Winter Escape! Day 18: Family Day!

As is our custom, this morning we went to church, Patty, Mallory, and I.  Patty's church in Jacksonville, Florida, USA, is Holy Family Catholic Church.  The church was packed; Father George Maniangattu, a native of India, was the celebrant. The choir and congregation's singing was especially spirited.  After Mass, Mallory, who has Indian heritage, and Father George had a nice chat.

The Sun illuminates the Crucifix of Jesus; the Holy Spirit in the form of a 3-D Dove, is directly below.  I've never seen this arrangement in a church; it is quite moving.

Beautiful main altar at Holy Family: Jesus and his apostles at the last supper.

Another unique element at Holy Family church: a statue of the Holy Family, Mary, Joseph, and Jesus as a young boy instead of the traditional baby in his mother's arms.

After lunch, Mallory, Johnny, and I took a long walk around their large and spacious apartment complex.  The area is extremely quiet, surrounded by a forest of pine and palm trees.  I particularly enjoyed the large lake with fountains.

Mallory is quite speedy on her Barbie scooter.

It's warm today - in the 70s - but not quite warm enough to go swimming: the pool was empty.

Johnny likes to ride in his stroller.

There's a lot of wildlife in the lake, including these mallard ducks and some large orange koi fish.  Mallory said there are some turtles, but we couldn't find them today.

While Mallory, Johnny and I walked around the lake, Patty and Raj took a ride of their own.

The buildings of the complex seem to be in the forest, in the cool shade.

One of the lake's decorative fountains, with a bridge in the background.

We all helped with a dinner at home: lasagna, french bread, and chocolate cake.  Then we settled down to watch lots of the Olympic games: a very pleasant family day.