Marvelous Munchies

One of the best parts of traveling is the food we encounter along the way. Our trip to New England was full of memorable meals and munchies in addition to our other great experiences. No sooner than we reached Cape Cod, we were blown away by the first munchie- Homemade Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip frozen yogurt. If that ice cream stand had not been so far away and backtracking, we would have joined the throngs once again for that wonderful treat! Four mornings on our trip, we breakfasted at two different B & B’s, one on Cape Cod and one in Vermont. At both, the food was fabulous and the centerpiece of all the breakfasts was fresh picked blueberries- scones, pancakes (x 2), puffy pancakes, blueberries and peaches, blueberries and melons, and (gasp!) blueberry water buffalo yogurt! Everything was yummy and we even branched out and enjoyed maple water buffalo yogurt.

When in New England, you gotta go for the seafood! So, on Cape Cod, we splurged on an early bird special and dined on a mussel bouillabaisse (David) and baked scrod- a whitefish new to me. On Nantucket, we slurped up quahog chowder, a fancy name for clam chowder. We tried to repeat the yummy yogurt experience on Martha’s Vineyard, but it didn’t come close. But, we had fried clams (Brian), baked scallops (David), and baked salmon (me) at Buzzard’s Bay. In Newport, Rhode Island, David finally got the lobster for which he’d been salivating. He hand picked two 1 ½ lb. lobsters from a live lobster tank on the wharf. They were steamed right there on the spot and Brian and I were able to rustle up some plastic utensils and napkins. David talked a waitress at a fancy wharfside restaurant out of a couple pats of butter, so we were set. We took the lobsters to a park and cracked them by hand. David was in lobster heaven. Later in the day, we went a different food direction and ate calzones in an Italian “hole in the wall” on a tiny island in Rhode Island.

Brian introduced us to two of his favorite eateries in the Cambridge, NY area. One was a charming deli, where we had incredible sandwiches and a mouth-watering buffalo burger. Two times we visited The Ice Cream Man, of Bobby Flay’s “Throwdown” fame. Yummy! Lake George featured a memorable view from an over- the- lake deck and a decent French Dip, but later, in Saratoga Springs, NY, the three of us shared an incredible hazelnut torte that justified the world famous hype for Mrs. London’s Bakery.

In Vermont, we sampled the first of the regional apple crop- whoa, those first tart bites really got our attention! Our hostess at the Vermont B & B was a renowned baker and her cookies were sold at the village store down the road. We bought a giant oatmeal chocolate chip coconut pecan cookie which Charley, the owner, assured us was illegal in 34 states and necessitated us eating it before we left the state. Luckily, we didn’t get stopped in New Hampshire or Massachusetts, since we rationed the cookie for a treat at quaint and scenic sites where we needed a taste to match the view. Fall was in the air and called for bowls of steaming turkey chowder at Lake Squam, New Hampshire, on a chilly New England evening. We renewed fond food memories as we shopped for picnic fixings at one of our favorite grocery haunts of the East- Aldi’s- and then enjoyed picnicking at some wonderful spots in Vermont and New Hampshire- Robert Frost’s Stone Cottage, Canterbury Shaker Village, Dartmouth College, and the Joseph Smith Birthplace….

Our two weeks in New England were full of wonderful places and food to match the scenic, historic, and cultural ambience of this wonderful part of the country. Munching our way across five states was an adventure, gastronomically speaking, and we are fully satisfied with memories of eating tastily- Eet Smoklek! (or something like that!)

Nauvoo Revisited

Ok, ok. I know "life is not supposed to be a collection of travelogues." So, just think of this as another chapter in our journey through life. The last time we were in Nauvoo, we were missionaries, traveling to our mission in Palmyra, New York. We only spent a few hours at the historic sites, including Carthage, but we did have the opportunity to do an endowment session at the Nauvoo Temple, before heading east.

Fast forward almost 3 years and we found ourselves back in Nauvoo, this time with our daughter Emily, her husband Brad, and our cute grandsons Braden (7), Dallin (5), and Trevor (2). What fun to experience “The City of Joseph” through the eyes of a child!

We arrived Friday afternoon and visited the Family Living Center to learn how to make candles, card and spin wool, and make rope, before seeing the young performing missionaries in “High Hopes and Riverboats.”

Braden did a heck of a job turning the wheel to make rope.

Pretty smart to get the kids involved in a fun and corny variety show, “Sunset by the Mississippi,” where Braden and Dallin marched in the children’s parade.

