Hintze Family

Chichen Itza

2012-02-15T18:10:00.001-08:00

From the moment that I mentioned to anyone that we were considering a trip to Merida in January, the most common response was “Be sure to go to Chichen Itza. We checked out the travel books, and it is listed as One of the Seven New Wonders of the World. Cool. So, that was on our list of “for sure things to do”. I mentioned it to Sharon and she and Gardner were happy to go to see it again.

It’s about an hour and a half bus ride from Merida to Chichen—1st class, but that is, and a rather full bus. Gardner suspected as much and he went to the terminal the night before and purchased our tickets. I quite like to ride the bus in Mexico. It’s such and inexpensive and efficient way to get around.

The bus took us right to the Visitors’ Center parking lot. It wasn’t cheap to get into the ruins, but if you’ve come that far—From West Jordan to Merida, you’re not going to refuse to pay another $15 (US) to get in. Who knows when I’ll be back on the Yucatan again? (Soon, I hope).

Me, Frank, Gardner, Sharon, and Tom (a friend of their friend, from Chicago)--in the Visitors’ Center.

I was glad to get back to this point after being in the hot sun for a couple hours—cold water bottle, and a popsicle.

These are of the Grand Pyramid. Quite amazing.

I wasn’t particularly bother by the crowds. The area is so expansive, we were able to spread out and not be too aware of all the tourists. But in that second picture, you’ll notice the venders table. Those were everywhere. And that got to be a bit annoying.

They were all selling the same stuff, for about the same price, all “practically free”. I learned to tell them that I’ll hold out for “free”. Frank gets a little hung up if they approached him because he tends to try to explain to the why he’s not going to purchase. Eventually he got better at “No, gracias” and refusing to engage.

This place really was more his thing than mine. I’m sort of “You’ve seen one ruin, you’ve seen them all”. But he likes to poke around and get pictures of everything from several different angles. Happily, Sharon’s friend, Peter, is the same way. (This was his 6th time to Chichen) So, he and Frank read every plaque and circled every ruin.

We ate lunch down by the cenote (fresh water pool coming up from and underground river).

Gardner, posing, of course. Frank Sharon and Gardner

You can see the vendors in the background. They lined the dirt road down to the cenote.

Peter Tom and Sharon a friendly iguana, hoping for some crumbs.

This cenote isn’t accessible like most are. But there are so many people there day in and day out that it wouldn’t be practical to expect to swim in it. We were grateful for the shade and the little snack shack just to the left of the camera angle. It featured cold water bottles and clean, free banos!

If you look closely, you can see the snake head at the corner, and the tail that wraps all the way around the building and meets up almost at the head. The snake has a name, can’t recall it just now.

In the Grand Ball Court—as in a sport, not a fancy dance.

World’s Funnest Couple

Temple of the Pillars, or something.

Palace of the Warriors

Side long view, Palace of the Warriors

Zocalo!

2012-02-08T17:28:00.001-08:00

I love a Mexican Zocalo. My first experience with the Zocalo was in Oaxaca. Every Mexica city, town, village seems to have one. It’s the center park in the town. Generally there are city government buildings across the street on one side, and a beautiful cathedral right nearby. There may or may not be a mariachi band playing at any given moment.

Merida’s Zocalo is large and shady, lots of benches. We discovered a little ice cream shop just across the street and a bakery across another street, on the corner. The beautiful old city buildings are well-kept, and of course a magnificent cathedral right there.

We managed to wander through the zocalo almost every evening. It was on the way home from almost any direction! (or so it seemed. I was still getting my bearings until the next to the last day or so. Frank figured it out pretty quickly.) On the way to our hotel from the zocalo were lots and lots of shops that stayed open rather late. I manage to buy the girls’ scarves and our Christmas ornament—a Merida style mini hammock—along that street.

This is walking from Santa Lucia park toward the zocalo. The cathedral is the lit up building up on the left.

From Saturday through Sunday evening, there are dozens of food booths, and vender stalls. Love it! There’s the cathedral, on the left. To the center is a section of the cathedral that was taken over by the government and has been remodeled. It’s actually more modern looking, but still very lovely.

Our little ice cream shop was down along this building, almost to where the red building is.

On Monday evening we attended a Tango festival in a little auditorium at the right end of the building in the above picture. It was pretty good—just a local dance company consisting of about 9 young adults. They performed mostly the Argentine tango. Some guy sang a couple numbers in the middle. When we came out, a religious procession was under way. It seems is was a celebration honoring St. Sebastian. Who knew?!?! People came from many of the outlying villages, carrying banners and wearing wonderful native costumes. It was fun and first, then it went on and on and on….. Everyone wanted to be represented, I suppose.

Kind of a blurry picture of beautiful Guadalupe overseeing the festivities.

More Merida–Parks and recreation!

2012-02-06T12:16:00.001-08:00

On Saturday morning we attended a temple session at the Merida Temple. That was fun. I was muddling my way through getting organized when a Sister Palmer, a missionary from Orem, Utah, came around the corner. She arranged for the translator and helped me to know when to be where. That afternoon, with Sharon and Gardner, we rode a bus out to the Americanas Mall to go to a movie—Sherlock Holmes 2. Sarah and I went to a movie when we visited S and G in Oaxaca. You just have to be careful. Quite often the '”big movies” are listed twice—once with an S for subtitles, and once with a D, for dubbed. So, we just pick the one with an S and after a few minutes, you don’t even notice the Spanish subtitles anymore.

That evening we took a bus to the “Noches Mexicana”, which occurs every Saturday evening. It’s a gathering of about a dozen food stalls, and singing and dancing entertainment. Every Saturday night! The food was great—the singing kind of started to sound all the same. I’m sure if one understands the words, there is more noticeable variety! Sharon and Gardner had taken us to the Santa Lucia park on Thursday night where they have a “Serenade” every Thursday night. And at the Santiago Park there is dancing every Tuesday night, sometimes there is a dance contest where the winners go compete with couples from other communities. Here in WJ we think we’ve really outdone ourselves if we show a movie in the park once a week for eight weeks in the summer!

One other fun thing we did on Friday (I just remembered) was that we paid for an open air trolley tour of Merida. We rode for about 90 minutes all throughout the city. We had a cute little Merida-ite young lady who proceeded to give us information about what we were seeing—sometimes first in Spanish then English, sometimes in English first. Sharon, who understands Spanish, noticed that she gave many more details when she was speaking in Spanish. Just stands to reason, I suppose!

Sunday morning, before 11:00 church, we all walked over to Santa Lucia park and rented a bicycle. It seems that EVERY Sunday morning, they block off several of the many little streets and a whole long section of the Paseo de Montejo and everyone goes for a bike ride. To the south of Santa Lucia park the city streets are all torn up, resurfacing project, so we were only able to ride north. But we rode up and back for about an hour. Merida is perfectly level, it was lovely. I was amazed at the number of people that were out cycling. When we rented out bikes there were probably a couple dozen to choose from. When we brought them back, there were only two left. And there were several spots from which to rent bikes.

It was a great way to see part of the city, and the people!

Yucatan State Symphony

2012-02-01T10:33:00.001-08:00

We arrived in Merida on Jan 18, Wednesday. On Friday night we went to the Symphony.

I didn’t take any pictures of the inside of the symphony hall. It was beautiful—huge chandelier and a lovely mural on the ceiling. We sat on the 2nd floor balcony. The program was “Waltzes of Russia and Vienna”. I was very familiar with most of the pieces except for a Jazz waltz from a suite by Shostakovich. (I planned to save the program so I’d remember details, but I laid it down somewhere after the concert). I’ve never been a real fan of Shostakovich—a bit too contemporary for my taste. But this piece was absolutely charming. Frank leaned over and commented that it sounds like a carousel; and it did. One other piece that I’d heard of but wasn’t very familiar with was Prokofiev’s Cinderella Suite waltz. It was nice, but I loved the Shostakovich.

The conductor of the symphony is Juan Carlos Lomónaco.

Very charming, relatively young, and so talented. His bio in the program notes was extensive. One thing that jumped out at me was that he had guest conducted the Salt Lake Symphony in the past few years.

http://www.saltlakesymphony.org/bio.php?fname=Juan_Carlos&lname=Lomonaco

(I couldn't get it to hyper-link, so you'll just have to copy and paste if you want to read his bio on the Salt Lake Symphony guest artist archive)

Another thing that was of note—he used no music for the entire concert. Watching him was like watching a wonderful dance unfold.

The encore number was the Thunder and Lightning Polka. The audience went wild. They love their symphony and their conductor. It was a wonderful way to spend a Friday evening in lovely Merida.

Lovely Merida!

2012-01-30T10:51:00.001-08:00

Frank and I spent a week in and around Merida, Mexico. My oldest sister, Sharon, and her husband, Gardner, live in Merida for three months in the winter. Their home is in Maine—so, what would you do for the winter—Maine or Mexico? Me, too! I hadn’t been to see Sharon and Gardner since I flew to Oaxaca, Mexico to see them about six years ago. I was amazed that it had been that long.

Now that Frank has a passport, it made perfect sense for him to go with me. He admitted that he was a bit tentative about visiting Mexico. It was all he could do to take a taxi into Mazatlan last February when we cruised the Mexican Riviera. But we found a decent deal on Frontier Airlines and booked a good deal on a hotel just a few blocks from Sharon and Gardner’s apartment and away we went.

Our first adventure was to get from the Cancun airport to the ADO (ah-day-oh) bus terminal in Cancun. Sharon emailed us detailed, step-by-step instructions. It was pretty easy actually. The trickiest thing before that was finding an ATM that worked—the third one we tried produced plenty of pesos and we were in business.

The bus terminal was lively and fun. A nice local man helped us get to the correct ticket booth and we booked on a first class bus to Merida. We had about an hour wait so we had time to get a sandwich and “people watch”. We got to wait in the “first class” waiting area which had a TV, but all we could watch was some teenage sitcom in Spanish. I don’t think it would have made much sense in English, either. We checked our bags and it wasn’t long till our bus was ready to depart. Our lone concern was that Sharon had hoped we’d make it on to the 5:00 bus. By the time our shuttle from the airport circled the airport parking lot and pulled back in to the same boarding area, evidently to collect more riders, we were too late for the 5:00 bus. It didn’t matter much to us, but they had said they’d check the bus station in Merida about 9:30. We arrived about 10:30 and happily they had hung around, waiting for “one last bus”. It was so fun to see them again. They quickly arranged for a taxi and we headed to our hotel—the Yucatan Vista Hotel.

I had no idea what to expect, the pictures on line seemed nice, but you know how that can go. The owner is British. Sharon described him as “the only person in Merida without a personality!” He is nice enough, but he mumbles in his heavy British accent, and Frank got tired of asking him to repeat himself. He took us up to our room, showed us how to work the hot water, gave us our keys—one to our room and one to the front door, and left us to get settled. Sharon and Gardner stayed for a few minutes. Their place is about a 7 minute walk.

One of my favorite features of our room was the little balcony that overlooked the dipping pool in the courtyard.

View from the balcony--

A few mornings we enjoyed the “special breakfast”—Fruit, omelet, and freshly squeezed orange juice.

Our room was clean and bright, and best of all—the AC worked perfectly.

It was a great place to flop for a siesta in the middle of the afternoon, and the location was perfect—close to Sharon, close to the parks and the Zocalo, a bus stop right across the street, and just about 6 blocks from the temple and the church.

We did a temple session Saturday morning. It was lovely. There was a missionary couple from Orem, and we were able to use wireless translators.

I didn’t get a picture of the chapel where we attended church on Sunday. We attended the 11:00 block, just Sacrament Mtg. As we were sitting, waiting for the meeting to start, the clock moved nearer and nearer to 11:00 and no prelude music, no organist. When Elder and Sister Palmer walked in, Frank commented to them that I play, would the Bishop like me to play the organ. He gave a great big nod and up I went to check out the pretty deluxe Yamaha Clavinova. I found the organ setting and we sang Onward, Christian Soldiers, Jesus, Once of Humble Birth, and Lord, Dismiss Us With Thy Blessing. As the meeting ended, a bit ahead of schedule, the bishop got up and made some sort of an announcement. I heard the word “music” two or three times and as he turned around to sit down, I motioned “Should I play?” Yup. So, it seems that I was also the special musical number—for about 7 minutes, while the other ward that meets at 9:00, made their transitions to their next class, and this ward waited, avoiding crowds in the halls. It was a very comfortable situation. It there is one thing I can play with zero stress, it’s hymns. Pretty soon the bishop stood up and dismissed the congregation and that was that. Frank asked Sister Palmer if she could point out the Relief Society President and translate for us. We had brought with us a full suitcase of clothes—I cleaned out my closet and Frank brought some clothes from DI that Tom gave him. We put the clothes in two large garbage bags from our hotel and brought them to the church, hoping that we could donate them where the need was greatest. Instead of the Relief Society president, Sister Palmer approached the Stake President, who happened to be there that day. He immediately said that there is a village just out of Merida, in his stake, where the need is great. He was very glad to accept the bags and we were grateful for the opportunity to give. It added a nice feeling to our Sabbath.

I'm back in school!

2012-01-15T21:45:00.000-08:00

I'm registered as an Online student at BYU-Idaho. It's been a long time coming, but here I go. The first class I have to take is called Realize the Vision. It's a 6 week block class. So far we've had to listen to two devotionals talks, participate in a couple discussion boards, take a couple quizzes, and record our thoughts in a Reflection Journal post. I'm enjoying myself immensely. It's going to be tricky, these next two weeks, as I work to complete assignments from Merida, Mexico. Frank and I are flying down to visit my sister and her husband. They have an apartment there for the winter. But through the miracle of Internet Cafes, I'm going to work it out.
The following is my entry in the Reflection journal at the end of our first full week of assignments. It is exactly what is says it is, a reflection as I start/finish the journey to my Bachelor's degree that began back in 1977.
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After graduating from Ricks College with an Associates degree, I fully expected that I would continue on and earn my Bachelors in Music at Utah State. I wasn't quite sure what direction in music I would go. At Ricks my major was Music Pedagogy. My dad, a music educator/administrator, told me that he thought I'd enjoy elementary music education, but he didn't feel like he could encourage me in that direction because schools were cutting back on specialty instructors. The one thing I knew for sure was that I wasn't particularly interested in any other career besides being a mother, and I figured I could teach piano students in my home. That is exactly what happened. I married after two quarters at USU, attended one more quarter, while expecting our first child. Frank was transferred to Ogden, and I never had the desire to go to school while raising my family. I have had many piano students over the past 30 years and I've been very content. We've encouraged all of our children to pursue a higher education, and we've worked to make our home a "house of learning".

