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.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
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!
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