A Mustache with Appeal

It was a very busy day today. One thing about us going to a conference for the first time, especially one that’s been going on annually for so many years, is that while a lot of people know what’s going on, we didn’t, really. We managed to get everywhere when we needed to but it takes a while to get the rhythm of things. By the end of our first full day, I think we are in much better shape than we were yesterday or this morning.

One of the sponsors/partners of the conference is Lancaster Bible College. They had a friendly little competition this week where people would put on fake mustaches and send them pictures. This was Dorothy’s submission. It was good enough for a free t-shirt and it flashed on the big screen later today as a plug for the competition.

RCC Team

Donna R. and I took these nine teens to Richmond, Kentucky today for the Momentum 2012 youth conference. We left at about 5:30 and covered 520 miles in just over 10 hours including a few brief stops. Traffic was light, the weather was hot but otherwise nice for driving and the kids had a good time on the ride. I have a picture of the whole team but this is a picture that I took with just the kids. The church collected school supplies, which is what the boxes are. More on that later this week.

Cathy, Brian, Ginger, and Sam

We had a nice dinner out this evening with Brian, Ginger, and Sam. Since I hadn’t yet taken any pictures and since I didn’t take any others before the day was done, this is my picture for the day. Thanks guys. It was nice visiting with you all.

The hiking group on a large boulder near Lake Pinchot

We spent the night at Gifford Pinchot State Park with some friends. Since Kimia was with us, we had a bit of rain, but since she helped plan the trip, it’s not like it was unexpected. Some got fairly wet but Cathy and I were dry enough. After breakfast we decided to take what turned out to be an 8.5 mile hike around Lake Pinchot. Here’s what the park web site has to say about the trail:

Lakeside Trail: 8.5 miles, most difficult hiking
This is the longest and most scenic trail in the park. It may be accessed from all major use areas of the park. Walking time is five to six hours. Many parts of the trail are easy walking with gravel surfaces, but some of the remote sections are narrow with uneven footing and wet in other places. Many hikers combine portions of this trail with other trails like Alpine, Gravel, Oak and Quaker Race to make shorter loops.

We had thought it was only about 6 miles, so that extra 2.5 was not particularly welcome. Still, it was a pretty hike and except for the bit where we got off onto a fisherman’s track instead of the main trail, it wasn’t particularly difficult walking. There were some ups and downs but nothing very steep or long. After about 6 miles, when we were starting to get a tired, we got to the Quaker Race Day Use Area, which is across the lake from the campground. We had been around the long end of the lake and had the near end left to go. We bought cold treats and rested a bit. My legs were a bit tired but the real problem was that my back was bothering me quite a bit. I decided, discretion being the better part of valour, that I would wait there and have someone come back and pick me up. Thanks for having pity on an old man, Nancy.

Cathy and Our Tent

After work we went up to Pennsylvania and met some friends to camp for the weekend. I hadn’t taken any pictures today so after we got our tent up, just as it was getting dark, I took a few. This is Cathy in front of our tent. What you cannot see in this picture is the 31 foot RV just out of the picture on the right. I don’t know that I can quite consider that “camping” but that doesn’t mean I don’t see the advantages. I see the advantages in staying in a hotel, for that matter. Having the RV there was a nice in terms of refrigeration, stove, and water and of course, if it rained too hard, we could have gotten in out of it.

Oh, wait…

Ryan, Melissa and Noah

We were fortunate enough to have our good friend Diana over this evening, along with her first grandchild (oh, two of her sons and her daughter-in-law were there, as well). Actually it was great to have them all over, along with Krystal and Mike. But it was especially nice to meet baby Noah, who is an adorable little boy.

I got a pretty good picture of him with Diana, as well, but I figured she’d prefer to see Ryan and Melissa instead of herself. What a beautiful family.

Dorothy, Simone, and Lexi

We got to have lunch with some of our best friends today, including Simone and Lexi. What a treat that was.

Roasted Chicken

It’s not particularly uncommon for the Fourth of July to be a very hot day, often with a thunderstorm thrown in for good measure. There was no thunderstorm this afternoon but it was certainly hot, about 100°F here. We are thankful that we did not lose power in Friday night’s storm. We pretty much stayed in indoors all day today. I decided to roast two chickens, stuffed with a rice pilau. They turned out quite well, if I say so myself. They were basted with a garlic and lemon sauce and were very flavorful. The rice had currents, almonds, and onions and was flavored with allspice.

Making Ice Cream

Although the chickens were very good, there’s no question that the highlight of the evening was the homemade ice cream. Normally it’s something you’d do outside but it was so hot, we figured we’d stick to the inside for that, too. Our power went out just as the ice cream was getting good and thick. We decided it was close enough to being done that we’d take the paddles out and cover it with ice to harden up a little more. Thankfully, the power was only out for a few minutes, so all was well. The ice cream was as good as I remember it. Family members will know what I mean when I say it tasted like 1414.

Timothy

There was a surprise birthday party today for Timothy. Unfortunately it started while I was still at work so I wasn’t there for the “SURPRISE!” part. When I did get there I asked Timothy to look surprised for a picture and this is what I got.

Outdoor Church Meeting

Because of the damage from the storm Friday night much of the area is without power. When our church is without electricity it is not only without light and air conditioning, it is also without running water and toilet facilities. Rather then “forsaking the assembling of ourselves together” (Hebrews 10:24-25) we met in the back yard of one of our families. Special thanks to Amanda and Dave for their hospitality and willingness to host us all. Thanks also to everyone who came, in spite of the heat, and worshiped with us.

We are not a particularly formal church to begin with but as you can see, everyone was quite casual, dressing for the heat. Dave and Fiona were spraying water from spray bottles, which felt wonderful. Thanks also to those who adjusted the service to the situation and to Mike for his message to us from the Word. It was a special time and one we will remember with fondness.