Wecker mission

So today is Elder Wecker's birthday.  We have no big plans for the day, but I think the Elders may come by with a surprise.  We have a ward potluck tonight that we have invited a few people to.  We hope they come. In the past couple of weeks we have visited the Avenue of the Giants (giant trees, that is) and Ferndale ( a small historic town not far from here). The Redwood forest is quite lovely and quiet.  It tends to remind me how long life has gone on here and how short our visit will be.  In a very real sense, our earthly visit is short and we have so much we could accomplish. We are learning patience.  Life moves at its own pace. I asked a couple of ward members at lunch the other day what keeps Eureka alive.  They said it was welfare.  That's a sorry story.  There hasn't been a real crab or salmon season for a couple of years.  Lumbering has been cut back to save the trees.  Mills have closed.  The school district has d...

Today we spent most of the day visiting families in the ward.  Some no longer live here, but others were home and happy to see us.  We are beginning to feel like we are being productive.  Eureka is quite an interesting little town.  Between the redwood trees and the ocean are Victorian homes.  Today we met a family that lives in one.  Lovely wood and plaster trim work inside and out.  Apparently they are difficult to keep up.  The paint can be quite beautiful and colorful.  These houses date from the late 1800's.

We are still getting to know this area.  We will probably be totally familiar about the time we come home :O).  The sun was shining on Labor Day, so we decided to take a drive out to Samoa.  There is a lovely, long beach there frequented by people and their dogs.  Watch your step. Elder Wecker has now been to Samoa on both of his missions. We have received our assignment from President Floyd, the stake president.  We are to get to know the members of the ward, let them invite us to dinner, assess their needs, and do what we can to help them.  We have had one dinner appointment so far.  It was with a former Temple President and Patriarch.  He and his wife don't need OUR help.  We are getting to know the younger missionaries.  They are delightful and dedicated.  I have been able to use my sewing machine in their behalf. I'm glad I have it here.

We had a lovely drive to Eureka through the redwoods.  It took about 4 hours to get here from Santa Rosa.  Elder Wecker pulled a truck pulling a trailer .  I drove the car. It's basically a straight shot up 101. Eureka is like most small  western US coast cities.  The streets are narrow, the houses are small, painted clapboard.  Many of them look old.  It's gray and rusty and there is a lingering feel of damp all the time.  We do occasionally have blue skies, but I hear it never gets warm.  It also doesn't freeze.  The temperature is at a nice comfortable sweater point. We haven't been many places here, but we did see a tourist area closer to the water and we have a COSTCO.  What else could we ask for? Our apartment has two bedrooms, so we have set one up as an office.  The kitchen floor space is a good size.  I guess that's because there is no dishwasher or counter space.  We have two relatively large closets....