When my youngest child started kindergarten, I had a little extra time on my hands, so I substituted a bit in her class. The following year, I was hired as an Elementary Music instructor at the charter school where our youngest two kids attend. My father was right. It was a perfect match for me. I joyfully sang and laughed and rejoiced with the K-5th graders for five years. As Dinah finished 5th grade, I felt the urge to be less busy. I needed to either give up teaching at the school, or unload some of my prvate students. The obvious choice, based on $$ was keep the private students. As much as I loved the kids at the school, I knew my season was changing yet again. When asked what I would do with the extra time at home, I listed the obvious--more time to enjoy my three little grandkids, be a better visiting teacher, temple attendance, get back to sewing and cooking, and "maybe I'll go back to school". That was two years ago. We had recently attended the graduation banquet with our daughter as she graduated from BYU-I. We were seated at the table with Brother Eaton, who was on the cutting edge of the new and improved on-line program at BYU-I. He told me to give it a few months and keep an eye on the web site. The seed was planted that evening. The idea kept niggling at the back of my brain until one day I verbalized it to my husband. He was totally supportive, but I still wasn't quite ready. Finally one evening, I mentioned it to my cousin, Guy Hollingsworth, who is Associate Academic VP at BYU-I. He told me to wait 2-3 weeks, that new and wonderful things were happening with the on-line degrees, and that soon I wouldn't have to "settle" for just the University Studies degree. A couple weeks later I checked the website and there were the changes. In looking through the degree options, Home and Family Sciences jumped out at me and I knew the time had come.

I am going to school now because it's my season again. I have watched my son and daughters learn and grow through their college study and even though I've not envied them, I've wanted to immerse myself in the learning environment again. My family is grown, mostly--my two kids at home are 12 and 15. I had lots of theories and opinions when I started raising my children. Now I have fewer theories, lots of experience, and still lots of opinions, I suppose. I'm eager to share, and exchange ideas. I am happy to study, once again, secular courses, in a gospel setting. As I read through the syllabi (?) of the classes I will be taking I have to keep telling myself that I can do this. As a sophomore at Ricks, I deliberately took a B in an Honors Psych class just to avoid writing a paper. Now it appears I will have to get over that particular fear. I had a wonderful session with my advisor, Stephanie Romney today. Her enthusiasm for my opportunity radiated right through the phone. I grateful for the support system that I will have access to. Mostly, I'm grateful to be back within the fold of the Spirit of Ricks.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-19T21:38:00.001-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Here we are in the middle of December, I guess I’d best get at this! We had a wonderful year—where did the time go? I’ve learned that once the 4^th of July comes and goes I’d best start getting ready for Christmas because it’s just around the corner.

Sarah graduated from BYU, with her Masters of Public Administration, in August. She actually “walked” in April, but took a summer study abroad trip to China in June and July. She has been applying for jobs around the state. Interviews are a bit slow in coming, but things will work out. We love having her at home again after her two years in Provo. She has developed a real knack for Family History research and works with indexing in her singles’ ward.

Jacob and Cori live up in Holladay in a large basement apartment. It’s about a 20 minute drive from our home. Jacob continues to work in accounting for the U of U bookstore, Cori is tutoring a few elementary students. Benjamin is 3. He is a delightful conversationalist. Gracie is 1, and loaded with personality. We love having them so close! They both serve in the Sunday School in the their ward.

Abby and Steve still live just 5 minutes to the south of us. Steve has travelled quite a bit with his job with the FDIC. Abby and Eli have accompanied him to Washington DC, Gunnison and Burley. It seems you have to put up with a few Burleys to really enjoy the DC trips! Eli is 1. He is a source of constant laughter! Steven is the Elders’ quorum president and Abby works in the Primary.

Bekah is living at home. She works as an office manager for a dentist. She would like to find a job that is more in her field of Events Management or Philanthropies, but she is happy to be employed, and she is getting more hours as the business continues to grow. She continues to serve as Relief Society president in her singles’ ward.

Hannah completed her Jr. year at BYU-I in July. She was home for a few weeks and then headed south to spend another fall working at Jacob Lake Lodge, just north of the Grand Canyon North Rim. They have guests from all over the country, and from many parts of the world. She waitressed in the dining room, was the RA for the girls’ dorm, and was called as the Relief Society president for the little branch there at the Lodge. She worked hard and played hard, including hiking rim to rim again this year.

Caleb is in 9^th grade. He attends early morning seminary and has received his Eagle in Scouting. He had a blast at scout camp up at Bear Lake and EFY here in West Jordan. He’s been busy with volley ball, basket ball, soccer, and singing with a musical theater group. They perform at gatherings throughout the valley. And he loved his Russian dance in the Nutcracker. He thinks he’s going to get his learner’s permit for driving very soon. We’ll see!

Dinah turned 12 in February and is now in Young Women. She loved Girls’ Camp in June, up at the Heber Valley camp—cabins and showers—Whatever! She has transitioned well into Jr High. She continues with ballet, finally this Christmas her pointe class performed for the recital (she couldn’t wipe the smile off her face as she twirled on her toes), and Jazz dance. We love to listen to her practice her harp. She is getting pretty good, but even the mistakes sound lovely on a harp!

Frank continues at Deseret Industries. Every day is “Black Friday” and each day brings a new adventure. He spent many hours painting and puttering around the house. He serves in the Sunday School presidency.

I have 30 piano students. We had a great fall with Duet and Concerto festival. I’ve recently been called to serve in the Relief Society presidency.

We had a delightful family reunion at our favorite campground up near Salmon, Idaho. The water was a bit higher and colder than usual, but it’s a great place to spend 2-3 days. Over Labor Day we went south to Capitol Reef. We’d not been through that area since Abby was a baby. We camped and hiked and drove through some amazing sights.

We hope this Christmas finds you and your family well and happy.

Love,

Frank and Marla Hintze, and family

Happy Monday!

2011-11-07T14:46:00.001-08:00

I’ve got three casualties home today. Dinah came down at 6:40 am to practice her harp and said she felt like she might throw up. I told her to do what she could and let me know how she felt in a few minutes. She played a couple pieces, I went in and helped her with the tuning on one piece. A few minutes later she came walking through the kitchen, right past me to the bathroom and next thing I knew she was heaving into the toilet. That’s been her lot throughout the day, about 6 times now.

I called down to Sarah as I was leaving for Zumba, just to let her know that Dinah was home, sick. Sarah came staggering up the stairs—she hadn’t thrown up yet, but was feeling as if she might any minute. So, I bolted out the door, wishing them both the best.

(I went down stairs a few minutes ago to try to get a picture of Sarah but she was kind of propped up in the shower so I decided I’d just let it go!)

On my way home from Zumba, I called Frank to let him know what was going on at home and he said that his tummy was a bit unsettled and that I might see him at home in a bit. Sure enough, about 12:30, in he came, looking pretty peaked. It seems he threw up at work. So he came home to join the party.

So far it’s just those three. Bekah came home for lunch and doesn’t seem to have any symptoms. I haven’t heard from Caleb at school, so he must be fine. I’m wiping things down with Clorox Disinfecting Wipes and washing my hands, and keeping my distance—“I’m sorry, Dinah, that you’re back over the toilet. Thanks for being so good at making it to the toilet. You’re being very brave.”—all from across the room.

Here’s hoping for a better Tuesday!

October Sky

2011-10-05T08:32:00.001-07:00

I’ve come to the conclusion that the most dramatic change of seasons is from Summer to Fall. Last week was still very summer-ish. Sunday was lovely, 80-ish. That evening the wind hinted of a coming change. Monday was pleasant. That night the winds shifted and change was definitely in the air. Yesterday (Oct 4) felt different. It wasn’t the just morning rain. The air seemed static, full of energy. Thunder in the afternoon, windy as I went to bed. This morning, Fall is here. The skies are proclaiming that summer has come to a glorious end. (Both of these pictures are this morning’s sunrise, taken on the way to pick up carpool, about 7:30 a.m.)

A musical term for and extended ending is Coda. September was our Coda. Oh how lovely it was-- Tomatoes, cucumbers, BYU football, lovely evenings.

Welcome Fall—pumpkins, chilly mornings, crisp afternoons, more BYU football—I’ll actually put on that jacket that I’ve taken to all the games thus far, two family birthdays, on the same day actually, Halloween, and my favorite holiday—Thanksgiving.

Dinah fall harp recital

2011-10-01T10:23:00.001-07:00

Currently....

2011-09-16T15:13:00.000-07:00

The best looking room in the house.

Check out hall bathroom after its most recent makeover.

Refreshing.

Out with the old….

2011-09-14T17:26:00.001-07:00

Last year Dinah finally got her pointe shoes. So beautiful, so exciting.

Here’s what they look like now:

Actually, they still work, it’s just that, whether we notice it or not, Dinah is growing. She tried to put them on a couple weeks ago, and it just wasn’t going to happen. It’s one thing to dance on one’s toes, it’s quite another to dance on your toes while those toes are being squished!

So, this week I sew new ribbons and new straps onto the beautiful new shoes!

Mary Poppins!

2011-09-10T14:03:00.001-07:00

Mary Poppins is in town!

I saw the movie for my 6th birthday. It’s one of my favorite all-time movies.

(I met a lady yesterday who said she’s never liked the movie. I had no response for that!)

Although the stage musical varies quite a lot from the movie, it is absolutely charming. My favorite numbers were Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Feed the Birds, and of course, Step in Time.

We missed Hannah, who is working at Jacob Lake Lodge again, but we were happy that Aunt Helen agreed to take her spot.

The program	The cool bag.
The “gotta have it” snowglobe!	And, of course, a bag in which to put my treasures!

Can’t wait for South Pacific, Beauty and the Beast, and Wicked!

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-09T12:31:00.001-07:00

We love to get out of town for a final fling on Labor Day Weekend. Generally we head to Southeast Idaho/Yellowstone. I love it up there but it’s so COLD n the morning, especially if one has to make at trip to the “little girls’ room” at about 6:00 in the morning. Three years ago we decided to go to Southern Utah—Capitol Reef—instead. We had reservations and everything. Dad died on August 28 and the funeral was on Labor Day. So much for that! The past two years we gave in to our tradition and camped at Mac’s Inn. This year, we tried again to go south.

I had been to Capitol Reef, for just one night on the way home from Lake Powell, about 24 years ago. But we sure missed a lot of sights in the brief visit.

Friday, we drove along the scenic drive to the Capitol Gorge road.

The Capitol Gorge road was closed, so we couldn’t go past that point. On the up side, because of the closure, they weren’t charging $20 to get into the Nat’l park!

The drive back was lovely, also!

Saturday was the hike to Lower Falls on Calf Creek in the Grand Staircase Escalante.

View from the Hog's Back.

I can not believe that I’ve lived in Utah for over 30 years and never saw this till now. Truly awesome.

I’m not annoyed at the fact that this area was set aside as a Nat’l Monument anymore, just annoyed at how it was handled.

I hiked to Lower Falls. I about died. I’m very glad that I did it, I’m glad that I made it. And I’m glad that I never have to do it again.

I don’t remember much of the beautiful scenery after the first mile or so. I was just trudging! I’m glad Sarah took these pictures.

There were at least three miracles as I hiked—1). At the very point when I thought I couldn’t go on, Abby’s Steve came back and said there was a rock, in the shade, to sit on, just ahead. The shade was so welcome, I actually sat and leaned against a large, cool rock. It was a great relief. 2) At that very point, Sarah pulled some green grapes out of her pack. I had plenty of water, but the grapes made a big difference. 3) On the way back from the falls, about 2/3 of the trail was in the shade as the sun dipped behind the tall rock walls. I didn’t take any pictures, just put one foot in front of the other, but Abby did.

My first view of the falls.

I could hardly get my

shoes off quickly enough!

Caleb and Dinah were in the water by the time I arrived.

Caleb – Doesn’t have the sense he was born with!

It was SO cold!

Bekah and her Baywatch moves!

How can they do that? Did they not just walk as far as I did?

Elijah with Grandpa, happy to be out of the back pack! Elijah was here!

I checked every family picture we took at the falls. I had the same expression in each one. Happy to be there, contemplating the long walk back!

The walk back was beautiful. It’s true – you miss things when you stay in your car. I’m glad I didn’t miss this.

Caleb pretty much trotted the whole way Life giving water—green and lush along the creek.

Elijah hung in there the whole way.	Abby, Steve and Elijah
Miles to go……	Never faltering.
Literally along the side of the mountain	Red desert, green growth.

My favorite moment of the whole weekend was putting my feet in Calf Creek, after the hike. Calf Creek campground is right at the base of the hike to the falls. Calf Creek runs through the campground with easy access to the water. Several of us waded around for several minutes before driving back to our camp at Single Tree.

Abby, Eli, and Dinah

cooling their feet

in the creek!

We loved the area around Boulder, which we passed through on the way to Calf Creek, so much that we decided to go to church there so that we could visit the Anasazi Museum and drive the Burr Trail after church.

A few interesting artifacts in the museum, some actual homes that had been excavated, and a model of a home. And a bunch of over priced stuff in the museum store.

The Burr Trail was another awesome experience. It can be driven in a complete loop, but the last third of the way is not paved, with extreme switchbacks. It doesn’t necessarily say 4-wheel drive only, but we opted not to try it in our van. The best part is about 2/3 of the way through, which is down in the bottom of the gorge. It’s like descending into the bottom of the Grand Canyon. No water, this time of year. There is a dry river bed, which I’m sure runs like crazy in the spring.

Another of my favorite moments about the weekend was the balmy weather sitting around the fire in the evening, and no shock to the system getting out of bed in the morning, even at 5:30 am, or so. Sleeping was lovely and cool, just not bone-jarring cold!

