Week 59

Not that we're marking time, but four months from today we head back to Utah.  I'd say "head home" but we're homeless since we sold ours before coming on the mission.  Seemed like a good idea at the time, but now it's a little scary.

We finally started seeing fall color this week.  There are so many pine trees and live oaks, which don't turn color or lose their leaves, that we can drive long stretches between colorful hardwoods.  Always fun to see a little burst of red or spot of orange as we drive.

Proof that fall comes to Louisiana--eventually

While coming back from the prison in Oakdale, we took a little side trip to see Camp Claiborne.  This is the site of the birth of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions during WWII.  They had prominent roles in the war--82nd was involved in the invasions of North Africa and Sicily, and the 101st was in the Battle of the Bulge.  Not a lot to see now, but always good to remember the many who gave so much as we commemorate Veterans' Day tomorrow.

On Friday we went to the state fair in Shreveport.  It was rather disappointing as most of the livestock had been removed, and there were very few other interesting displays.  However, Kerby was transported to his teens when he saw the white tractor. It was just like the one he used to drive when spending summers on his uncle's ranch in Laketown, UT.

A blast from the past tractor bottom left--modern version on the right

When we first saw the "we buy pecans" signs last fall, we were quite confused--shouldn't they be selling pecans?  Then a sister in the branch cleared our confusion.  Many people have pecan trees in their yards that produce more pecans than they can eat.  Many places will buy those home-grown pecans and shell, clean, and sell them to distributors.  As this sister said, her trees produce "enough for the squirrels, enough for me, and enough to sell for a little Christmas money."  The variety of pecan tree that yields the thin shelled nuts we eat today was developed on a sugar cane plantation down near Baton Rouge.

Signs like this pop up all over

Yesterday there was a stake youth activity.  The first game was devised by the on-line seminary teacher, and we went to be judges/coaches.  It was based loosely on the game Cranium, and we had fun working-playing with the youth for about an hour.  They went on to have some carnival type games after we went home.

Doctrinal Mastery game