Good-bye, Friend

When I first started writing this blog, I never imagined that I would even want to write about someone who has died, but now I can't imagine not writing about this great man. Guy moved in down the street maybe 27 years ago. He raised his entire family here and was an integral part of our neighborhood family. His boys were near David's age and were avid scouters, so we were always intricately connected with our family. 

Guy was assigned to be our home teacher and for years, he served faithfully in that calling. I called on Guy many times in the middle of the night to give someone a blessing, a duty that he cheerfully responded to. Guy is a faithful loving man who was friends with everyone. He was the guy you called whenever you needed a heavy lift, like the time someone slid down our driveway and got their car stuck under our truck parked at the bottom. Janene called him and he picked up the back of the car and moved it out of the way. Or the time he lifted our spirits with comfort after David died.Someone described him as a teddy bear at the funeral, and I would have used the same words. There never was a softer, gentler man in my life.

I was privileged to work with Guy in church callings and some with our business connections. There was never a more honorable man to work with. I will never forget this good and righteous man who made such an impact in my life. I look forward to the time when I will see him again. Love you, Man.

Elsie Kate - Child Actress

So tonight, we got to see the rest of the story. Our granddaughter, Elsie, had a starring role in The Candy Bomber, just like Sam. It was like deja vu all over again as the curtain pulled back and there was a different grandchild singing and dancing her way to stardom.

Elsie had the role of the American ambassador  with plenty of singing. I think it's funny that in all the pictures I have of her, everyone in the cast has their eyes on her, as if to say "Wow, that girl can sing!" Wait a minute, didn't I say something like that about Sam?

I found myself wishing that I had had my new camera last year when she played the part of a French feather duster in a different play. She really was incredible in that play, but my pictures don't do her justice.

 Elsie even got the chance this time to sing a solo and be in the spotlight. She played some other parts in the play, but I was not strategically located to get her best side (I did get her backside). It's a little strange watching the same play twice, but with different kids. Each one brings their own personality to the part, but they both shone brightly

 Of course, the family privileges allowed us backstage (well, it was really frontstage, to be honest) with this budding actress. This is the third play in which she has played a major role. For someone who was scared to even talk to his teacher, I just stand in awe of what these kids, and especially Elsie have been able to do. BRAVISSIMA CHICA!

Sam Landon - Child Actor

Tonight we went to our grandson's play. It also happens to be our granddaughter's play, but that is a story for a different night - tomorrow night, in fact. Sam seemed to star in this play about the Candy Bomber, Lt. Gail Halverson. There was even an introduction by Brother Halverson at the start of the play

Imagine my surprise as the curtain rolled back and there was my boy Sam front and center. The next thing I knew he was singing away like he had been acting all his life.

A little bit later and he was back on stage again. Janene commented " Sam looks good in a uniform" .

A little bit later and Sam was doing a cute little song and dance number in a polio hospital blowing bubble gum bubbles a seemingly having a good time. Man! This guy can sing! After all this time, he has definitely been holding his light unter (it was based in Berlin, after all) a bushel. Everywhere we turned, there was Sam playing another part. He was the star of the show (at least in our eyes)

 One of the privileges of being family is that you get to go behind the scenes and meet the actor. Move over Brad Pitt, here comes the next leading man in film and on the stage. BRAVISSIMO!!

Thank You Dr. Salk

Yesterday, Google had a banner up saying "Thank you - Dr. Salk". I wonder how many people viewing it even knew who Dr. Salk was. It would have been his 100th birthday. Dr. Salk helped to create the vaccine for polio. Every summer, parents lived in fear that this year polio would strike their young and vibrant child and they would have to watch their child become forever crippled  - or worse.

As a child, I knew about the iron lung machines that children had to be in to be able to breathe. If they were lucky, they could graduate from the machine, but have to wear steel braces to hold up their withered legs. I knew children at school who were permanently disfigured by the disease.

 And then - everything changed. Dr. Salk and his team created a vaccine that prevented children from contracting the disease. Originally, it was given by injection, but was soon improved so that a drop or two on a sugar cube would do the trick.

I remember our whole family going to Northwest Junior High School -not the current school, and waited in line for hours to get our vaccination. There was no going to the doctor. This was a public free distribution of the vaccine to anyone who wanted it - and everyone wanted it. I was only in 3rd or 4th grade at the time, but I still can feel the relief I felt at knowing that Poliomyelitis was not going to get me. I am sure that part of that was sensing the relief my parents felt knowing that now all of their children were safe from the dreaded disease.