Saturday, we were up early to ride a wagon through Nauvoo and take a spin around a small grove of trees in a covered wagon pulled by oxen.

We visited the blacksmith shop and wagon maker’s shop, the gunsmith’s shop and home, and Brigham Young’s home. A highlight for David was listening to Joseph Smith giving the famous King Follett Discourse in a shady grove where the Prophet probably gave many discourses. In the afternoon, Emily, Braden, David, and I enjoyed the kids’ show “Just Plain Anna-Amanda” and then visited the bakery for a gingerbread cookie. We followed Braden’s agenda, visiting the tin shop, post office, printing office, school, and the brickyard before the whole gang traveled to Carthage to visit the jail where Joseph and Hyrum Smith were martyred.

The Pageant pre-show was full of non-stop fun for families, as you can plainly see. Emily really got the hang of rolling the hoop.

Everybody got into the act with the hoop toss, except Grandma who's always taking the pictures. Actually, Braden did toss it to me a couple of times.

It's Emily and Dallin leading the team... against Braden, Trevor, and Brad.

One big surprise… when the batters in stickball got a hit, they headed to third base, which was really first base. Who knew!

There were too many games and not enough time before Pageant began at dusk. It was such a different experience than the Hill Cumorah Pageant, which is a huge and magnificent spectacle with over 600 cast members, lots of special effects, and room for 9,000 spectators. The Nauvoo Pageant was smaller and much more intimate, with a cast of maybe 100-150 and seating for probably less than 1,000. We really loved the Nauvoo Pageant and really felt that it gave the feeling of the Saints’ beloved city, the joy they had there for a season, their love of the Prophet Joseph and his brother, Hyrum, and the sorrow and sacrifice they experienced in being driven from their beautiful homes. The show was full of tender testimony, a great way to end our day.
This last scene shows the actual temple in the background. If the picture can be double-clicked, look between the heads to the middle right of the group. The guy in the white pants and tan waistcoat with a girl and boy and an Emma-looking lady next to the boy, is Ben Dickamore, who played Joseph. To the right of him, holding a child is Matt Dickamore, who played Hyrum.

Sunday morning, we left early to drive the 7 hours back to St. Michael. But first, we stopped to walk along the Trail of Hope (formerly called the Trail of Tears). I like the change because it emphasizes the hope that the pioneers had that they would find a place of peace and rest from persecution. At the end of the Trail is a sculpture of Joseph showing Brigham the place where the Saints were to settle in the West. Beyond them is the Mississippi, which the first group crossed on the ice, in great haste, in frigid February.

Along the Trail there excerpts from journals of the pioneers. One that I found most poignant was the granddaughter of Lucy Mack Smith, who stayed behind.

Our last stop was the Joseph Smith Cemetery before we headed west, crossing the Mississippi and leaving beautiful Nauvoo.

One last look at the temple from the Trail of Hope- the last look at their beautiful temple by the Saints as they headed west.

Oh, Happy Day!

It was just like Christmas... The anticipation was there, the work to make it happen was there, and the joy of realization was there. The big event? Delivery day! Our new furniture arrived and the vision and dream was finally rolling out. To think that it all has evolved from a print that I have had and loved for over a year! We had the print framed and it is now ready to be the focus of our new room. We did some final touch-ups the morning of the delivery, after we finished the painting the night before. Talk about the advantages of working towards a goal! We knew the furniture was on its way and we had to be ready. . .The room is painted "New England Gold"- more yellow than I thought it would be but we love it. Every time I look into the room, it makes me smile, because it is so sunny and bright.

And then the furniture arrived and the rug was unrolled and we were on our way to a new room!!

As you can see, the plastic wrap is still on the shades while we see how we like them- and we do! I couldn't believe that I found just the right "red and shiny little shades" that Julie suggested as an alternative to buying a chandelier. And, they match the lampshades that David and I had already picked out for table lamps.

We saw these shiny red shades with shiny gold embroidery, looked at other more traditional ones, and decided to get out of our "comfort zone" and go with the ones we liked from the first. (David is reading a book called Blink and the premise is to go with your first impression because over- analyzing doesn't give you a better result. So, we bought them!)

To complete the look, David installed custom 2-inch blinds and will put white trim around the windows in the future.

The room is a "work in progress" as we look for tables and other accessories, so we'll show you the finished product when it is done. For now, though, we LOVE our new living room! David's brother, Don, came over the other day and all he could say was "Wow, it looks great!" Coming from him, we take it as a big compliment.

