On Sunday 5 July we enjoyed "Music & the Spoken Word" on the White's TV prior to church. We attended the Irvington Ward with them.
Opening hymn was #339 "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" text by Samuel F. Smith (1808-1895) and music from Thesaurus Musicus, London, 1744.
Sacrament hymn was #193 "I Stand All Amazed" text and music by Charles H. Gabriel (1856-1932).
Today was Fast Sunday and many members bore their testimonies, starting with Bishop Lee Griffith. He referenced the passing of President Boyd K. Packer and spoke of the first talk by him in general conference in April 1977 that he, Bishop Griffith, listened to as he prepared to go on his mission. That talk was about the need for a Mediator and has been referenced in the Church ever since.
Later another brother referenced President Packer, "spiritual crocodiles," the LDS scriptures, and his visit to England where he shared with clergy there about the 17 pages in the new Topical Guide listing all about Jesus Christ.
Closing hymn was #338 "America the Beautiful" text by Katherine Lee Bates (1859-1929) and music by Samuel A. Ward (1848-1903).
Gospel Doctrine was lesson #23 “Love One Another, As I Have Loved You" using Luke 22:1-38; John 13-15. We had that lesson two weeks ago in Colleen's ward. We were going to attend the family history class with Allen and Lynda, and we remembered to bring Eileen's laptop with us. But Eileen decided that she wanted to attend Gospel Doctrine. I excused myself and sat on a comfy chair in the foyer as the folding chairs are too painful for me to sit on. I will need a seat cushion in the future.
The hymn the last hour was #19 "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet" text by William Fowler (1830-1865) and music by Caroline Sheridan Norton (1808-ca. 1877).
We all gathered together, male and female, age 12 and older, in the chapel. After announcements by the various organizations, Bishop Griffith read Jacob 1:18-19. He read the letter "The Divine Institution of Marriage" from the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles about the recent Supreme Court decision about same-sex marriage. Afterwards there were comments and discussion.
Bishop Griffith spoke of the leading up to the Supreme Court decision by our society. He said that marriage and children have been decoupled in the last 50 years. Now marriage does not mean having children and having children outside of marriage is common.
At home we all got comfortable. We were preparing Eileen’s Aunt Esther Nielsen’s birthday card but did not have the address on Eileen’s laptop of the assisted living place in Pennsylvania near her son Roger. We called her daughter Lynn in Flemington and Lynn filled us in on Aunt Esther’s deteriorating health. She fell a few days ago and broke her hip and had had several falls earlier. She is no longer very lucid either. Eileen called her brother Russell and sister Jane to fill them in. We will send the birthday card to Lynn’s home.
Allen and I went for a ride up in the hills above Fremont after dropping off mail at the post office. I mailed our tithing to our branch president and a birthday card to Aunt Esther. Meanwhile Eileen and Lynda worked on cutting fabric for the making of potholders as gifts for those back in Georgia whom she visit teaches.
After supper we played Mexican Train. Eileen won followed by Allen and Lynda with me on last place.
I finished reading chapter 17 of President Joseph F. Smith's "Gospel Doctrine" entitled "Amusements and Fashions."
On Monday 6 July we were up early as Eileen went with Lynda to the local pool for water aerobics. We went to Ardenwood Historical Park but it was closed today. So we went to Mission San Jose. The museum and St. Joseph's Church were very nice and we took lots of pictures, including one of us holding the Times-Courier.
Then we drove to Half Moon Bay and enjoyed lunch again at Sam's Chowder House. After leaving the restaurant we passed Sun Studios.
Back home we had no supper and played Mexican Train. Lynda won followed by Allen and Eileen with me dropping into last place on the last hand. It was a very unusual game with all four of us in the 200's!
I finished the July Ensign magazine of the White's. Of course, it was filled with many wonderful articles. Two that I read aloud to Eileen were "One Couple Serving, One Family Learning" and "Filled with Life and Energy." The White's heard the second one, too. The first was about a stake president inspired to ask a couple not yet 50 years old to serve a mission and the inactive family in New Zealand whom they reactivated.
