July 1997 trip back east

Time for another fabulous trip. In July 1997, we first went to the Romriells in Austin. We love visiting all of them and had fun enjoying their wonderful swimming pool. It is always like being at a resort to visit there. We headed east and visited the Shiloh Tennessee Civil War battlefield. We were given head phones so we could listen to all the information about the various places. we saw as we drove around the battlefield. We saw Pittsburgh Landing and the Shiloh church, they were prominent in that terrible battle. The first day, the South prevailed, the second day, the Union carried the battle.
We then went to Nashville, or rather White House, to visit Rob and Erika and family. The kids are really growing up. Rob gave us a tour of Starstruck, Reba’s publishing company. We then proceeded north, with Rob giving Leon a ride in a big semi-truck that he drives; I followed behind. After a few miles, we said goodbye to Rob and continued on into Kentucky.
We stopped at the Corvette assembly plant in Bowling Green, KY and watched them build the cars. It was most interesting to see the cars roll off the assembly line, all ready to go. We also drove by the United States Bullion Depository Fort Knox Kentucky. That’s its official name. One can only look at the building from afar off. No samples!
In Fort Knox is the Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor. That was really interesting. Lots of different models of tanks, from very early models to huge modern ones. Also, lots of memorabilia of Gen George Patton, including his car and lots of pictures. Kentucky is so green, a beautiful state to drive through.
We continued on and arrived in St Louis, or Creve Coeur, where Mark and Sharon live Their three children had also really grown a lot. We were able to attend a session at the St. Louis Temple with Mark and Sharon. Then they, and their kids took us to Grant’s Farm. It used to belong to Gen. U.S. Grant and is now owned by Budweiser and has a huge Clydesdale breeding farm. There were other animals also, but the horses were what was so special. It was so fun seeing those beautiful horses. Then back home. Mom came back to live with us and we continued enjoying living in Mt. Pleasant.

heart attack, 1997

On April 7, our anniversary, we were in Provo and took Nancy and her kids and Doug and some of his kids to dinner. That was a Monday. When I went to bed that night I had a funny feeling in my chest, like bubbles going up. Had little pains off and on during the night and morning but nothing in the afternoon but had another pain that night. Leon thought I should go to the doctor so I did see Dr. Speakman on Wednesday. He took some blood tests and an MRI, I think, I’m not sure just what it was. He told me I should go to the hospital in Provo and see a Dr. Asay. I packed a bag just to be sure but felt fine. Of course, Leon and Mom came with me.
When I went to admissions they put me right to bed; I thought I would see the doctor first. But no, they took me to an operating room and Leon and Mom were with me in the room, which surprised me. That’s when I first saw the doctor. A catheter was inserted in my ankle and I could see on a monitor my heart and all the little veins which were moving about. It was funny to see that. I didn’t feel anything. I had an angioplasty to clear one of my veins, or arteries that was clogged, which caused my heart attack It was called a myocardial infarction. I have never felt so well in a hospital. I was hooked up to a solution dripping in my vein but could get out of bed, pulling the stand that held the bag with the solution, and go to the bathroom. On Friday, I was able to go home. Mom went to either Mary or Carol for a month or so while I recuperated. Have done very well ever since.
In July, we had our last Honey band play in the 4th of July parade. This is the list of people and the instruments they played. Melissa: flute; Leon, Sylvia: clarinet; Brent: trumpet; Doug: baritone; Chris: tuba; Ron Barlow: banjo; Alan: snare drum, Peggy: bass drum; Daniel, Lauren, Sam: percussion. Mark drove the truck that pulled the flat bed and Sharon, Tricia H and Nancy rode in the back of the pickup with the grandkids. It was a fun experience. We then went to the Barlows for a delicious meal.

