Stake Conference

Yesterday and the day before was stake conference for us. For those who may remember, this is somewhat of a change from how it has been - or how it is scheduled for the future. Usually we have this conference in December, but many of the stake conferences around us were also changed to this month for some reason. My speculation is that being just prior to the November election it gave those speaking a chance to address, in a stake setting, important moral issues facing members in California this year.

The major theme turned out to be faith and hope. Very inspirational and uplifting. For further insight, read Numbers 13-14 and 1 Nephi 3-4. We had a wonderful spirit at the conference. I thoroughly enjoyed every speaker. Elder William F. Reynolds of the Seventy was our visiting authority and it was a pleasure to have him in our home. He was very down-to-earth and easy going.

The really fun part was when it came to his attention that two missionaries whom he had served with in the New England States Mission 40 years ago were living here in the stake - and married to each other. Sister Morgan and Elder Reid. (That's right, our very own Reids from down the street) It was fun to hear Elder Reynolds say: "I see Elder Reid had the good sense to come home and marry the beautiful red-headed Sister Morgan." We ate lunch together with them and Elder Reynolds before I took him to the airport. What fun!

All in all it was a great time. Just this in closing: I hope that none of my children or grandchildren will ever look at stake conference as a week off that they can go and do soenmthing else. There is far too much good to be had at ANY stake conference to ever miss even one. We love you.

More photos from BPF

Here are some more pictures from our trip to the Bishop's Pumpkin Farm with Grant and Lucy. Oh yeah, Pam was there too. Also a few from around home just prior to my birthday celebration. Grant on the truck; sticking his head through the picture frame; and smiling over grandpa's half completed birthday cake. Yummm! Lucy is shown enjoying her portion of the cake later that day.

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The Great Pumpkin Farm!

Pam and Grant and Lucy went with us to the Bishop's Pumpkin Farm this afternoon. Grant was just beside himself with so many things to play on. But you know what his favorite thing was? The big mound of dirt! He ran up and down that thing over and over again. Lucy's favorite things were the slides. Curly, straight or bumpy, she didn't care. (Sorry, no pictures of the slides. I'll try to post a video later this week.

Anyway, here are a few shorts to give you a flavor of the experience

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Okay, this last one is not from the Pumpkin farm, but from my birthday. Mom made my favorite orange, orange cake with candy corn. We had Rich and Joanne and Grandma over for eggs, pancakes. sausages and. . . CAKE! (Grant made the face and put the candles on for hair)

Tagged

No, I'm not turning this into a gang site (Westside Mormons? no - not that kind of 'tagged') but since I enjoyed Lorna's tag, and Michelle's tag, I may as well weigh in:

1. I was a round little kid when I was young. My parents kindly called me "stocky." It wasn't till the 7th grade before I began to thin out.

2. The reason for thinning out was that I grew 10.5 inches in height in two years. (5'0" at the end of 6th grade - 5'10.5" at the end of 8th grade).

3. I've been to 37 of the 50 states and at least 10 foreign countries.

4. My first gig as a professional musician was at age 16. At Konocti Harbor and Inn on Clearlake. Playing in a jazz group on a big two story stern-wheeled riverboat out on the lake. 4th of July 1973.

5. I was paid $8,000 for my first year of teaching. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. That year I went from working two jobs and going to school full time, making about $3,000 a year - to working only one job, not going to school (as a student) and making over twice that much.

6. Every Sunday when I was little I would do my best to get dressed properly for Church, then ask my Dad how I looked. He would always say: you're a good looking dog. And I thought he was giving me a compliment.

7. I would probably enjoy hiking, by myself, in a remote back-country area for two weeks, more than almost anything else in the world.

Conference Weekend

This was a pretty good week, without too many meetings or other commitments. Mom took advantage of the time she had to get some big projects started and completed (or nearly so). First, she re-coated the upstairs bathtub. We kind of felt that with a visiting authority coming for stake conference in two weeks, we ought to at least have a decent bathroom for him to use. (Okay, now she tells me she did it for Pam and her kids as well. Who knew...)

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Then yesterday she painted the downstairs bedroom. For those who have seen Michelle's "Andes Mint" colored room - it's very much the same green, only our chocolate color is in the carpet not on the walls.

Another project she completed this past week was a new wall hanging for downstairs that reminisces about the houses we and our children have lived in over the years. Not every home is shown, but many are.

As for me, I had Church business to do most of the week, and didn't really do much yesterday except watch conference. Rich and James and I went out to eat after Priesthood meeting to Hometown Buffet, which is always good for me. It also always brings back fond memories of the time when Pam used worked there. I liked helping her count out the tips she had earned (and which she stuffed in her socks while she was at work). Best of all, I like the fact that I can always get fish and seafood there, along with everything else. Good eats!

You'll notice that I have done a little 'sprucing up' of our blog, too. Check out the added links in the right-hand column to Church related sites and other family blogs. Rich's newly posted blog is among them.

This next week will be very busy for me with bishops interviews every night, along with a special fireside regarding Prop 8 one night, and speaking to the stake R.S. leaders another night, not to mention GATE testing of all 3rd graders a school (which I direct). But the end of the week will bring Pam and Grant and Lucy. YEA! That means more photos. See ya in the funny papers!

Your Mom sings in the choir...

I'm sitting here waiting for Mom to come home from stake choir practice. Actually, I've been typing up some letters that need to go out this week. But we had a big week. Chris was here and that was loads of fun. Mom and I got to do a few of her family's sealings in the temple, plus all of the usual work of the week. Mom has started to "winterize" the back yard, but I still mow lawns every weekend.

School is going well for both of us. I have huge groups at Tierra Buena and puny ones at Barry. Mom hands out ice-packs to every kids who wants one - but it's against the law to 'kiss it better.'

We hope that all of you will watch and/or listen to all appropriate sessions of General Conference next week. There really is nothing more important for you to do with your time. Mom and I went to the Relief Society General Broadcast last night. I highly recommend listening to the talks. Pres. Uchtdorf's will probably be a classic. Don't miss out!

Rode My Mountain bike to the Levee but the Levee was Dry

I finally had time to finish this montage of video clips from a ride along the levee I made last summer. I used my action cam fixed on my helmet (you'll see it in my shadow part-way through the video) and since the ambient sound is less that tolerable, I added an audio clip from a popular movie, which I sure you'll all recognize. (name that tune Michelle)

It begins with my ride down Teesdale past Rich and Joanne's house (on the left), continues around the corner onto Railroad, shots of the ride down that street, and eventually turning onto Garden Hwy just north of the road over to Boyd Pump boat ramp 5 miles south of town. You'll watch as I peddle up the levee access road, then south along the levee to Starr Bend 8 mi. south of our house. There's a little footage of the trip back with a brief shot of the buttes in the distance, then back down of the levee, ashot of East Owald, and the return to Creswell Dr. and our home.