Has summer arrived? It's 87*... feeling like warmth is the name of the game! Butt wait, what about rain and cooler temps on the weekend?

Sunny day greetings to everyone who reads my letters! 

Carson and Ethan just got home from Lincoln, they reported a pretty good day!! Papa, Tim and Jamin are on a walking tract route. I know at one point they were down in Brooklyn. I expect them home soon! This morning at the breakfast table, I proclaimed that I was home alone today!! The guys laughed at Mama's excitement and I asked them , " how they spelled BLISS??" 😂 We are home this evening.... Just had a busy morning of laundry, some cleaning and a little other catch up work from the weekend etc. I answered the doorbell at one point to find a nice looking Spanish couple... maybe our age or older? English was very broken and I had some trouble understanding them!! They were here for tracts and some Bibles. By hand motions and some guess work we gathered they wanted a box of English tracts and 1 of Spanish. I ended up getting a phone number and turning it all over to Darrel and they will come back next Monday!! What they really wanted is what we do for hand outs and we didn't have enough for one thing. 

Last Tuesday evening, we enjoyed Ethan's cooking. He made mesquite chicken stir fry, with chicken and beef sausage, pineapple and veggies. Plus he baked a pan of corn bread. All was good and we thoroughly enjoyed!!

For fun on Wednesday, Darla and I met Berniece over in Queens, by the Queens Mall at a Olive garden. Darrel walked Darla over, they came from Bowery, where they served breakfast. Ron went with me on the train and walked me over also. The party was for my birthday 🎂 I enjoyed the bread sticks, zuppa  toscana soup and cheese ravioli with meat sauce. As we were walking in, Berniece said, we don't normally eat at chain restaurants, but I sure didn't mind, felt a little comfortable for the time being!! We walked over to the Queens Mall and shopped a bit. I hadn't been in a mall for a small age... like back in Kansas days! On home from there and Darla and I actually navigated the system!! And we made it home! Bible study and sing-out in the evening.... lesson was on Whole Hearted Service. Peter, Eric, Laurence's and Clay's were in attendance. Darrel's invited Laurence's, Clay's and us all to their apartment for homemade ice cream! Plus toppings, crackers and cheese. Happy birthday was sang.... enjoyed it all!! 

On Thursday I turned 62!! It was a early morning breakfast at 6:30. Guys then went to 109 pantry and helped serve breakfast and then into the regular work. Ron and I went on the normal weekly shopping trip. In the afternoon, I worked ahead on Sundays meal.... what I could do on advance. Drove to Queens to Clay's for supper. Clay grilled regular pork tenderloins and also a stuffed one! It was stuffed with cream cheese and blue berry jam! Quite delicious! Mushrooms, jalapeno poppers, little potatoes and watermelon finished out the meal! And later for dessert, was the cutest little layer cake that Dana made...in diameter small, but 6 layers....was good, also had homemade ice cream. I rocked Willow to sleep after supper.... when we were leaving, Dana and Willow came walking with a house plant and a card. Willow was holding the card and she didn't want to let go!! Our little NYC princess!! 

Friday morning we dined on fresh sourdough cinnamon rolls from Darla.... busy morning.... cleaned house, did laundry and Ron grilled 12# of chicken. Once the guys got home....they quickly showered and packed and we got on the road for Niagara falls!!! Ate supper in Elmira New York at a 5 guys burgers and fries. It was just this most pleasant evening to be out on the road.... driving through the country side, just admiring all the pretty farmsteads....and then to top off the evening.....a MOST awesome sunset!!! Now the 6 occupants in the vehicle rarely see a sunset where they dwell....so it was a God given wonder!  We arrived at Niagara falls State Park at dark... but we joined the scores of other people lining the fence, to look upon the magnificent falls! We jostled in and waited for a brief moment to get close to the fence.... At 10:00, there was a 5 minute fireworks show! It was great! They do it every summer evening, starting May 15 and running through October! In the dark and crowds of people, we walked back to the parking lot, found the van and drove to our Holiday inn for night. Shane had been messaging with Papa earlier in the afternoon and then he calls, before we go to sleep....small talk and then asks, if Mama was there too AND then the words, I'm engaged!!!!! 💞 It was so much fun talking with him....he is engaged to Lucy Toews from Grifton NC and she has been teaching at Grandview Idaho!! Wedding is August 16. Our 3rd boy to be getting married! 

