March 2019

Monday, March 31, 2014

03 March 2014

The month of March! In like a lion and out like a lion! We want warm weather without wind! Oh, yeah, maybe April will be warmer and less windy. The events of this month were mainly inside the warm house. There were only a couple of days we were able to get outside play.

I would like to catch you up on our family members. To begin with, Dawn has contacted most of her family and there are ups and downs. Brian and family are still planning to attend the cruise in November and the kids are doing well in school. Brian called to tell his mother happy birthday and send a raft of photos of his kids snowboarding. Monica and Adam are very busy and Roxy and Burton are active. We appreciate the photos and contact. Monica is a champion in sending clips of the kids. We love the contact via the cell phone.

My kids are busy. We did see Josh and Holly as they helped us out when we were trapped coming back from Stanford, CA. Steph is working hard at her new job. Robyn is also the champion for sending photos and clips of the kids over the cell phone. How grand it is to know how the grandkids are doing. Not much from Ben, I always keep him in the loop whenever news comes up of the family.

We are leaving the first of April to visit the Hodgsons in Washington/Oregon. It has been some time since we have seen Mike and Benny.

Well, the capstone events of this month are:

Snow – March started out with snow and cold, burrrr!

The first of March was COLD!

Dawn’s birthday – “Will you still love me when I’m 64”! The song by the Beatles sums it up. Yes I will always love you. She is my best friend and loyal companion.

Dawn's Birthday

Wind and snow – More snow flurries with constant wind. I did get out twice to golf. A third time I had to leave the course at Sage Lake because of the cold wind. Julia, Woody, Dawn and I golfed at Shelley one evening but that day ended in cold wind before we finished.

One day of golf before the cold wind starts to blow!

Sold the Toyota Avalon – paid off the new Honda – Denis from Challis came and got it for his wife.

Good by Avalon

The new greenhouse – Woody and I finished putting the green house together. Julia and I filled the pots and planted the seed. There is new life inside. We thought the wind was going to blow it right of the foundations. It survived and hold in the heat for the new little vegetables breaking through.

All the seeds are in pots

The new green house!

Inside activity:

Loading bullets – I am loading ammunition to take to Arizona next fall. Pistol powder is not available and there is a shortage of just about every component in reloading.

Orion helping reloading bullets

Body building – We are at the gym nearly every day. I want my body back. The eighties were good to me. I had the youth and determination to put on muscle and stay in good shape. Now I trying to get back some of the size I once had. Aging makes is difficult but I am learning you can add size to the skeleton with hard work. I just do not have the ability to recover from heavy lifting and the internal physiology is slowing. I am back eating protein shakes, taking supplements and eating more than usual. I have put on muscle and loosing fat. I still jog or spin three times a week for an hour. I lift three times a week, heavy on Saturday. I just worked out with “Earl “The Pearl” Snyder, who is judging the NGA Rocky Mountain Natural Pro/Am Championships tonight. I remember attending the IFBB finals in California with Roger Millar in the 80s. We were both lifting heavy and working with Bell Pearl (Mr. Universe) from Medford, Oregon.

The Eighties were the building years.

Thirty years later!

My goal for the next 10 years! To be just like Earl "the Pearl" Snyder!

Family History Conference at Madison High School in Rexburg – The 3^rd ward Family History Consultants (Alysa Brayton, Dennis Croft and myself) attended the second largest FH conference in the church in Rexburg this month. We attended several workshops but most impressive was Dennis Brimhall of the Seventy presentation. He reviewed the Root Tech conference and changes in the Family Tree program. Family History has grown tremendously.

.Madison High Conference Center

Anecestry.com and other have now joined as partners in making available the members of the church. This is my passion.

Taxes – Oh yes, I did pay my taxes. You can see “Flat Ronald” with Susan Marushia, my tax agent together on St. Patrick’s Day finishing up on paying State and Federal tax. Hurts!!

The 22^nd of March, 2014 began as the nicest day following the 21^st day (first day of spring). This week there has been winds in excess of 60 mph. As a matter of fact the wind was so strong it blew the 2x3’ metal drip pan underneath my VW over the street and onto the law of my neighbor, Paul Phillip.

This morning I arose to a beautiful, bright, calm day. However, the temperature was 20 degrees outside. Dawn was leaving early for “Time Out For Women” and I was headed for the Apple (gym). She spent the day in meetings listening to speakers with insights to living gospel lives in a modern world. I spent the morning doing push-ups, lifting weights and jogging on the tread mill. We shared lunch together and she and her sister Christine were back to the second half of their meeting. I assisted my brother, Woody with his work on the downstairs bath room then off to golf at Journey’s End golf course in Shelley. All of this introduction to describe the gratitude we had for one of the nicest days of spring we have experienced in 2014. No wind, no clouds, no unpleasant weather, just a clear crisp day to spend together enjoying the out of doors.

The 30^th of March was the biggest snow storm of the year!

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

02 February 2014

The beginning of February we spent a week in Bullhead Arizona before returning to Idaho.