We had thought we would do one more hike on Monday. But the kids had done the Cohab Canyon hike on Friday, big hike on Saturday, lots of driving on Sunday. I was prepared to try to be a good sport, even though my ankles and calves hadn’t yet recovered from the Saturday hike. Everyone decided that they had had their fill and we’d pack up and head home on Monday. “Ok, if that’s what y’all would prefer to do.” (Thank goodness!)

I think I’ll return to the area again, to poke around some more, especially the Grand Staircase area, especially between Bryce and Escalante—I’d like to visit Kodachrome Basin.

What a great summer!

2011-08-25T12:27:00.000-07:00

I planted a few sunflowers this year....

A Day at Lava--2011

2011-07-13T21:59:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was our annual trip to Lava Hot Springs, Idaho. Lori and I have been meeting there on a Tuesday in July for several years. It’s a day of total sun and relaxation. It was raining as we left West Jordan, but we carried on, expecting the best—and it was. A bit cloudy as we arrived, warned by the cashier that if the 30% chance of a thunderstorm came to pass they would close the pool for at least 30 minutes. The clouds came and went for a while, accompanied by a lovely breeze. Mostly overcast for about 45 minutes with a few gentle gusts, and then the rest of the afternoon was perfect. The water temperature is just exactly right, warm enough to walk right in to, cool enough to be refreshing. The kids had a blast on the boards, platforms and slides. The grandbabies loved the water and their floaties. Lava lets us bring our own picnic inside with us. The company was unmatched!

The platforms and tower

The slides start out over the highway!

Bekah and Benjamin

Abby, Elijah and Steve

Lori with Cami and Kyler. Chelsey with Gracie

That’s not a corpse. That’s Taylor catching a few rays.

Lori, Kyler, Cami, and Amber

Morgan and Dinah…BCF (Best cousins, forever!)

Somebody just entered the water.

Jacob coaxing Cori off the 2nd platform.

Abby off the high dive.

Caleb off the 2nd platform.

Front flip by Steve.

Caleb, mid-flip.

The water is just lovely!

Jacob, Cori, Hannah, Abby, Eli, and Benjamin.

Benjamin doesn’t want to smile for Grandma’s camera!

Bekah, Cori, Jacob and Benjamin.

Eli thinks it’s warmer in the pool than on the bank.

“Search and Destroy”

Gracie and Elijah!

To be continued…..next summer.

Dreamy Cabo San Lucas!! (Feb 17)

2011-03-28T21:58:00.001-07:00

I now get the magic of Cabo San Lucas. What a beautiful port. We knew we wanted to snorkel. We knew the names Lovers' Beach, the Arch, and Pelican Beach. We learned as we arrived in port that a basic water taxi should cost about $2, and if we wanted to use a beach at a hotel, there was one available.
But first we had to "tender" into port. The harbor at Cabo is not large enough or deep enough for a cruise ship. So the ships stop out a bit and we all ride small boats into port. We did this in Belize and the boats were provided by the port. This time the tender boats were actually the ship's life boats. Probably cheaper for the cruise line. We weren't in a rip roaring hurry, so we had breakfast in the dining room. I love breakfast in the dining room. Then we went and gathered our snorkel gear and changed into suits for the day. We had to get our tender ticket in the Queen's Lounge. I was afraid there might be a line for the boats but by the time we were ready the rush was over. It was about a 5 minute ride to the port. Once there we talked with a cruise assistant guy who explained about the water taxis and where to go and what to see band about how much to expect to pay. Because of him, we were able to make an informed decision when we were bombarded with water taxi guys. We decided to not go to the hotel, just hired a glass bottom boat. The driver took us out and around Pelican Point,

past Lovers' Beach and out to The Arch. Pretty spectacular. Lots of pelicans and sea lions.

The water around the point on the Pacific Ocean side is much wilder.

We had him drop is off at Pelican Beach, for the best snorkeling. There we're quite a few people there, but not as many as at Lovers' Beach. We were helped out of the boat by a man who offered to watch our stuff, we could use his radio if we decided we wanted to be picked up earlier or later than what we arranged with our driver. Of course he wanted a tip right on the spot. I told him he’d have to wait till the end of our beach time, that he hadn’t done much yet. We move our things done to the other end of the beach—fewer people, a rock on which to put everything.

Frank and Dinah got right in.

This water was a bit warmer than Puerto Vallerta, but still took a minute for me to get in the proper mind set. Happily, the sun was much warmer on this day.

Caleb did much better with getting in the water from the beach, and the water was lovely and blue, and much clearer.

One thing we learned was that when you get in the water from the beach, with the flippers on, you have to back in, so the current doesn’t pull the front of the flippers up. After you get about hip deep, you just kind of sit down and roll over. Once I got in and got oriented, I was back in the mode of “I could do this all afternoon”. So relaxing to drift along and watch the fish down below. There were a few rocks out just a bit from the beach and so there were several varieties of fish hovering around the area. On my last go round, the tide was definitely going out. I had to just relax when the current was headed out, and let myself sort of drift in with the waves. It was a wonderful couple hours. All too soon, the beach attendant friend found us to let us know that our boat was approaching the beach. We gathered everything and hopped back in the boat. It was a beautiful afternoon on the water.

On our way back to the port, we saw a tender boat for the Sapphire Princess headed back to the ship. Sitting toward the back, up on top, was our neighbor, Jake Harward, and his wife. Well, he used to be our neighbor. He’s moved away now, so his parents are our neighbor! We were pretty sure it was him, and since getting home, we’ve asked him if he would have been on the boat about that time and he said he was. Small world!

As we pulled back into the dock, a little 11 or 12 year-old boy put out his hand to help us back onto land. Fine, Thank you. Then he put out his hand for a tip. I suspect he noticed that we had just tipped our driver, generously. Sorry, I won’t be tipping for giving me a hand out of the boat! Oh well, I’m sure it was a worth a try for him!

We wandered along the port, slowly working our way back to the tender dock. Dinah found a cute bag in the “port mercado”.

The “tender” port

Final shot of “our” Pelican beach, taken from the ship as we were leaving beautiful Cabo.

It was the second “formal” night in the dining room.

The food was exquisite—as usual.

Dinah had Cornish Game Hen

Sure love surf and turf—steak and lobster!

Decadent desserts!

The show was the Oosterdam Singers—a Broadway night. Wow! So good!

We had to save room at dinner time because this night was the Gala Dessert buffet on the Lido Deck. The area was decked out with tables loaded with their most exotic desserts—pastries, fruits, chocolates. Incredible.

I settled on the fruit cabob dipped in the white chocolate fountain as my favorite. By this time is was 11:00 at night. Didn’t want to overindulge. But it was quite the sight!

Mazatlan–Feb 16, 2011

2011-03-16T08:22:00.001-07:00

We woke up and looked out and it was FOGGY! And a bit chilly. Reminded me of Seattle, just a bit. We ate breakfast, checked with the front desk for the weather forecast, and gave it a couple hours. Dinah swam. Just before noon it warmed up and the fog burnt off and I convinced Frank that we would be perfectly safe taking a taxi into the city. We had a couple choices of which part of the city to see. I was mostly interested in the "old city". We considered taking a trolley tour, which would have taken us to the old city, the Golden Zone and out to the light house and such. That would have been $60 for the four of us. Not bad. But then we found a taxi that would take us into the old city for $2 a piece. That decided it. Frank was still apprehensive, but we climbed in and headed for town. Thanks to my sister Sharon I was able to communicate with the driver that we wanted to see the cathedral, the zocalo, and the mercado. I wasn't surprised to learn that the zocalo and the cathedral were right together, but, the mercado was just two blocks from the cathedral. What luck! We got out at the cathedra and wandered inside. "The Church of the Immaculate Conception". It was typically ornate and beautiful. Guadalupe was at the front of the chapel, way up high. Many beautiful statues throughout. Lovely chandeliers, ornate ceilings. There was a mass of some sort in progress. That was particularly interesting to Caleb and Dinah.

We stayed for a few minutes and headed to the Mercado. Thank you, Sharon, for teaching me the ins and outs of a wonderful Mexican market! It was very similar to the mercado in central Oaxaca. I warned Frank that he would see everything he could imagine there, in booths next to each other-- clothes, meat, bags, fabric, jewelry, produce, and brooms! He about turned and ran within a few yards! He doesn't like the constant pressure of people trying to get you to stop a look at what they have to sell. Caleb informed me that he " wasn't that hungry" every time I suggested something that might be fun to try. We found some mini bananas, not quite as good as the one in Oaxaca, but close. Caleb was the one that spotted the table cloth fabric. I made a beeline for the ATM to get 500 pesos and we had some fun. I got vinyl for one tablecloth and a Mazatlan bag. Dinah got an ice cream cone and Frank decided he could use a wallet. We found a shop with several wallets and he found one he liked for $11. Caleb also found a wallet. I bought Mexican white vanilla for Abby and Cori and bracelets, over at the zocalo for Sarah, Bekah, and Hannah. It was a wonderful couple hours.

One funny thing, between the mercado and the cathedrals was an upscale department store. Frank wanted to go in so we did. It smelled like JC Penney, and looked like JC Penney. We wandered through a couple floors. It seemed to sooth Frank! We took a little golf cart-like cab back to the port--$6 for all of us. We wandered through the mercado at the port. Same stuff that we saw down town, except no food. I came across a cribbage board. I didn't want to pay $28. I offered her $20. She came back with $25. I walked away. But it was a really pretty cribbage board-- very ornate. So, as Frank and the kids went through the port gate, I headed back to see if I could get the price down a bit. I offered $22, she tried again for $25. I told her no and she finally offered $23, which I settled for.
We were back on board by 2:30 or so. Took a nice shower, took a little nap, with a movie in the background. Then we headed to deck 3 to watch the ship pull out.

We were facing forward into the harbor. The captain proceeded to do a " U-ie" and we took about 10 minutes and then we were facing the other direction. As we pulled away from the harbor, we watched the Sapphire Princess do the same thing.

A lovely dinner, as always.

Then a great show-- an Elton John tribute. Joel Mason. Oh my goodness. Fantastic pianist, great voice and so funny. It was a wonderful show. I would cruise Holland America again just to see him perform. Google Joel Mason for more info. He’s great!

Or click this link. http://www.eltonjoel.com/

The Lost at Sea preview on that link gives you a glimpse of what we experiences.

Afterwards we checked on Dinah and Caleb and then watched Unstoppable in the Screening Room. Love Denzel Washington! Quite a wonderful day!

Puerto Vallerta (Tuesday, Feb 15, 2011)

2011-03-11T20:41:00.001-08:00

We arrived in port by about 8:00. This was an all day stay—we didn’t have to be back on board till 7:00. So we didn’t dash off the ship. We had a nice breakfast in the dining room (did I mention that I love breakfast in the dining room?)

We stepped off the ship about 9:00. We had decided to try something a daring, for us. Last year, on our first cruise, we booked all of our excursions in advance through Shore Trips. We had a wonderful experience with them and I would highly recommend them. And they were offering a package deal for the three ports on this cruise. But it would have cost us about $170 per person. We had been told by at least three different friends, and cruisers, that we could arrange activities on our own, for much less, as we got off the ship. So, that was our plan. We started down the sidewalk, just a few yards from the pier, and immediately the offers began—cab drivers, and tour guides and such, all offering us the best deal. We stopped to visit with a couple drivers, getting a feel for what to expect. Eventually we visited with a van driver, explained that we mostly wanted to zip line and maybe snorkel. He offered to drive us to the zip line up at Eden, and then knew of a beach where we could try our hand a snorkeling. $5 per person, each way (plus the inevitable tip, always). The real selling point was that we could take all of our gear for the day, leave it in his van while we zip lined. He would be with us for the day. Part of it was he personality. He didn’t jump in our face, just listened to what we wanted to do and quoted us a price.

We loaded up and headed through the city. He took us along the board walk, along the beach. It was a beautiful morning.

Our first stop for a picture was Panpatla Flyers. The is some sort of a ritual to thank the gods.

Caleb and Dinah on the “boardwalk”

Looking back toward the port.

It was quite a drive up into the Sierra Madre mountains to the zip line.

It turns out that the site of the zip line is on the site of the movie set for "Predator", starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Never seen the movie, but kind of cool to know. We learned later that we arrived ahead of the crowds. There was just one group ahead of us, and maybe one just finishing as we we're getting organized. The system was a bit different than last year-- double safety straps on everyone. And we carried our own handle thingy from line to line. It was the same in that we had lively, personable young men as our guides, they spoke pretty good English and made the experience very enjoyable. Three different times, one of the younger boys jumped out at us from a tree or something similar, dressed as a "predator". They had a lot of fun with it. Another thing that seemed different was that we had to climb quite a lot. The first platform was about a half mile walk/climb. The heat and humidity wasn't awful, but I got tired about half way up. I made it through several platforms and then the old brother of the two main guides didn't give me my handle back. I couldn't figure out what he was up to till he met me at the next platform and I realized that I wasn't nearly at winded. This young man was a helping me to have an easier time. He ran up the steps to each platform with or without my 10 or so pound contraption. We had 12 platforms, two of which were about 1650 ft from platform to platform. What a rush! These platforms were noticeably higher and most of them longer than the ones in Honduras last year. The view wasn't quite as spectacular, there we could see the ocean a couple times. No ocean this year but we were way up in the mountains and the ride down was wonderful. Caleb and Dinah did great. A couple times, on the shorter, less steep lines, Caleb got the go ahead to hang on to just his straps so that he would spin a bit. Dinah decided not to because she couldn't change her mind part way down. But one of the guides rode tandem with her one time so she could ride backwards. It was a great morning.

The only disappointment was that we weren’t allowed to take our own cameras with us. In Honduras last year, we handed our cameras to our guides and they got great pictures of us coming in to each platform. This place wanted us to buy a DVD and CD for $80 and the end of our adventure. So, all I have is this blurry pictures taken by a lady, who had a fancy drink with a little umbrella in her had. Those are our delightful guides.

Because we had our own snorkel gear this trip, we wanted to try to snorkel at each port. So, we asked our driver to take us somewhere we could do so. He took us to Mismaloya, which was right across the highway as we came to the bottom of the mountain. Just inside the area our driver set us up with a man with a boat that we could have for the afternoon for $50.

