Bryce was a Blast

Both Sue and Rhonda are writing about our trip to Bryce Canyon, so I'm not going to try to duplicate what they have said. The trip down was about 3 hours. Bryce is located just about 10 or 20 miles outside of Panquitch. To give us a little break, we stopped on the way down at Mom's Cafe in Salina. It's one of those down home kind of resturants that everyone seems to enjoy. The timing for our trip turned out to be perfect. The weather couldn't have been better. Beautiful blue skies, a few fluffy clouds here and there, and the temperature was just right for having the top down practically all the time.

The best thing though, was being able to spend the time with Rhonda and Sue. It seems we were always finding new and fun things to photograph and we were almost overwhelmed with the beauty and wonder of the place. When night came we were finally able to give our grins a little rest.

On the way back we drove through Escalante, the Grand Staircase National Forest, over Boulder mountain, and into Wayne County. We stopped in Bicknell to eat at the Sun Glow Restaurant where we enjoyed a piece of Pickle Pie and a piece of Pinto Bean pie. They are old pioneer receipies that the owner of the restaurant has featured for many years. Some of you have been there to enjoy these pies with me before.

After taking a few photos in Bicknell we drove over to Loa and took a quick look at Grandma Taylor's old home, Uncle Arvel's home, and the Tabernacle. Then we headed home. A lot to see in such a short time, but we enjoyed every scenic vista along the way. I think we even got a few "soon to be favorite" photos.

Ron's Bryce Canyon

Just a quick note

As you all know I've not felt all that well lately. These headaches are getting kind of tiresome. They leave me feeling very lazy and listless. So, I end up being mostly useless. Not a good thing. However, there have been some interesting things happening just the same. I was surprised to see my report on the tsunami effort in the June issue of the Ensign. The writer who interviewed me left LDS Philanthropies out of the story which was kind of disappointing, but it was helpful to Humanitarian Services just the same. If you look carefully you'll see that they did give me photo credits. (Well, okay, that 6 point type is pretty hard to see. The idea is to have it there for legal reasons, but they are also not concerned if you don't see it.)

But, hey, I had a meeting with the general manager of Church publications and the managing editor of the Ensign last week. It was something of a break-through meeting and the door was opened for us to have a long-term relationship with the Ensign---meaning stories about the work we do will become a fairly regular happening. I met with a reporter from the Ensign this week and we are already starting to work on the next story. That's something that a year ago we would have thought impossible. But now it's going to happen, on a somewhat regular basis.

It appears I've been tagged. So, here is my best shot at a response:

3 joys: Family (I'll bet that surprises you), being creative, sharing.
3 fears: Serious illness (affecting anyone in the family), messing something up at work, Suzie meeting a bear when I'm with her.
3 goals: Finish strong in preparation for retirement from work, complete the yard, take a long road trip with Suzie in the Mustang.
3 current obsessions: Serving well in the Church (teaching right now), finding time to play golf, taking photos. And, completing the remodeling of the house!!
3 surprising facts: Have I got any? Hmmm. I have this itch to explore more of this great big world, starting with places fairly close to home and including Alaska. (I'd don't know that you'll find that surprising.) I've shaken hands (or spent time with) each of the prophets since David O. McKay. I also attended General Conference when George Albert Smith was President. Yea, I'm that old. And last, I enjoy going for rides with the top down. (I'm sorry, not much in the way of surprises here.)

Great Times; Days to Remember

It's not often you get to celebrate someone's 90th birthday, but we have been able to enjoy that blessing with my Dad. He has lived quite a life. He was born and lived all of his growing up years in a pioneer setting. Born in a 2-room log cabin, slept on straw mattresses, his Mom cooked on a wood/coal burning stove, and they had no indoor plumbing. Water was obtained from a pump outside, and winter or summer the outhouse some 30 or so yards from the house was the only restroom available. They traveled by foot or horseback, grew or hunted for their food, and went to Fishlake in the winter to cut ice blocks for the ice house so they could keep things cool in the summer. Now, 90 years later, he has been a part of, or seen, so much change. The list of things that we now enjoy as part of our everyday life, but didn't exist when he was growing up, is amazing. He was the 8th child born, but three of those that preceeded him in birth did not survive. The first born, a brother, died at the age of five of menengities. Two earlier-born sisters died as infants. Eleven grew to adulthood. Six are still living.
I want to thank all of you for coming. That meant alot to Dad. He meant alot to me. I apologize for not spending more time with you. Somehow the night got away from me. I was trying to let Dad's siblings know how much I appreciated the effort they made to be there; and tried to find out a little about how they were doing. Before I know it the night was gone and it was time to leave. So, again, I'm sorry for not spending more time letting you know how grateful I was for your being there. (And, Rhonda, we know you would have been there too if you could have been. We missed you, and send our love to you and the kids.)
It has been a busy time. First was the President's Dinner at BYU in Provo and the President's Advisory Committee happening at the same time in Idaho. The next week we had the Dedication and Open House for our new building. Then Monday I left for our communication team conference in Idaho. And, to top it off, we've got our annual LDS Philanthropies conference coming up on the 5th and 6th of June. All of these activities required a lot of preparation on our part in communications, including two videos and a variety of printed materials. I also covered the shipping of Humanitarian Supplies to Myanmar this past Sunday at the SLC airport. UPS provided a large cargo plane and we loaded it with supplies for the people who were so devestated by the cyclone. I took photos and prepared a story that is posted on our website. At the same time we were in the process of publishing the BYU Provo's President's Report. And that is just a little of the things we have been doing. Wow. It's fun. But I could use a break. And here at home we've been trying to get the basement cleaned out so we can be ready for the construction crew who will be here Tuesday morning.
Well, I didn't mean to unload all of this here. It just kind of flowed out.
I hope my family knows how much I love you. You make me very, very proud. And it so much fun to hang out with you. You are great.

