Had a great time last Monday evening with a group of our Temple Missionaries.  We took a trip down the Erie on this boat, the Mary Jemison

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Here’s the view of and from the top deck.  Elder Poulson in the front next to my empty chair and the couple behind him are Elder and Sister Miller (they are serving at Lake Seneca Camp, the girls’ camp here in our area) and the rest are Temple Missionaries.  So nice to be invited to join them.

We left from a port called “Corn Hill” in downtown Rochester, NY.  We traveled about an hour and half east, went through lock #33, turned around and came back.  We had terrific weather which is rare here.  

Some sites along the way:

Notice the Blue Heron in this picture.  We saw several along the way.  They don’t appear to be as blue and the herons we had on our pond in Fallbrook but still fun to see so much wild life around us here in upstate NY.

             

We passed along the beautiful campus of the University of Rochester. Here’s picture of their very impressive library.

We passed under some neat looking bridges….some very low ones which required us to be seated and cautious as we passed beneath them.  Remember the song….”low bridge, everybody down, low bridge ‘cause we’re com’n to the town”?

Approaching Lock #33, note how high the water level is on the side of the dock.

In the next few pictures, notice the waterline on the side of the dock.  We’re being lowered down so as to be able to sail into the lower part of the canal on the other side of Lock 33.

Lock on the low end beginning to open so that we can pass through.

We started out in this lock way above the edge of the lock.  Now see where we are as the lock opens to let us pass through on the low side.

As we came around a bend in the canal and entered the Genesee River the city of Rochester came into view.

This is the “Fredrick Douglas/Susan B. Anthony Memorial Bridge” which has won many awards.  We turned around just before passing under it.  Just beyond the bridge there is a waterfall and a change in the river….so that’s as far as boats go.  We docked just before the bridge on the right side of this picture.

Notice the buoys in the next picture.

One of the things we like in Palmyra right now is all of the Canadian Geese have come back to nest and raise their families here along the Erie Canal and every other pond and lake around….and there are plenty of those to go around.  We have a pair of geese (they mate for life) here at the Facilities Management pond.  The babies grow so quickly.  Here they are one week ago.

And here they are again, yesterday, one week later, almost as big as the parents.

This pair only has 3 goslings, but over at the Temple President’s home there are 3 pair of geese with a total of about 19 goslings.  It has been fun to watch the parents taking care of, guarding and teaching their young how to survive.  The other day we watched a pair teaching their 6 goslings how to “take off” from the water.  The goslings don’t even have their flight wings yet, but they were practicing “running” on the top of the water which is what they do just before takeoff.  The whole lesson thing was interesting.  The father goose watches for any sign of danger with his long neck stretched out as tall as possible.  The mother goose gathers her goslings around her and somehow, I don’t know how, she gives directions.  Then the goslings spread out and all at the exact same time they “perform” and then return to the mother for further instructions and it all begins over again.  They practiced diving and taking off from the water without actually taking off.

In Fayette, at the Whitmer Farm where the Church was organized, there is a house that houses young sister missionaries in one apartment and one senior couple in another apartment. Here is Elder Poulson scraping and painting the “worn out” places on the garage, the home.   

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And here he is in front of his newly painted doors to the Grandin building where the first Books of Mormon were published. Looking good.

Robin's Eggs

We went to work on a project at the public restrooms behind the Hill Cumorah Visitor’s Center.  Elder Poulson needed to do some caulking around the sinks in the women’s restroom.  These restrooms are closed all winter and we are getting ready to open them up for our summer “traffic”.  As Elder Poulson was unlocking the door, I spotted this nest on the hose wheel right outside the door.

 

   Here’s what was inside….3 robin’s eggs.  Spring has finally come to our part of the world.