Challis Power

Seeking shade from tall trees instead of tall buildings for our afternoon walk, we decided on Monday to drive to the Yalecrest neighborhood where Elder Challis lived from about age five until he left for college—his East High days.    We were not disappointed by the trees!   The neighborhood is beautiful!   Besides seeing the Challis home, we also found homes where Presidents Nelson, Kimball, Benson, GA Smith and other church leaders lived for a time.   I was especially wanted to see the Kimball home.   The Kimballs graciously shared their house plans with their friends, my Mitchell grandparents, so Grandpa and Grandma’s house in Parowan has a similar floor plan to the Kimballs’.                 Yalecrest memories Whitney Girls Incoming meteorite!   Thursday was another “walk down Memory Lane” when my college roommates met me for lunch.  BYU days were a long time ago, but they are sti...

“Music and the Spoken Word” on June 16 was about fathers, of course.    It made me a little sad that I couldn’t send love and gratitude to my dad and my grandfathers—but maybe they knew.   I hope they knew.   It was nice to have Father’s Day dinner with Christopher and Melissa; Brent and Lindsey and their families.   We can say with glad hearts that our sons and sons-in-law are “righteous, intentional” parents, as President Nelson puts it.               Hank, Mary, and the two of us constructed a 3-D puzzle of the Salt Lake Temple.   Fun to hear Hank’s comments about progress, challenges, accomplishment.     Here’s hoping the experience increases his desire to “go inside someday.”   The renovation will be completed about the time he is ready—turning 8 in September.               It was a pretty “routine” week at t...

Tough packers and riders Temple Square blooms Drought relief  I seem to be less and less motivated to write as the mission goes on, even when I find an hour and an ounce of energy.   Maybe it’s because I spend so much time at a computer in the library, that I don’t want to sit at one at home.   I know I will regret it, though, if I don’t record at least a few “happenings.”               The best experience from the library was helping a patron named John D*ski (* is used when doing a “fuzzy search” for a name that is often misspelled), of Polish descent.   He was loudly delighted when we found records of his grandfather who settled in Massachusetts from Poland in 1909.   Looks like he lived on the “Polish block.”   We were rushing to get documents saved before the computers turned off at 9pm on Saturday.   As we stood up, he said, “I am probably breaking all the rules, but I ...

Remembering the prophets  Utah State Capitol  On Memorial Day we worked all day at the Library, scrambling to help an unexpected number of guests with a reduced number of staff.   In the evening, Lindsey, Brent, Luke and Noelle joined us for a “hike” in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.   I say “hike” because the cemetery is on a hillside above the Avenues with views of the city, particularly beautiful in the last rays of the sun.    We set out to visit the gravesites of the twelve Presidents of the Church who are buried there and almost made it before it became too dark and chilly.   It was nice to think of all, especially those we have known: David O McKay, Joseph Fielding Smith, Harold B. Lee, Spencer W. Kimball, Howard W. Hunter, Gordon B. Hinckley, Thomas S. Monson.             Family time continued on Thursday evening, when Christopher, Melissa, Hank, Mary and June joined us.   O...