I thought I would share with everyone the really nice Thanksgiving I spent with Nancy and her family.
On Tuesday, the 23rd, I drove to Mark’s house and he and Jessica drove me to the airport. My flight left at 1:20 p.m. I didn’t have to go through the full body screening or pat down, I don’t know how I lucked out but I was grateful. Since the plane is one of the smaller one, my luggage was taken as I got on and retrieved after landing. I landed in Redmond, just 16 miles from Bend. Kirk picked me up as he was off work that week. We drove to their home, a really nice one with three bedrooms and two baths upstairs and a half bath, living room, dining area and kitchen on the ground floor. The house has a very large pantry which Nancy loves. There is also a deep closet that the two little girls, Maddie 5 and Reagan 2, use for their toys. There is a laundry room as you go out to the garage. The back yard is fenced and good sized. The girls are darling. Maddie very smart and reading quite well and Reagan just a little bundle of joy. She looks just like Nancy did at that age.
Wednesday morning early, Kirk drove to Portland to pick up his parents, Kirk and Polly and Nancy, the girls and I drove to Pacific City where the Flannigans had rented a beach cottage for the holidays. Our drive over the Santiam Pass, 4,817 ft., was a little scary. Though the elevation is lower than Mt. Pleasant, about 6,000 ft. there were mountains, pine trees and LOTS of SNOW. We probably should have had chains on but Nancy drove very carefully in their 4-wheel drive car. The scenery was beautiful. We arrived in Pacific City about the same time and Kirk and his parents.
The cottage was very comfortable. It had two bedrooms upstairs with bath, kitchen, large living room and dining area. The kitchen was very well equipped. . Downstairs was a very large room with two bunkbeds with game table and another bathroom. The Flannigans slept downstairs. The cottage is right on the beach; one goes down some steps to a trail over the sand dunes and down to the beach. The water looked lovely. We saw some seals and a man in a wet suit riding his surf board. The water is really too cold to swim in, even in summer. A seagull visited our porch frequently, sitting on the railing.
I made pumpkin pies that night but the oven did not heat at the selected temperature and it took another half hour for them to get done. I don’t think the bottom crust got quite done enough. Next morning, when I put in the turkey, I upped the temperature by 25 degrees and the turkey turned out fine. We had tons of food. We had mashed potatoes, yams, two stuffings: corn bread and sausage, turkey, gravy, a great jello salad, green bean casserole and pie. We also had spinach dip and clam dip to snack on. We were stuffed, very happily so.
Friday, we drove south , in two cars, to Newport seeing beautiful vistas of the ocean: pine trees, rocks and, of course, the ocean. We visited a nature exhibit, I can’t remember what it is called. but we saw an octopus in a glass tank. He was right up against the side so one could see him so well. So fascinating. There were tide pools with anenomes that you could touch. We saw a film about whales and were told they could be seen frequently along the coast but I didn’t see any. We ate a seafood restaurant and I tried little clams, two of them. I also had clam chowder and a salad. It was very windy and cold. On the docks, behind the restaurant, were a big group of sea lions barking away. The little kids loved seeing them. The ocean was much more rough these last days but beautiful to see. We stopped at a light house, which was closed for the season, but walked down the trail to it. The vistas from the lighthouse were fantastic. It was about a quarter of a mile long down to the lighthouse, which was fine going down, but coming back uphill, I wasn’t sure I would make it, but I persisted and made it! That night we watched “Letters to Juliet” I enjoyed it.
Saturday, we drove north to the Tillamook Cheese factory. It was a fascinating place to visit. We looked through large windows down below where three conveyors belts brought out large block of cheese. Right in front of us we could see three different people cutting the blocks of cheese then placing them on other conveyor belts where they were covered in plastic, then taken to a thing that looked like an octopus that vacuum sealed the blocks. Then the belts took them back out of sight. We had nice little samples of their cheddar cheese. We all bought some little blocks of cheese to take home.
We then drove to the town of Oceanside where we ate lunch. The restaurant was right on the beach and I had a beautiful view of the water while eating. Oceanside was a nice little town. It reminded me of Lagoon. I ordered a hamburger that time. That night, after arriving, Nancy and Kirk had some time to themselves and they visited a place in town recommended by friends. The girls were put in bed and, Kirk senior went to bed, then Polly, and I wound up watching part of the Wizard of OZ but then I too went to bed.
Sunday morning, we packed up, picked up, and went our separate ways. The Flannigans and Kirk to Portland and Nancy, girls and I, back to Bend. The drive was much different than coming out. No snow; only a very small patch, which was really nice.
Monday, Nancy and I, after dropping Maddie off to Kindergarten, visited a Goodwill store. Nancy likes to buy me sweaters and I got a beautiful light blue one. I bought two videos: Jurassic Park and Pajama Game. Leon had played for that in Phoenix when we lived there. The movie features Doris Day and John Raitt. The female lead was different in Phoenix but John Raitt played the lead. We went to the library and printed out my boarding pass for the next day. We also went to Fred Meyer for Nancy to do some shopping.
Tuesday we took Maddie to Kindergarten, then picked her up and took her and Reagan to Day Care and then Nan drove me to the airport in Redmond. My flight was fine, no body scans or pat downs, and arrived in SLC a little before 4 p.m. Mark and Jessica picked me up. I left them at their home and drove on home arriving a little after 7 p.m. Glad to be home but I had had a very wonderful week.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Friday, November 12, 2010
Half of 2004
In January 2004, the family held a baby shower for Yi-chin at Sharon’s house. The women of the family were there: Sylvia, Erika, Julie, Sharon, Nancy, Leslie, Elann, Becky, Michelle, Stephanie, Rachel, Katie, Hannah and a friend of Yi-chin’s. Mark did a yeoman’s job and kept the other kids watching TV. She received a lot of nice and needful things.
Also in January, we held a surprise 50th birthday party for Sylvia at Los Hermanos. All her children were present as were her brothers and sister, except for Tricia and Alan who lived too far away to attend. Leon and I were also there and we all had a good time.
January was a really busy month. At the end of the month, Leon and I drove to Manhattan, KS to see Alan and Peggy. We got a tour of his studio and he also took pictures of Leon and me. My cousin Velma Skimore also lives in Manhattan and she and her husband took us to dinner and afterwards visited them in their home. A huge snow storm came Sunday with so much snow that only Sacrament meeting was held. All schools and Kansas State were closed Monday because of the snow. It looked like about a foot of snow on Alan’s back porch. We waited until Tuesday to leave for Texas as the roads were then clear and dry, though there as some fog.
In Austin, Leon and Tricia played in a concert called Abendmusick. It was a lovely concert with Tricia accompanying her Dad and also playing solos. They played very well. There were also other musicians on the program. While in Austin, Tricia took us to see a traveling large scale replica of the White House. It measured 60 feet long by 20 wide. It was so interesting. I had toured the White House in Washington D.C. and it looked just like the real thing. It was decorated for Christmas and it was fun to peer into all the rooms. It is always fun to visit our families.
On the way back home we stopped in Albuquerque to visit Tannie and Dan and their little son Austin. He is a darling little boy. It was fun to see them and find out about their life. They graciously gave us their bed and they slept on a large semicircular couch in the livingroom.
While we were away visiting family, the snow was 17 inches deep the day before we arrived home. Luckily for us, Brent arranged for our bishop to have our driveway cleared or we wouldn’t have been able to get to our house.
Back home in Utah, we visited with Gina and John in February. They were staying at Dean’s house. They have been called to serve in the Lansing Michigan Mission, the same one Gina’s son Shane served in. They will be working in the Spanish Branch.
David and Yi-chin’s little son Leon David was born 19 February 2004. I was able to stay with them a few days to help out and give him his first bath. I’ve done that for several grandchildren.
In April, Leon and I were privileged to attend the sealing of my aunt Lucy and her husband Lou in the Vernal Temple. It was a special occasion. The old Tabernacle was remodeled into a beautiful temple. We go to visit them a few times a year; it is a long trip from Mt. Pleasant, at least 3 hours each way.
Also in January, we held a surprise 50th birthday party for Sylvia at Los Hermanos. All her children were present as were her brothers and sister, except for Tricia and Alan who lived too far away to attend. Leon and I were also there and we all had a good time.
January was a really busy month. At the end of the month, Leon and I drove to Manhattan, KS to see Alan and Peggy. We got a tour of his studio and he also took pictures of Leon and me. My cousin Velma Skimore also lives in Manhattan and she and her husband took us to dinner and afterwards visited them in their home. A huge snow storm came Sunday with so much snow that only Sacrament meeting was held. All schools and Kansas State were closed Monday because of the snow. It looked like about a foot of snow on Alan’s back porch. We waited until Tuesday to leave for Texas as the roads were then clear and dry, though there as some fog.
In Austin, Leon and Tricia played in a concert called Abendmusick. It was a lovely concert with Tricia accompanying her Dad and also playing solos. They played very well. There were also other musicians on the program. While in Austin, Tricia took us to see a traveling large scale replica of the White House. It measured 60 feet long by 20 wide. It was so interesting. I had toured the White House in Washington D.C. and it looked just like the real thing. It was decorated for Christmas and it was fun to peer into all the rooms. It is always fun to visit our families.
On the way back home we stopped in Albuquerque to visit Tannie and Dan and their little son Austin. He is a darling little boy. It was fun to see them and find out about their life. They graciously gave us their bed and they slept on a large semicircular couch in the livingroom.
While we were away visiting family, the snow was 17 inches deep the day before we arrived home. Luckily for us, Brent arranged for our bishop to have our driveway cleared or we wouldn’t have been able to get to our house.
Back home in Utah, we visited with Gina and John in February. They were staying at Dean’s house. They have been called to serve in the Lansing Michigan Mission, the same one Gina’s son Shane served in. They will be working in the Spanish Branch.
David and Yi-chin’s little son Leon David was born 19 February 2004. I was able to stay with them a few days to help out and give him his first bath. I’ve done that for several grandchildren.
In April, Leon and I were privileged to attend the sealing of my aunt Lucy and her husband Lou in the Vernal Temple. It was a special occasion. The old Tabernacle was remodeled into a beautiful temple. We go to visit them a few times a year; it is a long trip from Mt. Pleasant, at least 3 hours each way.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
More year 2003
In the summer of 2003 we held a great Smith Family reunion in Provo. We had family from California, Idaho and Arizona attend: Tolmans, Kaufmans, Williams, Morris and Blacks and, of course, Honeys were there. It was great to see everyone. First we all met on the steps of the Utah County building, across from the Provo Tabernacle, and had a group picture. Alan arranged all of us and his friend snapped the picture. We had a nice get together later at Fred and Carol’s house. It was fun to be together as family.
The city of Mt. Pleasant always has a big parade on the 4th of July. This year was no exception but we didn’t have a family band in it this time. Michelle and Stephanie upheld the family tradition and played in the North Sanpete School District band. Michelle played her baritone and Stephie a tambourine.
Later in the year we set off on another of our trips to Texas and Kansas. On the way to Texas, we stopped in Albuquerque to see Tannie and Dan. We went to a great Mexican restaurant called Garduños, then spent the night with them in their apartment. They graciously gave up their bed for us and they slept on the couch. Great kids!
I-40 was closed going east from Albuquerque so we went another way, crossing the state of New Mexico and going through Lincoln county. This is the home of the Lincoln County War with Billy the Kid’s involvement. It took place during 1876-79. There were some historic buildings in the little town of Lincoln that we photographed. It was an interesting trip but took a long time; just a two-lane highway all the way to get on to Hwy 285 and into Roswell and continue on our regular way.
We had a nice visit with Tricia and Alan and family. One of the highlights was Alex receiving the Melchizedek Priesthood and ordained an Elder by his father Alan, assisted by his brothers and grandfather. We then went on to Kansas to visit Alan and Peggy. David and Yi-chin were just finishing up their visit so we got to see two sons and their wives at the same time. Peggy showed us her classroom at Kansas State University where she works. Very interesting.
Later in the year, we went to Logan to attend a piano recital that Becky played in. She played beautifully. Thanks to Lonna, we were able to spend the night in the Anniversary Inn. What a “lujoso” (luxurious) place. I’d never been in quite that fancy a place before. James and Lonna, Ryan and Leslie and Becky spent some time with us there and enjoyed the ambiance.
December welcomed three new great granchildren: Cenna, daughter of David and Elann Barlow, Allie, daughter of Jenny and Garret Boswell, and Austin, son of Tannie and Dan Smith.
On a sadder note, December was when Brent, Sylvia, Chris and Becky were in a roll-over accident. They were on their way to see Jenny’s new baby when it happened. Brent was the one that received the most hurt. He had hit the top of his head and it was cut, scraped and full of gravel. He had bruises from his ear down to his shoulder and his ribs, sternum were also bruised but no internal injuries. Sylvia sprained her left wrist and Chris and Becky and a few small scratches We were so glad it was not worse, which it could have been so easily. We borrowed David’s new van and drove down to Barstow to pick them and bring them home.
