On Sunday 4 May we were up early and drove to Pittsfield, Illinois, to attend the little Pittsfield Branch at 10 am. It was about 44 minutes east of the resort.
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| Allen and Lynda White at the Pittsfield Branch |
It was Fast Sunday so we enjoyed fast and testimony meeting. There were about 20 members in attendance and one elder passed the sacrament while one member of the branch presidency and the other elder blessed the sacrament. It was an older group and no children or youth were present.
I bore my testimony near the end of the meeting and enjoyed the testimonies that were shared.
I explained to the two elders (Rollins and Thompson) about my Book of Mormon program and got their phone number in order to pass on names and addresses of those who say "yes" to my two questions who may be in the branch area.
Gospel Doctrine class was lesson 11 from the Old Testament entitled “How Can I Do This Great Wickedness?” in Genesis 34; 37–39. The purpose of the lesson about Jacob's son Joseph and other children Reuben, Judah, and Dinah was to help us "learn how to make all experiences and circumstances work together for [our] good and strengthen [our] commitment to obey the Lord’s standard of sexual morality. The moral behavior of society often differs from the moral standards that the Lord has established. While the standards of society can change, the Lord’s standards are constant."
Elder Hartman Rector Jr. was quoted from the October 1972 General Conference. He explained, “[The] ability to turn everything into something good appears to be a godly characteristic. Our Heavenly Father always seems able to do this. Everything, no matter how dire, becomes a victory to the Lord. Joseph, although a slave and wholly undeserving of this fate, nevertheless remained faithful to the Lord and continued to live the commandments and made something very good of his degrading circumstances. People like this cannot be defeated.”
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| Elder Hartman Rector Jr. |
Allen and I enjoyed priesthood meeting as the member of the branch presidency from Jacksonville, Illinois, Raymond Dewitt, gave the lesson about following the example of the Savior.
Not counting Allen and myself, the five men in priesthood consisted of the two men from the branch presidency, the two elders, and one other brother. Eileen said that Relief Society had about six sisters there. The White's said it was the smallest branch that they'd ever attended.
We drove back to the resort a longer way via Hannibal. Eileen and Lynda made a delicious chicken, small potatoes, and peas dinner!
I entered the ordinance information from our temple visit into PAF on my laptop. Five of the couples whose cards we had printed can be sealed. We will save further sealings until we get back to Georgia. We will do endowments in the St. Louis Temple and when we return to the Nauvoo Temple this week.
We played Mexican Train. Lynda won again although she beat me by only about 60 points. Eileen was last with more points than I had yesterday.
Then we planned our activities in Hannibal for Monday. We purchased our riverboat tickets online.
On Monday 5 May we were up early and headed for Hannibal.
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| Along US 61 |
We bought our tickets at and visited the Mark Twain Interpretive Center, followed by the Huck Finn House, Mark Twain's Boyhood Home, and Becky Thatcher's Home.
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| Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum Entrance |
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| Mark Twain: Remembrance of an American Past |
We drove to the parking area by the river and boarded the Mark Twain Riverboat. Allen took a picture of us holding the Times-Courier in front of the riverboat. We had a nice placid hour ride on the riverboat.
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| On the dock |
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| Allen, Lynda, and Eileen |
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| Ben and Eileen |
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| All aboard, Allen |
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| Welcome Aboard |
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| Allen, Lynda, and Eileen on board |
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| Eileen, Lynda, and Allen from above |
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| View from the riverboat |
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| View from the riverboat |
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| View from the riverboat |
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| Sir Randall |
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| Sir Randall and Sir Richard |
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| Mark Twain at the pilot wheel |
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| Mark Twain at the pilot wheel |
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| View from the riverboat |
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| View from the riverboat |
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| View from the riverboat |
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| View from the riverboat |
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| View from the riverboat |
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| View of the lighthouse from the riverboat |
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| Where the riverboat was docked |
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| Lover's leap |
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| View from the riverboat |
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| Barges in the river |
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| Barges along the shore |
The BNSF Railway is the second-largest freight railroad network in North America, second to the Union Pacific Railroad, and is one of seven North American Class I railroads. Wikipedia
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| Here comes the train! |
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| Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. |
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| End of the train |
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| Back to the dock |
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| Mark Twain Riverboat |
Then we visited the Mark Twain Museum which was very nice!
