Ancient Anderton Wenatchians: June 2013

On the Road V - Splitsville, DC & St. George

Now our schedule got really complicated. KR flew to Seattle with Will & Ella, and I drove back to St. George. She got to Wenatchee on the 15th and I arrived in St. George on the 16th. My plan was to stay in St. George until the end of the month and work on my projects, finally heading north to Morgan around the 30th, to prepare for the annual Anderton 4th of July Celebration (our family was in charge). KR would stay in Wenatchee for a week or so before heading east to the DAR convention in Washington D.C. On her return, she would fly into the Salt Lake Airport July 6, where I would join her for the final stages of our latest adventure. Whew!

On the Road IV - California

Next it was off to California for our first 12'er Trip. We decided to take our grandchildren on a trip on or about their twelfth birthday, in small groups if possible. Will and Ella were up first--the test cases. It actually is not a bad trip to LA-LA-Land from St. George and we made in easily in one day, even with multiple stops and some exploring. We stayed overnight on the 9th of June in Cypress near the Long Beach airport, where we collected Will and Ella early the next morning (the 10th). Even though they got up very early to catch their flight, they were troopers and allowed us to haul them directly to Knott's Berry Farm. Caution: In the early days of June, it seems that every junior high school in the greater Los Angeles sends their students to Knott's for a discount fun day. We got to meet all of them, up close and personal.

On the Snoopy Ferris Wheel

The Standard Picture That Every Anderton
Takes at Knott's at Least Once in Their Lifetime

Is the Objective in Bumper Cars
to Hit or Be Hit, That is the Question

Click on the Picture and You will See KR,
Will and Ella Screaming in the Back of the Car - Mike is Taking
the Picture, as He Throws Up A Lot on Roller Coasters

Will Braves the Ghostrider Coaster
at Knott's at the End of the Day - Ask Him
How it Was!

We slept at the same hotel in Long Beach on the 10th then headed down the coast to Carlsbad to brave the terrors of Legoland. It is worth going there to just see the new Legoland Hotel outside the front gate.

Will and I blasting the girls from our wicked helicopter. We have skills. And we did it all without using our hands to steer!

Will & Ella Climbing the Firehouse Wall

Zoom In - More Screamers

New Since We Were Here Last -
Dozens of Stars Wars Figures

We stayed at the Marriott Courtyard in Old Town San Diego on the nights of the 11th through the 13th allowing us to enjoy a few days in one place. We visited the San Diego Zoo on the 12th and Sea World on the 13th.

Will Eating Cereal from the
In-Room Coffee Pot--We Make-do

Will Getting His Fill at
Fuddrucker's

After dinner on the 13th, as we headed back to the hotel, we stopped at the newly-remodeled Mormon Battalion Center in Old Town. It was getting late and we were surprised to find it was still open. We had a great time watching the video and going through the hands-on tour with the missionaries serving there. Will even got to be the soldier in the presentation! If you are in San Diego for the attractions, make sure this one is on your schedule. It can be done in a hour or so in the evening and is VERY well done. Check it out.

We drove to Los Angeles the morning of the 14th and decided to have a rest day. The kids went swimming, we had a long lunch, and then saw the Superman movie that recently opened. Our hotel was in Cerritos, where we stayed Friday night.

We could have planned Saturday better, as the Ronald Reagan Library & Museum was on the schedule. By staying in Cerritos, we had a long trek Saturday morning through LA traffic up to Simi Valley and then had to drive back through LA traffic to the Long Beach Airport to drop KR, Will & Ella. Then I had to backtrack north AGAIN to exit LA and head back to Las Vegas. A better plan would have been to sleep somewhere closer to Simi Valley Friday using the Burbank Airport instead. This would have been a lot easier and skipped half a day in LA traffic. But hindsight is 20\20.

The RR Library is well done and worth the drive. It is located in a stunning hilltop location overlooking Simi Valley proper. Of special note are the unique exhibits on presidential transportation, including a retired Air Force One. And the view itself is worth the price of admission.

Will & Ella at Library Entrance

Going on a Ride with Ronald

On the Road III - St. George

We were in St. George for a few days, a little in awe about our call (it fit what we had hoped for exactly), and reading up on Colombian weather patterns, food, geography, and our particular mission. We also had time to photograph a bunny and eat lunch with our friends, the Sierer's. Never a dull moment.

On the Road II - Morgan & A Mission Call

After the baptism on June 1st, we drove up to Morgan to spend a couple of days with Mom. We drove over Emigration Canyon and into Morgan via the cemetery so we could see Dad's new headstone, which had been recently installed. Congrats to those that worked on it with Mom, it is perfect. I liked the detail on the plane and missionary name tags. Wow!

We had been on pins and needles about our mission calls until leaving Wenatchee, then stressed even more over how we could get ahold of them while we were on the move. We so wanted to be able to open the hard copy and do the standard screaming and back thumping. But it was not to be, as there was no place to mail them once we left. So we arranged with the Missionary Department to hold our letters when they were typed up and done. We thought we had it pinned down to Monday June 3rd and could pick them up in Salt Lake City on our way from Morgan to St. George. Well......we were told to stop by the Church Office Building anytime in the morning and they would be waiting, but when we got there, KR went in for them while I waited in the car. She came out looking glum. They were not ready! We had to go to Plan B.

We arranged with our contact person to scan and email the letters to us Monday afternoon and then mail the hard copies to St. George. So we drove south eagerly waiting for the phone to ring. Between Nephi and Scipio, we got the call telling us our letters had been sent. We didn't open the attachments until our techy children hooked us up on a connected call so all could hear. We clicked on the attachments and read the letter to everyone while stopped at a freeway exit in the middle of nowhere. And we all screamed. Bogota Colombia North Mission, Perpetual Education Fund\Self-Reliance missionaries! We were thrilled!

I Accept

KR Accepts

On the Road I - Livi's Baptism

We left Wenatchee on May 30 for what became a six-week odyssey across seven western states and KR's flight to Washington D.C. We arrived in time for Olivia's baptism in Springville, UT. It is such a joy for us to be flexible enough in our life situation to be able to attend most of the important happenings of our children and grandchildren. What a great day for Olivia, her family, and us.