August 2022 - BYU Education Week, Summer Days and Oregon

 

August brought warm days and pleasant nights with some of the most beautiful rains and double rainbows.  The picture above is from our yard.  

I love the signs in nature that there is a God and the majesty of His creations.  We are ending the month with a heatwave - OK Texas friends you have us beat but we thought we left that behind and have already been spoiled  by the cooler weather most of the time.  So many friends have been effected by heavy rains and you have been in our prayers.

FUN HAPPENINGS THIS MONTH

Girls Date to the Movies - Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris.  

Benefit Concert for our neighbor Gracelyn who was electrocuted 4 years ago at school by a live wire that was laying on the floor.  She has been in and out of the hospital the past four years and is now in Arkansas for a special treatment that is not covered by insurance.  It was an amazing event with top Utah artists who donated their talents and time to this cause.  

TIMELESS - The Golden Age of Broadway

Amy Keeler, Dallyn Bayles and Jared Pierce 

Disney and Broadway Stars presented this concert of favorite Broadway songs and it was Fantastic!  Wonderful evening with Russ and my sister, Pam.

Fighter 2022 at the Historic Capitol Theatre in Salt Lake City 

Fighter is a cirque-style musical production about a phoenix who falls and finds herself in a high school setting.  Through helping others she rises back to the skies.  Depicted through live music, dancing, aerial acts, and more!  Fighter is a way to uplift, inspire, and encourage positive mental health through the arts.  Preslee and Logan loved it.  

The aerials were awesome and so entertaining.  The music was so inspiring.  

Preslee and friends

Preslee performing at her voice recital.  It was an 80's theme and she rocked it.  She has a rich Alto voice and loves to sing.

                                                              ROAD TRIP TO OREGON

We spent the last week of the month in Oregon with Josh and Julie and family.  Another travel log - I hope you enjoy the pictures.  One of the nice things about going to Oregon is that we get to travel through Twin Falls (my hometown) and also stop in Ontario and visit my sister, Brooke.  

One of our favorite things is to stop at The Buffalo for Brunch in Twin Falls.  It is a local cafe off the beaten path that we would go to with my parents.  They are only open for breakfast and lunch and so we plan our trip to arrive at lunch time before they close.  Fresh homemade muffins with homemade raspberry jam and then the Buffalo skillet that I get every time - that plate is a half order!

The only thing that would have made it better was having it with either of my brothers.

We spent the night with my sister, Brooke in Ontario, Oregon and that is always a night of good food, games - it gets a little intense, I am a little competitive and I give them a lot to laugh about - and the best conversations.  I wanted to take the scenic route from their home to Portland.  I was outvoted and so I said we were going to make it an adventure and stop at some of the little cities along the way.

Geiser Grand Hotel

First stop was Baker City.  

The Geiser Grand Hotel was built in 1889 and was the finest accommodations between Seattle and Salt Lake City.  It had plate glass windows, electric lights and bells, baths and an elevator.  The Rotunda is beautiful with intricately carved mahogany.  It was restored in 1994 and today it is known for being "haunted".  People come from all around to stay in the "haunted" room hoping to catch the ghosts.

These beautiful mosaics give a pictorial depiction of the history of Baker City.

It was worth the stop, especially for the shop with the fudge counter - huckleberry lemon fudge that was delicious.

One of the fun things about Portland is the public transportation system.  Just a short ride from Josh's house to downtown and the adventures begin.

The only Cane's in Portland is downtown in the mall and it is one of Jamie's favorite places so we took the boys to lunch to give Julie some quiet time at home to get some work done.  

Josh and Julie

On Saturday we were off to another adventure starting with a train ride into the city center and the Famers Market.  I have never been to a local market that was so big and filled with so many vendors with delicious breads, pastries, meats, cheeses, milk, fruits, vegetables, and so much more.  I have never paid $9 for 4 peaches - worth it and part of the adventure.

We walked and walked and walked - and Portland is not flat - it is on a mountain and we rode the cable car to the top (ends at the hospital). The view of the city was so beautiful.  We then walked further up the hill to a local cafe and had delicious sandwiches.  

At the end of the day and our final train ride and walk back to the house we had logged  16,167 steps for the day!  We bike 4-5 days a week about 10 miles each day and I am really glad I was in shape to survive the day.  

Mt. Rainier

Mt. St. Helens

Mt. Hood

On Sunday we went for a beautiful ride to see the four volcano mountains - it was a brilliant clear day with no smog or clouds and we could finally see these majestic mountains.

