Alaska in December 2009

I serve in the Family History Center with a woman that lived near Fairbanks, AK, for over twenty years. When she heard that I was going to Alaska in December, she said "What for?" The reason is shown below -- a cute little thing like Sage would get anyone there let alone her grandpa. I had a great time and am grateful for the opportunity. Sage is a mild little girl that, as would be expected, is complementing her family just fine.

Lindsay and Steven are great hosts and I appreciated the kindness that they showed to me during my visit. They took the time to show me around and I completely enjoyed myself. Lindsay had obtained (another word for purchased but I don't know at what discount so I will just use "obtained") a manger scene dress up set. You can see "Mary" below with her baby. Brynn is a very good big sister and frequently wants to hold or at least visit with her sister. That means getting about two inches in front of Sage's face and talking to her "cute sister".

We went to Eagle River's evening celebration of Santa's arrival. He came in a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer (the real thing!). The city had choirs, hot chocolate, hot peanuts, hot popcorn (the "hot" theme helped keep people around for the festivities). Brynn and friends got to visit with Santa. Steve took me on base. It is big -- like Hill AFB in Ogden. I got to see his office and meet those he works with and hear their praises for him. It made this Dad proud. It was fun seeing F-22s, F-15s, C-17s, moose (oh yes, on the far side of the base near the lakes when Steven has fished). Elemendorf isn't just any old AFB, it is a special place and fits very nicely in the Alaska experience. We had fun sledding on their front lawn -- the jump at the end was an experience for a person's tailbone (you can see Lindsay looking forward to it in the photo).

Steven and Lindsay are well integrated in their ward. They are busy with callings and helping others. I was impressed with the members and their desire to have everyone feel welcome. Steve gave Sage Renee a nice blessing. I am thankful for how our family honors their covenants.

After experiencing two winters in Norway, it wasn't a shock to see the sun sitting on the horizon at 1:30 p.m. as we came out of the base commissary (see photo). Because of the mountain to the south of their home, they don't get direct sunlight at this time of the year. It is pitch black at 9 a.m. It is light from around 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and getting shorter for two more weeks.

One day Steve and I took a ride to Wasilla and Willow to the north. Bonnie (my sister) and her family formerly lived at the LDS church camp in Willow so it was fun to see that area. I am sure it is beautiful in the summer with its numberous lakes. Steve said it is home to a wonderful fishery with its rivers and lakes. We were going to drop by and see Sara Palin in Wasilla but she was in Salt Lake City that day at a book signing.

We spend a day on the Kenai peninsula. It is the home to wonderful salmon fishing but we were by ourselves on that day. I think snow, ice around the exposed rocks, and 20F had something to do with it. We enjoyed ourselves anyway. Steve used his excellent fishing talents to hook a rainbow and two salmon. The silver salmon he landed was a beautiful fish and I look forward to that time when I will have the opportunity to land some of my own.

I didn't do any fishing but I had a good time with my camera. The bald eagles were busy flying the waterway. It is a great country. The mountains were beautiful, the air clean, and the company I kept was excellent. Thanks for the memories.

West Valley & South Jordan

What comes first to you when you think of Thanksgiving? We had an enjoyable time at the Gillettes for year and I feel it was captured in my two photos. Linda's (or Louise's or ...) rolls have a soft spot in my heart and always space in my stomach. The sun caught the glow just right and I thank those that prepared a great meal.

Thanksgiving is about being grateful for our wonderful families, gospel truths, our country, etc. We are so fortunate to have good relationships with our families and I thank each one of you for being so good to be around. Jeff continued his absolute dominance in Connect Four. I have a version loaded on my iPod so maybe with some practice .... nah, I don't want to burst his bubble.

We completely enjoy each visit to Jeff & Janae's home. The children love to hear stories from Grandma Peterson so they take advantage of every opportunity -- this one at 7:31 a.m.

From a professional standpoint, I guess Kristen could provide answers on personality development. I have been fascinated with how early a person's personality begins to be exhibited. As I was taking photos of Megan, she was having a great time on her rocking horse then the next minute she was giving me "the look". It is a joy to participate in life. I remarked to Louise that each day is a gift. Each one comes with a different wrapper. Each one is useful.

