OCTOBER is always one of my favorite months. I love the cooler weather, the colors of Fall, the Fall foods like pumpkin, squash, and chili. The best part of the month is that it starts with General Conference for our Church the first weekend of the month. It is truly a spiritual feast and this Conference was especially important as we are seeking guidance on how to deal with Covid-19 and the upcoming elections. While our Church does not take a stand politically, there was much said about choices and responsibility and for me it was a time to seek answers to some questions that I have. I appreciate Personal Revelation and have felt and received it many times in my life. So, I feel armed with spiritual power as we finish off the last quarter of this crazy year of 2020.
One of the signs of Fall is the harvesting of nuts and pomegranates. We have had a Pomegranate tree for about 5 years. It takes several years for it to bear fruit. We got about 10 this year and this is the first one. It is always fun to watch them grow and then be ready to pick at just the right time.
As I wrote last month, one of the things that has become important to me in the past few months is finding and reading stories about my relatives and visiting some of the places in those stories. We have lived in Texas for 41 years and have traveled to many wonderful places during that time. However, we have not ever traveled to Big Bend National Park or the Gulf Coast. We planned a Road Trip with our Son, Josh as our tour guide.
Big Bend National Park Texas
Sorry for the travel log, but there is so much to share and that I want to write down and record from this experience. A big part of my Father's military experience took place in this area. He was stationed in Marfa Texas and I have heard so many stories over the years and have always wanted to go and see this place that influenced his life. The adventure Begins:
It is a long 9 hour drive from Arlington to Alpine. We like to take the State Highways instead of the Interstate and it was a fun drive to see new places.
We took the scenic route and went through the Davis Mountains. My Dad talked about flying over the Davis Mountains and that it was the darkest place he had ever been at night. Because it is one of the darkest places in the USA at night the McDonald Observatory is located at the top of the mountain. We planned to visit the Observatory, but due to Covid-19 it is only open on a limited basis and only for the Star show a few nights a week.
We continued on our drive to
Alpine, TX. We had decided to make it
our base for the 4 days that we would be there. It was the best choice and so full of the memories my Dad had shared. It is the most populated of the cities in the area and about a 1 1/2 hour drive to Big Bend National Park. It is home to a small State University that has a beautiful campus and is definitely a tourist town and very friendly.
We loved that we were right in the center of town and could walk around and see all of the sights. There were very few establishments and stores open and not very many tourists in town. It was nice and quiet and we felt like we had the town to ourselves.
We stayed in a quaint AirBnB called the Guest Quarter that was really nice for the three of us. After a long days drive we were hungry and looking for a place to eat. We always check Yelp when we arrive in a new town or city and scoped out a few places. Most of them were closed, but we found the original Reata just down the street and they had an available table. Josh really likes their second location in Downtown Fort Worth so he was happy to visit the original location.
It was a beautiful evening and so fun to walk the streets that my Dad had walked back in 1945. They have a walking tour that shows all of the original buildings and what they were back during that time. My Dad told about going into the big city from Marfa to shop, go to the movie and to get a good dinner and nice drinks. It was very nostalgic to walk the streets and see those places and visualize what it was like for him. When I saw the original car dealership I knew he had walked that street and admired the cars there. He was a real "car man" and talked about cars in many of his letters. I have all of the letters he wrote to my mother while he was stationed there. She was not able to be with him. He was sent to Marfa for Flight School and she stayed behind in Salt Lake City and lived with her parents and worked. I read most of the letters that he wrote during those months that he was there before we left on our trip. I wanted to know the places he went and the things he did so I could visit and get a feel for what he had written.
One of the Special places was the
Historic Holland Hotel. 
The Lobby
The Court House of Alpine
MURIALS IN ALPINE, TEXAS
The Granada Theatre
Just a little feel for the town. They have turned it into an artist mecca and have many murals around the city. They truly tell the story of the area.
We got up early Tuesday morning and had a nice walk around the town.
Tourist Information Center.
This was a fun place to learn more about the area and they were all ready for Fall. It was fun to see a little activity in Alpine.
We then headed to Marfa to relive a little bit of history.
Highway 67 - the famous road to the Marfa Lights and the things I have wanted to see for a long time.
The Marfa Air Field was only in operation for 5 years. Shortly after
the war ended it was no longer needed and closed. My Dad was transferred to Merced California after his graduation. While still in Marfa he was a test pilot and was flying a night mission. As you can see from the picture it is a desert with cactus and brush. Both of their engines failed and he and the co-piilot had to bail. This was a big deal to open the hatch, parachute out and know that you would loose the plane. As mentioned before, this is one of the darkest places in the USA. It was night and black. They bailed and each landed at a different place. My Dad landed on a cactus and had the scar the rest of his life.
He made his way to the highway and was picked up by a car traveling back to Marfa. They dropped him off at the main gate. They took him to interrogation for him to record his story. The co-pilot was also able to make it back to the base and was also interrogated for his story. The stories collaborated and it was determined that the engines had failed. Ever since I was a little girl I had heard that story and always wanted to go see where this took place. It was very nostalgic standing at the front gate (the only thing left standing) and reliving this experience.