That included lifejackets and snacks to attract the fish. Little did we know. Actually, it was really ok, it was just a learning experience for us. We had a really nice driver and we knew that the best snorkeling would be out near the rocks, a ways out. What we didn't realize was how cold the water was. Holy smokes! And it wasn't beautiful and clear like in Cozumel. There were some really pretty fish that immediately came to the surface when our driver threw in the bread. Frank jumped in the water and then proceeded to coax the rest of us into the water. Caleb gamely jumped in and then jumped back on the ladder. That was it for him for most of the time. He was unexpectedly overwhelmed and intimidated by the concept of the ocean. The fact that it was so cold didn't help and the water was very dark. Dinah made it in for several minutes, swam through a cave with Frank, and puttered around with her face in the water.

But with her lack of body fat she got pretty cold pretty fast. I finally made it in. I was happily surprised at how quickly I was able to warm up. I was disappointed in what little I could see. A few pretty fish, but not the clear blue water, the bright fish, and beautiful coral of Cozumel. But it was fun.
When we were ready, our driver took us back to the beach. That was an adventure. We were met by a man who offered us some beach chairs and drinks. Ok, four bottles of water please. We could have done with two. The normal sales people kept wandering by. Caleb offered to go in on a dress for Dinah's birthday. She found a pretty one and we haggled our way down to $15 from $20. Dinah kept jumping in and I later explained that it was important that she not "bid against me". The beach man came out again and offered chips and guacamole. Not thinking, I added salsa. Well, by the time we left, we were into the beach experience for $26. Hmmmm..... Plus, we had to buy another couple replacement chips and salsa because Caleb and Dinah had a little sand fight and she got sand in here food. I should have known it was going to be an adventure when Frank came out of the banos, where we were allowed to change for free (we didn't have to pay 3 pesos for the toilet paper) with a look of horror. He'd never really experienced an authentic Mexican public bathroom.
Our driver really was nice. He found us an ATM, which we needed after blowing so much of our cash at the beach. I got it to work just fine as the instructions were in English as well as Spanish. However, I thought I was getting plenty of cash when I requested 200. It was only after I completed the transaction that I realized that it was a Mexican bank, so obviously they would give out pesos not dollars. 200 pesos is only $20. We needed $40, or 400 pesos, plus tip. So I went back in, paid a second transaction fee and acquired 200 more pesos. By the time we tipped him, in US dollars, we had used every last bit of cash that we had taken off the ship. Luckily, we had loaded up with more cash than we thought we'd need. It was a great day and a good learning experience. Mostly we learned that we only want to do one main activity per port. Using the Mexican ATM helped me the next day in Mazatlan when I decided that I really needed that bag in the mercado! And "ATM" seems to be a universal term for "I'll buy from you if you can help me find a machine to get the cash!"
We relaxed on the ship till dinner time, watching from deck we left port. We saw this ship in all three ports. Our neighbor’s son, Jake and his wife were on it. We never actually saw them, except for the back of Jake’s head as they took the tender back to their ship in Cabo. But we took a picture so we could show his mother that we were in the same ports each day.

As we sat through another luscious dinner, I felt myself fading. I must have wrenched my neck a bit coming in on one of the zip lines because my neck and shoulder started to stiffen up and ache down to my elbow. After dinner, I took four ibuprofen and laid down for "a few minutes". I quickly realized that I wasn't the least bit interested in the show that night. It was a comedian. Frank and Dinah went to see him. Dinah came back to the room after not too long. I slept, felt a bit feverish, the way I sometimes do when I've over done. I woke up when Frank came back to the room, felt better, watched a little Fox news and slept through the night. I felt fine the next morning.

Towel creatures!

2011-02-27T14:00:00.001-08:00

It’s such a treat to come back to our state room after dinner each evening to the smiling face of a little towel creature!

Scorpion:

Peacock:

Elephant:

Dog

My favorite!

Valentine’s Day at Sea!

2011-02-26T20:57:00.001-08:00

3rd day at sea. (This is copied and pasted from my journal, written while on the ship—dated Feb 14)

        Missed the whales this morning. The time change (1 hour ahead) over night made it seem like 6:00 a.m. when we pulled into the Bay of Magdalene and the ship had pulled back out by the time we were up and doing. We saw several, 2-3 dolphins, out our dining room window while we were eating breakfast. I love breakfast in the dining room, even without dolphins!
       We've discovered that we like the Explorations Lounge. It is a library filled with computers, puzzles, newspapers, magazines, and, of course, lots of books.
       There's been an incident this afternoon. The Captain came on over the intercom and commented that we had probably noticed that the ship was moving much faster than earlier in the morning. There was some sort of an accident during the rehearsal of the Oosterdam Dancers. One of the male dancers was injured. The injury is serious enough that we will be making an emergency stop at Cabo on the way south. We weren't scheduled to stop there till Thursday. We will pull into the bay and they will lower one of the life/tender boats and take him to ashore where an ambulance willing be waiting to take him to a local hospital. The ships' captain referred to as a "life or death emergency". (Meanwhile, we got some preview pictures of Cabo San Lucas, and we are looking forward to our visit on the way back north on Thursday.)

Taken through the window of the Explorations Lounge.

I hope all will be well. We have been told that we will arrive in Puerto Vallerta tomorrow morning right on schedule.

Frank and I walked a mile this morning. We know that three laps around the Promenade deck (#3) is one mile. We chose to walk up on the Observation deck (#10). It felt really good after a big breakfast of Eggs Royale-- poached eggs and salmon on an English muffin. Of course before that I had half a grapefruit and apricots, and a cinnamon raisin bun. The food is wonderful on this cruise. Even so, I find it quite easy to choose yummy healthy food, most of the time.

This afternoon I got in the Seaview pool. It's aft on the Lido deck--adult only. The water temp was perfect. All of the deck chairs were taken but we found chairs by a table, and when pulled up a second chair for my feet, it was almost as good as a deck chair. At one point an activities guy came out to organize games. So, I participated.

Had to swim with a balloon to the other end of the pool--about 15 yards, climb out of the pool and waddle back with the balloon between our legs. The waddling part is harder than it sounds! The second game was "fill the bucket by wringing out the towel that has been soaked in the pool and passed over head to the back of the line". The third contest was a belly flop contest. The other team had a man with a very suitable belly. He did a great flop, but it seems that our belly flopper had a swan-dive version of a belly flop, our team won all three games. I got a pretty cool Holland America bag. It was fun to participate.
It's pretty amazing, the contrast between Carnival and Holland America. Carnival was definitely " party" oriented-- which we have dubbed "naked, drinking, singles" . Well, maybe not naked but definitely scantily clad. This cruise is lively, but more retired couples, quite a few families, and a much more dignified personality. The acoustic guitarist near the Lido pool is just now singing Jack, Jack, Do It Again, and several "older" people are singing right along. It seems I fit in here better than I'd like to admit! Although, most of the retired set don't have a 12 and 14 year old along, or if they do, it's their grand child, not their own child!
Speaking of the 12 and 14 year old--they are having a blast. They spend some of their day at the kids' club--Dinah at HAL, for 9 to 12 year olds, and Caleb at the Club, for 14 to 16 . We see them regularly. They each quickly found an LDS friend, siblings, actually, from Calgary, Canada. Caleb is uncomfortable with the language of some of the other teens up at the Club and tends to not participate in many of the group activities. He likes the video games and the basketball court. (End of journal entry)

After swimming, Frank and I moved in near the family pool , in the central area of the Lido deck. Dinah wanted to swim, and wanted us to watch her. I considered getting in, but the water was much cooler in this pool. So, I learned, sort of, how to play Mah Jongg. A cute little lady from Calgary, Canada, formerly of Moscow, Russia (they immigrated in 1977) was setting up the board and asked, randomly, if anyone wanted to learn to play. So, I moved over and sat down at her table. She had me read the instructions, which made no sense, and then she explained it to me, rather quickly with lots of details. Her husband, Simon, started to clarify a point and she said, “Simon, don’t say anything. When I explain things, people always understand. Not when you do!”

I don’t think it would have mattered either way. I was totally confused until two other ladies joined us, one chose to play, making it a foursome, which is preferable, and the other lady sat by me, and helped me figure out what to play. By the end of two games I was a little more clear, but when I sat aside and the four of them played, they played really fast and I had to really work to keep up. It was a fun, new experience.

The dining room was beautifully decorated in honor of Valentine’s Day.

Dinah ordered a Shirley Temple. Caleb and I had virgin daquiris. ( I have no idea how to spell that)

It was formal night--

This dessert had the appearance of my beloved Chocolate Melting Cake from Carnival.

But it was a poor imitation—one of the few things that I preferred about Carnival.

The show that night was a magician—Joseph Tran.

He was really fun, kept the show very family friendly. He also does the college circuit. If you get a chance to see him, he’s great.

First Full Day at sea

2011-02-25T20:30:00.001-08:00

Saturday, Feb 12, was our first of two full days at sea. I really love spending the day at sea. I love having time for a leisurely breakfast in the dining room. I’m sure the breakfast buffet is really fun. But in the dining room I don’t have to stand in line and I have Heru stopping by from time to time offering another danish or raisin bun. I have an entire menu of yummy choices to choose from. Speaking of which—Dinah had the same choices and after great contemplation she settled on----Froot Loops.

In her defense, we don’t normally buy Froot Loops.

Caleb immediately discovered that he liked to start things off with a couple lemon danishes, a croissant and a parfiat. Follow that with cinnamon French Toast, and a fruit plate to top things off.

The butter came tastefully presented such that it was hard to dip into it the first day.

But he soon got over that!

My favorite breakfast, well there were two, turned out to be the vegetable omelet

or the Eggs Royale—English Muffin, Salmon, and poached egg, with a Hollandaise Sauce.

Mmmmmm………………

After breakfast, the kids headed for Club Hal, and the Teen Club. Dinah’s area was for 9-13 year-olds. Caleb—14-17. They both promptly made friends with siblings from Calgary, Canada, who coincidentally turned out to be LDS. That was a happy discovery. They met other kids, but were sometimes a bit put off by rough language, or such. It was fun for them to find a place for activities that appealed to them. We saw them off and on throughout the day..

At dinner, Ari and Verry surprised Dinah with a piece of birthday cake. They lit a candle, and grabbed a third server and they sang Happy Birthday, in great three-part harmony.

It was a fun surprise. I hadn’t clued anybody in, but her birthday was listed on her ship registration, so I suppose they made a special tag to the servers.

That night there was a great show by the Oosterdam Singers and Dancers—Stage and Screen. Wonderful show tunes. Last night we attended just a little preview show, introducing the performers. Turns out one of the singers is a young man from Provo. We talked to him later at the buffet. He said he’s been with the ship for just a week and a half. He is a BYU student, working to get in to grad school, getting his PhD in Psychology. This job came along and he figured that in the 3 month commitment he made with Holland America he can pay for Grad school. He’s pretty good. I’d be interested to know if sang with Vocal Point, or the Young Ambassadors. He’s pretty darn good. Anyway, back to the show. It was fantastic. I enjoyed just one of the shows on Carnival last year. It was pretty good. The shows on the Oosterdam were head and shoulders better—talent-wise, quality-wise, and entertainment-wise. WOW!

The pictures don’t do he performance justice. Singing in the Rain was darling, Hairspray was fun. At one point they were doing kind of a wild version of Aquarius. I was wondering if the “older” people in the audience would appreciate that number. Then I realized that they were most likely in high school or college when that number was popular! I guess I had more in common with the “older audience” than I cared to admit!

I would cruise with Holland America again simply for the shows.

A Cruise to the sunny Mexican Riviera!

2011-02-24T10:02:00.001-08:00

We’ve been home a few days now and I guess I’d best share while the details are fresh on my mind.

We had a lovely week, starting Feb 11, which, coincidentally, was Dinah’s 12th birthday. (Let me emphasize at this point that this was a coincidence, not a birthday present. I just can’t provide a cruise for every one of my kids’ birthdays!) I had chosen to teach a couple lessons on Friday afternoon to avoid the hassle of rescheduling and such. In hindsight, we wished we had left a bit earlier on Friday. But it turned out fine. We had great roads all the way to Primm, about an hour south of Las Vegas. We were really glad that we had a reservation. Standing in line to check in to Buffalo Bills was like standing in line for Peter Pan at Disneyland—weaving through the ropes for about 45 minutes. I asked as we checked in if this was a normal Friday night. He told me that there were three events going on that weekend. I have no idea what they were, but it was big. Frank had to park clear across the way and haul everything to our room. And it was chilly for Las Vegas!

We got on the road by about 8:30 a.m. with the long drive to San Diego ahead of us. Passing through San Bernadino, there was an incredible traffic back-up, happily, going the other direction. But we kept our eye on the road ahead of us, hoping that we didn’t encounter the same situation going the other direction. We never hit big traffic, bit we did have a tire blow out as we passed throught the Encinada area. My first concern was that I had no idea what shape the spare tire was in. But it was fine and we only lost about 20 minutes. We know that because when the tire blew, the ETA on the GPS was 1:02. As we got back on the road after changing the tire, the ETA was 1:22. Not bad!

Traffic increased as we got closer to San Diego, but it was manageable. I was delighted to find that we drove right down in to San Diego to the port. I’d never been to San Diego. It really is as charming as everyone says. However, we hit a bit of a glitch in that there was an air show going on that afternoon. Hence, No Parking! I could feel Frank’s nerves getting a bit tense as we circled a couple blocks. We were directed to a couple spots, but everything was full. Finally, we tried the parking area suggested by the cruise documents—down a block and a half, turn right, and there it was. But..there were orange cones in front of the entrance. We were about three cars away, and as we got closer, the attendant pulled the cones to allow 4-5 cars in. We breathed a sigh of relief and found a spot. I turned out to be $15/day, but it was secure and literally across the street from the port. We gathered everything, locked up and headed for the ship.

The check in at port was so easy compared to last year on Carnival. I had a great time on Carnival, but the atmosphere is so much more dignified. We didn’t have to wait in line for an hour. We’re not sure if we were ahead of the rush or behind it. We didn’t care. The process was so smooth, and we were through and on board in about 20 minutes. And our room was ready. Last year we had to wait a couple hours for our room to be ready. It doesn’t matter, really. The buffet is open on the Lido deck from the minute you step on board. But it was nice to go unload our carry-on bags and then explore the ship.

