Temple at 9 o'clock in the Evening

The land for the temple was purchased from the City of Espoo. The Church wants to construct a fence around the property. The city would prefer that the fence enclose the minimum amount of property necessary to secure the temple. They want the grounds to be available as a park for the people who live in or visit Espoo. Negotiations are still in progress. The temple grounds are maintained by the Helsinki Parks Department. The Church has contracted with them to perform this service at cost. There are park employees on site virtually every day.

Built on Granite

The temple is built on granite, as is much of Finland. For a couple of months now we have been hearing sirens near our apartment where another kerrostalo is being constructed. The sirens warn that explosives are about to be used. They are clearing granite away so they can continue building. Not visible in this picture are some very lovely light purple and white wildflowers that grow on the rocks. This driveway is on the north side of the temple.

Benches almost Everywhere

There are many of this style bench around the temple. The wooden seats are removed during the winter.

Tulips Near the Entry Way

These tulips have already been replaced with begonias. I am so slow to post the pictures

Granite Rock Decorative Wall

Part of the wall at the rear of the temple was made of stones to integrate the large existing boulder. In other areas the walls are prefabricated. We had some vandalism at the temple last month. Some young boys threw some of these stones around, emptied a large gravel container, and forced water under the doors of the temple. The limestone material suppliers had to be contacted to learn how to repair the damage to the limestone in the entryway. None of the carpets were affected.

Front Entrance

South Side of Temple with Turuntie in Background

Drivable paths of Paver Stones

Combining Nursery Plantings with Nature's Plantings

Steps and Walkway

Best Looking Lawn in Finland

Most lawn areas that we have seen in Finland grow on the principle that if it's green or has flowers it belongs in the lawn. Dandelions are treated with respect. They even have a lovely name--butter flowers, voikukat.

South Side of the Temple

Muurahaiskeko

About 50 feet down the hill just outside the retaining wall in the back of the temple is a 4 foot high anthill.

Ants in the Celestial Room

The landscaping borders around the temple are made of Finnish ball granite. They are very lovely to look at and give the landscaping a sense of unity. They also provide a convenient path for the ants that you see here on going about their work. From time to time they lose their way and, unfortunately, end up in the Celestial Room of the temple where their fate is certain.

It has been interesting to observe the cultural difference between Finns and Americans as they work together to find a solution to the problem of "ants in the celestial room." The Americans want to take the most drastic legal action possible against the ants. Setting the ants' hill on fire or dousing it with large amounts of pesticides have been mentioned. The Finns say if you attack the hill, the ants will simply build another one in close proximity to the current one. The Finns say the solution lies in locating their entry points and then blocking the ants in some way. To my knowledge no action has been taken and the problem has existed for at least a month. We continue to "remove" them one by one as we find them. Katsotaan.