The city of Mt. Pleasant always has a big parade on the 4th of July. This year was no exception but we didn’t have a family band in it this time. Michelle and Stephanie upheld the family tradition and played in the North Sanpete School District band. Michelle played her baritone and Stephie a tambourine.
Later in the year we set off on another of our trips to Texas and Kansas. On the way to Texas, we stopped in Albuquerque to see Tannie and Dan. We went to a great Mexican restaurant called Garduños, then spent the night with them in their apartment. They graciously gave up their bed for us and they slept on the couch. Great kids!
I-40 was closed going east from Albuquerque so we went another way, crossing the state of New Mexico and going through Lincoln county. This is the home of the Lincoln County War with Billy the Kid’s involvement. It took place during 1876-79. There were some historic buildings in the little town of Lincoln that we photographed. It was an interesting trip but took a long time; just a two-lane highway all the way to get on to Hwy 285 and into Roswell and continue on our regular way.
We had a nice visit with Tricia and Alan and family. One of the highlights was Alex receiving the Melchizedek Priesthood and ordained an Elder by his father Alan, assisted by his brothers and grandfather. We then went on to Kansas to visit Alan and Peggy. David and Yi-chin were just finishing up their visit so we got to see two sons and their wives at the same time. Peggy showed us her classroom at Kansas State University where she works. Very interesting.
Later in the year, we went to Logan to attend a piano recital that Becky played in. She played beautifully. Thanks to Lonna, we were able to spend the night in the Anniversary Inn. What a “lujoso” (luxurious) place. I’d never been in quite that fancy a place before. James and Lonna, Ryan and Leslie and Becky spent some time with us there and enjoyed the ambiance.
December welcomed three new great granchildren: Cenna, daughter of David and Elann Barlow, Allie, daughter of Jenny and Garret Boswell, and Austin, son of Tannie and Dan Smith.
On a sadder note, December was when Brent, Sylvia, Chris and Becky were in a roll-over accident. They were on their way to see Jenny’s new baby when it happened. Brent was the one that received the most hurt. He had hit the top of his head and it was cut, scraped and full of gravel. He had bruises from his ear down to his shoulder and his ribs, sternum were also bruised but no internal injuries. Sylvia sprained her left wrist and Chris and Becky and a few small scratches We were so glad it was not worse, which it could have been so easily. We borrowed David’s new van and drove down to Barstow to pick them and bring them home.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Year 2003
On 11 January of 2003, Jenny married Garrett Boswell in the Manti Temple. His grandfather married them. Garrett is from Fresno, CA and Jenny met him there while working in the children’s library It was a lovely occasion and Leon and I were very happy for them. They will make their home in Fresno.
On 18 February of 2003 David married Yi-chin Lu in the Salt Lake Temple. We were very happy to have David not alone anymore.. Alan again was the photographer and Tricia and Alan were able to come plus the Utah family. It was a very happy occasion. A wedding luncheon was held at Mark and Sharon’s and Peggy hosted an open house at their home that evening. Tricia made the beautiful wedding cake, a gift from her and Sylvia. Yi-chin is a lovely person and we were happy to welcome her to the family. That same day we took a beautiful family picture, parents, siblings and spouses. We love it!
Mark and Sharon welcomed Joshua into their family, child #6. They now have three girls and three boys.
2003 is the year for weddings! Nancy and Kirk Flannigan were married May 3 in Springdale, UT. This is the entrance to Zion’s Park. Kirk is from Georgia and his parents, aunt and sister were able to come. All of Nancy’s siblings, other family members were there plus many friends of the bride and groom. Rob played some prelude music before the ceremony. A lovely reception was held afterwards. Kirk is a great person and a good addition to the family.
In 2003, Leon and I celebrated our 50th anniversary. It was April 7th but we celebrated it on the 4th of June. Our children were so thoughtful and planned a dinner for all of us at the Lion House in Salt Lake City. Before the dinner, we went to the Salt Lake Temple and took pictures on the same steps where we had had our wedding pictures taken. We had a picture with just Leon and me, and then one with all our children. We had a private dining room for our dinner, which was delicious. But the most wonderful thing of all was to have our children there with us. We spent the time visiting and finding out things we hadn’t know about our children. It was a wonderful evening. I think we spent three great hours there.
On June 9th, we had a celebrations with all the family, including grandchildren, at Palisade Park. We had lunch and supper there. We had prepared baby pictures of all members of the family and gave everyone a paper to see if they could identify everyone by name. I think Doug won. It was such a fun day.
In June, Leon and I went to Austin. On the way we stopped at Carlsbad Caverns. What a wonderful thing to see. Leon and been there before but this was a first for me. Awe inspiring. In Austin, Leon worked on two pianos at once. Tricia’s and another lady’s. He set up shop in the garage with piano parts on various tables. The dogs would keep Leon company all day while he worked. We also went to the Houston Temple and did sealings for 46 children and 20 couples with Russell, Tannie, Dan, Tricia and Alan and Leon and I. While Leon worked, Tricia, Tannie and I had fun sightseeing in various places. We were there about four weeks.v
On 18 February of 2003 David married Yi-chin Lu in the Salt Lake Temple. We were very happy to have David not alone anymore.. Alan again was the photographer and Tricia and Alan were able to come plus the Utah family. It was a very happy occasion. A wedding luncheon was held at Mark and Sharon’s and Peggy hosted an open house at their home that evening. Tricia made the beautiful wedding cake, a gift from her and Sylvia. Yi-chin is a lovely person and we were happy to welcome her to the family. That same day we took a beautiful family picture, parents, siblings and spouses. We love it!
Mark and Sharon welcomed Joshua into their family, child #6. They now have three girls and three boys.
2003 is the year for weddings! Nancy and Kirk Flannigan were married May 3 in Springdale, UT. This is the entrance to Zion’s Park. Kirk is from Georgia and his parents, aunt and sister were able to come. All of Nancy’s siblings, other family members were there plus many friends of the bride and groom. Rob played some prelude music before the ceremony. A lovely reception was held afterwards. Kirk is a great person and a good addition to the family.
In 2003, Leon and I celebrated our 50th anniversary. It was April 7th but we celebrated it on the 4th of June. Our children were so thoughtful and planned a dinner for all of us at the Lion House in Salt Lake City. Before the dinner, we went to the Salt Lake Temple and took pictures on the same steps where we had had our wedding pictures taken. We had a picture with just Leon and me, and then one with all our children. We had a private dining room for our dinner, which was delicious. But the most wonderful thing of all was to have our children there with us. We spent the time visiting and finding out things we hadn’t know about our children. It was a wonderful evening. I think we spent three great hours there.
On June 9th, we had a celebrations with all the family, including grandchildren, at Palisade Park. We had lunch and supper there. We had prepared baby pictures of all members of the family and gave everyone a paper to see if they could identify everyone by name. I think Doug won. It was such a fun day.
In June, Leon and I went to Austin. On the way we stopped at Carlsbad Caverns. What a wonderful thing to see. Leon and been there before but this was a first for me. Awe inspiring. In Austin, Leon worked on two pianos at once. Tricia’s and another lady’s. He set up shop in the garage with piano parts on various tables. The dogs would keep Leon company all day while he worked. We also went to the Houston Temple and did sealings for 46 children and 20 couples with Russell, Tannie, Dan, Tricia and Alan and Leon and I. While Leon worked, Tricia, Tannie and I had fun sightseeing in various places. We were there about four weeks.v
Monday, August 30, 2010
First year home, 2002
Shortly after our return from our mission, Leon and I drove to Mesa for a Williams Family Reunion and to see Mom. We stayed at Gina and John’s condo. Fred and Carol, Greg and Mary, Jerry and Caryol, came. We spent time visiting and singing. We even were able to get Mom to sing a little. She really wasn’t aware of what was going on. Very feeble. On one night we had a big reunion with extended family members which was very enjoyable. From Gina’s family Debbie, Kevin, Steve and Shane and their families came. From my Uncle Orin’s family Myrna, Jeff & Nyla, Sharon & Harvey. From Etta’s family Don and JoAnn. It was great to see them; it had been years since I had seen some. John and Gina are caring for both their mothers. How noble and kind of them.
We had a great family get-together at Sylvia’s after our homecoming report. All the family was present except Tricia and her family. It was so nice to see everyone after being gone 18 months. We then drove to Texas to see Tricia and all the family there. We love to visit all our family.
On August 6, Ryan, son of Sylvia and Brent, married Leslie Davis in the Manti Temple. What a Blessing it is when grandchildren marry in the Temple. A beautiful reception was held in the Lindon Reception Center. She is a lovely girl.
Shortly after, my mother Corraine passed away. It was August 11, 2002 in Mesa, AZ. and Leon and I drove down. Gina, Mary and I were able to dress her. I had never done that before but was happy to do that for my mother. I was happy that she was now with Dad and in her right mind and healthy. The funeral was beautiful with songs sung that Mom had written. Also a tribute that Dad had written years ago was read by many of the women of the family. So many family members were able to come and pay tribute. I loved seeing all of them.
Leon’s brother Bill passed away; November 14, 2002 in Hacienda Heights, CA. Leon and I were able to attend the funeral. We then drove north to Merced, (I think that is the city) where he was buried. He and Katheryn had lived there many years. Joan was able to come to the funeral with Marla but had to fly home and not go to Merced. His three daughters were able to be there.
The last fun things for the year were the Thanksgiving dinner at Mark’s and the Family Christmas party. We love being with our family; they are our treasurers.
We had a great family get-together at Sylvia’s after our homecoming report. All the family was present except Tricia and her family. It was so nice to see everyone after being gone 18 months. We then drove to Texas to see Tricia and all the family there. We love to visit all our family.
On August 6, Ryan, son of Sylvia and Brent, married Leslie Davis in the Manti Temple. What a Blessing it is when grandchildren marry in the Temple. A beautiful reception was held in the Lindon Reception Center. She is a lovely girl.
Shortly after, my mother Corraine passed away. It was August 11, 2002 in Mesa, AZ. and Leon and I drove down. Gina, Mary and I were able to dress her. I had never done that before but was happy to do that for my mother. I was happy that she was now with Dad and in her right mind and healthy. The funeral was beautiful with songs sung that Mom had written. Also a tribute that Dad had written years ago was read by many of the women of the family. So many family members were able to come and pay tribute. I loved seeing all of them.
Leon’s brother Bill passed away; November 14, 2002 in Hacienda Heights, CA. Leon and I were able to attend the funeral. We then drove north to Merced, (I think that is the city) where he was buried. He and Katheryn had lived there many years. Joan was able to come to the funeral with Marla but had to fly home and not go to Merced. His three daughters were able to be there.
The last fun things for the year were the Thanksgiving dinner at Mark’s and the Family Christmas party. We love being with our family; they are our treasurers.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Latest Doings
Dear Loved Ones,
I thought I would let you know what I have been doing the past couple of weeks.
On Saturday, August 14, I attended a Smith Family Reunion at the Pavilion at Scera Park. It was wonderful to see some of my cousins. Some of those present were Mona Lue and Ron Ward, daughter of my aunt Mona; Alice and Rhett James, granddaughter of my aunt Edna; Mark and Dawn Smith and his brother Warren, sons of my uncle Howard. Warren very recently lost his wife to leukemia. Keith and Zona Smith, son of my uncle Don. There were also some children and grandchildren of these cousins. Gina and John, and Mary and Greg were there. David and his little boys were also present. It was so nice to visit with everyone.
Afterward, I went to Alicia and Brian Gates’ daughter Aspen’s baby blessing. It was held in their home in Cedar Hills and she was blessed by her father.. It was nice to see Melissa, Salem and Daniel besides Alicia and Brian. Their little girl is beautiful and their little boy darling and getting quite big. Syl and Brent, Mary and Greg, and their son Dee and wife Denise and boys were also there.
On Thursday, August 19, I drove to California with Mary and Greg to attend the wedding of young Jerry and Kim’s daughter Tara. We went in my car and Mary and I drove she in Las Vegas and L.A. and I in the desert areas. Greg has been having little seizures so he didn’t drive. We stayed at their daughter Becky’s home in Riverside. She and her husband Todd have a darling family: Ethan, Ava and Andrew. Ava gave up her room for me.
Saturday we drove to Newport Beach to the Temple. It is one of the smaller temples with limited waiting room space. Some people waited in the Stake Center across a small street, others outside. We all put on plastic white booties to enter the Temple and Sealing Room. It was a lovely ceremony with Tara’s father and her husband’s father as witnesses. Ryan Terry is her husband. Some of those attending were Gina and John, Robyn Brown (who drove for Gina and John), Mary and Greg, Jerry and Caryol, Jenae and David, Mitchell and Grace, some Tolman cousins, and grandparents and many friends.
After the ceremony and pictures, we went to the Olive Garden Restaurant and had soup, salad and breadsticks. I sat by Jerry (the older one) and across from Jerry’s nephew and his wife. They were very interesting people. He had served a mission in Germany and had met a young girl, Monica, and when she came to the U.S. to LDS Business College, they became very good friends and eventually married. He travels a lot, mostly to China and told of his adventures there.