Our next door neighbor wanted to be a policeman or a fireman when he grew up. Steve grew up with one leg withered and shorter than the other. The polio case had been mild. He was one of the lucky ones, but he never realized his dream. It was cut short by an unseen killer that could now be prevented by a sugar cube.

There has not been a case of polio in the United States in over thirty years. My grandchildren will probably never even hear the name of the disease. The same could be said for countless other diseases we knew as children - measles - mumps - rubella- chicken pox - diphtheria - pneumonia -shingles. It will likely be the same for Ebola in the future.

I cannot understand the people who believe that vaccines are a bad thing now and refuse to get their kids vaccinated. It is as if now that we need not fear these diseases, we now have to come up with something else to fear - even if that is the very thing that made our current blessed lives possible.

I, for one, am not willing to go back to those fearful days.

Thank you, Dr. Salk

A Helpmeet? or a Cheerleader?

During conference this week, we listened as one of the Seventy from Taiwan gave his talk in Cantonese. He was comparing the story of the sick man who was lifted down through the roof to get to Jesus, to the work of bishops and home teachers and elders. In my mind, he stretched the analogy just a little too far. By the time he got to the part where he said that the part of the Relief Society was there to cheer the men on and admonish the men to "be safe", I cringed at the thought of all the hard working sisters and Relief Society presidents being relegated to mere cheerleaders.

I know that he probably did not mean this to come out this way, and maybe I was the only one who took it this way, but all I could do was think of how hard my bride worked (and how hard two of my girls are working) to fulfill their responsibilities as Relief Society presidents. It brought to mind the work that my Grandmother Morton did to support Grandpa in his photography. Countless incredible photographs feature Grandpa front and center. Just who do you think took those photographs? Grandpa took black and white photographs, yet all of the big murals in the Capitol and the Union Pacific photos were in color. Just who do you think painstakingly hand painted all that color into the photos. Thankfully, the cherished photo I have bears the inscription "By Thelma and Al Morton".

Just as Grandma was an accomplished photographer in her own right, Janene is likewise blessed with artistic ability - plus she has to put up with me when we go out taking pictures. This week, I think I took seven hundred photographs. Four or five of those turned out to be good. Janene took probably about twenty - and got at least four or five good ones. This one was one I took too. Hers was better.

Janene oftentimes sees things I don't see. I didn't see the orange tree that makes this picture pop.

 Janene can really see detail. Maybe she just has better vision, but I am afraid it is something more than that.

I wanted to take the trail out of this picture. Janene's version leaves the trail in and invites the viewer to become part of the picture.

Both of us saw this picture, but while I was fiddling with the camera, Janene was saying "the light is changing fast - just take the picture. And she was right. She is almost always right". I am just grateful that I am blessed with a companion who is willing to put up with me and things I want to do. She is far more than a cheerleader for me. She is a teacher, a helpmeet, and someone who makes me complete.

Have I got it good or what? Again.

Seeds of Grapeness

Holy Bunch of Grapes, Batman! Grape Caesar's Ghost!It seems "some are born grape, some achieve grapeness, and some have grapeness thrust upon them". William Shakespeare  Q. What was purple and conquered the world? A. Alexander the Grape

The saga of the grapes continues in Janene's kitchen. We found more grapes to contend with and they are now being turned into various forms of grapeness for our future use.

But no! That is not all. Now for a limited time only, you can have BEETS too! That's right folks. Two different vegetables known for staining everything they touch. The floor is sticky. The sink is permanently red. For Janene, these just might be the grapes of wrath. But, as Helen Keller said, "Life is either a grape adventure, or nothing".

Grapes, Bread and Dinner

This evening I went to the back yard to get another ladder (as if a full set of scaffolding, two Little Giant ladders, an extension ladder and an 8 foot stepladder weren't enough) to work on the front of the house. As I walked past the grapes, I could smell the ripeness of the grapes. I commented to Janene that it looked (smelled) like the grapes were ripe now. Then I went up front, climbed the scaffolding again and began working under cloudy skies with snow flurries in the distance.

