FEBRUARY 2025 - Birthday, Valentines & Travels

 

AMTRACK TO VANCOUVER , BC

February was filled with celebrations, holidays, friends, family, travels and so much in between.  For a short month we sure filled it with many adventures.  We just took down our Winter decorations today and it seems like yesterday we were enjoying the Christmas Season.  

The Lindon Utah Temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is nearing completion.  They took the scaffolding off of the two spires this past week and just have the entrance granite to finish for the outside.  We are hoping for the Open House to be sometime between July and September of this year.  Visitors are welcome and our home is always open.  

When the property was purchased it was farm property and there were about 14 different varieties of trees.  A few men in our area were allowed to go in and cut the wood and use it for projects.  Several wood bowls have been turned and other items that will be used as gifts for some who have worked on the Temple Building Project.  This month they offered a wood turning project to make Ball point pens from some of the Temple Wood.

We went and each got to learn how to use the lathe and make the pens.

Rectangle of Wood turned into smooth cylinders

We were each given two rectangular pieces of Maple about 5 inches long.  We then put them on the lathe and started shaving the wood slowly to form the cylinders.  Then you work on making it the shape you want and getting both pieces to match where they will come together.  Then we sanded with 4 different sizes of sand paper and then put oil on the wood and with a cloth worked it in on the lathe to polish.  The final piece was to insert the ball point pen pieces and then imprinted with the Lindon Temple.  

Alan and Gloria Stratton - former Arlington Texas friends are in our neighborhood in Lindon - are amazing craftsman and woodworkers who taught the class.  We love the memento, their willingness to share their talents and renewing friendships.  

The Stratton's

Finished Pens

THANKSGIVING POINT - TREE OF LIFE

"I believe the Savior Jesus Christ would want you to see, feel, and know that He is your strength.  That with His Help, there are no limits to what you can accomplish.  That your potential is limitless.  he would want to see yourself the way He sees you.  And that is very different from the way the world sees you."  Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Oct. 2022

This series of sculptures tells the story of Adar, a fictional woman created by artist Angela Johnson, whose journey reflects the struggles we all can face in life.  While Adar can be seen in the great and spacious building where she is sad and oppressed, she can also be seen on the path of redemption along the rod of iron.

Adar's faith is tested as she encounters challenges, but her story of rebirth and redemption shows how even in the darkest times, there is hope.  Like Alma the younger from the Book of Mormon, Adar finds her way back to the light through humility and faith.  

As you walk, you see several depictions of Adar's journey.  

Great and Spacious Building

Adar experiences moments of hardship, isolation, pride, and eventual redemption.  She feels the same struggles, doubts, and hopes that we all do, yet she discovers joy as she moves forward in faith, closer to the Tree of Life.

Adar's story symbolizes that regardless of past decisions, challenges, and struggles, we are never beyond the reach of God's love and grace.  His arm mis always extended to us and through faith and trust in Jesus Christ, we too can find healing, hope, and the peace that comes as we draw closer to Him.  

Along the path to the Tree of Life the Life of Jesus Christ is intertwined in the story.  The journey to the Tree (Jesus Christ) is what it is all about so it depicts His life journey and then our life journey in returning to Him.  It was so spiritually moving and more than I could have ever imagined what I would see and experience.  It is a portrayal of Lehi's Vision from the Book of Mormon, featuring 130 larger than-life bronze figures.  It is a soul-touching exhibit and an unforgettable experience for all that see it.  

"And the world, because of their iniquity shall judge him to be a thing of naught:  wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth  it and they smite him, and he suffereth it.  Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men."

1 Nephi 19:9

The Garden Tomb

The Tree of Life - Jesus Christ

Russ and I had such a wonderful time together as we walked the mile trail through the Ashton Gardens to this display.  It was a beautiful Winter day to walk and take in all of the nature along the way.

HAPPY 69TH BIRTHDAY

Back to Thanksgiving Point and The Butterfly Biosphere

We toured the Butterfly gardens- not as peaceful as the week before at The Tree of Life - filled with so many preschool kids you could hardly walk the paths.  It was a fun hour of seeing the wonder of the butterflies.

Garden Pond - find the Blue Butterfly!

Off to Cheesecake Factory City Creek, Salt Lake City to celebrate with Nikki (a former student at Cumorah Academy) who is now in the United States attending school in Salt Lake.  We share our birthdays and we joined her for lunch to celebrate together.  It was a festive afternoon.  We DID NOT eat Cheesecake for lunch so that we could go out for ice cream later.  

We ended the night at Handle's Ice Cream with Emily.   Russ and I shared their 4 scoop sampler - our favorite!

It was an all day Celebration and so enjoyable.

My Sister, Pam and I share February Birthdays and we got to celebrate together a few days after our actual Birthdays.  We met in Salt Lake and went to the Church History Museum and then to lunch at a local favorite -  Gourmandise - so delicious and festive!  I can't believe I did not take a picture of us together to remember the day.  

Two pictures from the Museum:

This stained glass window came from the Salt Lake 14th Ward chapel, which was torn down in the 1960's to make room for the Salt Palace.

Below is a Sign that was from the late 1800's in Salt Lake.  It says,

Mormon Creed

Mind Your Own Business.

Saints will observe this:  

All Others Ought to

Mormon Creed

VALENTINES DAY

With my Birthday only a few days before Valentine's Day we usually only celebrate 1 day.  This year we had the VERY BEST DAY.  Russ really came through and planned ahead with some fun surprises.  He gave me a box filled with paper butterflies that when I took the lid off the box it opened up and all of the butterflies flew out of the box - Impressive and a lot of work for him to have wound up every butterfly and put in the box for me to see them fly!  

We then celebrated with our dear friends, John and Carol Homer who invited us to attend the new Ruth Theatre to see the premier performance of RAGTIME.  It was Fantastic!  

If you don't know the story it was very profound and relatable to today.  A good friend stated after seeing the show: "We left more determined to truly SEE the needs of those around us, stand for what is right despite the consequences, not be apathetic to injustice and how to do the right thing even if those around you are standing by.  In summary, to be better humans."  Amanda Wilkinson

We invited the Homer's to dinner before the Theatre and it was such a memorable night. We started with  Pumpkin Butternut Squash Soup and Green Salad.

While we ate the first course the RiverBend Ranch Sirloin Steaks were being cooked to perfection - if you like medium Rare!   It was served with Baked Sweet Potatoes with butter and cinnamon and green beans.  I made gluten free bread and we ended the dinner with German Sweet Chocolate Cream Pie.  

It was so nice just eating and visiting in the quiet of our home and then racing off to the Theatre  - in the Rain.  This will be a night to remember!

The picture on the left is my leftover steak the next day served on top of some leftover salad.  It was almost as good as the dinner the night before.  

PORTLAND OREGON - VANCOUVER BRITISH COLUMBIA

February 20th we were off to Portland Oregon to begin a trip with Josh and Julie.  We love our trips to Portland and spending time with family.  Josh has been off work due to some health issues and we wanted to go visit.  He is so talented and continues to amaze us with all that he comes up with.  When we arrived he was in the middle of 3D Printing a stand for his new IPAD.  It turned out really nice.  He also constructed additional train tracks and now has a track that goes around the ceiling of their living room and kitchen with about 14 train cars on one track and several others that sit on a side track.

It is powered by a steam engine - smoke actually comes out and he has painted some of the cars to make them more authentic looking.  He has loved trains since he was a young child and now the hobby is just a littlel more expensive.  He loves his trains.

THE ADVENTURE BEGINS

Josh and Julie really like visiting Vancouver BC and we thought it would be good for them to get away for a few days and for us to visit a new place.  

We took the City Bus from their home to Union Station in Downtown Portland.  We stopped for lunch on our way and were ready for our 8 hour train ride on Amtrak.

We have been on many trains in Europe but never have taken Amtrak in the USA.  

We started at Union Station headed to the first major stop in Seattle, WA.

Each car had one section with two seats facing each other with a table and we were able to get that seat so we could sit together and visit.  We were on an old Italian train called the Cascades.  It had larger windows than some of the newer trains and made for a great view of all of the sites.  

We had a 30 minute layover in Seattle and we got off the train and went into the station.  It had been restored to its original beauty and it was nice to see.  

The trains in the US are limited to 79 miles per hour and we managed to go about 72 mph between most stops.  Lots of little towns along the way.

We arrived in Vancouver BC at 10:00 PM. Upon entering Canada there is a passport inspection and the train slows to about 25 mph the rest of the way.  Canada does not maintain their tracks as well and with the curves and water 

they take it really slow.  We did not see much because it was dark at that point but on the return trip home it was so beautiful to see the ships, tugs, tankers, yachts, fishing boats, birds, seals and all of the other things in nature.  

It was very relaxing and worth the experience.  

We stayed in an AirBnB on the edge of China Town and close to the Waterfront Train Station.  We started early the next morning at a wonderful bakery that Josh and Julie had found on previous visits.  It was so delicious and a great way to start the day.  We then took the city train to see a broad view of the area.  We hit the water in a water taxie to Granville Island for Lunch.  It is basically a large market and shopping district.  So many choices for eating and Russ and I settled on ----German sausage and a Reuben on Rye.  When we left it was pouring rain as we hurried to the water taxie and back to our apartment.