Between the Temple and the reception we went to Sonia Williams’ home and had a great visit with her. Gina, John and Robyn stayed at her home.
The reception was held in the Valley View chapel where Sylvia and Tricia had their receptions but they never would had recognized it. Jerry and Kim had already moved to Idaho so they had a professional decorate and what a great thing it was. There was a white gauze gazebo built in the foyer with a large white sleigh to hold the presents. The doors into the cultural hall were covered with white gauze and a huge garland of multicolored flowers were over the door. There were gauze streamers with lights coming from all points of the room to a large chandelier in the center.. The walls of the hall were also covered in white gauze and the basketball backboards too with baskets of flowers in the hoops. The area between the chapel and cultural hall was also draped in the gauze.
All the people that were at the temple were there plus many more. Paul Tolman, his brother Tyler and wife and kids, Warren and Dorothea Williams and kids, Becky and Todd Nelson and kids, Dana and Ana Tolman, Sonia, Dana’s daughter Nancy and son DJ were also there. It was a very nice affair.
Sunday we went to Church at Becky and Todd’s ward where he is the bishop. He is a convert of 10 years and a very nice fellow. That evening Warren and Dorothea and kids came to visit, also Randy and Tammy, Mary’s youngest came to visit.
All told, it was a very nice visit and I got to see lots of family. Monday, we drove home and it was so nice to have a lovely place to come home to.
That’s what I have been doing.
I thought I would let you know what I have been doing the past couple of weeks.
On Saturday, August 14, I attended a Smith Family Reunion at the Pavilion at Scera Park. It was wonderful to see some of my cousins. Some of those present were Mona Lue and Ron Ward, daughter of my aunt Mona; Alice and Rhett James, granddaughter of my aunt Edna; Mark and Dawn Smith and his brother Warren, sons of my uncle Howard. Warren very recently lost his wife to leukemia. Keith and Zona Smith, son of my uncle Don. There were also some children and grandchildren of these cousins. Gina and John, and Mary and Greg were there. David and his little boys were also present. It was so nice to visit with everyone.
Afterward, I went to Alicia and Brian Gates’ daughter Aspen’s baby blessing. It was held in their home in Cedar Hills and she was blessed by her father.. It was nice to see Melissa, Salem and Daniel besides Alicia and Brian. Their little girl is beautiful and their little boy darling and getting quite big. Syl and Brent, Mary and Greg, and their son Dee and wife Denise and boys were also there.
On Thursday, August 19, I drove to California with Mary and Greg to attend the wedding of young Jerry and Kim’s daughter Tara. We went in my car and Mary and I drove she in Las Vegas and L.A. and I in the desert areas. Greg has been having little seizures so he didn’t drive. We stayed at their daughter Becky’s home in Riverside. She and her husband Todd have a darling family: Ethan, Ava and Andrew. Ava gave up her room for me.
Saturday we drove to Newport Beach to the Temple. It is one of the smaller temples with limited waiting room space. Some people waited in the Stake Center across a small street, others outside. We all put on plastic white booties to enter the Temple and Sealing Room. It was a lovely ceremony with Tara’s father and her husband’s father as witnesses. Ryan Terry is her husband. Some of those attending were Gina and John, Robyn Brown (who drove for Gina and John), Mary and Greg, Jerry and Caryol, Jenae and David, Mitchell and Grace, some Tolman cousins, and grandparents and many friends.
After the ceremony and pictures, we went to the Olive Garden Restaurant and had soup, salad and breadsticks. I sat by Jerry (the older one) and across from Jerry’s nephew and his wife. They were very interesting people. He had served a mission in Germany and had met a young girl, Monica, and when she came to the U.S. to LDS Business College, they became very good friends and eventually married. He travels a lot, mostly to China and told of his adventures there.
Between the Temple and the reception we went to Sonia Williams’ home and had a great visit with her. Gina, John and Robyn stayed at her home.
The reception was held in the Valley View chapel where Sylvia and Tricia had their receptions but they never would had recognized it. Jerry and Kim had already moved to Idaho so they had a professional decorate and what a great thing it was. There was a white gauze gazebo built in the foyer with a large white sleigh to hold the presents. The doors into the cultural hall were covered with white gauze and a huge garland of multicolored flowers were over the door. There were gauze streamers with lights coming from all points of the room to a large chandelier in the center.. The walls of the hall were also covered in white gauze and the basketball backboards too with baskets of flowers in the hoops. The area between the chapel and cultural hall was also draped in the gauze.
All the people that were at the temple were there plus many more. Paul Tolman, his brother Tyler and wife and kids, Warren and Dorothea Williams and kids, Becky and Todd Nelson and kids, Dana and Ana Tolman, Sonia, Dana’s daughter Nancy and son DJ were also there. It was a very nice affair.
Sunday we went to Church at Becky and Todd’s ward where he is the bishop. He is a convert of 10 years and a very nice fellow. That evening Warren and Dorothea and kids came to visit, also Randy and Tammy, Mary’s youngest came to visit.
All told, it was a very nice visit and I got to see lots of family. Monday, we drove home and it was so nice to have a lovely place to come home to.
That’s what I have been doing.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
More Mission
One of the special things during our mission was taking a sister to the Denver Temple. Connie Hanson was a member, a widow, but didn’t know anything about the church. She had joined when she married her husband who was a member. We went every week to her home and taught her the discussions, then continued visiting with reading the Book of Mormon with her. She loved to have us come and would treat us to lunch or dinner in various restaurants. She would have taken us every week but we couldn’t let her do that. It was a real thrill to go to the temple with her. One of the sisters in the ward, a good friend, was her escort.
One of the missionaries, Elder Malufau, had been Leon’s 7th grade student in band in Monument Valley when he taught there. Small world.
We visited Wildhorn Ranch where Mark Knight, a member of the ward, was the caretaker. The ranch encompasses 350 acres. It was developed in 1929 by a stunt man in the movies. It is a three-story lodge with many bedrooms and a game room in the basement. It has a restaurant-style kitchen and a large dining room. The outbuildings consist of a carriage house, two honeymoon cottages, and several guest rooms in a motel-like layout. There is also a large caretakers cabin where Mark lives. In the 1930s and 40s many Hollywood stars were guests there. John Wayne was one. It is said that once, as he was the worse for drink, he shot a rifle from the living room into the upstairs wall; the bullet hole can still be seen. Esther Williams was also a guest and a swimming pool was built for her use, now in disrepair. After we came home from our mission, a huge wildfire burned the lodge to the ground but the caretaker’s cabin was spared.
Towards the end of the year, Leon started to get sick. We finally realised it was from the mold in the windows in our bedroom. We were able to move into a two-bedroom trailer with washer and drier. It was very nice to be more private. We later learned that the old landlords redid all the windows in the apartment, getting rid of the mold.
Our Stake Mission Leader, when they used to have them, was Mark McConkie, son of Bruce R. McConkie. We liked to visit together. He would comment that our two great great grandfathers, Hyrum Smith and F G. Williams, had been companions.
One P-day we were able to visit a gold mine. The Ward Mission Leader was an engineer there and invited us. It was quite interesting. It was located just outside the town of Cripple Creek. We saw an, explosion; they broke up rocks, then leached the gold out with cyanide. They did say “Fire in the Hold” just before setting off the explosion. It takes tons of rocks to get a little bit of gold but it is worth it. The trucks had huge tires, more than double my height.
When it came time to leave the mission, the ward held a farewell dinner our last Sunday, just after our meetings. We had met so many wonderful people and they had all been so kind to us.
Rob came to help us move back as we had too many items to all fit in just our car. We appreciated it very much. When we arrived in Mt. Pleasant, I wanted to get to the house so we could unpack all our furniture and things stored in the shed. To my great surprise and delight, everything was in place in the house. It looked so good! What a blessing families are!!!
One of the missionaries, Elder Malufau, had been Leon’s 7th grade student in band in Monument Valley when he taught there. Small world.
We visited Wildhorn Ranch where Mark Knight, a member of the ward, was the caretaker. The ranch encompasses 350 acres. It was developed in 1929 by a stunt man in the movies. It is a three-story lodge with many bedrooms and a game room in the basement. It has a restaurant-style kitchen and a large dining room. The outbuildings consist of a carriage house, two honeymoon cottages, and several guest rooms in a motel-like layout. There is also a large caretakers cabin where Mark lives. In the 1930s and 40s many Hollywood stars were guests there. John Wayne was one. It is said that once, as he was the worse for drink, he shot a rifle from the living room into the upstairs wall; the bullet hole can still be seen. Esther Williams was also a guest and a swimming pool was built for her use, now in disrepair. After we came home from our mission, a huge wildfire burned the lodge to the ground but the caretaker’s cabin was spared.
Towards the end of the year, Leon started to get sick. We finally realised it was from the mold in the windows in our bedroom. We were able to move into a two-bedroom trailer with washer and drier. It was very nice to be more private. We later learned that the old landlords redid all the windows in the apartment, getting rid of the mold.
Our Stake Mission Leader, when they used to have them, was Mark McConkie, son of Bruce R. McConkie. We liked to visit together. He would comment that our two great great grandfathers, Hyrum Smith and F G. Williams, had been companions.
One P-day we were able to visit a gold mine. The Ward Mission Leader was an engineer there and invited us. It was quite interesting. It was located just outside the town of Cripple Creek. We saw an, explosion; they broke up rocks, then leached the gold out with cyanide. They did say “Fire in the Hold” just before setting off the explosion. It takes tons of rocks to get a little bit of gold but it is worth it. The trucks had huge tires, more than double my height.
When it came time to leave the mission, the ward held a farewell dinner our last Sunday, just after our meetings. We had met so many wonderful people and they had all been so kind to us.
Rob came to help us move back as we had too many items to all fit in just our car. We appreciated it very much. When we arrived in Mt. Pleasant, I wanted to get to the house so we could unpack all our furniture and things stored in the shed. To my great surprise and delight, everything was in place in the house. It looked so good! What a blessing families are!!!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
I’m back!!!
We were told, that as missionaries, we should give service. We went to the public library and offered our services. We read the shelves, meaning we checked the stacks and put books back in alphabetical order. I also typed W-2 forms for library employees. We quite enjoyed doing this but our Mission President’s wife said that we shouldn’t do service for an institution. That put an end to that.
About the only time we saw other missionaries was when we went to Colorado Springs for Zone Conference. We were really on our own. When we had a candidate for baptism then the District Leader would come and interview him or her. The Stake President, in Colorado Springs, would occasionally have our zone meetings at his home. His wife would provide a great breakfast. Usually those meetings were held at a local chapel. It was the missionaries’ custom to sing “As I Have Loved You” to the sisters that prepared the luncheon as a thank you.
We met many interesting people. We visited part-member families, inactive members, and families with children who had not been baptised. We were instrumental in baptising eight children and two adults. One interesting baptism was of a child, a daughter of a woman who had been a member, then married a Muslim. She had three children, a boy and two girls, and decided to leave her abusive husband and escaped from Saudi Arabia. She became active in the church again and her nine-year-old daughter was baptised. Leon had her bus driver, who was a member and good friend, do the actual baptising.
We only got stuck once in the snow, even though our home in Woodland Park was 8,500 feet in altitude and some of our members lived at 10,000 feet! We were driving to give a lesson to a nine-year-old and got stuck by the side of the road. After a few minutes, his father, noticing that we were late, came looking for us. Luckily, he had a strong tow rope and pulled us out of the snowy ditch.
In April, 2001, on a Thursday, I started to have pains in my back, really hard ones and I began throwing up. Leon and a member gave me a blessing. Friday I felt o.k. but went to a doctor and he didn’t find anything. Saturday, I started hurting badly again and went to a clinic. I was told it was probably my gall bladder and that I would have to make an appointment in Colorado Springs the next week. I couldn’t get in to see a doctor until Friday but when I did, he put me right into the hospital. The zone leaders came by and gave me a blessing and on April 7th, (our wedding anniversary; I had had a heart attack April 7, 1997, dangerous date!!) I had surgery. The doctor had to make a very large and long incision because he told me my gall bladder was gangrenous! That really surprised me as the only pain I had felt was just the week before.
David and Alan drove to Colorado to visit me in the hospital and it was so good to see them. But they kept making jokes and it hurt to laugh. Rob and Erika and family came to see us later in the year. We took them to see the old gold mining town of Cripple Creek. They have lots of casinos there now. I t was always great to see family. Alan and Peggy and family also stopped by on their way to Tricia’s in Albuquerque for Thanksgiving. Mark and Sharon and family also stopped a couple of times as they were driving to Utah from St. Louis and back. David also stopped by another time. We loved seeing all of them.
We were told, that as missionaries, we should give service. We went to the public library and offered our services. We read the shelves, meaning we checked the stacks and put books back in alphabetical order. I also typed W-2 forms for library employees. We quite enjoyed doing this but our Mission President’s wife said that we shouldn’t do service for an institution. That put an end to that.