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| Mark Twain Museum |
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| Statues of Huck, Tom, and Mark Twain |
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| Mark Twain's Orchestrelle |
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| Cabbage Patch Kids of Tom, Becky, and Huck |
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| Cotton bale |
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| Norman Rockwell Painting on a Stamp |
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| Origin of "Mark Twain" |
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| Norman Rockwell |
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"Tom Climbs Out Of The Window"
by Norman Rockwell |
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| "Tom Climbs Out Of The Window" |
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Norman Rockwell's Whitewashing
of Tom Sawyer's Fence |
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| Norman Rockwell's Tom and Becky Lost in the Cave |
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Pilot at the wheel and his
pilot's certificate |
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| Giant pilot wheel |
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| Bell pull |
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| Bells |
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| The John J. Roe Riverboat |
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| Beautiful staircase in Mark Twain Museum |
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| Mark Twain Classic Comic Books |
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| River Boat Pilot |
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| Tom Sawyer Painted Gourd |
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| Tom Sawyer Painted Gourd |
Next was the Hannibal History Museum.
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| Hannibal History Museum |
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| Baseball Hall of Famer Jake Beckley |
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| Antique spittoon |
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| Antique furnishings |
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| Antique furnishings |
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| Antique record player |
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| Antique furnishings |
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| Antique furnishings |
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| Antique lumbering tools |
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| Printer's cabinet |
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| Elevator Lift |
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| Star Brand Shoes |
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| Unsinkable Molly Brown |
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| Unsinkable Molly Brown |
We walked back to Becky Thatcher's Ice Cream Parlor and Emporium for some ice cream and I got shot glasses for Geoff and William, which they have collected for years. While Allen and I relaxed in the car, Eileen and Lynda checked out an antique shop.
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| Pudd 'N' Heads Antiques |
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| Planters Barn Theater |
We stopped at Walmart in Bowling Green and got gas in Eolia for $3.399. We enjoyed leftovers and a nice salad for supper.
We played Mexican Train and I won again! Eileen was second by one point lower than Allen. Lynda was last and all of us had 200-some points, so it was very close.
I finished reading the 9 February issue of the Church News. There was a very good article about the Church in Central America. The center section was wonderful to read. It described Presiding Bishop Gary E. Stevenson's visit to the Tacloban area of the Philippines which had been devastated by Typhoon Haiyan. The Church is building 3000 homes for members of the Church there.
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| Presiding Bishop Gary E. Stevenson |
There was an excellent article about missionaries "Staying strong after a mission" and a very nice article about a former bishop and stake president who retired as the president of the University of North Texas. He had previously been president of Washington State University and the University of Memphis. Of the latter he said, "I probably was the first Mormon president [of a university] in the Deep South."
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| V. Lane Rawlins, a former bishop and stake president for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, retired from his position as the 15th president of the University of North Texas on Jan. 31. |
On Tuesday 6 May we were up early and headed for Nauvoo. We stopped for a break at Casey's in New London, Missouri, and the store in Ursa, Illinois, just as we did last Saturday. I had a nice conversation with the gentleman sitting in from of Casey's when he saw my Georgia Retired Army license plate.
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| Casey's General Store |
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| Store in Ursa |
We got to Nauvoo and attended the 11 am endowment session. There were 14 sisters and 10 brothers in the session. Then we drove to the Historical Nauvoo Visitors' Center where we changed clothes and looked at all the exhibits. As soon as we had gotten into the car we called Sister Laurene Mathis in Franklin, NC, and sang "happy birthday" to her. It was her 74th and she had served with us on our mission.
Next we drove past the Heber C. Kimball home and visited the Wilford Woodruff home with Sisters Peterson and Walton. Sister Peterson knew Lynda's mother!
