During Daddy’s two-week of vacation earlier in July, he made time for serveral outings, one of which – the hike in the White Mountains – has already been mentioned. Another trip took place last week – a round of the Montreal Biodome and Botanical Gardens. The Biodome is a facinating place featuring flora and fauna from the tropics to the Arctic, however it focuses primarily on Quebec’s wildlife and natural habitat.

   After lunch we headed out into the botanical gardens. First we stopped by the greenhouses where we saw all kinds of unusual plants – banana trees, date trees, vanilla plants, and even some carnivorous plants.  We also spotted some “wildlife” in there – a young gerbil! It was obviously used to people and didn’t mind my picking it up to get it off the path. (It was so tame that some people were concerned that it would have someone step on it.)

  Then we began to explore the outdoor gardens. They are so spread out that it is impossible to see everything in one afternoon.

   The fish in the above picture are, believe it or not, goldfish! Yes, given a lot of space they will grow to be quite large. The little boy on the side was fascinated by them. He wanted to try touching them, but his father said, “No.” He did not heed his father’s command, however, and tried… ending up head-first in the water. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.” Ephesians 6:1

   Of course, in gardens for display there are sure to be flowers and where there are flowers there will certainly be photos taken. Here are just a few.

“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.” Isaiah 40:8

   I had just about finished writing this post which had taken me two hours or so, when… I lost all my information! Thank you, Lord, for the lesson in patience! So, I’m starting back over and hoping that it will take me less time this time.

   Last year, we celebrated Canada Day by having a number of families over for a meal. This year, we decided to repeat the same thing. The group we had in was a somewhat different group from last year, and again we were blessed with a wonderful time of sharing and fellowshipping.

   Of course, before having people over, there is a certain amount of preparation. We love these times of getting together in the kitchen even if, at times, it gets rather crowded.

Certain ones of us enjoy making desserts look nice

Everyone was working hard. Well, all except…

   When people began to arrive, everything was ready. We reorganised the food lines somewhat this year, diminishing the crowdedness.

It was a wonderful time of fellowship.

   The meal was followed by the men going downstairs for a men’s meeting. During that time, the ladies did a bit of cleaning up and spent some time getting to know each other better, catching up on each other, and sharing the Lord’s working in their lives.  The children headed outside to expend some energy and a couple young ladies went with them to keep track of everyone.

   “Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.” Malachi 3:16