I took the summer off

Hi friends and family. I love you.  Did you miss me????

Well, maybe not . . . I may be talking to just myself right now - and yes, I miss me - posting on my blog . . . If anyone had stuck around to read it at this point they would be dusty and old.  "Tis o.k. - but I do plan to post more things.  Gosh, I guess I just needed the summer off!

Since my last post, we had a gaggle of birthdays, but especially noteworthy were the birth days of my two newest grandchildren, Easton and Preston.  I don't think my daughter Jamie and her husband Matt coordinated their baby's name with my son Wade his wife Cristy's baby name on purpose. I'll be posting some photos.

I have been traveling quite a bit with my job.  Mostly to the St. George area and southern Utah.  I usually stay in this wonderful bed and breakfast there across the street from Brigham Young's Summer home.  You should go there . . . really!  It is called the Seven Wives Inn.

THEN

Jim and I went home to Cowley - love my home town. 

Love my mom and Dad.  Is this just so cute?

Dad mowing his acres of grass

with a push mower. 

He's 80!!! 

Oh! I took my turn, don't worry!

We also went out to the Denver area to see Wade and family.  You know, we have not been anywhere for years, literally. 

And we stopped here at this lovely restaurant to eat

while we were on our way there. 

NOTHING is too good for us! 

As you can see, we went ALL out!

Our sandwiches we packed were quite tasty.

We visited Rocky Mountain National Park during the 'elk rut' . . . 

You just can't believe the elk. 

The people there live with them as if they were tame cows.

  Here's pappa watching over his harem. 

If any other bull gets too close,

It's hell to pay for the poor hapless intruder . . .

unless he's bigger . . .  Then there's real trouble.

The whole harem leaves their man for the new guy

without complaint.  That's loyalty for you.

(you've got to enlarge this one)

My Granddaughter, Morgan - don't worry, she is perfectly safe here!

Postcard for Grandma and Grandpa Hardie

AND

We also visited the LDS Conference center this summer - they had an art exhibit from contributors from members from all over the world.  It was wonderful, and these are my personal favorites:

This one is entitled "They Did Not Doubt"

I just wept!

*

I also loved this scultpure

 

It is called "Mary and Martha"

Mary looking up with her spiritual eyes, scriptures in hand.  Martha looking down to earth, and holding a basket of produce to care for her families earthly needs.  We need to have balance as these two are doing.

(I'm sorry I am not giving credit to the artists.  I neglected to get the information)

Ohhhhh!  And finally . . . Our family is in a stake play called "Savior of the World".  My kids and my husband now hate me immensely cause they think I succored them into auditioning.  Jon and Ammon still have yet to actually attend a practice.  However, they have minor parts, so I think they will catch on.  But they are supposed to be singing.  That's going to be a trip - whew!  Jim, on the other hand, has a speaking part AND he has to grow a beard.  Now Jim has never in his life had a beard other than a few days 'sick leave' from shaving. Yes, they are all shooting blood from their eyes, but I just know it will be this great family experience . . .  well, please pray for me, would you?  

Oh, it is soooooo, soooo funny! . . . we discovered Jim has no chin hair in the front . . .  pictures to come.

JOY

Things to be Thankful for:

This is the joyful face of Granddaughter Macey.

Take a walk with me on Memorial day

I love graveyards - I don't think they are scary places at all . . . except in scary movies. In real life, I think they are peaceful. The epitaphs on some of the old gravestones are often funny, insightful, or just really odd. I like to look at them all. I travel a bit with my work, and I often stop at graveyards just to take a look at the old ones.

Natural Spring in the Memorial Park in Parowan, Utah

One of the oddest graves I have ever seen is a grave in the Peoa cemetery where a very large boulder rolled down the mountain and landed atop an unmarked grave. The good people of Peoa then put a plaque on the boulder explaining the circumstances of the poor soul buried there. Apparently he was one of the Mobbers who murdered the prophet Joseph Smith in Carthage.

Why he would move to Utah is beyond me (considering the story is true). In any case, the man was not liked, apparently, and was not nice, apparently, and when he met his maker he was all alone in his demise as his house burned down around him. When he was finally found, they buried him in a far corner of the Peoa cemetery, far away from any other family graves. They really did not like this guy apparently.

The plaque on the boulder tells the story, and whomever placed the history there believed the boulder was fitting - never wanting him coming out of that grave, I guess. I don't have a picture yet, but I will take one to prove I didn't make this up.

Here are some photos of other graves I did take pictures of.

I stopped in Parawan, where some of my Grandfather Eyre's
side of the family settled, lived and died.

This grave stone represents
my Grandfather Eyre's Great Grandmother,
Elizabeth Collins Gillins, born 7 Sep 1799
in Newton, Lincolnshire, England.
The children buried with her are her grandchildren
who died in infancy or as little children.

This next grave marks the resting place of my great great grandmother,
Susan Fish Smith, born 13 Mar 1824 in Norwich, Norfolk, England.

This is a grave I have photographed before; (in fact, I think I have it posted on my blog somewhere). But here's an updated one.

Great great Grandma's grave looks the same. I look older. I guess I should just have posted the old photo, but life does march on. We are talking grave stones here, after all. I may have one foot in there, so my children think.

How about this guy?

Just outside of Milford, Utah I ran upon this handsome fellow.

Milford sports at least one individual's odd and funny sense of humor. As you drive by, the lights of this old vehicle light up. That's when you look over and notice the driver. He may be more Halloween-like than memorial-like, but it was the funnest part of the graveyard walks.


This is a ghost town grave yard up Spanish Fork Canyon

This graveyard hold no significance to me, personally,
except that it is very well tended
and an interesting place, so I stopped to take photos.

I found that there were far more lizards there than graves.
The place was abuzz with the creatures.

Speaking of Ghost towns. I also stopped at Silver City


It's a lonely Ghost town these days.
I snapped this photo, but it is colored in photoshop.
It just looks fitting as a memorial, don't you think?