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| Heber C. Kimball Home |
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| Patty Sessions log home |
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| Wilford Woodruff Home |
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| Inside the Wilford Woodruff Home |
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| Inside the Wilford Woodruff Home |
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| Wilford Woodruff's desk |
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| The Wilford Woodruff Home kitchen |
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| Inside the Wilford Woodruff Home |
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| Sisters Walton and Peterson in the Wilford Woodruff Home |
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| Inside the Wilford Woodruff Home |
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| Inside the Wilford Woodruff Home |
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The First Presidency of the LDS Church with
President Wilford Woodruff in the center,
President Joseph F. Smith on the left, and
President George Q. Cannon on the right |
We saw a number of homes on the way to the Brigham Young home.
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| Lyon Drug & Variety Store |
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Jonathan Browning Gunsmith
Blacksmith & Farrier |
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| Browning Home & Gunsmith Shop |
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Post Office
F. Merryweather Proprietor |
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| John Taylor Home |
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Printing Office
Times & Seasons - Nauvoo Neighbor |
We then visited the Brigham Young home with Sisters Bowen and Smith.
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| The Brigham Young Home |
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| Inside the Brigham Young Home |
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| Inside the Brigham Young Home |
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| Inside the Brigham Young Home |
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| Requirements for Journey |
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| Inside the Brigham Young Home |
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| Inside the Brigham Young Home |
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| Inside the Brigham Young Home |
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| Inside the Brigham Young Home |
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| Inside the Brigham Young Home |
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| Lynda, Eileen, and Allen with Sister Bowen |
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| Lynda, Eileen, and Allen with Sister Bowen |
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| Sister Smith |
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| Inside the Brigham Young Home |
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| Inside the Brigham Young Home |
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| Down the stairwell at the Brigham Young Home |
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| Allen and Lynda in front of the Brigham Young Home |
Next was the Brickyard. Elder Aaron was there and the White's knew him as he had been in the Oakland Temple Presidency. He told us all about brick making.
Last was Webb Brothers' Blacksmith Shop with Elders Anderson and Curtis (his wife was the sister in the Cultural Hall). It was 4:55 and we had nice visit even though they are supposed to close at 5.
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| Eileen at the Webb Brothers' Blacksmith Shop |
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| Inside the Blacksmith Shop |
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| Eileen and Elder Anderson |
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| Elder Curtis in the Blacksmith Shop |
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| Inside the Blacksmith Shop |
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| Eileen in front of the Blacksmith & Farrier entrance |
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| Covered wagon by Webb Blacksmith Shop sign |
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| Shoeing Stock for Oxen |
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| Shoeing Stock for Oxen and Blacksmith & Farrier Shop |
We drove to the Mississippi River, taking pictures along the way.
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| Seventies Hall |
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| Memorial of Brigham Young and Joseph Smith Jr. |
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| Covered wagon on a raft |
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| Thirty markers along Parley St. contain quotes from journals and letters of early pioneers as they got ready to begin the great trek to the Rocky Mountains. |
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| Mississippi River at the foot of Parley St. |
We took some pictures in Hamilton, IL,
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| Unnamed mansion in Hamilton |
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| Unnamed mansion in Hamilton |
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| Google Maps View |
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| At the Hamilton/Nauvoo Junction |
and stopped in Ursa again for Blue Bunny ice cream. Lynda and I got the Big Mississippi Mud sandwiches. Eileen and Allen got the chocolate eclairs on a stick.
We had supper in Quincy, IL, at Texas Roadhouse which we had never been to before. We got back to the resort in the dark about 8:45 pm. We were too tired and it was too late for Mexican Train.
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| Texas Roadhouse |
On Wednesday 7 May we drove to Bowling Green and checked out the home of politician James Beauchamp "Champ" Clark (1850-1921).
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| Eileen on our front porch |
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| Exiting the resort |
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| Bowling Green |
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| Honey Shuck, home of "Champ" Clark |
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| Honey Shuck, home of "Champ" Clark |
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| Honey Shuck National Historic Landmark |
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| Honey Shuck, home of "Champ" Clark |
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| Water pump in the backyard |
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| Statue of "Champ" Clark in front of Bowling Green Courthouse |
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| Statue of "Champ" Clark |
Then we rode around the Amish area, stopping at an Amish fabric shop. Some places on our map no longer had a business and others were closed on Wednesday.
