Much Traveling, a new calling, & extending my mission

Lots of travel this week.  I went a week ago Sunday after church to Hampton Bays, almost the end of Long Island, to pick up a sister who needed to go to Manhattan to an appointment.  She stayed with me Sunday night and then after her appointment, I took her back to Hampton Bays.

Sign in the doctor's office

An LDS chapel in Manhattan. The flowers along the street in front of the chapel.

There are windmills on Long Island. Reminded me of The Netherlands.

As I drove out the expressway to zone training I couldn't help but think about how many ticks and
poisonous plants I was zooming passed safe in my car.

It was late when I left and the sun was setting but the pull of the Atlantic drew me to the beach for a few beautiful pictures and some time for reflection.

The Atlantic Ocean

Over the dune is the ocean

Wednesday, I picked up Anthea whom I help with cooking and laundry at the mission home from time to time at her home in Jamaica.  On our way back from a zone training one time, we passed close to Sheepshead Bay. Anthea told me about how beautiful it is there and that there were good places to eat.  (You know me…I never forget about good places to eat!) She was right.  It is beautiful.  It was overcast, windy, and a bit on the chilly side but it was a fun outing anyway.

This is the Greek restaurant where we ate in Sheepshead Bay.

My lunch: lobster bisque and salmon on greens.

Anthea had this fish and vegetables. She said in her country they eat the whole fish including the head.
She refrained from doing that "so I wouldn't be grossed out". Thank you Anthea.

This is our dessert at The Dessert Palace.

Anthea works with a realtor so she knows the market.  She says that the homes in the area of Sheepshead Bay are owned by Russian mafia and wealthy Jewish people. The houses never go on the market but are sold only by word of mouth for tens of millions of dollars.  The homes are mansions.

Mansions and huge homes in Sheepshead Bay

College in Sheepshead Bay

Sheepshead Bay is a bay separating the mainland of Brooklyn, New York City, from the eastern portion of Coney Island, the latter originally a barrier island but now effectively an extension of the mainland with peninsulas both east (the neighborhood of Manhattan Beach) and west (the neighborhoods of Coney Island and Sea Gate). The mouth of the bay is about 1.0 mile (1.6 km) southwest of Marine Park, Brooklyn.

The name "Sheepshead Bay" applies to the neighborhood north of the bay as well as the bay itself. Sheepshead Bay was named for the sheepshead, an edible fish found in the bay's waters. The fish, now rare, can still be caught in the local waters occasionally.

The bay itself was originally the easterly entrance to Coney Island Creek, but the filling-in of the central part of this waterway during the 1930s, in conjunction with construction of the Shore Parkway portion of the Belt Parkway, eliminated access to that waterway. At the same time, the bay was widened, deepened, and bulk headed at its western end. Recreational fishing fleets are now located there, though the fishing fleets have been shrinking every year and are being replaced by dinner boats. Holocaust Memorial Park, located at the western end of the bay, is used throughout the year for commemorative events.

Soviet-style restaurants/nightclubs, such as Paradise and Baku Palace, have opened along the waterfront, due to an influx of immigrants from countries comprising the former Soviet Union. Sheepshead Bay has also experienced a growth of condominium developments, and on Emmons Avenue, the northern shoreline street along the bay, are piers boasting an active seafood market and tour boats.

As of 2007, there were 123,181 people living in the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood. The demographics were 75.4% White, 14.6% Asian, 6.6% Hispanic or Latino, 4.7% African American and 0.2% Native American. Brooklyn's Avenue U Chinatown, which emerged as the second Chinatown of Brooklyn during the late 1990s, is located partially in Sheepshead Bay and partially in nearby Homecrest.

Much like the adjacent Brighton Beach neighborhood, Sheepshead Bay is known for its high concentration of immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Other ethnic groups in the area include Albanians, Chinese, Turks and Hispanics. 

We parked on one side of the bay and walked across a foot bridge.  It is indeed beautiful with swans and Canadian geese swimming in the water.  There are a lot of restaurants, big yachts, fishing boats, and excursion boats.  I need to find out if fishing is allowed for senior missionaries????  Hummmm…

Boys fishing on the foot bridge crossing Sheepshead Bay.
The sign on the post that you can't read says "No fishing"

The bay was full of swans

I was only able to walk two days this week but the rewards of walking are great.  The flora is abundant and beautiful.  I stopped to ask an older couple working in their little garden about their azaleas.  I went on for several minutes about how I love flowers and how beautiful is their garden.  They smiled and gestured approval but when I asked them a specific question they just kept smiling and gesturing. It finally hit me.  They had no idea what I was saying.  I waved at them and thanked them and as I walked away, I'm sure it was Russian they were speaking.

