Since we were traveling on tourist visas, we couldn’t wear our name tags. We arrived in Sâo Paulo early in the morning, before 8:00 a.m. and Fred wasn’t there to meet us!!! Here we were in a foreign country and no way to get to the Mission Office. We tried calling but as it was early in the morning, no one was in the office. Fred finally came; relief! He took us to his apartment, which was on the 17th floor of an 18th floor building. Carol had given us Violet’s room, with twin beds, in which we stayed for several weeks before an apartment was ready for us. Fred, Carol, Lexie, Jonathan and Violet lived in that apartment.
When he took us to the office the missionaries had prepared a big welcome banner for us and made us feel very welcome. My trainer was Elder Brown, who had been the executive secretary and Elder Boyer trained Leon, he was the financial secretary. There were a couple of other missionaries working in the office, the historian and the commissary elder. Leon’s office was rather small and had a huge, old safe in it, where we kept the missionaries’ passports. All passports had to be taken to a Cartório, a notary public, where they were copied and the Elders carried the copies with them at all times. My office was larger and I had a computer and printer. It had an old version of Word Perfect. The keyboard was in Portuguese and so I wrote my friends at UVCC to send me an old template with the commands in English. This really helped a lot.
The mission office was located in a three story building which housed the Area President’s Office as well as the Church Offices and it also had a branch of the Itaú Bank that we used for all the missionaries and office monies. This was on a huge block that held the Temple, a Stake Center and there was also a building used as lodging for visitors to the temple and as the MTC or CTM in Portuguese. We had guards at the entrances to the complex.
After a few weeks, an apartment became available in the Vertentes apartment complex across the street from the church block. There were about eight tall buildings, four on each side of a little plaza. We were in building Lambari apt. 51. Several apartments in the complex had been purchased by the Church for temple workers but there were not anymore American temple couples so these apartments were available for us and later for some other missionary couples.
We had two bedrooms, a bathroom with different shades of dark blue for the sink and toilet; also the tile on the walls was turquoise. Very colorful. The kitchen had a marble counter. No hot water; it had to be heated for dishes. We had a washer and dryer which I appreciated but I had to wash with cold water the whole time we were there. My stove used a propane tank and was quite small, it looked like it belonged in a doll house. We also had a refrigerator. There was another bedroom and small bath (which we never used) which would have been the maid’s quarters. We had a large water bottle which we kept filled at the temple complex where a well of pure water was located. The apartment was like low class student housing but we were happy to be in it. All fresh vegetables had to be soaked in a special solution before we could eat them.
We did have hot water for showering. Every night, when we got back from the office, we would turn on the fuse that the water heater for the shower used so I had hot water for my nightly shower. We would turn it off when we went to bed and by morning the water was still hot enough for Leon to shower. We didn’t dare leave it turned on all day, the water just kept getting hotter and hotter and we were afraid it would explode!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Richard's birth, Doug deployment, call to Brazil
On the 5th of October, 1990, Mark Richard was born to Mark and Sharon three months early. He only weighed 2 lbs ½ oz!!! He was so small! He was in the hospital for quite a long time. Leon and I were allowed to see him a few times. He was finally permitted to return home but was on oxygen. I took a special class so I would know how to care for him while Mark and Sharon attended her sister Carlene’s wedding.
In December Doug, our marine, was activated to go to Okinawa. His group went to relieve other marines who were sent to Iraq for Desert Storm. The family got together to take a family picture. We hadn’t had one for a long time and everyone was present! Sharon’s Dad, Spencer Rigby, who lived across the street, took the picture.
My brother Fred was called to be Mission President of a new mission in Sâo Paulo, Brazil. He was to be set apart by Elder Richard G. Scott, of the Twelve. He had been a missionary under my Dad. Fred invited Leon and me to be present but when we got to the MTC, Elder Scott thought it best to wait a week or so when my Dad could be present. Carol was scheduled to give a concert in the Assembly Hall and the folks were coming up for that. David accompanied on of Carol’s numbers on the violin.
Fred invited us both to visit with him in the lobby of the MTC. He said he had found out that mission presidents could suggest couples to come and serve in their missions. He and Carol had prayed about it and he felt Leon and I should come and be office missionaries! I though we should go home and pray about it but Leon said that we had made covenants in the Temple and, of course, we would go! He was teaching summer band and I was working at UVCC. This was the 18th of June and the next Portuguese class would begin July 3rd at the MTC. I quit work and Tricia and Alan, and others started working on our house to get it ready to sell. We couldn’t go without selling it and paying off debts. The 3rd of July was supposed to be Leon’s last day of summer band but the other band teacher took his classes. We were able to be with Fred and Carol when they were set apart by Elder Scott and our parents were also present.
All the arrangements for our call were conducted over the telephone. We didn’t get our official missionary call letter until we had been in the MTC for three weeks! We lived at Tricia’s for three weeks and three weeks at David’s. We had classes morning, afternoon and evening. At night, after the last class, we worked on the house. Two of our teachers were returned missionaries from Brazil and the other was a girl from Portugal. Her accent was different from the two young men. We enjoyed our classes and the firesides and devotionals very much. As we studied Portuguese, all the Spanish Leon had studied in high school came out of his mouth when he wanted Portuguese. There was one other couple in our class; they were going to Recife, Brazil. They had lived in Brazil before. He was a Texan and spoke Portuguese with a Texan accent!
