IT'S SEPTEMBER!!!

LABOR DAY

We spent a lazy day.   We decided to go for a walk in the park.  Patty, manager of the Inn diner, suggested we go to the Jones-Blunt Park in Shortsville, NY by Manchester and just south of the Inn on Water Street.  We took her advice and went there.  It is a lovely park with an outlet from the Canadaigua Lake.

We found a shady swing and Elder Bushman even sat there for more than 10 minutes!

 I love the whisperings of the water as it flows across rocks and the outlet bottom.  It was a very peaceful place to visit.  Next time we go we found a path that goes from this park around the Padelford Brook to the main highway to Phelps.  It looks like about a mile walk.   Great suggestion, Patty, thanks.

We also found a park in Walworth NY that was named Ginegaw Park.  It was on Lorraine Drive.  The Palmyra Ward picnic was there in the late afternoon.   We hope the Ward had a great picnic in that interesting park by the State Police Office.   Elder Bushman wasn't feeling too good by then so we just stayed in the Inn and watched "Rambo" and ate steak and corn on the cob!  We hope each of you had a great Labor Day!

I got a Birthday card today:  Thank's Humana for taking the time and effort to wish me a Happy Birthday.  I suppose it is time to go in for the Flu Shot since Fall is upon us.

September 2...and it is raining outside...what to do...Elder Bushman reminded me of a story.  When he first started serving at the Palmyra Temple, President Brighton said to him one day, I grew up in Chicago.  I knew a Bushman there.  I went to the Zoo as a child.  The gorilla there was named Bushman!"

BUSHMAN THE GORILLA AT LINCOLN PARK ZOO
Born in 1928 in South Africa

"BUSHMAN was captured in Equatorial West Africa in 1929, when one year old. He was sold to Lincoln Park Zoo for $3500.00 and arrived in Chicago August 15, 1930, weighing 30 pounds. Authorities pronounce him the finest physical specimen of gorilla in captivity. He stands approximately 6 feet 2 inches and weighs about 550 pounds. Strictly a vegetarian, he consumes an average of 22 pounds of fresh vegetables, cereals, and whole milk daily, supplemented with vitamin capsules."

Bushman the gorilla, here about 1-2 years old in Cameroon, South Africa and about a year before he made the journey to America is held by Winifred Hope circa 1920's. Ms. Hope will visit Lincoln Park Zoo, Saturday March 16, 2013 with her family. Bushman is presently on display at the Field Museum and a popular Chicago attraction and legend. | 
Photo Courtesy Lincoln Park Zoo
This picture was taken from a post card in the 40's.  Bushman was found dead in his cage on New Years day in 1951.  He was 22.  THE Citizens of Chicago mourned his passing!

Winifred Hope Smith visits Bushman at the Field Museum March 17, 2013. Smith was just a girl living in Cameroon,West Africa with her missionary family when a man left baby Bushman in their care for one year before sending him to the United States. | Jessica Koscielniak ~ Sun-Times

SO THAT IS THE INTRODUCTION OF BUSHMAN THE GORILLA TO THE BUSHMAN FAMILY.  WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS TRIVIA.  He is an icon and you can read more about him in Google...enjoy!  Whoo, Whoo!  Winifred passed away a few months after visiting the museum.  She was 92 years old.  The Bushman's and the Smith's once again are reunited....Oh, the stories we have yet to hear!

We have had Dee and Laurie Bithell visiting with us the last couple of days.  We have had a fun time touring the sites and the finger lakes around Palmyra.  Elder Bushman and I are going to miss our good friends as they head home this morning on this Friday, 5 September 2014.  Thank you for taking the time to visit us Dee and Laurie!  We hope to take you up on the boat ride at Grand Lake O' the Cherokees next summer!
Till then I want to post some of our adventures of the past couple of days.  Dee and Laurie got a room at the opposite end of the floor from us on the second floor of the Inn.  I went in search of flowers to put in their room before they arrived and I picked a bouquet of wildflowers and got some chocolates to welcome them here.  I put them in their room early in the morning and they didn't arrive till late in the afternoon.  The housekeeper checked the room before their arrival and saw my flowers were wilted and falling all over the cabinet, so they replaced them with daisies that were in the dining room...wasn't that just the best?   We took The Bithell's to The Yellow Mill for a quick dinner and we all retired for the evening.

The next morning we took in the Sites in this area, beginning with the Temple Grounds, Sacred Grove and The Smith Farm.  Then we went to the Hill Coumorah.   We went to the Grandin Building.  I went and purchased "A Lion and a Lamb", The Bean book,  for Laurie to read later , while they all toured the Book of Mormon Printing Site. We lunched at the Chill and Grill and had the great ice cream cones. Then we drove up to Lake Ontario and went to Sodus Bay.   I told them about meeting Doug from Doug's Fish Fry there.
Laurie loved the glass porch on the home behind their photo at Sodus Bay.

