New Year, New Day and New Places!

January 2023

It actually got cold on Christmas Day, down to 30 degrees, but by the first of January, temperatures and life were back to normal for me, but not for Darryl. He started off the year with the Annual Dome Technology Superintendents Conference in Iquitos, Peru. 

So, Let's get this New Year Started

A New Years Resolution

January 2, 2023

Darryl leaves to fly to Lima Peru where he met up with his fellow Dome Co-workers and they flew to Iquitos Peru, arriving on the 3rd. Iquitos is very interesting, because except for a couple of trails they might refer to as roads, the only way in is by plane or boat.

Once in Iquitos they went down to the Amazon River port where they caught a River Taxi for the 4 hour boat ride up the Amazon to the Jungle Lodge where they would be staying.

The Amazon is pretty muddy in places...

It is the middle of the dry season and the river is very, very low as you can see by the riverbank.

Four hours after leaving Iquitos they arrived at the Tahuayo Lodge in the Amazon Jungle. If you look carefully at the stilts of the houses you can see the waterline where the river comes up to during the rainy season.

They say during the rainy season they tie up the boats at the building, that's a lot of water.

Darryl's first message to me after he arrived.

This was Darryl's room, and maybe because of his seniority, he didn't have to share a room with anyone. 

This is a better photo to see where the High Water marks are. The photo is from the porch by Darryl's room.

And this was a quiet gathering room for anyone to use. 

Of course being in the jungle staying at the lodge is an all inclusive package. This is the dining Hall and Lobby area (I think).

A not-so-rare rain shower in the dry season. This porch is where the boats dock when the water is high.

The cafeteria.

The Closet door in his room.

Time for an outing. You always traveled by boat.

A tree full of Weaver birds nests.

The boat took them to a small village where they were able to tour the local school and buy handmade souvenirs from local women to support their families and the school.

Darryl brought home several baskets and 8 or 9 pair of earrings for me to share with the girls.

The School house

They went hikes and had team building activities. Look closely... there's a a snake in there. Some kind of a constrictor I was told.

Hello friends! One of their outings on the river was a fishing trip where they caught Piranha among other things. They also saw the Amazon Pink Dolphins and went swimming in the river. YES... Swimming with the Piranha.  

Another Team building experience was zipling in the Jungle Canopy.

That is a long way down. They had to climb up via a rope ladder. And the oldest man on the hike didn't have a problem. (That was Darryl). He showed up a few of the younger fellas I think.

He took this great photo of  Dome Technology's CEO, Bradly Bateman.

And on one of their hikes their guide pointed out to them the poison Dart frogs. Darryl says they were all very small, about the size of your fingernail. The thing that makes them so poisonous is their diet. Domesticated frogs are not poisonous, or so he was told.

They sure love hiding in the Bromeliads. 

I liked this photo so much that I had it enlarged and framed it for a Valentines day gift for him.

Finally their 5 days in the jungle were over and it was time to come back to the real world. What an adventure.

I had a different kind of adventure while he was gone. I drove up to South Carolina with Alisa and the kids so we could attend Annabelle's Baptism. It's been almost a year since this photo was taken and I can't believe how much these kiddos have grown!

Avery spent the night with us and the boys, Sammy, Ross and Liam, while Rachel spent the night with Annabelle and Reagan.

Congratulations Annabelle! We are so proud of you!

***

And, I was very excited to get my new Come Follow Me Manual in a journal edition. I am excited to study the New Testament again!

I also did some painting projects with the grandchildren. We made backgrounds using food coloring and shaving cream and then painted stencil silhouettes and other things on them. Ross loves to fish, can you tell?

I suggested the cattails, but he suggested the moon. 

I met this bandit on one of my morning walks.

And I had some time to indulge my painting hobby a little during January.

And I decided I should learn to draw and sketch if I really want to be good at my art. This is my first attempt at drawing a rose.

And I sketched and painted this little watercolor.

Finally, Ross got very sick at the end of the month and ended up in the hospital for a couple of days with and ear infection and flu. Oh my sweet little boy.

In Current events in our world, this story has a happier ending, that's not how it started out in January. 

In the news was one of the most horrific stories I'd ever heard. A 10 year old boy in August, Georgia, was riding his bicycle home when he was attacked by 3 Pit Bull dogs and they nearly killed him. His name is Justin Gilstrap and he spent months in the hospital undergoing dozens of surgeries. Our son-in-law Ryan went to High School with Justin's Mom. 

These photos are not easy to look at. Most of his scalp was torn away and the dogs had his head, arm and leg when his cousin came to the rescue.

It has now been 11 months since the attack. 

Justin is recovering and is actually back in school as of this posting (Dec. 12, 2023), but his life is forever changed because of a man who refused to properly contain his dogs.

It has now been 11 months since Justin's attack. He is home and back at school and life is getting back to normal. 

Justin, you are amazing and you are still in my prayers.