My Dad wrote my Mom almost every day and I have those letters and it has been a memorable experience to read them. The War years shaped so much of the rest of their lives.
We then drove to the town of Marfa to check out the places he wrote about in his letters. It is a very small town that has become an Artist Mecca. With Covid-19 most of the places were closed. Some of the highlights:
Currently the Marfa National Bank. This building has the Air Force insignia on it.
The Courthouse is beautiful. It is a typical Texas city town square with the Courthouse in the middle and then there are churches on three of the corners. My Dad wrote about attending the Episcopal Church in Marfa and how much he enjoyed the Minister there. I was grateful to find the Church behind the Courthouse and to see that it is a historical landmark.
We also found the main Hotel that was there at the time he was there. It is still open and very beautiful. Inside is a small mall of quaint shops with history and art wares. Again, it was memorable to visualize my Dad and his buddies being there and enjoying the time away from the Base.
I had seen what I came to see and feel and now we were back on the road for the next adventure of seeing the Big Bend area of Texas.
We stoped at several places along the road to take pictures. We stopped at Fort Leaton, a Fort that is now operated by the Texas Parks Dept. We had a picnic lunch there and enjoyed the scenery of the area.
The Desert started to come alive at this point. We called it the Living Desert as it reminded us of the ocean floor with lots of different plants growing. Many different types of cactus and plants. I learned about the Century Plant, Agave - it blooms only once in its life and then dies. It will bloom after 10, 20 or more years of growth. It is nice for landscapes until it blooms sending a very tall flower spike about 10 feet in the air. Once this happens, the plant dies.
We spent the first day seeing Presidio, Lajitas and Terlingua Ghost Town and Cemetery, and then back to Alpine. I saw the Rio Grande River for the first time. I was in awe of the majesty, vastness and beauty of the area. Very different from the Desert I grew up in in Idaho.
Rio Grande River
Terlilngua Cemetery dates to the early 1900's when Terlingua became a flourishing mercury mining town. Many buries here from the dangerous working conditions, gunfights and the influenza epidemic of 1918. It is still used today by the local community and each November 2, people gather here to celebrate the Day of the Dead.
It is very different from the many cemeteries in Germany and Austria that we enjoyed visiting. Even so, they are sacred ground and all tell a story of a people and times.
I have lived in Texas 41 years and had never been to the USA/Mexican border. I have read and heard so much about it, but had no idea what it really was like. I think most people do not know what it is like. What I saw was a vast desert with mountains, some with sheer cliffs down to the water with a river the size of a canal in Idaho. It was not the mighty Snake River I had grown up with. My thoughts took me to think that God made this glorious earth and Man made the borders. It was hard to think that this River divided so much. The Rhine River divides Germany, France and Switzerland, but it is much wider and crossing between the countries was not difficult for us. I know borders have been around since the beginning of civilization. I know their purpose. I also know they have been the source of divisions of people, ideas, governments, religions, etc. As I was studying my scriptures this week it was a great parallel to what I had felt that day as I gazed upon the Rio Grande River and valley.
In Fourth Nephi it talks about the Nephites and Lamanites had all been converted unto the Lord - They have all things in common, work miracles, and prosper in the land. This lasted for about 200 years. So, what brought happiness and unity to this group of people?
1. Through the disciples of Jesus Christ a Church of Jesus Christ was formed.
2. They repented of their sins, were baptized in the name of Jesus and received the Holy Ghost.
3. They were all converted to Jesus Christ.
4. There were no contentions or disputations among them and they dealt justly with one another.
5. They had all things in common - no rich or poor, bond and free, all free and partakers of the heavenly gift.
6. They built cities
7. They were married and blessed with the multitude of promises made to them by the Lord.
8. They kept the commandments, continuing in fasting, prayer, met together often to pray and hear the word of the Lord.
9. There was no contention in all of the Land because of the Love of God.
10. There were no envyings, strifes, whoredoms, lyings, murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness, no robbers, no -ites, but they were in one, the children of Christ and heirs to the kingdom of God.
There could not be a happier people among all he people who had been created by the hand of God.
As so after 200 years in peace and happiness in the Lord, there became some who revolted from the Church. They became lifted up in Pride. There became a division among the people with labels and cultural differences. New religions with religious persecution. This lead to wickedness, war and destruction.
I look forward to the day when Jesus Christ will return in His majesty and glory and will rule and reign upon the earth.
"And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that he is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that all these gifts of which I have spoken which are spiritual, never will be done away, even as long as the world shall stand, only according to the unbelief of the children of men. Wherefore, there must be faith; and if there must be faith there must also be hope; and if there must be hope there must also be charity. . . . if ye have faith ye can do all things which are expedient unto me." Moroni 10:19-23
In the words of Pres. Russell M. Nelson, October 2020: "We each have divine potential. We are each a Child of God and each of us is equal in His eyes. God does not love one race more than another. The Doctrine on this is clear. He invites ALL to Come Unto Him.
Standing before God is not determined by the color of your skin. It is dependent upon your devotion to God and His commandments and not the color of your skin."
