Friday at Lake Tekapo

Friday morning we left Queenstown and headed to Lake Tekapo. It was only a couple hours north. My favorite part was the Church of the Good Shepherd. I painted it for William's kindergarten teacher Mrs. McNitt. It was an illustration for a nursery rhyme, and involved sheep. I think it was Little Bo Peep. We also visited the bronze sculpture of a sheep dog. It is a tribute to the service of these amazing animals. We have seen these dogs herd the sheep and cattle down a hill, and they do it all in obedience to their masters whistle. Justin tells us that they can respond to up to 82 different whistle commands. At Lake Tekapo we stayed in a small cottage on the lake. It was new, clean and neat. We were visited by a whole team of ducks, which of course we fed. A neighbor at the cottage commented that we would have friends for life. He was right; they were waiting at our porch first thing in the morning. The lake is beautiful, and restful. Friday night the boys swan in a heated natural spring pool, while Leighton and I watched and enjoyed a quiet evening together.