Visit From the O'Donnals

Wow, finally caught up for the past three months. Continue on to older posts until you reach our return from Arizona for these very busy three months and thanks for following our family's history.

The weekend after returning from Island Park LaRinda, Trevor and all kids but Kaylie came up to spend some time with us. They have just moved into a new home in Springville, Utah.

Thus all of our children are now home owners once again. They, like most of our families, come loaded with electronic devices and a typical scene is everyone sitting around looking at or typing on a phone, tablet, netbook, laptop, Kindle, etc. What a difference from the “toys” we had in the youth of our generation! That is not to say that they didn’t also enjoy some time outdoors in our back yard. We love that they always bring their musical instruments and art supplies to entertain us with their many musical and artistic talents. We are very proud that their eldest daughter, Corinne, has chosen to serve our country by enlisting in the National Guard with a test score that qualifies her to receive advanced language training. On Saturday Leslie and her kids and Lance and Aubri came out with Taylor to spend the day with us. It was a fun mini-reunion.

A Few Days to Mostly Relax Ends Badly

We spent the first twelve days of July in Island Park camping with the Gardners and Liljenquists on Gardner’s forest lot near Mack’s Inn.

 

Bridge on the Henry's Fork of the Snake River at Mack's Inn

It has been so hot and dry this summer that it was nice to cool down a bit.

We helped Dave take down a couple of trees that obstructed getting in and out of their driveway.

Dave’s sister, Denise, and Kenny Petersen, our former Lake Powell boating friends also spent some of the time with us. We rode in only as far as Old Faithful and Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone Park...

 

 

 

 

 

and took dune buggies up to Sawtell Peak at 10,000 feet elevation for a look around.

Looking west into Montana

Looking south with Island Park Reservoir in the distance

Looking north at Henry's Lake

Radar dome on Sawtell Peak

We fished on Island Park Reservoir a couple of days and caught some nice ones. I out caught everyone both days!

Notice that Laurene didn't fish

We had a dutch oven breakfast one morning prepared by Kenny around the campfire.

We hiked the two-mile round trip trail along the river from the boat launch point to Big Springs and back and visited the Johnny Sack cabin.

Johnny Sack cabin and water wheel house are on far side of Big Springs

We saw moose along the trail

Gorgeous wildflowers and crystal clear water

We attended two live stage plays, one at the theater at Mack's Inn called "The Three Amigos" and "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" at the Playmill Theater in West Yellowstone that were super fun. At other times we played games, watched movies and did a lot of chatting. Unfortunately the transaxle of the dune buggy failed during our trip and the crippled buggy was towed back home to begin extensive and expensive repairs.

Church Activities, a Big Wind and a Fire

The most of the next three days were spent at the Pebble Creek Big Springs Campground near Lava Hot Springs for our Skyline Ward summer camp out. It is always good to get to know your fellow community and church friends in an informal setting. We camped next to the group site with our good friends, Tim and Leta Shaffer, next door.

We did some dune buggy riding with the Shaffers,

 

hiked the short distance to the spring

and enjoyed a pot luck dinner Friday and delicious breakfast Saturday.

 

I struggled with an assignment to talk in our Sacrament Meeting at church on June 24th. Both Dad and I spoke and I, after some misgivings, took Dad’s advice to talk about my youth, religion conflicts in my family, my deep spiritual feelings and eventual conversion and baptism after meeting Dad. Afterwards I received many compliments and Dad was called to join two others as a Gospel Doctrine Teacher. He has no idea how he could have been selected.

The next day we experienced a severe micro burst wind storm such as we had never seen before that took the next two days to clean up after. Thousands of willow limbs up to four inches in diameter were blown down across the entire upper yard over as far as the county road and all over the lawn.

On June 28^th a terrible fire started up Mink Creek just south of Pocatello that in just a few hours burned 1000 acres, 66 homes and 29 outbuildings. The heavy smoke cloud was clearly visible from our home and caused us much concern although our area was never threatened.

Dad’s former boss, Paul Petersen, and my friend, Glenny Weidert’s homes were in the path of the fire but both were essentially unharmed.

Country Living and a Visit From the McKnights

From June 7th through the 9th we built an eight to eleven-foot high fence around our garden area to keep out deer and rabbits. They literally ate our garden to ground level last summer. This and screening off the underside of our shop entrance cover to prevent some very determined swallows from building a nest are part of the “perks” of living in the country (but we wouldn’t trade it for city life again…yet).

Leslie, Matt and their boys stayed with us from June 10th through the 14th while Matt was attending job training classes in Pocatello. We had the typical high level of activity, quibbles, airsoft guns, mock fishing, whittling, movies and video games with 4 young boys between one and thirteen years old and one dog. On the other hand Leslie and the boys are always willing to be helpful where needed and we always enjoy their company. But I do think Matt and Les deserve special credit for the tolerance and patience required to raise this bunch of energetic boys since they are such good kids. We really love them!

Time With the Hartsocks Then Visit Drew

The next few days were spent with Lindsy and her children back home in Inkom while Ben had to return to Chicago for work.

 

 

While she was here we tripped to Idaho Falls for Lindsy to see the Leslie and Matt’s new home and enjoy the views along the Snake River downtown.

 

On May 30^th we flew with Lindsy and her three children to Chicago where we spent the next week. That week was filled with trips to the nearby park playground with the children,

 

attending Carter’s T-ball game,

a special Father’s Day treat for Dad where Ben treated him to a Chicago White Sox baseball game complete with a sauerkraut hot dog,

 

Lindsy treated me to a delicious dinner at a Mediterranean style restaurant, a trip to the Navy Pier for a ride on the huge Ferris Wheel and lots more, 

 

 

 

a special lunch of Chicago style pizza and stroll around downtown along the Chicago River,

 

Dad doing the usual minor car and home repairs and me helping Lindsy begin potty training Avery and Emilia. We love these special little ones and enjoyed every day of our visit.

When we returned to Salt Lake City we drove to Sandy in the South Salt Lake valley to see how Drew Day is recovering from his surgery.

 

He and Lorraine were good friends we met on our Italy to Brazil cruise and had brain surgery in Phoenix just before we came home this spring. They live in a beautiful home and he is still recuperating but doing fairly well. It was good to see him but Lorraine was away from home.