A Capitol Experience

CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK

MARCH 2015

 Ever since our kids were young, we have come to this place. It probably started with my parents, or possibly even with Mom's parents. We have picked peaches in the orchards, We have hunted Easter eggs in the campground, we have weathered bitter cold, hot summer sun and suffered through intense sandstorms. After all of that, we keep coming back.

 Oftentimes we hike the same old trails, showing off things we have discovered before to a new and older batch of children. Half of the fun has been watching as the new ones discover the same places their older siblings found years ago.

 We hike with kids who just want to go back to camp and play in the grass, and others who want to see what lurks around the next boulder. We find polliwogs in desert cisterns, ants that can carry huge beetles over long distances, and watch as the bats come out at night.

 Through it all, we share tender times with our little ones. We laugh and sometimes we cry a little.

 This year some of the family explored the place where our daughters got stuck inside a dry "tank" the water had carved in a canyon above Hickman Bridge. As the older  and wiser parents saw where the girls were trapped, they found out just how negligent we their parents really were. Heather said it scared her. I wondered which was scarier; looking at where they had gotten stuck, or realizing that we let them get to that place on their own.

 Every time we go, the kids find places to hide in the rocks.  And every year we take their pictures in their hidden places

 Nathan was a little stressed out in the narrow canyons for some reason, but still enjoyed exploring.

 We found a great place for the kids to play under a double natural bridge that I don't remember being there on other trips. Maybe we weren't observant enough then.

 We got to watch some great sunsets and grand vistas, the best of all was the time we were able to spend together playing  and goofing off.

 But soon it was time to say good-bye and come back to the dreary world of work and school and all the other stuff we do.

But as we left, we had a new store of memories to cherish for years to come. Something we will remember for the rest of our lives.

Winter Wonderland

Janene and I were able to get away for a couple of days to see Bryce Canyon in "winter". We heard that it had snowed in the southern part of the state, so we made arrangements to stay at Ruby's Inn just outside the park and headed down.

Everywhere we looked was an incredible panorama. We took over 1500 pictures and could easily have taken 1500 more. We arrived just in time to watch the sun go down and the full moon come up over the amphitheater. Be still my heart!

The next day, we put on the winter weather gear, the crampons for walking on ice, grabbed our trekking poles and headed out for the day into the bowl full of hoodoos. At sunset, we watched the Sinking Ship slowly sink into the darkness.

We walked for three miles on a single track through the fairyland of colored columns. We had to stop every few minutes to take pictures or just be awed by the beauty of the place.

Then we headed over the highway that was featured in the Wall Street Journal this week as the "most stunning section of highway in the United States". We watched as windswept snow mimicked the petrified sand dunes that were hidden underneath the snow

 Janene didn't really appreciate my photo featuring the juxtaposition of two sets of curves, but I felt that both were pretty stunning. Maybe this is what the Wall Street Journal was referring to in their article.

 As we left Bryce Canyon we held powerful memories of the wonder of these beauteous scenes.

As we headed home, we drove the Burr Trail through Capitol Reef and the Waterpocket Fold. We were greeted by incredible vistas that few people ever get to see. We met people from all over the world on this trail. All of them had heard of the beauty of this place and had come from Australia, Israel, Germany and beyond. We are blessed to have this in our own backyard.

A Day of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving at our home woulds not be complete without family to share in the joy. We have now graduated from one large table to the large 16 seat table, and two 10 seat tables in the living room. This year we were able to have all of our family over at some point during the night. Every year, Janene works like a slave to get this all ready, but by the time the night is over, and we have had a chance to visit with every grandchild, son and daughter, we both go to bed tired, but filled with joy.

Sometimes big crowds are difficult for Nathan, but we all enjoy having him near us. Angie is such a good mother for him. We never foresaw the difficulties that Angie and David would face, but the two of them are the perfect parents, probably the only parents who could handle the diverse family they have been given. Nathan loves his mom and would rather be with her than anyone else.

 We got an extra blessing this year as my sister Vikki was able to join us. She has been helping my father while my other two sisters are out of town. The two of us are less than a year apart, but we have been separated by distance ever since we each married. Sometimes we have been more than a half a continent away from each other and she is still 250 miles away so it was especially nice to share Thanksgiving with her this year.

