Happy Independence Day, U.S.A.!!!!!!!

The American flag has evolved over time along with the nation. The first official red, white and blue flag bearing 13 stars and 13 stripes debuted in 1777. Today's familiar 50-star flag dates back to 1960, the year after Alaska and Hawaii became states. 

The end of June 2021 has been a happy beginning of summer, a time to reflect on blessings, take stock of where and how we live, and what we can do to make life better for others by giving more of ourselves. I'm grateful for all the July 4 festivities (and Provo goes all out for many days) and will report on them next blog!

June 27 is World Refugee Day. This day requires some reverence and reflection on our parts. According to latest UN statistics, the number of people fleeing wars, violence, persecution and human rights violations in 2020 rose to nearly 82.4 million people. “Behind each number is a person forced from their home and a story of displacement, dispossession and suffering. They merit our attention and support not just with humanitarian aid, but in finding solutions to their plight,” said the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi. I will begin teaching English to some refugees, the least I can do to help! The Quito, Ecuador Temple, with beautiful Andes backdrop, is nearing completion.  I would love to go to the open house (later this year?) When I served a mission in The Guayaquil, Ecuador Temple I was impressed with the dedicated members who frequently brought their families on the 12-hour bus ride from Quito area in the north. Our Palo Alto Bradshaw friends finished their large reunion in Park City, with a concert in Provo by Rob Bradshaw's (in red) band performing at The Orchard at University Place, Orem. My daughter Emily was happy to renew friendship with her childhood friend Tauna and family. Also on the program were some great Polynesian dancers and fire throwers. This week at the same venue I really enjoyed Clog America's performance. The group is celebrating its 30th anniversary. A smaller contingent will be the only Americans allowed in Russia this week for the World Folkloriada Festival in Ufa, Russia. They had to pull strings to get there! Also on the program and trip were five sisters (3 are triplets) singing patriotic songs, and the fabulous Keller brothers (2 served missions in Russia so speak the language) and sister playing banjo, guitar, fiddle and singing favorites.  Saturday June 26, we drove to the small ranching community Peoa (near Kamas and Oakley) for the Kids' Stampede, a small rodeo with activities such as Cow Dobbing (?), sheep riding (funny but dangerous?), chicken, kitten and greased pig catching! This is a new culture for me; Fernanda's dad had never been to a rodeo. My grandson Luke managed to catch a chicken (which he gave to a cousin) and a cute kitten (which he is still lobbying to keep). It was an enjoyable, hilarious, warm afternoon. We left after the beautiful big horses and carriage circled the arena with Star Spangled Banner playing, introducing the real rodeo. Marc, Fernanda and I went to an Indian Bollywood festival in Daybreak that evening. This week my across the street neighbor, our stake president, and former Madrid mission president (when I served there) Scott Jackson retired after 45 years as an orthopedic surgeon. It's sad to say a temporary good-bye to Scott and Ruthanne who will begin soon be serving as Mission Training Center leaders in Lima, Peru. I doubt he will have much time to engage in his favorite leisure activity, golf!  When it's not too hot (some evenings) I'm enjoying my back yard, now that I have eliminated a lot of the rocks and planted some trees and flowers. Lots of watering! Also LOTS of birds at my bird feeders! They also like the bird bath and waterfall. I love my evening walks with the sun's glow on the mountains. It is desert, but the early pioneers made the desert bloom and so do all the residents today. My grand-daughter Kelly introduced me to Moon's Rare Bookstore in Riverwoods mall down the road. There are amazing and very valuable Bibles and Books of Mormon (original King James, Tyndall, Pilgrim, Joseph Smith), Lincoln's sword, relics from Henry VIII), Shakespeare originals, Dickens' desk, doors from English castle, etc.., etc. Very fascinating! (above is a replica of Grandin's press that printed the first Books of Mormon in 1830)  May we all respect our inspired Constitution, our heritage of liberty and freedom, and use wisdom and good sense to preserve them. It is up to all of us as new or long-time citizens and residents of a great nation. Here are some quotes I like from Jodi Picoult's new book Small Great Things: "Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are." (Benjamin Franklin) "Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced." (James Baldwin) "The piano keys are black and white but they sound like a million colors in your mind." (Maria Cristina Mena) "People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love." (Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom) Let us try harder to love, to follow the teachings and example of Jesus Christ and other good people throughout our world who put love and inclusion before selfish interests. Let us be doers, giving small acts of service wherever we can, with whatever means we have available to share with others near and far.

 Mid-June Adventures

I'm finally settled enough in my Provo, Utah home to have visitors!

