Nov 15, 2011

Blanding Family Trip

I went on several trips with my family as I was growing up and I don’t remember a lot about any of them. We did however make a trip one year to Blanding where my Uncle Kay and Aunt Velma lived with their family. They were a most gracious host and I am sure that I played a lot with the cousins that were my age. The main thing that I remember however was when Uncle Kay took our families out to see the Indian ruins around Blanding and even into Colorado at the Mesa Verde ruins. I have only been there twice in my life but was always left with an impression of how difficult it would have been to live there. Now as I read the book of Mormon and get to the end where Moroni explains that the Lamanites were even warring with each other after they had killed all of the Nephites that they could hunt down, I realize why they moved and lived as family groups in such places of safety as Mesa Verde would offer to them where they could lock out any other warring tribes. I count my blessings often when I think about what I learned from that one trip and how I now have all of the comforts of a warm home and a soft bed and the ability to go outside and to other homes without having to climb down the ladders. I also think about the water that runs freely from my faucets without having to carry it from a nearby stream. I am truly blessed.

Nov 14, 2011

My first trip to Temple Square for conference at the age of 56. 10/5/2009

In October of 2009 I was given an opportunity to get tickets for General Conference on either a Saturday  or Sunday. I choose the Sunday afternoon tickets and got 6 of them so that I could invite Tia, Scott, Brittany and Jeff A. So when I went and picked up the tickets I was also given a parking pass for a parking plaza about 2 and a half blocks from the conference center.

We had to be there by 1:30 P.M. so I figured we should leave right after the first session and travel together to SLC and go to the Conference center.  However since there were 6 of us and each of our cars would only carry five we decided to take 2 vehicles which then created the first problem, where to park the second vehicle. As we got closer Scott decided to find a spot on his own and we went toward the address. I turned one street to soon and due to the traffic travel became extremely slow. I finally decided to let Marie, Britt and Jeff out and they could then walk up and get the seats. Little did I know I would have to turn away from the parking spot and end up going an extra 10 blocks to get to the right street so I could park. I had to go up about 6 levels before I finally found a spot and then realized that there would have been plenty of room for Scott to park also. However it was too late for that since I had even had to call Marie for directions since she had taken the directions with the tickets, even my ticket. I parked and rushed to the elevator and went to the bottom floor. While in the elevator Britt called and I discussed with her where we were to meet. I then followed the lead of several college students and we ran a good portion or the way to the conference center however the J walked (ran) across the street while I went on up to the crossing light and had to wait for  couple of minutes before we could all cross.  I then went to the outside left of the group and began to fun again. In front of the Church Office Building there is a pull in area for cars to unload passengers so unlike the rest of the group I went to the left and followed the sidewalk rather than cross thru the pullout like everyone else was doing. As I rejoined the group I started to walk again and reached down to get my phone so I could call and see where they were again. To my horror it was gone. So I turned around and retraced my steps all the way back to the bottom of the elevator shat in the parking plaza. Needless to say I was tired but I hadn’t found the phone and just figured that someone must have picked it up and would have taken it into the lost and found by that time. So it was now getting close to time for conference to actually start so I turned around and started running back again taking the exact same path that I had just taken and now twice and see if I could see the phone from a different perspective. Well I did not 5 steps from where I had first missed it across the street from the conference center in front of the office building. It had slid up against a cement barrier and there it stayed no one picking it up because they were all still cutting through the pull out rather than following the sidewalk. I was glad that day for the laziness in general that we as mankind have when it comes to walking. I had missed it when I turned around because it could only be seen when walking the opposite direction.

