Special Addition - Nauvoo through the lens of my new camera, I love it!!!!

This is just across the street to the east of us. Beautiful spring flowers!
I love red! These red flowers in front of the statues of Joseph and Hyrum are gorgeous!

Meet Mr. Robin Red-breast, he comes to visit us often!!

I love berry flowers!!!!!!!

We are standing across the river in Montrose. Mr. Heron was flying by stilled by the beauty of Father in Heaven's house!!!
Another view of the beautiful Nauvoo Temple from the Montrose side with evidence that there is a kind and loving Father in Heaven who gives us so much beauty in this world!

Breathtakingly divine red tulips!!!!

Another wonderful thing happens in spring that we in the city do not get to enjoy often, the beauty of new life. We saw mama geese sitting in their nests with daddy standing guard near by. Then suddenly new little goslings are waddling around. Delightful to watch!!!

I'm sure this is a family field trip. Mama and daddy explaining where to go and not go. I'm sure there is some time in there to teach geese prayers and read scriptures!!

At the end of Parley street is a replica of a ferry used to take many of the Saints across the Mighty Mississippi. It normally is about 50 yards or more from the river, however with all the rain lately, the river rose to it. The people around here said there has not been so much water since the floods of 1993.

In fact one gentleman who lives in Carthage told us the night of the tornado, he wished the "mormans" would build another Temple because the 2 years the temple was being built the farmers around here enjoyed perfect weather to plant and harvest their crops. This year they are not sure they will be able to get them in the ground so they can mature in time to harvest. They are worried! Interesting observation!!!


I love the 12 mile drive from Nauvoo to the fork in the road to Hamilton and Keokuk. This water fall is along that drive. We stopped for a quiet moment and were mesmerized by the beauty of water, rock, and plants. Heavenly Father really loves us to give us so much beauty!!!


Here I am playing with my new camera. I am inside the Brigham Young home and my companion for the day is giving the outside part of the tour.

I love my new camera!!!!!

Chapter 4 Our first weeks in Nauvoo

Here we are ready for the day as Nauvoo Missionaries


And immediately they have us PARTICIPATING, we did not know what we were doing but we were doing!!!! Here is Elder Flake strummin' "Have I told you lately that I love you" which will be a special number during "Sunset by the Mississippi" starting next week.


There are some horses on our way to preparation meeting each morning. I love to feed them. I have learned they do not like grapefruit, asparagus or oranges. Picky Picky!! They love apples and carrots!



In the Family Living Center we teach about making cloth, candles, bread, rope, barrels and rugs. Elder Flake is now an "expert" at rug weaving on the loom.


I am at the outside back of the Family Living by the "bustle over" where I made bread. It was great fun. Although to make bread daily, it is much easier in the bread machine. If you look close you can see the "bustle" shape, the oven opening is inside.
Elder Flake is working in the Riser Boot Shop. The Riser story is one of faith and enduring. He traveled 600 miles to investigate the church. They had 1 son at the time and through the power of the priesthood was healed when near death. Parents were baptized in the frozen Mississippi.

Come to Nauvoo to hear the rest of the story...!
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As you can see I am in the Brigham Young home. He is a great leader. 70,000 people crossed the plains to settle 350 communities in the west. He truly is the American Moses. His life size statue stands in the rotunda in Washington DC since 1950.

This settee was designed by Brigham Young, his wife could sit rock the baby and mend or hold another child. I would have loved one!

Mary Ann Young, Brigham's wife, was an equally great woman and was a worthy companion to this great man. I learned from reading a letter she wrote to Brigham at the time the Prophet Joseph Smith was martyred, the power of the Holy Ghost was her constant companion in helping them ENDURE!!

As it can with us!!!!!



Elder Flake preaching in the Seventies Hall. The same hall his great great great great grandfather James M. Flake sat in and probably had a chance to preach in also.

I am attempting to weave a wagon wheel rug in the Family Living Center. It is not getting done very fast because we are too busy to work on personal projects.


Elder Flake during the Rendezvous show. The men sing a song "willingly because we have to". then it changes to "willingly because we want to". This depicts most of the Saints attitude..."we will suffer wrong rather than do wrong". Great message for us today!

This is where we will be spending most of our time this summer. It is called Pioneer Pasttimes. We supervise and teach parents and children the games pioneers played. On Thursday we taught 250 school children. We both commented this is a great field trip for schools, plus its all free, except for gas :(

Meet Gabe and Gary. Here come the oxen, oh how slow, but they were steady, and not picky eaters like the horses!!! They ate anything and everything the prairie and mountains had to offer. Come on over for a ride!!!

Yes, I'm behind bars, but for our safety not yours!!!! We were attending a fireside in Carthage and the tornado warning started blaring. We ran for the debtors jail for cover and safety with our friends, Sis. Chumley on left and Sis. Land. The elders wanted to go outside and see the tornado. Sounds familiar, huh!

The grounds here have started to come alive with new life. I have had so much fun taking pictures of some of Heavenly Father's beautiful creations. These lovely daffodils are the first of many just to the side of where we live.