the end of our 4th month in New York

Each week flies by at a very fast pace. Every day is filled with something new. We are enjoying Spring in New York.  On Monday night, we had a social and pot luck dinner for senior missionary couples in Mendon at the John Young (father of Brigham Young) home, where Elder and Sister Servoss reside. Before dinner, we visited this very old cemetery . (how come us old folks are drawn to cemeteries?)

A few people in Church history are buried here, in the Tomlinson Corners Cemetery -- Solomon Kimball, great grandfather of Spencer W. Kimball,  and Brigham Young's first wife, Miriam. She died of tuberculosis at age 26, soon after she was baptized. The old original tombstones are embedded on the backside of the newer granite slabs.

We passed by this very sad looking old barn, dating back to the 1800's. (great place for Halloween)

We revisited this site also -- so much greener and warmer than our visit in the winter.

The next day, it was back to apartment duties, moving some Elders to a new apartment, with the help of the A.P.s (Assistants to the President).

Now, you"d think a guy that tall wouldn't have to stand on a chair. The little orange tree on the right belongs to Elder Simmons. He grew it from a seed, and it goes with him each time he is transferred to a new apartment.

On Wednesday, during our weekly district meeting, we  said "Good-bye" to our district leader, Elder Bowman (such an awesome missionary) who is going home tomorrow morning.

Much of the rest of the week was spent in the Finger Lake region of our mission.  It's been very difficult finding a decent apartment for a new senior missionary couple in the little village of Penn Yan (don't know where they come up with these funny names).  We drive through the most beautiful scenery.

When I hopped out of the car to take this picture, I forgot the cell phone was on my lap. It flipped out into the field. Twenty minutes down the road, when I couldn't find the phone, we headed back to the field, and luckily it hadn't been run over by the car when it was backing up.

Another day, we stopped by Seneca Lake. The Hobart and William Smith College rowing team was out practicing.

On the drive home on Friday, we visited the Peter Whitmer Farm in Fayette. Two of our lovely sister missionaries gave a wonderful tour of the place where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was formally organized in 1830.

Sister Crook (born in Houston) and Sister Jones (from Dallas)

This is the room where 60 members gathered on the day the Church was organized. We now have about 14 million members throughout the world.

And here is tired, worn-out Sister Ellis at the end of the tour and a very long day. I'm grateful these young, pretty, and smart (as well as very spiritual) young women are giving the tours, and not me!

Elder Ellis in front of the visitors center on the Whitmer Farm.

The Whitmer log cabin is on the left under the trees. We could have stayed here forever in this very peaceful, beautiful site surrounded by a hundred acres of lush green farmland. All we needed was a hammock to string up between the trees, and we'd never leave.