Pretty soon, I could hear rattling from the side of the house, at the same time that I caught a whiff of the aroma of fresh baked bread. That smell always takes me back to the kitchen of my great-grandma Meik. I will have to write about my memories of that kitchen some other time. My Grandma Phillips used to bake bread in her kitchen too. There are few things better than Grandma's fresh baked bread with real melting butter, a no-no in my Mom's kitchen. One of those better things is fresh baked bread from Janene's kitchen - with butter. If Janene is in the kitchen baking bread, who is making all the noise on the side of the house?

 There she is doing two things at once. I guess they must have been ripe enough that they just had to be picked right away. Somewhere in the middle of baking bread, and picking grapes, she was also painting fascia on the ladder I brought around. What a versatile woman.

It wasn't much longer, and I had to come down from the scaffold again because I could smell the best dinner being cooked in the kitchen. I swear that sometimes I can smell Janene's great cooking when I am driving up ValVerda from work. So for dinner tonight, I was treated to homemade bread with dreamy melting butter, fried eggs and veggies from the garden with Janene's famous home grown chili sauce - and a big tall glass of fresh grape juice.

Have I got it good or what?

After The Storm

We were painting the house when it started to rain ... again. We put away the paintbrushes and decided to go check out a different kind of painting. I thought we were going to head up Little Cottonwood Canyon to look for autumn leaves, but it was already late and I knew that by the time we got there, it would be almost dark. We headed to Farmington Canyon instead.

 After the storm rolled across the valley, there was a period of about two minutes where the island and clouds were perfectly reflected in glassy water. Didn't get a good shot of that. We were too far up the canyon for it to work out, but I did get this one.

 As the storm was moving up the canyon, the light got pretty eerie and I tried to take a picture of autumn leaves lit by the sun and rain. I forgot to hold the camera still and got this picture instead.

 The lake was still a pretty good subject, so Janene and I did get some nice photos of the lake and Farmington Bay. My mom used to tell us about chasing sunsets with Grandpa Morton, driving like crazy to get to the right spot to see a spectacular sunset. A few times in my life, I was with him when the light changed in the canyon, and we were off, camera in hand, to capture something that you don't see every day. Tonight was a little like that, only I was with my sweetheart this time.

Oh, and those autumn leaves we were really planning on seeing?

We saw a few of those too!

The Golden Days of Indian Summer

A week or so ago, Brooke called me to ask if the autumn leaves were out. We had seen the first red maples on our way up to Clyde Lake. I told her they must surely be brilliant by now. She sent me a picture from Soapstone that was somewhat less than brilliant. I think they were disappointed.

I often get a chance to drive up the canyon as part of my work and today was one of those perfect days of Indian Summer where work and pleasure mix. I wish we weren't caught up in getting the house ready for winter. A nice trip on the Skyline Drive would be in order. If I cannot go up to watch the leaves, maybe my kids and grandkids could enjoy it for me. Send me some pictures when you find some worthy color.

A Night Near Bald Mountain (apologies to Mussorgsky)

A nice little backpacking trip to the Uintas just before the end of summer was the setting for a ton of fun for David, Laura, Sam and myself. We hiked in to Clyde Lake where we set up a base camp just below timberline. We hiked past Crystal Lake, Lily Lake, Cliff Lake and Watson Lakes before we got there just as the sun was going down. It looked like rain, so there was no time to fish that night. I got up early because I heard the clop clop clop if hooves on bare rock. I thought it might have been the mountain goats that frequent the area, but it was only a herd of deer. Still, the early morning walk before everyone got up took me to all three of the Three Divide Lakes. These spring-fed lakes sit on top of the ridge with one of them draining to the Weber River and the other two going to the Provo River.

 Laura was really stylin' in her father's coat. It seems that her dad said "Pack some clothes" but he forgot to say "warm clothes". Since it froze, it was a good thing her father (Scoutmaster) was prepared. Somehow she slept the whole night through and never heard the thunder and lightning or the hail that pelted her tent.

 Sam was able to enjoy fishing on Clyde when it wasn't raining. Once he got his gear set up, he was off and catching fish. He only popped one bubble, which was fortuitous since I only brought two. One for me - and one for him.

 We hiked over to the Big and Little Twin Lakes and walked over to the cliff edge to take a look at Wall Lake and Trial Lake from our lookout near the notch in Notch Mountain.  Sam had lots of luck fishing, but it wasn't until we got to the Little Twin that he got one big enough for lunch. Sam fell in love with this guy and just had to re-enact the family kiss-pose.

