Photo Tag Time

Photo Tag
Here is how you play. Open your photos folder or program.
Go to the first folder that comes up.
Go to the 10th picture in that folder.
Post that picture and tell about it.

One of the things I love about my job is that I get to travel all over the state visitng customers and putting together bids for unusual types of fire protection systems. Last week I visited a power plant in Bonanza (yes, that's in Utah), next week I will be at top secret sites at Dugway Proving Grounds. This week I was up in Cache Valley putting together a proposal for an explosion suppression system in a machine that creates aluminum dust at an electric sign company. While I was there I stopped and took this photo.

I don't know why it is, but Cache Valley seems to have the best barn signs in the state. There is this one outside of Wellsville and several other good ones up by Richmond. I've always wanted to do a kind of photo essay on all of them, but that somehow seems to be at the bottom of my "to do" list. Thursday, I thought it wouldn't take me too long to stop on my way back and at least take a picture of this one.
This will need to be the early spring picture in the photo essay since it's not a very picturesque time of year.

Now it's your turn ... I tag Brooke, Heather, Crystal and Chad, Lisa and Jesse and Joe and Marie.

A Wolf, A Racoon, and an Angel

Max earned his Cub Scout Wolf Award yesterday too. He is serving as the Assistant Den Chief and was awarded a bunch of arrow points. He got to pin the award on his mom right there in front of everybody. He then got to lead the "sneeze applause" given by placing your hands in front of your mouth in cupping shape, sneezing loudly, and then because you have no place to wipe your hands, you rub the deposit into your hair.

Mel would have nothing to do with it and rubbed hers in Max's hair! Shon, Mel and the whole family were especially proud of Max and his achievements. Max wrote a nice thank you note for the help he got working on the rocket written on special "I Love Grandpa" stationary. There was a lot of waiting time while others raced their rockets.

Jake spent his time playing with the elastic bands that were used for the rocket motors. He fired them off at just about everyone and even spent some time pretending to be a propeller blade for a while and a racoon with little beady eyes.. I'm not sure that he knew his brother was racing a rocket in the middle of all his fun.

Isabel was an angel the whole time. We asked her if she wished she could race a rocket. She said she didn't go for those boy things. She got several chapters of her book read while she was there amid the pandemonium. Hmmm - sounds just like a Phillips girl.

We love being able to be involved in the lives of our grandkids. Last Sunday, we walked over to my Mom and Dad's house. Along the way, we stopped at Heather and Joseph's home and picked up Elsie, Cy, Andrew and Caleb and all eight of us went to visit Tammy and Mom and Dad. As we were walking the last part back to our home, Janene and I commented on how happy we are to be surrounded by our children. We know that very few American families are so blessed. Angie and her kids were here today along with Brooke and her two and a half children. Chelane was here yesterday. As parents, we feel like we don't see each other enough, yet we know many families see each other only one or two times a year. We thank the Lord for these blessings in our lives.

"Ground Control to Major Max"

Grandpa and Max have been hanging out in the garage working on a project together. Max had a Cub Scout Space Derby coming up and asked his Grandpa to help him, so we have spent a few nights working on the thing. We couldn't figure out at first how to sand the bulky block of wood they gave us, but we came up with the idea of putting it on the drill press. With it on the drill press, Max was able to wrap sandpaper around it an give it the sleek shape he wanted.

It was like having a lathe. It made it super easy to paint too! Just turn on the drill press a push the button on the spray paint. Max decided to name it the Max 38 Rocket. When I asked him why he wanted "38" he said, "I like it". It was a good enough reason for me.

Last night was the official race over at Max's church. Max was really proud of his rocket and Grandpa was surprised to see so many other gold colored rockets. We both thought his would be the only one there. He got to race it three times and it performed well each time.

Here it is at the start leading all the other rockets. It went so fast that I couldn't catch a picture of it as it went by. They changed the rules so that each boy had chance of winning and set an arbitrary point about 2/3 of the way down the course. The boy who came closest to that point was the winner. Even though we didn't win we had a lot of fun with Max's whole family.

Phillips Campmobile

Janene and I have been watching the Ken Burns series "National Parks - America's Best Idea" . It has brought to my memory the way my family used to go camping. My grandfather said that we didn't need a lot of money to see the beauty of our country. My family consisted of five kids and Mom and Dad. The first time we all went to Yellowstone, we went in our blue and white ford (seen below). My dad rigged up a couple of sheets of plywood that he laid from the rear deck across to the front seats forming a second level in the back. My brother and I slept on the top with the windows (lucky us) and from this viewpoint, we could watch the bears destroy our camp.

Vikki slept on the back seat, with Tammy and Julia curled up in the recesses on each side of the "hump" in the middle. Sometimes Vikki traded with Morton to get a turn on the top level. Mom and Dad each slept in the front seats sitting up. I don't know how they ever got any sleep. It seems unbearable now, but all I remember was how fun it was to see bears, and elk and geysers with my family. We had a great time. One night, we got to sleep in a park service cabin because a couple of park service employees saw our sleeping arrangements and felt sorry for us! I now own a motor home that I never use and at least four tents, but nothing can compare with that first trip to Yellowstone. In the years to come, we would go on to visit all of the National Parks in the western United States ranging as far away as Olympic National Park in Washington and the Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde. It truly was a great idea, this national park thing.

Farewell, Tom

Our dear friend, Tom Ure, returned to his Father in Heaven tonight. He got up from the table after dinner and collapsed. By the time he arrived at Lakeview Hospital, he was no longer living. Apparently, he suffered an aneurysm similar to to the same thing that killed his youngest son, Justin several years ago, and almost took Jenny as well. Well we remember Tom's wry sense of humor and his excellent singing voice. He and Judy were diehard Utes, and all their boys, Tom and Daniel have followed in their footsteps. Judy will need all of our help in the coming days months and years. Help us pray for Judy and her family. Our prayers will be with them.