trip to Oregon

Here is the latest on the travels of the Leon Honey family. On Monday, the 5th, we took off for California, heading for a night’s stay in Barstow. We stopped in St. George for a delicious Mexican meal at a restaurant Kirk and Nancy had introduced us to. When we went to get into the car NOTHING. Dead as a doornail! A fellow from the restaurant gave us a jump and we drove a block and one/half to a Checker Auto. The people were most helpful and put in a new battery and air filter. Then on to Barstow. In the morning, we drove to Garden Grove to pick up the clothes I had left the week before. We saw Caryol Tolman for about 15 minutes, then on to Fresno.
We had a great visit with Jenny, Garrett, and their three darling children. They are very well behaved and we enjoyed being around them. The dog, Molly, didn’t hardly bark at us this visit. After a nice dinner, we all went for a walk around the block. The kids run ahead until Jenny calls out "Red Light" then they stop and wait and go again when she says "Green Light." Max kindly gave us his bedroom. We left the next morning after breakfast and drove to Redding, CA where we spent the night.
Thursday we started north and when we got into Oregon, we stopped at Crater Lake. It is so blue and beautiful. It is in a very large crater and there is only one steep trail to the water. We were told one can swim in the lake but for only a very few seconds; it is very cold. We watched a movie about the lake which was most informative then drove part way around the lake and ate our lunch overlooking the beautiful site. Dad took lots of pictures.
We continued on north to Bend. Nancy and Kirk have a very nice home, so large and spacious. The landlord had freshly painted the house and put in new carpet. The living room, kitchen and bedrooms are very large. The only drawback is that there is no back yard, just a narrow piece about 8 feet wide. Maddie is a doll and Reagan is adorable; she is now ten months old and crawls all over the place and pulls herself up to stand by everything. We enjoyed seeing them, also Nan, Kirk and Tanner. They like where they live; it is a beautiful place with lots of pine trees. Nancy took us to a pharmacy and we got our flu shots. Nancy drove us to the top of a butte, called Pilot Butte and had a wonderful view of the surrounding country with various mountains in the background.
Saturday, Tanner drove Dad to see the band room at his high school and Nancy and I did some shopping at Goodwill and the grocery store. Tanner cooked us a delicious dinner "Penne Primavera" which was great. He had worked in a café in St. George and enjoys cooking and is great at it. The dish had chicken, pasta, red onions and peppers with a sauce of Parmesan cheese, cream cheese and cream. It was great.
My nephew Fred Williams lives in northern Oregon and comes down each Friday for classes. He is working on his Masters in Counseling. He came to dinner and then we all went to Tanner’s high school to attend a band concert: the President’s Own Marine Band. It was GREAT. They looked great in their uniforms and sounded great. Dad was really impressed as everything was in tune. One of the members played a Clarinet Concerto by Artie Shaw and he was wonderful. Dad liked his tone quality. It was a wonderful evening. Fred spent the night on the couch as it was rather late. His wife Karen and son were in Arizona for a wedding.
Saturday morning, about 5 a.m. Dad woke me and said "I want to go home!!!" We had not planned to leave until Monday. I persuaded him to wait until afternoon as we had plans to see where Kirk works. We drove to Sisters, the town where his office is and then went on into the forest. Very tall Ponderosa pines, so beautiful. We went on a trail to the headwaters of the Metolius River. The water comes out of the side of a hill and is very cold. While we were looking at the river two bald eagles flew above us. It was a thrill to see them. We then drove to a fish hatchery on the Metolius River and as arrived at the place the river water comes to a bridge where there are some small rapids and the water is an ice blue color and also frothy white.. So beautiful. I really loved being in the pines and along this beautiful river.
We then drove back to Sisters (there is a mountain range that has three peaks, called the Three Sisters) and found a very good Mexican Restaurant. At first the waitress gave us Dinner Menus and the prices were shocking. When she changed to luncheon menus my heart settled down and we had a great meal. When then said goodbye to the family and headed towards Boise, ID.
In Boise, as it was rather late, there were no non-smoking rooms left on the lower level. They had us check out a smoking room but it smelled terrible. We thought we would have to lug all our stuff upstairs but the lady found a handicapped room, non-smoking on the ground floor. The room was o.k. but the next morning, the shower didn’t work. Darn! I had planned to wash my hair and look decent again.
Coming into Lehi, that afternoon, we stopped at Rob’s to drop off some baby clothes from Nancy for Rachel. She also had a car seat for her. We are also bringing baby clothes for Becky. It was wonderful to arrive back home; there’s no place like home, no matter how much we enjoy visiting. Sylvia had left some dinner for us in the fridge and homemade bread. That was a treat. All in all it was a great time.