And, in case you're wondering about the tables from the living room, they look great in the basement!

The rest of the story of the living room makeover is that we didn't sell the old furniture on KSL.com or Craig's List, but we found the one right buyer and kept the furniture in the family! Don and Kris bought the sofa and loveseat for their big "playroom" in their former racquetball court. They have a comfy room with seating for the spectators watching all the action on the miniature golf course and at the ping pong table, etc. . . . Now, could we interest anyone in a beautiful wing-back recliner!

Oh, say, does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave...

This morning, we ventured out early to go to the first day of the Downtown Farmers Market in Salt Lake. As we drove down the hill, the street was lined with flags that the Scouts had put out. Oh, yeah, it's Flag Day-June 14. I can't think of Flag Day without thinking of visiting Ft. McHenry, near Baltimore, Maryland, when we took our kids for an American History trip to Washington, D.C. and other historic places back East. At the Fort, we watched a movie about Fort McHenry and the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812. The movie told about Francis Scott Key writing the "Star Spangled Banner" and the song was played at the end of the movie. To my great surprise, the huge black-out drapes were opened to show a gigantic American flag waving in the breeze. It was a spectacular sight and the National Anthem playing brought tears to my eyes. What a great memory! Oh yeah, it was Flag Day that day, as well.

Opinions, Platelets, and Fighting Tarantulas...

The other night, I was listening to a talk show on the radio and people were calling in sharing ways they are making extra money to make ends meet or pay for gas. There were some pretty creative money-making schemes. Here are some of the best- completing on-line surveys (you can make money for that?), doing online tutoring (math and science are in demand but tutors in other subjects are needed, too), selling platelets (pays more than plasma), participating in drug trials or medical trials (remember doing an allergy drug trial, Emily?), parents charging room and board for teen-age kids who have jobs, and the most creative one, raising fighting tarantulas for pet stores. It was all pretty interesting!

It made me think about the whole economic situation in the U.S., as well as throughout the world. So many people are scratching their heads and wondering what is going on. (They're doing the same for all the natural disasters and conflicts throughout the world.) As members of the Church, we quietly acknowledge and understand exactly what is going on. We have ancient guidebooks that have given us insight as well as modern-day insight from prophets, apostles, and other leaders. How grateful I am for prophets of God and Church leaders who have been giving us counsel and guidance for just such a day. We’ve heard for years and years about being prepared financially, avoiding debt, using a budget, building a reserve, and, first and most important of all, paying our tithing and offerings. We are so blessed to have had watchmen on the towers preparing us for these latter days.

Even though there may be big money in raising fighting tarantulas, I think I’ll follow the Prophet on this one.

Life is Not Supposed to be a Collection of Travelogues

Life is not supposed to be just a collection of travelogues, but lately it seems that my life has been exactly that- a trip to help Amy and family with new baby, Gideon, a credit union trip to Washington, D.C. for an update on Governmental Affairs, a trip to California for Gideon’s blessing and other adventures, and in the past few days, a trip to St. George- thank you Smedley Plumbing, Heating, and Air!

Likewise, testimonies are not supposed to be a travelogue. But as I sat in
Testimony Meeting last Sunday, I was seriously tempted to tell about our St. George experiences as a part of my testimony. I had a number of

spiritual impressions as we spent 4 days in Utah's "Color Country." As we hiked and traveled around warm and radiant Southern Utah, we rejoiced in the beauty and the awesome nature of Heavenly Father’s creations.
Though we live in this telestial world, breathtaking beauty is there to be found and savored, sometimes around every bend, and it feels like a little piece of heaven on earth.

As we traveled down to St. George, we took a detour, knowing that

sometimes detours bring us to places where we learn lessons that can

not be found along the freeways of life. After following a dirt road to the middle of nowhere, we found ourselves standing before an abandoned gigantic beehive-shaped oven, crumbling foundations, and a brick smokestack-chimney. Here, we came to understand the sacrifice, hardship, and faith of Saintly pioneers, called by a prophet of the Lord

to a mission to make iron- a necessary building block of settling the

challenging frontier of Utah’s Dixie.

A little farther down the road, we overlooked a beautiful mountain meadow where we were impressed with the necessity of being guided by the Spirit. When local Church leaders engaged in suspicions, distrust, and rivalries, rather than making decisions by the Spirit of the Lord, it led to a terribly tragic situation which has been deeply mourned as a major scar on pioneer and Church history. With emotion, we also visited a sacred mound, hallowed and dedicated by the Church to honor those who were murdered in this beautiful valley.

