FRIENDS FELLOWSHIP FUN

The past week has included all of the above. Working so closely with people from MN, TX, MT KS and PA gives way to lots of comparing and sharing about our diverse occupations and living style. The one thing we have in common is our love for the Lord and how we can work for Him even in our more elderly years. By the way, I still have a problem thinking they are talking to me when they refer to an elderly woman. And I had that at the Sioux Center Hospital just before we left. Oh well, wish she could follow us around for awhile and she may see just how these "elderly" people live. See how hard it is to really identify with that term?

We finally made a visit to Arend and Verna Sandbulte last Saturday. They are always so much fun to visit with. As couples before either were married we and other couples spent many a Sunday evening together going to one of the "girls" house for fun and the girls always made sure that they had something in the house for a lunch for the "guys". But it never really was complete until the girls would find something unexpected to hide in one of the guys' food. (Seems those stunts were even tried in our own household thru out the years) That was a long time ago,we both have been married over 56 years, but the good memories continue. They have a beautiful home on the shore of Lake Superior in Duluth, about 100 miles from where we are spending the month of Sept.

On our way to Zion Lutheran Church Sunday we drove right past this lake and then decided we must turn around and take a picture as it will never look exactly the same at any time after. The peak of the colored foliage was last week. Even now the leaves are starting to turn brown and have lost some of their glory.

Riding past wooded areas it is hard to imagine there are so many people living in the midst of those trees but there are many, some bordering the shore and some further in. On a pontoon ride last Sunday we came across this beautiful scene. I don't have a clue who lives there but it is a picture I may want to enlarge. Hope they don't have legitimate claims against me if I use the picture.

Getting back to the church, it has stained glass windows the total length of the sanctuary behind the platform and pulpit. It tells the creation story beginning with the unformed mass and following the 6 days of creation. It is interesting how churches and all architecture reflects the resources of the area. Much use is made of large timber beams and they aren't enclosed but used to display there place in buildings. Thru the years timber has played a significant role in the industrial arena as has mining. We toured a iron ore mine as well. Of course fish is another item that is plentiful. Our whole team was invited to a fish fry last Friday night at the home of former RVICSers. They catch the fish right on the lake near their house - would be a dream for some people.

Acturally I can say I am enjoying the painting these last few weeks. To think we can do something constructive for kids and adults to enjoy while at this camp is great. Our twosome has some dedicated painting to do tomorrow and then we will be close to finished. We are leaving tomorrow afternoon (Wednesday) for a couple days at home so I won't see it totally done but close enough to give me an idea how it looks. The floor is a challenge but the improvement it makes is worth the effort. Really I wish we could stay a couple of weeks more so we could do some necessary cleaning in the rec room and other rooms but that won't work for now. The whole team is excited about the, nearly, finished product but not so much as to offer us some help. They had other jobs that needed doing as well. Dad continues his remodeling on the cabins. The latest challenge is the tile but they are making good headway on that. Funny the first weeks we work the end seems far away and we aren't so attached to the job but as the last week rolls around we realize and desire to get the work done. The way it has to be I guess.

We will be in Sioux Center Thursday afternoon until Sunday noon. Hope to see some of you in that time.

Love to you all, Mom and Dad Wilmer/Marilyn whatever fits

COATS OF MANY COLORS

We are experiencing colors all around us. As you know we love to ride in the country and see the foliage colors change. The colors are getting nice but the most beauty will come in a week or two. This picture is just a few feet from where we are parked. The day this was taken was perfectly still as you can see on the water. How could mankind ever duplicate this beauty - no way. What a riot of color it will be in just a few days.

Dad continues to break down and put up walls, floors, fixtures and more in the attempt to restore some semblance of beauty/tidiness to two cabins. Like always when a remodeling project is tackled unexpected obstacles show up. The obstacle facing them now is to lay new tile in the cabin, bathrooms, hallways and entry ways. Aside from the row directly down the middle all the tiles must be cut. Remember how old buildings are never square? Same true of these cabins. Age has taken its toll on the building, somewhat like age does to our bodies as we grow older. A creak here, a moan there, a sagging here or there, loss of strength in the extremities, etc. you get the picture. Wonder if RVICS could take care of some of these complaints, bet they would have more business than they bargained for. They better just stick with material restoration.

