Late Summer

Nauvoo in late summer is quite a different place from June and July. It is still hot but not as humid as it was in late July!! While attending the Country Fair, prior to the Pageant, I was standing watching a granddaughter making a braided head band. Suddenly, I realized that my neck and forehead were lathered!! I usually do not sweat so profusely, but what a shock! Thankfully, temperatures are down in the 80s and mornings are much cooler. The insects are loving it (well, they love any hot weather); you should hear the cicadas. They get so loud sometimes that you can hardly hear!!

The sunsets have been spectacular. There have been a few light rainstorms, but the grasses and trees are suffering from lack of rain. In June and July we had a lot of rain and many thunderstorms, but now we just get some cloudy days, but no rain!
The performing missionaries are gone. (This is us with Elder Rose!!) We miss their energy and enthusiasm. The crowds are dwindling as many families head home to start school. We've heard that tour groups will be coming in September, so that will be fun. It is always so enjoyable when we are busy in the temple.

Last Thursday was our first day serving as shift coordinators. All went well, but that's because our predecessors were shadowing us! This week we have to make up the whole schedule and hope that all runs smoothly as it did last week.

Our p-day activity last week was very interesting and educational. We drove to Iowa City, where we had a tour with the Iowa State Institute of Religion Director, Brother Murdock. He is very spiritual and infomative. We learned a lot about the handcart pioneers and what they went through as they prepared for the trek West. We learned about Governor Lucas, who served at the same time as Governor Boggs, but who treated the Saints with kindness and fairness, rather than hatred and jealousy. He said that they deserved every right as any other citizen of the United States to worship as they wished and to enjoy their rights under the Constitution. After we went to the different sites in connection with the pioneers, we drove to a community called Amana Colonies, settled originally by Germans, wishing to live a communal life style. Today the commune is gone, but the place has been preserved as an historical site.