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| Amish carriage and horse |
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| Amish road sign |
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| Many Amish had the surname Eicher |
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| Amish home with carriage |
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| Amish carriage |
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| Handsome horse |
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| Lovely shrubbery |
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We took this picture as our friend who runs the
Gilmer County Food Pantry is named Farmer. |
Then we drove to Hannibal to see some sights that we missed on Monday. We went ahead and gassed up for $3.429 which is the price everywhere in Hannibal. We parked by the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum. Allen took a picture of us holding the Times-Courier in front of the fence that was whitewashed in "Tom Sawyer." Observe the bucket of whitewash beside the fence.
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| Ben and Eileen |
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| Allen and Lynda |
We walked up to the Big River Train Town & Museum which had a delightful model railroad layout!
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| The Haunted House on Hill Street |
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Allen, Eileen, and Lynda in front of
the Big River Train Town & Museum |
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| Engine Joe |
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| Lots of train layouts to follow |
Eileen made some pottery purchases at Ayers Pottery and the sales gal there said "yes" to my two Book of Mormon questions!
Then we had a big salad and delicious fettuccine and meatball dinner! We played Mexican Train and Lynda won again! I was last and had over 500 points which was horrible! Midway through the game my score was so bad that I had more points than the other three combined!
On Thursday 8 May we were up early and drove to the St. Louis Temple for the 10 am endowment session. There were 12 sisters and eight brothers in the session. We changed clothes and bought a couple of items on the Distribution Center Building.
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| The St. Louis Temple |
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| The St. Louis Temple |
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| The St. Louis Temple |
We drove to Union Station in St. Louis for the White's to pick up a collectible for a relative back home from the Hard Rock Cafe. We parked and went into Union Station to meet them. I realized that Eileen and I had been there about seven years ago when we were in St. Louis for the NCTM math conference. Just as at that time (I think) we ate at Landry's Seafood Restaurant. At that time we had been there with Craig and Joan Blemly, Dale and Irene Lauermann, and others!
After we ate we went to the St. Louis Public Library for Allen to use their computer facilities to print out their boarding passes for tomorrow. I took pictures of the magnificent Episcopalian Christ Church Cathedral next door.
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| St. Louis Public Library |
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| Christ Church Cathedral |
We then drove to Jefferson Barracks and visited the Old Ordnance Room (here are some pictures)
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| Left entrance to Jefferson Barracks |
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| Right entrance to Jefferson Barracks |
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| Entrance to the Old Ordnance Room |
and the Missouri Civil War Museum which was excellent! The fellow at the museum got to chatting with us, name of John L. Maurath. He is of German ancestry, speaks German well, and got all excited when I told him about Helen, Georgia. I bought two St. Louis baseball books in the gift shop, "As Good As It Got - The 1944 St. Louis Browns" and "St. Louis' Big League Ballparks." On the way out I mentioned about Allen having served a church mission in Germany. He asked what church and he told us how much he enjoyed the LDS genealogical resources. He is trying to learn more about an ancestor who died in the Civil War and Allen has the information and his card from the museum.
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| Missouri Civil War Museum |
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| Civil War Sesquicentennial |
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| Missouri Civil War Museum |
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| General Robert E. Lee |
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| Inside the Museum |
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| Carriage Wheel |
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| Birth of the Confederacy |
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| First Shots Fired |
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| The War Horse |
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| Studebaker Horse Wagon |
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| Bloodshed and Bandages |
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| Sounds of War |
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| Rolling Thunder |
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| Kansas Jayhawkers |
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| Missouri Guerrillas |
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| Jesse James, Missouri Guerrilla |
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| Medicine and War |
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| Money and Finance |
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| Emancipation Proclamation |
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| Horse Soldiers |
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| Women in War |
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| Honoring the Fallen |
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| Capturing History |
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| Matthew Brady, Civil War Photographer |
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| Inside the Museum |
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| General Robert E. Lee |
We headed home, stopping along the way at a Dress Barn in Chesterfield. We got gas in Eolia one last time for $3.399. We got back to the resort at 7:10 pm and it was raining on us as we got out of the car.