Christmas is coming and the joy and anticipation is fun to watch. Louise, of course, provided the antlers and the kids were eager to she how they fit. They obviously suit Claire just fine. And yes, Louise provided the gingerbread boy puzzle.

We had one more activity this last Saturday at the Stephenson's. We made reindeer sandwiches for lunch. The base is peanut butter, the eyes are 1/2 marsh mellow with a chocolate chip, the nose a grape, and the "hay" carrot sticks and string cheese.

Obviously not too much to write about

What do you think of our new remodel? We found it very convenient at about 2:00 a.m.! No really, it was the beginning of our bathroom remodel for our two main floor bathrooms. All we were doing was replace the carpet with tile (good move) then get new towels and once I am done with the new laminate flooring I will finish the base boards.

The master bathroom tile is white that has faint blue swirls with a grey grout.

I (Martin) removed the carpet, pad, and 10,000 staples and got it ready for the fellow that installed the tile. The main bathroom tile is light brown that ties quite well with the existing colors. Louise did a nice job selecting towels and rug for this room.

Temples and our family

Thanks to DJ for providing the visual for my comments (19 June 2009).

I enjoyed the Oquirrh Mountain dedication on 23 August. I was sitting there next to my eternal sweetheart, taking notes, and having thoughts. I want to share some of my notes then some comments. My intent is to provide some thoughts that are uplifting and hopefully make us feel good for what we have been given.

(Sister Allred) When we become covenant people by entering the temple, we receive immediate and future blessings. Because of all of the symbolism, there is much to be learned by the spirit. Come often so your vision of light and truth can increase. (Elder Sybrowsky) Make sure all of our ancestors are accounted for. Don't postpone their or your blessings. (Elder Zwick) The feeling of the temple is a feeling you always want with you. May the fire of the covenant burn in us. (Elder Ballard) Do all we can to make temple attendance regular. Don't loose sight of what we learn in the temple (Satan will try to lull us away.) (Pres. Monson) Visit the temple regularly -- come frequently. Have a picture of the temple in every bedroom. In our busy lives (he mentioned golf and other pastimes), let us have time for the Savior of the world.

It was in Elder Zwick's talk that I made a note that even with my cast, I can go to the temple. Louise and I went last Saturday and I made it around OK so I thought "I can do this!" Yesterday was a good day-- I got to the temple at 7:55 AM and left at 5:10 PM. I went to the 8:30, 10:30, and 1:00 endowment sessions then did sealings for an hour at 3:15. The only help I needed was for someone to take my lunch tray to my table and after I was finished. I really enjoyed the day. I don't know that I learned a lot about the symbolism but I did better appreciate the atonement of Jesus Christ and his love for each one of us. I love to do sealings because the promises for those people that have been waiting so long were also given to Louise and I and to each one of our sweet family. The blessings are real, the sealing power is evident, and my greatest desire is for all of us to be together in purpose now and joined as an eternal unit forever. Thanks for your many efforts and faithfulness in bringing all of this to pass. Dad.

Clinging to summer

31 August 2009

On this last day of August, my fingers are clinging to summer. It is my favorite season here in Cache Valley. The warmth, the green grass and trees with clear summer air, and the inviting mountains all combine to make it a season that I enjoy. But seasons come and go and a crisp Fall will soon be on its way. It was 52F this morning so the evaporative cooler fan did a good job of cooling the house down for the day.

I was enjoying an early morning (7:45) read on the deck late last week as the sun began to flood the valley. As its rays reached Hyde Park, I felt the warmth then enjoyed a treat as the light did its art work in our grass. The dew drops on the top of each blade created a prism and a dazzling display spread out before me as the clear drops began to turn into violet colored drops of "paint". I wasn't able to fully capture the scene but you can get an idea of it in my photo with the blue around each drop.
This time of year also signals the hunt for the Monarch caterpillar. I have been able to gather adequate specimens in the past to supply Louise's class. She has a nice home where they can form their chrysalis then the children can enjoy seeing them turn into the beautiful butterflies. All I could do this year was to go along with Louise and show her my hunting grounds and she had to do the work. Gratefully, we were successful in our hunt. I found it interesting in my internet research this morning that the Spring (1st generation) through the 3rd generation insects only live 2-6 weeks (egg through adult stages). The 4th generation (the one we are dealing with) comes out of the chrysalis in September and migrates to southern California or Mexico and lives 6-8 months where the cycle begins anew.