We finished our six weeks in the MTC but our visas had not come. They finally decided to send us down to Brazil on tourist visas and thought we could go into a country on the border of Brazil and get our permanent visas there. Two more weeks had passed before we were finally ready to go. We had a great family picnic in Provo before we left. We gave Tricia our power of attorney to take care of all our bills, sale of house, etc. She did a magnificent job of it all the time we were gone
In December Doug, our marine, was activated to go to Okinawa. His group went to relieve other marines who were sent to Iraq for Desert Storm. The family got together to take a family picture. We hadn’t had one for a long time and everyone was present! Sharon’s Dad, Spencer Rigby, who lived across the street, took the picture.
My brother Fred was called to be Mission President of a new mission in Sâo Paulo, Brazil. He was to be set apart by Elder Richard G. Scott, of the Twelve. He had been a missionary under my Dad. Fred invited Leon and me to be present but when we got to the MTC, Elder Scott thought it best to wait a week or so when my Dad could be present. Carol was scheduled to give a concert in the Assembly Hall and the folks were coming up for that. David accompanied on of Carol’s numbers on the violin.
Fred invited us both to visit with him in the lobby of the MTC. He said he had found out that mission presidents could suggest couples to come and serve in their missions. He and Carol had prayed about it and he felt Leon and I should come and be office missionaries! I though we should go home and pray about it but Leon said that we had made covenants in the Temple and, of course, we would go! He was teaching summer band and I was working at UVCC. This was the 18th of June and the next Portuguese class would begin July 3rd at the MTC. I quit work and Tricia and Alan, and others started working on our house to get it ready to sell. We couldn’t go without selling it and paying off debts. The 3rd of July was supposed to be Leon’s last day of summer band but the other band teacher took his classes. We were able to be with Fred and Carol when they were set apart by Elder Scott and our parents were also present.
All the arrangements for our call were conducted over the telephone. We didn’t get our official missionary call letter until we had been in the MTC for three weeks! We lived at Tricia’s for three weeks and three weeks at David’s. We had classes morning, afternoon and evening. At night, after the last class, we worked on the house. Two of our teachers were returned missionaries from Brazil and the other was a girl from Portugal. Her accent was different from the two young men. We enjoyed our classes and the firesides and devotionals very much. As we studied Portuguese, all the Spanish Leon had studied in high school came out of his mouth when he wanted Portuguese. There was one other couple in our class; they were going to Recife, Brazil. They had lived in Brazil before. He was a Texan and spoke Portuguese with a Texan accent!
We finished our six weeks in the MTC but our visas had not come. They finally decided to send us down to Brazil on tourist visas and thought we could go into a country on the border of Brazil and get our permanent visas there. Two more weeks had passed before we were finally ready to go. We had a great family picnic in Provo before we left. We gave Tricia our power of attorney to take care of all our bills, sale of house, etc. She did a magnificent job of it all the time we were gone
Monday, June 29, 2009
Kansas and Denver
After leaving Nauvoo, we drove by where Dean Morris lived. He had about 180 acres and local farmers farm it and give half of the crop, hay and field corn, to Dean. There is a nice two-bedroom home with two creeks running through the property. Strawberries and blackberries grow in the woods. It looked like a fun place for kids to enjoy.
We next drove to Miltonvale, KS, where Grandpa Honey was born. A very small town! We visited the little historical society in Clyde, KS, where Barsuma had lived and saw mention of the Honeys. The two towns are only about 20 miles apart. Incidentally, Barsuma is the one who named the town of Clyde.
On to Denver, CO, arriving in the afternoon. After checking into our motel, we drove to the Molly Brown house. It was 3:55 p.m. and found it closed at 4:00 p.m. The last tour had just started and, after Leon had talked to the people, they let us join the tour and didn’t charge us a fee!
We found out many things about Molly. First, her name was Maggie, not Molly, and she was not an orphan but had 10 brothers and sisters and was born in Hannibal, MO. She and a brother came out to Leadville where she married J.J. Brown. After he struck it rich they moved to Denver. The city welcomed them and she gave parties for up to 800 people though her husband did not like society. Only the sacred 32, the old money, did not welcome her, new money. Their house was very modern for their times. Molly spent much of her time in Europe and learned six languages. Her children, a boy and a girl, were educated in Europe.
One time, while she was in Europe, she got word that a grandchild was very sick so she booked passage home. The Astors persuaded her to change her ticket to the Titanic, costing $5,000, as they thought it would get her to America sooner. She was instrumental in calming people in her lifeboat and in getting the wimpy sailor assigned to it to function. She nursed people on the ship that rescued them for three days and told reporters that the Browns were unsinkable, that’s where she got the nickname. The sacred 32 invited her to lunch after that but still didn’t invite her to play bridge. She and her husband separated and never did get together again. Hollywood really changed a lot of things about her life!