Well I picked it up and called Britt and discovered that Marie was waiting outside of door 22 for me and we only had 10 minutes to spare. (That was when I had really started wishing that I had J Walked three time myself rather than having to wait for the lights.) I went on across with the crowd though and found Marie who then informed me that since we were late we would have to go down to door #4, all the way around to the northwest side of the center passing 14 or 15 other entrances. So we did and the line was luckily only a few feet long and we were able to enter without much further delay. We then went to the second floor but was told by the ushers that there were no seats left there and we would have to go on up to the balcony, well we explained that our children were there and still had seats for us so they let us enter. Luckily Marie had already been to the seats and roughly knew where we were to go and as we were almost there then Scott also found us and took us the final few feet. I was so relieved to sit down and there was even 5 minutes to spare before conference started. I had time to say thanks to my Heavenly Father several times, which I did, for prompting me to leave so early and then leading my feet back to my phone in the meantime.

We enjoyed conference and I was even somewhat entertained by following where the cameras were located and which one was currently transmitting the images on the large screens to the sides of the conference center. In fact the thought often occurred to me that it was like being home in front of the TV since the screens were much easier for me to see from the second level than were the speakers at the podium.

We left the conference edified and having enjoyed the one time we were able to be at conference in the center with the Prophet and other church leaders. We walked out of the second floor across the hall and out the door where Marie had first met me which was also ground level and right by the street I had crossed after finding my phone, I had sure taken the long way to get there at first. However I think Marie and I were both silently vowing to never go through that again even though I had now learned all of the ropes and it would not necessarily be so difficult getting there the next time, but we would both rather skip the travel to and from and spend the time with our children and grandchildren instead in the comfort of our home.  When we had walked the 2 and a half blocks back to the parking plaza I had to admit that I really had failed to notice which level I had parked on due to the stress of getting back together with all of them, We went to the 6^th floor and, well, nope it wasn’t on that one so I quickly bounded up the steps to the next level and finally to the eighth level where it was parked somewhat by itself with plenty of parking had Scott followed us there as well. We called them and found that they had parked in a three minute zone and had a $30 dollar ticket waiting for them. Well we left the parking terrace after going down the first four floors rather quickly and then getting stuck in the rest of the traffic trying to leave from the lower floors. It took us nearly a half hour to get back onto the streets of SLC and another 20 minutes to get to the freeway. I was sure Scott and Tia were halfway home by then but we then discovered that they had been diverted around several different streets and actually were almost a half hour later getting home than we were. Needless to say I was glad to get home from a 2 hour session of conference nearly 6 hours after leaving home to go to it.

I love conference but now I know why I love to watch it on TV.

Nov 13, 2011

Bike Ride to The Snow College S

I attended Snow College both years of my only college or post high school education. I majored in Electronics to specifically become an Electronic Technician. The first year that I attended in the Fall Semester of 1971 1 was there also with Lynn and Leesa. They had both been there the year before and were well used to the routine of college life. They had their established friends and habits and that was great because I too would eventually establish my own. That first year however was somewhat of a loner year for me. With Lynn being asked to be the Institute President and later with him finding Julie Gividen to pal a round with he was never at the apartment. Leesa however was almost always at hers but she had three female roommates that were not totally who I wanted to hang out with since I was planning on a mission and they just were not my type anyway. I did get to know one of them Elizabeth quite well and enjoyed when she was there with Leesa but there was never on romantic nature involved just good friends and I did photograph the wedding for one of the others, I think her name was Peg. (I really don’t remember at this point.) But then tim started in on the scene so there went that outlet as well. I did have my friend from the electronics group but was never one to go hang out at any of their apartments so during the year I slowly became adjusted to just hanging out at the Institute building. I was also at the College Darkroom for a good amount of time and enjoyed what I was learning there. 

During this year though as I made my gradual adjustment from being a farm boy to a college student I spent a lot of time on my trusty old bicycle riding around on the dirt roads east of Ephraim. One particular Saturday morning I decided to ride out east of town and with my camera strapped on my shoulder was ready for any adventure. I think I may have even surprised my self when after several minutes of riding I found my self well up onto the mountain and realized that I was maybe two or three hundred yards from the Snow College “S” on the mountain east of town. I had not planned on that being my destination but each choice I made when it came to a fork in the road eventually led me there. I enjoyed hiking around it for quite a while and then continued on the trail for several hundred more yards before finally deciding to turn around and go study.