About the only time we saw other missionaries was when we went to Colorado Springs for Zone Conference. We were really on our own. When we had a candidate for baptism then the District Leader would come and interview him or her. The Stake President, in Colorado Springs, would occasionally have our zone meetings at his home. His wife would provide a great breakfast. Usually those meetings were held at a local chapel. It was the missionaries’ custom to sing “As I Have Loved You” to the sisters that prepared the luncheon as a thank you.
We met many interesting people. We visited part-member families, inactive members, and families with children who had not been baptised. We were instrumental in baptising eight children and two adults. One interesting baptism was of a child, a daughter of a woman who had been a member, then married a Muslim. She had three children, a boy and two girls, and decided to leave her abusive husband and escaped from Saudi Arabia. She became active in the church again and her nine-year-old daughter was baptised. Leon had her bus driver, who was a member and good friend, do the actual baptising.
We only got stuck once in the snow, even though our home in Woodland Park was 8,500 feet in altitude and some of our members lived at 10,000 feet! We were driving to give a lesson to a nine-year-old and got stuck by the side of the road. After a few minutes, his father, noticing that we were late, came looking for us. Luckily, he had a strong tow rope and pulled us out of the snowy ditch.
In April, 2001, on a Thursday, I started to have pains in my back, really hard ones and I began throwing up. Leon and a member gave me a blessing. Friday I felt o.k. but went to a doctor and he didn’t find anything. Saturday, I started hurting badly again and went to a clinic. I was told it was probably my gall bladder and that I would have to make an appointment in Colorado Springs the next week. I couldn’t get in to see a doctor until Friday but when I did, he put me right into the hospital. The zone leaders came by and gave me a blessing and on April 7th, (our wedding anniversary; I had had a heart attack April 7, 1997, dangerous date!!) I had surgery. The doctor had to make a very large and long incision because he told me my gall bladder was gangrenous! That really surprised me as the only pain I had felt was just the week before.
David and Alan drove to Colorado to visit me in the hospital and it was so good to see them. But they kept making jokes and it hurt to laugh. Rob and Erika and family came to see us later in the year. We took them to see the old gold mining town of Cripple Creek. They have lots of casinos there now. I t was always great to see family. Alan and Peggy and family also stopped by on their way to Tricia’s in Albuquerque for Thanksgiving. Mark and Sharon and family also stopped a couple of times as they were driving to Utah from St. Louis and back. David also stopped by another time. We loved seeing all of them.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Beginning of Mission to Colorado
In 2000, Gina retired from her work and wanted to have Mom live with her and John. They already had John’s mother living with them. We drove down to Mesa in the camper thinking Mom might want to stretch out and rest but she sat up in the back all the way. Gina and John have a nice big condo with two bedrooms upstairs, one for each mother, and bedrooms downstairs. Also two bathrooms upstairs and one down.
Leon and I were feeling quite free and decided to send in our papers for another mission. We requested the Family History Center in SLC but our call was to the Colorado Denver South Mission with headquarters in Denver. We found a woman who signed a lease to rent our house for the 18 months we would be gone. I didn’t want Sylvia to have to worry about our house. We spent a few weeks living with Alan and Peggy while we attended the classes at the MTC. reporting December 12. Lauren very kindly gave up her room, which had its own bathroom. We had to be in Denver just before Christmas so we loaded up our car with computer, printer, small TV (David traded our larger TV for a smaller one with video player) and kitchen things and our clothes. We were really loaded down.
Our Mission President really didn’t know what to do with us at first. For two weeks we stayed in an apartment some missionaries had used in Englewood, a suburb of Denver. The financial secretary, he and his wife were senior missionaries, got sick and we thought we would take their place but it didn’t work out. Then in the new year, we were sent to live in Woodland Park, a city about 18 miles west of Colorado Springs. Way up in the mountains, elevation about 8,000 feet. We were surrounded by beautiful pine trees with a view of Pike’s Peak.
Our first apartment was upstairs in a four-plex. It had two bedrooms. After one night in the first bedroom we moved to the second as you could smell the cooking from the oriental family living right under us. We had a washer and drier just outside our door, coin-operated of course. The back of the apartment overlooked the football field of the local high school. We noticed a kitchen chair in a tree in the back yard. Leon got it down and we used it in our apartment.
The Woodland Park Ward welcomed us very warmly. The Bishop was Gary Hasson who had a beautiful wife Melissa. He had filled his mission in Brazil. Her father is Iranian and her children and she have beautiful black eyes. The Second Counselor was Gordon Reynolds. He and his wife Janis had a beautiful home he built out in the pines outside the town of Lake George. Our ward extended over a large part of the country. It took an hour to drive to the fartherest member’s home. We had many wonderful ward members; they were very kind to us.
Leon and I were feeling quite free and decided to send in our papers for another mission. We requested the Family History Center in SLC but our call was to the Colorado Denver South Mission with headquarters in Denver. We found a woman who signed a lease to rent our house for the 18 months we would be gone. I didn’t want Sylvia to have to worry about our house. We spent a few weeks living with Alan and Peggy while we attended the classes at the MTC. reporting December 12. Lauren very kindly gave up her room, which had its own bathroom. We had to be in Denver just before Christmas so we loaded up our car with computer, printer, small TV (David traded our larger TV for a smaller one with video player) and kitchen things and our clothes. We were really loaded down.
Our Mission President really didn’t know what to do with us at first. For two weeks we stayed in an apartment some missionaries had used in Englewood, a suburb of Denver. The financial secretary, he and his wife were senior missionaries, got sick and we thought we would take their place but it didn’t work out. Then in the new year, we were sent to live in Woodland Park, a city about 18 miles west of Colorado Springs. Way up in the mountains, elevation about 8,000 feet. We were surrounded by beautiful pine trees with a view of Pike’s Peak.
Our first apartment was upstairs in a four-plex. It had two bedrooms. After one night in the first bedroom we moved to the second as you could smell the cooking from the oriental family living right under us. We had a washer and drier just outside our door, coin-operated of course. The back of the apartment overlooked the football field of the local high school. We noticed a kitchen chair in a tree in the back yard. Leon got it down and we used it in our apartment.
The Woodland Park Ward welcomed us very warmly. The Bishop was Gary Hasson who had a beautiful wife Melissa. He had filled his mission in Brazil. Her father is Iranian and her children and she have beautiful black eyes. The Second Counselor was Gordon Reynolds. He and his wife Janis had a beautiful home he built out in the pines outside the town of Lake George. Our ward extended over a large part of the country. It took an hour to drive to the fartherest member’s home. We had many wonderful ward members; they were very kind to us.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Life Goes On
Our first great grandchild was born 14 August 1999, Alexandra Lynn Barlow, daughter of David and Elann. This is Sylvia’s first grandchild. We had a five generations picture taken with Alexandra (Alex), David Barlow, Sylvia Barlow, Barbara Honey and Corraine Williams.
Ashley and Tanner, Nancy’s children, spent a few days with us. Leon helped them make little step stools. They helped putting them together and then painted them. They wore Leon’s old white shirts to protect their clothes. I think they quite enjoyed that.
We had another great family Christmas party at the church. This year, there was no heat! It was cold!!! Some problem with the furnace but we had fun being together. Lauren was the director with Becky assisting. Peggy did the narrating. It is always fun to see the grandkids take part.
We finished a kids room in the basement and then had grandchildren paint pictures of Winnie the Pooh and friends. Pooh was painted by Ashley (10), Kanga by Stephanie (8). Laura (5) painted a flower, Tanner (7) painted E-yore and Piglet by Michelle (11). Rachel (10) did Tigger, Zack (7) and Hannah (3) painted a ball and another Pooh was painted by Katie (9). Michelle also painted "Pooh’s Corner" in different colors. Leon drew me a grid on the walls and I drew the figures. It is a fun room for the kids with a little table and two chairs and a toy box.
This year, 2000, saw three graduations: Jenny with a Master of Library Science from Clarion College, PA; Russell Romriell and Chris Barlow from high school.
We traveled again to visit Tricia and Mark. At Tricia’s Laurisa played her clarinet for us and on Mother’s Day, the Romriells brought me breakfast in bed! We always enjoy the pool in Austin. We then visited Mark and Sharon in St. Louis. They now have five children with Rebekah being the youngest. We drove to Kansas City and met Leon’s cousin, Letha Sormanti. She’s descended from Burton Honey, Barsuma’s brother. We also met a granddaughter of Burton’s. It was nice to connect with these distant Honey cousins.
We visited the old Ellsworth cabin in Payson. It was built by Leon’s great Grandfather, German Ellsworth. Five children were born in it. I can’t imagine how the family lived in that small house. It now is used for storage. German built a nice larger house for his growing family.
A distant cousin and her husband now own the property.
Ashley and Tanner, Nancy’s children, spent a few days with us. Leon helped them make little step stools. They helped putting them together and then painted them. They wore Leon’s old white shirts to protect their clothes. I think they quite enjoyed that.
We had another great family Christmas party at the church. This year, there was no heat! It was cold!!! Some problem with the furnace but we had fun being together. Lauren was the director with Becky assisting. Peggy did the narrating. It is always fun to see the grandkids take part.
We finished a kids room in the basement and then had grandchildren paint pictures of Winnie the Pooh and friends. Pooh was painted by Ashley (10), Kanga by Stephanie (8). Laura (5) painted a flower, Tanner (7) painted E-yore and Piglet by Michelle (11). Rachel (10) did Tigger, Zack (7) and Hannah (3) painted a ball and another Pooh was painted by Katie (9). Michelle also painted "Pooh’s Corner" in different colors. Leon drew me a grid on the walls and I drew the figures. It is a fun room for the kids with a little table and two chairs and a toy box.
This year, 2000, saw three graduations: Jenny with a Master of Library Science from Clarion College, PA; Russell Romriell and Chris Barlow from high school.
We traveled again to visit Tricia and Mark. At Tricia’s Laurisa played her clarinet for us and on Mother’s Day, the Romriells brought me breakfast in bed! We always enjoy the pool in Austin. We then visited Mark and Sharon in St. Louis. They now have five children with Rebekah being the youngest. We drove to Kansas City and met Leon’s cousin, Letha Sormanti. She’s descended from Burton Honey, Barsuma’s brother. We also met a granddaughter of Burton’s. It was nice to connect with these distant Honey cousins.
We visited the old Ellsworth cabin in Payson. It was built by Leon’s great Grandfather, German Ellsworth. Five children were born in it. I can’t imagine how the family lived in that small house. It now is used for storage. German built a nice larger house for his growing family.
A distant cousin and her husband now own the property.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Last of Honey Relatives trip
Sunday, 9-12. We called and found out the time for Sacrament Meeting and attended one of the several wards in Syracuse. We felt right at home. That is one of the great things about the church, you have instant family wherever you go. We then abandoned the freeway and drove along the Mohawk River in the Mohawk Valley. This was a key place in the Revolutionary War and one of Leon’s ancestors, Cpl. James McTaggart, joined the Kings Royal Rangers of New York, 2nd Brigade, a part of the Loyalist army. He had leased a farm there in the valley prior to the outbreak of war. It is a beautiful drive.
We visited William Johnson’s Hall. He had been the commander at Ft. Niagara at one time and was a powerful influence among the Iroquois nation. After his wife died, he married Molly Brant, an Indian woman and had nine children. His hall was a large, two or three story home surrounded by acres of land. He died just before the Rev. War and his son John took over and organized the Loyalists from his area. From there we drove into Schenectady to see where Leon was born. As we got off the freeway we saw the very large General Electric complex where William Honey, his father, had worked. Not too far away we found the house still in good condition and the neighborhood still very nice. We spent the night in Albany, NY.
Monday 9-13. We drove into Massachusetts to the town of Watertown, now a suburb of Boston. This is the place the Honeys are first mentioned, in 1687. We were very disappointed; no historical markers visible and the streets were very narrow and crowded. The probably hadn’t changed since colonial times. We did go to the city library and obtained a map of early Watertown and some information but not much new. We spent the night in Leominster, MA.
Tuesday 9-14. We went to the town of Dunstable, MA, on the NH border, another town where early Honeys lived. The countryside was beautiful, heavily wooded and the town sort of meandered alongside the road. No big city center. We visited three old cemeteries but found no Honeys. We were told there are many unmarked graves. I really enjoyed the beautiful countryside. We drove to Concord, MA. They have a very good Visitors’ Center and museum which explained about the battles at Concord and Lexington. We walked the path to the North Bridge, many times replaced from the original, and saw the statue to the brave Minutemen. The town of Concord is old with many colonial homes, very well maintained.
Wednesday 9-15. We drove down to Fall River, MA on the coast of Rhode Island Sound off the Atlantic, thus completing our trip from sea to shining sea. We visited Battleship Cove, where the USS Massachusetts battleship is anchored, also a destroyer, a submarine and two PT boats which were on display. We climbed all over and inside the battleship and submarine and wondered how sailors could find their way around the battleship, so many little corridors, or on the submarine, how they could sleep on top of the torpedoes. The rain from Hurricane Floyd started falling that evening, fortunately, not hard.