We had dinner at the Casa Bonita. I had heard about this place for a long time. It has a pink and gold leaf tower on the outside and going inside is like going to Disneyland with the winding lines to get tickets. We wound around quite a bit then paid for the dinner, a little expensive, more winding around then got to the place where the dinners are shot out of the kitchen onto a counter and a fellow, with hot pads, plunks the dishes on your tray. The food was nothing special, but the atmosphere was great. A grotto with trees and pool where divers dive into the pool, strolling mariachis, gun fights, puppet and magic shows. You felt you were in a Mexican market. Kids would love it but all two years old and older have to buy a dinner.
We saw beautiful scenery out of Denver in the Rocky Mountains. We stopped at the Dinosaur Museum outside of Vernal. Leon had always wanted to go there and it was very impressive; more than I thought it would be. A bank of rock, with the bones that have been uncovered sticking out of it, is enclosed in a building for protection. The displays were very informative and everything done very nicely.
We stopped a few minutes to see Lou and Lucy in Duchesne. They are fun people to visit and Lucy gave me a large copper tray she brought back from Belgrade. It is very beautiful. She certainly has given me many lovely things.
We got home in the evening and it was great to be back. We had had a wonderful 18 days, being with family and then seeing so many great things.
We next drove to Miltonvale, KS, where Grandpa Honey was born. A very small town! We visited the little historical society in Clyde, KS, where Barsuma had lived and saw mention of the Honeys. The two towns are only about 20 miles apart. Incidentally, Barsuma is the one who named the town of Clyde.
On to Denver, CO, arriving in the afternoon. After checking into our motel, we drove to the Molly Brown house. It was 3:55 p.m. and found it closed at 4:00 p.m. The last tour had just started and, after Leon had talked to the people, they let us join the tour and didn’t charge us a fee!
We found out many things about Molly. First, her name was Maggie, not Molly, and she was not an orphan but had 10 brothers and sisters and was born in Hannibal, MO. She and a brother came out to Leadville where she married J.J. Brown. After he struck it rich they moved to Denver. The city welcomed them and she gave parties for up to 800 people though her husband did not like society. Only the sacred 32, the old money, did not welcome her, new money. Their house was very modern for their times. Molly spent much of her time in Europe and learned six languages. Her children, a boy and a girl, were educated in Europe.
One time, while she was in Europe, she got word that a grandchild was very sick so she booked passage home. The Astors persuaded her to change her ticket to the Titanic, costing $5,000, as they thought it would get her to America sooner. She was instrumental in calming people in her lifeboat and in getting the wimpy sailor assigned to it to function. She nursed people on the ship that rescued them for three days and told reporters that the Browns were unsinkable, that’s where she got the nickname. The sacred 32 invited her to lunch after that but still didn’t invite her to play bridge. She and her husband separated and never did get together again. Hollywood really changed a lot of things about her life!
We had dinner at the Casa Bonita. I had heard about this place for a long time. It has a pink and gold leaf tower on the outside and going inside is like going to Disneyland with the winding lines to get tickets. We wound around quite a bit then paid for the dinner, a little expensive, more winding around then got to the place where the dinners are shot out of the kitchen onto a counter and a fellow, with hot pads, plunks the dishes on your tray. The food was nothing special, but the atmosphere was great. A grotto with trees and pool where divers dive into the pool, strolling mariachis, gun fights, puppet and magic shows. You felt you were in a Mexican market. Kids would love it but all two years old and older have to buy a dinner.
We saw beautiful scenery out of Denver in the Rocky Mountains. We stopped at the Dinosaur Museum outside of Vernal. Leon had always wanted to go there and it was very impressive; more than I thought it would be. A bank of rock, with the bones that have been uncovered sticking out of it, is enclosed in a building for protection. The displays were very informative and everything done very nicely.
We stopped a few minutes to see Lou and Lucy in Duchesne. They are fun people to visit and Lucy gave me a large copper tray she brought back from Belgrade. It is very beautiful. She certainly has given me many lovely things.
We got home in the evening and it was great to be back. We had had a wonderful 18 days, being with family and then seeing so many great things.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Kentucky and Nauvoo
Wednesday, 15August, 1990. We left Nashville and drove into Kentucky and found it even more beautiful than Tennessee; thicker woods. We visited Ft. Boonesborough. It is a replica of the fort where Daniel Boone and others lived. It was very well done. The backs of the cabins are part of the stockade wall. There were demonstrations of frontier crafts such as soap making, weaving, spinning, quilt making, pottery, candle dipping, toy making, basketry, etc.
We drove through more beautiful country with big estates, horse paddocks, and wooded areas. We visited "My Old Kentucky Home", a lovely home belonging to a cousin of Stephen Foster. A visit to the home inspired him to write the song. His uncle, Judge Rowan had built the home and his son had inherited it. We enjoyed visiting it very much.
On Friday, we visited Carthage Jail. The grounds were beautiful with lovely flowers. We saw the rooms of the jail; the jailor’s quarters and rooms for confining prisoners. We learned that Joseph Smith and the others had been taken to the jailor’s bedroom and were in that room when killed. We then drove along the Mississippi River and stopped and ate our lunch overlooking that great river.
