September into October

The Gordons invited us over, along with the Ogles and Morts, on Labor Day. Their house has been in Robert's family for 150 years, and it is RIGHT ON THE BANK of the Des Moines river. Inside, a separated room (up some stairs off the kitchen) is where the hired help lived. It is an innnnteresting place ... REALLY something!



Here are Mike & Anne, watching the lawn games. It was Mike & Ann who Jeremy and I ended up playing in the Corn Hole tournament after supper. They won. How Jeremy and I won that first game in the first place is still beyond me!



Here are scenery pictures I took, of the river, that evening.




See the jetski in this pic? I never would have thought about it, but during the summer, especially on the weekends, their place was just about as *noisy* as if they lived by a busy highway, what with all the traffic on the river!!! Wow!






I am greatly enjoying teaching my Bible class these days! These are my four students I have every Wednesday evening. I LOVE THEM. Ross, Lexi, N, Hope [Our new room is one of those which was remodeled. It's allllmost done!]



Here are a couple pictures of the completed, remodeled kitchen. This first one is basically of what has affectionately been titled "The Landing Strip"! Isn't that one beautiful stretch of counter top??! The original kitchen is way back in there, two ovens, two refrigerators, one sink. The new sink, a huge, deep one, is a long-anticipated, welcome addition.



This one I took from the doorway leading from the kitchen into the previous 'fellowship hall' (turned two huge classrooms) toward the south entrance of the auditorium. On the other side of the pass-through window, and through the doorway there you can hopefully see a little bit into the big dining room. All it needs is carpet!



Grandview's last "family photo" :) was three years old. (That picture was used to make the slideshow-type header at the Web site.) Last fall a new photo was taken. They recently had it professionally printed, and post a copy on each exterior door, and at other strategic locations in the building. Nice.



I wanted a leaf decoration for the front door. I assigned the task to Natasha, letting her choose five leaves, all different from one another. She was to copy them onto plain printer paper, trying to make them each as big as the paper would allow. SHE RAN WITH IT, even down to copying each leaf's VEINS! Before I hung them, I shot this picture, for the record.




This is what it looks like out front. Not bad, not bad! It would look prettier if we had a dark wood door, but ... can't have everything. :)




Oh how we like fall, especially because we are sssso comfortable outside in these temps! Here is a video of N & J scooting. I still don't think often enough to shoot videos. I'm working on it.



At a garage sale last summer we bought the children these "Moon Shoes" for next to nothing. As many hefty rubber bands (came with them) as necessary are laced in so that the child's strapped-in feet, 10" off the ground, don't hit bottom when they jump. It's QUITE a balancing act!















Jeremy had them race. They TOTALLY TIED.



We remembered to turn the camera on ourselves!



Last Saturday we were invited to Josh & Sarah's, for more shooting. The Walkers' former Brazilian foreign exchange student was in town with his new wife; Philip & Marnie wanted to include this event in their friends' visit. Josh cooked the hot dogs & hamburgers we all brought for supper, and built a bonfire ... topped off with hot chocolate and S'mores. This first picture shows the guys shooting. Jeremy, Philip, Bruno, Tyler, Josh, Justus, and Jacob, and Sam (hiding beside Jacob, much Justus's and Jacob's fascination...).



Anne had to work that night, but Mike & Charlotte were there! They were conversing beside the bonfire.



Jeremy was the Marshmallow Roaster. He is SUCH a good marshmallow roaster, with those long arms!! He can hold the sugary bits right up over top of the fire where it's hottest, so it takes way less time. Perfect! :) (They do sell marshmallows in Brazil; I asked, much to Jeremy's chagrin. Sorry, babe! ... But I still think that was a fine question to wonder aloud!) this picture shows Philip and Marnie, our beloved friends who are likely moving south, for work, within weeks or months. :**(