June #3: Church History Tour

Our plane ride from Seattle brought us home at midnight.  We needed to arise on Saturday morning, June 23, at 3 AM.  Layne didn't pack until our return from Seattle so we didn't get to sleep until about 1:30 AM.  So we got a very tired start to a week's tour of Church History sites, provided by Heritage Tours.  We met up with our good friends, Bill and Trudy Ostler, in Kansas City and spent Saturday night in a local motel. We began our adventure Sunday morning, day one, after attending a Sacrament meeting.

Missouri is a beautiful state.  It is very green and lush.  Plants there really want to grow!  It is quite different from the West, where we have to coax plants with water and fertilizer.  There it rains enough to make all the green stuff feel good.  Did you know there is a Mormon temple in Kansas City?  It is the first temple in Missouri since the Saints were chased out of the state.  Here it is, beautiful but closed for the Sabbath.

We visited Independence.  Joseph Smith said it was the Garden of Eden.  It is beautiful enough even now.  The Church doesn't own much property there now, but there is a small lot set aside for a future temple; the one Christ will return to.  It will require much more land than the Church now owns.  The Community of Christ owns most of the property here and has a large building shaped like cork screw shell, located near the temple site.  Church members are very friendly and cooperate with our Church quite readily.  It was a pleasant visit.

We stopped at Richmond, than Carthage Jail, which has been restored to look like it did during Joseph's time.  His long time in this jail, with a few companions, is known as his Gethsemane.

I realize more than ever that Joseph Smith gave everything to establish the Church; his name, his energy, his chance at earning a good living, his home, his own safety and peace, and finally his life.  How can anyone believe, knowing this, that he was not sincere?!

We spent Sunday night at a vintage hotel called The Elms.  It was built in the 1800s.  Of course it has gone through some renovations.  It was beautiful and full of character.  It is located on expansive grounds, filled with trees and lots of grass.  In the center is a large gazebo with a dance floor.  How fun it must have been to hold dances there.  Beyond, in the grass, fireflies lit up in happy spontaneity.  I've never seen fireflies in the flesh.  It is impossible not to smile at their flashes of light popping up between the blades of grass.  Before we went to bed we gathered in the reception area for ghost stories.  One of the employees had a whole collection of stories of ghostly events that happened through the years in the hotel.  Hum.  By the time he was through, we were all feeling a little edgy.  But I slept all night anyhow.

Day 2, Monday:  Far West, Missouri, was once a thriving town, establish by Mormons after being chased out of Independence.  It was located in the northern county of Caldwell, set aside for the Mormons, as it was isolated from other settlers at the time.  But persecutions followed, then Hauns Mill and Governor Bogg's Extermination Order.  The Mormons had to leave the state.  But they left behind a temple site in Far West.  Perhaps some day there will be a temple there but now there is no other sign of a settlement; only beautiful green pastures and fields.

Davies County is the location of Adam-ondi-ahman, as Joseph Smith stated.  It is a beautiful valley surrounded by wooded hills.  Adam met with his righteous descendants here and it will one day be the location of another similar meeting.  In one location, overlooking a grove of trees, sits a large stone called "Preacher's Rock".  Joseph preached here at one time, and his voice could be heard throughout the grove of trees below.   For some reason it has amazing acoustics.  We tried it out and it is true!  Layne and Bill try their hand at it.

Here we are with Trudy in the grove below Preacher's Rock.

Hannibal, home of Mark Twain, was on our route so we stopped there and toured the town where he lived.  Mark Twain stuff was everywhere!  The town reflects his stories.  Flowing close by is the Mississippi River.  His boyhood home was on display, including the fence that he white washed in real life and in his Mark Twain book.   Here is Layne giving it a try.

Missouri is full of lush countryside but there is sense of economic hardship about it--a sort of depression.  It seems not to be thriving as one would think in such a beautiful place.

Day 3, Tuesday:  We rode to Nauvoo.  What a lovely place it is.  It holds reconstructed buildings and homes as the Saints had them and offer many reenactments of life in "old Nauvoo".  The Nauvoo Temple is the definite highlight.  It sits atop a hill overlooking the Mississippi River.  Statues of Joseph and Hyrum on horseback sit in the foreground.  It is a lovely place to be.  Most of the tour group went through a session in the temple, but I didn't have my Recommend, so we walked to the home of one of our Mongolian missionary buddies, Jan Matlock.  As it turns out it was her birthday, so being with her was an especially good thing.

