Our final day of seminary for the week was spent with a little review for the kids, some scripture mastery time and each of the teachers brought a treat for their students. 

We saw this porcupine quite high in a hemlock tree eating the leaves.  I've been told that most of the trees here are Spruce and Hemlock. 

After a short nap and some study time and lunch we decided to go up to Mendenhall Glacier and walk around a bit.  The rain was pouring most of the time, as usual.  We did see some beautiful things we hadn't noticed in other times that we have walked around.  There are daisy like flowers all over the mountain sides. 

The foliage is beginning to turn now.  It is making for some beautiful scenery.  There are huge blocks of ice floating in the lake below Mendenhall Glacier.  

We did see a few salmon still in the river but the main portion of the run is over.  The bears come to the river less often.  We did see some mink though.  They were darting in and out of the cover so fast that by the time you saw them you couldn't get your camera on them.  They are a beautiful animal.  And they chirp loudly while they are playing, or fighting.  I couldn't tell which. 

Some of the blocks of ice are house size and even the size of a barn.

I had a wonderful visit on the phone with Travis.  He has a tremendous amount of skill in human relations. 

We tried a place call Booyahs for dinner on our date night last night.  I don't think we'll be going back often. 

The Glacier is more than 35 miles long.  The time lapse photography I saw in the visitor center shows that it is building and receding each year with the winter season.  It is also receding quite a few feet each year in it's total length.

There is a lot of time for study and preparation.  I give the students a chance to ask questions on an assignment sheet each week.  They ask very insightful questions.  It is good that I have time to look the answers.  I have such poor penmanship that I am answering their questions as a message on their facebook page. 

We have had a lot rainfall each day for most of the month of September.  It totals around 7 inches now I think.  There are water falls all along this mountain side and they collect at the bottom and culminate in this beautiful water fall flowing into the lake.

We attended a Thunder Mountain girls volleyball game last night.  One of our seminary girls, Makayla, was on the team.  She and her team mates played their hearts out but lost in three straight.  

A Thursday

We were going to celebrate a successful Institute experience on Thursday.  We didn't know exactly what we were going to do, but we were going to go play.  But, Alas...another rainy, rainy day.  So I started preparing for my next Institute lesson, and Diane prepared for her Seminary class.  Sister Kirkpatrick works for the Alaskan Airlines and can't always be there.  So Diane and Sister Schlecter are doing the substitute teaching for her.  Sister Schlecter is going to Hawaii for 6 weeks in November and that will leave it on Diane. 

The rain continues to pour.  Those who live here tell us this is more than usual. 

Michael Schlecter came over to help me get my DVD player working.  Now we can pre-view our DVDs on the TV instead of the computer.  Sister Schlecter was here with him and she and Diane worked on today's lesson together.

I received another phone in the mail today from the church.  Since Lazarus seems to be doing fine, I guess we'll just send it back.

Jerrilynn Olsen, the wife of our Branch President, David Olsen


And this is her daughter Jaimie, who was just married to Sister Kirkpatrick's son in April.

After the Lesson

There are lots of communications between us and the outlying seminary teachers.  Diane is involved heavily in records keeping.  And I spent the day wrapping up for last evening's Institute lesson.

I wish I could say the cold was on the mend, but it is a good ol' Alaskan dripper.  What is that you ask?  The best way I can think to describe it is this, it is much like a Utah dripper.  In fact they are identical. 

This is our Branch President, David Olsen.

 

 

Here is Ingrid Hansen, Elizabeth Munoz and Lizzie Enjoying Diane's after Institute treats.

Jeri Lynn Olsen and Diane provide the treats for our Institute students after the lesson.  

Kind of a P Day

This cold had my goat for another day.  I was able to do some administrative things but I hung out around the apartment all day.

We got a real surprise from Whitehorse, Canada.  I e-mailed all of our seminary teachers to notify them of an upcoming in-service schedule.  I received back a notice from Whitehorse they had a new teacher.  Those of us in Juneau had not been notified.  If that is the case, then Diane and I will be making a trip to Whitehorse as soon as possible to help the new teacher man the ship.

