Nov 6, 2011

Baptism Interview at the County Fair

Rural communities and counties seem to have their own special characteristics. I remember all the years that I was growing up our Duchesne County Fair. I liked going to it when I was young because of the candy and other treats that we were able to buy at the booths set up around the fair grounds. We always had a ferris wheel and a rodeo also. I remember only once going on the ferris wheel but I remember quite a few rodeos. In fact the stories form my father about his days in the rodeo were always a lot of fun to listen to and repeat.  I should probably include my memory of some of them in these stories also. Anyway each August near the time of my birthday we would get the chance to go to the county fair if the hay were in the stack yard and the chores were done. I went to a number of rodeo’s and always enjoyed them but the things that I remember most are the exhibits that were in the old buildings. You could walk from one building after looking at all of the jams and jellies that had been made to the next building with the quilts and handmade throw rugs to dollies made by many grandma’s loving hands.   There were also pressed plant specimens and other forestry  and 4-H exhibits that I would actually have of my own later when I turned 12. There was one year though that I will always remember because my Bishop, Bishop Phillip Moon was a sheep farmer and so the county fair was always a place to exhibit his prize livestock as well. But he was still a Bishop and a busy farmer also so he did his duties where ever and whenever he could. At the county fair that shortly followed my eight birthday I remember Bishop Moon calling and setting an appointment for me to meet him at the fair to have my baptism interview. We held it in his truck and I still can also remember that even though it was in a truck it was conducted with the spirit of the Lord by a very loving Bishop. I don’t really remember the words or what I was asked but I do remember the feeling of climbing out of that truck relieved that I had passed my interview. I must have recited several of the Articles of Faith  perfectly for I had studied and memorized very hard so that I could and I must have remembered some of the primary lessons because I am sure I must have been asked about the gospel and what it meant to me in my life. I can’t remember how long it was either but I remember it was long enough for an 8 year old taking his first big test. Later at the start of September I was baptized by my father just as all 8 year were supposed to be baptized. (At least that is what it seemed like to me at that age. I have since learned otherwise.)  Dad baptized me but the two of us had a hard time getting our act together. The first time he missed a couple of words and the second time my toes came out of the water or maybe it was the other way around but the third time we succeeded. I was baptized in the Duchesne Stake Center font only a few days after the county fair.

Nov 5, 2011

Art Skewes in Texas.

I served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the north half of Texas. It was called the Texas North Mission when I was called and during my mission had part of it split off and then renamed the Texas Dallas Mission. I served in Arlington, Terrell, Garland, Stevenville, Cleburn, Midland, Pampa and Grand Prairie.

While in Pampa I was tracting (knocking on doors as we would go down a street) and came to a yard that was filled with the most beautiful flowers I had seen since leaving home. Mom loved flowers and so I was use to having lots of them around the yards. As we knocked on the door I commented to the lady that came to the door how beautiful they were and wondered if I could come back later , on my P day, and photograph some of them. She wasn’t interested in our message but was very kind and receptive to the idea of our returning to photograph her flowers. Well I did just that and on my next P day went with my companion to her beautiful yard to photograph the flowers. As we knocked on the door to  let her know we were there I received the shock of my lifetime up to that point. There as the door was opened stood what I thought to be my Uncle Jack from Utah. I asked why he was there and he commented that he lived there but that he wasn’t Jack he was his brother Art. The two of the must have been identical twins I decided but then found out that he was four years older than Jack. We became very good friends and visited with them as often as we could until I was transferred to Grand Prairie. I have seen Art only three times since that day but have often sent messages to him through my cousin Jack who has kept track of him through the years. I saw Art once when I returned to Texas with my children and Marie as we were taking an 18 day vacation crossing America to see the Scout Jamboree in South Virginia. We stopped at his home and the children fell in love with his place as much as I had during my mission, they loved it because of his turtles not his flowers though.  I again got to see him when Aunt MaryJo passed away and I took pictures of he and Uncle Jack sitting next to each other at the cemetery. Then I saw him again when he was, I think, 94 years old at Uncle Jack’s funeral just a few years ago. He was still very healthy and had long since lost his sweetheart whom I first fell in love with because of her magnificent flowers surrounding her yard.

Nov. 4, 2011

Arrowhead hunting.

