In the Carolinas now

We are now in North Carolina and living in the parsonage of Joy's father's church (he is the senior pastor). Rodney is currently making a desk for his study. The church/house is in the country and our closest neighbor is about 1/4 mile away. There is a lot of room on the property for the kids to play.

We have really enjoyed being here for the turning of the leaves. One night after a church cookout we got a nice shot of Jupiter, the moon, and Venus with the church steeple in foreground. During the cookout I 'launched' two of my hot air balloons, but for some reason both of them crashed and burned. I was disappointed they didn't fly, but the kids loved seeing them burn, so it was still a good show.

We recently returned from a trip to Alabama to see Rodney's grandmother who just turned 91. She is the last of 8 siblings. This was her first time meeting Maren, so it was a special time for us.

During the Taylorsville Apple Festival we found this old fire truck and took some photos. As I was sitting in the driver's seat I realized the key was in the ignition and I thought, 'I bet this thing really runs'. And sure enough it is a running (but not working) 'engine', and Austin found the horn too.

We return to Calif. on Dec. 16 and fly to the Philippines on the 31st.