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Lonne and Nancy Gubler (far right) with Reuben and Nara Hayward
and their sons, Whaimutu and Hikurangi. |
The second asked, "What one practice, if followed consistently and with discipline, would help you have better health, energy, and inspiration?" The advice of Elder Harold B. Lee to Elder Marion G. Romney was: Go to bed early and get up early! It quoted Genesis 19:27 about Abraham, Exodus 34:4 about Moses, Joshua 6:12 about Joshua, Mark 1:35 about the Savior, and John 20:1 about Mary Magdalene.
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| Go to bed early and get up early! |
A member of the First Quorum of the Seventy said that the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles all do it. D&C 88:124 was quoted. Benjamin Franklin's maxim was "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." This is something we should seriously consider when we return home.
I also enjoyed very much "Matthew Cowley's Mission to New Zealand." I read the poem "One Holy Moment" and the hymn "Bread of Life, Living Water" to Eileen this evening.
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| A group of Maori Saints with Elder Cowley |
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| Elder Matthew Cowley |
On Tuesday 7 July we were up very early as Eileen had her first atrial fib episode in nearly two years. We were going to go to Sacramento today but will not. Our blood sugar shot up about 25 points due to our big bad lunch at Sam's Chowder House yesterday!
Allen and I gave Eileen a priesthood blessing. The atrial fib got better but did not go away, so I took her to the same urgent care I went to for my finger last week. The EKG showed the atrial fib though right after that it had stopped. The doctor wanted her to go next door to the ER to make sure that there was no heart damage. We refused the ambulance and walked across the bridge to the ER building.
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| Urgent Care |
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| Eileen checks in at the ER |
In the ER we saw the nurse who took another EKG and Eileen was right in that the atrial fib had ceased. Then we were taken, after a lengthy wait, to that part of the ER where there are individual beds with the curtains around them.
While waiting to see the doctor I finished reading chapter 18 of President Joseph F. Smith's "Gospel Doctrine" entitled "Love Your Enemies."
Blood was drawn and we saw the doctor. He said all looked good but was waiting on the blood work. This all took hours!! We finally got out of there after 7 pm!
We enjoyed cold meat loaf, salad, and broccoli for supper. Then we played Mexican Train. Allen won followed by Lynda followed by me with Eileen in last place.
On Wednesday 8 July we enjoyed a visit to the Ardenwood Historic Farm with its Patterson House and gardens. We had our picture taken with the Times-Courier.
Then we visited Baskin-Robbins and got some sugar-free ice cream, pineapple coconut and caramel turtle truffle.
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| Allen, Lynda, and Eileen at Baskin-Robbins |
Later Eileen and Lynda went shopping and I went to Target for a couple of things for Eileen while Allen took a nap. After we all got home Eileen and I went to Costco for gas at $2.999, very low for California, and to Jo-Ann Fabrics for a few things.
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| Target |
In my reading I got back to Inspector Cleek in "The Riddle of the Spinning Wheel" by Thomas W. Hanshew. Cleek's man Dollops went fishing singing the song “Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Ole Kit-Bag and Smile, Smile, Smile!” It is a World War I marching song. So I found it on YouTube and here is the link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kXcs1Vv3YlE.
After supper we played our last game of Mexican Train. Lynda won followed by myself, Eileen, and Allen.
I published the 12 April entry of my blog!
On Thursday 9 July we were up early and continued packing. I went to Boudin's at 8 am and got three loaves of bread, jalapeño cheddar, multigrain, and sourdough long. We enjoyed some for breakfast.
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| Inside Boudin's |
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| Eileen, Lynda, and Allen as we prepare to leave |
Back home I finished packing the car. We got on our way at 10 am.
We had one pit stop in the mountains and as we approached Truckee, CA, at 7300 ft altitude we encountered lots of rain and hail which had fallen all over earlier! We stopped in Truckee and I ran into the little California Welcome Center for a map of California. We have lots of state maps in the two door pockets of our car.
