Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

The weather was really nice for our day at the falls.  It was rather misty and we couldn't see the entire fall clearly.  We went on the Journey Behind the Falls, a man made tunnel behind the fall with a couple of lookouts.  They give you lightweight rain coats but they didn't help much.  We were quite soaked.  The park area surrounding the falls was really beautiful.  Flower beds and pots everywhere loaded with tulips and daffodils.

After the falls we went to Ohio to visit some of the Siples.  Then we headed to home to rest up for the next adventure!

Patterson Bethel

Tuesday morning we arrived at the Patterson Bethel Lobby.  As we waited for a tour we enjoyed the beautiful historical displays and the miniature model of the temple in Jesus' day.

Our tour guide was Brianna along with her sidekick Tessie.  During the tour we walked by several beautiful original painting and informational display.  We even saw a time lapse video of what happens in the dining room on a typical day.  And, although not an official part of the tour, every window to the outdoors gave an amazing display of Jehovah's creation.  The azaleas and dogwoods were in full bloom.

   

apple and peach orchard

The chandelier in the background was originally in the Bossert Lobby.

Then it was time for lunch!  Phyllis picked us up in the lobby and took us to the dining room.  We enjoyed lunch with her and her husband George.  George was Cameron's overseer in the photography department 20 years ago.

After lunch we were taken behind the scenes first by George then by Phyllis.  We enjoyed seeing the Art Dept, Translation Services, Sign Language, and Audio/Video.

   

We took George and Phyllis out to dinner then went back to their room for dessert.  Bob and his boys, David and Michael, joined us.  It was a beautiful end to an amazing day.

Wallkill Bethel

We arrived at Wallkill Bethel late in the morning and enjoyed all the displays and video in the lobby until it was time for lunch.  Then Chase arrived to take us for lunch with the Bethelites.

After the delicious lunch we took a walk through the garden then Chase gave us a tour.

After the regular tour we visited a few spots off the beaten path....

                                  

     

We had a wonderful time.  By the end of the day Connor was ready to be a Bethel Fireman and Em wanted to be a Bethel Dessert Chef.

Brooklyn, New York

We arrived in Brooklyn mid-afternoon and checked in at the Bossert Hotel.

Brass mail box at Bossert

Bagels and muffins for breakfast.  Then a walk on the Promenade.

After our walk we headed to the subway for a ride to Manhattan.

Art in the subway tunnel

The kids thought riding the subway was a blast.  The people were quite entertaining.  The kids didn't want to sit down even when seats were available.  They thought standing while riding felt like surfing. We got off the subway and headed for FAO Schwartz, the giant toy store. There we saw life size stuffed animals for $3,700 and a giant piano for $250,000.

 And no toy store would be complete without a Lego section.  There were life size Lego structures of Capt. Jack Sparrow, the Statue of Liberty, and Batman.

After the toy store we took a quick stroll through a small part of Central Park then boarded the subway and headed back to Brooklyn.  Once back in Brooklyn we found a nice playground for the kids with a relaxing bench for us.

The next morning we walked down the street to the Happy Days Diner for a big breakfast.  Em enjoyed hot chocolate while Liv went for the chocolate milk.

With our stomachs full and more sites to see we walked around the old factory building then down under the Brooklyn Bridge.  The city is developing a nice park just under the bridge that continues along the river below the promenade.  After exploring the park we boarded the East River Ferry and crossed the river to catch the Statten Island Ferry.

Factory and 90 Sands in the background

We boarded the Statten Island Ferry and rode it to the island then back again.  It was the cheapest way to see the Statue of Liberty up close.  We had hoped to tour the Statue but it  is still under renovation.  Maybe next time we go it will be finished.

Next we went to Pier 17 and enjoyed lunch on the deck while watching the boats on the river.

After 3 very busy days in Brooklyn we were ready for a good night of sleep.  Then we packed up and headed for Wallkill Bethel.