The Seventh Day

This second program has flown right by for us!  It's already Saturday and there's really only Sunday and Monday left in the program as Tuesday is basically breakfast and dismissal.

This morning's brekkie.

Like every other Saturday morning during a program, a crew of guests climbed Mount Cooroora in Pomona this morning.  I decided to opt out this time, though it didn't help me much with my sleep as I woke up just before 3:30am anyway.  I 'resisted' the temptation to join the 4am excursion (that wasn't difficult : ) and Tammy and I started our day with breakfast at 8am.  Interesting 'tangle' of mushrooms this morning!

Gary lecturing this morning.

Gary then presented the 'Focus' lecture dealing with the connection between our thoughts and our physiology.  Once again, very interesting talk!  Particularly interesting was the discussion on endorphins, how they're produced and how they affect the body.

Gary also discussed dopamine and it's role in providing get-up-and-go or motivation to get things done; and how it can be increased by our deliberate choice, just like a muscle can be strengthened.

Next came the chapel service at 11:15am where Samuel (marketing manager here) and his recent bride Melanie (an American girl who works in the health shop) led a spiritual presentation on the power of God as demonstrated in the universe and in nature.  The also sang a few songs using the guitar.  A nice time was had by all : )

The view from the gazebo.

After the chapel service John, the colonic therapist for men here, and his recent bride, Joy, took Tammy and  I for a ride up the mountain at the back of the LVS property (there are over 140 acres).  There's a gazebo lookout up there and walking trails leading up to it, but we realized early on that Tammy wouldn't be able to make the trek up there and I wouldn't be able to push, pull or tow her there.  What we didn't realize is that it's a drive-able trail, if you have a 4WD truck - which John does!

Sign marking the trail that we drove down!

It's about 3km round trip and we had a great time scaling the steep inclines on the way up and then holding on for dear life on the even steeper declines on the way down!  

Though it was a bit hazy out, the view from the gazebo was awesome!  We could see farmland below, Lake Cootharaba in the distance and then ocean beyond that.  It was super-kind of John to take us up there!  It has been our universal experience that the staff have gone out of their way to make our stay as wonderful as possible here - and this was one more example : )

Aww, teeny tiny little mangoes along the path to our room.
I wish we could be here to eat them!

Lunch, a snooze, supper and a movie (Crocodile Dundee... didn't realize how foul movies could be even back in 1986!) completed the day.  A bit of rain came later in the afternoon, though nothing like we've read has happened near Wawa, only 2 hrs North of our home, in the past couple of days!