We spent the evening on the temple grounds, watching the sunset and a full moon rise.  It was so inspiring.

Day 4, Wednesday:  We went to Carthage.  It happened to be June 27th, and the 200th anniversary of  The Martyrdom (and Audrey's birthday!).  It is haunting to be in the space where the Smith brothers were killed.  The door into their prison room still holds the bullet hole where the bullet that killed Hyrum passed.  Seeing the window where Joseph fell after being shot was pretty dramatic too.

Day 5, Thursday:  We spent much of the day in old Nauvoo, where I found some interesting information on my great-great grandmother, Lucy Walker.  We toured HC Kimball's home, my great-great grandfather.  It was lovely for its day and stands restored, mostly by one of his descendants.  Here I am inside with a portrait of HC Kimball.

There is a lovely garden by the visitor's center in Nauvoo that features statues of women.  Trudy and I walked among them, in the rain. Here is a photo of me with one of the statues.

This last day in Nauvoo was an overcast day, making it more pleasant...until the sky began to darken to almost twilight.  We could hear the wind blowing in the tops of the trees.  Then, before we knew it, the wind was whirling around us moving us to its will.  We ran for cover just in time to miss the torrent of rain that poured out of the sky.  It was amazing!  Everything changed in just a few minutes.  

Our bus rescued us and we headed for Iowa and more pioneer gathering places.  The Mormons were kicked out of Nauvoo, again in the winter time.  One of the places they stopped was a little place called Garden Grove.  They stayed for a time there and a little farther to a place they called Mount Piscah.  The Garden Grove folk treasure their Mormon roots and have an organization that seeks out building and burial sites and artifacts from the Mormon period.  They were friendly and even provided us with dinner.

Day 6, Friday:  We drove to Mt. Piscah, Iowa.  It is located on a beautiful wooded rise that overlooks a green, fertile valley.  It is about as beautiful a place as one could imagine.  10,000 acres of it is owned by a man named Bob Brown.  Bob has spent money and time finding Mormon cabin sites and burial sites on his land.  It does it all by "witching" with wire coat hangers re-bend to an "L" shape and held gently in his hands.  The wires cross when there is a "disturbance in the soil", he says.  He demonstrated it for us over and over again.  Who can disbelieve?  Now I want to try it in our back yard.  Who knows what "disturbances" may be lurking just below the surface?

Bob took us on a wagon ride through the woods around his place, pulled by his huge tractor, all the while showing us locations for cabins and burial sites long disappeared.  But I believe him.  Here he is, telling us about some of his finds.

We saw several other sites, all inspiring and interesting.  It was lots of fun even if we didn't get in much visiting time with Bill and Trudy.  We were either touring or sleeping!  Here is my effort at a selfie of Trudy and myself.

We returned home Saturday, tired but happy to be in our own space once again.  And so grateful that it is not a crude, small cabin out in the woods!

June #2: Gemma Graduates

Just a couple of days after returning from California, we packed up and flew to Seattle.  Daughter Jessica and husband Chris were celebrating the graduation of their oldest, Gemma, on June 20th.  We arrived on Tuesday and stayed until Friday, attending Gemma's graduation and enjoying the party that her folks gave her on Thursday.  It was fun meeting up with Chris' family and visiting with nephew Russell's wife, Kristy.  She and daughter Olivia stayed and visited a good long time.  It was great!

Here are Jessica and Chris with Gemma just after the graduation ceremony.  Gemma is a lovely girl, with a pure heart.  She will be off to college in the Fall.  This is the beginning of an emptying nest for Chris and Jess.

We celebrated with a dinner out at "909", the restaurant Jessica works at.  It was yummy.  Here is Gemma at our dinner table with her sibs, Miles and Peyton.

Gifts go along with graduation.  Here is Gemma opening hers.  One of my granny plans is to draw a portrait of each grandchild when they are grown and "finished".  I managed to get one done for Gemma.  It isn't perfect, but here it is.

I love spending time with our Gendreaus.  They are warm and welcoming.  The three kids are bright and loving.  This was another great family week.