One of the first things we did was to find the maitre ‘d and arrange for a table in the dining room for dinner. Because we booked so close to the cruise date, our travel agent was not able to get us a table. But we were able to do in on board—no glorious window seat like we had last year, but a set table with what turned out to be two delightful servers—Verry and Ari. They took wonderful care of us each evening.

We took some pictures from the deck.

And at 5:00 pm we set sail!

Gratitude

2011-02-02T10:47:00.001-08:00

"The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with him the good outweighs the evil. Love overpowers jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life. Pride destroys our gratitude and sets up selfishenss in its place. How much happier we are in the presence of a grateful and loving soul, and how careful we should be to cultivate, through the medium of a prayerful life, a thankful attitude toward God and man!" ----Joseph F. Smith

Saturday was a special day!

2011-02-01T09:57:00.001-08:00

I went to Rexburg, ID on Saturday. It doesn’t take much for me to find a reason to head to Rexburg, even in January.

First of all—Hannah is back up there, well into her Junior year at BYU-I. I love to visit my kids up there—I love to see them growing/thriving as they work to become disciple leaders.

Back last fall, I happened to notice that Vocal Point would be performing at BYUI. I made a mental note. We had just recently seen Vocal Point at Nauvoo. They are really something. If they ever come to your area, make the effort-they are worth it.

In putting the trip together, it occurred to me that it would be really silly to go all that way and not have a visit with Lori, my sister, who lives in Idaho Falls. So we made plans to meet for lunch. The food was less than stellar, but I wasn’t there for the food. We had a great visit!

A real highlight of the day was visiting with my beloved piano teacher from my Ricks College days. We’ve kept in touch off and on over the years and I’ve manage to visit her at home a few times. The last time I saw her she was bed-ridden. We had a great visit but I wasn’t sure what to expect two years later. I made contact by emailing her son, who is listed as a staff member at BYU-I. He was kind enough to forward my email on to his father, who said it would be fine to come for an hour or so in the early afternoon. When I arrived, Sister Barrus was sitting up in a chair, looking rather chipper, I might add. It seems they found a medication that helps her rheumatoid arthritis ravaged body to not be in constant pain. I sat down and for about an hour I wasn’t 50-something anymore, I was an 18-19 year-old piano student, revisiting wonderful memories and catching up on new and old news. From that point on in the day I was perfectly satisfied that my trip to Rexburg was complete!

We went grocery shopping—the standard trip to Broulim’s to stock Hannah up for a few weeks, and then bowling at Fat Cat’s.

I still maintain that our lane was slanted—in both directions. I don’t remember when I’ve bowled so poorly. Oh well,….

Dinner at JB’s and then the wonderful Vocal Point concert. Check them out on YouTube. Lots of their best songs are posted.

Because Bekah and Jeremiah came along, we were able to drive all the way home Saturday night. Actually, Jeremiah drove all the way up for me. That was a treat-to split the driving all the way around. I made it as far as Tremonton. Bekah took it from there and Jeremiah stayed awake with her. I didn’t much care who drove from that point, I was just glad to have someone to finish the trip. Sarah, at one point, was planning to come, but one day realized that she attends BYU-Provo. Vocal Point is a part of BYU-Provo. Maybe she didn’t need to go all the way to Rexburg to see them! As it turned out ,Vocal Point performed at the BYU-SDSU basketball game that she attended on the Wednesday before our trip. So, everything works out!

Thoughts on communication

2011-01-28T21:59:00.000-08:00

Mother,

Right now in my Family Foundations class we are discussing marriage and the importance of communication. For a homework assignment, I'm suppose to email a woman of importance in my life who I believe has good communication in their marriage. Seeing as you're my mother and very important to me and an example to me could you email me back some Key Principles you believe have helped in having good communication in your marriage with daddy. I would like to finish the homework assignment by tonight so I don't have to worry about it this weekend while everyone is coming down, so if you could email me back sometime today that would be good. It's due next Tuesday but I'm trying to stay ahead in that class.

Thank you, and I love you,

I'll see you tomorrow!

Hannah

--------------------------------------------------------

Two or three thoughts come to mind.

First of all, I'm often surprised when the wife acts as if she has to hide something from her husband because she might get in trouble. I remember one instance when a friend got a speeding ticket coming through Midvale and she was trying to figure how to either get it taken care of without her husband knowing, or how to tell him so that he wouldn't be mad. I can't imagine that he would have been worried about "getting in trouble". Marriage is a partnership, not a father daughter type relationship. On the other hand, with the 2-3 speeding tickets I got as a teenager, I was never afraid to tell my father, so maybe that helped in the marriage situation.

I once read, in the Reader's Digest, that there are 3 things everyday that should be left UNSAID. I absolutely believe that to be true. We don't have to say every little petty thing that comes into our head. It's about self-control. Hurtful or sarcastic things should be left unsaid.

I used to teach my Laurels that it really doesn't matter who is right and who is wrong in an argument, what matters is the eternal relationship. Don't hesitate to be first to apologize. And don't give a "non-apology:--I'm sorry that you reacted, or I'm sorry that you feel that way. Don't turn the apology around on the other person, take the blame. "I'm sorry that I spoke unkindly, I'm sorry that I was thoughtless", etc. Own it.

As females, we often read more into something a guy says or doesn't say. Men aren't that complex. Take what they say at face value. What he says is probably what he means. And don't expect him to read deeper meaning into what you say. He's not a mind reader. He doesn't have a crystal ball. And we can teach them that sometimes we just want someone to listen, not try to solve what ever it is that's bugging us. Daddy used to give me all kinds of solutions. Now he's pretty good at listening and waiting for advice, should I decide to ask for it.

Those are the first things that pop into my head. Let me know if you need more.

See you tomorrow.

Mom

--------------------

Thank you!

Hannah

Mockingjay and other books

2011-01-27T13:37:00.000-08:00

I finished Mockingjay today. It's the third book in the Hunger Games trilogy. Some books I read because I can't put them down--this one I listened to on CD. I listened because I was intrigued as to how it would turn out. I really didn't like the first book--Hunger Games. I thought it was dark and a bit depressing. My book club chose it, I was on a long trip, so I plowed through it. Then, Catching Fire came in, a book on cd. I had originally requested in from the library before bookclub said, oops, that's the second one. So, I loaded the cds into my computer and after stopping and starting at least once, I because interested enough to finish that book. It took several weeks for Mockingjay to come in. Evidently these books are all the rage. When it finally came in on the library it was the holidays and I was in the middle of East (see previous post--a book that I had a hard time putting down). After the first of the year I decided to give Mockingjay a listen, just so I'd know how it turned out. After piddling around for 2-3 weeks, I just put it on today (it's on my ipod) and finished up the last 4 cds. I'm glad I finished it. It was mostly fulfilling. It seemed to want to have some deep meaning--not buying that aspect. And now I can move on to the two books I'm reading:

Seven Miracles that Saved America, and

Extraordinary Ordinary People (memoirs of Condoleeza Rice).

Plus, I've got Spirit of the Wind loaded and ready to go on my ipod. Should be a fun few weeks!

2011-01-26T06:54:00.000-08:00

"...simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Leonardo da Vinci

I think I'll stitch that on a pillow this spring.

Beyond Balderdash

2011-01-24T10:10:00.001-08:00

We played a raucous game of Beyond Balderdash last night--we: Bekah, Jeremiah, Dinah, Caleb, and I. I love this game. I just turn my mind loose and write whatever comes out of my pen, within reason. The definition of the night last night actually came from Caleb, age 14. (I guess I shouldn't be so surprised that a 14 year-old is full of baloney!) The word was bhinjni. All of the definitions were clever. The actual definition is: a Buddhist street sweeper , I think. I was more fascinated with the made up answers. The answer that got the most votes was--An Australian term for the residue found under a toilet seat. I'm still giggling as I write this, the morning after. Way to go Caleb! (Pictured here with one of his favorite authors (Avi) at a book fair at the U of U last fall. Readers make leaders!)

I love

2011-01-23T14:54:00.001-08:00

I love little baby ducks,

old pickup trucks

Slow movin' trains,

and rain.

I love little country streams,

sleep without dreams,

Sunday school in May,

and hay.

And I love you, too!

I love leaves in the wind,

pictures of my friends,

Birds of the world,

and squirrels.

I love coffee in a cup, (make that hot chocolate!)

little fuzzy pups,

Bourbon in a glass, (I’m actually an ice water person!)

and grass...

And I love you, too!

I love honest open smiles,

kisses from a child,

Tomatoes on the vine,

and onions.

I love winners when the cry,

losers when the try,

Music when it's good,

and life!

And I love you, too!

My North-born daughter

2011-01-20T20:44:00.000-08:00

Last month our book club read the book "East" by Edith Pattou. It's sort of a Beauty and the Beast story, based on a Norwegian fairy tale--East of the Sun, West of the Moon. I didn't read it, I listened to it on cd. (One of the readers was Kirby Heyborne, who read the part of Neddie. That was an added delight!)

The mother in the story is very superstitious. One of her greatest superstitions is being concerned about which way she is facing as she delivers each child. She informs her husband that they will have seven children--one child for each point of the compass, except North. It seems that a "north-born" child is bound to be a wanderer, which she desperately wants to avoid. Well, it seems that Rose, whom the story revolves around, turns out to be a north-born. She is born several weeks early, in the woods, on a cloudy day. Her mother can't see the sun to get her bearings and only after the birth do they realize that she was, indeed, facing North.

As we were discussing the book, we came around to which way we were facing as our children were born. Who knows? But I quickly realized that, regardless of the direction I was facing, I have a North-born. (Now that I think about it, I must have been a north-born, as was my father. I love to travel, by car, plane, boat, whatever. My father was a real wanderer also.)

Sarah is my "north-born". We first took her to visit Grandpa and Grandma Hintze, by plane, to Washington D.C., when she was four months old. That was the beginning, and she's not stopped for very long since then. She's flown all over the country, driven from coast to coast at least three times. She accompanied us on our trip to Nauvoo, IL, and points between here and there this summer. She's been on every continent but two--Australia and Antarctica. If we could squeeze five into our quad room on our upcoming cruise, she'd be right there with us. Her passport is a thing of beauty! Her next trip is scheduled for this spring/summer--China! In the book, East, the mother was fearful of having a "north-born". I find it quite delightful. Here's to my north-born Sarah--Don't let the dust settle under your feet! Love you!

Playing the organ

2011-01-19T19:52:00.000-08:00

When I was about 11, I began to play the organ in church. In retrospect, I was probably not very good, but we were a small branch (congregation) and I was right there with the best of them. Mother said that as soon as I could play several hymns in the hymnbook, I would be ready. I think I started by playing for Sunday School. The organ was a funky little thing, probably a Hammond. I remember going to some lady's home for a few organ lessons. She gave me some basics, (most of which turned out to be not exactly correct, according to what I learned in Group Organ at Ricks College, taught by Darwin Wolford, required for all piano majors. They assumed we would most likely end up as ward/branch/stake organists sometime in the future. They were right). But, at the time I was in the 6th grade and the tips she gave me were helpful and appreciated.

We moved to a new area when I was 13. I was soon asked to play the organ again, this time for the Sunday School practice hymn. It seems I was the "assistant organist" for a little, elderly lady who had played the piano in church for years. It seems that she played mostly by ear, and her hearing was on the decline! The leaders thought they were doing her a favor by helping her to feel needed. I found out later that she felt she was doing them a favor by continuing to serve, and she was more than ready to be done with that calling, but until released she continued to serve faithfully. I played through most of my high school years, off and on, depending on who else happened to live in the ward that also played the organ.

As mentioned before, as a piano major at Ricks College I was expected to take group organ, which was so helpful. I learned basic stops and settings. We had to learn to mark our hymn book with "heel/toe" reminders so we could play the pedals. I pedaled enough to pass the class and haven't marked up my hymnbook since! One fun sidelight to the group organ class--Dr Wolford presented us with our "organ pedigree'. I can trace my pedigree to JS Bach. I studied with Dr Wolford, who studied with Alexander Schreiner, who studied with--I can't remember whom--but in not too many generations we end up at JS Bach, who is the best there ever was!

As expected, I've been a ward organist off and on for the past 30 years. I've enjoyed myself, and also been relieved when it became someone else's turn, depending on my particular season of life.

Tonight I went over to the Stake Center to practice on the new organ on which I'll be playing this Saturday and Sunday for Stake Conference. When I was approached about playing, I was warned that it's a new organ and "it's thrown some of the organists in the stake for a loop". My first comment was "Thank goodness!" The old organ was well past its prime. I think my exact words were, "The old organ was a piece of junk," which might be a bit harsh, but when I would listen to organs in other buildings in the valley, it seemed like we were well overdue for a new instrument.

What a delightful time I had tonight. I experimented with settings, checked out a couple pre-sets, pushed every button on the panel, and thoroughly enjoyed myself for about 45 minutes. I still just push a 16' stop and don't bother with the pedals, but the varied effects that came out of that instrument on basic LDS hymns was pure delight. I am very much looking forward to Saturday night to play again. I'm grateful for my mother insisting that I become comfortable on the organ back when I would have preferred to just stay on the piano. I have come to recognize the wisdom of a music department that realized that we most likely wouldn't become concert pianists, but we would be needed to share our talents in various situations and callings throughout our lives. I'm grateful for the opportunity that I have to contribute to the meetings this weekend. I pray that I may help to invite the Spirit as we sing the Hymns of Zion!

Quotes and paraphrases from my morning with Condolezza Rice!

2011-01-15T20:49:00.000-08:00

Today's headlines and history's judgements are not the same.

Other Secretaries of State she kept pictures of in her office--Dean Acheson--(He served for more than twelve years at the U.S. State Department (1941-1953), first as assistant and under secretary of state and then as secretary of state during President Truman's second term. During these years Acheson was instrumental in forging the NATO alliance, the Truman Doctrine, and the Marshall Plan; in developing America's postwar posture towards Germany, the Soviet Union, and the People's Republic of China; and in diplomatic negotiations during the Korean Conflict.)

William Seward--(As soon as Abraham Lincoln won the election he offered Seward the post as his Secretary of State. Seward was instrumental in 1867 he purchased Alaska from Russia for $7,200,000 in 1867.)

We should boldly defend our country.