I grew up around some very special people in Duchesne. I talk about many of them when I recite stories from my youth. They all had different likes and abilities as well and so no two of them ever affected me the same. One such special person was my neighbor on the bench Edna Rasmussen. I sold milk to her during my teen years as I milked the cows and dad let me keep the money from the sale of the milk as my allowance. I knew Edna quite well and was also able to visit her in her home several times, a treat that was always liked because of getting to see the arrowhead collection that she had made and framed and hung on her living room wall.

Edna had collected the arrowheads and other Indian artifacts long before the government decided to make it against the law. She also had collected large amounts pf petrified wood as well since the two items were often located around the same areas of Duchesne where she would go to hunt for these artifacts. We as a family got to go with her one Saturday and I will never forget finding one arrowhead myself that was almost in perfect condition. However I will also never forget being right behind my sister Leesa as she found the perfect coal black arrowhead in what was possibly a firepit. Lynn was just in front of her and had in fact looked in the same pit but had missed the artifact and has always been somewhat jealous of Leesa because she found it and not him. I don’t know where that arrowhead is now but I do know where mine is and I have it with my artifacts and treasures of my youth. It seldom sees daylight but it is still there along with the memories of hunting for it with Edna. 

Nov 3, 2011

Ardyths Wedding.

I do not remember the year that my Aunt Ardyth was married. Ardyth was my mother’s youngest sister and so she was almost the same age as my oldest sister Alma. I do remember that Alma had graduated and Stan as well since he was on his mission in Argentina when the marriage took place. So the year had to have been around my 11^th or 12^th year of age in 1964 or 65. I’ll  have to look it up now since I am not sure when it was. Anyway the reason I tell this story is because of the ipact that it had on my life. I mean Uncle Doyle was as big an impact as anyone could have and has been such a favorite Uncle because of his sense of humor and his love of teasing his nephews and nieces. That wasn’t the impact that I remember best from it though. It was the desert. Ardyth wanted cake roll for her refreshments. Cake roll, that stuff that is made I Heaven and rolled up to be cut as slices and placed on plate and eaten with a fork. OK who am I kidding, I didn’t like the fork because it was so much faster getting to that ice cream rolled up between the cake if I grabbed it with my hand and ate it as I would a sandwich.  I am sure that I ate several pieces of it that night and had an instant love affair that would never end. That is probably also made all the more important to me too because I have only had cake roll a very few times since that night. In fact I can only remember two or three times and with it as much a part of my memory as it is I always remember when I get to eat it again. I don’t know why it isn’t very popular with the manufacturer’s because they would surely know how well it would sell to people like me that eat it every chance they get. I love cake roll and I don’t know if it was because of the cake and the icecream rolled together or the fact that I was young, a boy with an appetite for sweets, and probably very hungry when it was served at Aunt Ardyth’s wedding reception and it stuck.

Nov 2, 2011

American TV: Coalville store owner 3 children under 6.

When I was working for American Television during the first three years of our marriage I was able to experience a number of events that would ultimately change the course of my thinking and my life. Each week I had assigned areas that I would travel to do pick up jobs that were outside of Utah County. I would go to certain stores where TV’s were sold and there pick up any warranty jobs or other jobs that would come in during the week. One day I would travel to Price, another to Heber and Coalville and another to Salina. I got to know parts of the state pretty well from my assignments doing those jobs. I also was able to meet a lot of people and get to be friends with many of them.
One day as I was waiting for jobs in Coalville I overheard the owner talking to one of the customers about her children. (It wasn’t hard to her since I was standing right next to them at the counter waiting for her to give me the jobs.) Anyway she was explaining to the other person how she had given birth to three sons within six years and how hard it had been during their youth (as babies mainly) to raise them but that how she was so glad now that it had happened that way. Further questions form the customer brought out the fact that the boys were now in high school and one was a senior, on a junior and one a freshman if I remember correctly. Anyway they were close enough in age to be all in the same school and were also the best of friends. That was the part that caught my attention was the fact that they were good friends and because of it were also able to help each other and be a friend when others were not around to be such. They were always looking out for each other and taking care of each other. They had been in fights as brothers but for the most part those had seemed to bring them closer in the long run and now as older youth they were there for each other.
Well I decided then that if possible I would like our children to be close in age as well as friends. We were blessed with three boys first and they have had their trials getting along but for the most part I was always glad that they were close since they were able to be with me at scout events and sporting event and other such activities. We were also blessed with a daughter just two years after that who for the most part was protected by her brothers and later harassed by them to the point that I am not sure she appreciates them quite like I had hoped. A son came next almost four years later followed by our youngest daughter two years after that. As I watch them now with their families it is fun to see them interact and to witness some of the trilas they have but also to see them be friends. I love them all and know that there are things with each of them that seem to bother the others but I am still glad that they were able to be close in age. That conversation in Coalville did have an impact on my life and my family dynamics.

