Panama Canal, Quilting, Visitors and Paul's Birthday

It has been another average week in the Kern household. We have been doing all the regular things. There have been a few things out of the ordinary though. On Thursday was my monthly book club meeting. Our book this month was The Path between the Seas : the creation of the Panama Canal 1870-1914 by David McCullough. One of our book club members, Susan, had taken a 13 day cruise last fall which had gone to the Caribbean and the Panama Canal. She was fascinated by the canal itself and even though there were informational lectures and such, she wanted to know more about it. McCullough’s book is one of the most comprehensive narratives of the building of the canal and she asked if we would be willing to read it. It is a long, long book (depending on the edition—about 700 pages) and very dense, but really interesting. I got the book on CD—it was in two parts and totaled 27 CD’s, but I used it as my “car book”. I listen to a book on CD in the car to and from work and also when I am running errands or other car times. When Paul and I went down to St. George in January we listened to it part of the way and also when we took a trip up to Logan. Paul like it so much that he asked me to get it for him for his birthday. It is one of those books that after you have finished it you feel like you know so much more about the subject than you ever imagined possible. Anyway it was an important accomplishment for me. Several of the club members had not finished the book, but we had an animated discussion about it anyway. This is a very companionable group and I always enjoy the time we spend together. I have been working on a little quilt over the last rather long period. And I finished it this weekend. I thought I would have it finished before the weekend, I was working on earlier in the week. I got the quilt blocks all sewn together and had the first layer of the border already sewn on and I laid it out on the floor to have a look at it and discovered that I had reversed two whole rows when I was sewing the rows together. This was discouraging and disappointing, but I could think of nothing to do, but pick out the seams on the border and unstitch the offending rows and redo the seams and the borders with the rows in the correct position. I had used a very small stitch length, so it took a lot of meticulous unpicking, but I finished the unpicking on Saturday evening and sewed the seams in the correct position, redid the border and added another and I feel quite satisfied that I got it all to look right. It is a baby sized quilt though it isn't in baby colors, so maybe it is a lap quilt. I still need to take it to a quilter and do the binding, but the top is finished. I saw this design as a tutorial on the internet and thought it was very interesting, so I made it. I am trying to work through my scrap stash and am doing small quilts. This one is in plaids and solids. This weekend Woodrow and Natalie Arrington came to Utah to bless their baby. Marilyn and Howard had been in St. George and came up for the festivities and stayed in the Paul Kern hotel. They arrived on Friday night about 9:30 p.m. and we had a nice visit with them. They had breakfast with us on Saturday morning and then went off to meet with their family members and Natalie’s family, too. Rusty and Jamie were in town, and Marilyn spent the day with Jamie and the grandchildren. Howard, Rusty and Woody went golfing in the morning. The Idaho group, which included Preston and Kjirsten came in sometime on Saturday and late Saturday night, Marilyn, Howard, Preston and Kjirsten spent the night at our place. We don’t have any children living here anymore and so we had room for everyone. Marilyn and Howard slept in Philip’s room downstairs, Preston was in K.C.’s room and Kjirsten was in Erika’s room—so there was plenty of space for everyone. Saturday was also Paul’s birthday. We had a rather uninteresting day planned, I did some food preparation and housecleaning, Paul ran a few errands, got a haircut and did some yard work, including reseeding some bald patches and fertilizing. In the evening Erika and Jono came for dinner. We had lasagna and salad and birthday cake. We met at about 5:30 p.m. for dinner and then Erika and I watched the Women’s Conference—we didn't go to the stake center, but just watched it on our own television in our own family room. Afterwards, we had cake and opened presents. I got Paul the Panama Canal book, spoken of earlier and some new guns for him to use in his mounted shooting activities. We visited for a while and then Jono and Erika left and Paul and I watched an episode of Bonanza. Sunday was the baby blessing for Joshua Arrington. The meeting schedule for the ward where he was being blessed was the same time as our meetings. We had been invited to participate in the blessing and the party thereafter, but we didn't receive the invitation until Thursday night and it was too late for me to find a substitute for my Sunday School Lesson (I am a Gospel Doctrine Teacher). So we did go to the blessing but had to leave after the blessing to get back to our meetings. We did have the chance to meet and greet a good representative of family members. Rob and Cindy and Callie were there. Paul and I and Peter from our family. And of course, Marilyn and Howard and their children and grandchildren. I’m sure the party was fun, too, but Paul came to my lesson and I taught about Joseph in Egypt.