visit to Southern California

Leon (Dad, Grandad) and I had a great weekend. My cousin LaMar Williams passed away in California. He is the son of my father’s brother O.C. We had been good friends my first year at BYU and we went to many dances there. For one dance we made a corsage of vanda orchids a bank was giving away at its opening! We kept going back inside until we had enough for the corsage. He then was a missionary in Uruguay and we sang in the mission choir and saw a lot of each other. He married Sonia Auliso, a beautiful young girl from Uruguay and we have enjoyed our relationship all through the years, though we didn’t see each other all that much these past years. He and Sonia lived in Buena Park and then Santa Ana. Sonia worked at the Chicken Restaurant at Knott’s Berry Farm for many years.
Friday, the 25th Leon and I met Mary and Greg at the Wendy’s in Nephi and continued on together to California. We enjoyed traveling together and hearing Greg’s stories, both coming and going. We arrived that evening at Jerry and Caryol’s in Garden Grove after dropping off Mary and Greg in Riverside, their daughter Becky’s home. It was so good to see the Tolmans and Jenae and her kids were there. They had spent the day at Disneyland as it was her birthday. We had a great visit with them.
Saturday morning early we drove out and saw our old home in G.G., Thomas Payne School and La Quinta High School. We then drove on down Brookhurst to the beach and drove along the Pacific Coast Highway to Beach Blvd., turned into the beach entrance and looked at the ocean. We could only spend a few minutes as we then had to drive to the funeral in Santa Ana.
The funeral was very uplifting with both Ronnie and Larry (sons) speaking and grandchildren either singing or playing piano, flute and/or violin. After the funeral we drove to Forest Lawn in Cypress for the burial, then went to the Williams’ home for a nice luncheon. We were able to have nice visits with Christine, Ronnie (Rrronie as Sonia would say) Larry and Patricia (their children). My Williams cousins Myrna and Pam were also there and we had a good visit.
After the funeral we returned to G.G. and Caryol and I attended the Relief Society General Broadcast at the church and had a meal afterwards. I saw Sa Wilson, a great lady we had known when we lived in G.G. and a few other I had known in the past. Sunday we attended church with Jerry and Caryol at the Valley View ward. The Stanford chapel is being remodeled and no meetings are held there right now.
Sunday evening Mitchell and his family came over to visit, also Jerry and his family. Their kids are really growing up. Paul also came by. Jerry and Paul had visited Brazil not long before and Paul saw many of his old friends there. It was nice to see all of them.
Monday morning, early, we drove to La Quinta H.S. Leon wanted to see it so badly. The principal, a woman, was so gracious and took us to the band room, introducing Leon to several teachers telling them he was the first band teacher when the school opened in 1963. One teacher, a Mr. James, was still teaching and remembered Leon. At 7:30 a.m. the orchestra was rehearsing and Leon got to take pictures of them and the band room. The risers have been taken out because the band doesn’t fit with them when they rehearse. The orchestra was quite large too.. He met the music teacher and really enjoyed himself. The school looks very well cared for.
We then drove to Riverside and picked up Greg and Mary and started back to Utah. Dumb me, I had forgotten our Sunday clothes that were hanging in the closet at Tolman’s. We will pick them up when we go see Jenny and Nancy next week. All and all it was a great few days.