Besides family, my friends from Venezuela, and others, I had part of my Pandemic in Palo Alto family over. Jessie and Elsie Kportufe also moved to Utah when I did. We ate, laughed, and played Bananagrams, just like we did in 2020 while sheltering at home!

My daughter Emily Taylor was determined to visit her last two U.S. states, North Dakota and Minnesota, so she invited me to ride along....and it was a lot of driving for 6 days! But so fun!

Utah was (is still) green as we left Provo, but we traveled on over long straight roads through dry Wyoming.

We stopped at Martin's Cove, where in 1856, the Martin Handcart (cheaper than covered wagon) company, composed of many European immigrants, many of whom were new members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, were camped, freezing and starving as they crossed the Sweetwater River of Wyoming, too late in the season. Brigham Young sent a rescue party from Salt Lake City. Only 13 died at the Cove.

We had a nice visit and KFC dinner with Taylor relatives in Alcova, near Caspar, Wyoming, and then headed to our Airbnb in Caspar.

Aaron, Kelly (celebrating her 17th birthday with the longest day of driving...7+hours), her friend Aubree, Lucie, and Emily at breakfast in the Airbnb. We crossed into the Black Hills of South Dakota, then North Dakota with endless acres of farmland, silos, long trains waiting to load grain and other products.

We stopped to admire Salem Sue, the nation's largest Holstein cow, created in 1974, in Salem, N.D. on the only hill around. 

The Platte is a large river which we crossed several times.

Sickie's Garage has tasty food!

After farmland for miles, we were so happy to arrive for our two-night stay at the beautiful Grand Lodge (est. 100 years ago) at Nisswa, Minnesota. It is on Gull Lake, one of the 11,000+. We were lucky to get a small room in the hotel there, but were delighted with the included swimming pools, beach, boating, and very friendly people. It is a very popular Minnesota summer vacation tradition for many families. And the weather was perfect: not hot or humid as feared.

Aaron found toads and tadpoles, but for all of us, a highlight was the Chocolate Ox ice cream and candy shop.

Paul Bunyon is alive and well! Old fire engine in front of our hotel.

From Minnesota we traveled on to Sioux Falls, largest city, but not the capital (which is Pierre) of S.Dakota, close to Minnesota and Iowa,where it was hot and humid.

Since pioneer days, many of the buildings and road pavement have been built of the red-brown Sioux Quartzite or pipestone. It is part of building aggregate today.

We crossed the Missouri River and arrived at wonderful "Bear Country" where we drove through a quite natural preserve with arctic and timber wolves, coyotes, bobcats, big horn sheep, pronghorn antelope, reindeer and lots of bears eating fish, playing, scratching their backs. The Black Hills and Badlands of S. Dakota are gorgeous!

Our next stop was Mount Rushmore with the very impressive carvings of four U.S. presidents. Boston sculptor Gutzon Borglum (of Danish descent), chose these four for, in simple terms, the following contributions to our nation: George Washington: Father of the new nation; Jefferson: the Declaration of Independence, negotiation of the Louisiana Purchase, and responsibility for the development of the Western U.S.;Theodore Roosevelt: built the Panama Canal, developed a strong military, instrumental in winning the Spanish-American War; Abraham Lincoln: saved the Union, and advocated for the Sioux.

We couldn't leave the beautiful Badlands without some time to see the ongoing creation of Crazy Horse. Henry Sitting Bull had admired the sculpture of Paderewski by Korczak Ziolkowski at the 1939 World's Fair and others of his sculptures, and invited him to create a fitting memorial to the spirit of Lakota Sioux leader Crazy Horse (and to other native Americans). He began work in 1949 work which was/is continued by his wife, 10 children, and students of the Indian University of North America (on site). It is gigantic (563'x641') and impossible without dynamite and perseverance! No end date in sight.

 Korczak and Ruth Ziolkowski

We were among the few on the road that evening through gorgeous green hills and were treated to a magnificent sunset as we drove to our last night's lodging in Lusk, Wyoming. We loved our omelettes the next morning before our LONG ride home. We stopped in Heber, Utah, to have fresh thick raspberry shakes at Granny's.

We made it! The desk I ordered 2+ months ago arrived today, so I was happy to get a bit more organized and settled in my new home! Now I need to tackle my yard. I am so blessed to have a nice home, memories of an interesting trip, and a great family. 

HAPPY FATHERS DAY! I'm grateful to have forefathers who chose to come to this country and worked hard to leave you and me a great legacy. May we all contribute in any way our time, talents, and means allow, and take none of this rich heritage for granted. May we stand up for the rights, health, safety and well-being of all people everywhere.