Water, Singing, Open House and Dead Sea Scrolls

This last week started off with an event that turned out to be both good and bad. On Tuesday morning Paul got up to go to work and when he ran the water for his shower no hot water came. He went downstairs to the furnace room to discover that our water heater had failed. It obviously was no longer heating the water, but it was also dripping (we have a floor drain there, so no flood—but still an unhappy moment. We both went to work as usual, but Paul came home and met a man from ACTION HEATING and PLUMBING and they evaluated the situation. It was no surprise that the water heater needed to be replaced. Additionally, some codes had been upgraded so with the change we had a new pressure valve installed and some new piping work and some other upgrades, tons of new fittings, our water situation is much better than it was before—so this was a good thing. Paul was home until about 3:30 with the workmen, who were really working, hauling out the old and putting in the new—and all the other work involved. They were actually missing some fittings and so the left with Paul and then I came home. Paul had to get back downtown for an important meeting at 4:00 p.m. I had talked to the workman on the phone and he told me that the gas had been turned off in the house. When I got home it was chilly inside. I never did take off my coat. I was supposed to meet the workman sometime between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m. The water was back on, but of course no hot water, and no heat. I waited—Paul wasn't sure what time he was going to be home, so I was the home guard. Soon it was 5:30 and then 6:00 and the workman still wasn't there. At 6:30 I finally called him again. He apologized for being so late, but at the previous job they had discovered a gas leak, which they were compelled to repair before leaving. Anyway, Paul got home before they arrived which was about 7:00. And then they hooked up the furnace and we could turn on the gas and get some heat. It was about 7:45 when they left and we started getting some heat in the house. I still hadn't taken my coat off. The next morning we had hot water for showers and heat to keep warm and so all is well that ends well. We have a better water system in the house now, with all the new fittings and the new pressure valve, and a new hot water heater, and so we are in much better shape than we were before. This water heater has been in the house since we bought it in 1995—so it is more than 19 years old. The average water heater last 15 years –so we came out ahead. And we have now completed another significant home improvement. One of the upsides of having Paul home all day, was that he did a ton of yard work, trimmed the sprawling apple tree, cleared out the beds and pulled weeds, trimmed the bushes. There were three big yard bags ready to go out with the trash. The yard looks terrific. This Saturday was a big day with a lot of things going on. Paul went out to the west desert for a ride in Puddle Valley. I was invited, but I had a couple of other things going on. The first was our Stake Relief Society Education day. I’m not sure that I would have gone to the event if I had not been part of it. I was invited to be part of a musical number; it was a version of Hillary Weeks’ big anthem entitled I WILL. The woman who was organizing it, a friend of mine, Becky Carter sold me on participating by saying that she was drawing a group of women together from several ward and wanted there to be an age spread. When I got to the rehearsal, there were five of us, three of the singers, including the lead vocal were Young Women. (They were 16 and 17 years old.) The other participant besides me was a young mother, I would say she is between 26-27 years old and then there was me—representing the more mature group. Even so it was fun to be a part of it and it was a very dynamic number and as a group the song came off really well. The conference itself was also enjoyable. There was a key-note speaker and then two break-out sessions. I attended one on music in the home and another on pornography. Both were very interesting. They served a light lunch and then I came home. It was one o’clock when I got home. At two o’clock until four o’clock on Saturday was the reception/open house for Chase Kimball (Chris and Linda’s second son) and his new wife Heather. We had received an invitation and I thought I should attend. Paul was still out on his ride so I went by myself. The