Eastern Passage

Last Saturday afternoon we decided to do a little sightseeing close to home in spite of the threatening weather. Eastern Passage is about 20 minutes away from our apartment.

We'll have to go back and see it all again when things warm up. For now, it was a nice drive and we saw some pretty scenery along the way.
We saw a golf course (closed for the season), an aeronautic museum (also closed), brightly painted shops apparently that in warmer weather sell food, snacks, and beach-related items (mostly closed) . . .

The requisite (for this area) lighthouse

. . . some cold beaches (we didn't try them out), a lighthouse on an island (we didn't swim to), lots of (stark) beauty, another moose (fortunately it is rooted to the spot so we could snap a good picture).

After we drove in and out of pretty coves for nearly an hour, we came across a large hiking trail area in the middle of nowhere. It was starting to get dark, so we figured we'd better head on back. We put an address in the GPS. By the time the directions came up, we could see the Angel Moroni on top of the Halifax Temple over a hill and we soon came to a busy street. We weren't really in the middle of nowhere, but it sure felt like it!

Yes, Frances is wearing a birthday crown

Frances Buott is a new-found friend, someone Sister Holbrook's sister, Laurie, introduced us to a couple of months before we left on our mission. Frances and her family were visiting Utah. Laurie only knew Frances through an LDS email group, so we all met up one night at our home. The Buotts have become good friends and we've eaten at their home several times. Her husband threw her a birthday party Saturday night and we were invited. Here's Frances with her mile-wide, mega-watt smile and a weather-tossed Sister Holbrook.

And speaking of birthdays, Elder Holbrook finally admitted he was the one who posted on Facebook and told all the missionaries to call Sister Holbrook and sing to her last week, but he told them not to say how they knew it was her birthday!

We are grateful to the Lord for His tender mercies to us throughout the years, and for this opportunity we have to be a part of sharing His gospel with His children in Atlantic Canada.

We are grateful for His Atonement and our knowledge of His goodness.