In Nauvoo, we drove to the Visitor’s Center. Nauvoo is such a beautiful place; the flowers were spectacular. It is the same gardener that does them and at Carthage. We were told many people come for the flowers alone. The temple site gave me a sad feeling to think of its destruction.
We stayed in a nice motel and Leon rested while I went to visit more of Nauvoo. It was very hot and humid, in the 90s and 85% humidity! I parked the car in the shade of some large trees and it was not too bad. I visited the brick yard and learned about making bricks. I was given a small brick with "Nauvoo" on it. I was the only one in the audience and so had the tours to myself in most of the places. I saw Heber C. Kimball home, and the Noble-Smith home, where Lucy Mack Smith had lived for a time. Also the bakery and tinsmith shop. The missionary couples are so friendly and helpful. There are about 50 of them and one sister said she called this mission their "Chocolate Cake" mission.
Leon felt more rested so we went to see more things. The blacksmith and wheelwright demonstrations were outstanding. The Brother was a retired dentist and what made it extra special was that his great-grandfather was one of the four brothers who had originally built the blacksmith shop. We also saw rope making, barrel making and typesetting. All so very interesting.
We ate dinner at the Nauvoo Hotel; it had been a private home built in 1841. They would not take credit cards, only cash and personal checks. Even out-of-state checks!
We attended a musical presentation at the Cultural Hall called Memories of Nauvoo. A few young elders and sister missionaries plus older couples put it on and it was delightful. There was singing and a little dancing and sketches. I was impressed with all the couples had to learn, not only their presentations during the day but their lines and songs in the evening.
The red-brick homes, trimmed in white, are two-story, federal style and very elegant. They were very lovely; how hard it must have been to leave their homes again. The lots were four-acre lots and most of them are now in grass with a restored house here and there. We didn’t have time to see the ones belonging to the RLDS which includes the Mansion House, but we did drive by and see it.
We drove through more beautiful country with big estates, horse paddocks, and wooded areas. We visited "My Old Kentucky Home", a lovely home belonging to a cousin of Stephen Foster. A visit to the home inspired him to write the song. His uncle, Judge Rowan had built the home and his son had inherited it. We enjoyed visiting it very much.
On Friday, we visited Carthage Jail. The grounds were beautiful with lovely flowers. We saw the rooms of the jail; the jailor’s quarters and rooms for confining prisoners. We learned that Joseph Smith and the others had been taken to the jailor’s bedroom and were in that room when killed. We then drove along the Mississippi River and stopped and ate our lunch overlooking that great river.
In Nauvoo, we drove to the Visitor’s Center. Nauvoo is such a beautiful place; the flowers were spectacular. It is the same gardener that does them and at Carthage. We were told many people come for the flowers alone. The temple site gave me a sad feeling to think of its destruction.
We stayed in a nice motel and Leon rested while I went to visit more of Nauvoo. It was very hot and humid, in the 90s and 85% humidity! I parked the car in the shade of some large trees and it was not too bad. I visited the brick yard and learned about making bricks. I was given a small brick with "Nauvoo" on it. I was the only one in the audience and so had the tours to myself in most of the places. I saw Heber C. Kimball home, and the Noble-Smith home, where Lucy Mack Smith had lived for a time. Also the bakery and tinsmith shop. The missionary couples are so friendly and helpful. There are about 50 of them and one sister said she called this mission their "Chocolate Cake" mission.
Leon felt more rested so we went to see more things. The blacksmith and wheelwright demonstrations were outstanding. The Brother was a retired dentist and what made it extra special was that his great-grandfather was one of the four brothers who had originally built the blacksmith shop. We also saw rope making, barrel making and typesetting. All so very interesting.
We ate dinner at the Nauvoo Hotel; it had been a private home built in 1841. They would not take credit cards, only cash and personal checks. Even out-of-state checks!
We attended a musical presentation at the Cultural Hall called Memories of Nauvoo. A few young elders and sister missionaries plus older couples put it on and it was delightful. There was singing and a little dancing and sketches. I was impressed with all the couples had to learn, not only their presentations during the day but their lines and songs in the evening.
The red-brick homes, trimmed in white, are two-story, federal style and very elegant. They were very lovely; how hard it must have been to leave their homes again. The lots were four-acre lots and most of them are now in grass with a restored house here and there. We didn’t have time to see the ones belonging to the RLDS which includes the Mansion House, but we did drive by and see it.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Laura I. Wilder and Nashville
On Wednesday, August 8, we missed the turn off up to Columbus, NM, on our way back to the U.S. It was not marked well so we went on to Ciudad Juarez, an extra 45 minutes in Mexico but not out of the way for us. It was very nerve-wracking driving in Cd. Juarez but finally found the bridge and got back into the good USA. Our insurance had expired about 30 minutes before we left Mexico but I didn’t mention it to Leon until we had crossed the border. I think I’d rather visit Mexico on a tour and leave the driving and worries to others.
We drove through El Paso, Las Cruces, and Alamogordo. Just before Alamogordo we stopped at the White Sands National Monument and went through the Visitor’s Center. The sands are really white, mostly made of gypsum, very pretty. The usual sand we know is made up of quartz. I learned that sand is a name given to small particles and it can be made up of shells, volcanic rock, gypsum and/or quartz.