Nov 12, 2011

Bread Making: Clair then I.

When I was growing up we always had homemade bread. I am sure mother must have been the one who initially made it each week but when it came to be a real thing that I could remember any details about it was Clair that made the bread. He would go home after school and mix up a batch and then later that night the house would have the fresh aroma of home baked bread. I think Clair must have enjoyed cooking to some degree because bread wasn’t the only thing he would make. He made a lot of cookies as well including over five dozen green applesauce cookies one year for St Patrick’s Day.

Back to bread making. I don’t recall if Clair ever had to mix the bread with anything other than a metal bread mixer that had a handle that you would turn and it would then knead the dough without you ever having to touch the dough until you put it into the pans. I am sure that it was hard even then to move that handle around with the stiff dough inside but I always will think it was easier then kneading the dough by hand.

Well Clair graduated from high school and went on to go on a mission and go to college leaving the family without a bread maker since it was too late by the time mom got home from her job at the school to make it at night. Saturday’s were out of the question because that was wash day and it left no time for anything else. So for some reason the job fell into my hands. Clair however had worn out the bread-maker and so I ended up doing it all by hand. I got to where I would always leave a little flour on the table to place my hands in while kneading the bread so it wouldn’t get too built up on my hands. It always seemed like a very sticky mess especially when first mixing the flour into the wet liquid parts of the recipe. I must admit however that I enjoyed those years of making the bread and even carried it into my marriage for a while when we would make a bunch of loaves for our Christmas gifts to the neighbors at Christmas time. We usually did it the day before Christmas so we could deliver them when fresh out of the oven. I should return to that bread making again since it now only Marie and I at home and it would be easier than having to get it from the store each week. I really eat very little bread now due to my age and the effects of it on my weight but I wouldn’t have to make the usual four loaves every time as I did in my youth every week.

Nov 11, 2011

Beating the Bus Home/ Cross Country.

When I was going to school there were many times that I just didn’t feel like riding the bus home from school so I would run the two miles or so and try to beat it there. It would still go to my place since my sisters were on it and had to be delivered. Duchesne sits in the valley of the Duchesne and Strawberry rivers. The two rivers actually come together at the east end of town. The schools were located on the west end of town and about a half mile from where the Duchesne River went through the town. I could usually be to that bridge before the bus actually left the school. Then the bus would come and cross the river and turn left down past some of the homes there where other students would get off. Then it would wind around and go up the hill onto Blue bench where our home was located. I could usually get to the top of the hill prior to it starting up the hill. I didn’t have to follow the road so the short cuts would help me save time. Once the bus got to the top of the hill it would have to go around to some homes for about a half mile and then back near the top of the hill to cross the bridge over the canal that ran along the edge of the hill up until that point. That little detour for the bus gave me the added time to fun the last three quarters to a mile home before the bus would get to our home. I must admit that I was usually only seconds ahead of the bus however and I am sure that “Jinks” Ivie (Jinks was his nickname and for years I didn’t know he even had another name. I still don’t recall what it was but will probably remember it later) and later Harold Spencer our bus drivers were never aware of the fact that I was racing with them or I might not have had the chance to beat the bus every time.

It was good training though and my high school coach must have caught wind of it somehow because I was selected by him in High school to be on the cross country racing team. I was able to use the bus to continue training for cross country but never was a really great runner or performer in that sport. I did take 5^th once in a major meet held in Price where we were required to run around the edge of a golf course twice and I was number 24 or so after the first round and then had to kick my heels up and pass as many as I could before the last mile and a half came to an end. Luckily I had ran my race and not theirs because I had the stamina to pass many of them while they hit the wall and ran out of juice required to make it across the line before me. That is all but 4 of them who still had me beat. Lee Moon was one of our team and he placed 2^nd if I remember correctly.

Today I have a hard time running though because I need to jog and jogging was just not a part of the running I did in those early years and so jogging is a lazy way to run. I should still do it but have not had a bus to have to beat home an thus must be lacking the motivation to run.