We flew home on Friday night, arriving at 11:30 PM.  Ugh.  Layne picked this flight because the price was right.  We stayed up even later to prepare for an early departure the next morning for yet another trip.  We began that on 2 hours of sleep!

June #1: The Return of Isaiah

June has been a very busy month. Too busy for writing in a blog.  So I've decided to divide my June entires into three parts, each representing an event worth sharing.  This first one happened the weekend of June 15th.  Our grandson Isiah Adams-Hart (son of Audrey and Cliff) has been serving a Church mission in Louisiana.  He returned home on the 13th of June to the open arms of family.  Here he is at the airport with Audrey and Cliff and, below, with sister, Allegra.

Look at this handsome Elder!  He is taller and thinner and just so...good!

Layne and I flew in to welcome him on Friday.  Chase and family surprised them with a Saturday arrival.  So all the family was together for a wonderful weekend.  The AH house was full so we stayed with Reed and Dorothy and had such a great time with them.  Now that they are in a bigger house, they have a guest room!  

Here is the whole AH family.  Back:  Audrey, Cliff, Chase (still taller than his younger brother), Middle:  Allegra, Rayne, Isaiah, Dominic (Rayne's new hub), Front:  Hunter and Morgan (Chase's wife).  

It cannot be overstated that spending time with family is quite wonderful.  We had a lovely weekend.  Reed, Dorothy and boys; Ben, Jessica and kids, joined us on Sunday for a big welcome home for Isaiah.  He spoke at Church and did a great job.  Such a family!

Joyful Motoring

For several weeks Layne has been asking me what I'd like in an "around town" car.  For quite awhile I've mentioned that it would be a good idea to have a little car that takes much less fuel for short errands and such.  But it seemed along way off since we have two cars in our garage already.  And then...Layne invited me to check out a car he found on Craig's List.  So on Monday we drove into Boise to see the car.  It turned out to be a cute little convertible sports car; a Miata.  It was old, red and so fun to drive!  It was also pretty cheap.  So we bought it!  I drove it home with the top down.  I've gotta say that there is something magical about driving a stick shift red convertible, with the wind blowing through my hair.  I loved it! 

I went to bed that night thinking about the car and awoke with the same thoughts.  Tuesday I cleaned out the inside and we checked out the various workings of the car.  Layne took it to a mechanic to have it inspected.  They said it is in unusually good working order for its age.  All's well with its "innards."  It needs the windows fixed and some body work.  Layne says we will do both of those things.  And then it will be perfect!  I'm excited to have this little treasure.  I think it will serve us well and will be tons of fun!  I'm so grateful!

Now that Layne and I are missionaries I've been looking for more ways to "minister".  This week brought plenty of opportunities.  I found myself tending to someone every day.  It was rewarding and meaningful for me.  Things do seem to come in bunches, and this week has brought news of struggles for more than normal the amount of people that I know and love.  I did my best to do right by them all.  These experiences, and getting the Miata have made this a rewarding week.  

Our vegetable garden is bursting forth.  Layne has planted more than the usual amount as he asked me to get seeds for the plants I wanted.  And I found quite a few.  Angelica helped me so the pile grew.  Layne did his best to plant representatives of all of them.  But there are critters just waiting to help themselves to our harvest.  There are the pheasants next door, the various birds, the bugs and, this morning exposed us to a new arrival.  See if you can spot him in the picture below.

This little fellow brazenly appeared and checked out the grass and my growing herbs.  Hum.  I wonder what we can expect of him in future days.  And does he have friends.

There is a bird nest on our front porch.  It rests high in the corner.  The most obvious sign that it is being used is all the bird poop that is piling up below the nest.  When we are sitting in the swing, the nest owners fly in and out of the area as if to say, "get out, this is my space!"  As I was sitting there, one of the nesters sat atop our flag, bobbing its head back and forth and looking at me.  But I was not intimidated!

And so begins another week.  I plan to cruise though it in my little red car.

Memorial Day and Beyond

Spring in Idaho is a little piece of heaven.  Life is sprouting everywhere.  The temperature is perfect.  Into this wonderful time of year comes Memorial Day.  That begins our home flag display; one for Layne and one for my Dad, in memory of their military service.  Memorial Day also offers a holiday to celebrate.  Daughter Jessica and her family decided to spend it with us.  Then Audrey and her family joined them.  So for the weekend we had 8 guests.  It was a lovely time!  It is a joy to me to be able to spend time with family.