We both caught these fish at the same time. We took them back to camp and fried them up in bacon grease and picked the bones clean. Sam though his fish tasted like salmon and my little brookie tasted like filet mignon (maybe it was the other way around). It just goes to prove the old Chinese proverb that "everything tastes better in bacon grease" - especially when you are having the time of your life in God's country.

View From a Robin's Nest

OK -What happened to the desert we are supposed to be living in. From the Robin's nest where I have been working this week, I would have to say that we have a forest bungalow.

 After a rain, it always looks nice from the perch at the top of the house.

 There is always that little catch in my throat as I look down.

Here is the view of the lake through the tree. Just about time lay down this weary bird.

A question of perspective

My grandson Tyler taught me an important lesson last week as we were walking on a beach at sunset.All my life, I have been short. I was the littlest kid in school, (not quite true - Bryce Whitaker was smaller, but not by much). When the team captains picked their teams for Red Rover, I was always the last one chosen. In my teens, I watched all my friends get that "growth spurt" - but not me. My only growth spurt was horizontal. Pretty soon I overheard the talk in the office as my employees called me "Short Round" behind my back. Or the customers who called in asking for that short fat guy who came out to see them. They couldn't remember my name, but they sure remembered that rolly polly guy who waddled into their office last week.

Now to Tyler. Mister T wants to be big too, but for now at least, he is a little skinny guy. We were walking along the beach and the sun was setting behind us. As the sun got lower and lower, a strange thing happened. The light was extraordinary - I was wishing I had a camera with me, when Tyler said "Look! Grandpa! I am as tall as you!" as he pointed to our shadows stretching out in front of us. Somehow, with the sun being so close to the horizon and with T being so low to the ground, it made it appear that our shadows were identical. Both of us had really tall skinny guys marching out front ahead of us. I have to admit - It was pretty cool for each of us to see ourselves that way.

It occurred to me then that we were seeing ourselves from a different perspective. I wondered, How does our Heavenly Father see us? Does He see us with our physical limitations?  Does He see the tall skinny shadow men that Tyler and I glimpsed for a moment? Or does He see something more? T-Man showed me that seen from a different perspective, we are much more than we think we are. We have much more potential than we can understand. "For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth away, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was". (James 1:23-24) I am thankful for this small moment when two guys almost six decades apart could see briefly what manner of men we really are. I hope each of us can really remember what God showed us on that beach in Puerto Rico at sunset, and I don't mean just tall skinny shadows. It is all a matter of perspective.

A Spring Robin Arrives

On Thursday, our little Rachel Robin was borne to David and Angie after a minimum amount of suffering on Angie's part. Angella has always had such a hard time bringing little ones into the world, so we feared the worst. This time, she left home in the morning as I was heading off to work, and by about 1:00 in the afternoon, I got the call that our newest baby girl was safely here.

 Yes, you were right. This sweetie is going to have red hair just like her older sister. She weighed in at 7lbs. 6 oz., making her one of Angie's biggest babies.

 She looks healthy and strong and sooo... alert. She really likes that thumb of hers.

 Believe it or not, Mommy was home before a full day was over and the kids all took turns taking care of little Rachel.

 Somehow, as she was bundled up to go home from the hospital, she looked all grown up.

Right now, Angie's whole family all fits into one hospital bed, but I know in just a few short years as this young family grows up and children choose spouses and have families of their own, they will soon have as hard a time fitting them all in their own home at Thanksgiving as we do now.

There is something really touching about having one of your grandchildren named after you. I always figured that if it ever happened, it would be one of the boys. Our family has always pushed the boundaries a little, and I couldn't be happier that I now have a little girl named after me. And we couldn't be happier knowing that this little one will bring joy to the whole family. Just think! Two little red-haired beauties so close in age to each other.Get ready Mom! Get ready world!

Time to Retire

No, this blog entry is not about my upcoming retirement (that is way too distant in the future to write about). My dad will recognize this picture instantly, he used to work here. My dad has always been a hard worker. When he was younger, his aunt got him a job at Interstate Motor Lines where dad worked as a dispatcher or a clerk ( I really should ask him what he did) for a lot of years. Even after Dad started working at the post office, he kept working at the freight lines.