party was held in the Wasatch Room on the 10th floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. They had a lovely dessert buffet and a few decorative tables with personal items on them and then the room was filled with round tables where guestS could visit and eat. I perceived that this event was primarily an opportunity for the Kimball children (Ed and Bee’s children—and their children) to celebrate with Chris and Linda’s son and new wife. I got there at about 2:30 and there was a good compliment of people already there. Paula and several of her children were there, I visited with her for a few minutes. Mary and David Dollahite and most of their children were there—I visited with Mary for a few minutes. Uncle Ed was there in his wheel chair—he actually looked very good, and we had a lively conversation. Sarah and Kevin were there and so was Joseph and his wife. There were also a few people that I didn't know. Heather Campbell Kimball , the bride, was a charming and delightful girl and her parents were also present, and I had the chance to meet them as well. I asked the question why the major celebration was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico. And the answer was very simple. Heather was raised in Albuquerque. That was her home. The couple was married in the Albuquerque Temple, and had a reception there. They were a really cute couple and seemed really happy. I was able to also have a nice conversation with Linda, but didn't have an opportunity to chat at all with Chris. Chris and Linda are heading back to Chicago for the spring and will be back in Utah during the summer months. After visiting with all the family members that were available to me, I left the open house and came home. Paul arrived home in the late afternoon as well. We had wanted to go to a local museum where they were doing a large scale exhibit centering around the dead sea scrolls and artifacts. The exhibit is called: Dead Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Ancient Times. The scrolls, themselves, have been called the most significant archaeological find of the last century. This exhibit has been dubbed as the most comprehensive collection of ancient artifacts from Israel ever organized, it had been at this private local museum since November and was closing in April. We had wanted to see it but hadn't gotten around to it. Then this week I discovered an offer for discounted tickets and decided to take the plunge and buy them. Now we were committed so we decided to go on Saturday evening. Dead Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Ancient Times includes one of the largest collections of the priceless 2,000-year-old Dead Sea Scrolls. Discovered by a shepherd in 1947, the Scrolls contain the oldest known copies of the Hebrew Bible. Paul and I both expected to see “scrolls” but what we saw were actually fragments. They were well displayed with enlargements as well and transcriptions of the documents translated into English. Some of the translations were scripture, but others were documents of other kinds. On display with the Scrolls are more than 600 objects from the Biblical to Byzantine Period in Israel, including many that have never been publicly exhibited. And we were also able to see a three-ton stone from Jerusalem's Wailing Wall, the remains of religious articles, weapons of war, stone carvings, textiles and beautiful mosaics along with everyday household items such as jewelry and ceramics. The Leonardo is one of only six U.S. Museums to display this priceless collection. The Utah engagement of the exhibition is made possible by the Utah State Legislature and the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies. This exhibition was created by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) from the collections of the Israel National Treasures and produced by Discovery Times Square and The Franklin Institute. Paul and I enjoyed the evening—I had been to The Leonardo previously, but this was the first visit for Paul. After we spent the early evening in the museum, we went out to dinner—so we had a nice date. Erika an Jono came over to pick up some more stuff on Saturday evening after we got home so we got to see them, too. They are doing great—still settling into their apartment—still trying to find places for all their wedding gifts, including the ones that are still coming. They picked up a few more that had arrived at our house on Saturday night. Everyone was very generous with them.