The pink flowers on the tree are unusual. They are attached right to the trunk
and main branches. Not on the twigs.

Last week I marveled at the giant tree growing out of the rock in Central Park.
This plant little plant growing through a brick wall is just as amazing to me!

Flora. The vinca and mushrooms remind me of my yard at home.

I believe that these are azaleas. The colors are magnificent!

I like to wander through this park on my morning walks.

I walked by this bush all winter laughing to myself at the artificial flowers the owner had put into
the bare limbs. Little did I realize that that ugly, bare bush with its fake blossoms would become
a beautiful lilac bush. I have to wonder how many people I pass on the streets who seem bare
and un-beautiful have just not had the opportunity to bloom.

I did find one friend, Scooter, who spoke my language.  He talks to me every time I walk by his yard.

My friend, Scooter

This is what greeted me when I arrived home on Tuesday from my walk.

I spent Friday getting my weekly reports finished and sent off and also took some sisters to dinner who came by to see me.

Sisters Hall, Mejia, Bandeaux

Dinner in Hampton Bays. Sister Bandeaux, Sister Hall, Sister Mejia

Boy!!  I eat out a lot!
Sisters Bush and Muños.

I have been called as the Primary chorister in the Rego Park 1st Ward.  I love Primary.  There are 8-9 children in the Primary who attend regularly.  I introduced myself to them through music today.  I had a bouquet of flowers with strips of paper with songs that I like and that tell about me.  We sang Families Can Be Together Forever and I showed them a picture of my grandchildren.  We sang I Hope They Call Me on a Mission and then I told them what I do on my mission.  We sang The Miracle which is a song they are learning for the Sunday Sacrament Meeting program this fall so I had a picture of the Savior because I love him and know that He is my Savior.  We sang Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree because it makes me happy and I love to sing it with my grandchildren.  We are learning Praise to the Man for the month of May so I discussed the meaning of the words:  communed, Jehovah, anointed, prophet, seer, dispensation, extol, revere as we learned the first verse.  We'll work on the chorus another time.  We have to learn the 3rd verse so maybe I'll work on that next week before we learn the chorus.  I like to mix it up a little.  Keep them on their toes.

Primary bouquet. I walked all over the neighborhood looking for white blossoms on a tree
but they've all turned to green leaves except maybe for the park but it was too far away.
I made my own popcorn popping on the apricot tree.

The missionaries are doing well on the whole.  Had a trip to Staten Island again for a doctor appointment.  Still have some with the virus going around, a kidney stone, ingrown toenail, asthma, pink eye and the first case of the year with poison ivy. I've managed to stay busy this week except for my play day on Wednesday afternoon.  Even then I took calls and texts. I love being here.  Not complaining in any way.

Statue outside the medical building in Staten Island.

Statue outside the medical building. This man is turned to look at the woman with the newspaper.
He is on the steps. She is coming out the doors.

Korean lunch in Staten Island. The white tubes are rice cakes. The thing that looks like a big radish is lobster cake.
All with vegetables in a sauce with the hard boiled egg. It was tasty.

Coming back from Staten Island I didn't look at where Joan (GPS) was taking us. It said fastest
route back to Flushing. Well..... Joan took us by way of New Jersey. We were crossing a bridge
when Sister Seo reminded me that this bridge wasn't the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. Oops!
We went out of our mission but no way to turn around on the expressway. So we went up I95 through
New Jersey across the George Washington Bridge (no picture) back into New York. I did get pictures
of the next bridge we crossed. See if I trust Joan again!!

In fact I love being here and serving the Lord so much that I have asked for and received an extension of my mission.  I now will be finished in August of 2017 instead of March 2017.  I love all of you for the support and encouragement that you give to me.  It means the world to me.

I have been reading and studying Jesus the Christ.  This week I've read in Matthew about the parables.  I find it immensely fulfilling to read and to try to understand the words that the Lord spoke and to try to apply them to my life. 

I pray that you will have a good week and that you will feel the love of the Savior.

I love you my family and friends.

Lots of travel this week. Home (Rego Park) to Hampton Bay: 82.4 miles (2-2.75 hours);
Home to Sheepshead Bay: 15.8 miles (40-60 min.); Home to Staten Island: 25 miles (45-75 min).

Sisters Seo and Fitt. Silly Sisters!

Sisters Anderson and Jenkins on their way to do service in a park.

Zone 9. I attended the zone training in Patchogue this week.

These snails caught my attention. Love the colors.