We have recently been doing some renovations to our barn in preparation for a future acquisition.  Elizabeth has been doing a lot of work out there, including a very large amount of cleanup.  Here she and Evelyn are making some new shelves.

The barn did not have any windows on the first floor at this side, so the next project was to install two of the windows that had been removed from the house when we made our extension.  They don’t look much like barn windows, but they work to let in the light and air!

Once we had strengthened the walls on three sides, we had to build a new fence to keep this creature from escaping.  Here are Nathanael and Elizabeth fastening the new wall to the floor.

Once the fence was complete, we had to paint the whole thing.  We had some difficulty opening one of the paint cans, which had remained shut for approximately the past twenty years.

And here is the finished product:

So, what do you think is going in here?  Shall I tell, or shall I keep it a secret until it arrives?  Maybe I should give you some hints.

Guess what animal will be here.

It is an animal that is commonly found in barns, but it is not a sheep or a goat.

It is reputed by some sources to be able to jump quite high, but it is neither a rabbit nor a locust.

Some have a golden-brown colour, and a few people have seen theirs swimming or wading, but it is not a goldfish

It is larger than a dog or cat, but it is not a deer, and it is not a giraffe.

Psalm 50:10 “For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.”

We enjoy taking vacations, but sometimes our vacations are a little different from most people’s.  A wonderful thing to do with a vacation is to spend time, not alone on the beach getting sunburnt, but with the people we want to know better, especially our family.  Most of our vacations are educational is some way.  Oh, and we often like to get some excercise in while we’re at it.  So, last Friday, Dad and the oldest ones and some friends went to the White Mountains of NH to do some hiking.  We did the Falling Waters Trail loop over Mounts Little Haystack, Lincoln and Lafayette – a total of 14.3 km (8.9 miles) with an elevation change of 3,900 ft.  The highest point in this trail is Mount Lafayette, with an elevation of 5,260 feet.

We started at the Old Bridle Path and Falling Waters trail head at 9:30.

Starting up the Falling Waters Trail, we discovered a simply beautiful path crisscrossed by cascading streams and rivulets.

More photos from the Falling Waters Trail: I guess they named it right!

“… Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come … for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water …”  — Isaiah 35:4-7

Beautiful scenery has a way of attracting …

Photographers!

After reaching the summit of Little Haystack and eating lunch, we continued along the Franconia Ridge.

We had a good time sharing together in spite of severe leg cramps part way around which hindered one member of our party from walking for quite some time.

Near the summit of Mount Lincoln, we found New Hampshire a new “Old Man of the Mountain”.

This Old Man seems a little younger than the old Old Man, and only works if you get the right angle.

Finally, we got down to the Greenleaf Hut, where we rested for a while and replenished our water.

This trip reminds me of the hymn translated and written by Stewart K. Hine, “How Great Thou Art”.

O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works Thy hands have made.
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Refrain:
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze:

(Refrain)

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin:

(Refrain)

When Christ shall come with shouts of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!

Last Monday was beautiful weather, so we bicycled to a friend’s farm hoping we could “be helpful”.  After spending some time nailing floor mats to the barn floor, I got to join the haying crew with Mr. T.

It is such a blessing to work with a godly man.

As we were raking, we saw a coyote.

I think he was looking for mice or moles that couldn’t hide anymore in the tall grass.  

A hay wagon in the sunset.

Genesis 8:22: “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”

I am so grateful for all that my father has done for us through the years.  

A few weeks ago, I was asked to give a Father’s Day message at a nursing home.  Thanks to the research I did, I have become even more grateful for my father.  His godliness, leadership, training, and prayers have been a guide, an example, and a model to me.

After researching what were the Biblical duties of a father, I went through my outline a second time, this time researching how God fulfilled those duties.  Guess what?  He did it perfectly!

Here is the rough outline for my Father’s Day sermon, though I doubt anyone will actually read through the whole thing:

In addition to this message, each of us guys shared something that we appreciated about Daddy.  I am so blessed to have a father who, though not perfect, has fulfilled every one of the duties of a godly father.  Thank you, Daddy.

Some members of our family have enjoyed bird watching for quite a few years, but it was only last year that we started keeping track of which birds we have seen.  Since then, and since we have had a bird feeder within sight of the windows, we have all enjoyed watching the many birds that have appeared around our house and trying to identify them.  It reminds me a little of the work Adam had to do in the garden of Eden – naming the animals.

Genesis 2:19-20  “And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.  And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; …”

Here are the common names for the birds we have identified and recorded so far this year.  The crows, chickadees, blue jays, mourning doves, woodpeckers and nuthatches stay here all year round.  The redpolls are the only ones that have gone north for the summer, some time around the beginning of May.  The bald eagle, the northern cardinal, the ring-billed gull and the common merganser were the only ones not seen at our house.

Here are a few pictures of some of the birds our family has seen in southern Quebec.

I also enjoy taking pictures of flowers.  They don’t move as fast as birds.  I can’t tell you how often I have tried to take bird pictures where the result was just an out-of-focus background.  That doesn’t normally happen with flowers.

Here are some flowers we sometimes forget to enjoy – flowers that grow on trees, such as maples or larches.

Genesis 1:20-22 “And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.  And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.  And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply…”