Why Labor?

Okay, so does anyone else ever wonder why they call it Labor Day when most people get the day off work? I suppose if I really wanted to know the reason for the name, I could just look it up... but why work on a holiday? In fact, in spite of good intentions to actually work on lesson plans and such, here I am instead working on a new post for my blog. I may get around to the actual productive work at some point today, but for now, I am enjoying the non-Labor part of Labor day...i.e. actually taking a holiday from work.

Since I promised photos of my various travels over the summer, I thought today might be a good day to start that. Here you have the first sample of the trip Juli and I took to the great state of Washington (where I served my Spanish-speaking mission):

We begin with the Tri-Cities (Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland), where I spent the first six weeks of my mission getting trained by Hermana Jennifer Carroll. I wasn't there very long, but since we worked exclusively with the Spanish branch, this is where I really felt I got the language down pat. Because my memories of this area are rather vague, it was quite surreal to drive around the town with fragments of recollection. Here are some photos of what I DO remember:

The Blue Bridge (one of the main bridges across the Columbia River) Because we lived in Kennewick but mostly worked in Pasco across the river, we used this bridge most frequently. most


The Cable Bridge (the other main bridge across the Columbia River) We didn't use this one as much, but it sure looked cool, especially when lit up at night.


The Columbia River Temple (in Richland, near where the Mission Home is located)



After the Tri-Cities, we drove down into Oregon, where my third area was located- the thriving metropolis of Milton-Freewater.

Because we covered the whole stake for Spanish contacts (which went from Walla Walla, WA in the north down to Pendleton, OR in the south), we took in quite a bit of ground. Beside M-F and Walla Walla, we also did some work in the tiny towns of Athena and Weston. Here are some photos of that area (which, incidentally, was one of my favorites, and certainly my most successful area):

Our apartment in Milton-Freewater (which apparently still houses missionaries, judging by the picture of Christ in the window):


Pegg Johnson, a convert to the church, was such an enthusiastic, cheerful woman- she was absolutely adorable and was so helpful to us in so many ways!


Here's how Walla Walla dealt with rising gas prices:


The view from Tollgate Mountain (where Weston- and some of the members of the M-F ward- were located- it's not the Rockies, but it is still a pretty impressive view!)

And here is my attempt to capture what was really an incredible rainbow (although this is just one side of it, it was a full arc rainbow, spanning the stormy sky with its impressive array of brilliant color!)


Thus ends Part I of the Washington Saga- as I get more time throughout the week, I will be adding on, so stay tuned...