My group of 2 or 3 is still busy painting our coats of many colors. We should start on the floor tomorrow so that is exciting, we think. Most of the walls have been done with primer and 2 or 3 coats of paint. Believe me we know how to clean brushes and rollers. This room is the recreation room so gets a lot of traffic. We do hope those that use it will appreciate the work that went into it. But still, we were called to paint and the appreciation is just a neat benefit if it comes.

There was a women's retreat here at camp the past weekend. Not a large group but a very joyful group. We ate with them for 3 meals so we got to meet some of them. The first night we ate with them we sat by 2 young women. They asked where our "real" home was and the one was very interested in that. (I don't think she was playing dutch bingo) We came to know that her husband grew up in Inwood and his name was Ter Wee. After a few more questions we discovered that her mother-in-law was a sister of Harlan Kooima. Small world, yes? We have been emailing and learning a little more of each ones family. She had triplets almost 5 years ago. She was surprised we know as much about her at we did. Hey, grandparents do not let kids and grandkids go without talking about them once in a while. What could be better do than brag about our kids and grandkids.

We continue to have good health and enjoy (most) our work. The interaction and devotional times are such a blessing to us. Hope you are all doing well and enjoying the unusually warm weather in NW Iowa and SD the last couple of days.

We will be leaving this project a day early so will be leaving on Wed. Sept. 29 after work. We hope to be in Sioux Center by Thursday afternoon. We are leaving then so we can attend the Northwestern event. We plan to be home until Sunday noon if all goes well.

Love you much! Dad and Mom/ Marilyn Wilmer

OUT of retirement-again

The fall projects of RVICS began 2 weeks ago.. Our project took us to Grand Rapids, MN, yes that is Minnesota not Michigan. It is in northern MN, near Hibbing. For those who don't know we are scheduled to do our next project in Arkansas and Nov. takes us to Louisiana. We will stop at home when we leave here, home as in Sioux Center, for 2 days as Brian is being honored at Northwestern College for being chosen an Outstanding Alumnus. We are so glad that our schedule allows us to be in the area for 2 days because of transit time between projects. The banquet is Oct. 2.

Of course we couldn't just make a trip of 400 miles to N MN in one stretch. We really do have a self-made rule that we do not travel with the RV more than 300 miles in a day. Hey, we are retired. So we stopped and spent a day in MN, mainly spending a day at Mall Of America. It is such an interesting place to visit but we made a lot of steps for the couple things we bought.

This Conference Center is not very large and the spot where all 6 of the RVs are parked is just a few feet from the right of this picture. As always the camp provides the parking place and supplies all the utilities. And we do have Wi-Fi and cell phone coverage in the RVs. Granted the cell phone isn't always so predictable but we are trying a new sophisticated cell phone and we are still in the experimental stage of learning all its capabilities and that is also part of the problem.

The men are reconstructing a couple of cabins. Tearing up floor tile, knocking out walls, putting up dry wall, laying tile, doing a little electrical work, plumbing. etc. is what the men's work is all about. With 6 men with various backgrounds it is surprising how every one's expertise compliments the group. The women are doing sewing, stenciling, painting. Guess what, I got to paint. Actually it is kind of fun this month because one other female and I are painting everything in a high ceiling rec room. The room has at least 6 different types of wall board so that makes it interesting. But Nette and I paint over everything. And since money is always short at the camps we are using all the paint left over from previous jobs. I will try to send a picture when it is finished but for now you can just visualize this-little bit of blue, find a small wall, more red find a bigger wall etc. etc. We have put on red, blue, green, orange, yellow in several shades and a few others. It sounds weird but the room is looking better and we hope the campers that come appreciate it. Nette is the "roller" and I trim which is what I prefer doing. We can't do a second coat even tho that would be good because we use all the paint on the first coat. Next week we get to paint the floor! That should tie the whole room together - I hope.

The weather here is cool and we had rain several times. I guess I heard too much on TV about the floods, etc. because one night when it was really raining (and you really hear it in an RV) I thought all the RVs were going to float right into the lake. Nope, we stayed put.

Girls, we already found out where the buffets are located, the Chinese one is almost as good as the Sioux Center one and that takes a lot.

We appreciate the calls and emails so much. Please keep it up. We are healthy, in fact, Dad says the project work makes him stronger but after this summer with putting in egress windows and all I can't image this work being harder than what he did at home all summer.

Love you all, Mom and Dad/Wilmer and Marilyn or even Pa and Ma (right Cindy?)

P.S. So busy touring, socializing, Bible studies and of course work I have had little time to work on genealogy or scrapbooking but I do pick at it a little from time to time. Fun!

OUT of retirement-again

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