Who Wears a Cowboy Hat with a Hawaiian Shirt?

Because inquiring minds want to know, or how about, who wears a wedding dress with black and white checked vans?  The info is here.

And another week begins.  Dad is wearing his new 'father's day' cowboy hat on Monday, and is sitting down on the Bully Platform, with the Bull Horn. He is sitting down, and resting his leg on one of the structures slates.  There's a line up of cars, trucks and vans awaiting instructions.  I was over at the ice house, in the meantime, giving out blocks of ice for the coolers.

And here we are with Dennis Page, the father of one of our missionaries, Elder Aaron Page with whom we  served on our first mission. He found us to introduce himself.  Yep, Dad is friends on FB with all kinds of parents of our missionaries.

Back at the lodge, before heading out on our first vignette, Dad is keeping his leg up some more.

That evening a storm rolled in.  You can see the rays of light shining on this 'camp of Israel'.  

Love this huge structure the young people put together using many hand carts.

The flags of this group were also fun. I loved the bandanna fringe.  Someone is so creative.

Elder Munro who headed our team of three couples, as the Elder of the A couple, over looks the gloomy scene.  It eventually started lightning and thundering.  The longest vignette we do, Ephraim Hanks and Thisbe Reed, was called off as Ephraim began and everyone was sent to their tents for cover.

And just for a break from the trek scene, here is the soon to be big brother to a littlest brother with his friendly chicken.

Now its Tuesday and Sister Munro shows off an old safety razor she found in the dump.  This vignette site sits near a farm family dump from the 1970's.  Its very interesting.  I actually found a yellow marble that day too.

I love the view of the trekkers as they come into the Fort Simenole site.

Next we met them for lunch.  They had all the pioneer games that we provide.  These girls are being instructed by Elder Andreason on how to work the 'Skeleton Walk'. You see the rings by the side which the kids can roll along with a stick.

On the far left you can see girls working on getting up on the stilts.  But my favorite is the impenetrable crowd gathered around a couple of champion stick pullers.  Do you see the girl on her friend's back, piggy back style, so she can see the fun.  The two stick pullers are a huge kid who had easily pulled over everyone else.  He is ready to pull with the bishop, his much smaller father.  His father actually manage to pull him over, but in a rematch, the son beat his father.  Everyone was so excited. It made me think of how Joseph Smith did stick pulling, and was a champion.

Now we move on to the Jens and Elsie vignette.  The couple was from Denmark, and after selling everything, they gave all their money to the Perpetual Immigration Fund, so that many could travel by handcart to Zion.  At Rocky Ridge, Jens' feet were so frozen he could not continue.  He told Elsie, he was done, and that she could just go on and take care of their 6 year old son, and the 10 year old neighbor girl who was traveling with them.  She said, No, I'll pull you in the handcart.  The children walked by the side as she miraculously pulled him the two miles up the slope, then pulled him the rest of the way.  The Trail Boss chooses one of the couples there as a Ma and Pa.  Jens was 6 feet tall, Elsie was 5 feet.  The narrator stands on the hill and tells the story, then when the young people see their Ma and Pa attempting this feat, he talks about how we can be angels too.  Eventually the kids in the 'made up trek family', run to the rescue.

Here I am with a doctor whose name is Clark Larsen.  His wife is Kimberly, which I also thought was interesting, as my brother Clark Larsen has a daughter named Kimberly nee Larsen. He said there are four Clark Larsens in the Salt Lake Valley.  He said one is an Editor at the Deseret News, and one is a frequent contributor to the letters to the editor page.  That last is my brother.  I also know the fourth Clark Larsen, as he was in our ward when we lived in the Salt Lake house from 2006 to 2008.  That was fun.

Actually that polka dot shirt I was wearing above has a peep hole in the top of the back ... yep, the sun peeped in, but its not so bad I don't need a doctor.  Hahaha. BTW being out in the hot sun so much is exhausting.  I don't know how the handcart pioneers managed in the heat.

and this is the last event on Wednesday, the river crossing.  My assignment was to stand on the receiving side of the river, to  get the hand carts parked, and to keep the river side clear for those coming over.

Then its time for the trekkers to trek home.  Our two young missionaries spray off the carts.  This is Elder Olson...

and this is Elder Reed.

That night we headed up to Layton to see Desi nee Anderson, in vans.  (Just for you Spencer.)

And her cute husband Eli Staggs.  We love these two and realized that we had both of them at our dinner table in Helsinki 9 different times.  Maybe we had something to do with this outcome.

