Our hometown of Athens, Texas had a snow day last week. We thought we would post a few photos for comparison. All of these are from Cesis, Latvia.
From last Friday...snow showers.
Always beware of the icicles!
Front of Sports Halle....
Snow dog of Cesis....
Our favorite outdoor cafe (in the summer!)...
The road to our apartment...
The sidewalk to our apartment...
Who is this beautiful Latvian-American woman that keeps showing up in my photos?
Here's a very realistic view reported by the BBC of the current economic crisis in Latvia.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8496925.stm
[Thanks to Latviagirl for the link!]
We will return to Latvia around the first of February. Along with trying to get everything accomplished in Texas that needs attention we are also keeping an eye on the Latvian weather.
Here is the forecast for the next few days:
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
By the way, as we were driving back from Austin today it was 68 degrees!!
Am I ready for a big change?
It has been our great pleasure to host three of our friends from Cesis, Latvia for the past 10 days. Pastor Olegs, Tarmo and Tabita have had a great time seeing the wonders of Texas. They often hear us talking about events in our church or town, but by experiencing these things in person they understand the uniqueness of small town USA.
We kept on a non-stop schedule while helping them to experience a variety of activities. Tarmo and Tabita participated in the ‘Christmas In The Park’ presentation as well as providing music for a Sunday School Christmas party. We made trips to Dallas, Waco, Georgetown, Tyler and a few points in-between. They rode four-wheelers, shot skeet, toured a working ranch, ate fajitas, shopped outlet malls, visited Baylor University, participated in church services, viewed a Christmas parade and enjoyed the hospitality of the greatest people in Texas.
The point of the visit was not to just brag on what we have in the USA. It was designed to further strengthen the relationship between Cesis Baptist Church and First Baptist Church-Athens. We know that was accomplished, and we look forward to continued cooperation between Athens and Cesis.
None of this could have been accomplished without the great support of First Baptist Church-Athens and the numerous people that shared their homes and lives with the Latvians. We send many, many thanks to those that allowed these three to stay in your homes. For those of you that provided meals, we were so glad they had an opportunity to experience home meals and not have to rely on restaurant food to experience the taste of Texas.
The Latvians will never forget your kindness and friendship during their visit. Thank you for helping to make their trip so rewarding.
Arrival at DFW
Sunday School party…
Tarmo and Tabita…
At the fish hatchery…
Visiting Baylor with Thomas…
The Bear…
A benefactor provided cowboy boots…
Thanking two of their hosts…
Sunday performance…
Shirley and Tabita four-wheeling…
Visiting with one of Texas’ finest…
Rain, snow, fog, drizzle, more snow, more rain...and now RAINBOWS!
These were taken from our apartment window. The rainbow seems to end directly on the water tower of Cesis.
Thursday was our third or fourth heavy snowfall. The weathermen always seem to predict snow 'showers' and we get a few inches. We are traveling to Riga today. I'm glad that I'm leaving the driving to the bus and leaving our van in Cesis.
Just a few pictures of the snow:
Even though we have had some snow, we are still enjoying some great fall colors. Here are a few random shots:
We have been spending a large amount of our time demolishing a 2.5 story building on the new church property. This building sat right in front of the future church building.
They built things to last when they constructed this monster. Huge nails (some were square nails), hand hewn beams, mortise and tenon joints...it was a bear to tear down.
Now, we have to get the surplus lumber sawn into chunks for the boiler, store the massive beams for future projects and finish with the general clean-up. If the heavy snow will just hold off for a while longer we may get it done.
Before....
After...
It is only October 12 but we have already seen our first snow. Here are a few pictures from the last few days, including the snow.