Last Thursday the doctor took out my stitches (the surgical site looks good) and put on a cast. Oh that original "two weeks of no weight bearing" has turned into a total of six weeks (four weeks in the cast). Oh well, as long as it turns out as hoped.

Gliders, heel, bread --what?

21 August 2009

Gliders
I am not having bad dreams in my post-surgical state. I just have had some experiences in the last ten days that I wanted to share. On Tuesday (11 Aug), the day before my surgery, I was busy in the yard and noticed quite a few planes towing gliders toward our mountains. The gliders were beautiful aircraft as they did their circling to gain altitude. I went to the Logan airport and found out that there were 30 gliders here in a five day competition. The second photo was the last glider being towed to his launch point east of Hyde Park. Tuesday's route was from Logan to Pocatello, ID and back here. There is a local fellow that is licensed to take passengers so I am going to look at that option.

Heel surgery

I just need to document this so I will bore you with some details. About fourteen years ago I started to have problems with my Achilles tendon. It would be very tender at times and in addition to giving up running I had to limit my hiking (for a guy that loves the mountains, a time to complain). I went to several doctors but they all said there wasn't anything that could be done and they did not want to deal with an Achilles that could come loose. Went it got quite tender about three months ago so I said "self, let's find out what is really wrong". I went to a podiatrist surgeon that looked 18 years old (actually he is Janae's age). He took an x-ray and a huge bone spur that looked like a fish hood was under the attachment site for my Achelles. Ya so, so that was the problem! As you can see from the nasty swelling on my right heel, a fix was needed so Dr. Huff obliged on 12 Aug. He took about two hours to detach about 40% of my Achelles, smooth out the bone (he said he used among other things a rasp file; I had told him he could use my Dremmel drill --he declined but he was a good joe about it), and reattach the tendon with two pins that will dissolve. Cool. I am not to have any weight bearing for 4-5 weeks then a boot for two weeks. It will be cast next week for the last 2-3 weeks of non-weight bearing.

My heels on 11 August 2009. Right one was the one to get fixed.

My view from my command post in the family room.

My command post. I have a lap top, my key books, the TV remote and a series of drawers that hold important things like Oreos, cinnamon bears, magazines, etc.

Even though I have been working on projects, this time to sit has been a good learning experience. I have a much better appreciation of those that just can't get around. Little things on the floor get irritating (I managed to vacuum them up). People that you think could drop by for a short visit don't. It made me realize all of the opportunities that I have had to cheer people up have been missed. Well, time to begin anew. Louise and Jared have been super to help. I know it is a terrible time for Louise to help with a new school year but she had not complained. What a sweet heart!

Now the bread thing ---

Our garden has done well this year. We were eating supper the other night and I grabbed my camera and took this shot. Tomatoes, apricots, zucchini, and corn (lots of it right now) from our garden. We will have bucket fulls of tomatoes soon ... not a good year to do much with them. I might take a bunch to the food pantry if our family, friends and neighbors don't want them.

I heard Louise visiting with the Stephenson's last night and how she is going to visit them this weekend. I know she likes to take something baked to them but no way does she have time by this evening. I thought, hey, there are some zucchini on the counter waiting to be used, why not bake some bread. So I did. I used 1/2 C oil and 1/2 C applesauce instead of 1 C oil. I have had a piece and it is quite good.

July 2009 in review

July 2009

As you can see from the many excited faces (thanks Louise and Heidi), we are having lots of fun at the Bees baseball game. The fireworks are the big event of the evening but being at a ball game is also fun. Watching some baseball, eating, some baseball, eating, --- you get the rhythm. The innings wore on until at 10:50 and the game tied at the bottom of the 10th (or 11th), we gave up. The game ended just as we were getting to West Valley City. Oh well, maybe next year for the fireworks. It was still worth it because we were with family.


