Summer is here

The Father's Day package from Andrea finally arrived on Tuesday containing some gluten-free granola bars and a cute card.

We got a call on Monday evening from Priscilla, a member who comes now and then. She warned us that this will be a hot week and wondered if we had an air conditioner. It makes us feel good that members of the branch will contact us and not just wait for us to contact them. Summer is here so we better get used to it.

Boats on the canal - a sign of summer

We had a very spiritual district meeting on Tuesday about the atonement (Thanks Elder Pineira for planning it). It was the final meeting of this transfer, so next week we will likely have some new missionaries.

Our district
Rear: Elders Pineira, Phillips, Wheeler, Gwilliam, and Goodman
Front: Sisters Jungert, Beasley, Wheeler, Meng, and Hurst

Sister Beasley signing the flag with Sister Meng watching

We took the long way home after district meeting, riding through Prince Edward county. We then went past Stockdale where we found another mill. We drove all around trying to find a bridge across Trent River to get back into our area. We even had to stop for a police check on one of the small country roads. They were looking for drinking and seat belts. We finally made it back home.

Stockdale Mill

School bus along a country road

 We only had about 15 minutes in the apartment before we were off again, this time to a dinner appointment with Mary and Penny. Penny recently moved in with Mary from Bowmanville and was able to find a job in Campbellford. After dinner we helped Penny get her computer up on the network.

Penny at her computer

The district is trying to find out the actual boundaries of each branch. We got the church map from President Holt and tried to tell where the boundaries were on an Eastern Ontario map - it wasn't easy. Wednesday was a very hot day. After our morning walk, we decided to take advantage of the air conditioning in the car by driving way up north to the corner of the branch by Kasshabog Lake, where cottagers come for the summer.

Along our morning walk - I can't keep up with Sister Wheeler

Kisshabog Lake

A turtle we helped across the road and once it was across it turned
around and went right back where it started from

 We passed through Peterborough on the way back.

City park in Peterborough

 We got a call from President Holt requesting Elder Wheeler give a talk in sacrament meeting on Sunday. Didn't we just give talks on Mother's Day? It's a good thing the bottom of the barrel hasn't dried up yet. We were able to work on the talk and Sister Wheeler's genealogy (she discovered more lines with Canadian connections) on Thursday before we had dinner with the Holts on Thursday.

Swarming bees in Ferris Park

Watch out for tractors in the country

We called Lisa Weaver, a member we had met in Madoc, to see how she was doing with the summer heat. She and her mother (whom we learned was also a member of the church) lost their home to a fire and are living in a temporary house. Since we have two old air conditioners at the church that are not being used, we took one to them on Friday, giving us the opportunity to meet Lisa's mother.

Lisa with Sister Wheeler

The house destroyed by fire

On the way back to Campbellford we stopped by O'Hara Mill Pioneer Village in Madoc. We visited it during the winter, but it wasn't open. Actually it doesn't open until July, but we were able to walk around all by ourselves.

O'Hara Sawmill

The giant rock lifter

Is this where bottled water comes from?

Elder Wheeler's new girlfriend

 We spent several minutes sitting at a picnic table by the pond watching the geese. It was very relaxing.

O'Hara Pond

 Since we weren't pressed for time Saturday morning, Sister Wheeler decided she wanted to walk around the canal. One day we drove to the canal and walked around it, but she wanted to do it from our apartment (before breakfast, no less). So we walked, and walked, and walked. We measured it later - 4.3 miles (almost 7 km).

On the Rotary trail around the canal

We needed to share the trail with geese (and watch our step)

The Relief Society had a special activity Saturday afternoon. They invited the brethren also - since it included a pulled-pork dinner. We had a professional photographer come and give us the latest-and-greatest about photography. We will have to see if a new digital single-lens reflex is in our budget when we get home. Of course Elder Wheeler forgot his camera and had to take pictures with his low-resolution ITouch.

President Holt learning about photography

Elder Wheelers talk went very well. It only put half the congregation to sleep, jk. He was given his choice on subjects. When he asked, "What about the gospel of Jesus Christ?" President Holt thought that might be a bit too broad so they settled on the 4th Article of Faith. We had our monthly pot luck dinner after church using some of the food left over from the Saturday activity.

The lineup for pot luck

Tonight we had a family history fireside in Belleville. It lasted about 2 hours with several speakers and a demonstration of New Family Search. Joan, who works at our family history center put it together. We rode with Mary. It also gave us a chance to see the Belleville Sisters (Jungert and Beasley) before this week's transfer.

Mary getting out of her van

The Belleville sisters get refreshments