Family Birthdays and Adventures

Last week we had two birthdays to celebrate. K.C. turned 30 and Philip turned 33. It seems quite incredible that we have children who have been around that long. It doesn't seem that long ago that they were just children here in our home. We were able to speak with both of them on their birthdays and that was nice. Philip and Camille are settling into their life in Washington D.C. although their situation as to going to the Ukraine is up in the air at the moment with all the turmoil that is going on in that country at the present time. Philip works on, but what will happen in the next six months remains to be seen. K.C. is in the middle of his last semester at MIT. He is looking forward to his graduation and his life after being a student. We are looking forward to our trip to New England and the Atlantic Seaboard in June for his graduation. Peter and Kortney went on a little adventure this weekend. They went on a hike in a slot canyon.

Little Wildhorse Slot Canyon is a classic slot canyon located in south-central Utah, near Goblin Valley. It is a popular hiking spot for families and youth groups. The main attraction is a long stretch of "narrows," where the canyon walls are so close you have to turn sideways to get through. The rock walls are sculpted and very beautiful. These canyons are normally dry, although they may have pools of water during the spring and immediately after summer storms. Peter and Kortney did encounter pools on their hike and Kortney said it was the coldest water she had ever experienced—painfully cold. Kortney's family had a family reunion in that part of the country last summer and she and her family hiked this trail.

Peter was working and didn't come on the first day so he missed this part of the activities and wanted to have the opportunity, so they arranged with Kortney's brother Tyler and his wife Landen to go with them on the hike. They left early on Saturday morning and got home on Saturday night. Because they were leaving early on Saturday, Paul and I took Eleanor on Friday night, she slept at our house and then we had her all day on Saturday, which was really great fun. She is so delightful and entertaining. We had good time. I set up the pack and play in K.C.’s bedroom and she slept well, and then we did breakfast, lunch and dinner and read books, and watched a Curious George Video and played with toys and did games together. I enjoyed my “Grannie” day very much. She is two and a quarter now and is so verbal and able to express herself that it is just a pleasure to be involved with her. She says the cutest and funniest things and is a good hand at negotiation and very imaginative in her play. And pretty good at things like tossing and catch. I am going to do a couple of other overnight babysitting turns in the future, too. I am already looking forward to that. Friday night, before Eleanor arrived, Paul took me to the South Jordan Equestrian Center for the annual Horse Expo. This is a big annual event and among other things the Back Country Horsemen of Utah sets up a booth manned by members of the various chapters. (Paul actually had a turn at the booth on Saturday from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.—I didn't go because I was at home with Eleanor.) But on Friday evening there was a demonstration put on by the Utah’s Mounted Thunder—the mounted shooting association that Paul just recently joined. This was the first time that I had seen this group in action as I had not been able to attend any of the demonstrations or activities that Paul had been attended. Wow, it was so interesting and amazing to watch. I can totally understand why Paul thinks it is a fun and exciting activity to participate in. There were about six or seven riders who participated in the demonstration and they were amazing!! It goes so fast and is a very exacting activity. Paul has enjoyed this new dimension to his riding activities and Lakota has proven to be a good horse for mounted riding and shooting—so this has been fun for him. I don’t know if we have mentioned this, but for Paul’s birthday I am buying him a set of guns for the mounted shooting activity. He has already ordered them—and they will be coming to Cabela’s where we will pick them up and get them registered. I hope they are here by his birthday. Saturday evening, we got a phone call from Erika who was in the Atlanta Airport during a layover, waiting for their plane to Salt Lake City. She and Jono had finished their honeymoon in Nueva Vallarta, Mexico and were on their way back home. They had had a wonderful time and wanted to come over on Sunday and show us pictures of the things that they did and of the place where they had stayed. We were anxious to see the place where they stayed because we had provided it as an exchange from our Park City Condo and we hoped that it was a nice place where they could enjoy themselves in comfort with many amenities. They came over last night and had supper with us and then showed us pictures from their trip. It was a wonderful place! It was very nice and they had a terrific time. Erika said they dropped into a well-oiled vacation paradise. They did an outdoor adventure day, with ziplines, and ATV machines and mountain slides. They went on a marine adventure another day and saw schools of whales, and a national park and did some snorkeling. A third activity was swimming with dolphins which they really enjoyed. They had nothing but good things to say about the trip, their activities, the place where they stayed, the connections, the service and service people, the cleanliness of their facility, everything. We were really happy for them and happy that everything worked out so well. Their only angst was that it was all over and that on Monday they had to go back to work and to school and real life was going to have to start again. Not that that is a really bad thing, but that a really happy time was finished. They are a really lovely couple and we are pleased that everything is going well for them.

