Holy Guacamole

Sister Shorter went to a District Relief Society Expo.

"Each branch had a display table of foods and crafts. They each took turns sharing how to make something.  I didn't understand any of that part.  Then we all got to have a taster of the foods.  One woman had guacamole dip that was wonderful.  One of the sisters in our branch gave me avocados from a tree in her yard.  I took pictures so that you could see how big these avocados really are.  I had to put them next to something to give you perspective.  I will share with the other seniors."

Cute little girl

Cute little girl in her school uniform in front of a souvenir shop.

Mock Cemetery

 Interesting mock cemetery with many graves of ideas or feelings that need to be buried.  The spelling on some of the grave stones was interesting.

The Bell House and ampitheater

 We toured the Bell House.  Bell was in charge of the US troops in the Philippines during WWII.  The house is quite large and quite Americanized to suit his taste.  The pictures 

of the flowers come from the "Secret" garden that he created in the woods behind the house.  He would go there to think or to write his wife.  It was very peaceful.

 The ampitheater and stage area adjacent to the Bell House.

City of Vaughan

 This is a tunnel that the Japanese dug during WWII.  It has small cavities dug

out to the sides, presumably where soldiers slept.  Its height is remarkable since

Japanese people at that time were small in stature.  However it is damp and would 

be very dark without the lights that have been installed.

President and Sister Rahlf taking a break and enjoying                 

the scenery.

Botanical Gardens

 A few pictures from the Botanical Gardens.  

This is a replica of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Baguio City- Part 3

 From left to right:  Elder and Sister Honeycutt, Elder and Sister Morgan, Elder and Sister Leslie, Elder and Sister Shorter.

All of these pictures were taken from an overlook called Mineviews.

Baguio City- Part 2

Elder Shorter made a friend (for a price) the Botanical Garden. 

 Interesting statue at the entrance of the Botanical Garden.

Our group--Elder and Sister Honeycutt from Texas on the left.  He is the financial secretary, she is the secretary to the President.  Elder and Sister Leslie from Idaho on the right.  They are self-reliance missionaries serving both the Cauayan Mission and the Laoag Mission.

Baguio City- Part 1

 Our first evening in Baguio, we shopped at Narda's which sells hand woven items--ties, scarves, purses, jackets, etc.  We enjoyed looking at all of the fine products available.  Then we stopped at a city park.  There are few parks in our mission area so we really enjoyed this opportunity.  It was peaceful and serene.

Notice the red flowers in this tree that looks much like a willow.

 The park had a pond area. These paddle boats and some row boats were available for rent.  One of the couples with us rented one.  They said that it was difficult to maneuver and that the pedals were hard to reach.  But they still had fun.

Watching the kids around this fountain in the park was fun.  The sun was going down and so the air was beginning to get chilly. 

On the way to Baguio City

These are some pictures that we took on our way to Baguio City.  The journey there reminded us of 501 to 130 to Glasgow and Buena Vista.  However, there were more hairpin turns on this journey and it was much longer.  The mountains reminded us of West Virginia. The people amazingly farm right on the side of the  mountains.  You may notice the pine trees at this higher elevation.

 A dam right in the valley.

On our return trip, we took another road that bypassed Aritao and took us by the river and into Bambang.  We couldn't resist stopping at this bridge.

Old Catholic Church

The remains of an old Catholic church in San Pablo, Isabella.

Goat meat

This sign reminds us of Bishop Williams every time we pass by it.  Goat meat is the most expensive meat you can buy here.  As far as we know, we haven't eaten any.

The bridge to nowhere

 This is a bridge to nowhere found in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan.  It ends after the second green support--about halfway to where it should go.  This is what happens when the political leader changes and doesn't want to spend money on the past leader's project.  What a waste!

The end of the bridge!  This bridge is not over water, but over rice fields.

Ferris Wheel and more

 Wish we had ridden the Ferris wheel.

 Flooded rice fields in the lower right.  This is a LARGE living area by Philippine standards.  There are several dwellings in this cluster.

Despite what the people lack--many of them live at poverty level--they are a happy people.  They know all of their neighbors.  They are probably related to most of their neighbors.  Their children play in the roads--their chatter and laughter are wonderful sounds.  For the most part they are polite and friendly and eager to please the "Americano".  The women at church greet me with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.  The men are ready with a hearty handshake.  The children love the hugs too and like to pat my fat arms.  Oh, we have had challenges.  But I am sure there are many areas of the world that would be more challenging.  We are grateful for this time.

View from our one and only tricycle ride.  Not much to see from inside, straight on.  Elder Shorter rode behind the driver on the motorcycle.

Bambanti festival

At the Bambanti Festival in Ilagan.  Each city in Isabella had a group of young people dressed in costume, who performed a dance to be judged.  Some of the colorful costumes are seen in pictures that follow.

 This celebration takes place every year in February.  There were many  more.  These are among the best shots I got.  Unfortunately I didn't check my camera battery before we left and my picture taking was cut short.

Some random pictures

A tricycle that Elder Shorter just had to take a picture of.

A sunset picture taken from the Mall of Asia overlooking the Manila Bay.

 This is what rice looks like shortly before ready for harvest.