For much of that time, our family only had one car and that meant that when it was time for dad to come at 10:00 or 11:00 at night, my mom had to bundle all the sleeping, or half asleep kids into the car to go get Daddy. Most of the time I waited in the car for my dad, but a few times I got to go into my dad's world of work. I remember big burly guys and husky voiced women and the smell of cigarette smoke. I remember thinking "Why does a trucking company need to have all these file cabinets and paper?" I suppose I expected to find the place strewn with diesel engine parts. I always thought my dad seemed a little out of place here, but he probably fit right in. It was a totally different place for my dad to be seen.

Ironically, IML is being torn down to make way for a new Auxiliary Service Facility for the U.S. Postal Service. My dad left IML for the post office and now it seems the old building is going to follow him. I am thankful that my hard working dad taught me how to work. As I look at the lives of my children, I see that ethic has passed from me to them. My life has been blessed because of the lessons I learned from watching my dad. I am sure that he didn't realize he was even teaching me a lesson at all. He was just doing what he needed to do to support his family. He certainly didn't realize that his work would bless the lives of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.I have learned that in life, there is almost always a payback. It may not come right away, in fact, it almost never does, but when it does come we should rejoice in the moment.

Welcome Tessa Phillips

This hospital room was the scene for much excitement as we got to see our newest little addition to the Phillips family. Tessa Phillips was born on July 5th and arrived healthy, strong and alert. She weighed in at almost nine pounds and seems almost grown-up.

 Just hours after being born she was wide awake and watching each one of us as we took turns holding her. Isabel is going to be a big help in caring for this little one.

 I know it seems impossible, but I am sure she is going to have blue eyes like her grandpa. She even tried to talk to me as I held her. I wonder what kind of stories she could tell us.

 Grandmother and baby shared a few moments together of priceless happiness. We tried to figure out how many grandkids we really have now, but it gets too complicated because of all of those we have "adopted" into our family and consider a part of our family.

Mel is a happy Mom. She is happy to have this pregnancy over - happy to have her little Tessa here - and happy that she is so healthy and beautiful. Every time I see this miracle of the birth of a baby, I wonder how anyone could not know that God is in charge and has a plan for each of us. This little one ifs immensely blessed. She will grow up in a loving family surrounded by extended family that will be there to help her. And we will all be enriched by the beauty and joy she brings to our lives.

Going to Zarahemla

 Where is your seat belt young man!and the owners manual says not to sit so close to the air bag - especially if you are a small person? Ryan tried to drive the car, but I stopped him just in time. We would never have made it to our Zarahemla outing with the kids and grandkids if he had been driving. We had the whole lodge to ourselves this week .

 There was everything from a rope swing over the creek to handcarts to pull on the trail to keep the kids excited and happy. We had games in the lodge at night around a roaring fire as well as meals cooked in the commercial kitchen. I was even able to cook four or five omelets at a time. That was a time saver when you are feeding a small army.

The kids were able to play with each other, eat with each other, sleep with each other, and get on each other's nerves (not so much) all in our own little play room. Whoa! this was sooo much easier than camping. I realized that maybe it wasn't so much the camping that I like as much that I love being with my family. The kids will have to stop me when I get up like Grandpa Blaine used to do at this kind of gathering and say "I started all of this!" I appreciate now how he felt. Janene and I are so blessed to be part of this wonderful family. Our kids and grandkids bring us so much joy, even those who could not join us this week because of other commitments.

We did so many fun things - here is the list - found a porcupine, saw a beaver, watched (big) fish in the creek, chased the girls into the girls bathroom, cooked a Dutch oven dinner, played ping pong, played the piano, had a birthday party for Elsie, went on hikes, scared a horse (that was Mikey), built a hut, built a blanket fort, bounced quarters on our elbows, flipped whipped cream into our mouths (well, sometimes in our mouths, the rest of the times about everywhere else), picked up old bones, watched the stars at night, played charades, played Minute to Win It, played Settlers of Catan until all hours of the night, pulled handcarts, swung on a rope swing over the creek, threw rocks in the creek, floated boats in the creek, watched Great Blue Herons fly over us, watched a neighbor girl ride her horse along the creek, and at least for a few of us, we got to take a nap.What a great time!  We were definitely not in the awful dilemma that our brethren were in at Zarahemla. (see Alma 7-3)