We went through Ruidoso, very pretty country, through pines. We saw ENMU , in Portales, NM, the university Leon attended as a freshman. Only two buildings were familiar to Leon; it was a pretty campus. We spent the night in Clovis, NM.
Thursday, we drove through Amarillo, Oklahoma City to Tulsa. On Friday, we drove to Wayside, KS, to the site of the "Little House on the Prairie". The site has been identified and a cabin, a replica of the original erected. It is so small but delightful. Trees grow there now but there were none in Laura’s day. An old school house and post office have been brought in nearby in which souvenirs are sold.
We next drove past Springfield, MO to Mansfield, whre Laura and Almanzo lived all their married lives expect for the first four years. It is a large white house that was built in stages, with all the original furnishings. Laura was under five feet in height so Almanzo built everything in the kitchen specially for her. At one time she had the most modern kitchen in the Ozarks, she had hot and cold running water! She loved windows and didn’t like curtains to block the view. She called the view her living pictures. Almanzo built a library in the corner of the living room for her. A museum is built next to the house and has many pictures and articles belonging to the family, also Rose, their daughter. The country is rolling, wooded hills; very pretty.
Saturday, we arrived in Nashville and found Rob and Erika’s place without any trouble. Their duplex is very nice painted rose and white which harmonizes with their furnishings. Rachel had grown so much. She is a darling little girl but a little leery of strangers. She did hold my hand by evening. Erika made us feel very welcome, even let us sleep on their water bed. Rob is on tour with Donnie and Marie Osmond and won’t get back until Monday some time. It was great to use a washer and dryer after a week on the road. I called my parents and found out they arrived back home safely though very tired.
Sunday we attended church with Erika. a nice friendly ward. The speakers in Sacrament Meeting were the young Bishop’s in-laws, Boyd Jarman and wife. He was a big BYU basket ball star when I went to school; now he is a patriarch.
Monday Erika took us to visit the Hermitage, Andrew Jackson’s home. The grounds are beautiful, like a park, and the home was lovely. I bought a small thistle pattern glass bowl, which I was told, is a very old design. Eleanor Roosevelt collected thistle glass. We drove to a park to see a replica of the Parthenon. It was built for their centennial celebration sometime in the 1880s or 90s of wood. It was scheduled to be torn down at the end of the celebration but the citizens liked it too much. It was redone in stone. We weren’t able to go inside; it was closed on Mondays.
Leon and I bought an inflatable mattress; we don’t do too well on water beds. We slept better on it.
Rob got back about 7 p.m. and Erika picked him up while Leon and I took care of Rachel. She let me hold her while her mother was gone. She really is a darling. It was so good to see him.
On Tuesday, we went sightseeing in downtown Nashville. We went to the Tennessee State Museum which was very nicely set up. It was not crowded and things were displayed very well. We saw examples of or replicas of a water wheel, a couple traveling through the wilderness, log cabin, etc.. There was a beautiful collection of silver made from coins, also a civil war exhibit.
He also took us to see the Opryland Hotel. What a place! It is a huge hotel complex and within it there are two very, very big atriums with waterfalls, fountains, trees, rocks, plants, flowers, etc. One would have to see it to believe it. There was a dancing waters show with a very showy harp placer. We stayed for part of it. The place is well worth seeing!
We really enjoyed our visit with the kids, it was good to see them and see where they live.
We drove through El Paso, Las Cruces, and Alamogordo. Just before Alamogordo we stopped at the White Sands National Monument and went through the Visitor’s Center. The sands are really white, mostly made of gypsum, very pretty. The usual sand we know is made up of quartz. I learned that sand is a name given to small particles and it can be made up of shells, volcanic rock, gypsum and/or quartz.
We went through Ruidoso, very pretty country, through pines. We saw ENMU , in Portales, NM, the university Leon attended as a freshman. Only two buildings were familiar to Leon; it was a pretty campus. We spent the night in Clovis, NM.
Thursday, we drove through Amarillo, Oklahoma City to Tulsa. On Friday, we drove to Wayside, KS, to the site of the "Little House on the Prairie". The site has been identified and a cabin, a replica of the original erected. It is so small but delightful. Trees grow there now but there were none in Laura’s day. An old school house and post office have been brought in nearby in which souvenirs are sold.
We next drove past Springfield, MO to Mansfield, whre Laura and Almanzo lived all their married lives expect for the first four years. It is a large white house that was built in stages, with all the original furnishings. Laura was under five feet in height so Almanzo built everything in the kitchen specially for her. At one time she had the most modern kitchen in the Ozarks, she had hot and cold running water! She loved windows and didn’t like curtains to block the view. She called the view her living pictures. Almanzo built a library in the corner of the living room for her. A museum is built next to the house and has many pictures and articles belonging to the family, also Rose, their daughter. The country is rolling, wooded hills; very pretty.
Saturday, we arrived in Nashville and found Rob and Erika’s place without any trouble. Their duplex is very nice painted rose and white which harmonizes with their furnishings. Rachel had grown so much. She is a darling little girl but a little leery of strangers. She did hold my hand by evening. Erika made us feel very welcome, even let us sleep on their water bed. Rob is on tour with Donnie and Marie Osmond and won’t get back until Monday some time. It was great to use a washer and dryer after a week on the road. I called my parents and found out they arrived back home safely though very tired.