Diane did the wash...again.  She got a massage to help out her ailing back and she got her hair cut.  She does look nice.  She then prepared a nice chicken dinner for our Spanish Speaking Elders here in the stake.  Elder Smith is from Minnesota and Elder Wirig is from San Diego.  After dinner I had Elder Smith give us a spiritual message.  We knealt on the floor and had a prayer and they were on their way.  I kind of initiate that eat, spiritual message, prayer then hit the door attitude so they aren't inclined to hang around and waste their time or ours.  We enjoy them but want them doing their work.

There was a wonderful movie on BYU-TV about horses running up a ramp, being mounted by a girl at the top, and then diving 35 feet into a pool of water.  We watched it. 

This day found me trying to deal with an Alaskan cold.  I was able to get half of my Institute lesson prepared, but it was between two naps.  Diane went to YSA Family Home Evening without me.  She made a beautiful platter of triple fudge brownies.  The YSA kids had done a great job of planning the evening and nearly the entire plate of brownies came home with her.

The highlight of the day was Skyping with Tiffany and Jonas.  We've now done that with Erik, Amy, and Tiffany. 

I had a wonderful chat with my grandson Tate, who turned 9.  He even told me what his mother fixed him for his birthday breakfast.

Another Sunday

Sundays are so full.

8:00  a.m.  Branch Council
9:10  a.m.  Priesthood
10:10 a.m. Sunday School
11:10 a.m. Sacrament Meeting
12:30 p.m. meet with those going to San Diego for their Temple Excursion
12:45 p.m. Choir Practice
1:30 p.m.   Lunch
3:30 p.m.   Check to make sure I know how to record a CES Broadcast
4:00 p.m.   Record Elder Holland's Address (It was wonderful.)
5:00 p.m.   Baptism (Supporting our Zone Leaders in a Baptism)
6:00 p.m.   Show the CES Fireside to any in our YSA Branch and the two wards that come.
7:00 p.m.   Clean up the equipment
8:00 p.m.   Finally time for Dinner

The highlight of the day was a Skype with Erik, Andrea and the kids.  Just to see their faces after a month is a wonderful thing.  Absolutely nothing is more important to us than our children and grandchildren. 

We have a young man in the YSA Branch, Dexter, who is about 24.  After meeting with the missionaries he was baptized last February.  He has come very far since then.  He is almost always with us at the Sunday meetings and Institute and Choir practice.  He taught his first Elders Quorum lesson yesterday.  He was very well prepared and his presentation was superb.  He works at a mine here in Juneau.  He is a college graduate.  It is wonderful to watch these things happen. 

Talking In Sacrament Meeting

I needed practice on making a DVD recording from a broadcast.  At 4:00 p.m. I went to the church to see if I had learned the process well enough that I could be successful at it.  I seem to have it down.

Upon leaving the audio and video room I noticed the Spanish Missionaries were preparing for a baptism.  I rushed home and Diane and I changed into appropriate clothes for a baptism and joined them.  A sweet little gal, age 11, joined the church.  The service was in both English and Spanish.  There was a wonderful spirit there as all watched a couple of videos by the church after the baptism. 

 Diane and I went out into the rain and found a place to eat dinner.  We really haven't eaten out since we arrived.  We found a place called "Donna's."

I knew we had to talk in church today and while Diane was preparing diligently I was having a hard time doing anything.  In my mind I was going to dissect Section 4 of the Doctrine and Covenants.  And that is the way I left it as I went to bed.  This morning I woke up with an entirely different subject.  I seem to be feeling the need to speak on the Holy Ghost and so that is what I did. 

Diane did a wonderful job with her talk.  She used Julie Beck's inspiring talk from a while back.  She is getting more comfortable behind the podium all the time. 

We had choir practice and a short meeting for those who are going to San Diego next month to attend the temple and visit with the Schindlers, (the couple who preceeded us.)  I think some will be staying with them in San Diego.