It's not the powerful countries that are the most dangerous. This is why we reach out to help failing states to heal.

Every man, woman and child deserves to live in freedom.

One of the miracles of our Republic is the peaceful change of power.

Every dictator fears the moment when their people are no longer afraid of them. -- "Ceaucescu moment".

Non-negotiable element of democracy -- human dignity (George W. Bush)

China will not rise above the US because of the Creativity and innovation factor.

One of our problems is --the US has become apologetic.
Concerned about other nations' resentment of out military and economic power. But in the face
of disasters, they are generally glad when the US shows up.

It doesn't matter where you came from, it matters where you are going.

We must be mindful of the constant energy and renewal that comes from immigrants.

Cherish the transforming power of education, the learnedness of books. The transformative power of education includes the fact that Faith and reason go together. The essence of being human is to integrate your knowledge of what is with the faith of what might be.

Find your passion--it might not be your major. And, if you love to write, take more math. If you love math, take a writing class. Try something hard, study abroad, learn a new language.

Keep your optimism. It is a responsibility. Optimism helps us to eschew aggrievement and resist the sense of entitlement.

We can't control a circumstance, but we can control our reaction to the circumstance.

Read the biographies of the Founding Fathers--America should never have come to be, but it did.

Her new book--Extraordinary Ordinary People.

2010

2011-01-03T21:29:00.001-08:00

Hintze Family 2010 from sarah.n.dip.i.ty on Vimeo.

2010-12-16T13:57:00.001-08:00

December 2010

Dear Family and Friends,

We hope that everyone is having a wonderful and safe holiday season as this year comes to an end. It’s been an eventful year for the Hintze Family.

Daddy (Frank) is a proud Grandpa of two new grandchildren and is having fun being a Grandpa! He is still working at Deseret Industries. In September he was released from the Singles’ Ward Bishopric. He served in the ward for almost five years. It was a sad farewell but he’s happy to be back in the Family Ward. He is now serving in the Ward Sunday School Presidency. A couple of the big projects he did this year were laying new tile in the kitchen and dining room and tearing out the old carpet in the living room, family room, and master bedroom upstairs so we could get new carpet in November.

Mom (Marla) has been enjoying her time as a Grandma and staying at home. She quit her Elementary Music Teaching Job. She is enjoying her time to exercise every day, having more time to sew and cook. She currently has 30 piano students. She is serving as the Employment Specialist in the ward. --Hintze Family Blog: frankhintzefamily.blogspot.com

Sarah is still attending BYU working on her Master’s Degree and is doing well in her classes. She will be graduating in Public Administration in April 2011. She will be the first Master in the Frank Hintze family! She is having a good time in Provo. Next June she is considering traveling to China for six weeks! Sarah’s Blog: sarahhintze.blogspot.com

In February Mom, Dad, Sarah and Bekah went on a Dream Cruise to Honduras, Mexico and Belize. They had a wonderful time.

Jacob and Cori are still living at the University of Utah. Jacob has a good job at the Bookstore working in the Accounting Department. Cori is a stay at home mom and is having fun being home with the babies. Benjamin is two years old, and is the nicest two year-old you’ll probably ever meet. He is constantly waving to every person he passes by. He is having fun being a big brother. On July 11 Grace May Hintze was born. She is adorable and we love having her as part of the family.

Abigail and Steve are living in West Jordan. In March they bought a house about five minutes to the south of us and they are having fun in their new home. Steven is working for the FDIC. This past year he has been traveling a lot going to Texas, Washington D.C, Idaho, and Southern Utah. Abigail went along to D.C and St. George. Abigail gave birth to their first baby on September 15, Elijah Steven Hale. Abby was able to quit her job and stay at home with the baby. Eli is a joy to have in the family.

Steve and Abby’s Blog: steveabbyhale.blogspot.com

Rebekah is working at Osborne Dental as an Office Manager/Assistant. She is serving in the Relief Society Presidency in the Single’s ward. This past summer she participated in Midvale’s Community Musical, “Bye Bye Birdie” as the leading lady, Rosie. Mr. Jeremiah Wing played opposite her as Albert and they are continuing their onstage romance offstage! J

Rebekah’s Blog: rebekahshintze.blogspot.com

I (Hannah) finished my second year at BYU-I. I participated in the Collegiate World Dance team, and was Activities Co-Chair for my Student Ward. In August I got a job at Jacob Lake Inn, in Arizona, about an hour from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. While working there I was a waitress and got to meet people from all over the world. I also hiked Rim to Rim (north rim to south rim) of the Grand Canyon with my work friends in one day, 26 miles in 13 hours! I’m looking forward to going to back to school.

Hannah’s Blog: hjhintze.blogspot.com

Caleb is now fourteen and is in eighth grade. Last month he attended his first Region Dance, and is claiming that girls lined up to dance with him… He loves camping with the Scouts, and dancing and singing with his Musical Theatre group with Miss Margene. He was a Russian dancer for the Annual Nutcracker Performance.

Dinah is eleven and is looking forward to Young Women’s in a couple of months to be a Beehive. Last month she got an early Christmas present, her first pair of Ballet Pointe Shoes and she has been dancing all over the house! She is has been playing the harp for just over a year now and is becoming quite accomplished. We love to listen to her practice.

This past year our family went on lots of trips including May Family Reunion to Nauvoo, Il in June, which also included Kansas City and Independence, Mo; Omaho, and the Badlands and Mt Rushmore in S.D., and Cody, Wy; our Annual trip to Island Park and Yellowstone for Labor Day; Girl’s trip down to Jacob Lake and the Grand Canyon to drop me off, Mom, Dad, Caleb, and Dinah came down in October, and Bekah, Jeremiah, and Bekah’s friend, Kimberly, came down to pick me up.

We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a delightful New Year!

Love,

Hintzes

ZUMBA

2010-11-20T09:15:00.000-08:00

Oh how I love Zumba! It's my favorite way to start my Saturday morning. I love the music, I love the energy! I love the sweaty feeling. I love the choreography. I have the BEST teacher in the whole ZUMBA world--RayLynne Purdy. She is such a motivator! I love how I feel after a great Zumba workout. Guess I'll go shower!

2010-11-19T11:19:00.000-08:00

Went to see Harry Potter last night...at midnight. It always seems like a really good idea the week before as I'm buying the tickets, and as we pull into the parking lot about 11:30. The energy and excitement in the theater is contagious. I'm one of those few (it would seem) people that quite enjoy the 20 minutes or so of previews of upcoming movies, particularly this time of year, with the "block buster" holiday movies headed our way. However, at the midnight showing of ANY movie, I can do without all those previews. I came to see the movie, I want to just get started, see the movie and go home to bed! I could be home by 2:30 instead of 3:00 in the morning!

Well, back to Harry Potter. I loved it. I was a bit distracted, wondering, throughout the movie, where the break would come to end part one and leave us waiting for part two. When the time came, I sensed that we were there, and it made perfect sense. I enjoyed the humor, the drama. I thought the three characters that we've watched grow up did an amazing job of carrying most the movie on their capable shoulders. I'm of the opinion that the "nude" scene hype was just that, major hype to create publicity. I was sad when Hedwig and Mad-Eye and especially Dobby died. I laughed as George dealt with the loss of his ear. I'll probably go see it again in the theater, and will most likely re-read HP7, before the last episode comes out in July.

2010-11-18T13:13:00.001-08:00

Dear Brandi---It's a dance show.

2010-11-15T09:55:00.000-08:00

We're getting new carpet in three rooms of the house this week--Wednesday to be exact. I'm thrilled. It's been 18 years since we built this house, which is when the current carpet was installed. The carpet looks worn, certainly, but it also bears the marks of 18 happy years of busily living in this house. Where did the time go? Where have the kids gone. Interestingly enough, I don't seem to be any less busy now, but it's a different kind of busy. Just like when the kids were all little--five kids under the age of nine--and I couldn't imagine what the mothers of teenagers were talking about being "so busy". Whatever! Then those five little kids became a bunch of teenagers, and I "got it". It was a new definition of busy. Even more fun! Then...we added two more to the mix and enjoyed the best of both worlds--teenagers AND babies and toddlers. The fun just went on and on.

Now we're down to two again, with the big kids in and out often, and grandkids, age 2 years, 4 months and 2 months, added to the mix.

I guess we'll continue to busily live on the new carpet.

2010-11-05T21:33:00.001-07:00

Just laughed till I cried watching a Bill Cosby concert from 1981. What fun!

2010-10-25T12:22:00.000-07:00

Just posted an ad on KSL.com. I'm selling an antique treadle sewing machine. The asking price is $400. It's a beautiful cabinet. The belt was leather and became stretched and has come off. As far as I know, that's the main repair, plus a little oiling and timing. Let me know if you are interested.

FHE – October 3, 2010

2010-10-03T17:56:00.001-07:00

Opening Song – I Love to See the Temple

Opening Prayer -- Bekah

Family History --

Dinah – played with Rachel, watched conference, life is good

Caleb – school, all is well

Hannah—raking in the money at Jacob Lake Inn

Bekah—got an blood work, ultra sound and then a hydro scan. Trying to solve what seems to be a gall bladder problem. Meeting with the surgeon on Tues. BYU football game. State Fair. Colors and Peter Cetera concert. (Jeremy—hurt his ankle. wearing a boot. been off work all week. Climbing the walls. The Kick ball team finally won big! We had Dutch Oven Sunday up at Jeremy’s house)

Abby and Steve—had a baby 18 days ago. Elijah Steven Hale 8 lbs, 21” . Now he's 9 lbs 3oz, 22”. He is a nursing champ!

Jacob and Cori—Went to Florida. Blessed Gracie. Cori stayed for an extra week. Benjamin swims, but not in the ocean. Gracie is smiling! She is 12.5 lbs, 23”.

Sarah—Busy with school. Is present and accounted for. BYU game. Been home from her mission for 6 years.

Mommy and Daddy—State Fair—Mommy, Serger and new sewing machine. So far, made 2 and 1/2 quilts. Daddy-New Little Giant Ladder. BYU game. Bummer year to have season tickets, so far. Applied for Tooele DI store. Saw Pirates of Penzance. Slowly getting scooter road-worthy. All but 1 of Mommy’s duet students received Superior at Duet Festival.

Rest song – Dp As I’m Doing

Lesson – Dinah – The Sacrament

Conference Impressions:

Caleb—Pres Uchtdorf—PH session—Pride—If we lose ourselves in the service of others, we won’t have time to be self-absorbed.

Jacob—Elder Kearon—PH session—The best way to cross a mine field is to exactly follow the tracks of the vehicle ahead.

Sarah—Elder Bednar—The Holy Ghost. In all we do, we should be striving to bring the Holy Ghost into our life

Abby—Elder Holland—A deeper sense of gratitude for the little things.

Steven—Elder Costa and the other guy—14 ways to follow the prophet. Also Elder Packer—we don’t vote on morality.

Dinah—Elder Lawrence—proactive parenting.

Bekah—Elder Bednar—we have to receive the Holy Ghost. President Uchtdorf—Simplify.

Jeremiah—Elder Kearon—Straight forward—coming back, you have not had your last chance.

Daddy—Following paths, consequences from choices. Pres. Monson, Elder Kearon, Elder Ballard.

Cori—President Monson—MIssionary work—prepare our young men.

Mommy—Pres. Uchtdorf—Simplify. Elder Lawrence—Proactive parenting.

What a glorious conference weekend.

Closing Prayer—Jeremy

Game—Abby and Steve

Just for Fun!

2010-09-14T09:53:00.000-07:00

I'm an Esme!

You are thoughtful and care very deeply for your family. A loving home is of great importance to you and you always try to make people feel welcome. Although you have a great capacity to love, you also have a great capacity to hurt, so at times you can be sensitive. You're firm when you need to be, but people trust your judgment and appreciate the kind way you always handle things.

Family Home Evening

2010-09-12T18:58:00.001-07:00

Music—Caleb We’ll Bring the World His Truth

Opening Prayer-Cori

Daddy’s Challenge—Please get over to see Grandma Hintze at least once a week.

Family History—(Last time we wrote was May 9)

Dinah—Went to Nauvoo, Lava Hot Springs, Grand Canyon, Flaming Gorge. (same stuff as Caleb and Sarah) Ensemble of Bye Bye Birdie. Harp Festival at BYU—Superior rating, one judge gave her 100%.

Caleb—All of the above, not Grand Canyon, also Mt Rushmore, Devil’s Tower. Started 8th grade.

Bekah—Lead in Bye, Bye, Birdie, Flaming Gorge, Island Park, Colors Concert last night, Pirates of Penzance at Hale Theater. Dating a Man—Jeremiah Wing.

Abby—Went to Washington D.C. , Spent weekdays home alone; great with child, due any day. Bought a new car.

Steven—survived two longs months of training in Dallas, home on weekends, successfully attached the sprinkling system to the irrigation system. Turned 25.

Gracie is smiling, loves to have her bum changed.

Benjamin—been to the zoo, knows so many animal sounds. Played in the pool at Grandma’s house.

Cori—Had a baby girl in July. Gracie May.Surviving with two children. Released from R.S. calling.

jacob—graduated with Bachelors of Arts and Sciences in Accounting. Got a new accounting job. Did his first hire. Chose wisely. New callings—Stake SS counselor, and primary pianist.

Sarah—Great internship, Nauvoo, Independence, Winter Quarters, Mount Rushmore, Badlands, Cody, Wyoming, Yellowstone. Grand Canyon, floating on Provo River (almost died), lost her car keys. Worked and worked. Greek Festival. Started back to school. 2nd year of MPA program.

Mom—all of the above trips. Music director for Willy Wonka , and Bye, Bye Birdie. Not teaching at APA this fall. Love being home. 31 piano students.

Daddy: All of the above trips, but not Grand Canyon—put in a tile floor in the kitchen. Bought some woo hah new tools. Released from 9th Ward bishopric

Rest song—Do As I’m Doing

Lesson—Abby and Steve Articles of Faith – Esp #13—a statement of “being”—honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous and in doing good to all men. Endured many things- hope to be able to endure all things. Virtuous, lovely, of good report of praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

Closing song—Caleb I Am a Child of God

Next meeting—October 3rd. Assignments to come!