Sunday we attended church with Erika. a nice friendly ward. The speakers in Sacrament Meeting were the young Bishop’s in-laws, Boyd Jarman and wife. He was a big BYU basket ball star when I went to school; now he is a patriarch.
Monday Erika took us to visit the Hermitage, Andrew Jackson’s home. The grounds are beautiful, like a park, and the home was lovely. I bought a small thistle pattern glass bowl, which I was told, is a very old design. Eleanor Roosevelt collected thistle glass. We drove to a park to see a replica of the Parthenon. It was built for their centennial celebration sometime in the 1880s or 90s of wood. It was scheduled to be torn down at the end of the celebration but the citizens liked it too much. It was redone in stone. We weren’t able to go inside; it was closed on Mondays.
Leon and I bought an inflatable mattress; we don’t do too well on water beds. We slept better on it.
Rob got back about 7 p.m. and Erika picked him up while Leon and I took care of Rachel. She let me hold her while her mother was gone. She really is a darling. It was so good to see him.
On Tuesday, we went sightseeing in downtown Nashville. We went to the Tennessee State Museum which was very nicely set up. It was not crowded and things were displayed very well. We saw examples of or replicas of a water wheel, a couple traveling through the wilderness, log cabin, etc.. There was a beautiful collection of silver made from coins, also a civil war exhibit.
He also took us to see the Opryland Hotel. What a place! It is a huge hotel complex and within it there are two very, very big atriums with waterfalls, fountains, trees, rocks, plants, flowers, etc. One would have to see it to believe it. There was a dancing waters show with a very showy harp placer. We stayed for part of it. The place is well worth seeing!
We really enjoyed our visit with the kids, it was good to see them and see where they live.
Monday, June 8, 2009
1989-90, Trip to Mexico
January 20, 1989 was Rob and Erika’s wedding day. A beautiful, but snowy and foggy day. They were sealed in the River Jordan Temple by my Dad. We were happy to welcome another daughter to the family.
Laurisa Romriell was born just a month later. We now have 18 grandchildren. Jenny, David, James, Ryan, Chris, Becky, Melissa, Alicia, Salem, Daniel, Tannie, Trent, Russell, Alex, Laurisa, Lauren, Sam, and Michelle. All great kids!
In June, Nancy was married to Jeff Wise. Two great kids came from that marriage, Ashley and Tanner, though it was not a happy time for Nancy. It ended in divorce a few years later.
Also in 1989 we had a Honey reunion. Bill and Kathy, Joan and families came and it was nice to be together. Leon prepared a booklet with pictures and stories of Bill and Leona for all the family.
March 23, 1990 was Mark and Sharon’s wedding day in the Salt Lake Temple. Dad was able to seal them; so special to have my Dad officiating. They had known each other ever since we moved to Utah, in 1977. Sharon lived right across the street from us. All of our children are now married.
In August, 1990, my Mom and Dad and all their kids took a trip to the colonies in Mexico. Dad had never been back since leaving Colonia Dublan where he was born. He was a toddler when he left. Gina and Keith; Fred, Carol, young Fred, Warren and Lexie; Mary and Rachel; and Leon and I made up the group. We took three cars.
We spent Sunday evening singing lots of songs, many of them having to do with Mexico. The next morning we drove to Tucson and found the old Mormon Cemetery in Binghamton, now a suburb of Tucson. We located my grandfather’s grave, Frederick Granger Williams, the 2nd though he didn’t go by 2nd. He died when my Dad was a young boy. We visited the granite monument to the Mormon Battalion in a park in Tucson. My folks were instrumental in organizing the dedication of the monument in 1937.
We drove to Columbus, NM on the border with Mexico. Leon filled up our car with gas a one pump and Keith and Mary filled up at another one. Then their cars wouldn’t work! We found out that diesel fuel had been mixed with the gas. After much hassle, the owner was contacted and he had the tanks cleaned out and filled with gas; no charge. By now it was late at night so we spent the night in Deming, 34 miles north.
Tuesday, Mary, Leon and I obtained Mexican insurance for our cars; Keith and Gina had obtained theirs earlier in Mesa. We drove to the border and had to wait for the Mexican border attendant to finish his lunch, then we were able to proceed on our way.
It was a slow 90 miles to Colonia Dublan, now part of Nuevo Casas Grandes. Roads were good in the country but terrible in the towns we passed through. Big chuck holes and unmarked large speed bumps.
We stayed at Motel Hacienda, formerly a Ramada Inn. It was built Spanish style around a large grassy patio with a swimming pool in one of the corners. Large trees and flowers made it a very pretty place. We ate lunch in the banquet room, very private and nice. It was fun being all together. Most of us spoke Spanish so we talked to the waiters and other hotel people.
Afterwards, we got into the cars and located some landmarks Fred had investigated. We located the corner where Nancy Abigail Clement Williams, my grandmother had lived, and where the blacksmith shop was located.