Campsite #13 at Spring Hollow (3rd dam in Logan canyon) is our favorite. It has the stream from the spring running in the back of the site and it is relatiavely close to Hyde Park so Kristen and other clean freaks can shower every day. Come on, we are out of doors so who needs to shower every day! We had to make three or four trips to the site to secure it but it was worth it. Some good memories have been made there -- think smoores galore.

While the Ford's were running around Alaska (grrrr, everyone (it seemed like) but me went there this year. Just wait until next year), Louise and I went to Tony Grove and enjoyed the flowers. I have loved the mountains and forests ever since I was a Boy Scout. The smell of the sage and evergreens, the clear air, the trails, all blend to make it a good experience every time I go.

We can even have fun in our own neighborhood. Gary Andersen, our neighbor, loves horses and likes to share them. We thought it would be fun to get the Fords and Stephensons on a horse so Gary helped us out. He has a pasture in his backyard so we loaded everyone on two of his horses and rode around the rink. Megan loved the horse and screamed all of the three times we had to peel her off of it. Louise, Kristen, and Janae enjoyed riding as much as the children. I just took a bunch of photos.

June 2009 in review

(Monday, August 17, 2009) It is real quiet around the house. I am sitting in the Lay-Z-Boy chair trying to feel useful while my foot is all wrapped up from my heel surgery last Wednesday. I am finding out how limited a three-legged stool is in its reach. The doctor tells me that I am not to have any weight bearing on my right foot for four (4!) weeks. Man, that is forever in my short term world. Our home teacher gave me a blessing and in it he blessed me with patience so I will be a better patient. Anyway, I got thinking of all the things we did over the summer (Louise is back at school so summer is over for us) and I will share them one month at a time.

June: The WEDDING was the big news and I have already shared some info on that so we will move on to other items.

Early in June we took a hike with Janae and Kristen and children to the fossel beds at Spring Hollow. As always, it is an adventure to see who can find the neatest fossels. Megan, as you can see, thought the dandelion parachutes were the neatest find.


I thought it would be fun to show the Fords a new part of Utah so in late June we drove to Escalante and stayed there two nights. There is a petrified forest area near the town so that made for a fun one mile hike. The boys really liked the cable TV and Cartoon Network in the evening. The adults also enjoyed the opportuity to just kick back and read and visit with no pressure to go anywhere.


Friday was the "travel to see things" day. We drove down the Hole-in-the-Rock road for about 25 miles to get to the slot canyon Peek-a-boo. The drive was fine but getting into the bottom of the canyon was a major event for those that are "height sensitive". Martin took each person across a rock face so we wouldn't loose anyone down the wall (it wasn't that bad but it was the only way move forward). Once we reached the slot canyon and found it uninviting with a large mud puddle at its entrance, we circled around to the back entrance and entered it that way. As you can see from Kristen's photo, it was rather tight in some places but it was still fun.


A number of years ago I (Martin) took Steven and Jared to this area. We went to a dionsaur track area that was awesome so I thought I would take the fam to the same area. Even though a thunderstorm was approaching, I thought I could find the tracks and get the family onto the bluff. Well, sand has been blown in and covered up much of the tracks so it wasn't worth hauling the family up another rock wall. We barely got to the car and out of the sandy road area when the storm hit. We headed for our motel but after a couple of minutes I saw clearing in the west so I turned back to Devil's Garden. I am glad I did. We had fun running around the formations (see below).

Saturday morning was Bryce Canyon time and then home. The scenes were beautiful as the sun shown across the canyon. The hike down into the bottom of the canyon was another adventure for the faint of heart but it was still interesting. It is something about switch backs and little boys that got the females in our group a bit more than apprehensive. However, we made it and made our way back to Hyde Park later that evening. It is truly worth it to make the effort to go places and do things because memories are always created.

August 2009 in review

August 2009

The Fords were busy getting packed for their trip back to the Congo in August but we still had some fun family time. As you can see from his photo, Soren was excited to race his sailboat in the Cub Scout Regatta. Actually, he and Charles had a good time making the boat and it did very well. Excuse being partial, but it was by far the best looking boat of about a zillion little sailing vessels. We made a trip to So. Jordan to be with the Stephensons before the final Ford pack off. We went to the head of Little Cottonwood Canyon and took the hike to Cecret Lake. The flowers were outstanding! We had to have hit it at their peak. Yes, more photos for my hard drive. I was very impressed with the little people on the 1.5 mile round trip hike. It gains quite a bit of altitude and they did very well. Megan got carried most of the way but that was OK. I also appreciated the relaxing feel of the lake.
Louise, Megan, and Claire on the Cecret Lake trail.

We went from the mountains to Jeff's parents pool. It was "fun for some" with splashing and the other antics that go on open time pool play. Louise thought that the water squirters would be a nice little play thing instead of the deadly devices that wrecked havoc at every squirt! Faces, of course, were forbundt targets but some got it anyway. It got really entertaining when Jeff and his co-conspiritor brother aimed them at LaKay (tired from her work) -- "don't you dare SQUIRT" ---- . Wet attire resulted and LaKay retired from the pool area for a while. The big boys didn't miss a beat by then turning them again on Louise, Kristen, and anyone else on the poolside. Actually, it was a nice time and we very much appreciated being able to play in the water.

The water has been high on the streams due to plentiful snow earlier this year. The Left Hand Fork of the Blacksmith is down so Charles loaded up Soren and Anders (new fly rod for him) and we headed up for a good time. As always, we had a good time. Charles did a nice time of introducing the boys to the fine art of fly casting and they did quite well. I took Soren and Charles was with Anders. Both boys caught fish so it was extra special. Charles mentioned something like "Steve and I would have stayed until dark" but the three of us prevailed for an earlier exit. To be continued next year.

Jared & Lisa wedding

Here it is July 9 and I am entering info on a great day we had back in June (19th). Summers go waaay too fast. It was a fun week and the wedding day was special for all of us -- especially Jared and Lisa. We (Louise and I) deeply appreciated all of the family gathering for the activities and just some good visits. There was a tremendous amount of work done to make it a special wedding shower at our home and a fun reception. Thanks again to all.

Shower week included visiting with family, having a bunch of folks to a wedding shower, and some followup activities for Claire's birthday.

The wedding day included the memorable wedding ceremony in a full sealing room in the Logan Temple, a 2:30 pm luncheon at the Iron Gate Grill (very good food), and a fun time at the Old Rock Church in Providence for a reception. I was very impressed with Lisa's efforts on making and decorating the wedding cake and reception refreshments. We welcome Lisa to our family. We have certainly enjoyed getting to know her family.

Wild blue yonder

Kristen, the boys, Louise, and I went to Hill AFB on 6 June along with a zillion others to watch aircraft of the past and present. It is a bit belated to write about our day at Hill but it is still worth it. I love anything to do with aircraft so spending a day watching airplanes in the air or on the ground is a good experience. OK, so I grumbled a bit when we got there later than I wanted to but I finally lightened up and enjoyed the experience. There is a certain length of time that 4, 7, and 9 year old boys can "enjoy" looking at airplanes so the timing was just fine. A mild temperature helped make the day a pleasant experience.

My preferred type of aircraft are the WWII vintage (the sound of the motor is soooo cool) but if you want power, the jets are certainly king. I get a new appreciation of engineers every time I am up close to flying machines and see how they have been assembled and then to see them fly with such grace is something to behold.

In the past airshows there seems to have been quite a bit of stunt planes but this time there was that but also flying of the C-17, F4C, F-86, F-15, F-16, F-18, and the Mustang. The USAF Thunderbirds in their F-16s were the highlight of the show. Those pilots have nerves of steel and a steady hand on the stick.

This photo was taken from the bay of a C-5. Quite a crowd!

P-51, F-16, F4C

This C-17 kicked some skydivers out -- see next photo

Soren and Anders up close to an Apache.

The Thunderbird representative told me this F-16 is a model that folds up and fits in a crate. It was a neat display anyway.

Power and wonderful precision! The smoke -- it comes from oil that is piped into the rear of the engine and gets burned and forms smoke. The aircraft can be converted into a combat ready machine in less than 72 hours (remove oil tank and piping, inserting guns and ammo box). They did one in only 22 hours.