What a wonderful welcome home!!
Our home and yard were immaculate and there was a beautiful American flag flying from the front of the house and yellow ribbons tied to trees everywhere with welcome home banners inside and out.
We arrived at the Salt Lake International Airport about 10:30 P.M. on Monday night, July 12th. All of our children and their families, except Spencer's, were waiting for us with banners, balloons, cheers, tears and hugs. What a welcome!!
Elder and Sister Johnson in front of the Panorama Hotel where we stayed our last four nights in Greece, so that Elder and Sister Shute could move into the apartment. They arrived Thursday evening. We spent all day Friday with them, had Zone Conference Saturday and spent some more time with them after our meetings on Sunday. They took us to the airport Monday morning, where Elder Johnson happily turned the car keys over to Elder Shute and breathed a sigh of relief...twenty-three months of safely negotiating Greek traffic and roads. We were blessed!
All the senior couples who attended our last Zone Conference and were at our Sunday meetings.
Most of the missionaries who attended our last Zone Conference on our last Saturday in Greece. Front row: Sisters Bell, Lelle, Johnson, Andros, Dracocardos and Shute. Back, left to right: Elders Bell, Gifford, Mortensen, Woodger, Grow, Bevelas, President Charles, Elders Loynes, Johnson, Andros, Sister Jung, Elders Dracocardos and Shute.
A view of the city of Thessaloniki spread out below us with the sea and the ships, a site that will always be a little nostalgic for us.
A view of the sunset and the sea from our hotel balcony.
We were driving up to Panorama where we stayed in a hotel for our last three days in Thessaloniki when we caught this wedding party. We took a picture out the car window while stopped at a stop light. They wanted to know where we were from. Some of them, at least, were from Manhattan!
On our last Tuesday in Greece, we took the missionaries to the city of Drama to teach a couple. We wanted a picture of some Greek men playing backgammon, as it is a common sight. Dennis asked if he could take a picture of these two. At first the one on the right was reluctant, but his friend and other onlookers assured him it was ok, so he consented. It seems he thought Dennis was a Bulgarian or some other foreigner, who would take his picture, then ask him for money. He turned out to be very friendly. His name was Stavros and he had lived in America for many years. His second wife was a dentist from Romania with an office nearby. He took us to her office so we could meet her and his young daughter.
A last picture of the front door to our apartment building at Proponditos 4.
One of my favorite things about Greece was the beautiful blossoms all during the year. These beautiful blossoms were just across the street on our way home from the Lidl store where we frequently shopped.
In the fall of 2008, we helped harvest olives at this site in the little village of Nea Triglia. During our last week, we took a ride out to the little grove and took this picture.
We spent one of our last evenings in Greece sitting under the pines and sharing ice cream with Tsaki and Beatrice. From left to right in the picture are Nehad, (from Palestine) who owns the horses that the handicapped children ride, next is Beatrice, then Maria, the physical therapist who works with the children, and Tsaki. They are very dear to us.
This is a picture of one of the familiar cacti that we saw in Greece. The picture doesn't do it justice. It is about 6 feet tall and is on the Litsa's farm. If you remember the picture of the Savior standing in front of the door with no handle or knob, you will see the same kind of cactus.
Don't ask me why I took this picture. I just wanted to remember how hard I worked getting the rust off our balcony railing and painting it the week before the Shutes arrived to take over the apartment. The left side is newly painted and the rest is waiting for me.
What a wonderful welcome home!!
Our home and yard were immaculate and there was a beautiful American flag flying from the front of the house and yellow ribbons tied to trees everywhere with welcome home banners inside and out.
We arrived at the Salt Lake International Airport about 10:30 P.M. on Monday night, July 12th. All of our children and their families, except Spencer's, were waiting for us with banners, balloons, cheers, tears and hugs. What a welcome!!
Elder and Sister Johnson in front of the Panorama Hotel where we stayed our last four nights in Greece, so that Elder and Sister Shute could move into the apartment. They arrived Thursday evening. We spent all day Friday with them, had Zone Conference Saturday and spent some more time with them after our meetings on Sunday. They took us to the airport Monday morning, where Elder Johnson happily turned the car keys over to Elder Shute and breathed a sigh of relief...twenty-three months of safely negotiating Greek traffic and roads. We were blessed!
All the senior couples who attended our last Zone Conference and were at our Sunday meetings.
Most of the missionaries who attended our last Zone Conference on our last Saturday in Greece. Front row: Sisters Bell, Lelle, Johnson, Andros, Dracocardos and Shute. Back, left to right: Elders Bell, Gifford, Mortensen, Woodger, Grow, Bevelas, President Charles, Elders Loynes, Johnson, Andros, Sister Jung, Elders Dracocardos and Shute.
A view of the city of Thessaloniki spread out below us with the sea and the ships, a site that will always be a little nostalgic for us.
A view of the sunset and the sea from our hotel balcony.
We were driving up to Panorama where we stayed in a hotel for our last three days in Thessaloniki when we caught this wedding party. We took a picture out the car window while stopped at a stop light. They wanted to know where we were from. Some of them, at least, were from Manhattan!
On our last Tuesday in Greece, we took the missionaries to the city of Drama to teach a couple. We wanted a picture of some Greek men playing backgammon, as it is a common sight. Dennis asked if he could take a picture of these two. At first the one on the right was reluctant, but his friend and other onlookers assured him it was ok, so he consented. It seems he thought Dennis was a Bulgarian or some other foreigner, who would take his picture, then ask him for money. He turned out to be very friendly. His name was Stavros and he had lived in America for many years. His second wife was a dentist from Romania with an office nearby. He took us to her office so we could meet her and his young daughter.
A last picture of the front door to our apartment building at Proponditos 4.
One of my favorite things about Greece was the beautiful blossoms all during the year. These beautiful blossoms were just across the street on our way home from the Lidl store where we frequently shopped.
In the fall of 2008, we helped harvest olives at this site in the little village of Nea Triglia. During our last week, we took a ride out to the little grove and took this picture. 
We spent one of our last evenings in Greece sitting under the pines and sharing ice cream with Tsaki and Beatrice. From left to right in the picture are Nehad, (from Palestine) who owns the horses that the handicapped children ride, next is Beatrice, then Maria, the physical therapist who works with the children, and Tsaki. They are very dear to us.
This is a picture of one of the familiar cacti that we saw in Greece. The picture doesn't do it justice. It is about 6 feet tall and is on the Litsa's farm. If you remember the picture of the Savior standing in front of the door with no handle or knob, you will see the same kind of cactus.
Don't ask me why I took this picture. I just wanted to remember how hard I worked getting the rust off our balcony railing and painting it the week before the Shutes arrived to take over the apartment. The left side is newly painted and the rest is waiting for me.
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