Dublan was much prettier than expected. Most homes looked like they had been transported straight from Utah. All the roads were dirt except the main one. The church block looked very prosperous, enclosed with a fence and a sidewalk. There were many trees and flowers. We met Fletcher Memmot, who had been a missionary in Argentina during WW II. He told us how to get to Colonia Juarez and the Academy. That night, he and his wife and two daughters visited us and brought maps, pictures and lovely peaches.
We drove to Colonia Juarez, about 8 miles from Colonia Dublan and saw all the beautiful orchards. We saw the Academy building, built in 1904. There are about 400 students, 80% LDS; a bishop’s recommend is needed and there is a long waiting list.
We drove back to Dublan before dark; it is not good to be out on the roads at night. The little Mexican towns are very poor and dirty but where the Mormons settled, the places are clean and neat.
Wednesday, Leon and I had to leave as we had planned on going east to visit Rob and Erika in Tennessee. The others stayed another day, locating the place outside of town where Dad was born. It was very special to have this trip with my parents, brother and sisters, and other family members.
Laurisa Romriell was born just a month later. We now have 18 grandchildren. Jenny, David, James, Ryan, Chris, Becky, Melissa, Alicia, Salem, Daniel, Tannie, Trent, Russell, Alex, Laurisa, Lauren, Sam, and Michelle. All great kids!
In June, Nancy was married to Jeff Wise. Two great kids came from that marriage, Ashley and Tanner, though it was not a happy time for Nancy. It ended in divorce a few years later.
Also in 1989 we had a Honey reunion. Bill and Kathy, Joan and families came and it was nice to be together. Leon prepared a booklet with pictures and stories of Bill and Leona for all the family.
March 23, 1990 was Mark and Sharon’s wedding day in the Salt Lake Temple. Dad was able to seal them; so special to have my Dad officiating. They had known each other ever since we moved to Utah, in 1977. Sharon lived right across the street from us. All of our children are now married.
In August, 1990, my Mom and Dad and all their kids took a trip to the colonies in Mexico. Dad had never been back since leaving Colonia Dublan where he was born. He was a toddler when he left. Gina and Keith; Fred, Carol, young Fred, Warren and Lexie; Mary and Rachel; and Leon and I made up the group. We took three cars.
We spent Sunday evening singing lots of songs, many of them having to do with Mexico. The next morning we drove to Tucson and found the old Mormon Cemetery in Binghamton, now a suburb of Tucson. We located my grandfather’s grave, Frederick Granger Williams, the 2nd though he didn’t go by 2nd. He died when my Dad was a young boy. We visited the granite monument to the Mormon Battalion in a park in Tucson. My folks were instrumental in organizing the dedication of the monument in 1937.
We drove to Columbus, NM on the border with Mexico. Leon filled up our car with gas a one pump and Keith and Mary filled up at another one. Then their cars wouldn’t work! We found out that diesel fuel had been mixed with the gas. After much hassle, the owner was contacted and he had the tanks cleaned out and filled with gas; no charge. By now it was late at night so we spent the night in Deming, 34 miles north.
Tuesday, Mary, Leon and I obtained Mexican insurance for our cars; Keith and Gina had obtained theirs earlier in Mesa. We drove to the border and had to wait for the Mexican border attendant to finish his lunch, then we were able to proceed on our way.
It was a slow 90 miles to Colonia Dublan, now part of Nuevo Casas Grandes. Roads were good in the country but terrible in the towns we passed through. Big chuck holes and unmarked large speed bumps.
We stayed at Motel Hacienda, formerly a Ramada Inn. It was built Spanish style around a large grassy patio with a swimming pool in one of the corners. Large trees and flowers made it a very pretty place. We ate lunch in the banquet room, very private and nice. It was fun being all together. Most of us spoke Spanish so we talked to the waiters and other hotel people.
Afterwards, we got into the cars and located some landmarks Fred had investigated. We located the corner where Nancy Abigail Clement Williams, my grandmother had lived, and where the blacksmith shop was located.
Dublan was much prettier than expected. Most homes looked like they had been transported straight from Utah. All the roads were dirt except the main one. The church block looked very prosperous, enclosed with a fence and a sidewalk. There were many trees and flowers. We met Fletcher Memmot, who had been a missionary in Argentina during WW II. He told us how to get to Colonia Juarez and the Academy. That night, he and his wife and two daughters visited us and brought maps, pictures and lovely peaches.
We drove to Colonia Juarez, about 8 miles from Colonia Dublan and saw all the beautiful orchards. We saw the Academy building, built in 1904. There are about 400 students, 80% LDS; a bishop’s recommend is needed and there is a long waiting list.
We drove back to Dublan before dark; it is not good to be out on the roads at night. The little Mexican towns are very poor and dirty but where the Mormons settled, the places are clean and neat.
Wednesday, Leon and I had to leave as we had planned on going east to visit Rob and Erika in Tennessee. The others stayed another day, locating the place outside of town where Dad was born. It was very special to have this trip with my parents, brother and sisters, and other family members.
Monday, June 1, 2009
1986-88
After we returned from our fabulous trip to Europe, we were able to get a new roof. With help from Brent, Doug, and I can’t remember who else, we got the job done, just before a rainstorm.