Thursday 9-16. We drove into Vermont and visited Pomfret, which consisted of Pomfret, South Pomfret and North Pomfret. Joseph Honey had lived there with his family for a number of years and had several plots of land there. The town were very small, if you blinked, you missed them. All very green and beautiful. Visited the local library but found nothing new on the Honeys. We then visited Sharon, VT, the birthplace of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Very nice Visitors Center. The people there had large umbrellas for us to use as we walked around.
We then drove to Whitefield, NH to visit more Honey cousins. We were warmly met by Tom and Haleen Dieterich; she is descended from Randal Honey, Barsuma Veness’ brother. They have a lovely large old farmhouse they have refurnished. One wall had pictures of different family members and some interesting items, such as Henry R. Honey’s glasses (he is Randal’s son) also a large picture of Joseph S. Honey. They had a copy of his obit., also copies of a letter in his own hand-writing and made copies for us. We spent the night in Franconia, NH, about 20 miles from the Dieterich’s at an Inn. It was still raining cats and dogs and part of the parking lot was flooded. The TV went out because of the storm.
Friday 9-17 we started back home, arriving 9-22. Everyone we met was so gracious and considerate. We wish we could have stayed long enough to really become acquainted to learn more of Leon’s cousins Pero algo es algo (but something is better than nothing.)
We visited William Johnson’s Hall. He had been the commander at Ft. Niagara at one time and was a powerful influence among the Iroquois nation. After his wife died, he married Molly Brant, an Indian woman and had nine children. His hall was a large, two or three story home surrounded by acres of land. He died just before the Rev. War and his son John took over and organized the Loyalists from his area. From there we drove into Schenectady to see where Leon was born. As we got off the freeway we saw the very large General Electric complex where William Honey, his father, had worked. Not too far away we found the house still in good condition and the neighborhood still very nice. We spent the night in Albany, NY.
Monday 9-13. We drove into Massachusetts to the town of Watertown, now a suburb of Boston. This is the place the Honeys are first mentioned, in 1687. We were very disappointed; no historical markers visible and the streets were very narrow and crowded. The probably hadn’t changed since colonial times. We did go to the city library and obtained a map of early Watertown and some information but not much new. We spent the night in Leominster, MA.
Tuesday 9-14. We went to the town of Dunstable, MA, on the NH border, another town where early Honeys lived. The countryside was beautiful, heavily wooded and the town sort of meandered alongside the road. No big city center. We visited three old cemeteries but found no Honeys. We were told there are many unmarked graves. I really enjoyed the beautiful countryside. We drove to Concord, MA. They have a very good Visitors’ Center and museum which explained about the battles at Concord and Lexington. We walked the path to the North Bridge, many times replaced from the original, and saw the statue to the brave Minutemen. The town of Concord is old with many colonial homes, very well maintained.
Wednesday 9-15. We drove down to Fall River, MA on the coast of Rhode Island Sound off the Atlantic, thus completing our trip from sea to shining sea. We visited Battleship Cove, where the USS Massachusetts battleship is anchored, also a destroyer, a submarine and two PT boats which were on display. We climbed all over and inside the battleship and submarine and wondered how sailors could find their way around the battleship, so many little corridors, or on the submarine, how they could sleep on top of the torpedoes. The rain from Hurricane Floyd started falling that evening, fortunately, not hard.
Thursday 9-16. We drove into Vermont and visited Pomfret, which consisted of Pomfret, South Pomfret and North Pomfret. Joseph Honey had lived there with his family for a number of years and had several plots of land there. The town were very small, if you blinked, you missed them. All very green and beautiful. Visited the local library but found nothing new on the Honeys. We then visited Sharon, VT, the birthplace of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Very nice Visitors Center. The people there had large umbrellas for us to use as we walked around.
We then drove to Whitefield, NH to visit more Honey cousins. We were warmly met by Tom and Haleen Dieterich; she is descended from Randal Honey, Barsuma Veness’ brother. They have a lovely large old farmhouse they have refurnished. One wall had pictures of different family members and some interesting items, such as Henry R. Honey’s glasses (he is Randal’s son) also a large picture of Joseph S. Honey. They had a copy of his obit., also copies of a letter in his own hand-writing and made copies for us. We spent the night in Franconia, NH, about 20 miles from the Dieterich’s at an Inn. It was still raining cats and dogs and part of the parking lot was flooded. The TV went out because of the storm.
Friday 9-17 we started back home, arriving 9-22. Everyone we met was so gracious and considerate. We wish we could have stayed long enough to really become acquainted to learn more of Leon’s cousins Pero algo es algo (but something is better than nothing.)
Monday, February 22, 2010
More Honey Relatives trip
Wednesday 9-8. We drove to Akron, OH, and visited Leon’s first and only cousin on the Honey side, Margaret Raynor Warren. She lived just a few blocks from our motel. Leon has pictures of a visit her family made to his family when they lived in Schenectady, NY, when he was a little boy. The family only visited together one other time, in 1947 in Cleveland, OH. Her mother is William Honey’s sister Doris. We also visited the next day with her and her son Kenneth Warren. We saw lots of family pictures.
From Akron we drove to clarion, PA, about 100 miles away, to see Jenny, our granddaughter. She is getting her Masters in Library Science at the University in Clarion. It was great to see her and to see where she lived, ate and studied.
Friday 9-12. We decided to trade Canada for LDS Church sites. We had originally planed on driving up into Ontario and seeing where his Loyalist ancestors lived but it sounded like a good trade. We drove to Kirtland, OH and toured the temple there. It is now owned by the RLDS church and they maintain it very well. When I mentioned that my 2nd great grandfather was F.G. Williams, the guide said "you are standing on your grandfather’s farm." The Church has a good relationship with the RLDS’; they let the mission president hold testimony meetings inside with the newly-arrived missionaries, We saw FGW’s picture and also Rebecca Swain Williams’ picture in their Visitors Center. We visited the Newel K. Whitney home, which is our Visitor’s Center now, and his store. We drove out about a mile to the Isaac Morley farm, a distant relative of Leon’s, and learned many interesting things. Our next stop was about 30 miles away to Hiram, OH to the John Johnson farm. We couldn’t go inside as they were renovating it. We then drove to Buffalo, NY and it was late at night when we arrived. We got confused trying to get off the toll-road and went through the wrong gate, the one that pass holders use, so we didn’t pay our toll. We expect to receive a fine in the mail any day now. (We never got one!)
Saturday 9-13. We drove to Youngstown, NY on the tip of the Lake Ontario and the mouth of the Niagara River. It was a beautiful view of the lake and one could just barely make out Toronto on the other side. My 3rd great grandfather, Isaac Swain, had lived there and in 1836 had built a beautiful three-story cobblestone house. It was built on the foundation of his earlier home burned by the British in the War of 1812. That earlier home was built on the battlefield of La Belle Famille which took place between the French and British in 1759, during the French and Indian War. We went to the town library to found out where the home was located. We were sent upstairs to the Historical Society and two little old ladies were so happy to see us and happy to know I was related to the Swains. They copied pictures and information for us. One of them, age 96!!! drove us out to see the home. It had originally been called The Willows but there are none growing today but was surrounded by lovely trees. It was a beautiful home and the owner let us come in and see the parlor and take a picture of the original fireplace.
From the home we drove to see Ft. Niagara. It had originally been French, then British and finally American. It has been restored to its French days. The drawbridge has the inscription Porte des Cinq Nations , Gate of the Five Nations to favor the Iroquois Confederacy. LaSalle had first built a fort at this location in 1678, then another was built in 1687. It too was abandoned. The permanent fort was built in 1725. From there we drove to Palmyra. The Church, from aerial surveys for the exact location and dimensions, has reconstructed the log house where the Joseph Smith Sr. family lived and where Joseph received the visit from the Angel Moroni. The original large white frame house the family later lived in was there though an extensive renovation program was going on inside to return it to its original configuration. We walked into the beautiful Sacred Grove, no one else was around, but someone on the other side of the grove had a boom box going playing loud music which spoiled the atmosphere. I was so disappointed! We drove the four miles to the hill Cumorah. We thought the hill would stand out more but there are many hills in the area. It was a little larger and very beautiful. There is a lovely Visitors’ Center. We then proceeded to Syracuse, NY for the night.
From Akron we drove to clarion, PA, about 100 miles away, to see Jenny, our granddaughter. She is getting her Masters in Library Science at the University in Clarion. It was great to see her and to see where she lived, ate and studied.
Friday 9-12. We decided to trade Canada for LDS Church sites. We had originally planed on driving up into Ontario and seeing where his Loyalist ancestors lived but it sounded like a good trade. We drove to Kirtland, OH and toured the temple there. It is now owned by the RLDS church and they maintain it very well. When I mentioned that my 2nd great grandfather was F.G. Williams, the guide said "you are standing on your grandfather’s farm." The Church has a good relationship with the RLDS’; they let the mission president hold testimony meetings inside with the newly-arrived missionaries, We saw FGW’s picture and also Rebecca Swain Williams’ picture in their Visitors Center. We visited the Newel K. Whitney home, which is our Visitor’s Center now, and his store. We drove out about a mile to the Isaac Morley farm, a distant relative of Leon’s, and learned many interesting things. Our next stop was about 30 miles away to Hiram, OH to the John Johnson farm. We couldn’t go inside as they were renovating it. We then drove to Buffalo, NY and it was late at night when we arrived. We got confused trying to get off the toll-road and went through the wrong gate, the one that pass holders use, so we didn’t pay our toll. We expect to receive a fine in the mail any day now. (We never got one!)
Saturday 9-13. We drove to Youngstown, NY on the tip of the Lake Ontario and the mouth of the Niagara River. It was a beautiful view of the lake and one could just barely make out Toronto on the other side. My 3rd great grandfather, Isaac Swain, had lived there and in 1836 had built a beautiful three-story cobblestone house. It was built on the foundation of his earlier home burned by the British in the War of 1812. That earlier home was built on the battlefield of La Belle Famille which took place between the French and British in 1759, during the French and Indian War. We went to the town library to found out where the home was located. We were sent upstairs to the Historical Society and two little old ladies were so happy to see us and happy to know I was related to the Swains. They copied pictures and information for us. One of them, age 96!!! drove us out to see the home. It had originally been called The Willows but there are none growing today but was surrounded by lovely trees. It was a beautiful home and the owner let us come in and see the parlor and take a picture of the original fireplace.
From the home we drove to see Ft. Niagara. It had originally been French, then British and finally American. It has been restored to its French days. The drawbridge has the inscription Porte des Cinq Nations , Gate of the Five Nations to favor the Iroquois Confederacy. LaSalle had first built a fort at this location in 1678, then another was built in 1687. It too was abandoned. The permanent fort was built in 1725. From there we drove to Palmyra. The Church, from aerial surveys for the exact location and dimensions, has reconstructed the log house where the Joseph Smith Sr. family lived and where Joseph received the visit from the Angel Moroni. The original large white frame house the family later lived in was there though an extensive renovation program was going on inside to return it to its original configuration. We walked into the beautiful Sacred Grove, no one else was around, but someone on the other side of the grove had a boom box going playing loud music which spoiled the atmosphere. I was so disappointed! We drove the four miles to the hill Cumorah. We thought the hill would stand out more but there are many hills in the area. It was a little larger and very beautiful. There is a lovely Visitors’ Center. We then proceeded to Syracuse, NY for the night.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Tannie's wedding, Honey relatives trip
Our granddaughter Tannie had her wedding June 11, 1999 in the Dallas Temple to Dan Smith. It is always a privilege to attend these weddings. We drove directly to Dallas, spent the night, then met everyone at the temple. There Tannie and Trent, who had received his mission call, received their endowments. The next day, or two, was the wedding. It is about a four hour drive from Austin to Dallas but back we all came. Mark and Sharon and family, and Alan and Peggy were there; Alan, of course, taking pictures. Alan sister Julie decorated the beautiful cake. It was a very hot afternoon for the garden wedding reception and the cake tilted in the heat!
Tricia and Alan drove Trent to Utah and Ryan Barlow also had received his mission call. It was great to have these two cousins enter the MTC the same day. We had a nice family reunion beforehand.
July 17, 1999, Gina married John Black in the Mesa temple. Fred, Mary and Greg, Sonia and LaMar and Leon and I were able to attend. We are so happy that Gina has found a great companion.
Leon had been corresponding with Honey relatives via e-mail and so we decided we would go and visit them. So, another trip for us. On Monday, August 30, 1999, we drove to Orem and dropped off Mom at Fred and Carol’s. We were driving the camper. We took I-80 from Salt Lake City west and encountered very strong winds. At one time, the freeway was closed and we sat in the camper and had our supper. It was funny to see the other freeway lanes, the ones going to the east, empty of cars. We only got 9 miles to the gallon with that wind. All the way from SLC to Winnemucca, NV we fought the wind and rain and finally stopped at a motel in Winnemucca. Gas prices in Nevada were higher than in Utah and even higher in California. We had to fill up about every 150 miles.