We played Mexican Train. Lynda won again and Eileen was last. Allen was second and I was third. We began packing.
On Friday 9 May we were up early, finished packing, and loaded the car. We had time and played half of a game of Mexican Train. Lynda was winning and Allen was last. Eileen and I were close.
We left the resort about 10:10 am and checked out at the front guard shack. The gal there said "yes" to my two Book of Mormon questions!
We stopped for a "pit stop" near St. Louis and Eileen got two Big Mississippi Mud sandwiches and two chocolate eclairs on a stick for us!
We dropped off Allen and Lynda at the St. Louis Lambert Airport at the Southwest terminal 2 at about noon. We rearranged our luggage and put Eileen's clothing on the hangar bar in the back seat. They texted us shortly thereafter that their flight was delayed almost an hour :(
We drove through Illinois and Indiana, stopping at Stoll's Country Inn, an Amish buffet, in Evansville for an early supper.
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| Crossing the Mississippi River |
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| Crossing the Mississippi River |
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| Crossing the Mississippi River |
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| Indiana Rest Stop |
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| Stoll's Country Inn in Evansville |
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We Don't Skinny Dip...
We Chunky Dunk |
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| Lots of quilts on the walls |
We got hit with a bodacious rain, wind, and hail storm on US 41 in Evansville! There were momentary whiteout conditions and power was out, so every intersection was a four-way stop! Soon we were out of it but the sky looked awful to our north. After watching the Weather Channel the following Tuesday, we saw that we had driven through a macroburst that did millions of dollars of damage to the area!
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| Crossing the Ohio River into Owensboro |
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| Ohio River |
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| We found Zion! |
Then it was into Kentucky and we stayed at the Sleep Inn in Owensboro, arriving about 5:45 pm. Someone had the roll-around carts, so the manager took all our luggage on two trips to our room while I waited by the car. The rain started pouring and I needed our umbrella as I parked the car.
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| Sleep Inn in Owensboro |
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| Sleep Inn Lobby |
Having the Internet on a steady basis for the first time in over a week was delightful! I read the British Crier newsletter from our mission and posted the following to Facebook:
"Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do." (2 Nephi 32:3)
"It is certain that one who studies the scriptures every day accomplishes far more than one who devotes considerable time one day and then lets days go by before continuing. Not only should we study each day, but there should be a regular time set aside when we can concentrate without interference." -Howard W. Hunter ("Reading the Scriptures," Ensign, November 1979, p. 64).
On Saturday 10 May we slept in until past 8 am. We checked out at 9. The clerk in the hotel said "yes" to my two Book of Mormon questions! We went to the Daviess County Public Library to research my great-grandfather B. C. Frith's second wife Virginia Sawyer who was born in Owensboro in 1868. The library has a large genealogy section with its own genealogist Jerry Long. He found a lot for me on his computer and on microfilms, to include the newspaper articles from 1916 and 1944 on her marriage to B. C. Frith and her death.
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| Front of Daviess County Public Library |
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| Rear of Daviess County Public Library |
We got gas for $3.599 in Morgantown, Kentucky, at 11 am. We stopped in Smyrna, Tennessee, at the Cracker Barrel for lunch. It was very crowded!
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| Cracker Barrel in Smyrna, Tennessee |
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| Tennessee Rest Stop |
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| Tennessee Amvets Memorial to All Veterans |
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| Tennessee Rest Stop |
We took some pictures along I-24.
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| An unusual oversized load! |
We went to South Pittsburg, Tennessee, to the Lodge factory store (Lodge cast-iron products) and Eileen made a couple of purchases.
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| Green Egg grills |
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| Charcoal starters |
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| Lodge skillets |
On the way home our car's mileage went past 72,610 which means we've driven 12,000 miles since 22 December. We drove 32,000 our first year and it looks like we're on track to do it again!
We got home about 6:30 or so and all was well here! Then I unloaded the car, we unpacked, and I went through all the mail that had been on hold while we were away.
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