Summer of 1996

The summer of July, 1996 was a great one. Mom went to spend some time with either Mary or Carol, I can’t remember whom. Leon and I took off for St. Louis to visit Mark and Sharon. We also visited Rob and Erika in Nashville. Both families’ children have really grown.
We drove to Edenton, North Carolina. Some of my favorite books take place there, they are called the Carolina Series by Inglis Fletcher. Edenton is on the Albemarle Sound where it is joined by the Chowan River. It is a beautiful place.
We then drove to Williamsburg, VA. What a great place to visit. We stayed in a woman’s home that rented rooms. We were just a block away from the historical part. We bought tickets so we could visit inside restored homes but one can just walk all around the place. People dress as they did in colonial times and speak like they did. They had a fife and drum corps play marching down the street. The streets are dirt but there were sidewalks. It was a wonderful place to visit. We attended a concert in the old church one evening. We spent two days there.
We were also able to visit the replica of Jamestown, just five miles away. That is where the colonists first came but moved to Williamsburg some years later as it was not a very healthy place, right on the water. That was another great place to visit. It is built in a triangular stockade with little houses and a church. We saw a bread making demonstration in one of the little houses. Very little light, mostly from the open door. A man was demonstrating firing a musket and others were roofing a house. Just outside the stockade was an Indian village, with Native Americans cooking and showing their lodges and things. So interesting.
Also, near Jamestown, were the three replica ships that brought the settlers. We were able to go on two of them. These ships are represented on Virginia’s coins. They were so small to go crossing the huge Atlantic ocean! I like bigger ships for my sailing.
We then drove to Middletown, PA, where my fifth great grandfather, Gottleib David Ettele, lived. He and another man walked all over Pennsylvania collecting money to build a church. We were able to see the little church, St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, in Middletown. It was built in 1767 but it no longer used for services, just for special occasions. We couldn’t go inside but walked all around it. It is a beautiful little church.
It was a wonderful trip. I enjoyed seeing all those historical places I had read about through the years.

Move to Mt. Pleasant

During our stay in Monument Valley, Syl and Brent bought a reposed home in Mt Pleasant, thinking they would fix it up as a rental. Then they thought that we might like it as our time down south was drawing to a close. We saw the house and it was a MESS! I couldn’t see how we could live in it but Syl and Brent said they could fix it up and really make it nice. So we agreed. Brent’s father, Maurice whom Leon had home taught in California, loaned us the money so we had no down payment and no closing costs. Brent did the bulk of the work with help from his kids and Doug. He did a great job! I picked out colors and suggested some changes and he did it all. That last winter in Monument Valley, Brent had made me a template of the house and I made little models of furniture and spent the time making arrangements in the house.
On the last days of May, 1994, Mark and Brent came down to move us. They had Brent’s large white van and our little luggage trailer. Leon had to stay one more day for graduation so he had the little TV and a mattress. Everything else got taken to Mt. Pleasant. When Leon arrived late the next day, all the furniture was in place and everything looked very homey. Of course, there were tons of boxes in his shop. The house was really beautiful.
Since my Mom was going to be living with us, before she came we went on a long trip to see our kids living out of state. First, we visited Tricia and Alan in Albuquerque, then on to Tennessee to Rob and Erika.. While there we visited Opryland and enjoyed some great country music. Next we went to Columbia, MO to see Alan and Peggy.
On one of the days, Peggy and kids, and Leon and I drove to Hannibal and saw Mark Twain’s childhood home. We had a nice picnic there. On another day, Alan drove us to the town of Fulton where stands a memorial to Churchill. Also a church brought over from London.
Shortly after Mom came to live with us, Mary, Gina, Fred and Carol came to visit and to distribute more of Mom and Dad’s things. It was fun to be with everyone.
Leon started playing in the Utah Valley Symphony again and enjoyed it very much. We would drive in every Wednesday for rehearsals and then the concerts were played on a Wednesday and Thursday nights. Mom and I drove in with Leon for all the rehearsals and attended the concerts. They played in the Provo Tabernacle.
More trips. When in Albuquerque, Tricia and Alan took us on the tram up to the top of Sandia Mountain. Quite a view from up there. Sandia Mountain has special meaning for Leon and me, that’s where he proposed to me back in 1953 when I went with him, and two other girls, to visit his parents.
We then went to St Louis, Creve Couer to be exact, to visit Mark and Sharon. We visited Grant’s Farm, that used to belong to General Grant. They have a farm for Clydesdale horses there. They are beautiful animals. Mark also took us to a museum, the building is the only one left from the fair of 1904, of "Meet Me In St. Louis"movie fame. We also visited the zoo; a really fine one and free!!!
The fourth of July is big in Mt. Pleasant with parades. A children’s parade first then the larger one. For a few years, our family had a band in the parade. A flat bed trailer held the band and we had clarinets, violins, drums, baritone, tuba, trumpet and I don’t remember what else. It was a lot of fun and people enjoyed watching and listening. One year we won the "People’s Choice" trophy.