Trips: Near and Far

Paul is in charge of a Back Country Horseman ride in a couple of weeks and he wanted to find a new place to ride. It is still “winter” for horses and many of the horses in the group still won’t have had shoes put on for the summer yet—so they need to go on a ride which isn't too rocky or difficult for horses that don’t have shoes. In the past they have ridden in Puddle Valley which is out on the west desert between Grantsville and Wendover. There is a long wide valley there, with a large watering hole in the middle of it. There is also a herd of wild horses out there, too. But if possible he hoped to find a new place to ride—out of the west desert still, but closer to Wendover out in the area where the salt flats are. So Sunday afternoon after church we got into the truck and took a drive out to check out the possibilities that might be out there. It was a very pleasant drive—it was a bright, day and not even too cold—Paul and I made it without coats. It’s 120 miles or so to Wendover, so it was a good long drive but we had a nice time. When we got to the place that Paul had in mind we pulled off the freeway and found our way into the Bonneville Salt Flats State Park.

From the exit there was a road that lead to a “commercial center”—consisting of an all-in-one Mexican and American café, convenience store with a sad little display of trashy souvenir type items and the usual compliment of soft drinks, chips and candy and some trucker style showers, laundry room and bathrooms. There is no camping in this area so it was not a big hub or anything—more like a trucker stop. About a half mile or so from the “commercial center” we found a scrubby looking sign in an unimproved, dirt parking area with a couple of dirt and gravel slightly improved but still pretty primitive roads heading out in two directions. Paul and I started off on one of the roads which essentially circle some very ragged, vegetation-less and rocky, low “mountains” and then off the gravel semi-improved road there were a number of dirt tracks, used by ATV’s and jeeps. We took off on one of these dirt tracks and did some serious off road traveling. Paul was looking for a horse trail possibility—but after a couple of miles of this and finally stopping the truck and walking for about twenty or thirty yards, he decided it was too rocky for bare foot horses and besides----while the flats include a variety of micro environments and in some spots the soil is so salty it prevents vegetation growth, it isn’t the “beautiful mountain splendor” kind of ride. I thought it was very unique, but Paul thought a lot of it was really ugly. So, in terms of finding a nice place to ride, it was kind of a wasted trip. But for a Sunday jaunt, it was very interesting. On the way back, I paused to remark on the art piece that is on the stretch of road that is virtually straight and flat for 40 miles across the Utah West Desert. I’m sure you have seen it, but I asked Paul what is was about. It is called The Tree of Utah, sometimes called the Tree of Life, and it is an 87-foot-tall sculpture that was created by the Swedish artist Karl Momen in the 1980s and dedicated in 1986. The sculpture, which is constructed mainly of concrete, consists of a squarish 'trunk' holding up six spheres that are coated with natural rock and minerals native to Utah. There are also several hollow sphere segments on the ground around the base. The sculpture currently has a fence surrounding the base to protect people from falling tiles. Inscribed on the plaque are the words from Ode to Joy by Friedrich Schiller; also used as the chorus of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. It has been said that Momen was moved to create the tree after having a vision of a tree while driving across the desolate Bonneville Salt Flats. Following the dedication of this work of art, Momen donated the sculpture to the State of Utah and returned to Sweden. I looked up on the internet to see if I could get some more information about it and I came across a funny review written by the blog: Roadside America. This review is as follows: We give some credit to the State of Utah for at least tolerating experiments with environmental comedy. "Metaphor: The Tree of Utah" can't be serious. Metaphor is an 87-foot tall sculpture poking up out of the white plains of the Bonneville Salt Flats. The Tree was created in the early 1980s by European artist Karl Momen. It is also known as "Metaphor: The Tree of Life." It was dedicated in 1986 as "A hymn to our universe whose glory and dimension is beyond all myth and imagination." Artist Momen doesn't have to look at it; he bought patch of land, built the thing, and went back to Sweden. Near the base of the Tree, there are several fallen "leaves" -- large spherical segments intentionally scattered on the salty ground. It's where your traveling companions would pose if this were a tourist attraction instead of a work of art. Not that they could pose even if they wanted to. Utah doesn't want you to stop, and Momen didn't spring for the cost of an exit ramp. There is no parking lot or pull-off. For years there were "Emergency Parking Only" signs along the highway, although a surprising number of emergencies happened right there, always with vehicles that had people with cameras. In 2008 the "Emergency Parking Only" signs were replaced by a metal, barbed-wire-topped fence that now surrounds the sculpture. We're not sure what kind of a metaphor that is, but it doesn't seem very friendly.