We filled up in Fernley, NV, for $2.929. There are casinos everywhere!! Every truck stop/gas station has its own casino. The Quality Inn has its own casino and restaurant. We ran into more rain in Nevada along I-80. We restocked our candy and some cheese at the Walmart in Winnemucca where the hotel is located. Our odometer reached 107000.
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| Nevada scenery in Fernley |
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| Historic car |
After supper in the Quality Inn's Fill 'Er Up Diner we returned to our room after taking some pictures of cars and models of cars in the casino and front desk of the hotel. Eileen enjoyed vegging out watching TV and I finished reading "The Riddle of the Spinning Wheel" by Mary E. and Thomas W. Hanshew, another Cleek of Scotland Yard novel, that I began three days ago and couldn't put down.
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| Fill 'Er Up Diner |
On Friday 10 July we had breakfast in the Fill 'Er Up Diner and left about 9:45. We stopped at 10:50 at the Beowawe rest area. Our odometer read 107107.
We filled up in Wells, NV, for $2.999. We got to the Cliff Club in Snowbird in Little Cottonwood Canyon about 3 pm. They have no record of our reservation! We got registered and they will check with I. I. on Monday.
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| Seen along the way |
We drove into Salt Lake City and visited Ed and Nora Moulder. We went to dinner with them at the Lamb's Grill which was very good. It was on our list of places to eat on our mission but we didn't make it there. They treated us.
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| Eileen, Nora, and Ed Moulder |
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Joseph Smith Memorial Building, Salt Lake Temple,
and Church Office Building |
We returned to the Cliff Club after 9 pm but it was still a bit light out so it wasn't too scary going up the road. The lodge is over 8000 feet in elevation with a 9% grade on the road. It takes 40 minutes to reach the Moulder's.
I began and finished "While the Light Lasts A Short Story" by Agatha Christie.
On Saturday 11 July I woke early and began and finished "The Manhood of Edward Robinson A Short Story" by Agatha Christie.
It was a turbulent day as I emailed the gal at Capital Resorts and called Interval International. The latter had no units at Cliff Club but they were able to set us up at Marriott's Summit Watch in Park City. We immediately checked out of Cliff Club and they didn't charge us for the one night! Christina Rodriguez was so good to us!
We had a lot of help from two bellhops and left at 11:30. It took an hour to get to the Marriott and we're in a lovely unit with full kitchen, two bathroom sinks, jacuzzi, very nice shower, king bed, etc.
The gal from Capital Resorts said that they had made the reservation at Cliff Club but no one at Cliff Club or Interval International knew about it. I emailed her back and asked her about setting up accommodations for us in Branson, Missouri.
We drove in Salt Lake City and visited Chandler's Walk Shoppe where Eileen had done her shoe shopping on our mission.
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| Historic car in Salt Lake City |
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| Eileen at Chandler's |
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| Eileen trying on shoes |
Then we drove to the Family History Library where I dropped Eileen off with her laptop. I drove to the Moulder's parking garage. Ed had given me several tokens for the garage. I walked along South Temple and through Temple Square in the East Gate and out the West Gate to the FHL.
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| Eagle Gate |
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| Private School House plaque |
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| Eagle Gate Plaque |
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| Joseph Smith Memorial Building undergoing renovation |
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| Unto All Nations The Book of Mormon |
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| Salt Lake Temple |
I went down to B2, the British floor, and admired all the changes. We visited with Sister Holtsclaw, Marci Despain, Mark Carpenter, and Elder Bart Conlin who was on the main floor.
We walked to the parking garage and drove back to Park City where we did some shopping at Smith's Supermarket. They had a lot of Walden Farms salad dressings.
I made the tossed salad for supper and Eileen fixed yummy salmon.
At bedtime after reading to Eileen I began and finished "Wireless A Short Story" by Agatha Christie.
