The Letter "M" -- Weekend Roundup and Reflections

The thirty-ninth issue of Weekend Roundup for this year, 2020... (THE THIRTEENTH LETTER FOR THIS SERIES) - the Letter "M" Prompts are: 

(A) Starts with the Letter "M"; 

(B) "Many" (Tom's Choice); (C) A Favorite; and 

(D) Reflections.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asGhCioHqow

 (A) Starts with the Letter "M: Monkey starts with "M". I haven't shown this guy playing with me here for a long time. I found him in the courtyard of our hotel on our first mission trip to Guatemala. 

 
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(B) "Many" (Tom's Choice): Many kids wished me Happy Birthday (October 30) on that mission trip. Our purpose was to upgrade the living facilities there and conduct a Vacation Bible School. 

We installed a hot water heater for the boy's bathroom and overhead lighting in the girl's dorm so that they could read or play games and stuff after dark. 

We also did a lot of painting. Oh yes, one man in our group was an electrician, we were his helpers. 

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(C) A Favorite:  McDonald's delivery motorcycle, in Guatemala City.  Note that I went back for another mission holiday the next year, 2008 for this shot.  He got ahead before I could get the camera turned on, this is a zoom picture from our bus.

[Note the out flow through a culvert under the walkway.  the day before it was gushing over the walk in tandem with the smaller culvert.]

(D) Reflections: The rain water retention area at the end of our street got a little workout from our Hurricane Beta. We only had six inches of rain in our area and the winds had diminished to the mid twenty MPH.  Note the bird's Reflection on the right.

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  Bonus Questions:

1.  What is your favorite "M" word?   Mine will be Mule.  Stubborn, beast of burden, even a line and a verse of a song, "... or would you rather be a mule? ..." (see below or Click here for Frank Sinatra singing it, )
 
2.  Tell about one of your experiences with mission, student, or other purposed travel.  We enjoyed mission trips, to Hawaii taking our daughter in 1988; two to Albacete Spain 2001 and 2004, taking the two older granddaughters with us as a treat and to help with the kids;  two (Mrs. Jim the first only) 2007, 2008 to Guatemala, and Mrs. Jim two to Mexico while I was working.  

I had six weeks off in the summer, Mrs. Jim had 10, both working in education, each year we would generally have a big trip and then smaller to see parents in Louisiana and Nebraska.  A lot we drove, even in Europe and the Caribbean Islands.  As we became older we would cruise more.  We've been to all 50 states and most western European countries, even the small ones.  The last one of those was to Andorra in 2009 where we also took our youngest son, father of the older girls.  Be went from Barcelona to Bruges Belgium and back to Paris.  I drove. 

Oh yes, 2014 was the last year I drove in Europe, from Britain to Northern Wales. We've crossed the Arctic Circle, and been in the Southern Ocean, near Antarctica but not to it.  The other continents, yes.  My bucket list was trhe Panama Canal, Moscow Russia, and China.  We did those quickly but didn't stop, all parts of the world, some more than others.

https://www.songfacts.com/lyrics/bing-crosby/swinging-on-a-star
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Would you like to swing on a star
Carry moonbeams home in a jar
And be better off than you are
Or would you rather be a mule

A mule is an animal with long funny ears
Kicks up at anything he hears
His back is brawny but his brain is weak
He's just plain stupid with a stubborn streak
And by the way, if you hate to go to school
You may grow up to be a mule

Or would you like to swing on a star
Carry moonbeams home in a jar
And be better off than you are
Or would you rather be a pig

A pig is an animal with dirt on his face
His shoes are a terrible disgrace
He has no manners when he eats his food
He's fat and lazy and extremely rude
But if you don't care a feather or a fig
You may grow up to be a pig

Or would you like to swing on a star
Carry moonbeams home in a jar
And be better off than you are
Or would you rather be a fish

A fish won't do anything, but swim in a brook
He can't write his name or read a book
To fool the people is his only thought
And though he's slippery, he still gets caught
But then if that sort of life is what you wish
You may grow up to be a fish

A new kind of jumped up slippery fish

And all the monkeys aren't in the zoo
Every day you meet quite a few
So you see it's all up to you
You can be better than you are
You could be swingin' on a starWriter/s: Johnny Burke, Jimmy Heusen-van
Publisher: BOURNE CO.
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind _ _  

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The fine print:
 - [Click on any picture for larger, click it again for extra large]
- I am linked with Tom of "Backwoods Travel" (Link here to click for Tom's Weekend Reviews)
- I am also linked this week with James of "Weekend Reflections" (click here for his Reflections Photos).
- The pictures mostly are all mine and rights are reserved to me under Copyright Law.