Rayne's new husband, Dom, is a planner.  He came with all sorts of ideas for ways to spend our long weekend.  Add to that Layne's ideas and our time together rushed by.  We took Audrey and family to Idaho City on Friday.  It was once the largest city in Idaho and the center of the Idaho Gold Rush. That was in the 1860s.  There isn't much of Idaho City left, but remnants of western life make it a fun place to visit.  We ended it with lunch at Trudy's, a local cafe with excellent food.  Here we all are outside of Trudy's, with full lunch bellies.  Dom, having the longest arms among us, took a selfie of us.  Here is Dom, Rayne, me, Allegra, Audrey and Layne.

It turned cool on Saturday.  So Dom and Rayne's water plans were dashed.  We headed to Horseshoe Bend to treat the kids to lunch at a nearby restaurant; one of Layne's favorites because of their steaks.  For the non-steak eaters however, it was only OK.  Or in Rayne's case, a great disappointment.  As it turns out, the Triangle Restaurant does a very poor job of toasted cheese sandwiches. 

Jessica and kids arrived Saturday evening.  One of the activities Dom hoped for was roasting smores over a fire in the back yard.  Trouble was, we didn't have a fire pit.  We covered our old one over with flagstone and built a gazebo over it.  I tried talking Layne into buying a portable one but he resisted.  Until Dom came.  Once he knew what Dom wanted, he went right down and bought one.  So Saturday night, we had roasted hot dogs and smores!  

Here's Miles, Dom, Allegra, Seth and Gemma, gathered around the fire.

I was really looking forward to taking the family to a nearby park on Sunday, to see the display of flags meant to honor our local military.  I find it so inspiring.  It was at this park that I bought  flags for Layne and Dad a couple of years ago.  We walked among the flags for awhile, feeling the spirit of the soldiers that the flags represented.  

Here we all are.  Back:  Gemma, Audrey, Miles, Seth, Dom, Layne, Jessica.  Front:  Angelica, Rayne, Peyton and me.

Here are my lovely girls, Jessica and Audrey.

Sunday night we talked the kids into cooking us dinner, Chinese style.  Angelica directed with the girls following orders and the boys mostly looking on.  

Audrey and gang left early Monday morning.  We spent that day taking Jessica and family to Idaho City...again.  We toured the town and showed them the oldest home, once owned by a Galbraith family.  And, just like last time, we ended with lunch at Trudy's.  It was just as good!  Here we are in front of the Galbraith House:  Jessica, Peyton, Miles, Gemma, Angelica and Seth.  Layne and I were there too, somewhere out of sight.

Miles is fascinated with panning for gold.  He decided that, since gold was once found near Idaho City, it would be fun to pan for some in the river that kept us company on the drive back home.  So here he is panning, while Seth observes.

I truly love this family of ours.  I like every single person!  Everyone gets along.  The kids are all bright and beautiful.  Oh, do I sound a bit biased?  Well, I guess that is my happy privilege!

Jessica and family left Tuesday morning.  Then we were left with lots of last minute activities to finish up school for Seth and Angelica and get them ready to return home.  School ended on Friday and they flew home on Saturday.  Last night.  Happily, they arrived safely today.  They will spend the summer at home in Taiwan and return to us in August, in time for school to start again.  

So we are empty nesters once again...for a few weeks.  Here is Seth and Angelica at the airport, just before leaving for home.

Wild and Crazy Weekend

Isn't it interesting how often things come in bunches.  Sometimes big bunches.  This past week was one of those times.  School is coming to a close, so both Seth and Angelica had closing events to attend.  Seth's choir concert was this past week.  It was amazingly good.  He loves it and has been blessed to be chosen for a more elite choir next year.  Here he is right after his concert.

Early Friday morning Layne and I drove to Draper Utah to attend my nephew's wedding.  Brent married a lovely girl named Shannon.  It is a second marriage for both of them so they now have a blended family.  Brent is a kid kind of guy so they are pretty bonded already.  It was a very informal affair, but lovely.  It was so good to be there and see them.  Here's Brent and his Shannon.

Here are the Berrett men (my sister's family):  oldest son Russell, Mark, Bob (the short guy), Bryan and the groom, Brent.

