Monday Missionary Activities

Our ward is really good about planning Monday prep day activities.  The first Monday activity we attended was:

Hail and Farewell

This was an evening dedicated to celebrating the missionaries who had completed their missions and were headed home and also to spotlight the newly-arrived missionaries. What a cold, yet lovely evening.

Easterners sorry excuse for a mountain....Sugarloaf  Mountain

What a boring hayride...no smooching!

I guess "arms length" applies to missionaries of all ages....even on hayrides.

Counselor the the Temple President - President Swift and Assistant to the Matron - Sister Swift  

This "farm" is partly owned by the Foulgers - Counselor to the Temple President and his wife

The Pratts and the Foulgers commissioned the Amish to build the barn.  Everything was precut offsite and then assembled on location.  The assembly took only three days.  There are no nails anywhere....just wooden pegs.  A few bolts here and there, but mostly wooden pegs.  An amazing feat.

No animal has ever stepped foot in this barn.....

.......as you can tell from this picture.....

....and this.

Just me talking to the post.

Filling up on good grub...

..... and then hunkerin' down for the program.

Shenandoah Valley and Luray Caverns

Last Monday we missionaries went on a See-The-Fall-Leaves-In-Shenandoah-Valley outing on the way to the Luray Caverns.  For some reason I kept thinking about assisted-living shuttle buses full of cute little grey-haired people bouncing down the road off to new adventures.  Don't ask me why.

Shenandoah Valley is reputed to being one of the best places to visit in the fall.  The following pictures verify that it is true.

Now on to:

Across the highway from Luray Caverns

The cavern pictures look kind of spooky. Sorry about that!

It's hard to believe this reflecting pool is only 3 inches deep.

The mighty Stalacpipe organ

Some man spent a lot of time testing three acres of stalactites to find correct pitches for his stalacpipe organ. Small strikers hit each stalactite as the keys on the organ are pressed.  It makes the most ethereal sounds. We listened to the auto-play organ perform "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God".  Absolutely gorgeous.

I should have taken a picture of all of us in the going-home van.  Five of the six were snoozing.  Maybe even number six, the driver...who knows! Don't get old.  It's pretty ugly.