More lessons in faith, obedience, hard work, and enduring through extreme trials were learned at each of the historic sites of the Church in the St. George area. At the Jacob Hamblin Home, we learned about listening to the Spirit, the blessings of being a peacemaker, and the great worth of a man’s word.

At the Brigham Young Winter Home, our testimonies were strengthened concerning the vision of a prophet of God, whether he is directing the settlement of a territory, building temples, or leading the Church in these latter days.

At the Tabernacle, we learned of great miracles, listening to the Spirit, prophetic pronouncements and promises, and the blessings of absolute obedience to the counsel of a prophet of God.

Lorenzo Snow stood at this very pulpit, was instructed as he was speaking and, in the name of the Lord, taught a powerful principle with a promise to the Saints. The principle and the promised blessing tested their faith and patience, but the Lord did pour out blessings upon those faithful Saints and he continues to pour out blessings upon all faithful Saints.

Elder Doug Hansen gave us a wonderful tour of the Tabernacle and then Sister Linda Hansen joined us for a photo-op and some "catching up" on our kids and grandkids and sharing missionary experiences.

At the St. George Temple Visitors Center, we were exceedingly touched by the magnificent sculptures of “The Healing Power of Jesus Christ.” Opera singer turned sculptor, Angela Johnson found her truest gift in portraying our Savior in healing the leper, raising Lazarus, refusing to condemn the woman taken in sin, teaching about priorities and choosing that "better part," and in other stunning bronzes. This one depicts Jesus walking on the water in the Sea of Galilee.

In the St. George Temple, we reflected on the awesome faith, dedication, sacrifice, and hard work of those pioneers who gave who gave their all to build a temple of God in the red sand wilderness, providing an opportunity for saving ordinances for the living and the dead.

Our final lessons came as we detoured on our way home, visiting

Cove Fort. Once again, we learned of faith, hard work, obedience

and the value of a man’s word. We learned why Cove Fort was so beloved by President Hinckley. His roots were firmly planted in the sandy soil of the this barren plain, where his grandfather raised a righteous family, spread good will among his neighbors both near and far, and infused the lightof the gospel into his family and posterity. And, we saw first-hand, evidence of a miracle, surely by the hand of the Lord, in saving Cove Fort from the ravages of last summer’s wildfire that burned within 12 feet of the barn and Fort. The historic site was safe, while grassland, crops, trees, structures, and animals all around were devastated.

We did have a memorable St. George experience. We had lots of fun times, as you can see.

(These pictures brought back memories of travels with our kids-

fun in the dunes at White Sands, wading in the river at the beginning of the Zion Narrows, and the classic statement of

teenage boredom, "If you've seen one red rock, you've seen them all.")

Yes, this is another travelogue- but it is one that’s filled with gratitude for the awesome beauty of Heavenly Father’s creations, for many life lessons learned, and for joyful spiritual experiences- a time for our eyes to truly see and our hearts to truly understand the power and glory of God.

Goodbye 70's!

We enjoyed a wonderful lunch today, hosting David's parents, his brothers Gary and Don, and Don's wife, Kris. The occasion?. . . a dreaded letter from the IRS saying that they were auditing a tax return and the resulting necessity of consulting with the "family CPA." But, it gave us a great excuse to "party." After all, it was Don's BD yesterday (in addition to Trevor's!) and it was a belated Mother's Day gift for David's mom. I fixed a lunch that I usually never get because I always grab a PB&J, a bowl of cereal, or whatever is handy. So, we enjoyed Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, tossed salad with a "melange" of fruit, hot blueberry muffins, a fruit plate of gigantic blackberries, blueberries, watermelon, and fresh pineapple, and soda cracker pie. YUM!!

It was such a treat to have Kris join us, because she has been so sick for so long, with a still undiagnosed condition. But, she is doing better and it was great to see her!! Another bonus was that Kris, a once aspiring interior designer with a wonderful flair and eye for decorating, told David that we had to get rid of the 70's tables, lamps, and chandelier if we were getting new furniture. Wahoo! It took an "expert" to help David see the light! After everyone left, he said, "Well, chandeliers are not that expensive [at Lowe's or Home Depot] and I can get one hooked up." Double wahoo!!

Thank you, Kris! . . . Goodbye 70's!