Rain in July!

It has been unusually hot here in Boise.  By hot I mean 100 degrees plus.  That's usual for July and August, but this hot cycle began in June!  Partly to escape the heat, we headed for Island Park, near Rexburg, ID, where we have a family cabin.  Several friends came along with us.  It was 20 degrees cooler there, a welcome reprieve from Boise.  We had such fun!  We floated the river, saw Quake Lake again and drove through Yellowstone Park.  It was Independence Day week so you may imagine how many people were around.  Lots and lots.  But it was as if the Red Sea parted for us.  Everywhere we went we found space for enjoyment without lines or crowds.  I can't explain why since there were people everywhere.  It was a sweet time.

Here we are floating down the river.  Such fun with Roger and Mary Ann Wilcox, and Larry Green.

Layne and I in Yellowstone's Grand Canyon.

The Galbraith cabin, in Island Park, Idaho

We drove home on July 4th, arriving just in time for a party at Larry and Pat Green's.  The Boise area celebrates Independence in a big way.  Every little town has a fireworks show.  If you are in just the right spot, you can be surrounded by them.  It is a joyous experience.  Independence Day brings strong feelings of love for our country.  I feel it every year.  Last Sunday I could not resist sharing my feelings about it at Church during testimony meeting.  I'm not much for bearing testimony, but each 4th of July, I feel compelled.  I felt come out of me an immense feeling of gratitude for the Founders, who established freedom, to be shared with all the world.  Shortly afterwards, our country also provided the chance for the gospel to be restored, meant to be shared with all the world as well.  These two great gifts lie in the middle of our mortal experience here in the USA.  How wonderful to be blessed to be here at this time.  We must never surrender these two great gifts.

I am alarmed of course with the latest Supreme Court decision on marriage.  First of all, they don't have the Constitutional right to decide for the rest of us what marriage is to be.  Now that they have, the category we call marriage will no doubt eventually be expanded to include all sorts of relationships, making the whole concept of marriage meaningless.  Once family life, as it has been for hundreds of years, is muddled, the effects upon our society will be fatal.  Still, I hold out hope that the righteous principles that have made this the freest, most prosperous country the world has ever seen will somehow prevail.

We arrived home from Island Park to cooler temperatures.  Then the clouds came.  Then the lightening and thunder.  And then the rain.  This is July and it rained!  Our days since returning have been filled with this wonderful weather, cooling and nourishing us and giving us such a show.  I love it.  Rain in July!

July promises to be filled with family.  Gerald, Frances, Seth and Angelica, along with 11 Chinese students from their school, arrived last Monday.  Gerald and Frances were exhausted from the long trip, and they thought the kids would be too.  Wrong.  They were full of energy and lots and lots of enthusiastic noise.  It is fun to have the house full of happy activity.  I love having Ger and family here with us once again.

Gerald and Frances' English students.  Well, Layne is an addition.  Seth is wearing the sunglasses in back.  Angelica is in front wearing the white shirt and red shorts.

My friend, Phyllis, left Friday to move back to Arizona.  She moved here just two years ago, but the call of home and family has pulled her back to her Arizona spot.  I hope she loves it!

Ger and gang left for Utah for a few days and will return to us this coming week.  Ben and his family arrive on Tuesday.  Jessica and hers arrive on Thursday, along with Ger and his.  Once everyone is here we will have some 30 people staying here, all at once!  Wow.  I hope we are up for it!