Mt. St. Helens is 8,363 ft and 46 miles away; Mt. Rainier is 14,410 ft. and 97 miles away; Mt. Adams is 12, 307 ft. and 54 miles away; Mt. Hood is 11,235 ft. and 22 miles away.  I will share more about this experience below.  The drive was through huge pine trees and a winding road.  We climbed 120 stairs to get to the observation deck.  The fun part was picking huckleberries along the way so that we could have huckleberry shakes when we returned home.  They were much easier to pick than the wild blackberries we had picked on Friday that had thorns and were very prickly.

Columbia River Gorge

This was the view at a lookout on the way down the mountain.  

Geologists tell us the Cascade Range formed 35 million years ago as plates of the earth's crust collided.  Then, 20 million years ago, molten basalt gushing from cracks near the Idaho border covered 80,000 square miles and shifted the Columbia River north to its present location.  During the last Ice Age, melting ice dams in Montana released massive floods that scoured this canyon perhaps 100 times - waters so high, they surged over the top of Crown Point.  Helped by these floods, the Columbia cut through layers of stone faster than her smaller tributaries, creating the greatest concentration of high waterfalls in North America.  

Monday we were off to see some of those Waterfalls.

OREGON CITY - Once known as Willamette Falls - was early the site of an Indian Salmon Fishing Village.  The falls furnished the power for a Lumber Mill which began operation in 1842, a Flour Mill in 1844, a Woolen Mill in 1864 and the first Paper Mill in the Pacific Northwest in 1867.  The Paper Mill is still in operation today.

A drive through Salem, Oregon - THE STATE CAPITAL

They have a very small State Capital on well groomed grounds.  

Oregon State Capital 

We arrived at SILVER FALLS STATE PARK AND THE TRAIL OF TEN FALLS.  We walked the 2 mile trail to two of the falls.  

More water flows in the Winter Months.  This is toward the end of the season before the Winter comes.  It was still magnificent and a pleasant hike.

South Falls

Russ and Josh ducking through the cave

Lower South Falls

Josh and Julie have done the whole trail.  We were glad to finish the 2 mile trail.  We met several people along the way who wished they had our hiking poles.  

Mt. Hood

Portland Temple

This week we had the opportunity of seeing so many beautiful creations in nature and manmade buildings and sites.  We attended a session in the Portland Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  The Temple grounds are absolutely gorgeous!  There could not be a more beautiful setting than nestled among the Oregon Pine Trees and lush greenery.  The landscaping was brilliant.  The inside was decorated with beautiful dark native wood and was massive.  It is a sacred place - a place filled with the Spirit of God - 

We then spent Sunday afternoon on the beautiful drive up in the mountains to see Mt. Hood and the surrounding mountains/volcanoes.  After climbing to the observation deck we talked to a few people and then they left and we were there with just one other man.  He had on earphones and was listening to music and just taking in the majesty of the scenery and the peace and quiet.  I suddenly felt a Peace come over me just like in the Temple and was in awe of the majesty of what I was seeing and feeling.  I could not help but think about the symbolism of the "Two Mountains" I had visited in those few days.  Both majestic, powerful, beautiful, peaceful and representative of Gods grandeur and presence in our daily lives.  In the Bible the Temple is referred to as "The Mountain of the Lord" - Both mountains were spiritual experiences for me.

Forest Lawn Cemetery

Trinity Lutheran Church

This Summer has also been filled with Family History.  In continuing my search for relatives on my Father's side of the family I visited the grave of my Great Uncle and also the Church he attended in Gresham Oregon.  The cemetery has not been indexed with Find a Grave or Billion Graves and I wanted to have pictures and to document the information.  I have learned so much this Summer about my relatives and it has been a rewarding experience.  This Cemetery was in very poor condition.  Most of the grave stones were covered over with grass and could not be read.  We had to clean away a lot of 

grass from many graves to find the one we were looking for.  We talked to the office people and they indicated they had just taken over the operations at the cemetery and were in the process of restoring the buildings and the perpetual care of the graves.  I am sure this is why it has not been photographed for genealogical records yet.  It would be a great project for a youth group in the area.  My Uncle and Aunt did not have any children and they were far away from other family members.  It was sad to see that my Uncle had a headstone as he died first in 1964 but his wife Susan did not have a headstone, she is buried next to him and died in 1971.  The cemetery has the records of the plots but no headstone.  That was very telling to me and has caused me to do more research on her family.  

