We tried to get some pictures of the progress of the temple but since we must take them while traveling on the freeway we can not slow down much so this week we got a couple of good shots of the South side and a great – if not planned – one of some of the equipment that is being used. Hopefully we will get better shots in the weeks ahead as we travel home from the Pine’s chapel that is supposedly going to be open for September’s testimony meeting!

    

It was Mary’s turn to feed the ducklings – they are getting quite big and they can put away an amazing amount of bread. They are also not very polite about sharing – it is every duckling for itself! The smart ones catch the bread on the fly but there is plenty of scrambling. Mary is really enjoying helping Sister Rampton with improving her piano playing. I get to spend the time either reading something from their excellent library or talking to one of the daughters – usually Chloe. I have a great picture of her studying but I promised I would not put it up for public display.

    

Needless to say one of the things that we regularly check is the forecast of where now tropical storm Isaac may be going. It is rather like the old saying – “Pray for the best and prepare for the worst.” I went to the gas station this morning to make sure our gas tank was full, we have water, lots of high calorie food bars, our cell phones and iPads are fully charged, but we do not enough batteries. The mission has a program in place as to where each missionary companionship and the couples will go if it looks like Issac decides to take a bigger turn to the East.

While we were preparing for the possibilities of a hurricane here in Florida, we found out that a couple of teenagers playing with fireworks started a fire on the North side of Rock Canyon which is way too close to our neighborhood. Thankfully there was little wind and the great firemen and women were able to get it under control before it did any real damage. However the two culprits were caught and their families are facing a bill of around $100,000 to cover the cost of fighting the fire.