Car Swap

"So long, farewell...adieu to you and you and you..."

I said good-bye forever yesterday to an old friend.  It was a little bittersweet, but it was time.  And while I'll miss my friend, I will take some happy memories with me.

Two weeks ago, I swapped cars with my dad so that I could drive to our family reunion up at Bear Lake.  My dad's car hadn't been driven in about six months and it had a little bit more space for the trip.  Plus, I think there was some concern about whether my Saturn would actually survive the drive.

In two weeks, I put over 3,000 miles on the Ford Fusion above.  It is being sold, so I probably won't be able to enjoy driving it again.  It's not a very fancy car, but it was peppy, responsive, and had satellite radio (a huge plus for the wide open desert landscapes that I had to drive through late into the night).  I'll never forget being able to take that trip with R. and S.  I hope they have happy memories too.  

Good times in the Fusion

I had so much fun and was so grateful for those good memories that I didn't even complain when I had to vacuum out Chex crumbs from the little holes in the leather seats in the back yesterday (I had to use a safety pin dislodge the little crumbs!).  The Ford Fusion got us home safely and I'm grateful to my Dad for being so good to us.

It was a bit surreal to get back into my Saturn and turn the ignition.  It was like seeing an old friend and I have lots of good memories of this car as well (see here and here for some recent ones).  At about 245,000 miles, the Saturn has certainly given me a good return on my investment and been very reliable.  But one day, it'll be time to move on.  And I'll be looking forward making some great memories in that (new) vehicle too.

Blackout!

This is my view right now as I sit on my porch overlooking the ocean. The lights went out a few minutes ago. My town has probably never been this dark. An orange moon stands vigil over incoming fog while a few street lights below blink red.

It's cool out tonight and for that I am thankful. Especially after enduring the heat of Arizona and parts of Utah as I traveled last week. 

I managed a run tonight. Nothing spectacular, just my regular "Walmart 10k" course. Sometimes routine is good. 

There must be a parliament of owls living near my house, because I saw two if them during my run. 

I'm lucky I saw them because they looked like white shadows gliding gracefully and silently through the night. I only noticed them because they were so much lighter than the dark shadows surrounding them.  Right now, in this darkness and without any streetlights, I'm sure that I would never have seen or heard them. 

Bambi and Thumper

There is a lot of wildlife in our area, even though I feel like we are solidly in the suburbs. The other night, I turned a corner and almost hit a deer that was standing in the middle of the road!

It's funny because twenty years ago, while I was on my mission I'm the Dominican Republic, I don't remember a single day where the power didn't go out at least once--often for hours at a time. It was a part of life I'm the D.R.  Now, the power goes out and I barely know what to do with myself. 

It's nearly midnight. I guess maybe ill just go to bed...

Fire of the Covenant

I recently took a road trip with the kids.  We had plenty of time in the car, so I had us listening to this book on tape about the Mormon handcart pioneers.  My purpose was at least two fold.  Yes, I did want to "engage their little brains" so that they didn't fight or argue.  But I also wanted them to gain an appreciation and understanding of our pioneer heritage--especially because we have a direct ancestor that was a major figure in the tragedy that befell the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies.

The book is outstanding.  Gerald Lund does a great job of using historical fiction to humanize the story.  As I listened, however, I could not help but feel a certain sense of dread because I knew what lay ahead.  Yet, I was inspired by these pioneers who were willing to sacrifice everything to make it to Zion where they would have finally find religious freedom.

There are so many great stories from these pioneers.  I think one of my favorite, however, is the story of Levi Savage.  Levi Savage joined the Willie Handcart Company (a "Company" was a group of approximately 500 people who crossed the Plains together--in this case under the command of James G. Willie--hence the name "Willie" Handcart Company) in Iowa in the Summer of 1856 as the Company was preparing to head West.

Levi Savage -- As portrayed in the film "17 Miracles"

He was literally completing a trip around the world that had begun nearly 4 years ago.  He had left Salt Lake City in 1852 to serve a mission to the Far East.  He passed through San Francisco before reaching Burma where he preached for 2.5 years.  His route home took him through India and on to Boston.

Savage had crossed the Plains before and he knew the hazards of the trail.  The Willie and Martin Handcart Companies were starting too late in the season and were courting disaster that could come with early Winter weather.  Before leaving Iowa, the handcart pioneers held a meeting to vote about whether they should go on to Utah or wait until Spring.

Levi Savage warned his fellow travelers that the crossing would be dangerous if they did not wait for the Spring.  When he was outvoted, Levi Savage is quoted as saying the following:  "What I have said I know to be true; but seeing you are to go forward, I will go with you, will help all I can, will work with you, will rest with you, and if necessary, will die with you. May God in his mercy bless and preserve us."

Of the 404 pioneers in the Martin Handcart Company that left Iowa on August 17, 1856, 68 died before reaching the Salt Lake Valley on November 9, 1856.  Levi Savage survived and helped lead the survivors on to Salt Lake.  In 1858, he married a widow that had been a part of that Company.  He went on to live a full live and died in 1910 at the age of 90.

The rescuers from the Salt Lake Valley help the handcart pioneers cross the icy Sweetwater River in Wyoming

I'm grateful for people like Levi Savage who have passed on a legacy of faith to us.  He was blessed for his faithfulness and his willingness to sacrifice.  But he did not know that he would be blessed at the time that he made his decision to help his fellow Saints in the Willie Company.  He had to have faith to do that because he did not know what the outcome would be or if he would even survive.  He had no guarantees, but he did what he felt was right even though he knew it would be difficult.