Nov 1, 2011

3 youth killed crossing train tracks

Life is so precious and often far too short as seen from a perspective of the mortal world. But it iis at time like the one I am soon to relate that I am aware of a far greater perspective and am so thankful for it.

During my adult years as I have been raising my children I have opportunity to be a coach and a scout leader and a friend to each of my children and consequently to many of their friends and youth of the same age. I have grown to love and respect many of those friends and also had heartache as some of them have made choices that have destroyed their lives here on earth. Again I  am thankful for a gospel plan and a loving Father and Brother in Heaven who will be the judge of our lives.

Some of the youth that I have known have not lived long enough to experience many of the joys of this life but I am again thankful that it doesn’t end here. Three of those youth were cousins. A couple of them lived in Mapleton and were approximately Ben’s age in school. I had had some interaction with the two in sports and in scouts. They were killed in a car wreck trying to beat a train across the tracks at the south end of Mapleton. I often wonder about the few moments before the accident and what it must have been like in that car (and in the train.) The three of them were apparently late to a golf appointment with their dads at the Spanish Oaks Golf course in Spanish Fork, Utah. They were traveling south along highway 89 toward Spanish Fork canyon and the quickest way to the golf course would have been to cross the tracks and go to highway 6 and from there down to the course in the mouth of the canyon. The safest way would have been to continue on to the mouth of the canyon , turn onto highway 6 and cross the tracks on the bridge which was part of that highway. They elected though to try and beat a train that was going south on the tracks and cross over the tracks before it got there. They tied in that race but lost their lives in so doing. I have often thought as I have crossed railroad tracks many times and many times at that exact crossing how that in a race with a train there really isn’t such a thing as a tie, the car or truck will always loose. It was once stated to me that a car and a train are the same in comparison as a pop can and a car.  These three young men are buried next to each other in the Evergreen Cemetery in Springville. They came into life at nearly the same time and left at the same time.

Note added 11/1/11

Two other teens were recently killed on the tracks by Covered Bridge Canyon. Here is the news article about the incident.

Essa Ricker and Kelsea Webster, both 15, were killed in the accident, according to the Utah County Sheriff's Office. Kelsea's sister, 13-year-old Savannah Webster, was critically injured and rushed to Primary Children's Medical Center. She was undergoing surgery Sunday and remained in critical but stable condition."It's very devastating," said Bruce Hiskey, who serves as stake president for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the area. "These are vibrant, good young women. They were having a beautiful time on a beautiful fall day, and it's just a tragedy this happened."

Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon said the three girls were taking pictures on the railroad tracks just off U.S. 6 in Spanish Fork Canyon near the small community of Covered Bridge."It goes without saying that they were in an area that would not be well advised for them to be in," he said.The teens apparently knew one train was coming but did not realize another train was approaching from the opposite direction and were caught between them, Cannon said. Moments before the accident, one of the girls had posted, "standing right by a train ah haha this is awesome" on her Facebook page.

One train either hit the girls or blew them into the path of the other, Cannon said, and it's possible they were hit by both trains.Noise from the first train may have prevented the girls from hearing the second one, although an engineer reported sounding his horn as the train approached the crossing."Or maybe they realized it was there, and it was just too late for them to get away," he said. "We just don't know. But there's just a thunderous noise as they're standing that close to the train."Mary Scobell, who lives in Covered Bridge, said dozens of trains pass through the area every day. Locals know there are two sets of tracks in the area, she said, and they caution visitors and newcomers to be careful around them."We always tell our visitors, if there's a train and it goes past, you still don't get on the tracks," Schobell said. "You count a few seconds, look right and left to make sure (another) train isn't coming."Kelsea and Savannah Webster moved to Covered Bridge from Sonora, Calif., about two months ago, Cannon said.

I have photographed there before but am always very cautious of trains since I know how fast they travel through that area. I learned something from this though that I did not realize before and that is that even being close to the train the wind created by them has potential to blow you away from it and onto the other tracks. I always thought that I would just move off the tracks but now I know that I would move across the road instead.