Temple Square

Linda and I just ate our lunch at Temple Square. I wanted to show the flowers which are just gorgeous all over the whole area. We worked at the Family History Library today and the lady who was sitting helping us turned out to be one of my roommates when I was a freshman in Allen Hall at BYU. I never recognized her but she said she used to live in Fallon, Nev--and I said, "Oh, I had a roommate at college from Fallon, what's your name?" And it was her. I never realize how old I am until I see someone my own age. I still think of myself at around 40 something with kids that are 20 something...Ha. Anyway she is invaluable. She knows it all and loves to help so that is wonderful.

We also were able to tour the top of the Conference Center. They have an immense plains "prairie" garden as well as many, many trees and bushes and the Christmas Trees are the most beautiful I have ever seen. They grow them in a special product developed for growing on the roof. It is called Utelite and is 50% peat and 50% something else. Regular dirt would be too heavy. The trees are all in pots so the roots cannot go down too far. There is also a large fountain which is directly above the pulpit and has large directions lanes going east, west, north and south and is symbolic of the fulfillment of the D & C scripture that says "Gospel will be preached to all nations, kindred and tongue and is symbolic of the Prophet's words flowing forth to all the world. There is a picture lasered in the granite wall of people from different countries and the scripture. By next conference the gospel will be preached in every language! Anyway very interesting--since 911 you cannot wander up there without a guide. It is also quite a story about the building of the huge auditorium with no beams...

Maui!

I spent the last week with James, Camber, Jimmy, Kelsi, Jacob and Lea in Maui. I was mostly babysitting but loved the air as I did in Guam. Wish I could bottle it and take it to the mountains. It was an "Escape to Paradise" award trip for some of the WFG people. Some of the activities for the families were snorkeling, swimming, sunbathing, etc. while I mostly walked and window shopped.

The man in the middle caught this marlin but looks impressive, right? Pretty Camber and Baby Kelsi enjoying a walk on the beach. James and kids in the kiddy pool. James and Lea snorkeling. Everywhere I go, I take a sunset picture and this is it from Maui--not quite as spectacular as the Phillipine Sea from Guam, but beautiful. This was the sand culture made exclusively for the pleasure of the WFG attendees. The creator has been doing this for 18 years--really magnificent.

We stayed at the Hyatt Regency--great food, beautiful grounds, lovely rooms--a great trip.

More January Happenings

On Saturday we went to the Anniversary Celebration of the Mormon Battalion arriving in San Diego on January 27, 1846. Two of Richard's ancestors were in that march. They had many activities for the children representing what it was like on that march. Here Sarah and Linda are cooking "woofums" which are biscuits wrapped around a marshmallow size block of wood and toasting them and then filling the middle with butter and jam or honey. They passed out 1200 to bake on Saturday!! Amy and Kelly Pulsipher who I have enjoyed spending time with in El Cajon. They chose to have me stand on the curb so I look taller--aren't they beautiful granddaughters? Andrew Little (far left) had his missionary farewell January 28 and most of his relatives from the El Cajon/Alpine area and his grandparents from Logan, Utah were there. He is the nephew of Gary and Linda Pulsipher (top middle right with me behind them). Andrew gave a great talk on faith and is headed for Lima Peru North Mission where he will be speaking Spanish.

New Year 2007

I traveled out of the snow down to El Cajon, Ca so I could see the new great grandchild before she traveled home to Las Vegas--isn't she precious... Here is Dad Mike, Mom Kristi and Baby Kate--beautiful family!Here is the four generation picture, Kristi, Linda, Janet and Baby Kate. It doesn't seem that long ago that we took a four generation picture with my Mom and Kristi as the child... Almost three quarters of a century difference in age--think of the difference in environment, experiences, life in general--the circle of life.

Visiting the Hardy's in Rancho Santa Fe

On Saturday morning in Rancho Santa Fe you see a lot of soccer moms, dads, games and kids and it really is beautiful. Here is the eldest Jacob ready for his soccer game. I never did get to see Lea but she is a great player also and looks terrific in her soccer clothes. Jacob's soccer game was very exciting and it ended in a tie with Jacob and his friend teaming up to make the final goal. Jacob is an excellent kicker and very fun to watch. Jimmy and his soccer friend say farewell till they see each other at school on Monday. Bandido turned 10 years old this year and he sometimes has problems finishing his walk. We solved the problem by taking Jacob's backpack and letting Bandido ride home when his knees began bothering him! I spent a delightful Saturday morning watching Jimmy and his soccer team. Jimmy is a great kicker but was just as happy watching what was going on with the team next to them as he was his own game. You almost hate to see them grow up and become so competitive. They are so sweet. One of the activities at the Hardy home was dominoes and while Jacob and Lea and I played a "real" game of Mexican train, little Jimmy created his own masterpiece of matching. I was so impressed I took a picture of it.

Earl Family Reunion

October 14, my daughter Maria and her daughter Melissa and I traveled to Las Vegas for a J.I. Earl Descendants reunion. J. I. Earl was my husband's grandfather and a real Nevada pioneer. He married two sisters and had 19 children of which 16 had families. They settled in Bunkerville, which was named after a great grandfather of Richard's named Edward Bunker. The descendants who were at the reunion filled a whole chapel and many others were not able to attend. After the reunion the descendants of Richard's mother Vida and father Merlin gathered together and these are a few of their pictures. A great looking family don't you think? Vida and Merlin had three sons and 17 grandchildren. There are now many, many great grandchildren and a few great great grandchildren.

Piraeus (Athens), Greece--Day 9

Our last trip ashore we visited Athens and the Acropolis and learned this: The landmark hill of the Acropolis was built by the Athenians during the 5th Century BC in honor of the goddess Athens, patroness of the city. The temple complex was regarded as a citadel of the Gods, with the Parthenon standing out as the most architecturally sophisticated temple of that period. We rode a bus for 75 minutes after docking at Pireaus before we reached Athens. Greater Athens including Pireaus and the suburbs has over four million inhabitants and extends for 150 square miles from the sea to the mountains so it is huge. On the way to the Acropolis we stopped at the Olympic stadium which was used in the 2004 Olympics and is the only stadium in the world built of marble. It was started in 329 BC and then completely renovated in 1895 in time for the first Olympics of 1896. I was impressed by it's perfection. Standing in front of the Parthenon with us is the president of WFG Monte Holms and his wife Lisa. We ate with them one night. Very lovely people. James is standing by the Propylea completed in 429 BC and is all of marble, of course and supposedly the most perfect of Athenian art. The whole Acropolis is being renovated at a cost of 34 million dollars. Athens cannot be described adequately and we saw only a small portion of it. So magnificent, I hope they can restore it all someday. At the Acropolis we went to the Acropolis Museum which are all items from the 5th and 6th century BC and then we went on to the National Archaeological Museum which contains one of the most exciting and complete collections of the antiquities in the world. We could not see it all... This is looking out over the city of Athens. We had a lovely breeze that day which was very fortunate. On the side of the hill we also saw the Odeon of Herodes Atticus which is used for modern concerts. If you saw Yanni's concert at the Acropolis, you saw it. Liza Minnelli had been there the week before we came. It is totally open and incomplete now but has seating for 5000 which was carved into the rock in 161 AD. They say the acoustics are fantastic. So back to the ship for more food and entertainment (a fantastic buffet on the top deck with dancing and singing and all that jazz) and then the flight home the next day. Except for James being held in New York Immigration for an extended time (I thought I might have to fly home with the luggage without him) it was a perfect trip. Oh, yes, they held him because they were looking for another James Hardy--so much for naming your children common names...

Santorini, Greece--Day 8

Of all the Cyclades Islands, Santorini is often considered the most dramatic. Once an active volcano, in 1620 BC, the volcano erupted with such force that the center of the island literally exploded, leaving a submerged crater. Thira or Fira Town is laid out along the edge of a cliff that forms a portion of the rim of the now extinct caldera. The ship's tender took us to the Skala harbor and then a cable car took us up to Fira Town. You could go up a zig zag path by donkey or walk.

Some of them did walk but said the donkeys passing by you is a problem and coming down they would slip or fall so I am glad we stuck to the cable car, even though there was a long line of the over 65 crowd who had come off the big cruise ships. Evidently a rich family built the cable cars.

The town with the blue roofs is Oia and has magnificent views from the top plus with its cobblestone streets and white mansions on the cliffs it is very picturesque. It was once a major harbor but is now recognized as a peaceful place to escape to. I asked one couple how their stay was there and they were ecstatic over their 4 days on the cliffs.

We rented a little car and toured the whole island with Butch and Flo and then ate at one of the little towns. The bread everywhere is wonderful plus the pizzas and salads, cheese... There was also lots of shopping places in Fira before we took the trolley back down.

James found lots of jewelry he liked for Camber and I bought a Greek casual long dress for cool nights in the mountains and some embroidered pillow covers showing the pretty white homes. It was very dry there but they told us their grapes get enough dew to make them grow and there is a "special volcanic taste" to the wine.

The white buildings almost sparkle in the sunshine and the many terraces and patios on the cliffs is very enchanting.

From every spot you can see all the other islands and ships down in the bay. We saw more cruise ships here than any other place we docked except for Athens. Flo found some pretty jewelry she liked in this little town we ate in and James liked the the little light dresses and shirts for Camber to wear to the swimming pool over her swim suit.

Since we shopped so long the crowds were long gone from the cable car on our return trip. A very pleasant day...

Monemvassia, Greece--Day 7

Monemvassia, Greece is a 985 foot high crag sticking up out of the sea. The Lower Town has been restored and has many shops and homes to walk by. There was an upper town at one time and there is a wall encircling the whole city. It is the dark area on the picture of the crag, not the village you see in the foreground on the other island.

It was used as a refuge in the 8th century when the Greeks fleeing the Slav invasion of Lakonia settled there and was almost impregnable by their enemies.

The only way into the Lower Town is through a tunnel with a gate and there are cobblestone streets and stone buildings throughout. We walked along the wall and then had to come back as there was no way over to the gate area.

The shops were full of wooden products made out of olive wood and handicrafts, jewelry and glassware.

James rented a moped and we traveled across the bridge and strait joining the crag to the village on the island and then up this hill to the gate and the Lower Town built into the crag. You had to park it outside the gate. Someone took a picture of me riding on the back of the moped and said, "Now that is trust." Notice my purse I bought in Venice that can be a back pack as well. Worked out very nicely.

Then we took the moped all around the other island and James looked for places to go snorkeling. I also saw the largest watermelon I have ever seen in my life there.

James later took some of the guys to that different areas to snorkel and they were impressed he knew the island so well. I went back to the ship, and to Tea and to nap--as an old lady should occasionally.

As we looked over the walls we could see some people swimming in the water below and there were little steps built for them to get down into the sea. We couldn't figure out how to get where they were though. It was like they were coming out of their homes right to the sea. The water was so clear and such a beautiful color. This was the only day I sweated a little as we walked and climbed but the air was great for my skin.

This is a better view of the Lower Town built into the crag...