I know my children loved listening to this book on tape during our trip.  But I hope that this was more than just a good story for them.  I hope that they can learn to develop their own faith as strong as Levi Savage and the other handcart pioneers.

I Would Walk 3,000 Miles

Juan Bandito Rides Again

Many of you have probably heard that song: "I Wanna Be (500 Miles)" by the Proclaimers.  The chorus of the catchy song talks about walking 500 miles.  Well, last week, I got to drive 3,000 miles to get myself and my two oldest kids (R. and S.) to a family reunion up at Bear Lake, Utah.

Over the course of the past 8 days, I have driven nearly 3,000 miles (approx. 2,900 to be exact) which took 19 hours of drive time each way.  We got to spend the week with about 120 members of my family, including sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, and cousins (both near and distant)--including some I'd never met.  But by the time the week was over, I felt like I'd known these new-found cousins for years.

I've always felt like I've been blessed with a pretty awesome family and extended family.  That was confirmed this week over and over.  I have cousins who I practically grew up with (or watched them grow up) who feel more like siblings to me than cousins.  I sure am grateful for the love and support that I feel from them.

Here's a quick photo dump of a few of the highlights from the week:

R. and my brother SLD doing a little stand up paddleboarding...

Jordo and me

S. and I doing some tubing...It was S.'s first time ever on a boat.  I was proud of him for being so brave.

Later, I decided to try a trick that I saw one of my younger cousins doing.  It looked a lot easier when they were doing it!

"Hitchhiking" is jumping from one tube to the other while the boat is moving

Making sand castles with the cousins

Cousins...B-Man and S.

We also hiked a mountain....

R. contemplates the Universe

Hiking back down the mountain...the wildflowers were so incredibly beautiful

My family has given me a legacy of faith and I'm so grateful to be a part of our family tree!

Our (partial) family tree...

Some pics of my grandpa from his polar explorations

And then I was grateful to make it back and to see the rest of my kids...

I think it's impossible to get all four kids looking at the camera at the same moment!

It was a great week and a lot of fun to spend some time with my kids.  I hope that they will draw the same strength and comfort from our family tree that I have.  I think that this bunch is definitely worth driving 3,000 miles!

PS--The pic above is my kids with the lead actor in the play "Bandito Rides Again" which we saw at the Pickleville Playhouse on Thursday night.  The play was a complete riot and my kids were practically rolling in the aisles.  I'd definitely go see it again.

Naomi Peak

This is my view right now from the top of Naomi Peak. It's about a 2,000 foot climb along a 3.5 mile trail. It's been fun to have the boys with me on the hike. We've talked about all sorts of interesting things along the way, but the most important thing that I hope my kids remember is that they can do hard things if they don't give up. 

It's all downhill from here!

Bear Lake

This is my view right now. It's pretty relaxing. Bear Lake is known for being cold and having beautiful azure blue waters. This picture probably doesn't do it justice, but I love it's deep blue waters. 

I haven't actually gotten in yet, so I can't vouch for the temperature, but I'm sure it'll be nice and refreshing. Especially compared to the 110+ degree temps that I braved over the past two days on the drive here. 

This morning, as I walked along the beach of the lake, I was reminded of a quote that is prominently featured on my sister's blog:

"The cure for everything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea."

--Isak Dinesen

The quote is mostly true. Some problems can be worked through. I imagine that dime can be cried through--at least in part. But many may need healing. And salt water can heal both physical ailments as well as other ones. 

This morning, I watched the sandpipers race along the shore and listened to their shrill cries.  I enjoyed the sparkling light of the rising sun as it reflected off the gently rippling waters. 

The stress and tensions of my work and daily life seemed a million miles away. Perhaps that is because they are--given that I'm tucked away in this remote corner of the Rocky Mountains, where cl service and this little known thing called the "Internet" appear to be all but unknown. 

But perhaps it's also because these crystal blue waters--while they may not contain salt--may also have the capacity to heal.  

Snorkeling With The Sharks

Note the Hapari Boardshorts

My brother and I decided to celebrate the 4th by going snorkeling down at La Jolla Cove and La Jolla Shores.  It's been years since I'd been there, but it was amazing.  The water was warm and refreshing and visibility was pretty decent.  We saw scores of garibaldi, dozens of barracuda, leopard sharks, a school of soupfin sharks, sea lions, and even a cool looking Pacific Coast jelly fish.

Heading Out...Note how I've mastered diving hand signals even though I'm not scuba certified!

A large (6+ foot) soupfin shark

The sharks weren't as scary as I would have thought.  I spotted a young (2-3 foot) leopard shark and swam along him for a bit.  Then a bit later, my brother and I came across a school of soupfin sharks.  They were swimming probably about 10-15 feet below us and they kept on coming and coming from out of the slightly murky depths.  I counted at least 6--all 6+ feet in length.  My brother thinks that there may have been at least 10.  Here's a quick video which an idea of what it was like.

These barracuda looked like mini missiles in the water.  There were too many to count.

These sea lions were quick and unpredictable in the water.  Fortunately, they didn't seem too concerned with us around.  That was a good thing because I was actually more nervous around the sea lions than I was around the sharks.  They were fun to watch and I kept hoping that we'd see a sea lion catch a fish--but it was not to be.

A sea lion swims amidst the garibaldi.

We also saw a bat ray gliding along.

Heading for home...

(Great job to my brother for all of these cool pics!)