Then on a fluke we drove to Skaneateles Finger Lake to have dinner at Doug's Fish Fry.  When we parked we went to the back entry and there sat Doug with the current owner.  So Laurie and Dee got to meet "The Founders"!  Doug told us that Mark Braun was his first customer, in 1982, when he had the grand ribbon cutting.  He said Mark came in and ordered and asked for an application.  Now Mark is the owner and Doug is retired.

 We saw this building, after we had eaten, and were headed over to the lake.

We walked out onto the pier and the water was crystal clear!

The next day we drove to Clifton Springs where we showed them the "Water Works" walking path.  We then drove to the David Whitmer Farm.   We were so excited when Elder Bean came out of the visitors center to take us on the tour.  Thank you, thank you Elder Bean, for the wonderful memories you gave us yesterday.  You are a great Site missionary and we hung on your words and the history you described to us.
We saw the time capsule under the statue of Christ that is to be opened in the year 2020.  We pondered where we will be then!

We watched a three minute film of the history of the Church.  I looked at these good men we were with and had to take this Priesthood Photo.  Hurrah for Isreal!  

Then, Elder Bean took a picture of us to remember this Bithell visit.  We are so grateful for The Gospel and Our friends who believe as we do.   Elder Bushman and I need to remember the great spirit that accompanied this Bithell visit. 

 From there we drove to Ithica and drove around Cornell University.  We stopped for lunch at a college bagel shop and enjoyed a quick lunch.  We then went to Watkins Glen Falls & Shequaga Falls by the Seneca Finger Lake.  That took our day.  We headed back to Clifton Springs to a Warfield Restaurant & Bakery that Sister Bean had suggested.  We had a lovely, fufu, dinner as Dee described it. 

 We ate outdoors in a beautiful garden setting.

 

We drove back to Palmyra as the sun was setting on our visit.  Just for fun, we had ice cream at Chill and Grill to end our visit.  There is nothing like a little "cream" to bring our lives into focus.  

Elder Bushman and I along with Sister Griffith and Sister Read had a wonderful dinner with Kent and Ruth Dawson at their home in Macedon.  Sister Dawson lives here this summer while her husband is still a Supreme Court Judge in Las Vegas, Nevada.  He comes on many weekends and she will return there for the winter months.  This is to be their summer retirement home.  They have a lovely home and the dinner was scrumptious, Sister Dawson, Thank you, thank you! 

There are changes in the air.  We have a new manager at the Inn.  Judy & Bob Nielson moved here from Salt Lake City, Utah.  Between them they have 18 children and over 50 grandchildren!  They are members of the Church.  Welcome Brother and Sister Nielson.  We are thankful Judy has moved to Palmyra and taken on this Inn management.   We look forward to getting to know you both better.  

She told us we can move to a suite for the winter...soon.  Yay!

We drove to Cortland for Church yesterday.  We had some really good meetings.  Our Sunday School had 10 youth in it.   We had 2 boys and 8 girls.  I will have to ask next week if they mind being on my blog and take a picture of them.  They are an awesome group of young men and women.  After Relief Society we drove out to Gus and Jean Carman's to take them the Sacrament.  We stopped on this hill and ate our lunch first.  It was a beautiful view to eat apples and crackers!

 There were these beautiful yellow flowers along the roadside and in many fields.  They are probably a weed, but they were so pretty!

 After we left the Carman's we went by one of the Amish farms, but the only Elder you get a picture is my chauffeur Elder Bushman!

We passed so many beautiful corn fields that I had to take a picture...I should have rolled down the window, but didn't.

This morning I swam again!!! Yay the pool is open again now that school has started.  I ran in and missed the curb and fell flat on my side...now I have a scraped knee and elbow...I am a klutz.  I had an awesome swim despite the fact that I felt bruised and old!
We reported for service at the Temple at 9:00 AM.  My task was to scrub the scripture books and put them all back in their places.  All the artificial flowers were covered and I took the plastic off them and spruced them up.  We cleaned the refrigerator, vacuumed and just tidied up the place.  The Palmyra Temple opens tomorrow bright and early at 7:00 AM.  We hope you all include a temple visit in your weekly schedule now that school has begun...blessings will follow.  Hurrah for Israel!

This evening we are having a home evening barbecue at Zion's Camp with all the missionaries.  Enjoy your Monday evening with your families.  Grandpa Bushman is napping as I write this...we are in the sunset of our lives...We are each others sunrise, "Hello, Young Lovers", King Arthur and I.