Tuesday, 8-31. It was a breeze coming down the west side of the mountains to Sacramento. There we visited Leon’s cousin Janet Cox and her husband. They are 3rd cousins once removed. She reminded us a lot of Leon’s sister Joan,; some of the same mannerisms and appearance but taller and slimmer. She gave us copies of information and pictures. We then proceeded north, stopping in Redding, CA. The atmosphere was very smoky because of forest fires burning to the north near Mt Shasta.
Wednesday, 9-1. The drive north of Redding was very beautiful though mountainous and curvy. We arrived at Portland, at our RV Park located on Hayden Island in the Columbia River in the afternoon. That evening we visited Yvonne and Dave Cummings, my niece, who lives in Gresham, a suburb of Portland. The have a lovely family of five children.
Thursday, 9-2. That morning we had a beautiful walk along the edge of the Columbia River and realized how huge that river is. We then visited Marcia Staunton, who lives in the same park but in a different section. She was married to a Honey and had done lots of research which she shared with us. After a lovely luncheon, and more visiting, we drove to Seaside, OR where Leon had lived as a boy. His father was stationed at Ft. Stevens nearby. Although we had addresses of two of the houses they had lived in, they had either been torn down or renumbered and we were unable to find them. Seaside is a lovely resort town; no street along the beach but a promenade where people can walk and enjoy the views of the ocean. We spent the night in a nearby KOA campground.
Friday 9-3. That morning we visited Ft. Stevens, seeing the old gun emplacements, minus the guns and were impressed with the concrete structures that remained. It was here that a Japanese submarine shelled the coast. The town was startled but no damage was done. Leon’s Dad had told us earlier that he was disgusted that the Japanese sub had more powerful guns than the fort. We continued on into Astoria and visited the Columbia River Museum than on to the Bonneville Dam. Leon’s father had helped install the second phase of the generators while he worked for GE, just before WW II, about 1939-40. The dam was built in three parts, the spillway, the powerhouse and a lock which permitted navigation on the river past the dam. It is possible for freighters to sail all the way into Idaho on this river by using the locks. This was the first of many dams built on the river. We spent the night in the town of Dufer, at the home of ny nephew Fred Williams and his wife Karen and son Granger. They live in an old three-story farm house which originally had been a stop on a stagecoach line.
Saturday, 9-4. We drove to Boise, ID where we met with Bruce Honey and members of his family. They are descended from Aden Honey, BV’s son. We also visited with Leon’s niece, Cindi Floyd Peterson and her husband David and family. Afterwards we drove to Twin Falls where we spent the night.
Sunday, 9-5. Before leaving the RV park we decided to return home and park the mini camper and take the Buick. It goes faster and uses much less gas! We had so far still to go we thought it would be better to travel faster for about the same amount of money. We came back home to Mt. Pleasant and traded vehicles, then drove to Grand Junction to spend the night.
Monday and Tuesday, 9/6-7. Two driving days which ended in Hays, KS, then in to St. Louis, MO at the home of our son Mark and his wife Sharon. They have four little children with one more on the way. Mark works for IBM as a project manager and takes full responsibility for my being introduced to the Internet.
Tricia and Alan drove Trent to Utah and Ryan Barlow also had received his mission call. It was great to have these two cousins enter the MTC the same day. We had a nice family reunion beforehand.
July 17, 1999, Gina married John Black in the Mesa temple. Fred, Mary and Greg, Sonia and LaMar and Leon and I were able to attend. We are so happy that Gina has found a great companion.
Leon had been corresponding with Honey relatives via e-mail and so we decided we would go and visit them. So, another trip for us. On Monday, August 30, 1999, we drove to Orem and dropped off Mom at Fred and Carol’s. We were driving the camper. We took I-80 from Salt Lake City west and encountered very strong winds. At one time, the freeway was closed and we sat in the camper and had our supper. It was funny to see the other freeway lanes, the ones going to the east, empty of cars. We only got 9 miles to the gallon with that wind. All the way from SLC to Winnemucca, NV we fought the wind and rain and finally stopped at a motel in Winnemucca. Gas prices in Nevada were higher than in Utah and even higher in California. We had to fill up about every 150 miles.
Tuesday, 8-31. It was a breeze coming down the west side of the mountains to Sacramento. There we visited Leon’s cousin Janet Cox and her husband. They are 3rd cousins once removed. She reminded us a lot of Leon’s sister Joan,; some of the same mannerisms and appearance but taller and slimmer. She gave us copies of information and pictures. We then proceeded north, stopping in Redding, CA. The atmosphere was very smoky because of forest fires burning to the north near Mt Shasta.
Wednesday, 9-1. The drive north of Redding was very beautiful though mountainous and curvy. We arrived at Portland, at our RV Park located on Hayden Island in the Columbia River in the afternoon. That evening we visited Yvonne and Dave Cummings, my niece, who lives in Gresham, a suburb of Portland. The have a lovely family of five children.
Thursday, 9-2. That morning we had a beautiful walk along the edge of the Columbia River and realized how huge that river is. We then visited Marcia Staunton, who lives in the same park but in a different section. She was married to a Honey and had done lots of research which she shared with us. After a lovely luncheon, and more visiting, we drove to Seaside, OR where Leon had lived as a boy. His father was stationed at Ft. Stevens nearby. Although we had addresses of two of the houses they had lived in, they had either been torn down or renumbered and we were unable to find them. Seaside is a lovely resort town; no street along the beach but a promenade where people can walk and enjoy the views of the ocean. We spent the night in a nearby KOA campground.
Friday 9-3. That morning we visited Ft. Stevens, seeing the old gun emplacements, minus the guns and were impressed with the concrete structures that remained. It was here that a Japanese submarine shelled the coast. The town was startled but no damage was done. Leon’s Dad had told us earlier that he was disgusted that the Japanese sub had more powerful guns than the fort. We continued on into Astoria and visited the Columbia River Museum than on to the Bonneville Dam. Leon’s father had helped install the second phase of the generators while he worked for GE, just before WW II, about 1939-40. The dam was built in three parts, the spillway, the powerhouse and a lock which permitted navigation on the river past the dam. It is possible for freighters to sail all the way into Idaho on this river by using the locks. This was the first of many dams built on the river. We spent the night in the town of Dufer, at the home of ny nephew Fred Williams and his wife Karen and son Granger. They live in an old three-story farm house which originally had been a stop on a stagecoach line.
Saturday, 9-4. We drove to Boise, ID where we met with Bruce Honey and members of his family. They are descended from Aden Honey, BV’s son. We also visited with Leon’s niece, Cindi Floyd Peterson and her husband David and family. Afterwards we drove to Twin Falls where we spent the night.
Sunday, 9-5. Before leaving the RV park we decided to return home and park the mini camper and take the Buick. It goes faster and uses much less gas! We had so far still to go we thought it would be better to travel faster for about the same amount of money. We came back home to Mt. Pleasant and traded vehicles, then drove to Grand Junction to spend the night.
Monday and Tuesday, 9/6-7. Two driving days which ended in Hays, KS, then in to St. Louis, MO at the home of our son Mark and his wife Sharon. They have four little children with one more on the way. Mark works for IBM as a project manager and takes full responsibility for my being introduced to the Internet.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
1998 doings
After such a wonderful trip it was back to everyday living, taking care of my Mom and such. Leon was still playing in the Utah Valley Symphony and Leon, Mom, and I would drive up every Wednesday evening for the rehearsal in the Senior Citizen Center in Provo. Sometimes, in the winter, there would be storms and deer in the road but mostly it was o.k. for our drive. We would get home just before 11:00 p.m.
Our grandson David Barlow married Elann Romney in the Salt Lake Temple in June of 1998. Afterwards, a luncheon was held in a church that was close by. It is the one with the large stained glass window depicting the first vision. Lots of family were present.
Leon and I built a patio roof over the cement slab in the back yard. It was fun doing it together. We had a salesperson at a hardware store help with the plans and ordered the materials which were delivered in a large trailer. It was nice to have a covered area in back.
Leon and I had Nina, a woman in Sylvia’s ward, come stay with Mom. She had helped out many times before. We drove up into Idaho to see where Leon had lived when he was young. We visited the rock house his great grandfather, Franklin Alexander Hales had built. It is a beautiful old home. During WW II, Leon’s Dad had added indoor plumbing to the house and other amenities. Leon and his Mom, sister and brother lived there part of the time while his father was away in the army. Old neighbors, the Spauldings, had bought the home and kept it up.
We then drove to Challis, ID, where the Honeys had lived when Leon’s father was young. Bill Honey graduated from high school there. We saw a lot of old buildings and, at the court house, they let us look through old records and we were able to get copies of old photos.
Another 4th of July parade with the Honey Band. Leon, Sylvia, David B., Chris, Becky, Brent, Peggy, Doug, Alan, Rob and Lauren were the band. The grandkids rode in the back of a pickup. It was a lot of fun and the people enjoyed seeing and hearing them. I think this is the last time we did it.
Another trip! This time we visited Manhattan, KS where Leon had lived during the war. We looked up the home where he had lived. There are a lot of very nice old homes with lots of trees. We also saw the school where he attended 7th grade. We also saw the swimming pool where he learned to swim. We also visited Ft. Riley, where Leon’s Dad was stationed.
We then went to St. Louis to visit Mark and Sharon. Jenny Barlow was also living with them as she was an apprentice at the St. Louis Botanical Gardens. It was fun to see the grandkids, Richard, Jessica, Rachel and Nathan, the baby.
Tricia and Alan and family came for Christmas and we had a great family party at the Barlows. Such a lot of grandchildren! All gems!
Our grandson David Barlow married Elann Romney in the Salt Lake Temple in June of 1998. Afterwards, a luncheon was held in a church that was close by. It is the one with the large stained glass window depicting the first vision. Lots of family were present.
Leon and I built a patio roof over the cement slab in the back yard. It was fun doing it together. We had a salesperson at a hardware store help with the plans and ordered the materials which were delivered in a large trailer. It was nice to have a covered area in back.
Leon and I had Nina, a woman in Sylvia’s ward, come stay with Mom. She had helped out many times before. We drove up into Idaho to see where Leon had lived when he was young. We visited the rock house his great grandfather, Franklin Alexander Hales had built. It is a beautiful old home. During WW II, Leon’s Dad had added indoor plumbing to the house and other amenities. Leon and his Mom, sister and brother lived there part of the time while his father was away in the army. Old neighbors, the Spauldings, had bought the home and kept it up.
We then drove to Challis, ID, where the Honeys had lived when Leon’s father was young. Bill Honey graduated from high school there. We saw a lot of old buildings and, at the court house, they let us look through old records and we were able to get copies of old photos.
Another 4th of July parade with the Honey Band. Leon, Sylvia, David B., Chris, Becky, Brent, Peggy, Doug, Alan, Rob and Lauren were the band. The grandkids rode in the back of a pickup. It was a lot of fun and the people enjoyed seeing and hearing them. I think this is the last time we did it.
Another trip! This time we visited Manhattan, KS where Leon had lived during the war. We looked up the home where he had lived. There are a lot of very nice old homes with lots of trees. We also saw the school where he attended 7th grade. We also saw the swimming pool where he learned to swim. We also visited Ft. Riley, where Leon’s Dad was stationed.
We then went to St. Louis to visit Mark and Sharon. Jenny Barlow was also living with them as she was an apprentice at the St. Louis Botanical Gardens. It was fun to see the grandkids, Richard, Jessica, Rachel and Nathan, the baby.
Tricia and Alan and family came for Christmas and we had a great family party at the Barlows. Such a lot of grandchildren! All gems!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Last night and trip home
That evening, we had a farewell dinner at the Jerusalem Center then we had a party afterwards. There were a lot of crazy games. The girls in charge also passed out awards and names. They asked what Leon would have been called in pharaohinic times and the answer was King’s Ram Horn the Second because of the shofar (ram’s horn) he had purchased. For Bro. Nyman they had found an alarm clock and the sound was the voice of the muzzein calling to prayers from a mosque. Calls we had heard frequently along with Christian church bells. I was the person who had developed the most muscles in the right arm because of leading the hymns every morning.
We drove to the airport in Tel Aviv, arriving about 9 p.m. I told Eddie our driver goodbye telling him Shokran (thank you) and Ma’asalamah (goodbye) and he gave me a big hug and told me Ma’asalamah. We were to be at the airport at least three hours before flight time and we were there four. Leon and I had our large bags opened but had only a minimum search, then went quickly through passport control. Others had more thorough searches. One couple was told their passports were tampered with and gave them a hard time for a while, then let them through. Another person had not kept the form we were given upon entering the country and we expected the worst but she was able to fill out another and come through all right. Bro. Nyman was asked to bring back four suitcases for one of the BYU professors and he had a lot of problems with taking luggage that was not his. He eventually got through the check points for security and passport control. Everyone made it through.
It was a long flight back, leaving around 1:00 a.m. and after 11 ½ hours, arrived in New York at 6:00 a.m. We watched Guys & Dolls during the night. From NY we flew to St. Louis then on to SLC. Ryan, bless his heart, met us and took us to Nancy’s where we had left some things, then we drove home, taking Ryan home for a visit.
We had a wonderful time, and unforgetable time, but it was great to be home again!
