Weeks 16 & 17 continued:

More people I am grateful for: the men and women who fight forest fires.  Be safe Randy and crew! 

Slide Fire in Arizona

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Since we have been getting rain, these "lovelies" (slugs) show up on our steps.  I know Hunter and Aspynn would think they are as cool as the horned lizards at Grandma's house!  No, I can't mail or bring you some home!  Sorry!

More funny signs:

At a steak house in the Mall

Not really a sign, but we wondered why the wipers are
out on parked cars.  I know in Virginia in the winter,
it is to keep the blades from freezing to the windshield.
You guessed it!  Here it is to keep the blades from
melting to the windshield because of the heat!

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More treasures from home.  Keep them coming - we love and cherish them!

From Braxton

Way to go Elsie!

Thanks Dawn, we love you too!

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I need to redeem myself so Edward will quit teasing me (haha) about one of my earliest posts.  It was of two trees which I labeled a coconut tree, which is correct and another one I stated to be "a really old coconut tree."  Oh, silly me.  The old tree is actually a "fire" tree, which we have watched lose its leaves then get these red/orange berry-looking things on it and it blossomed into a brilliant array of petals! The leaves are coming back now and they are quite the contrast to the "fire." 

Delonix regia is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, subfamily Caesalpinioideae. It is noted for its fern-like leaves and flamboyant display of flowers. In many tropical parts of the world it is grown as an ornamental tree and in English it is given the name Royal Poinciana or Flamboyant. It is also one of several trees known as Flame tree.

Okay Edward - no more teasing!

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Well, maybe you don't believe me when I say that driving here is scary, but believe me it is true!  One Filipino says driving here is like being on a dance floor:  everyone moving around, jockeying for a position and no one going anywhere!  

Notice the crazy motorcycles!  There
are thousands of them and they dart
in and out of traffic.

Jeepnee over-loaded

Sometimes, EDSA is like a parking lot!

23 million people live in Metro Manila!

The funny thing about all of this is to get a drivers license, you go in and have your blood pressure and eyes checked, have your picture taken, pay the fee which is 700P ($15.00 American) and off you go.  No written or driving test needed and no emission tests on the vehicles.  Yeowee!!!!!!

Bye for now!

Heidi-ho!  Weeks 16 & 17

It seems with May, lots of things happen.  Mother's Day, Memorial Day, graduations and grandkids etc.  We have been blessed with many, many family events.

Inspirational Award

I remember the day this beauty was born!

Hard to believe she is old enough to graduate!

Four of our grandchildren are on missions (sorry but we don't have pictures of Kyle who is serving in the North Carolina Raleigh Mission)

Elder England #2 in Belgium - Netherlands Mission

Hermana Johnson #3 - heading to Argentina Comodoro Rivadavia

Hermana Johnson #2 on the right - Chesapeake Virginia Mission - after being drenched in a famous VA rainstorms.   I remember these while serving in Virginia Richmond!


Memorial Day:

The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial is located in Fort Bonifacio, Metro Manila, within the boundaries of the former Fort William McKinley. The cemetery, 152 acres (62 ha) or 615,000 square metres in area, is located on a prominent plateau, visible at a distance from the east, south and west.[1] With a total of 17,206 graves, it has the largest number of graves of any cemetery for U.S. personnel killed during World War II and holds war dead from the Philippines and other allied nations.[1] Many of the personnel whose remains are interred or represented were killed in New Guinea, or during the Battle of the Philippines (1941–42) or the Allied recapture of the islands.[1] The headstones are made of marble which are aligned in eleven plots forming a generally circular pattern, set among a wide variety of tropical trees and shrubbery.[1] The Memorial is maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission.

Used for those deceased 1941–1945

Established

1948

Location

Coordinates: 14.541°N 121.050°E

Designed by

Gardener A. Dailey

Total burials

17,206

Unknown

burials

3,744

Burials by nation

• United States: 16,636

• Philippines: 570

Burials by war

• World War II: 17,206

      We were told this is American soil and is said to be a sanctuary if we ever needed one.  It reminds me a lot of the Punch Bowl in Hawaii.  It was pretty sobering to read the names of the fallen.

As you may be able to tell, this cemetery is right in the heart of a very busy, bustling city called Global City, where we shop etc.  May is always a tender month for me, but I am grateful for those men and women who risk their lives to defend the good ole United States of America.  Thank-you to all!  To our missionaries and future ones:  be obedient, RWYA and KoKo!  We love our families and miss y'all tons and tons.