Saturday morning, breakfast at the hotel and then back to Niagara falls State Park. Paid for parking and then we walked down to Cave of the Winds. Bought tickets and took a elevator down....then a long hallway in a tunnel. Each of us were issued a yellow poncho to wear. Very necessary, let's say! My poncho wasn't cut on the bottom, so ended up with Ron and Carson helping me with mine! Just had to rip open the bottom. ( First we watched some movie about the Falls) There are hundreds of sea gulls all around.... everywhere! They are in their natural habitat, so we were to leave them alone, not feed them or try to pet them!! And there was sea gull poop everywhere!!! We walked numerous stairs and stood on decks, right close to the falls....if you stood in the right locations, one could get completely soaked!! Pretty neat!! I chose not to get so wet!! One lady, a race, that I shall not mention.... except this certain people were out in full force....and they generally are rude.... anyway back to the original thought....we watched in amusement, then turned into disgust! 2 men of hers, helped her out of her soaked tennis shoes and she walked in her pink socks, wet as they were too....along the sidewalks, that were covered in afore mentioned poop!! The bottoms of socks turned black!!! Big ? mark, as to why? We walked and stood a long time and gazed upon the Horseshoe falls, later walked and walked to 3 sisters Island and walked some more! To finish out the morning and early afternoon, we bought tickets for Maid of the Mist and were given blue poncho's this time!!! That was a lot of fun!!! But you get soaked, those parts of you not covered by poncho!! The boat sits in the mist of the falls for a little while, before turning around and making a exit. My tennis shoes and socks were soaked, as well as the bottom of my skirt! We were hungry, so back to the parking lot and to the van. Saying goodbye to the Falls! Ate lunch at a restaurant inside the Double Tree hotel. Ron and I both got the chicken BBQ wraps and they were so good! Started for home....we drove to Auburn NY and stopped at a 7 brew coffee shop. Everyone got drinks.... Auburn was Megz's old stomping grounds when she taught at Finger Lakes. Lots of beautiful country. Stopped in Scranton PA for supper at a Chick- fil- A for supper....kind of silly....but it's a college/university town and we ate on the campus!!! In the basement of one of the buildings!!! Quite a few college kids eating and milling around!! 😋Got home at 9:30, safe and sound!! We sure enjoyed the trip and getting out of the city for a bit...but wouldn't you know, as soon as we seen the NYC skyline, we knew we were HOME!!! 🙂 

Sunday....the SS lesson was on rest, but this Sunday again, seemed like it was only for the mind!!!! Got up at 5:45 and went strong till after 11 pm!! Had work to do for Sunday lunch and also fix breakfast!! We were just 19 for worship and lunch today!!!!! Singing, SS, and sermon thoughts. Tim had the opening, Kendon the thoughts and Ethan closed with prayer. Ron had Kendon and Kaitlyn help him with a song. Attendees were Peter, Ellen and Rebecca. Darrel had a visitor over our lunch, so he ate later. A man named Louis, wants money to help with a church in Muncy NY..... Gospel Tract seemingly told him that Sugar Hill would help him! ( Very doubtful, that GT said this!!! ) I think Darrel got this man a plate of food also! The guys and Ron and I left around 12:45. We had a appointment at Riverside church to tour the Bell Tower. It takes about 30 minutes to get there. We joined the rest of the tour group in the gift shop... Raymond was our tour guide. We take the elevator up for 20 floors and then had 147 steps to walk up!! It wasn't bad, one young man in our group, not ours, was/is scared of heights and it looked like he was going to hyperventilate or something!!! There are 74 bells in the tower, the oldest one being 105 years of age! On top, we could view the city....a lady plays the bells from 1:30-2:00..…we could stand and watch her. It was very fascinating!!! And loud ...my hearing isn't the best anyway, may have just have cooked the rest of it. She came out of her little room to talk a little. Tim asked her to play Amazing Grace... It looked like work to play those bells. Favorite part of tour! We also got a tour of the church. 5 sanctuary's....the main one of course was large, it holds 2500 hundred people!! Some of them were small.... left about 3:00. Meanwhile back at Sugar Hill, they were cleaning up lunch and prepping supper. Loaded up food, supplies and headed to Kingsland Park, beyond Yonkers. We loaded up more food, camp chairs once we got home and hit the road also. About a 30 minute drive.... busy park....a carnival for kids was taking place, but " our" spot was there!! We were the 16 of us and had ourselves a very fine evening! Supper was discada, toppings, watermelon, tortilla chips and bars! Ultimate Frisbee was played, ball tossed back and forth....much talk....later evening, Darla, Kaitlyn, Dana, Willow, Olivia and Thomas...and me took a walk along the river.... beautiful! The Tarrytown bridge is so pretty with the pink lights! We watched with glee, as 2 guys, each on a jet ski... cutting around and the one guy bumbled off and fell into water!!! We sat and watched the sunset!!! Precious times....we cleaned up camp, getting fairly dark and drove home! Laurence's left earlier in the evening, catching the train home!!! 

Guys are fixing to sing... practice for Wednesday evening! 

Have a good week, everyone!! 🙂 

We are looking forward to Friday!!! Rod, Megz, Maeli and Kian arrive into Penn Station!!!! 😁 Can't hardly wait!! ( Lord willing!) 

Love and prayers, Mama Carol