Andover, MA to New York

As we were leaving Andover, MA, the boys said how they look forward to keeping in touch with their new friends pictured here. When Mary and I share that the boys are home schooled, often people will speak of their concern that the boys are not able to interact with peers... We think they are going to be just fine.




The writers, actors, and film crew from "A Tale Of The West" (filmed in Western New York)


This was taken right outside the RV at the Tremblay family farm where we parked in North Collins, New York. God led us to a quiet place to rest a bit and the children began their summer days fishing, running, playing, and filming a cowboy movie with new friends. We were glad for the chance to unwind between concerts in Hamburg (the 'birthplace' of the hamburger), North Collins, and Niagara Falls. Today we are heading toward Connecticut for a concert there this weekend.

We do not want to trigger a housing development frenzy by telling you how beautiful Western New York really IS - so we will just tell you that once more we found very kind and very alive Catholic families. We can pretend this horse picture was taken in Arkansas. We are thanking God for the chance to speak and sing about his mercy as we travel. We are also thanking God for those of you who helped us into our new home on wheels as well as those who help us keep it fueled! When we saw diesel go over $5.00 a gallon we reminded each other how it is totally up to God how long he wants us to stay on the road. Thank you for your part in that!

Here are a few words from the boys about their time in New York:

John Paul:
It was really fun at the Tremblay’s house. It feels like we’ve known them forever but we really just met them. We did a movie with them. We fished with them. We got pocket knives from them and that’s a really big surprise for me because I’m eight!!!! It was really fun at Niagara Falls. There was a ledge called “Hurricane Ledge” and I stood in it and I got really soaked. I went on “Maid of the Mist” and that was fun, too, because on that one it looked like we were going to go into the waterfall and there was all this mist and it got us soaked also. In the mist I could hardly see... It was so much fun.

Joseph:
Western New York is a really cool place. We met these new people and we got to be really good friends with them. We made a movie called “A Tale of the West” and I hope we can put it on the blog and then on “You Tube”. (Note from Dad: The boys are not allowed to go on “You Tube” so they do not know how bad of a place it IS for young people - they just hear the name all the time) We got to go on “Maid in the Mist” it was really cool I got pretty wet - all the mist was swirling around in the air really fast. I went down a 170 foot elevator which was a really big accomplishment for me because I got trapped in an elevator when I was four years old. And I got to go in “Cave of the Winds” which really isn’t a cave at all. And then I got really wet at “Hurricane Deck” which was right at the foot of the waterfall so I got drenched. Then after that we got to go drop off our camera at the 1 hour Photo and get the pictures printed. We got too many pictures of Meteor Crater and we got a picture of me getting soaked by the waterfall. It was awesome.


At the top of the Falls