The FINAL highlight of the month was Hosting at BYU EDUCATION WEEK.  This is a week long event that offers 900 classes to choose from to attend.  There are Scripture based classes, Marriage and Family, Wills and Trusts, Financial Planning, Literature, Music, Educational Opportunities, Musical Concerts, Food, Health and Nutrition, etc.  There is something for everyone.  This is our second year hosting and we really enjoy the week and look forward to next year already.  

It was especially fun this year to have Tii and Mary Lolotai hosting this year.  We had a wonderful lunch with them and time to catch up on the happenings in our lives.  My Sister, Pam also came and spent the week with us and hosted.  We loved having her with us.

Linda and Pam

Education Week 

It was early mornings, long days and late nights.  We hosted through the lunch hours so we just took protein bars and drinks and then went out to dinner each night - no time to cook.  We did indulge in an ice cream feast from Handel's Ice Cream.  We split this four scoop container of lemon crumble, salted caramel, snickerdoodle and raspberry cream.  Let's just say it was worth it.

As a host they assign you three classes to host each day and then you can attend any of the other classes that you choose.  Another fun part of Hosting is meeting so many nice people.  I was directing people to classes and a High School friend, Ellen Toolson Topham, who I had not seen in about 45 years recognized me and we got to visit and catch up on our lives. It was as if those 45 years never happened and we picked up from our last conversation.  So grateful she said Hello.

We were assigned a class on BYU Enrollment options - it was all of the additional ways you can attend BYU through evening classes and General Studies Online Programs.  

The Unpublished works of Jane Austin by Jane Hinckley.  We hosted for her last year and it is a great class for Jane Austin fans.  I really enjoyed learning more about the books and the personal life of Jane Austin.

Classical Music: All in the Family - Parent/Child Composers in Great Britain by Jaren S. Hinckley.  This was so entertaining and enlightening .  The week ended with Webber and Son and was fascinating to learn about Andrew Lloyd Webber and his father.  

My favorite class was Saints Studying Psalms: A Tree Springing Up unto Everlasting Life by Frederick W. Axelgard.  If it has been awhile since you opened the Bible and read from the Psalms, now is the time to go read some.  They are not meant to read the whole book in one setting.  They are Prayers offered by people.  This book is Man talking to God and not God talking to Man.  They can uplift, prepare you for your day, end your day, prepare you for spiritual experiences, bring peace and comfort in troubled times and show you how to pour out your heart to God.  I learned things I had never been taught or understood when I read and studied them in the past.  I invite you to read 1 per day for the next month - I would love to hear about your experience and what you learn from it.  

Recipe for Cookies

RECIPE for the MONTH

One of the fun things with the class was that Dr, Axelgard shared his favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe with us and then on Friday brought the cookies for us to share.  He named them Almost Psalmic Chocolate Chip Cookies.  He wanted us to know, see, taste and feel the Psalms as being just like these cookies in our lives.  I made them with dark chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and caramel bits.  They are everything he said they were.  ENJOY!

We also enjoyed How to Cope When Loved Ones Question Gospel Truths by Dr. David T. Morgan.  When we got to the class we found out he was my Dad's closest friend's grandson.  We got to visit with his father and Aunt who we grew up with in Idaho.  I left this class with some great insights for me and how to be a better self in dealing with those around me.

One of our favorite presenters is Dr. Matthew J. Grey.  He was our favorite last year and this year did not disappoint.  He is an Archeologist and Ancient Scripture Professor at BYU.  He taught The Old Testament in the New Testament.  Oh! how he makes the scriptures come alive.  Jesus was taught from the writings of the Old Testament as a young Jewish boy.  He showed us how Jesus then used those teachings in his own teachings in the New Testament and other cannons of scripture.  It makes it so much easier to understand.  

He recommends a good Study Bible in addition to the King James Version when you are doing your Scripture Study.  Understanding the Hebrew words can make a big difference in understanding passages.  The books on the left are three he suggests to choose from.  

The Old Testament in the New Testament

What a month it has been.  I don't think life gets much better than this.  We are so grateful for the opportunities we have been given, our good health, the time to enjoy biking, hiking, rowing and the outdoors working in our yard and being close to family.  I am grateful for Russ and being by my side in all of these adventures.  He takes the naps for both of us as I try to keep the home fires burning and preparing for the next adventures.  Stay tuned for our September travels.

With much love,

The Grimmett's