Doug had been attending Utah Valley Community College and had enrolled in an art class, or something like that, and the teacher planned a trip to Europe. Doug got to go and had a great time. The most important part of that trip was that he met Julie, also a student at UVCC. They hit it off really well and became engaged; either on the trip or shortly after returning home. They were married December 5, 1986 and the sealing was performed by my Dad.
In April of 1987, David received his PHD from UC Berkely. We were able to travel and witness this. We were really proud of him and his accomplishments.
Mark received his mission call to Des Moines, IA late that summer and in the fall, entered the MTC. Our last son to fill a mission. Many family members went to the MTC to see him off.
We had five young men from our ward enter the MTC that fall; one after the other gave their farewell talks, a week apart in Sacrament Meeting.
In a weak moment, we signed up to buy two lots in Aspen Hills; between Fairview and Mt. Pleasant. There was a stream with a waterfall and it was fun to go there for picnics. We parked the Dragin’ Wagon and the camper shell there. Many family members enjoyed visits and a few camped over night. We always thought we would build a cabin but it was not to be. Some vandals stole the metal supports on the camper shell and a bad winter snow caved in the Dragin’ Wagon so we cleaned up the lots. Eventually we sold the lots.
December brought another performance of Messiah. Leon was the conductor and Tricia and I sang in the Chorus. It was always a lot of fun to sing that great music.
My boss, Roger Plothow, had me, another secretary, himself, and the college president, attend a conference in Washington, D.C. Besides attending the meetings, I was able to visit the Smithsonian Museums, Ford’s Theater, The Washington Monument, Lincoln’s Memorial, Mt. Vernon, Arlington Cemetery, saw the Declaration of Independence and visited the White House. There were many more things we saw. It was a great time. One could purchase a ticket, ride a little bus around, get off and on again and continue seeing our capital. I’ll always be grateful to Roger for the nice trips I was able to take.
I was able to visit Washington D.C. another time; this time just Roger, someone else, and I went. After the conference, he said he wanted to visit the National Museum of Art with me. We would go into a room. He would sit on a bench while I walked around looking at the paintings, then we would go into another room and he would sit again and I would look. I got a kick out this. It was in Washington D.C. that I first tasted Key Lime Pie. It has been a favorite ever since.
In 1988, my Dad celebrated his 80th birthday and we had a big celebration in Mesa. Most of the family were there except Mark and Shane Morris; they were serving their missions. We had lots of singing and playing. We sang the grandkids’ songs and wedding songs that Mom wrote, plus her sacred ones. I was wonderful to be with the extended family and Mom and Dad
Doug had been attending Utah Valley Community College and had enrolled in an art class, or something like that, and the teacher planned a trip to Europe. Doug got to go and had a great time. The most important part of that trip was that he met Julie, also a student at UVCC. They hit it off really well and became engaged; either on the trip or shortly after returning home. They were married December 5, 1986 and the sealing was performed by my Dad.
In April of 1987, David received his PHD from UC Berkely. We were able to travel and witness this. We were really proud of him and his accomplishments.
Mark received his mission call to Des Moines, IA late that summer and in the fall, entered the MTC. Our last son to fill a mission. Many family members went to the MTC to see him off.
We had five young men from our ward enter the MTC that fall; one after the other gave their farewell talks, a week apart in Sacrament Meeting.
In a weak moment, we signed up to buy two lots in Aspen Hills; between Fairview and Mt. Pleasant. There was a stream with a waterfall and it was fun to go there for picnics. We parked the Dragin’ Wagon and the camper shell there. Many family members enjoyed visits and a few camped over night. We always thought we would build a cabin but it was not to be. Some vandals stole the metal supports on the camper shell and a bad winter snow caved in the Dragin’ Wagon so we cleaned up the lots. Eventually we sold the lots.
December brought another performance of Messiah. Leon was the conductor and Tricia and I sang in the Chorus. It was always a lot of fun to sing that great music.
My boss, Roger Plothow, had me, another secretary, himself, and the college president, attend a conference in Washington, D.C. Besides attending the meetings, I was able to visit the Smithsonian Museums, Ford’s Theater, The Washington Monument, Lincoln’s Memorial, Mt. Vernon, Arlington Cemetery, saw the Declaration of Independence and visited the White House. There were many more things we saw. It was a great time. One could purchase a ticket, ride a little bus around, get off and on again and continue seeing our capital. I’ll always be grateful to Roger for the nice trips I was able to take.
I was able to visit Washington D.C. another time; this time just Roger, someone else, and I went. After the conference, he said he wanted to visit the National Museum of Art with me. We would go into a room. He would sit on a bench while I walked around looking at the paintings, then we would go into another room and he would sit again and I would look. I got a kick out this. It was in Washington D.C. that I first tasted Key Lime Pie. It has been a favorite ever since.
In 1988, my Dad celebrated his 80th birthday and we had a big celebration in Mesa. Most of the family were there except Mark and Shane Morris; they were serving their missions. We had lots of singing and playing. We sang the grandkids’ songs and wedding songs that Mom wrote, plus her sacred ones. I was wonderful to be with the extended family and Mom and Dad
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