California Adventure

We enjoyed a week (May 2-8) of great weather in California and, as usual, planned too much. But that is how you create so many memories - right? Doing the rounds with the Dover's was seamless and the kids were troopers enduring the marathon Southern California Death March for FIVE days. The next four posts cover the trip in pictures.

Ella's Play

Ella has been taking a drama class and after the race (see the last posting), we drove over to Seattle to see her play. It was a busted fairy tale called "Wed Riding Hood". It was very clever and well done. Ella did a fantastic job for her first try in the genre. Way to go Ella! We are proud of you.

Wenatchee Race - Go Girls!

KR and friends decided some time ago to run the Wenatchee Half-Marathon. KT decided to join in (with little preparation, I might add) and they all finished in style - as you can see. I thought the group picture was so cute it ought to be in the paper. The next thing I know, KR has submitted it and it was published in the Wenatchee World! Note the pre-race carb load and Emmett giving his Grandma and Aunt the thumbs up.

 

Vancouver Subplot

We stayed over in Seattle on Friday, April 9th, to fetch KT on the morning of the 10th. We ran some errands Friday evening, including the purchase of two large chests for our downstairs (in boxes, with some assembly required). So, as I had my Pilot, we totally filled the back seat area, with one small spot for KT to sit. We barely had enough room for the bags. Seemed like a good idea at the time. We had a little time to kill Friday night, so I suggested we take a look at the new Pilots, as they had a financing "deal" going. A long story short, we ended up leaving with a new 2010 silver Pilot and they ended up with my old one in trade. Like they say - an offer we could not refuse. So we transferred all the stuff to the new car in the dealer parking lot. The next morning, KT was surprised to see us approach in the car, as we had not told her.

The fun began at the border. Where are your license plates? What are in the big boxes? Do you always buy furniture and cars on your vacations? Why didn't you drop the boxes off before coming into Canada? Ladies, do you know this man? Guess we could not have looked more suspicious - until I managed to press the panic alarm on the key ring and struggled to figure out how to turn if off. Guess I should have read the manual first. All to be repeated as we entered the U.S. on Monday the 12th (except for the panic alarm). 

Vancouver Bound

KT came home for a few days between semesters and we headed north to Vancouver (April 10-12). We spent some time downtown at the Marriott, went to church on Sunday, did some sightseeing at Horseshoe Bay, and on Monday went to the Vancouver Temple Open House. It is in rural Langley and sits atop a hill among grassy fields and trees. A small temple, but a very beautiful and well-conceived one.

March Madness

 

Well, we came ever so close (again). If Kentucky wins, we win. The breaks never seem to go our way.

Fun With the Grandchildren

March was a great month for grandchild interaction. They are growing up so fast and are the bee's knees. Look that one up.

Chilean Earthquake

I continue to read with anguish concerning the damage and death brought by the very strong recent earthquake in Chile. I served there from 1971-73 as a missionary and traveled to or worked in many of the small towns between Talca and Concepcion that were most affected by the quake. I served for 6 months in Talca and 6 months in Concepcion\Talcahuano, and visited or worked in Penco, Lota, Puchoco, Coronel, Tome, Dichato, Chiguayante, and Constitucion. My companion and I used to travel on an old train from Talca to Constitucion on the coast to administer the sacrament to members there. It seems like just yesterday. Keep these fine people in your prayers. 

Another Financial Tip

Schweppes Bitter Lemon #2

Several people have asked me about Schweppes Bitter Lemon and how to get some - I have not seen it in stores for some time, but my enterprising wife tracks it down and orders in online...wherever she can find it.

Henry's Blessing

Many on both sides of the family gathered for the blessing of little Henry. We had a meal later in the afternoon for the whole family at our place. Good food and good company.

Mountain West Basketball Tournament

Coming back from Utah, I also took a "detour" through Nevada for a quick stop at the Mountain West Basketball Tournament with Rod and the Rat Pack, then drove up the middle of Nevada on the "second loneliest road in the world" (Nevada 93). The tournament was fun - BYU lost again, short of the championship, but there were some close games worth watching. Nevada 93 is straight and lonely. There are only a couple of towns along the entire route and you can crank up the tunes and cruise. Unlike Nevada 50 (the proclaimed Loneliest Road in the World), 93 parallels the Nevada mountain ranges, so there are fewer ups and downs. The more north I got, the more snow I found. I intersected Nevada 50 around Ely and could see Great Basin National Park and Mt. Wheeler from the western approaches. I decided to try a shortcut around Ely that I found on the map - almost got me into trouble over a high pass in some deep snow. But historically it was fun, as I followed the old Pony Express route into Schellbourne. I had no idea it went that way. The "snow route" also followed the route of the old Lincoln Highway - the first transcontinental automobile road from D.C. to San Francisco that was completed around 1914. Needless to say, the entire route of that road is no longer used for through travel to San Francisco. It originally went between Ibapah, Utah and Schellbourne, Nevada. Anyone out there ever been to Ibapah?

Heading to Utah

I spent several weeks in February in Utah helping out with my Dad. Since I was driving down, I decided to take a detour (shock) and check out a spot I had read about recently in a book titled "The Big Burn" (I highly tout this book). It tells the story of one of the greatest forest fires in U.S. history, if not the greatest, and, as a sub-plot, the story of Ed Pulaski. Ed saved the lives of many firefighters by hiding them in an old mine shaft (see picture). The Forest Service has recently completed a new memorial trail to Pulaski near Wallace, Idaho (which was burned to the ground in the fire). The trail ends at the actual mine shaft. The memorial and trail are very well done - check it out after reading the book! This is a great break idea for that drive to Utah if you are going the Montana route.

More Recent Reads

As I read several books at the same time, and go back and forth, the sign of a book I like, of course, is one that doesn't get pushed to the bottom of the pile. A trio of good books here that I pretty much stayed with until I was finished. If you are a Grisham fan, this one is "right on" his genre and a page turner. I also like to read about ordinary people faced with extraordinary circumstances and The Big Burn fits the bill. It also took place right in our Northwest backyard in territory I have driven over many times. I had read the roadside historical sign about the "big burn" of 1910 going over Lookout Pass into Montana on I-90, but there was so much more to it - I loved this book. If you are fascinated by the landscapes of Arizona, as I am, the final book is a nice addition to any library. It helped that I had already visited most of the spots, although I have one new one to check out when we head to that part of the country again. 

Eli and His Great-Uncle Eric

St. George Snow Bird Trial

We decided to give St. George a try for a modified "snow bird trial run" during January and actually found it to be a very nice experience. There were some issues with leaving one's home, friends, and church for such a long period of time, but there are many things that we found to be enjoyable as well. St. George is a beautiful peaceful place, although the traffic and growth might change that in the long run. It was a little colder and wetter than we expected, but the clear sunny mornings were a delight. We made some quick new friends and seeing old friends and family that have relocated there was a nice bonus. The house we rented was better than expected, with a great view of the valley below and close to everything that we needed in the way of shopping. We enjoyed going to movies, working on family history, not having the phone ring, eating out, Amy's visit, some nice side trips, local museums, quilting, the local Costco, going to the temple, and the red rock. Definitely a keeper. Our housemates (the Merrill's) were also better than expected (joke). Some side notes: I am now addicted to HD cable and am going to have to upgrade. KR has now been to the John Wayne heartland (Monument Valley and Gould's Trading Post. And Navajo National Monument, near Kayenta, Arizona, is one of the most beautiful places on this planet (see the picture of the Betatakin Valley below). The main cliff dwelling there is simply awe-inspiring.