We drove to the airport in Tel Aviv, arriving about 9 p.m. I told Eddie our driver goodbye telling him Shokran (thank you) and Ma’asalamah (goodbye) and he gave me a big hug and told me Ma’asalamah. We were to be at the airport at least three hours before flight time and we were there four. Leon and I had our large bags opened but had only a minimum search, then went quickly through passport control. Others had more thorough searches. One couple was told their passports were tampered with and gave them a hard time for a while, then let them through. Another person had not kept the form we were given upon entering the country and we expected the worst but she was able to fill out another and come through all right. Bro. Nyman was asked to bring back four suitcases for one of the BYU professors and he had a lot of problems with taking luggage that was not his. He eventually got through the check points for security and passport control. Everyone made it through.
It was a long flight back, leaving around 1:00 a.m. and after 11 ½ hours, arrived in New York at 6:00 a.m. We watched Guys & Dolls during the night. From NY we flew to St. Louis then on to SLC. Ryan, bless his heart, met us and took us to Nancy’s where we had left some things, then we drove home, taking Ryan home for a visit.
We had a wonderful time, and unforgetable time, but it was great to be home again!
Monday, January 25, 2010
Gethsemane and Garden Tomb
Tuesday, July 21. Our last day and the best was saved for last. The first stop was the Garden of Gethsemane. We first went into a garden adjacent to the Garden where Bro. Nyman spoke to us. Then we went into the Garden; very peaceful, quiet and smelled heavenly. There were Star Jasmine and Sweet William in bloom. No lecturing is allowed in the Garden. There are eight ancient olive trees with HUGE trunks. I have never seen such huge trunks on trees, especially on these trees as they are not very tall. We were told that these date to the time of Christ. Olive roots seem never to die, they just keep on sending out suckers and fruit is still being produced.. We walked around the trees, behind a fence, and everything was very quiet. I thought it a special place. I kept thinking of the words to "I Stand All Amazed" and thought that this was the place that Jesus suffered for my sins.
The Church of All Nations is adjacent to the Garden; it was not intrusive like some churches but had a reverent atmosphere. From the Garden we went to the place where supposedly it was the Upper Room where Jesus kept the Passover. Next, we walked along the city streets, the old city; we hardly were ever in the new part. We saw a man, dressed like King David playing on a harp and singing about Jerusalem in English. We took his picture.
Next was the church of Peter in Gallicantu, where the cock crowed after he denied Jesus three times. It is a beautiful, modern, small church which I enjoyed a lot. There was no one else there so we sat and talked and looked at the paintings on the wall. The twelve apostles and others were represented. The church was built over what is thought to be the ruins of the house of Caiaphas the High Priest. Under his house was a dungeon which tradition states that Jesus was imprisoned and beaten there. We saw the dungeon and its several rooms. Outside are steps leading up, and dating to the 1st century. Jesus very well could have been led up these steps.
We went through the Lion’s Gate and visited the ruins of the Pool of Bethesda and next to it was the Church of St. Anne. A group ahead of us was singing Amazing Grace. Our group sang I Stand All Amazed. The acoustics were great.
Our last stop was the Garden Tomb. General Gordon, of Khartoum fame, visited the area over a century ago and was struck by the skull formation on the side of the hill at the end of the Temple Mount. He felt that this was the place of Calvary or Golgotha and not the Church of the Sepulchre. Others had also notice the skull formation. I saw it and it really looks like a skull with the eyes and nose plain to see. No one had ever built there as it had a reputation as a place of execution.
The ground next to it was owned by a Greek who wanted to use a tomb there to be used as a cistern but an archeologist told him the tomb was ancient, dating to the 1st century. The man then wanted to plant a garden but there was no cistern to hold water. A Christian group in London raised money to buy the land which was covered with rubble and when they dug they found the third largest cistern in Jerusalem, which showed that the area had once been a garden. One can only have a garden if one has a cistern for water storage. Jerusalem has the same amount of rainfall as London but it comes in two or three months of the year so it has to be stored.
The group has made it a most beautiful and peaceful spot. There are little separate areas where groups can sit and listen to their guides. The group sends out their people for about three months to be guides and care for the area. One of their guides talked to us and said he couldn’t state definitely that this was the tomb where Jesus was buried but there were so many reasons to believe it was: 1) the skull formation, which is what Golgotha means, place of the skull, 2) it was near the junction of two major roads where Romans like to execute criminals, 3) it is very near a city gate 4) a garden next to the place of execution with a tomb, 5) the tomb is that of a wealthy man and unfinished, 6) the tomb dates to the 1st century.
We were able to go inside the tomb and see the two little rooms. As one goes inside one sees on the right another little room with two stone beds or ledges. The most important thing about the tomb is the message painted on the door of the tomb: "He Is Not Here For He Is Risen". I thought it most impressive. Pres. Harold B. Lee felt that this was the place where Jesus was buried and resurrected, not the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
The Church of All Nations is adjacent to the Garden; it was not intrusive like some churches but had a reverent atmosphere. From the Garden we went to the place where supposedly it was the Upper Room where Jesus kept the Passover. Next, we walked along the city streets, the old city; we hardly were ever in the new part. We saw a man, dressed like King David playing on a harp and singing about Jerusalem in English. We took his picture.
Next was the church of Peter in Gallicantu, where the cock crowed after he denied Jesus three times. It is a beautiful, modern, small church which I enjoyed a lot. There was no one else there so we sat and talked and looked at the paintings on the wall. The twelve apostles and others were represented. The church was built over what is thought to be the ruins of the house of Caiaphas the High Priest. Under his house was a dungeon which tradition states that Jesus was imprisoned and beaten there. We saw the dungeon and its several rooms. Outside are steps leading up, and dating to the 1st century. Jesus very well could have been led up these steps.
We went through the Lion’s Gate and visited the ruins of the Pool of Bethesda and next to it was the Church of St. Anne. A group ahead of us was singing Amazing Grace. Our group sang I Stand All Amazed. The acoustics were great.
Our last stop was the Garden Tomb. General Gordon, of Khartoum fame, visited the area over a century ago and was struck by the skull formation on the side of the hill at the end of the Temple Mount. He felt that this was the place of Calvary or Golgotha and not the Church of the Sepulchre. Others had also notice the skull formation. I saw it and it really looks like a skull with the eyes and nose plain to see. No one had ever built there as it had a reputation as a place of execution.
The ground next to it was owned by a Greek who wanted to use a tomb there to be used as a cistern but an archeologist told him the tomb was ancient, dating to the 1st century. The man then wanted to plant a garden but there was no cistern to hold water. A Christian group in London raised money to buy the land which was covered with rubble and when they dug they found the third largest cistern in Jerusalem, which showed that the area had once been a garden. One can only have a garden if one has a cistern for water storage. Jerusalem has the same amount of rainfall as London but it comes in two or three months of the year so it has to be stored.
The group has made it a most beautiful and peaceful spot. There are little separate areas where groups can sit and listen to their guides. The group sends out their people for about three months to be guides and care for the area. One of their guides talked to us and said he couldn’t state definitely that this was the tomb where Jesus was buried but there were so many reasons to believe it was: 1) the skull formation, which is what Golgotha means, place of the skull, 2) it was near the junction of two major roads where Romans like to execute criminals, 3) it is very near a city gate 4) a garden next to the place of execution with a tomb, 5) the tomb is that of a wealthy man and unfinished, 6) the tomb dates to the 1st century.
We were able to go inside the tomb and see the two little rooms. As one goes inside one sees on the right another little room with two stone beds or ledges. The most important thing about the tomb is the message painted on the door of the tomb: "He Is Not Here For He Is Risen". I thought it most impressive. Pres. Harold B. Lee felt that this was the place where Jesus was buried and resurrected, not the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Jerusalem Center, Temple Mount, Hezekiah's Tunnel
Sunday, July 18. We visited the Orson Hyde Memorial Gardens which is on the side of a hill. Someone donated the land to the city and the mayor, Teddy Kollek, asked if the Mormons wanted to do something with it. Elder LeGrand Richards was involved in the Orson Hyde Foundation, which raised about $2,000,000.00 to landscape it. The garden belongs to the city which maintains it. Walking to the site one could see what a blessing this garden is as the area outside is barren and practically a garbage dump. There is a nice plaque at the entrance naming it and the Foundation. The garden is large and very beautiful and peaceful.
We next drove to the BYU Jerusalem Center and what a lovely place it is. There are eight levels and visitors can go to the top three; living quarters are below. We attended Sacrament Meeting in the chapel. The wall overlooking the city is all windows so one has a superb view of the old city. After our meetings we had an organ concert just for our group. Parley Belnap was the organist, retired from BYU. Leon had known him when they both were at school. Concerts are given in the chapel every week and are open to the public.
Bro. Nyman took us on a tour of the building and grounds, which are lovely. The center is really an oasis. We saw different presses for oil; one was a weight and measure press and another a screw press. We were told that olive oil is red when first squeezed, then after settling, it becomes the color we know. We also saw a wine press. We were told the students have a chance to stomp grapes but that no one wants to drink the juice the next day, even though it is boiled. We had a fireside that evening. We learned to say "Shabbat Shalom", which is the Jewish greeting. Our Sabbath was really on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath.
Sunday, July 19. We visited the Temple Mount. Most tour members visited the El Aqsa Mosque but I didn’t. I didn’t wear socks that day and they didn’t have booties for one’s shoes as in Cairo so I passed but I couldn’t miss the Dome of the Rock so I went barefoot in there. The whole thing was covered in carpets, rather worn. Inside was the rock where Abraham was going to sacrifice Isaac, the Muslims say it was Ishmael. The hole was to push the ground grain down into the storage chamber below. The Muslims believe Mohammed met with ancient prophets down in the chamber and that he was taken to heaven through the hole in the rock. I found out that the Dome of the Rock is not a mosque but a monument, the third most sacred place to Muslims after Mecca and Medina.
Our next stop was a visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This was so ornate and full of rich furnishings, even more so than the Church of the Nativity. Catholics, Greek Orthodox and other Christian denominations think this is the place where Jesus was crucified and resurrected. Protestants and LDS think it is the Garden Tomb where Jesus was entombed and resurrected as its location is outside the city walls and is a more logical place.
We next went on a walk through Hezekiah’s tunnel. This tunnel was built to bring the water from the Gihon Spring, outside city walls, to the Pool of Siloam, inside the walls. We were told that there was a fault where water ran so the excavators followed it. The tunnel is 1/3 mile in length and winds around and it took about 30 minutes to walk it. There are no lights so one has to bring a flashlight. I lost mine so I had to follow right behind Leon and his light. I could touch both sides of the tunnel with my hands and in some places had to bend down so as to not hit my head. The water was cool and came up to above my knees. The floor was rocky so we had to wear shoes to protect our feet. The entrance to the tunnel was so well hidden that residents of Jerusalem were not aware the Gihon Spring was the source of water for the pool until the 1500s. Last century, boys exploring a few feet inside the entrance found a carved stone telling about how it was made. The stone is now in the museum in Istanbul.
Monday, July 20. There are always about four or five vendors outside our hotel every morning and one has to run the gauntlet to get to the bus. We drove southeast to Bet Shemesh where we saw Byzantine ruins. It is in the area where Sampson lived. Bet or Beit means house of so Bethlehem means house of bread, Bet Shemesh is house of the sun. We visited the Valley of Elah where David fought Goliath. We crossed a brook, dry, where David picked up his stones. Most on the tour picked up a stone. Bro. Nyman said the government brings in a new truckload each year to replace the stones picked up by tourists.
We drove through a vineyard to get to a place where Bro. Nyman had visited a tomb with the rolling stone intact. Alas, vandals had broken the stone but we could still see what it was like. He showed us what would have been a little corral where shepherds would enclose their sheep for the night while they slept in a cave. We saw the cave. The shepherds would have called their sheep in the morning and each sheep would have come to its master’s voice. There are 3,000 caves in the area, the rocks are made of chalk. We saw remains of a Roman road and some Roman steps on our trip back to Jerusalem.
We next drove to the BYU Jerusalem Center and what a lovely place it is. There are eight levels and visitors can go to the top three; living quarters are below. We attended Sacrament Meeting in the chapel. The wall overlooking the city is all windows so one has a superb view of the old city. After our meetings we had an organ concert just for our group. Parley Belnap was the organist, retired from BYU. Leon had known him when they both were at school. Concerts are given in the chapel every week and are open to the public.
Bro. Nyman took us on a tour of the building and grounds, which are lovely. The center is really an oasis. We saw different presses for oil; one was a weight and measure press and another a screw press. We were told that olive oil is red when first squeezed, then after settling, it becomes the color we know. We also saw a wine press. We were told the students have a chance to stomp grapes but that no one wants to drink the juice the next day, even though it is boiled. We had a fireside that evening. We learned to say "Shabbat Shalom", which is the Jewish greeting. Our Sabbath was really on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath.