Labor Day Weekend at Island Park

2010-09-09T10:36:00.001-07:00

My earliest memories go back to Yellowstone. We lived in Blackfoot, Idaho when I was very little. Dad taught band at Snake River H.S. It was a quick 3 hour trip up to Yellowstone, cheap gas and camping fees back then. I remember bears, and campfires, and geysers, and warm fuzzies.

So, I’m drawn to the area every year, and it has become our family tradition to camp in the area each Labor Day weekend. The last two outings have been to Flat Rock National Forest Campground, right across from the Inn at Mack’s Inn. This year we didn’t even pretend to put the kids in school on Friday, we just loaded up everything we possibly could on Thursday evening and we were out of town by 8:00 a.m. on Friday.

The drive takes us through Rexburg, Idaho, another spot that I’m drawn too—mostly due to the fact that I loved my time at Ricks College, and I’ve since managed to send all of my children up to Ricks/BYU-Idaho. Two of them have earned their Bachelors there, two have come back to Utah for $$ reasons, and, it would seem, to meet their eternal companions! Hannah has completed two years at BYU-I and will return in January. Another draw for me is that my favorite cousin, Guy, is part of the administration at BYU-I. He returned from a 14-month tour of duty in Iraq last April, and I hadn’t been able to visit with him since he got home. So, we stopped at his office, and after waiting for him to return from his daily run (I had an appointment, he ran too far to be back in time) we had a wonderful time with him. He shared several experiences. He’s always been great at telling a story and I could listen to him for hours.

After our visit, we stopped at the campus Outdoor Rec Center to pick up the canoes and trailer. (It’s the best deal in the area—if you have access to a student account—for renting outdoor equipment.)

We arrived at camp in time to set up and head over to Big Springs, put in the canoes and take an evening canoe run. It would have been fun to have been about an hour later, I think we would have seen more wild life. Plus, it seems that the river runs west—the sun was in our eyes most of the trip. But it was beautiful couple hours and a delightful way to begin the weekend.

Three other families arrived from our neighborhood Friday evening. Saturday was spent canoeing on Big Spring and then on Box Canyon. I struggle a bit on Box Canyon. It was particularly windy the latter part of the trip. I was in the canoe with Frank, and I’m afraid I’ve never managed to let go of the fact that the first time I was in a canoe with him we rolled within a couple minutes. So, if conditions are a bit edgy, I go back to that experience and I’m not very good company for him. He pointed out that no one on the river wants me to be safe in a canoe more than he does, but I just am uneasy the entire time. We had hoped to make one more run, for my benefit, because I really do enjoy that river, I just need to get over myself. But the wind was such that it wasn’t worth it. Lori and David were up at their property and they came and found us on the river and we had a couple free canoes that they were going to use for the next run, but it didn’t happen.

Sunday was spent at church right there at Mack’s Inn and then up in to Yellowstone. We have LOVED having an annual pass to the Nat’l parks. I don’t think I’ll ever go without again, especially since Frank will be 62 in a couple years and then it’s $10 and we’re set forever!

Here are pictures of our Sunday. Sadly, I was having so much fun throughout the weekend that I never grabbed my camera. But I got pics of lunch near Norris, walking around the upper geyser boardwalk at Norris and then a couple at Old Faithful. I’ve said it before and it’s still true—If I had to choose between Yellowstone/Grand Tetons and Disneyland, I’d be hard-pressed to choose.

Joel, Frank, and Sarah (I think that’s her backside!)

Jay and a bit of Spencer.

Bekah and Jeremiah

Dinah!

Caleb

Spencer, Emily, Jay, Sarah, Jen

Sarah.

Nate and David (seeking out the sunshine)

Renae, Mindy, and Dinah

Cheree (she claimed she got in the cab so that the breeze didn’t dry out her sandwich. Whatever!)

Bekah, Dinah, Jeremiah, Jen, Ryan, Nate, David

Bekah and Ryan (I don’t know about Bekah’s stance….)

Jen, Emily, Jay, Debra, Spencer

Jeremiah and Bekah

Caleb

This geyser, er..crater,…mud pot didn’t have a name so we named it the Caleb pot. He seemed to take it as a compliment!

Seldom far from each other’s side—Jeremiah and Bekah.

Caleb and Dinah—pretty good friends, all things considered.

My sweetheart of 30 years! Happily, he loves the area like I do. And he’s from Ohio. He didn’t grow up spending time there like I did.

We pulled into Old Faithful and Dinah and I headed for the bathroom. Everyone else headed for the boardwalk because they could see that crowds were gathering, indicating that it was going to blow any minute. Dinah and I quickly walked from the bathroom to the large picture windows in the big sitting room of the lodge. Just as we stepped up to the window, it erupted in all it’s glory and I managed to grab a couple pics through the windows. Dinah and I were nice and warm. The wind outside had become quite cold. Within a half hour of this eruption, it was snowing—heavily!

“Sure is faithful!”

This picture is taken in the lobby of the wonderful old, newly refurbished Inn at Old Faithful. Everyone needs to see it at some point in their life. However, the subject of this picture is actually the creatively dressed man in the background. We never did decide if he’s an employee, dressed in character, or if that’s how he dresses when he visit Old Faithful, or if that’s just how he dresses! We didn’t ask, we just took advantage of the photo op! (Me, Debra, and Jen. Also AJ, with his hand up)

It was a wonderful weekend. Already planning on Colter Bay, in the Tetons, next year.

Birthday Barbecue

2010-08-31T08:51:00.001-07:00

Abby’s Steve and I share the same birthday date. I’ve discovered, and it seems to work well for Steve, that I love to head up one of the canyons for a birthday picnic for the evening, sometime near our shared Happy Birth-date. This year we had to wait for him to return from Washington D.C. It worked out to be a lovely Monday night/FHE.

Sarah came, brought her rock climbing gear. Jeremy and Bekah came up, Jacob had to work late that night, but Cori and the kids came. Hannah is down at Jacob Lake Inn. Caleb and Dinah, Frank and I all went. It was a practically perfect evening.

Abby getting Dinah set to climb.

Benjamin set to belay!

Grandpa, Abby and Gracie

Gracie is NOT impressed with her hat!

Abby is due a month from the date of this picnic!

Sarah getting set

Benjamin’s favorite buddy—Caleb.

Please don’t get his feet wet!

Abby would have loved to climb. Not this year!

Steven, the belay for Sarah

Up she goes.

Somebody has to be the audience

Cori with the camera

Steve on belay

Look up there!

Dinah is better at going up than coming down!

Here comes Sarah to help!

Dinah just went all the way up and came down around the side! She’s only 11, after all.

Steve’s turn

It’s probably a good thing that I didn’t know that Caleb was climbing around without ropes!

Go, Steve!

Next! Caleb, with Sarah on belay.

Everyone safely up.

….Meanwhile—back at the picnic site….

Grandpa and Benjamin!

Back to School

2010-08-30T07:50:00.001-07:00

Caleb and Dinah headed back to school today—without me. For the past five years, I’ve been teaching elementary music at the charter school that they attend. I took a deep breath last spring, and after adding up the pro and con columns, I told the administration that I would not be coming back in the Fall. I’m tired of meeting myself coming and going. Between teaching at the school all morning and then teaching my private students in the afternoon/evening, I had no time to go to the temple, do my visiting teaching, cook dinner, sew, can, and be a Grandma. So today is back to the basics for me. I was a very at-home Mom when my children were little, and now I’m back home again. It feels nice!

Dinah—6th grade

Caleb—8th grade

A Weekend at Flaming Gorge

2010-08-07T19:53:00.001-07:00

First off, let me just say that I wasn’t totally thrilled about going to Flaming Gorge this past weekend. My memories of it were that it was hot and dusty in the campground and the reservoir was cold and the river was cold. Of course, the last time I was there was 14 years ago and I was 7 months pregnant with Caleb. So, my perspective might have been a bit skewed!

We loaded up the van and trailer Thursday morning and headed for Vernal. That was a treat also. Last time we dropped down through Wyoming—Fort Bridger. Heber City to Roosevelt to Vernal was a beautiful drive. We drove around the Vernal temple—absolutely charming.

We arrived at the Firemen’s Memorial Campground about 1:30 in the afternoon. Frank found a nice level spot for our tent (near the bathroom—which was an adventure unto itself) and we set up camp:

I love my “Harry Potter” tent—it feels huge inside. Dinah slept inside with Frank and me.

Caleb’s little tent is on the right.

Hannah and Bekah slept in the old green tent. It belonged to Frank’s parents when he was in jr high. They got their use out of it, and then we used it for 25 years or so. I finally decided it was time for a new one, much to Frank’s insulted pride. But it still works really well as a “wing” for the girls to land in.

Thursday evening was just lovely. I sat in the shade and then by the lantern and finished my book for Book Club—The Help. I highly recommend both—reading by lantern light and that book.

Friday was all about floating on the Green River.

The ward rented 7 large rafts that held 10 – 12 young adults.

Frank and I didn’t go on the first run. We helped to transfer vehicles from the put in point to the pull out point. It took the rafts about 2 hours to float from the dam to Little Hole, down below Dutch John. That gave me time to go all the way back to camp and take care of the phone charger that I left on and gather chairs and such.

Pulling out at Little Hole.

Dinah missed Achievement Day, but had an achievement of her own.

I appreciate the young adults for the way they include my kids when we bring them to activities.

There will be no pictures posted of my river run. Frank and I rode on the second run with Caleb, Dinah and several young adults. The skies were blue, but there were some angry black clouds peering at us over the dam. We had lovely weather for about an hour while the cloud caught up with us. We had water fights between two different rafts, got nice and wet, stole a water gun, used the bailing cans for activities other than bailing, tried to not disturb the fishermen too much, etc. Then some gentle little drops began to fall, then bigger drops and finally the heavens opened and we got drenched. I’ve never been that wet except for in the shower. It wasn’t awful, the breeze was a bit chilly for a few minutes. It was mostly quite an adventure. We ran the few little rapids along the way and arrived safe and sound at Little Hole. The rain continued while we pulled out the rafts and gathered at the parking lot, where none of our vehicles had been transported because of the “ground crew” dealing with the rain and the supplies that were supposed to be for our lunch when we got out of the river. Several of us grabbed keys and hitched a ride back to the dam to get the vehicles and by the time we all arrived back at camp the sun was shining and we all dried out and enjoyed a beautiful evening. My opinion of Flaming Gorge is much improved. The water is still cold, the campground needed about twice as many toilets—our bathroom had two toilet seats but no stalls—and I can always use more trees for shade. But I had a wonderful time—great company—and I will happily return to Flaming Gorge another time.

Our New Tile Floor

2010-08-02T22:09:00.000-07:00

Frank has worked very the past few days taking up the old laminate floor and put down a new tile floor. It was pretty slow going until he decided to take off an extra day and a half on either side of he regular Friday day off. Thank goodness.

We’re getting closer. Thursday afternoon, Friday, and Saturday were all spent laying the tile down. Frank did it in sections, which meant we couldn’t walk in certain areas of the floor for several hours. For quite a while I couldn’t get to the laundry room or Kitchen. Woe to me!

Benjamin helping Grandpa

Finally got over his concern about the big, loud vacuum.

Cutting the tile just so!

Bekah and Jeremy cutting the little, fitted pieces.

Today (Monday) Frank covered the tile with the grout.

I love the contrast of the dark grout with the light tile.

Next up—new countertop, and the new carpet.

2010-07-27T09:45:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I was listening to the radio on a Sunday morning. It happened to be a broadcast of a talk given by S. Michael Wilcox at Time Out for Women. He is one of my favorite Education Week/Women's Conference speakers. I'm sure he said many good things that morning also, but what I enjoyed the most was the little piece that he started out with. I contacted the U of U Institute and was able to visit with Brother Wilcox and he happily sent me a copy of his "talk starter". I came across it the other day and decided to share it. I don't know who the original author is. Enjoy!

When I build my better world, I know one thing that is going to be outlawed. That is women's intuition.
Take the little matter of starting the car on a cold morning. I am standing in the garage, already 20 minutes late for work, glaring at the large hunk of inanimate metal. I have primed the carburetor, checked the plugs an dfiled the points. At this point my wife walks in. "The license plate looks loose to me," she says. "That's probably whay it won't start." In icy silence I tighten the license plate and step on the starter. Not only does the car start, but the dashboard clock starts ticking, and the dome light, which hasn't worked for four years, suddenly shines like a little star in the sky.
That's women's intuition.
If the radio goes on the blink it is foolish to worry about the tubes or transformer. You slam the desk drawer three times and in comes Lowell Thomas just as if he were standing there in the room. My wife informs me of this in the tone one uses with a child. If my electric shaver doesn't work, do I worry? No. I go down in the basement and kick a certain water pipe. Sometimes I fail to kick the right pipe and have to be led down again and shown, but it always works. If the furnace goes off, I just reach up and put a drop of cologne on the thermostat. "I discovered that last winter," my wife informs me calmly.
Occasionally I get a little confused. Yesterday, for instance, I was tinkering in my workshop, and the electric drill wouldn't work. "Dear," I sang out, "would you know why the electric drill isn't working?" "Certainly," she called from someplace overhead. "You'll have to change your shoes."
Reluctant to tramp all the way upstairs, I searched around until I found an old pair of tennis sneakers. I put them on but still the drill didn't work. Just then my wife came downstairs. "What," she said, "are you doing in those old tennis sneakers?"
"I changed them so the drill would work," I said, and then added triumphantly, "but it doesn't work!"
"Of all the egg-heads," she moaned. "I said change the fuse. It blew out yesterday morning. Who ever heard of making a drill work by changing your shoes!"

A Night in a Bed and Breakfast!

2010-07-16T12:23:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of our recent trip to Nauvoo and such was the night we spent in Carthage, IL. We arrived on a very hot, MUGGY evening, just in time for the service, commemorating the martyrdom After the service, we started looking for a place to stay in Carthage. The jail Visitors’ Center was closed for the evening after the service and we wanted to spend some time there the next morning. We set our trusty little GPS to looking for a likely spot to stay. It didn’t find the one little motel in the town, and took of to two driveways of private residences. So much for that! In the course of driving around, we passed a Bed and Breakfast--

We all oohed and ahhed, and drove around for a few more minutes. When we realized that we had two choices—tiny little motel, clean, fair-priced, ordinary; or B&B—WOW—we had a short discussion about what to do. Sarah commented on how much fun it would be to stay there “just one night!” Frank said, “yes, it would be fun.” I waited for the “but it’s just not in our budget”, or “it’s not very practical” but it never came. He pulled up into the driveway and proceeded to register. We unloaded our stuff, with the help of the lady that runs the B&B. She was SO charming and accommodating.

