Approaching Autumn

It is interesting how gradual Autumn has come. We had some hot weather a month or so ago and then it just started getting cooler and cooler. We still have not had any frost. It rains off and on and there had been a fair about of fog and overcast skies, but it has been pretty steadily just cooler temperatures. I asked one of the members whether the leaves had much color when they changed and was assured that there will be quite a show when the colors come. I do have one picture here showing the beginning of red leaves.

After returning from our Senior Conference, we both got colds. I pretty much missed Sunday and Monday (the 22nd and 23rd) and did not get to church at all. My first counselor did well in my place. Sister B got sick a few days later, but did not get hit quite as hard, though she still has a cough. We ended up doing well and visiting a lot of people. We do quite a bit of the home teaching here (for now).

Here is a picture of one of the older sisters that we visit. She loves cats, as you can see. She has three.

We also helped with missionary lessons. One day, I helped teach a man who is from Iraq. He is Kurdish, but speaks pretty good German. We also had another good visit with the family from Sri Lanka. Saturday, Sister B was quite busy with preparing for and doing a crochet class for the Relief Society (and cooking some apple pies for them).

On Sunday, we did a long tour of the north part of the branch (covering about 230 kilometers in the process - about 143 miles) in a long loop. One sister just returned from a summer-long visit with family in America and then had a heart attack after returning home. We had a nice visit with her as she was staying with her daughter for a while. This was on the western end of the branch, in Überlingen (actually outside the branch boundaries). Then we visited a sister who is in a care center, sang a hymn to her and then gave her the sacrament. On the northeast end of the branch area, we found a member we have tried to find for quite a while. We knew where he lived, but he was never home. This time he was home and we had a very nice visit with him. He is originally from Berlin and teaches school in Leutkirch.

Along the way we took a few pictures:

 These were some pictures of the landscape we encountered. It was a beautiful view and the pictures really do not do justice to them

 I am always amazed at how they do not build straight roads here. They are actually quite pretty, but getting from place to place takes a while with all the winding roads.

 Elder Wasden was reading the New Testament in the back seat.

They have some amazing wood piles. Everybody seems to collect a lot of fire wood. I don't often see where they can actually burn the wood, though. Some day I might figure out what they do with it all.

The next part of our story continues with a trip to Stuttgart and Frankfurt.