New well !

We've started the building process at Camp Thompson Ranch--at least we are putting in the well for the cows and horses. How can you call it a ranch without these? Here is grandma opening the gate with her helpers. Note how beautiful the pasture is.

She's doing a great job supervising the workers.

The water is flowing cold and clear! (Well, it's cold for Florida!)

Troy is helping to build a cover and enclosure to protect everything from the elements, the cows, and the evildoers (thieves)!

Looks good, doesn't it?

OK, bring on the cows and the cowpokes!

Or do we need to build the bunkhouse first?

Grandkids and Grandma's Horses

When you visit grandma, you have to ride horses whether it is day ...

or night!!!

Brenna fell asleep on the way out.

Grandpa's cooking

Why is everyone jogging around the pool?

They are getting ready for grandpa's hamburgers and hotdogs, of course!!

"Can I eat more if I don't have a bun?"

"Which diet plan is this?"

"I like hotdogs the best."

"I'll take a hamburger any time."

"How many times do I have to chew before I can have more?"

Spiritual Candy--Book of Mormon Teachings

As the leaders for the Tribe of Mosiah in our Book of Mormon Youth Quest camping activity in July, we used candy to help cement in the minds of our youth the messages of the Book of Mormon stories they were reenacting.

Can you guess what stories and teachings these were used for?

1. Pretzel Twists. 2. Life Saver-Wint O Green. 3. Almond Joy. 4. Snickers. 5. Sour Patch Kids. 6. Pay Day. 7. Kisses.

Bananas coming up!

We're getting to the end of summer and the bananas are forming in the backyard. Banana splits anyone?

Spiritual Candy--some answers

1. Pretzel Twists--Laman and Lemuel. Don't get bent out of shape whenever things don't go your way or you are asked to do things you don't particularly want to do.
2. Life Savers-Wint O Green-- Lehi's Vision of the Tree of Life--the fruit is bright and white and delicious, filling your soul with joy, as happens when you suck on the Wint O Green and then breathe in through your mouth.The same happens when you live the gospel and keep the commandments.
3. Almond Joy--King Lamoni's conversion filled him with joy. You can help others feel the same joy.
4 Snickers--Everyone snickered at Samuel the Lamanite when he told the people that Christ was coming to America. Don't snicker when bishops or other church leaders give advice.
5. Sour Patch Kids--Alma the Younger, King Lamoni, and others. You can't judge people by the way they are before they are converted and repent. Just like when you suck on Sour Patch Kids, they may seem sour in the beginning but they are pure sweetness inside after they have repented.
6. Pay Day--Christ visiting America. Those who were faithful in spite of all the opposition they faced had a great payday when Christ appeared in America.You too will have a great payday from God if you stay faithful no matter what happens to you.
7. Kisses--Christ taught us to love one another.
How did you do? Will candy now have spiritual messages for you?

Visiting Chrissy

Much of July we spent at Chrissy and Randy's in Minneapolis, Minnesota helping them...

strip wall paper, repair walls, and repaint the living room, entry, dining room and kitchen in their new house.

Of course grandma cooked lots of our favorite Filipino and Hungarian food to keep the workers happy.

To keep grandsons James and Owen happy...

we took walks around the block to parks ...

discovering trees that had been hit by lightning.

We walked across the Mississippi River to eat at a German restaurant...

and watched movies and attended concerts in the park...

while boats sailed in the distance on Lake Harriet.

We took a break to go to Lake Thirty One in northern Minnesota to sail...

explore with a paddle boat...

swim...

and ride behind a tractor.

We earned our keep by helping to install new screen doors on the sauna...

and leveling the dock.

The highlight of our visit was blessing grandchild 24, grandson 11, Owen.

Don't the parents and grandparents look proud?

A Library Idea for Kim

In Minneapolis they have these free neighborhood libraries that look like bird houses.

You exchange books you have read with books you would like to read. The selection ranges from books for children to detective and romance stories and self-help books for adults. What a great inexpensive idea to encourage summer reading while clearing out those books cluttering your shelf that you read long ago but hate to throw away.

Book of Mormon Quest

We just spent a week with the youth from our stake at youth conference. This year it was outdoors along the banks of the Suwanee River reenacting scenes from the Book of Mormon--all week in costume. How do we look in our tunics as tribal leaders?

Here are the members of our tribe, the tribe of Mosiah.

Of course the favorite reenactment time was fighting battles against the Lamanites. Here we are getting ready for one of the wars next to the Suwanee River (a cool place to swim and wash off the wounds after the fight.)

Everyone had a great time--though it is good to be back to the air conditioned comfort of home.

Rob's action picture

This is Rob's new family action photo for our family gallery above the piano--one last swim before moving to San Diego.

Here they are the next morning bright and early getting ready to check in at the Orlando Airport. Note that they are traveling light, Thompson style--just two little bags and some carry-ons. Of course, last week they sent everything else by truck and have been living out of their suitcases and sleeping on air mattresses.

Breaking in Gideon

Have we chosen the best cowboy to break in our new donkey Gideon for young riders?

It seems to have worked!

Happy Independence Day!

Happy July 4. We hope you enjoy the fireworks tonight. For some reason in Gainesville, they shoot them off on July 3, so you get to wake up on July 4 to our firework picture. Enjoy.