Enjoying January

January has never been my favorite month.  The anticipation and joy of the Christmas season has in many ways come to an end.  The temperatures tend to drop beyond the bearable and now that we live in Cache Valley we have become familiar with a new term "Red Air Day", which means if your sickly or elderly you're not supposed to breath as much or as deeply.  Now that is taking it a bit far for a country boy from Bear Lake Valley, so when my brother Reed called and asked if we would be interested in going with them to Hawaii for a couple of weeks, we just couldn't resist.  We returned home on Saturday January 23rd after a wonderful time in Hawaii, mostly on the Island of Kauai.  It was simply beautiful and the weather was marvelous, mostly in the seventies.  A big thanks to Reed and Lorraine for showing us around and allowing us to spend time with them!!!  As you can imagine, I took a few pictures and will share just a small glimpse of what we were able to see and do.

A trip to Hawaii wouldn't be complete without a visit to Waikiki Beach.

And yes, Iris finally got me into a pair of shorts.  Needless to say I got my legs sunburned.

That is not something people catch me doing regularly.

We went to the Laie Hawaii Temple, but it was closed, beautiful and a special spiritual feeling, nonetheless.

We stayed very near the ocean and could see it from our deck and hear the waves crashing all night.

I am continually amazed at the power and beauty of God's creations.

We took a hike along the Napali Coast on the western side of Kauai.  One picture doesn't begin to describe the beauty of this area, but you'll get the idea.

And of course the best part of the entire trip, and of my life, was spending some relaxed time with my sweetheart.  We saw some beautiful flowers in Hawaii, but I will always be partial to my own, one-of -a-kind Iris.  We kind of took a liking to one of the Island's specialties, Hawaiian Shave Ice.  We didn't get the recipe, but I think it's simple enough that we might be able to indulge ourselves on occasion, even now that we are back home.  The vacation was wonderful, but we are glad to be back home among family and friends and are anxiously awaiting our work at the Logan Temple which will open, after some remodeling, tomorrow, January 26th.

Warm Breezes and Palm Trees

It is with a deep sense of sadness and sorrow that we will be gone from the January 6th until January 23rd.  We will be leaving our lovely Rocky Mountain surroundings and heading to the Hawaiian Islands for a little vacation.  We will be with Reed and Lorraine while the Logan Temple is closed for renovation during most of January.  We will miss all of you very much and will also miss our work at the Temple, but I guess we will make the sacrifice, just his one time.  Don't worry, we'll be back and the winter will be a little shorter for us this year.  While we are gone just remember that we love you all and only wish you were swaying in the hammock right next to ours on the Island of Kawaii.

Love you all and always,

Grandpa Bart and Grandma Iris

End of an Era

Last week we were in Montpelier, our home of thirty-six years, where we signed the papers officially finalizing the sale of our home there.  We knew it would take a while, but we weren't expecting the economy to go quite as far south as it did in the months after we decided to move to Cache Valley and Logan.  I went up again today and gathered up the few things we still had remaining up there. There wasn't much.  I shoveled the snow off the driveway one last time, turned on the water heater, and filled the woodbox with wood.  Memories flooded my mind and the sounds of little ones laughing and crying came almost audibly to my conciousness. The warmth of the woodburning stove has been missed now for the past two winters.  All the sweat and flat tires seem at his point only very distant memories, but the warmth of the flame and the family gathered around on bitter cold nights will never be forgotten.  The smell of Mom's homemade bread was for the entire family a real treat, one among many things Mom did, which made it possible to raise seven kids on one teacher's salary and part time work doing whatever I could.  We had many good times, and some not so good, which when we look at them in hindsight were probably for our good as well.  We had good friends and neighbors, many ooportunities to serve in the Chruch and community, and kids, who were active and involved in all sorts of activities.  We tried to raise our children with an understanding of the gospel and the role it should play in our lives and to have good friends with similar values.  I will always appreciate

our children's friends and their parents, the church leaders and teachers and many others who influenced all of our lives while we lived in the Bear Lake Valley.  For me they started nearly seventy years ago.  For Mom about forty years ago, and for each of our children as they came into our family and began to grow and develop into the wonderful people they are today.  As I left the valley today, January 3, 2010.  I could not help but feel how deeply that little speck of earth and the good people who live and have lived there influenced what I have become.  I hope it is not something they regret.  It is, for me, something for which no words can completely express my gratitude.  Bear Lake is known for its long, cold winters.  One thing for which I am especially greatful, is that my Sweetheart Iris, a Georgia girl, never complained.  Over the years she became a Bear Laker too and knew almost everyone in the valley and their genealogy as well, much better than I did.  I remember one time at schoool I was talking to one of my students after class, and he asked me who my wife was.  I told him and that she worked at Modern Drug.  He responded:  "Oh, I know her, she is the nicest person in this whole valley".  I had to agree.  The whole valley is a better place because she lived there and there are many people who wouldn't argue the point.  As I left this afternoon and drove out across the valley the clouds were showing some rather beautiful formations along the western mountains.  After a few minutes I came to the Liberty Ward church.  Without the good people who guided and taught me there I shudder to think what I might have become.  As I dove up Emigration Canyon it was snowing and the roads were rather slick and slushy.  I reminisced about the thousands of time's we travelled that road in all kinds of weather.  We were involved in a couple of accidnets, fender benders and a slide off, but no one was hurt and in retrospect we just learned to slow down and mostly stay off the roads when they were unsafe.  I passed a snowplow and heartfelt thanks filled me for those who make our lives a little easier and help keep us connected to each other.  I could write a book, but I'm probably stretching it right now.

Move or not, "Once a Bear Laker, always a Bear Laker".

Cloud formations along the west side of Bear Lake Valley

My old home ward church building in Liberty, Idaho

Snowy Canyon Roads near the summit of Emigration Canyon