Sunday, July 19. We visited the Temple Mount. Most tour members visited the El Aqsa Mosque but I didn’t. I didn’t wear socks that day and they didn’t have booties for one’s shoes as in Cairo so I passed but I couldn’t miss the Dome of the Rock so I went barefoot in there. The whole thing was covered in carpets, rather worn. Inside was the rock where Abraham was going to sacrifice Isaac, the Muslims say it was Ishmael. The hole was to push the ground grain down into the storage chamber below. The Muslims believe Mohammed met with ancient prophets down in the chamber and that he was taken to heaven through the hole in the rock. I found out that the Dome of the Rock is not a mosque but a monument, the third most sacred place to Muslims after Mecca and Medina.
Our next stop was a visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This was so ornate and full of rich furnishings, even more so than the Church of the Nativity. Catholics, Greek Orthodox and other Christian denominations think this is the place where Jesus was crucified and resurrected. Protestants and LDS think it is the Garden Tomb where Jesus was entombed and resurrected as its location is outside the city walls and is a more logical place.
We next went on a walk through Hezekiah’s tunnel. This tunnel was built to bring the water from the Gihon Spring, outside city walls, to the Pool of Siloam, inside the walls. We were told that there was a fault where water ran so the excavators followed it. The tunnel is 1/3 mile in length and winds around and it took about 30 minutes to walk it. There are no lights so one has to bring a flashlight. I lost mine so I had to follow right behind Leon and his light. I could touch both sides of the tunnel with my hands and in some places had to bend down so as to not hit my head. The water was cool and came up to above my knees. The floor was rocky so we had to wear shoes to protect our feet. The entrance to the tunnel was so well hidden that residents of Jerusalem were not aware the Gihon Spring was the source of water for the pool until the 1500s. Last century, boys exploring a few feet inside the entrance found a carved stone telling about how it was made. The stone is now in the museum in Istanbul.
Monday, July 20. There are always about four or five vendors outside our hotel every morning and one has to run the gauntlet to get to the bus. We drove southeast to Bet Shemesh where we saw Byzantine ruins. It is in the area where Sampson lived. Bet or Beit means house of so Bethlehem means house of bread, Bet Shemesh is house of the sun. We visited the Valley of Elah where David fought Goliath. We crossed a brook, dry, where David picked up his stones. Most on the tour picked up a stone. Bro. Nyman said the government brings in a new truckload each year to replace the stones picked up by tourists.
We drove through a vineyard to get to a place where Bro. Nyman had visited a tomb with the rolling stone intact. Alas, vandals had broken the stone but we could still see what it was like. He showed us what would have been a little corral where shepherds would enclose their sheep for the night while they slept in a cave. We saw the cave. The shepherds would have called their sheep in the morning and each sheep would have come to its master’s voice. There are 3,000 caves in the area, the rocks are made of chalk. We saw remains of a Roman road and some Roman steps on our trip back to Jerusalem.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Dear Sea, Masada, Western Wall
Friday July 17 Leon felt he needed to rest his ankles, which were swelling badly, so he stayed behind at the hotel while we went to Qumran. We saw the ruins of the living quarters of the people who had lived there and some dams on the mountainside to catch the rainwater which was stored in their large cisterns. We saw cave #4, where some of the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. It is the only cave visible from the visitor’s center. It is very desolate country and honeycombed with caves.
We kept driving south and saw the Dead Sea. It was a beautiful acqua color and I could just imagine the disappointment of travelers, after crossing the desolate land and having this beautiful water be salty instead of fresh. This is the only place where I felt the heat, the hottest I was on the whole trip. We sat under huge awnings so we weren’t in the sun but it was terribly hot! It was probably humid because of being by the water. Some of my fellow travelers tried to swim in the water but you can only float. Some got covered with the black mud , said to be a beauty agent. They looked awful.
Our next stop was Masada, another place I particularly wanted to visit. This is where the Zealots stood off the Romans and finally committed suicide when the Romans breached the wall. We rode a cable car up and still had about 80 steps to climb. Herod built this as a stronghold and resort for himself and his family. He had food for 100 years stored, also water in the huge cisterns for 40 years. The Zealots who hid out there used these supplies. We saw Roman baths and visited Herold’s Western Palace. I couldn’t understand why anyone would use that place as a resort until I visited the palace. Inside, with shade and the sides open to cool breezes, it was a very pleasant place to be. From the top of the mountain one can look down and see the remains of several Roman forts which besieged the Zealots. Also, the ramp which was built up to the top can be seen. The Romans built a wall all around the mountain to contain the rebels. I was surprised that there were other mountains close to this one. I had imagined it sticking up all alone.
That evening we visited the Western Wall. The Sabbath would begin at 7:10 p.m. according to our guide Amos, who consulted his calendar. We would be allowed to take pictures until about 7 p.m. There is a fence back a ways from the wall and people can go beyond it but men have to wear skull caps to approach the wall. There is another fence separating the men’s section from the women’s. Worshippers wore their Sunday best. There was not a variety in the dress of the women but quite a variety in the men’s. Some wore big black fuzzy hats, other broad-brimmed hats, most skull caps. Some had their long prayer locks, others regular haircuts. Many sway while praying which is supposed to help one concentrate. I could have gone down into the women’s section but would have felt out-of-place in my pants. I also thought it would have been irreverent. I even felt uncomfortable taking pictures at the allowed time as it was a very sacred time and place for the Jews.
We kept driving south and saw the Dead Sea. It was a beautiful acqua color and I could just imagine the disappointment of travelers, after crossing the desolate land and having this beautiful water be salty instead of fresh. This is the only place where I felt the heat, the hottest I was on the whole trip. We sat under huge awnings so we weren’t in the sun but it was terribly hot! It was probably humid because of being by the water. Some of my fellow travelers tried to swim in the water but you can only float. Some got covered with the black mud , said to be a beauty agent. They looked awful.
Our next stop was Masada, another place I particularly wanted to visit. This is where the Zealots stood off the Romans and finally committed suicide when the Romans breached the wall. We rode a cable car up and still had about 80 steps to climb. Herod built this as a stronghold and resort for himself and his family. He had food for 100 years stored, also water in the huge cisterns for 40 years. The Zealots who hid out there used these supplies. We saw Roman baths and visited Herold’s Western Palace. I couldn’t understand why anyone would use that place as a resort until I visited the palace. Inside, with shade and the sides open to cool breezes, it was a very pleasant place to be. From the top of the mountain one can look down and see the remains of several Roman forts which besieged the Zealots. Also, the ramp which was built up to the top can be seen. The Romans built a wall all around the mountain to contain the rebels. I was surprised that there were other mountains close to this one. I had imagined it sticking up all alone.
That evening we visited the Western Wall. The Sabbath would begin at 7:10 p.m. according to our guide Amos, who consulted his calendar. We would be allowed to take pictures until about 7 p.m. There is a fence back a ways from the wall and people can go beyond it but men have to wear skull caps to approach the wall. There is another fence separating the men’s section from the women’s. Worshippers wore their Sunday best. There was not a variety in the dress of the women but quite a variety in the men’s. Some wore big black fuzzy hats, other broad-brimmed hats, most skull caps. Some had their long prayer locks, others regular haircuts. Many sway while praying which is supposed to help one concentrate. I could have gone down into the women’s section but would have felt out-of-place in my pants. I also thought it would have been irreverent. I even felt uncomfortable taking pictures at the allowed time as it was a very sacred time and place for the Jews.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Holy City Model, Museum, Bethlehem
Thursday, July 16. The first thing we visited was the Holyland Hotel that has an outdoor model of the Holy City at the time of Christ. This was one of the things I most wanted to see. It was most impressive and larger than what I had imagined. The whole city is laid out. There is a man employed full-time who goes around checking for loose stones and repairing whatever is needed. The model of the temple is right by the fence so it was easy to see and enjoy. We then drove through modern Jerusalem. All the buildings, new and old, must be built or faced with the same limestone so that there is an overall creamy look to the city. Very nice.
Our next stop was the Holocaust Museum, Yad Vashem. We visited the children’s section. There were one and one-half million children who died during the holocaust. Out of doors in one area, there is a cluster of columns with the tops broken off showing that their lives were broken off. At the entrance to another memorial to children the top is covered with cement with rebar sticking out showing that their lives were still under construction. Inside it is dark with little pinpoints of light, supposedly 1,500,000. A record plays continuously naming each child, their age, and the town from which they came. It was most impressive. We also visited a building that had pictures of the holocaust, very depressing. There are long avenues of trees planted outside in memory of gentiles who helped the Jews during the war with their names on plaques.
We next went to the Israel Museum. Leon’s ankles were bothering him so he borrowed a pillow from our driver, Eddie, and took a nap in the back of the bus, while I visited the museum. It is very modern, clean and light. Next to it was the Shrine of the Book museum, which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls. This is built in the shape of the stopper of the clay jars in which the scrolls were found. It is white, and for some reason, water sprays on the outside. Inside, underground, is like the caves in which they were found. In the middle is a large replica of the handle of the rod that holds a scroll. It had a replica of the Elijah scroll on it. Around the walls of the room were sections of the actual scrolls. In areas we could not see they study the scrolls and preserve them.
We visited Bethlehem and went to another olive wood shop. There we were fed falafel, a pita bread filled with fried chickpeas or garbanzo beans and tomatoes and cucumbers. It was o.k. We went to the Church of the Nativity. The door was filled in centuries ago to keep the Turks from riding their horses into the building. One has to stoop low and step over a cement block to get in. There were many trappings inside, so many it was hard to imagine a simple manger. Down below in the church, besides the grotto of the nativity is a grotto where St. Jerome lived who translated the scriptures into the Latin of the people. It was quite dark in there; I could imagine how hard it would have been to write by candlelight. We sang Away In a Manger and Silent Night there. So many fancy buildings are built over presumed holy spots that it is hard to see what things might have looked like.
We next drove to Shepherd’s Field overlooking Bethlehem. It was quite dry but I have seen picture of it in other seasons and it can be quite green. We sang O Little Town of Bethlehem and The First Noel. It was quite hot. Bro. Nyman told us that whenever he brings BYU students there a shepherd usually comes along with his sheep. It was a very nice experience, with the area feeling like it would have been so long ago.
On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a diamond factory, NDC National Diamond Company. Our guide says that Israel is #1 in the cutting and polishing of diamonds, Belgium #2 and Holland #3, which surprised me as I thought Holland was #1. He said many old Jewish diamond cutters came there after surviving WW II and gave a boost to the industry. It was very interesting. We saw a lot of beautiful stones plus replicas of some famous ones.
Our next stop was the Holocaust Museum, Yad Vashem. We visited the children’s section. There were one and one-half million children who died during the holocaust. Out of doors in one area, there is a cluster of columns with the tops broken off showing that their lives were broken off. At the entrance to another memorial to children the top is covered with cement with rebar sticking out showing that their lives were still under construction. Inside it is dark with little pinpoints of light, supposedly 1,500,000. A record plays continuously naming each child, their age, and the town from which they came. It was most impressive. We also visited a building that had pictures of the holocaust, very depressing. There are long avenues of trees planted outside in memory of gentiles who helped the Jews during the war with their names on plaques.
We next went to the Israel Museum. Leon’s ankles were bothering him so he borrowed a pillow from our driver, Eddie, and took a nap in the back of the bus, while I visited the museum. It is very modern, clean and light. Next to it was the Shrine of the Book museum, which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls. This is built in the shape of the stopper of the clay jars in which the scrolls were found. It is white, and for some reason, water sprays on the outside. Inside, underground, is like the caves in which they were found. In the middle is a large replica of the handle of the rod that holds a scroll. It had a replica of the Elijah scroll on it. Around the walls of the room were sections of the actual scrolls. In areas we could not see they study the scrolls and preserve them.
We visited Bethlehem and went to another olive wood shop. There we were fed falafel, a pita bread filled with fried chickpeas or garbanzo beans and tomatoes and cucumbers. It was o.k. We went to the Church of the Nativity. The door was filled in centuries ago to keep the Turks from riding their horses into the building. One has to stoop low and step over a cement block to get in. There were many trappings inside, so many it was hard to imagine a simple manger. Down below in the church, besides the grotto of the nativity is a grotto where St. Jerome lived who translated the scriptures into the Latin of the people. It was quite dark in there; I could imagine how hard it would have been to write by candlelight. We sang Away In a Manger and Silent Night there. So many fancy buildings are built over presumed holy spots that it is hard to see what things might have looked like.
We next drove to Shepherd’s Field overlooking Bethlehem. It was quite dry but I have seen picture of it in other seasons and it can be quite green. We sang O Little Town of Bethlehem and The First Noel. It was quite hot. Bro. Nyman told us that whenever he brings BYU students there a shepherd usually comes along with his sheep. It was a very nice experience, with the area feeling like it would have been so long ago.
On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a diamond factory, NDC National Diamond Company. Our guide says that Israel is #1 in the cutting and polishing of diamonds, Belgium #2 and Holland #3, which surprised me as I thought Holland was #1. He said many old Jewish diamond cutters came there after surviving WW II and gave a boost to the industry. It was very interesting. We saw a lot of beautiful stones plus replicas of some famous ones.
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