 Poor little Tessa took a tumble earlier this week and got to have stitches, but by Thanksgiving she was feeling fine and was a lot of fun. She says the cutest things and has such a sweet smile. I cannot imagine Shon and Melinda's family without this perfect little girl.

 Stephen is a great dad - and Jeffrey James is a darling little boy. Jeffrey is a new addition to our Thanksgiving celebration. He and grandpa got to spend a few quiet moments napping in the rocker. A perfect way to spend Thanksgiving evening.

 So here are the other three Phillips girls. It has been a long time since we got them all on the same couch together. Chelane was able to pass her boards and is now finished with everything she needs for her medical career. We are so proud of her determination to pursue this goal in her life. Heather and Brooke are each great mothers of five children and active with other major responsibilities. Each one has followed their mother in some way, each becoming capable and confident in their own right.

Shon has completed a move this year and now has a home on the same street as Angie. - And the best garage in town. All of our children live close. Some of our grandkids walk over to our house sometimes. The other day day Max rode his bike over to help us with the bees. We are truly blessed beyond our wildest dreams.

This year we noted with sadness that my mother was not with us, but she would be the first to say that we should enjoy this day of thanks whether she was with us or not. My dad was here and he misses her terribly, but we all look forward to that day when we will be reunited again. Our family has had its share of sorrow and troubles, but we all love each other and enjoy being together. What blessing could be better than that? Janene and I used to pray that our children would grow up to be independent and able to make their own choices. When they did just that, we went through a period where we wished we had prayed for something else. They were gone from home too soon for us, but now as we see each of them with their strengths and accomplishments, we really do have something to be thankful for on this special day.

The Monster Tree and the Spirit of Christmas

 Christmas at the Phillips home is not for the faint of heart. Our tree is over 14 feet tall (not counting the angel) and has over 4000 lights and it seems it has just as many ornaments. Over the years we have accumulated ornaments from trips, from neighbors, family and special ornaments created by or for our children and grandchildren. One year, we took out a magic marker and wrote on many ornaments what we were thankful for. That is why you will find ones that say "LIPS"or "TACOS". Some were brought home from the Soviet Union where we served as friendship ambassadors. One commemorated the first landing on the moon (this happened on our first campout together in the Uintas). And many priceless ones belonged to our dear David.

One by one over the years, each child has taken their ornaments to their new home with their new family, and one by one, we have had fewer and fewer helpers to put up the tree.

 This year some of our grandchildren came to help us, and some of our kids. Little Jeffrey didn't help much, unless you count the increase in the Spirit that could be felt as we had our own little Christmas child to love.

 On Thanksgiving Day, Laura told Janene just how much she loved putting up the tree at her home. "I don't necessarily like it while I am doing it" she says, but " I really like it when it is all done". Her Dad and brothers put up the tree without her this year, so she called to see if she could help us. The tree would probably still be hanging in sections in our new "tree room" in the basement if it wasn't for her call. She was able to see and help hang ornaments that had belonged to her great great great grandmother who also bore her name.

 Lily had a fever and was asleep on the couch in the family room for most of the night, but we finally coaxed her into coming up and sitting on the floor as we worked. All I could get was one of those Mona Lisa smiles from our cute girl, but I think she still had a good time.

So with Christmas carols in the background and Frosty the Snowman on the family room TV, the work progressed like a house afire. Ryan had been told not to climb the ladder. (14 or 15 feet is a long, long way for a small boy to fall.) But we caught him a few times sneaking ornaments to higher elevations on the tree. Amazingly, no ornaments were broken this night.

 Tyler took on the task of tying on the golden butterflies. He is so patient and can stick to a job until it is done. He especially enjoyed the upper portion of the ladder too, for some mysterious reason.

Uh -Oh, here are three little boys playing video games instead of helping. These little guys deserved a break. This was probably the first time we have ever gone from box to completely up! in one evening. We could never have done it without the help of these guys. Max came over and helped me hang all the outside lights the day before. That is the fastest that that has ever been done too! I only wish we had actually planned to do this so that other kids and grandkids could have helped and enjoyed the fun.

That's right, you heard me. FUN! After Dave died, it was hard to put this up without his help. I don't think we would have done it again except for Chelane and her insistence that we remember the Spirit of Christmas. And remember, we do. We are grateful for the knowledge that we can be together again as a complete family thanks to the special gift from a loving Father that made this possible.  He is the Gift.

#SharetheGift

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".