Sabbath in Mt. Vernon

We went up the hill to Mount Vernon's church on Sabbath not knowing who we'd run into with school out and no advanced warning.











One of the seniors who just graduated was the preacher that Sabbath. We sat in the balcony with several MVA faculty and students who got a kick out of a surprise visit from Ryan. It was fun getting to see everybody again, even if I didn't know them that well.

The Strunks made plans to eat a picnic lunch at a nearby park with the family of the business manager at MVA, including their 1- and 4-year-olds. We had way too much good food.

I conquered the rope tower thing!

We hiked for about 30 minutes before coming to the end of the trail and the "waterfall." Look closely or you might miss it.







Here's us standing with the trail and waterfall behind. Some of the MVA kids that came with us climbed up the hill and hiked to a nearby dam and then back along the other side of the creek.

The surround rock is all sandstone and has carvings all over the place, some dated in the late 1800s. I wonder if the dates are accurate?











The covered bridge was really neat, but I worried about a few of the boards. They were only nailed down at each end.

Ryan and I played on the swings next to the creek while waiting for the group to decide to head out. I think I made a few nearby parents nervous . . . either that I was going to slam into a post/tree or that their kids would imitate me!







If you ever followed Ryan's blog while he was a Mt. Vernon resident, you're familiar with this local landmark. We went to visit Ryan's old "neighborhood" at the Arbors before supper Sabbath. Sure enough, Ryan's old neighbor Bob Beck was on his porch. He yelled, "You're a long way from home! Hi Ryan!"