Nauvoo day #5

Today started out with the walk around the Temple grounds after breakfast. Lots of flowers and a great view of the Mississippi.

After the Temple we made one last visit back to old Nauvoo for a few photo ops and one trip the the trinket store. We also took a tour of Brigham Youngs old house. WHich really looked like everyone else's old house....

Just before supper we all got together for the last family meeting where the plans for the next reunion were discussed. This is a photo of Ginya's Aunt Louise just as she found out shes in charge of the the next one to be held on the Oregon coast and Washington State area. Good Luck ...

Nauvoo day #4

Day four started with a carriage ride around old Nauvoo. After the ride the kids got to pet the horses, Dave and Steve.

After a trip to Carthage we drove to Hanibal Mo. the home of Mark twain. We took horse and buggy ride around town then Lauren got to feed the horse, Pete, a trea. Which was kind of funny....you see, after we did the walking tour of the old Mark Twain, Becky Thatcher homes, we decided to get an ice cream cone, as were walking past Pete, Lauren tripped and "ate it hard". Straight on her face, it was Awsome. Then later after she ate by Pete, she got to FEED Pete....I thought it was all to cool. Pete smiled after both.

This is from a place called, Lovers Leap, in Hanibal. The boat in the background is the RiverBoat "Mark Twain" this is the boat we did our two hour dinner cruise on. The cruise was a buffett dinner, and live music as we sailed uo and down the Mississippi, It was very nice.

From the Second floor deck of the Mark Twain.

This was a long day we were on the road from 0800 am to 930 pm. But it was fun. we saw a lot, walked a little and boated a little. We also took 160 pictures today between Carthage, Nauvoo and Hanibal. So if you ask, we have lots more to show you.

Nauvoo day #3

Our walking tour of old Nauvoo included a stop at the brick yard the Saints used to make bricks for the old red brick homes. After a short lesson on how the bricks were made we got our mini brick to go and it was on with the tour.

This is from the car as we drive past the Nauvoo temple. We pass it at least 4 times a day.

Well the temp today was only around 80* and the humidity was a lot ower than the handcart day but it still got a little warm so we stopped at the re-orgs tourist shop and bought some Joseph Smith "red brick" rootbeer. It was very tasty and along with the setting on the banks of the Mississippi and the shade it really hit the spot.

This is at the Pioneer monument right at the rivers edge. The statue is of hyrum and Joseph Smith holding the map for the trek west to Salt Lake. In the background over Ginya's shoulder is a monument with the names of 2,000 Saints who left Nauvoo but never made it to SLC. We found three "Watsons" and no Gilberts....

This was inside the blacksmith shop where they showed us how the made wagons and wagon wheels along with other things like horse shoes.... We even got a very little horse shoe made for as that would fit a Barbie horse. They also gave us prarie diamond rings ...which are horse shoe nails bent around so the head sits up like a diamond. Very nice.
After walking the streets of old Nauvoo, seeing the old Smith family home and the grave sites of Joseph and his family we had lunch atthe hotel, then it was off to the Huckelberry water park in Burlington Iowa. Again we drove past lots of corn fields and then spent a few hours at a very fun water park. Floating down the lazy river in a tube, going down the water slides and sitting the the hot tubs. then back for dinner and a nap then most of the family went the pagent show. All in all this was a very good day.

Nauvoo day #2

This was at the family meeting / talent show atthe end of the day.....I don't know what "talent" Lauren was trying to show everyone but.....there you go.

In the morning after breakfast it was down to old Nauvoo where we all decided to go pull hand carts so we could get a better understanding of what the pioneers went through. Then after that we took a carriage ride through old Nauvoo. The carraige ride was cool, a covered horse drawn wagan with a guided tour of the old town, including the first Browning gun store, theold houses of the pioneers and the new temple.

Then we get back to the hand cart pulling event. This was lame.....the cart really wasnt that bad, it was somewhat light, had big tires, but when we went our 2-3 mile treck up and down not so smooth trails, across little streams with lots of mud, moss, cow pee, cow poop, and the fact that it rained the night before so there were some spots where the ground was a little slick. the temp was around 90 * with 99% humidity. So it was HOT, we left right after breakfast so no one was thirsty, so no one brought water. BIG mistake. We were all sweaty lumps when this adventure was over. We all agreed .....we aint pioneers....there is no way we were doing this 30 miles a day.

This was at the start of the hand cart pull. Every one is smiling because we havent started yet, no is sweating and we aren't dying of thirst. The are no pictures at the end when we returned the carts, because no one cared at that point, it was all about getting a dring and sitting down.

The resturant at the Nauvoo Family Inn and Suites where we stay. 3 squares a day and its in the building, who could ask for more. But if you show up with out your shoes they'll kick you out.

After the old Nauvoo / handt cart thing the boys went swimming for 4 hours while the girls went shopping and geneology reaserching. I think the boys made the better choice.

St. Louis day #1 part two

Another red rent a car for Lauren....though this is not near as cool as the "fire truck" we had in San Diego. The sporty little Dodg Avenger will do just fine.

Then it was on to another Food Network resturant to eat. When in St. Louis you do Bar-B-Q so we went to "Smoking Joes"

The ribs were dry rubbed and you were responsible for your own BBQ sauce. The sweet sauce was the favorite hands down.

Everyone is smiling cause everbody loves BBQ.

BBQ and blues / Mowtown music in the background set the mood for food.....We loves us some St. Louis...

St. Louis / Nauvoo day #1

Well, after a short 2 hour 45 min flight we landed in St. Louis. After getting the bags and the rental car it was straight to the Arch / River front where we were all taken back by how BIG the Arch really is. It's Big. We took a few ohotos and while we were there Ginya spotted her Aunt Louise and her family and we hooked for the tour of the park.

Lots of phots and lots of humiditty .

A view of downtown St. Lousi by the Arch.

Mowing the Lawn

So this was the first day mowing the new backyard with Two LawnMowers....and as you can tell....the kids were not impressed. But I was....

4th of July Part #2

Even in July, Ginya needed a jacket and a blanket. I was on hand to show Robert the proper way to blow things up.

Robert found a way to go Techno even in Wyoming.........

4th of July 2009

This year we went to Evanston Wyoming with the Greco Family.

Our first time with "Mortor" firworks was a blast and we didn't even start a field fire...

Of course the night started off with a trip to "Pyro City" where we bought the goods. After a dinner BBQ of ribs, chicken, watermelon and salad we shot fireworks 200' into the sky until 1130 pm. after a short ride home back to Tooele we were all tucked into bed by 2am.

A Day at Work 7-2-09

This is the kind of stuff I see and have to help clean up at work. More importantly this is what happens when you don't secure your 5th wheel properly before you start to drive down the road.

Thats not water on the ground....Thats 100 gallons of diesel fuel.

Yes this is my mobile office....looking freshly washed I might add.

DOUH !!!!!

Roberts Graduation

Robert graduated the 8th grade....Now it's on to highschool Next year he is freshman meat.

The new backyard

After much preperation (10 years or so) we finally put in the rest of the backyard. 14 loads of sod, a sprinkler system and a gopher that I will kill and now the backyard BBQ's will done in a friendly enviornment. Everyone is welcome to come by and check it out.