Lake FHE...

The weather was nice on Monday so we decided to go to the lake for Family Home Evening. Since it's October now, we're thinking it was our last lake day or one of the last. I think it's supposed to cool down next week. So here's one of the kids.

And one of us.

And then I wanted one of Juliet and me walking along the beach.

Merril kept the kids out of the shot for as long as possible. Finally, they couldn't resist.

And then we just laid around the beach for awhile. After about half an hour, a huge flock of big birds took off from across the cove. They flew in V formation and were nice looking white birds with black wing tips. Seagulls are common at the lake but these birds were different and seemed like the migratory sort. As they flew by, I said, "Those look like pelicans, don't they??" We watched their V formation fly to a muddy bump in the middle of the lake and settle in. As we left to go home, they were still resting there so decided to go have a closer look.

Sure enough, it was a flock of around 18 pelican birds. (Excuse the picture, I had the optical and digital zoom maxed out so it's grainy. The birds were jittery and this was as close and we could get.) Our lake is a nice migratory stop over for birds. When we come out in the late fall to go to the adjoining sand dunes, the lake is often covered with birds, but I've never seen pelicans before. It was groovy.

I've been busy working on my first patchwork quilt, something new and scary for me but lots of fun!

I also need to mention that our ward was re-organized on Sunday. We're part of the new ward that'll start going to the new church right by my house. We have the 9:00 slot and we'll be the first ward to the use the building, the Sunday after General Conference. At the meeting to divide the ward, the stake center was packed! The stake president got up to welcome everyone and said, "Our opening hymn will be 'I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go'..." and the whole congregation busted up laughing! Merril said that's the most spontaneous laughter he's ever heard in a meeting. We've been waiting for the changes for about a month and I think a lot of people were really worked up about it. I'll be missing some friends but our new ward will surely be just as wonderful.

AND, Merril will be running the marathon on Saturday!! If you're out on the route and see him (He'll be wearing red, of course) give him a big cheer!! I'll be posting pictures of his dead corpse Saturday afternoon.