Well, as you can tell from the pictures in this blog (four pix posted October 12), I'm back in San Francisco with Phil.

I've also mentioned in previous blogs that I love anticipating the view with which my eyes will be greeted each morning when we open the drapes in our room.

Just look at what I saw the morning of October 4th...photo above and below! I took the above shot first, and before too long, the vista that includes the Bay Bridge in the distance had changed and I took the one just below this paragraph.




The two pictures here, above and below, I took this morning, October 12. When I opened the drapes, I observed that there was a very heavy fog layer. I then noticed a boater moving slowly through the still waters just to the east of the hotel. (You may not be able to see it, but there's also an airplane in the distance, just coming out of the fog.)



Later on, I walked back to the window, camera in hand, in time to see this United 777 drift out of the fog in time to land at the San Francisco Airport. As you know, I never get tired of this! :-)

 

Last weekend (October 5-8), Phil and I flew to Albany, New York, where we spent the night. The next day we met our very good friend, Gerry Mancino, for lunch before driving up the New York State Thruway to Schroon Lake for a "reunion" gathering of many of us who worked at one time or another on the staff of Word of Life International.

Most of you know that immediately after our marriage in 1965, Phil and I began almost four years of ministry with Word of Life. It was during those years that Phil was a member of the Word of Life Quartet/Trumpet Trio, and as the guys in the quartet married and the "girls" joined the group singing, we became the Word of Life Ensemble. Later we would become The New Creation.

Well, it was wonderful to see friends from the late 1960's with whom we worked at Word of Life. We did lots of laughing and reminiscing about our times together in the busy music responsibilities we had at the Word of Life Inn, Word of Life Island and the Ranch. It was also great to learn about the many opportunities staffers have had in the years that have followed.

During our time at the reunion, it was also fun for me to attend a surprise birthday celebration for Trudy Robertson, who with her husband has served with WOL in Kenya for many years. I took the above picture after our wonderful time celebrating and honoring Trudy. It was a lovely "tea," and Trudy was, to our delight, surprised (I think). :-)



Trudy Robertson



Gerry Mancino, our good friend, and Trudy.



Mind you....Phil is sitting; Gerry is standing! :-)

(Keep looking below.....there are sixteen more photos to follow.)

We loved the chance to be in the Adirondack Mountains again last weekend, especially at this, my favorite season of the year! The picture above, and the three that follow, were all taken on the grounds of Word of Life Inn in Schroon Lake, NY.

After you look at the four in this "post," you'll see sixteen more I've posted today that were all taken during a drive northward one afternoon from Schroon Lake, where Word of Life is located, to Lake Placid, NY. There are so many gorgeous sights to behold, and I had a hard time choosing just a few to post here. I hope you'll enjoy seeing what I've included.

 

 

 

 

I took this last Sunday afternoon when Phil and I were out for a walk. It was cloudy, windy, and chilly.....just my kind of weather! ha And the air had the smell of Autumn!

The tide was out at the time, and the exposed sea bed is a place where the sea gulls and various other birds in the area can feast on their "favorites" in the very shallow water and whatever it is they enjoy in that muddy residue!



I never tire of the changing views afforded us from the window of our hotel room. Monday morning brought thick clouds hovering over the bay waters....



....the next morning, sun rays slicing through a thin opening between clouds and shining on the water just beyond the Bay Bridge.



This is essentially the same direction as the picture just above, looking toward the Bay Bridge. However, the sun was triumphing over clouds, and depositing its image on the still water as well.

This past Sunday afternoon, we went out for our regular 20-minute trek along the paved walkway in front of the San Francisco Airport Marriott. As I've done several times before, I took my camera. Captured some photos of flowers. :-) Please be sure and note the hummingbird enjoying nectar from the lavendar flowers in the fourth photo. You can locate the fascinating little creature in the very center of that picture.

 

Two mornings in a row last week, there was a lot of fog here in the Bay area. As I looked out our hotel window, I found it difficult to determine where the bay ended and the sky began in the distant horizon.



Later in the morning, the fog lifted. We then watched a kayaker moving smoothly along in the water, and I watched with great interest as a flock of pelicans followed the boater.



The kayaker coming from the east, as was the plane about to land at SFO.



At this point, the man in the kayak has paddled a great distance, working his way to the extreme west side of the hotel, turning around, and was now heading back to the east.