Life in Monument Valley

Monument Valley is a beautiful place and Hollywood appreciated it too. Many John Wayne films were shot here plus others. From my kitchen window I could see the two monuments called "The Mittens," You expected to see John Wayne and soldiers ride across the skyline. The skies were beautiful and one could see for miles. Leon was the band teacher, the only music offered was band. He enjoyed it. The school had grades 7 through 12 and 98 % Navajo. The only white kids were children of the teachers. The elementary school was in Mexican Hat. It was harder for me as there was not much to do.
Monument Valley consisted of the high school, Goulding’s motel and restaurant, a hospital and a service station with a small convenience store. I helped out at book fairs and would walk to the library to read the Church News. I also went for a lot of walks. To shop for groceries I could either drive to Kayenta, AZ, about 25 miles away or go to Blanding, UT which was about 75 miles away. The store there was larger, also there was a library in Blanding so that was my drive of choice.
We went to church in Mexican Hat, which was 21 miles away. I had five different callings in Mexican Hat. I was a counselor in Relief Society, a teacher in R.S. and chorister in R.S. and SS and Sacrament Meeting. I was also a visiting teacher. Our visits took us on many dirt roads and one never knew if the sister would be home. They, and we, had no phone! We couldn’t get a phone. The Navajo Nation did not want to add more phone lines so every Saturday I would go to the little convenience store and call Sylvia and use a telephone card I had. She would tell me how everyone was doing. Not too satisfactory. We were able to get cable so we could get good T.V. programs. They came from New Mexico or Denver, I can’t remember which; we couldn’t get Salt Lake stations. I did a lot of reading!
Several family members visited us. First, we had my Mom for about two months but it was hard because the pharmacy was over an hour away and our car was a little Toyota pickup. Not too comfortable for three people. We did turn it in and get a station wagon. Fred, Carol and family came, Rob and family, David and family, Tricia and family and Nancy and family. It was always fun to see loved ones. Alan and Mark had seen the area when they drove us down.
One of the favorite places to show visitors was the swinging bridge over the San Juan River. One felt like Indiana Jones going over it. Part of the time there were missing planks in the bridge and one could see right down to the water. After crossing the bridge, after a long walk, one could arrive at the 17 Room Ruins. Indian ruins, cliff houses, and they were so interesting. There would be no one around and one could climb into the ruins. It was like you had discovered them yourself. Sylvia and Brent had discovered this area when they lived in Montezuma Creek and had shown it to us.
We got very well acquainted with the area. We would drive to Cortez and Durango, CO and of course, into Blanding and Monticello in Utah. Many weekends we would drive up to Mt. Pleasant and stay with Syl and Brent. We also spent a summer with them. People needed to get away from Mon. Valley. Nothing going on there! Syl and Brent always made us feel welcome. We also drove to Albuquerque several times to see Tricia and Alan.