Happy Mother's Day!

Suzanne, Happy Mother's Day. You have always been an amazing, dedicated mother. Your love, care, and skill have carried the day on many an occasion, making life better for all within your family circle. Indeed, your impact on the family may not be fully known for a few generations, but certainly what you have done---and continue to do---will have a wonderful influence throughout eternity. It is my honor just to stand by your side. I love you.

Happy Birthday Kimmy

Sue took this photo of Kimmy and I on the bridge over the fountain.

Sue and I enjoyed spending a little time with Kimmy on her 8th birthday Saturday. We enjoyed a little lunch together, bought a little print of Jesus surrounded with children as a special baptism gift---it's what she wanted---and tossed a couple of coins in the fountain at the mall while making a wish. She is a delightful young lady and we loved our time together.
Next we're looking forward to spending some "eight is great" birthday time with Ally, whose big birthday is coming in October. Wow, what a great family. Great kids. Great parents. A great blessing to Grandpa and Grandma.

Nauvoo was life enriching

Photos:

Top, me on Grandpa's Taylor's property in Nauvoo.

Second, the Joseph and Hyrum statue out fron of the Temple.

Third, Rhonda, Taylor, and Suzanne at the well just outside of the Carthage jail.

Bottom: Another view of the statues and the Temple.

Even though most of the family has already heard something of our Nauvoo trip, I wanted to add a note or two of my own. For me, going to Nauvoo had many interesting facets. There was the joy of going with Rhonda, Taylor, and Emily. To be able to spend time with them while visiting this place that has such great importance in our collective Church history as well as our personal family history. There was also the desire to find the property where Two-greats Grandpa Allen Sr. and Three-greats Grandmother Elizabeth lived. I knew they had property in Nauvoo that was side by side with each other, but I wanted to locate that property and take some photos of it if I could. I had their lot numbers, so I just needed to find out where those lots were.

I also wanted to find the site where Three-greats Grandfather William was buried. When my parents were in Nauvoo on their mission they looked for the site, but were not able to identify the exact site---even though they were very close, but didn't know it. In addition, because I was involved in helping to raise the money for the creation and placement of the Joseph and Hyrum statue that now stands in front of the temple, I wanted to see it. The statue represents the moment that Joseph and Hyrum, riding off to Carthage, stopped for a moment to talk. Joseph told Hyrum that he didn't have to go with him, but Hyrum, knowing the danger, refused to stay and let Joseph go alone. It was a very tender moment, and I felt as if I was there with them at that moment as I stood there by the statue. It was a very emotional experience for me. What an amazing devotion Hyrum had to Joseph. Truly, they were brothers in every sense.

Another thing I wanted to see was the Temple itself. It is a beautiful edifice and I could gain some sense of how the Saints must have felt has they started walking down the street towards the river.

Almost everything I wanted to see and do, we were able to do. (I sense another trip to Nauvoo will be in our future plans.) We had a wonderful time with Rhonda and kids. Those memories will remain with me forever. They were great travel companions, and always kept things interesting. The Nauvoo property was just on the very edge of town. Prime stuff. One of the above photos is of me standing on one end of that property, but you can't begin to see how large the property is, or how beautiful. And, we also found the property where Grandfather William is buried. There is no marker there. It's just a corn field. But I was glad to know where it was. The stories about these grandparents are inspiring to me and I was glad to have had the opportunity to walk where they walked and to see a little of the land they so loved. Their dreams of building Zion there were dashed, but they faithfully moved on and followed the Prophet. I think of their sacrifices often and I thank the Lord for their willingness to lay the foundation for us to build on.