Big Bend National Park
Wares from Mexico. They encourage you not to purchase these items from these locations because they are not legal for trade in the Park. We took a hike to The Window. It was about a 5 mile hike all downhill to the Window which meant it was all up hill to get back out. It was beautiful and so worth the effort.
THE WINDOW
Rock Stairs
Steps for 2 Hikes out of 3 that we did that day. We saw that as a Victory. We did get a good nights sleep.
We had a memorable time seeing the sights of Big Bend, going down memory lane in Marfa, and especially the time we got to spend with Josh that we don't get very often.
From one mountain range to another, Utah was calling me to return. I wanted to see the mountains and the Fall colors on those majestic mountains in a very different desert than we had seen in Texas.
Unfortunately my camera does not do justice to the beauty that the eye could see. I rented a car when I arrived. I selected the option that they can choose the car category (best deal of the week). They gave me three options: Dodge Mini Van, Camero, or a Ford Mustang convertible. Since I drive a mini-van I did not feel the need to select that one. Since the purpose of my needing the car was to drive into the mountains to see the beauty there, the choice was clear that I would need the convertible Mustang. I am getting a little wild in my older years. That is something I would not have done twenty years ago.
The weather was absolutely gorgeous and we had so much fun driving through the hills and mountains and feeling the cool breeze blowing through. Nothing better than heated seats and a cool breeze blowing on your face.
Unfortunately, Provo Canyon was on fire and the road was closed so we could not take the Alpine Loop. We headed North and our first stop was the Draper Temple. The grounds were filled with families enjoying the beautiful day and feeling the peace that the Temple grounds bring.
Preslee making the most of the day!
We drove through Cottonwood Canyon and it brought back memories
of being a young girl and snow skiing with my family at Solitude and Brighten.
We ended our drive at the Wasatch Lawn Cemetery where my grandparents, parents, brother and son are buried. It is truly sacred ground for me and one of the most beautiful places to sit "in the shadow of the everlasting Hills" and ponder the beauty and majesty of it all. I am so grateful for the Plan of Life and Salvation that we have through Jesus Christ. I know I will be with my family and loved ones
again.
We had a very tragic accident happen in the Alpine German Speaking Mission this month. A group of 6 missionaries were together for P-Day in Switzerland. They had gone for a hike, had lunch on the mountain and were returning down the mountain when Sister Annabelle Neilson of Alpine, UT slipped and fell over 100 meters down the mountain. She passed away a few hours later. Two of the Elders hiked down the mountain to be with her until the rescue helicopter could arrive. We had a mission wide fast that week in behalf of her family and all of the missionaries. It was an amazing experience to join together in spirit and to see and hear the outpouring of love from so many. I continue to Stand All Amazed at the depth of understanding and testimony of the young missionaries. I learn so much from them. This is a picture that an artist in Utah drew for the family of their beautiful daughter in the arms of Jesus Christ. You can feel the love just looking at the picture. The Lord needs valiant missionaries on both sides of the veil.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson gave these words of comfort to her family:
In times like this, we find comfort in the simple, precious truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ that Annabelle was so joyfully sharing.
I felt that this observation from Brigham Young about the transition from death into the spirit world would have meaning for Annabelle:
"We shall turn round and look upon the valley of death and think, when we have crossed it, why this is the greatest advantage of my whole existence, for I have passed from a state of sorrow, . . .pain, anguish and disappointment into a state of existence, where I can enjoy life to the fullest extent as far as that can be done without a body. My spirit is set free, I thirst no more; I want to sleep no more, I hunger no more, I tire no more, I run, I walk, I labor, I go, I come, I do this, I do that, whatever is required of me, . . .I am full of life, full of vigor, and I enjoy the presence of my heavenly Father, by the power of his Spirit" (Discourse by Pres, Brigham Young, Aug. 5, 1874)
Jesus Christ stands with open arms to receive you!
We had 2 Sisters and 3 Elders over to our house to help us trim the hedge in our front yard. They were very hard workers and we had such a good time being with missionaries again. It is never a work project with us unless you get a good meal to go with it. When the work was done we had a fun lunch of nachos and burrito bowls. We were able to meet an Elder who is serving here in Arlington while he waits to serve in the Alpine German Speaking Mission. It was fun to speak in German with him - at least Russ spoke with him and I was able to understand and respond. It was so fun sharing some of our experiences in Germany and Austria. I also met the parents of an Elder Clark who was in Michigan waiting to serve in our mission. He received word that 38 missionaries would be going back to the Preston England MTC last Monday and would quarantine for two weeks there and then be able to enter Germany. He was selected and is in England now. We hope and pray for those trying to return or enter those countries. Russ signed up to help those at the MTC brush up on their German.
As I close this months Blog my heart is full of gratitude for a month full of memories, instruction from our Church Leaders, personal revelation to help me through difficult times, peace through Jesus Christ, the beauty and grandeur of Nature and all of God's creations, family, friends, our missionary family, and the amazing days of Fall. These flowers are the last ones from my garden for the year. They make me happy. I am grateful for my home and the haven from the world that it is. A place where I find peace, a place of safety.
Viel Liebe,
The Grimmett's
Happy Halloween
Traditional Halloween Dinner in a Pumpkin
