Coldest Week Yet

Our week started out so great!  I found out one of my cousins, Connie Asay Wigginton lives in Evanston.  We were able to get her number and visit her and her husband Floyd.  Floyd and I were in the same class at Pleasant Grove High School and Connie always lived within one block of me as we were growing up.  We had a nice visit and will be seeing more of them now we know they are here in Evanston.

With my sweet cousin, Connie Wigginton

Monday was our warmest day so Bob and I took a 3 mile hike up to "Romance Rock"  It is a beautiful view from there.

View from the top of romance rock.

At the base of romance rock.

For our family home evening Jolene Allphin, the author of the book Tell My Story Too, came and talked with us.  She has compiled hundreds of stories about the Willie and Martin handcart companies and the Hunt and Hodges wagon companies that traveled with them.  The book also has stories of the rescuers.  One of the stories is about the Blue Angel, Joseph Young, who was a rescuer who rode in on a white horse or mule wearing a blue coat.  In the snow all they could see was the blue coat coming towards them, hence the name the Blue Angel.

Jolene Allphin with her Blue Angel coat

We worked inside most of the week as the high temperatures were in the mid 30's.  We had a couple of nights in the low 20's but thankfully our pipes did not freeze again.  Are we getting used to this weather?  NOT!  But it sure is getting green and pretty.  We had several short hail, and snow storms that only stayed on the ground for a few hours.  It even drove a couple of the cowboys into our trek center to escape the storm.  They closed down I 80 at Evanston for 24 hours because of the snow which was much worse east of Evanston.  Cheyenne had 36 inches of snow! Makes us even more thankful for our nice warm trailer!

Cowboys leaving after the storm

Debra was in charge of making 21 new port-a-jon plugs.  What they do is keep all the "you know what" from splashing out of the pot as they are moved around the ranch.  Bob is still working on the 89 port-a-jons getting the new ones mounted and ready and the older ones repaired.  I am not sure how this new skill will help us in our post mission life, but for here it is an important job and someone has to do it!  (all the missionaries)

Debra at the table saw

Debra at the belt sander

Siisters Howard,.Theler,and Peart working on the plugs  

One of the finished port-a-john plugs

Bob bolting port-a-johns to one of the new trailers.

Bob helped Elder McDowell (also from Mesa) one cold blustery day upstairs pulling up the floor to install some new lights in our main room.  Together Bob and I made some window sills for the trek center out of the beautiful wormy maple wood that the hand carts are made out of.

Elder McDowell and Bob taking out the floor to add lights to the downstairs room.

Bob with one of the four beautiful window sills he made.

On Thursday night we had another special guest, Andrew Olsen.  He is the author of "The Price We Paid" and "Follow Me to Zion"  We get the best of the best firesides.  It helps to understand the great but necessary sacrifices those great pioneers made for each of us whether we are members of the church or not.

Andrew Olsen, a great fireside.

We went on a very cold and muddy side by side drive on one of the trails to see how much water is still out there.  A LOT.  It is not passable yet for the trekkers who come in 2 1/2 weeks, but we are praying for weather to help dry out the trails.  We are telling our trekkers to bring extra shoes and socks because there will be water.  This is so different than last year when we saw one day the whole time we were here with a little sprinkle and NO water on the ranch except a few little ponds.

Debra driving and freezing in the side by side.

We are expecting warmer weather this week, and hopefully our last snow storms but certainly not our last cold night.