievably, just a few days later, Dave's dad Howard passed away at age 93!  We were unable to attend the service for Carol last Wednesday, so we decided to make the trip for Howard's service on Saturday.  I have even more love and respect for all of this family than I ever did.  They are really fantastic people, every single one of them.  It was so good to get to see all of them in person that day.  I'm so glad we went.

Afterward we went to Dick's parents for lunch.  They are gradually trying to get rid of things.  This time it was Dad's hunting box. Dick has fond memories of it and enjoyed looking through it.  He brought it home, a little against my wishes.  I keep reminding him that everything we bring into our house/shed, someone sometime will have to carry out, haha!!  But I knew it was special to him.

There was a hunting hat that dad put on his head one last time, then he gave it to Dick.  It's really hard to get rid of special things.  He told Arlene,  "Don't bring anything else out now."

We stopped at our favorite Sheetz near Duncannon on the way home and met up with Sam and the kids.  He had just gotten off work.  I can't believe I didn't take any pictures!!  We had fun sitting in their new cafe area.  They were planning to go hiking to find an old tower after we said goodby, but before long we were in a heavy storm.  I wondered how that might affect their plans.   

Later I found out!  This is what they encountered!  No hiking that day.

Sunday, July 7
Sunday was a wonderful day from beginning to end.  We went to our service at GBRV first.  The choir sang for the first time since the beginning of June.  I give them the summers off, but this summer we are singing the first Sunday of each month.   Brenna (flutist) and I did the most gorgeous arrangement of Let Us Break Bread Together for the offertory.  Gorgeous, because the flute part was really difficult, and she just sailed right through it.  I am so lucky to have her!! 

Then we went to the service at Calvary.  Afterward I took pictures of the boys.   Davion, from NYC, is spending two weeks with them again, third or fourth time!  He's the sweetest guy.

We took Hunter home with us for the afternoon. That evening there was a monthly "Flood the Valley" service at Calvary, a service of praise and worship and prayer.  This time it was a joint service with Unity Church of Jesus Christ, where Anthony and Lori used to go, where they met.  Their worship leader, Duane (far left) asked Anthony to consider joining the team that evening, and he said yes!  He has taken a break from playing at church for many, many years, and not because he wasn't asked to play.    

What a night!!!  This joint team was AMAZING!!  And so was the worship and the felt presence of God.  They will definitely be doing this again.

Monday, July 8
On Monday morning, after Lori had gone to work, Hunter to daycare, Austin and Davion to YMCA camp, Anthony heard noise outside.  And what to his wondering eyes did appear, but a bear walking off with a bag of trash that he had taken from their trash can!  He quickly started taking a video, and when he stepped onto the porch, the bear dropped the bag and took off into the woods.  Yikes!!!   I hope that bear doesn't figure out that almost every time I come there I am bringing food!  

One evening this week I took a tour around the house to take pictures of the different lilies we have.  Aren't they so beautiful?

Wednesday, July 10
Yesterday was Kids' Day at State College Arts Fest. Davion and also Lori's nephew Will had each painted some spinners too, so all three of them manned the stand.  They each kept a separate cash box.  One time when Austin was selling a $3.00 spinner, the customer gave him a 20 and asked him, "Now do you know how much change to give me?"  Without answering he opened his cash box.  The children that were with the customer started talking to Austin, and she said, condescendingly, "Now, just let him figure it out."  I heard Austin mutter, "I've given 17 dollars change before." I thought it was funny.  She didn't know she was talking to a boy that's been a mental math whiz for years already!  Just because he doesn't have social graces doesn't mean he doesn't know how to figure out change!

It was a hot day, but they were lucky to have a stand under some trees, and there was a breeze.  But walking to the food stands, and back and forth to the car was hot and exhausting. 

I don't know how much money they made total.  I do know that Austin said he had $165 in his box an hour or so before closing at 3.  A tremendous amount of credit goes to Lori.  She is the brains behind all these ventures.  She sees ideas and possibilities, provides Austin with all the materials, registers him for the event, and his creativity flourishes.  She may or may not have painted a few of them too, haha!  (Update:  I just heard from Lori that they made $280.00!!)

Of all days, Lori was in terrible pain as she awaited her 3:00 appointment for a root canal!!  You would never have known it.  She was there the whole time, talking and laughing with people until she had to leave at 2:30 to walk to the nearby oral surgeon's office.  She's wonder woman, I'm telling you!

Anthony and the boys cleaned things up at 3:00, loading some things into his Jeep, some things into my van.  He took Will home, I took Austin and Davion with me.  First of all we went to Growing Tree, a toy store downtown, so Austin could spend a little of his money on something he was wishing for.  More walking in the heat!  Then we went to McDonalds drive-up for a little food and ice cream.  Then I took them home.  

This was one of the pictures from Arts Fest in Centre Daily Times this morning. Must have been taken early before they had all the display set up. 

And now I'm making plans for my upcoming sibling weekend at Dick and Nancy's house!!  Can't wait!  I'll be leaving tomorrow, coming home Sunday evening.