2013 Week 11: South and North

Another veteran missionary passed on to eternity, my Aunt Joyce.

Brother Alan, Mother and I left Sunday after church and traveled as far as Knoxville, TN.
The next morning we joined all four de Rosset siblings and their spouses and children in Dayton, TN, at cousin Karin's house.
It was such a privilege to share this time with all of them and for Mother to reflect on her relationship with her older sister.

We looked at old photographs and shared memories. I found a drawing (by Joyce and/or Dan?) of the Octagon at Bryan College, where Mother and Aunt Joyce had roomed. Several stories were told of those days.

Mother decided she wanted to go see her alma mater, only minutes away. We drove around in the rain. Everything was so very different, hardly recognizable after so many decades.

On the way back to Indiana we stopped for a few hours to tour the Creation Museum. Mother had long wanted to visit there and it was on our way.
She is learning to enjoy a few different opportunities, impossible during the years of Dad's illness.

When I arrived home Mike was already on his flight to Yellowknife, NWT, Canada, to team up with son Stephan again in the Long John Jamboree ice carving competition.

This year's piece will not be as delicate, but hopefully as awesome. Wait and see!
I'm borrowing a couple more photos from the Long John Jamboree facebook page.

The calm before the Jamboree

Let the fun begin!

Brief messages from father and son report very sunny clear skies and bright aurora evening lights, but -36 to -32 degree cold! Such extreme temperatures make the ice brittle and work conditions more challenging.

Meanwhile back home, I am settling into old routines that were set aside for a few weeks. However, to break up the lonely days, it is good to have a few events to attend, such as a fundraiser chili dinner for The King's Academy where I taught one year. What a special treat to listen to student talent!

Today, Saturday, I attended a poetry workshop at a new Arts Center in the neighboring town and had a lovely lunch at the Common Grounds nearby.

And now, I am waiting for two young grandsons to arrive and spend the night. More fun awaits!