So if you have ever wondered about this sculpture as you have driven by on your way to Salt Lake City—now you know. The costs of building the tree, reportedly over a million dollars, were provided entirely by Mr. Momen. The tree now belongs to the State of Utah. We left home at about 1:00 and didn’t get home until about 6:30. It was over two hundred miles that we covered, but became familiar with a little corner of Utah that we didn’t know before. In other family news: This week Philip turns 33 and K.C. turns 30 with their birthdays coming on Tuesday and Friday. We won’t be celebrating either birthday with them, but Paul and I are starting to plan our trip to Boston and the Atlantic States now that we don’t have to be thinking about a wedding anymore. We will be there from the 1st till the 8th. We are really looking forward to this trip. Speaking of trips: Erika and Jono left on their honeymoon trip to Mexico on Friday night. We haven’t talked to them, but Erika texted that they had arrived safely and all their connections worked out just fine. Later Jono texted that the resort condo where they are staying is wonderful and big and was everything that was expected and hoped for. So they sound like they are happy and enjoying their time there so far. We are happy for them. And Peter and Kortney are happy as can be because they will be going to Puerto Rico on a trip to celebrate their graduations. They want to visit the Bioluminescent Bay which Kortney did a report on way back when she was in Elementary School and has always wanted to go there. Until now, I had never even heard of them and looked them up to see what it was about. Here is the information: Bioluminescent Bay Puerto Rico Bioluminescent Bays are Puerto Rico’s one-of-a-kind ecosystems situated in three locations – Fajardo, island of Vieques and Lajas. Bioluminescent Bay in Fajardo and Mosquito bay in Vieques, Puerto Rico are the best-kept bioluminescent bays in the Western Hemisphere, conveniently reachable from San Juan by car, ferry or a short plane flight, with plenty of tours offered by kayak and electric boat operators. Marine microorganizms that glow at night, when water is disturbed, make visiting bio lagoons a unique experience. Bioluminescence is truly a special representation of rare and fragile environment. Even though the luminescence appears all over the planet, only few places are categorized as a biobays. There are only five of them in the world. Three actively glowing bays are luckily located in Puerto Rico. Jamaica’s Luminous Lagoon in Falmouth is in risk of eradication because of heavy construction development and absence of environmental control. Bioluminescent Bay (often called Bio Bay) is Puerto Rico’s key tourist destinations. The water luminescence is triggered by dinoflagellates, oceanic plankton which is able to generate an emerald green and ultramarine illumination when water is physically disturbed. Dinoflagellates are incredibly delicate microorganisms and are very sensible to the environment conditions such as balance of salt in the water, local climate, deepness of lagoon, air and water pollution, etc. Each one of these the aspects make bio bay a one of a kind, vulnerable ecosystem.

Unique light is an ordinary chemical response forced by tiny creatures which typically respond by giving off the light collected in the daytime. As a result, the best possible view of bio-luminescence comes after a sunny day. The ideal time frame to encounter the luminous bio bay water phenomenon, also referred to as phosphorescence of the sea, is at night. Having said that, the conditions might be affected by moonlight and extreme surrounding lights. Despite the fact that kayaking with a full moon is a memorable experience, it is not the most desirable period to explore the glow of bioluminescent bay. Plan in advance look at the moon calendar. Moonlight is usually too bright for the first 6 days prior to a full moon. Normally, the darker sky, the more desirable watching conditions are. The intense neon illumination happens to be more noticeable with least light pollution.