Here are some pictures of our evening!--

Entrance from the front verandah. Sarah kept ringing the doorbell!

Spiral Staircase

Two parlors

The turret

Up the stairs to the third floor was our bedroom.

Playing cards on the verandah, fireflies on the grass and in the bushes.

Quiche and cowboy potatoes for breakfast.

One final walk around the parlors before we checked out.

With our gracious hostess!

We had to get over the impulse to say, “Come hither.” and “Make haste!” as we drove to tour the Carthage Jail. It was a delightful evening!

I love Lava Hot Springs on a Tuesday in July!

2010-07-13T22:17:00.001-07:00

Several years ago, Lori and I discovered that we really enjoy meeting for the day at Lava Hot Springs. The first time we did it, it was in conjunction with a Singles’ Ward activity. The activity was on a Saturday. We had a great day, but decided to try a Tuesday the next time we met. It seems that on a Saturday, one can practically walk across the bodies from one side of the pool to the other. However, on a Tuesday—it’s about 1/3 full, just right to enjoy for the day. We bring a lunch and snacks, chairs and an awning and settle in for the afternoon. The kids can swim and jump while we visit, and visit and laugh and laugh, and from time to time go take a dip in the pool where the temperature of the water just happens to be PERFECT!

Today was our get together. It was a wonderful day.

We arrived!

There it is! (Notice the lack of a crowd)

Bekah soakin’ up the sun—or catching some zzz—whatever!

Dinah thinking it over. She actually made it off the lowest platform one time. Sadly no one with a camera was around. She couldn’t quite get the nerve to do it again.

Caleb, Morgan and Dinah on the big snake.

Dinah’s in the goggles.

We’ll be back—same time next year!

Memorial Day weekend pt. 3

2010-05-31T23:02:00.001-07:00

When I was young, my mother took me to endless Memorial Day picnics at the homes of aunts that I didn’t know very well, with no children my age, with not much to do – in the town of Odessa, Washington, population 500 or so. I remember going to the cemetery to decorate graves, and watching the program, which usually included a 21 gun salute. I was generally bored, and probably had a bad attitude most of the day. But, the lessons were learned. Memorial Day, or Decoration Day, as she called it, was my Grandma Kitt’s favorite holiday. She loved for us to gather for the day. She died on Memorial Day in 1977.

I have come to love Memorial Day. I feel connected to my ancestors on this day. I try to make a point to make it to Malad, to decorate my parents grave. When Dad was alive, he and I and my kids met Lori and her kids in Malad and the three of us would decorate Mother’s grave. We’d picnic in the park by the old 2nd Ward building. Happily, our children are near each other in age, they had a great time together. Dad loved to sit a visit and pick out mums and such to make the grave lovely for the weekend.

Now that Dad has passed away, it seems to be harder to get to Malad for an afternoon. I know that they aren’t really there in the ground, just their bodies that they don’t need for the time being. But this year we made it to Malad on the way to Bear Lake. I dragged Frank and three of my children with me, we put mums on the headstone and took pictures and remembered how much fun it was to visit Grandpa and Grandma when they lived in their big old home there in Malad. We didn’t spent much time, but I’m glad we made the effort.

Yesterday we made the trek up the the Holladay cemetary to decorate Frank’s dad’s grave. As usual, Louise or Pauline beat us to it, when they went up to do their dad’s grave. They always put a few flowers in the Alan’s vase. Frank has to take some of their lovely flowers out of the vase to make room for ours. We sent Caleb to get a flag, and Frank washed down the headstone.

All of the flowers are from our own garden.

We walked across the way to Great Grandpa Ferdinand’s and his wives and Grandpa Henry and several other Hintzes. Frank bumped into a cousin that he’d not met before. Her father was Glenn, who was the youngest son of Ferdinand. She is a generation closer to Ferdinand, but seemed pretty near to Frank’s age. It was interesting to hear her talk about some of the ancestors.

Today was spent shaping up the yard. Frank edged and dug and planted. Caleb mowed and fixed several slats on the fence. Hannah, Bekah, and Dinah planted and weeded and watered. I got a blood blister on my hand! We had a very productive day. Jacob and Cori spent last night at our house so that Cori and Benjamin would be here when Jacob went golfing with his bosses. We had a great day with them.

Here are some pics of the end of the day!

Frank’s flower bed

I love pansies! Begonias

Strawberry patch, with a daisy in the center.

Snap dragons and such

My flower bed: petunias, pansies and portulaca.

The vegetable garden

Why is Sampson so tired?

And a pool for Benjamin!

Happy Memorial Day! Thank you soldiers!

Memorial Day weekend pt. 2

2010-05-31T22:22:00.001-07:00

The rest of the evening was spent eating, playing games and laughing. Sarah, Hannah, and Amy arrived around 8:30. Sarah and Amy were preparing for their big bike ride, so they loaded up on carbs at dinner time. We tried to be very supportive of their effort!

Even Benjamin!

Hannah was happy to be there—weekend away from college!

The Nintendo entertained some for a while:

Benjamin and Sampson hanging out before bedtime:

We ended the evening with a rousing game of Balderdash.

The next morning, bright and early, Sarah, Amy, and Caleb took off on a ride around Bear Lake. For more info, see Sarah’s blog (sarah n dip i ty,) listed on the side of my blog. They had quite a day. We got a picture text about 11:30 in the morning.

I texted back to see if we needed to come rescue him. Sarah replied that he was fine for now. About 30 minutes later we got a call from Caleb that he was winding down. It seems that his bike wouldn’t shift quite right and the front tire was a bit low on air. He called a few minutes later saying he was done. We had already started out to see how far they were around the lake. We picked him up at 23 miles left to finish. We drove on around the way they had come and discovered that he made it 28 miles. Pretty impressive.

We walked around the little gift shops up the road from the cabin. Lots of expensive stuff! Still killing time till Sarah and Amy rolled in, we ordered pizza and ate lunch and finally sent out scouts. They had about 2 miles left to go at 2:00 p.m. So, we got out the finish line tape and the cameras and kept and eye on the road. Finally, here they came!

They made it the entire 51 miles. Took a bit longer than they had expected. But they were smiling.

We cleaned and packed and loaded up by about 4:00. We stopped at Lebeau’s for fresh raspberry shakes for the cyclists—no hesitation on their parts, and headed home. It was a quick get a way, but a wonderful time. Thanks to Steve’s mother’s family for sharing their wonderful cabin!

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-05-31T18:37:00.001-07:00

What a great weekend. It started off particularly nice, Friday was our last day of school for Caleb, Dinah, Bekah and me. That morning included awards assemblies for Caleb and Dinah. Dinah received a Citizenship Honor award,

and got all A’s except for one B on her report card. The B had come from a C (in Math) just a couple weeks ago, so we were happy with her grades.

Caleb received several awards, one of which was scoring 100% on the Language Arts CRT test. Pretty proud of that boy. It will come in handy to remember that when he’s acting like a goofy 13 year-old this summer—He’s smarter than he lets on!

We headed for Bear Lake by about 2:00 that afternoon. We took a short detour to Malad, Idaho, so that we could decorate my parents’ gravesite.

Next – through the canyon to Cache Valley. It was rainy and lovely. We finally arrived up at Bear Lake about 6:00. It was a perfect evening to roast hot dogs around the fire.

Jacob and Dinah

Frank and Steve

Jacob and Cori—(Due in 38 days!)

Dinah roasting a

giant marshmallow—1’ll do ya!

Fire master Caleb!

Bekah

Abby

Cori, Benjamin, and Abby—Benjamin wants to get closer to the fire!

Perfect marshmallow fire!

Dusk--

To be continued…

General Conference—Happy Easter

2010-04-04T21:02:00.001-07:00

What a joyful day. All the kids managed to be here by Sunday afternoon. It started with Jacob and Cori dropping Benjamin off on Friday evening. He spent the night while Jacob and Cori took an anniversary trip to Little America up town. Bekah, Hannah and Sarah did Benjamin duty--happily he slept all night. Jacob and Cori were here Saturday afternoon. Frank, Jacob and Caleb went to General Priesthood meeting together. We had a nice girls' night at the house. We manage to back a fine Chocolate Melting Cake!

Abby and Steve showed up late Saturday evening. They arrived with a spare Easter basket, which was their way of announcing that they are expecting a baby in mid September. Surprise!
Jacob and Cori spent the night, and then headed up town to attend conference in the Conference Center. Abby and Steve were at his parents, where they planned to announce their new arrival to his family. By the afternoon session, everyone was here, except Frank, who went to watch the Sunday afternoon session with his mother at Alta Ridge.
As soon as the afternoon session was over, just before dinner, the kids looked for their Easter baskets.

Abby and Steve and one on the way!

Bekah found hers!

Getting set to go look!

Here is it!

There it goes!

Dinah’s basket

Hannah

Sarah—She’s had that basket since she was two!

Jacob and Cori—getting warmer!

Got it!

Caleb evaded the camera till the baskets were stowed back in the basement!

Capturing the whole thing on disk!

Time to sit down and enjoy--

Benjamin decided not to wait any longer!

We capped off the day with a walk and then singing hymns around my new baby--

30th Anniversary

2010-03-30T21:11:00.001-07:00

Wow—time’s fun when you’re having flies! (Or something like that)

Sunday, March 28th was our 30th anniversary. We left the little kids in the care of the big kids—Abby and Steve. We ate a wonderful dinner at Tucano’s at the Gateway.

Then it was off to the location that Frank had kept secret from me. We pulled up to the Anniversary Inn on South Temple. What fun! Our room was the Hayloft. It was just right!

We went for a walk, watched a movie and had a wonderful time.

The next morning we SLEPT IN (don’t remember the last time we did that on a Sunday morning). We attended at Sacrament mtg at the Joseph Smith building and arrived back home about 1:00. --Just in time to start preparing for Dutch Oven Sunday that evening!

It was a lovely anniversary.

Thanks, Frank—for 30 wonderful years!

Exceeded expectations!

2010-03-14T21:04:00.001-07:00

On a lighter note, we had an amazing cruise a couple weeks ago. From the moment we flew out of the SL International airport--

Checked into the hotel in Orlando-- Not much sleep—anticipation, I suppose—and boarded the ship—the vacation was wonderful. There were the couple times that the bus driver from the hotel to the port had to back up and turn around. First he couldn’t get out of the hotel parking lot. He’d tried to go out the front was, but the overhead clearance was too low. Then it seems it didn’t have any idea how to get to the boarding area of the ship. First we ended up around the back by some warehouses. He backed up and turned around. (This was a big bus) Then he headed into the community of Canaveral—I guess. It was some residential area. He finally stopped and called for directions. This time he didn’t have to back up, he just pulled his big bus through a little residential neighborhood. But we arrive safely at the port, tumbled out of the bus, checked our luggage with the porters--

and, with passports in hand, got in line to get on the ship. We had our picture taken and received our Sail and Sign card--

We walked onto the ship and “Holy Smokes” settled in for a great week. We poked around a bit and then headed to our stateroom. Bekah and Sarah arrived first. Imagine our surprise when we opened the door and found them lying on the only bed in the room. Wait, we have a quad. There must be a mistake. Wait, what are those two things in the ceiling? No mistake. It seems that a quad is the same size as Not a Quad, it just has two beds that pop down from the ceiling.

Happily, we didn’t take the trip for the sleeping accommodations.

Ship shots:

Derek, Jamie, Debra, Marla and Frank

Ryan, Je Ryan and Bekah

Sarah, Jen, Ryan and Bekah.

And that was just the first day!

HACKED!!

2010-03-14T18:23:00.000-07:00

This past Friday I was hacked with a capital H. The cyber criminal got my msn, gmail, and Facebook. What a pain it was. I set up new gmail and FB accounts. I've since been helped to get my old gmail account back, and FB has been in touch telling me what to do next. I appreciated the phone calls and texts from friends and family, as the hacker contacted them, checking to see if all was well with me. The standing answer is--If I ever contact you from London, asking for money, you will know that it's me if I'm asking for money to stay, not to come home.

Amazingly, life went on yesterday. I had a great day judging piano students at the Federation Festival. It was the first of my two Saturdays to judge. I had some of my own students playing at 2 other recital halls. They did well--4 Superiors and an Excellent. I've very pleased with their efforts. It was a lovely day. Another long day of judging next Saturday and then my own Caleb and Dinah play for the judges on the 27th. Caleb also as viola federation on the 27th. 'Tis the season for much music.

By the way--wait till you read what else happened yesterday!

My Favorite Memorial

2009-08-22T22:42:00.001-07:00

Sarah,Bekah, Hannah, and I recently took a trip to Washington D.C. I LOVE D.C. I still remember my first visit—Sept 1981--when Sarah was just 4 months old. Frank’s parents lived in Germantown, MD, about 45 minutes out of the city. We spent two weeks. It was love at first visit!

So, on this trip we arrived in the evening of Aug. 4. Bekah’s former roommate, Tana, met us at the airport. She took us to her condo in Alexandria, VA. She’s married now. She and Von opened up their 1-bedroom condo to us.

We dropped our luggage, had a quick bite and headed up town. The metro stop is about a mile from their place. We came up at the Smithsonian Metro stop. There was a friend of Bekah’s waiting for us. She was just finishing up an internship in D.C.

This was our first view of the Mall that evening. The temperature was perfect, the evening was young and we just started walking.

We gathered for a group shot.

Lying on my back at the base of the monument!

But then we arrived at my favorite memorial--

the World War 2 Memorial. There is such a sacred spirit at the memorial. I think it’s because my parents were of this generation. My father served in the Army Air Force. My mother worked for Boeing during the war. She wasn’t a Rosie the Riveter, she worked in the accounting office.

I love to read and ponder the quotes on the wall surrounding the fountain.

The girls gathered for a group shot at the Atlantic end--

Love this picture!

Then we look back at where we’d been a little while earlier--

It was a lovely beginning to a wonderful week!