On our way back to Idaho we spent the night with the Nebekers (a couple we were with on our mission in Mozambique, Africa). We also visited with Doug and Liz Adams (a couple from Yuba City, California). Lastly we visited with our former mission president Loren Spendlove and his wife Tina.

On our return to Idaho we found all well with our home. February can be cold and it started out very cold. Dawn and I jogged the Green Belt of the Snake River in early February and it was extremely cold (below zero) and the river was completely froze over. After being back from our cruise it was very difficult to jump back into the cold of Idaho.

I did uncover the VW later in the month but had to put the tarps back on until March.

This month we spent many days inside avoiding the cold weather. However, we did make a couple of nice outings. Dawn’s niece was married in Victor, Idaho at the Moose Creek Ranch. Rachel and Shawn Benjamin are now husband and wife.

February is also Valentines Day month on the 14^th and our wedding anniversary on the 16^th. We celebrated our 13^th wedding anniversary at home with a steak dinner provided for by Robyn and Wayne Lau through Omaha meats. Thank you very much, we thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful meal.

The paramount event this month centers around my darling wife, Dawn. She flew to San Francisco on the 20^th of February to be tested as a stem cell donor. Once more she was asked by the Natl’ Stem Cell Donors organization to assist her recipient of the past. Yates Lancing received a stem cell transplant from her 8 years ago. He is in need of a replenishing dose of Dawn’s T cells.

When she returned all was well with the testing and we both traveled to Palo Alto at Stanford University to complete the collection for Yates. We were picked up at the SF airport by Andy the limousine driver and transported to the Stanford Terrace Inn for two night stay. It was a beautiful motel with such an array of exotic plants. Then all day at Stanford Medical Center on the 28^th of February. Dawn is such a trooper and so pleasant throughout the procedure of catheterizing the jugular vein and lying in waiting for 8 hours with blood being drawn and separated into white cells and red cells that are returned to her.

The trip home was not so pleasant. Due to the terrific bad weather on the east and west coast our flights were delayed in San Francisco and Salt Lake City. As a result Josh (my son) picked us up at the SLC airport on Saturday and took us to Jon and Holly’s to stay the night. We had a great visit with all and so appreciated the hospitality on such short notice.

Once back home we settled down to routines of temple service and caring for those in need. One of them was my mother with a toilet leak. I was able to repair with all new parts saving her the need to replace the toilet. On that note I will close and hope for a warmer March.

Visiting the relatives in Scottsdale, AZ

The Roadrunner!

Woody at the Bullhead Firing Range with a student!

Our anniversary dinner from the Laus

Rachael and Shawn's wedding

Still cold in February

Had to put the covers back on the VW

One beautiful day in February

Looking forward to more warm weather

Stanford Terrace Inn

The beautiful flowers at the STI

Dawn is checking it at Stanford Medical Center

Ready for in-linen catherter

Hooked up and pumping

Finished and ready to be unhooked from the aphoresis machine

Dawn is back to jogging again.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

01 January 2014

A New Year! Yes, another year to celebrate our extended retirement. Each additional year we appreciate our good health and wonderful living in a free country. So much of the world suffers from restricted living caused by poverty and poor leadership.

We began the new year by hosting Jon Slatore and our daughter Holly visiting from Salt Lake City. We began by fishing the Warm River near Ashton, ID. Jon gave me a new fishing pole from Japan called a Tenkara. It had no real and worked well as we trundled through the deep snow together the fishing line in the water. After fishing near the campground we stopped below the bridge and fed the large trout Trail Mix. They loved the offering as we saw them grab the snacks

Then we cross country skied Tautphus Park that evening. On New Year's Day we went bowling at the Bowlero alley. All I all everyone had fun topped off by diner at Garcias.

January each year the 3rd ward has their annual conference. I was able to lead the music for Hazel Cummings, our music director. She is a family I home teach and am willing to fill in when she is absent. We also had a successful pot luck the first of the year and a ward blitz coupled with our stake leaders visiting all those who are in the ward and don't come to our meeting. I went with Bob Bidstrup, who is the new Ex Sec for the stake (he took my place).

This year I have been asked to chair the committee our 50th high school reunion. This is a big task and as a result I resigned from the board at the YMCA. I have served nearly two years and we needed a change, so we are now exercising at the Apple Center.

The Idaho Falls temple is closed two weeks in January for cleaning. This gave us the go ahead to schedule our trip to Bullhead City and be with Woody, Val and Julia. We brought down Enid Hardman (my aunt) to join with us on our cruise to the Western Caribbean starting on the 24th of this month.

While we have been here waiting to leaves for our cruise, we have been busy sight seeing and visiting family. The first day here we traveled to Chloride mining town. Then we were off to Phoenix to visit with the Miners. They are the adult children of Julia and Enid's sister, Neva. She has long since passed away but we have been friends with her children. Dawn and I also had to see the Mariner children. We took them to eat Sushi and stayed in our favorite motel, Quality Inn in Glendale, AZ next to the 24 hour fitness center and Sprouts our favorite shopping place.

We have golfed at several local golf courses. It has been so delightful even though it has been windy but the temperatures is much warmer than Idaho. Dawn and I have been jogging nearly every day. This week we managed to jog to a distant recreation park and back. It was 6.6 miles. So we are able to do the 10K coming up in July in Santa Cruz, Ca.

In addition to golf, we have manage to visit Oatman,AZ a famous mining town near Bullhead City. The town is over run with burrows. We fed them hay cubes and some licorice I did not want. Also, today Woody and I went back out to the same area to the Tri-State shooting range. This is a well developed facility with range master and stands for al to shoot. Woody and I were able to fire our weapons i.e. .380, 45 colt (Taurus Judge), and Woody's 38 Special.

During the evenings we have been playing cards and watching movies (The Butler, Captain Phillips. This is something Dawn and I seldom do because we are so busy with our callings in the church. All in all it has been a restful break. We sleep well at night in this quiet neighborhood. Lastly, I must tells out the resident roadrunner living at the end of Roadrunner Lane. We jog down and try to get lose. He has personality.

Tomorrow we leave for New Orleans, La to stay a couple of days before we board the Carnival cruise liner, the Sunshine. Off on another adventure.

We spent Saturday touring New Orleans. Our first tour was a city tour on a comfortable bus. We visited all the major sites including the notorious grave yards with above burials. Then we spent time at the city park (1300 acres) and dining at a restaurant serving beignets. Lastly, we drove to the famous part of town with mansion style homes. Our bus guide was fantastic.

The next five hours we were traveling out of town to the Oak Lawn Mansion. Our bus guide talked all the way out and quizzed us on local trivia. At the mansion we visited the slave quarters, blacksmith shop and gift shop. Our guide at the mansion took us through the entire house and explained the life and fate of the Roman family who established the mansion in the 1800s.

That evening we ate at the Oceanica restaurant consuming traditional Cajun food. We spent the night at the La Quinta hotel downtown French Quarters. The next morning we headed to the port and processed onto the Sunshine ship. All went well.

For the next two days we were at sea on the Carnival Sunshine. This gave us time to relax and have fine evening meals with Julia, Enid, Dawn, Hazel Cummings (a lady I home teach) and several others joining us for dinner.

Following dinner each night we were entertained by the ship’s cast of performers. The stage shows were spectacular with the addition of a giant LED screen and graphic video images. The level of entertainment was very high. I was even asked to get on stage and help out with a number.

Once we arrived at our first destination, we were ready to get off the ship. Enid and Julia headed out for a day at Mayan Key. Their day was filled with visiting a zoo, sights of birds and plant life on Roatan, Honduras. They were given a meal and treated to a relaxing day at the beach.

Dawn, Hazel and I were transported to Anthony’s Key and boarded the Stingray ship for two tank dives off the local reefs. The first dive was a learning experience for Dawn. She had trouble with her mask filling with water. The second dive was much more exciting since she got a new mask and we swam with giant groupers the entire dive. We were tired from excess nitrogen and spent the evening on the ship resting after another wonderful meal.

The next morning we arrived early at Belize City and were among the first to board the tender vessel taking us to our guides at the bus station. After a 90 minute drive to the Xunantunich Mayan Ruins, we crossed a rive on ferry and walked to the ruins. Our guide took us to the top of the castle ruin from there we could see Guatemala. We had a fine luncheon and then drove back to the port. Julia, Enid, Dawn and I enjoyed this excursion.

The next morning we were in Cozumel for our last excursion. Enid and Julia were headed for a tour of the local park and ruin replicas. Dawn and I had two open water dives with the Sand Dollar dive boat. The first dive we drifted along without difficulty and were rewarded with sights we had never seen. The giant lobster was phenomenal. The second dive was even more spectacular as we drifted along. We saw thousands of fish and hundreds of varieties. We were both exhausted after the dive and were glad to rest up before dinner that night.

After a long wait at the New Orleans airport we finally traveled on to Los Angles then finally to Las Vegas. It was late by the time we arrived at the Marti Grais motel. We had only three hours sleep when we arose to take Enid to the airport to catch a plane to Salt Lake City, Utah. After dropping her off we headed to Bull Head City, AZ.

For the next few days we spent golfing, shooting and visiting the Christmas Tree Valley petroglyphs near Laughlin, NV. Then Dawn and I departed and drove to St. George where we visited with our friends the Spendloves, Adams and stayed over night with the Nebekers.

Early the next day we drove to Ogden, Utah and spent time with the Smiths and the Burtons. They were missionaries we met in Mozambique. After spending the night with Angie Bytheway (Dawn’s cousin) we went to church with Josh and Danielle’s family. Following church we drove home to Idaho.

All in all we were gone nearly one month. We enjoyed our friends and family. We enjoyed the warmer weather and the wonderful outtings. We felt relaxed and rewarded. Life is good.