Post Wedding Reflections, Cache Valley Cowboy Rendezvous, Family Dinner

I should probably write a long entry about Erika’s wedding and festivities. Maybe I will when we get the photographs from the wedding photographer. As we have reflected on the whole experience there isn't anything that I would have changed. It was just a very happy day for Erika and for the rest of the family. We are now waiting on the pictures, I can’t wait to see them. Erika and Jono are now spending time every evening writing the myriad of thank you notes that are owed—a gift or two arrives every day at the house—our friends and Jono’s family’s friends were very generous with Erika and Jono and they received many nice things. They are really looking forward now to their trip to Mexico for their honeymoon. It has been a wonderful and exciting event to look forward to. They are as cute as can be and are really happy. Paul and I had a very nice weekend. We were really happy to have a get-away with fun activities and luxurious accommodations. We went to Cache Valley to participate in the annual Cache Valley Cowboy Rendezvous. Paul was signed up to perform four sets and then he picked up two more while he was there. We left in the afternoon on Friday and drove up to Cache Valley. We stopped at Petersboro on the way and checked out our property to see if any of the pounds of grass seed that we planted last fall had sprung up yet. We saw the tiniest little green spears starting to come up, both from existing grasses and from the new seeds. It has been above freezing for a few days and there has been rain—so it is the ideal climate for the beginnings of new grass; we are so hopeful for a luscious, thick grass pasture to emerge in the next couple of years and we are well on the way to that. Then we headed to Hyrum, UT where the event was being held at Mountain Crest High School, which has a lovely and large auditorium. Paul was performing his first set at 5:30 p.m. He was checked in and went to the Green Room to warm up and then he did his set. We bought tickets to the main event for the evening the headline performer—Suzy Bogguss. The preshow started at 6:30 p.m. so we settled ourselves for the evening. There was a lot of preliminary entertainment including a couple of numbers by Dave Stamey, other cowboy poets and performers and then a fine performance by Suzy. Paul and I really enjoyed ourselves, the concert was very good and then we headed into Logan to stay at the Marriott Springhill Suites. Our room was very nice with a sitting area and a lovely bedroom—very comfortable, we slept well. We had a nice breakfast in the hotel breakfast room and then headed back to Hyrum for the second day of activities and performances. Paul did a very nice job in his performances. He is now performing with his guitar, putting music under the poetry. This was the first time that he did this and so it was a new experience, but he rose to the occasion and did fine performances. I enjoyed listening to him and we also sat in on some of the other sets as well. It was a rainy, cool day—not a day to golf, or do yard work and so the attendance was robust. We have participated before and this was a really good crowd. There were a number of vendors, as well as performers. I walked through the vendors several times, and finally succumbed to the Pampered Chef booth. I have wanted a good quality vegetable slicer for a while now and the representative was doing demonstrations and it looked so appealing that I decided to do it. I didn't actually get it at the show, I ordered it and it will come to the house, but I’m really looking forward to getting it. It was a bonus for the time spent wandering through the vendors. We had a dinner at my mother’s house last Sunday and Peter, Kortney and Eleanor were there, Jono and Erika. My sister, Liza was back from visiting her newest grandchild in Virginia and was heading back to Washington State on Monday so it was a fun gathering including a nephew and his girlfriend and Stephen and his son Steve. My dad commented that it was an occasion when three of his four children (Stephen, Liza and me—David not present) were under his roof—that doesn't happen too often. Usually it is just Stephen and me. We always have a companionable time together so it is always a pleasant evening. My mom is still interested, willing and eager to put on these large family gatherings. Sometimes but not always, I bring a piece of the dinner and I always work in the kitchen when I get to her house, but she is still the queen of the kitchen and still enjoys the challenge of putting on a big family dinner. They are always very pleasant times.