100515

Catching up a bit...

Got a new lens to play with for my camera.  Does a little longer distance shots.

From the road below the temple at 70.

A bit closer from the same spot at 350.  I frequently need to shoot from a distance so this should make it a bit better for some of my shots.  Lens was a factory refurb unit so not all that expensive compared to the rally expensive ones that I have no need to purchase or use.  I can get by with this one easily.  Works perfectly for what I need.  Can't use it inside of a room, though, just too close for comfort.

Before conference we got up early (6 AM) and went to Cantril, Iowa, to the Mennonite town there to get groceries with the Admin head and her husband, the Dewey's.  Apparently, Mums are out this time of the year.  Quite the array to choose from.

Another Post Office for Mom's collection.

Last night we had a "Break the Conference" potluck at the Arrival Center for the missionaries.  That is the building that visitors come to before entering the temple if they need to change or freshen up a bit while traveling.  We were split between the president's home and the AC as there are quite a few of us, about 100 in total so the space is limited.  This is about 2/3s of us.

Picking out the soups and stews we want along with breads and salads.

Time to enjoy the victuals.  Right tasty!  We are actually kind of limited so  most of what we get is from crock pots but it's pretty good stuff, considering.

On our way out I glanced up at the temple and realized that security guard had not turned on the lights yet.  The temple lights are all electronic/digitized and we've had a failure in the system so we need to turn them on/off at certain times of the day.  The engineers usually do this.  However, when no engineer is in the Engineer's Office, it's up to the lone Security Officer to do it.  Apparently, he was a bit slow last night so I snapped a picture as this is a pretty rare sight.  We have a pretty good electrician working on the issue but he hasn't been able to figure it out yet.  It's managed by a computer and it's beyond me, believe it or not.  We think it's a relay that has gone out but we can't find it, yet.  So, until the dumb thing is figured out, we hafta do things manually.  Hence, we may have a few nights, days, like this.

Note that Moroni is lit up.  Haven't figured out why only him as all of the spot lights are all on the same circuit.  Well, maybe I know why...  The spots are aircraft lights that run at 2000 degrees F and cost a fortune.  You wouldn't want one in your front yard, trust me.  If they get wet, they explode, so the encasing fixture is pretty special also.  Oh, and it was a lot darker than this picture shows...