We had intended to stop and see Elder Staggs parents when we were in Kansas City last summer, but having Dad develop a cough in times of covid, meant cancelling.  So it was great to finally get to meet them.

This is all the missionaries, but one, that we saw there.  Such a happy reunion.  BTW the dark haired man next to Dad was not a missionary, but is standing by his girl friend. Please note Brett Anderson's wife's baby bump.  So cute.

These elders were all companions with Eli.

Sister Peterson, in the middle, came after the mission shot, so we got Sarah Amestoy and Emmalee Larson to join her.

Finally, after two weeks that seemed more like two month at the trek site, I was home and could walk with Carolyn again.  That felt great!  Then I was off to work, also for the first time in that millennium. 

Cute Wendy came and brought me Cafe Rio.  It was my award for bringing her the four big wicker chairs she bought at fleaology.  Of course the best part was seeing her.

I did this selfie to show you that I am as brown as Wendy.  She loves tanning, and is always so brown in the summer, I just never thought I'd be able to compete.

And just for fun, I loved how some enterprising woman used eyes and hooks and some thin wire to make plate holders for these butter pats. (they're about two inches in diameter)

And here's our rainbow girl again, this time with colorful nails.

On Friday, I had great luck junking.  I went to a sale in Santaquin being done by a fellow reseller.  I met her in line at DI.  Well when stuff doesn't resell, she does what we all do.  We have a garage sale to get our money back.  After spending a bucket load at her sale, I went to a few others.  I was so amused to find my old chair at another sale. (I put it out for free on the sidewalk when when we got our new recliners in the our bedroom last March)

We got a chance to face time with Toomy in Finland.  I am showing him that Scott is mowing the lawn here.  

We ran to get gas and groceries and stopped for veggies and flowers at the nursery.  I also got a honey suckle vine to grow on the outside of the staircase window.  Wish me well, I've tried so many things there.

I got a message from Dad's cousin Cathy to come and preview her sale.  She has her house for sale, sorry Becca, and is clearing out.  She had a few things she bought from me for sale too.  I spent another bucket load there. From her house I headed to the Spencers house who lived in the Park ward.  They had bought the house next door, and wanted to know if any of the stuff that was left behind had any value.  It was mostly junk, but I did get a jadite platter and some garden statuary.  I spent a bucket load there too.  What's funny, is that I spent the same amount at all three sales.  

Here's some of the goods.

and more.  Needless to say I did not go out junking on Saturday.  Please note the bistro chairs and table.  The set was given to me by the gal at the first sale.

These identical bistro chairs are some from a blog poster I follow, who is in France right now, and saw these at a flea market in Provence.  I can't imagine how much they were asking for these.

On Saturday I worked in the garden and put in the honey suckle vine.  I was pretty exhausted by about four when I crashed. 

Then we were off to the Father's Day celebration at Trevor and Nell's.  Darby picked up the giant pizzas.

Dad wore his cowboy hat in honor of Father's day.  It was his gift from me, you may recall.

Here Adi plays peek-a-boo with Cam.

Cutest thing ever.

Thanks Adi.

Hey my socks matched the rug.

Spencer tries out the hat.

When Ashley came on her way home from work, I had to commemorate the moment of having 6 of our ten kids in one spot.

Being silly pictures.

and when Hannah joined us for the sibling shot, it meant we had representatives from seven of our children.  We're all looking forward to time in Klamath Falls next month.

Eleanor brought up her birds.

and shared.

 Some of us played games too.

Others just took it easy.

Darby and Hannah were first to leave.  They are taking home Mosida Hamburger that we bought for $2 a pound.  We had some for everyone.  Yep, I am first and foremost a bargain hunter and second a vegetarian. 

Guess we missed Strawberry Days in Pleasant Grove.

But Charlie is wearing a cute strawberry colored ballet outfit.  Isn't this a cute one?

I found the two pieces of a Toilet Set at Tiffany's sale.  The one on the left is the water pitcher, there would have been a matching tumbler, and the tooth brush vase.  I hardly every find these frenchy blue colors of transferware.

Then against all odds, I found another piece of another toilet set in the colors I collect at Cathy's sale.  Its actually the sponge dish.  Happy me.

We headed to church this morning, and had two very good high council speakers.  Lillian, our basement renter also came and sat by us.  That was fun.  

At home again I fixed Dad some Garam Marsala we had gotten at Trader Joe's, but I added veggies.  We also had Korean scallion pancakes, also from Trader Joe's.  Yum. And that does it for our first regular trek week.  It is so much fun, and there are so many moments where the spirit is so strong.  But it is also very tiring, good tired, the kind that makes you fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow.