Getting ready for Christmas

Grandma & I love having the grand-kids come to our home and help decorate the tree.  Without them we would perhaps have a much smaller tree with few decorations.  Erin was especially useful in helping me get the tree box down from the rafters in the garage.  Without her it would not have happened! 

Grandma, of course, is the ornament supervisor.  Without her the decorations would be totally skewampus.  I must give credit to the kids though, as they needed little instruction.  I guess they have been well trained. 

Instructions are given.

                                                       

Erin

Rachel

 

Jenna

Matt

As you all know, the yearly order of getting ready for Christmas begins right after Thanksgiving with the decorations.  Then we always take in live performances.  This season we saw Kurt Bestor, One World Children's Choir, Gentri, Vocal Point, Utah Choral Arts Society, Clayton Productions at the Cottonwood Presbyterian Church, and the Mo Tab on Temple Square.

To top it all off, our local church choir, of which I am apart of, will sing at a special one hour worship service on Christmas Eve.  Isn't music great?

Dayle arrives at the Salt Lake airport

About 9:15 AM we picked up Dayle Jr. at the Salt Lake airport.  He was tired but not enough to keep his smile hidden.  He said he slept the whole trip from Seattle, not waking until after the plane had landed.  

Since Sandy is on the way to Provo, we stopped to refresh ourselves.  Before leaving, I gave Dayle a Grandfather's blessing -  he was suffering from a head cold.  Grandma and I also had a chance to relate some of our personal "spiritual" experiences having to do with healing.

Once in Provo, we met with Jeff, Julie and Sherry at Los Hermanos restaurant.  As a promotion they provide new Elder's with a free lunch on Wednesdays.  It was my first time there, and it was really good.   

We were honored to have beautiful Julie with us.  She is a vibrant, talanted collage student majoring in Elementary Education - also a returned missionary. 

After lunch, it was time for a few more pictures.  Julie is always smiling, but I know that she is really happy to now have a bedroom of her own at home for the next two Christmases.  

It was hard not to squint, as the sun was really bright.  Downtown Provo really shines in the background.  Dayle will be seeing a lot of this city in the next two years.

And what a great place to serve!!  With Utah economy booming, and two of the
state's great universities almost next to each other drawing people from all over the world, Dayle will have his hands full of teaching opportunities.  

Well, maybe he will spend time in some the other towns also.  The Mission covers from Orem to Vernal, all the way down to Moab.  This mission will undoubtedly be both interesting and enlightening.  

As you probably know, the MTC has been majorly changed.  New class rooms have been added, Julie told me, plus an underground parking garage.  It is here that we dropped him off and said our final goodbyes.  

Fall concert at Eastmont Middle School

Rachel plays well!

Rachel and Mike!

Rachel and Grandpa!

Rachel and "OOPS!"


Hey!  I don't know who these students are, but they were sure good!

Thanksgiving Day in Springville

Thanksgiving Day in Springville!

Today's temperature tied an all-time high - 65 degrees.  I remember the other time, so many years ago.  It was so warm that I took my little family to the outdoor courts at Bellview and shot some hoops.  

Anyway, we entered the home and "sho nuff," Sherry was happily making final preparations. 

The table was set, and everything was ready to go.  Notice the wall displays on either side of the table.  Interesting photos of both sides of the family hang, almost as if they were enjoying the meal right along with us.

After a great meal, two turkeys and barque ribs plus everything else you would expect to eat on this important holiday, Grandma played Christmas music with the grand-kids.  They are going to be playing these songs on the church organ for December worship services.

Matt

Rachel

Jenna

Erin

To cap things off, on the way home, we were treated to a glorious sunset.

The day before, I took the following photo from my front porch in Sandy.  I used the 'fisheye' effect on my camera.

The real champions

The real champions.

The huddle.

The pass.

The tackle.  Oops, where is the ball?

The defence is ready.

MCKEA zeros in on the runner.
By the way Matt caught a pass for a touchdown conversion.

The game is over.  We won!

Picture time.

Players get ready for 'Coach talk.'

Everyone listens.

"Like life, football is about focusing on priorities, goals, and preparation." 

It's now time for team photos.

What a gal!

Awesome photo!  Matt's team went undefeated in 2017.  11 - 0!

Beetdiggers win

Beetdiggers beat Cottonwood for the right to play Park City for the championship!

Erin enjoys the early morning sun's warmth.

Rachel was cold but not her smile.

Some great footage was taken.  These guys are serious about it.

The coaches want their team to remain undefeated.

Matty is giving out some good advice.

Matt has a good stance.  Beetdiggers win this game convincingly.




.  

Moenkopi Formation

Lee lives in one of those little white specks at the base of Porcupine Rim. His house is in the Moenkopi Formation. 

Above the Moenkopi is the Chinle formation.  The cliff at the top is called the Wingate formation and just at the very top of it is the Kayenta.  FYI - most of the arches in the area area are formed from the Wingate and Kayenta. 




The Moenkopi is widespread in the four-corners region and is sometimes called the Chocolate Cliffs.  As Lee showed me around the grounds, I picked up a fist size rock.  He called it quartz, but my fingernail left a scratch mark in its surface.  I called it calcite, and later found out that gypsum (calcite) is common to this formation. 





Looking eastward at the butte across the valley , the chocolate colored Moenkopi is easily seen. Above it is the Chinle, and the Wingate forms the Priest and Nuns at the top.

Okay, most of you are now bored with the previous information, and you have probably clicked off.  Only the curious are still reading this stuff, but it is very interesting.  With this knowledge you can drive for hours in canyon country and actually identify scenic formations, and those in your vehicle with either think you are crazy or they will think you're really smart.  Ha.

  

Within walking distance, just south of Lee's place is Round Mountain, a very prominent volcanic plug.  In the background is the totally igneous La Sal Mountain.  The road you see actually loops around it and ends up in Moab.

I would venture to guess that most of the folks that live in Castle Valley don't know that they live in an anticline.  A huge salt dome lurks way below the valley floor.  Over millions of years it pushed upwards.  The previously discussed formations slowly ruptured and eroded, and "viola" we now have a nice place to ride mountain bikes.

Okay now.  Can you identify the Moenkopi, Chinle, and Wingate all by yourself?

Behind this pioneer house is what looks like a whitish cow pie.  This particular outcropping is probably Cedar Mesa Sandstone, as it underlies the moenkopi. 

The three massive arches of Natural Bridges National Monument are of the Cedar Mesa, and the Anasazi cliff dwellers south of Blanding found it suitable for their homes.

Thanks or visiting this posting, and remember that God lives.  His creative love is manifested in all things.