Early Saturday morning we drove back home and attended Angelica's dance recital. She is crazy for Hip Hop.  After seeing the recital I'm not keen on it.  I'd love to see her in more graceful dancing.  I'm pretty opinionated about dancing, I will admit.  Hip Hop is jerky and unfeminine in my opinion.  I think girls ought to aim for femininity.  It's what we are after all.  Here she is with a dancing buddy, taken right after the recital.  She is on the left.

As soon as we returned home from the recital we had to get ready to attend our final, Friends and Family, Treble Clef singing performance.  It was a wild and crazy Friday and Saturday for sure.  The singing went well, mostly.  We sang onstage for the first time.  It felt a little awkward but we did fine.  Except for just one thing.  During one of Layne's songs our leader Bonnie turned on a shop light and focused it on Layne, hoping to spotlight him.  It blinded him and surprised him so much that he forgot his lines.  We girls filled in but that really bugged him.  I don't blame him, and Bonnie felt very badly about the blunder.  Layne struggles with remembering lyrics.  He has from the start so he writes cheat notes for himself.  This year he's decided he's had enough.  He says he won't sing with us anymore.  I'm a little sad about that as it has been so fun to have him sing with me.  We will see what time does.  Maybe he will soften.

Sunday I gave my last pornography talk to a ward Relief Society in our stake.  It was short but I think it went well.  We also got some training for our new missionary calling.  Altogether it has been a very full weekend.  This past week has been full as well.  But I suppose it is better to be too busy than too bored.  Tomorrow Audrey and some of the family will be here for Memorial Day.  Jessica and her kids will join us on Saturday.  Looks like another fun, busy weekend.

Happy Memorial Day!

Mother's Day

I've forgotten how busy life is in May when there are children in the house.  As the school year winds down there are concerts, recitals, tests, and so forth that come up in abundance.  Before the arrival of Seth and Angelica, I had allowed school events to slip by unnoticed.  But now we are wound up in it all over again.  It has been fun to have the kids here with us.  I have discovered that I struggle with the same parent issues that I did with my own children.  And here I thought I was ever the calm woman now, so mature in the dealing of my emotions.  Hum.  Well, perhaps I am a little better, but I'm definitely still a passionate woman, with strong feelings leaking out without my conscious permission.  Still, I have come to love and admire Seth and Angelica more than ever before.  There is something about living with a person that brings out, in spite of occasional frustrations, a deeper love.  I have found that to be true of this experience with these grandchildren.

Abigail sits in the foreground of this picture, taken at Rayne's wedding reception.  In the background you can see some of our grandchildren, including Angelica and, in the left background, Seth.  These children bring joy to my heart.  There is not a single grandchild that does not bring me feelings of gratitude, for the quality of their character and to have them in my life. 

My mother-in-law once told me that, once you have a child, you never stop worrying about them.  She is right; I think about and pray for my children and grand-children much of the time.  But I'm thankful that I have been blessed to experience a family life of my own, in this life.  My life's purpose centers around the people the Lord has sent into my family circle.  While there are many ways to experience a joyful life, I feel grateful for this one.  

Here I am, with two beautiful Mother's Day bouquets, one from Layne and one from Ben.  Angelica made the colorful cupcakes, and Layne made me carrot cookies, my favorite dessert.

Spring brings our Treble Clef singing group into action with a spring concert series.  We sing about 20 times, at various convalescent homes and assisted living centers.  It is a lovely experience.  Friendships grow, we bring pleasure to lots of people, we gain confidence and experience with music and we donate earnings to charity. Its sort of a win-win-win-win.  Here we are at one of our singing locations singing a song about California.  The theme this year is about traveling through the United States, through song.  Some of the gals sit behind the cardboard green car (which I made) for some of the songs.  It is full of fun as you can see from our appearance here.

Here I am with one of my singing buddies and neighbor, Carol Wintersteen. She is the one who got me involved in the group 4 years ago.

Spring is a lovely time here in Idaho.  Everything springs back to life.  The weather is unpredictable.  We had one day that brought wind, rain, thunder and lightening in such a dramatic way that I just had to sit outside on our porch swing and take it all in.  This picture doesn't really capture it, but here it is anyway.

Soon, another wedding will take place.  My sister's son Brent will remarry in a week or so.  This has been quite a year for weddings.  That's much better than funerals, don't you think?