We ended our day at DANBO Ramen House - another favorite of Josh and Julie.  It is a small local restaurant that we stood in line outside waiting for a table.  They have a very efficient system where you fill out your order while you wait and when they have a table for your party size you are allowed in.  The food comes very quickly since all they serve is Ramon.  The broth was so rich and delicious.  It was just what we needed on a cool evening.  Russ started getting a cold/flu and so we took things at a slower pace.

Bowl of Ramen

This is the view of Vancouver from our Apartment.  We were close to the Science Museum, The Sports Arena and even a Costco.  

Sunday was a beautiful day and we left Russ home to rest while we ventured to Chinatown, Gastown, Olympic Park and a Train ride around the city.  We did a lot of walking and it was nice to be on the train and getting a rest.

The Chinatown is very old and run down.  Most people have moved outside of the city to a suburb with new shops and better living conditions,  It was sad to see how majestic it had been and how it is today.  

This is a Chinatown memorial monument of the Railway worker and the World War II Veteran that represents the sacrifices made by Chinese Canadians in building a united and prosperous Canada.  The main column is a Chinese character "Centre" which symbolizes Chinese culture.  It reads:

"Rich legacies of Chinese Pioneers shining bright as the sun and moon great deeds of noble forbears zeal entrenched as mountains and rivers. "

GASTOWN is the location of the Canadian Film Industry where many movies and TV shows have been filmed.  Julie even spotted one of her favorite actors as we were walking down the street.  

This is a picture of the Gastown Steam Clock.  The World's first steam powered clock.  The live steam winds the weights and blows the whistles.   Every 4.5 minute one steel weight will travel by steam power to the top of the clock. Each quarter hour the clock will sound the Westminster chimes.  The large whistle will sound once on the hour.  The steam is supplied by the underground system of Central Heat Distributors Limited.  The clock weighs over two tons.  

In the early 1900's this area was the Commercial Centre of Vancouver.  By the 1960's it had become the centre of Vancouver's "Skid Row".  In the early 1970's it was rehabilitated to its former stature.  It is a thriving area of the city today. 

The Waterfront and Convention Center in Vancouver.  We had a beautiful day on Sunday to see the sights and walked a lot.  This is the area where the Cruise Ships dock with trips North to Alaska and South to San Francisco.

Stanley Park

We watched the Sea Planes take off and land from the water.  It was fun to see so much activity on the water with sea planes and ferries coming and going.

The picture on the left is the Olympic Park Flame from the Winter Olympics.  

It is next to the Convention Center where they were hosting FAN-X while we were there.  It was a very festive time with some amazing costumes and some not worth writing about.  

There was also a National Rugby Tournament in the Sports Arena with people attending in costumes.  They were a little more tamed down with clowns, Santa Clause, Cartoon Characters, ext.  

FAN-X

NIKE Statue

There are many statues around the city and this one was in the middle of an intersection.  

Nike is named after the Greek goddess of Victory or Unconquerable.  .  It aligns with the Nike Company's focus on athletic excellence and triumph.  

Vancouver Public Library

This is an amazing building.  The Library is 9 Stories and was filled on a Sunday afternoon.  They have 1 floor or computers and every one of them was filled.  The have 4 Sound Rooms and 1 Recording Studio.  All of them were filled.  Everything from podcasts to musicians.  The top floor goes out onto a garden plaza with tables and chairs.  It was fascinating to see the topics of the displays on each floor.  We went to all 9 floors to explore and it was well worth it.  

We ended the night at A&W - for dinner and a good nights rest before a very early morning catching the Train back to Portland.

The Train engineer was very talkative and shared his knowledge of all of the sights along the way.  It was daylight and we could see for miles.  

They still do logging by sending the logs down the river.  Several areas along the way had holding places for the logs along with saw mills.  

Again, in Canada the train traveled about 25 mph and they even slowed down to almost a stop when we would come upon something to look at.  The Engineer pointed out Bald Eagles, certain ships and vessels, historic spots and all things nature.  

This was one of those places where he slowed down for us to see a reef filled with sea lions.  They look like rocks in the middle and then one would slide into the water and you would see it swim.  

Below is a place called White Rock - not sure the meaning of it.  There were two lighthouses but we could not see them.  It was slow and steady but along the water the whole way to the Canadian border and so beautiful.  

We said good bye to Canada and hope to return soon.  This was our first time ever in Canada - WHAT took us so long.  Side note;  I spent $14. in Costco.  I paid with a $50 US and received $54 in change.  

 

We end the month with the Planets aligned in the Heavens and a gorgeous sunset.  We were able to see the sliver of the Moon and 5 planets lined up.  It was too expansive over the sky to get in one picture so I will settle for the Sunset and 1 planet.  

"REMEMBER, THE WORTH OF SOULS IS GREAT IN THE SIGHT OF GOD"

With Hope and Love,

Linda and Russ