York-Day Something or Other

As I type this, I am on a train headed to London.  Since I got behind in Sheffield, I have been playing catch-up, writing entries at least a few days after they have happened.   Right now, it is Wednesday, July 3 but I need to go back to Sunday, June 30 to chronicle our adventures that day.   We started our morning by reading the story of Jesus feeding the 4,000.  We discussed the story, asked questions, and prayed together.  It was a special time for the parents; one the kids barely tolerated because they were made to sit still and pay attention for at least 20 minutes.  After that, we decided to walk to a park.  It was a lovely stroll along a little body of water that was the home to an armada of ducks (they play a part in this story a bit later).  Not much to say about the park; a bit of a disappointment but we had nice weather and the kids weren’t having to endure another lecture or historical display.  We decided to walk back along the river and offer our feathery friends some snacks.  I determined it would be safer if we tossed our pretzels into the water and not along the ground where a large gaggle of geese were gathering (say that 3 times really fast!).   Each of us started throwing some bits of pretzels in the water and we were quickly overtaken by a crowd of hungry birds.  Naively, I thought there wasn’t anything to worry about since the geese were all in the water; I figured worse case they would fight amongst themselves for the food we made available.  Well, we hadn’t been there but a minute when one eager beaver hopped out of the water, waddled right up to me, and made it clear he wasn’t stopping until he got his treat.  I was disconcerted by his aggressive behavior and immediately announced we needed to go and fast!  Tim and the kids got a big kick out of this comical encounter; I on the other hand was unable to see the humor in almost being mauled by a desperate duck.  A quick ride on The Wheel of York and a nice Italian dinner and it was back home for the night.   Another week finished and only 11 more days until we return home.  I think all of us are ready to be back in Denver at this point; we miss our friends, our home, our church, and our normal routine.  So grateful to have a place we are excited to go back to!