Leadership Change, Music, and Family Fun

We had a special meeting on Monday June 26 with Elder Durham and Elder Raymond Cutler.  Elder Durham was given a new assignment in the church and Elder Cutler is now our Seventy over Deseret Land and Livestock.  We will miss the Durham's but know that we will grow to love Elder Cutler and he in turn will love this beautiful and spiritual place.

Elder Durham and his last day at DL&L

Elder Raymond Cutler first day at DL&L

For FHE on Monday night we had Michael McLean come and sing and play his songs, tell his stories and talk about his book M 2 B Happy (Mission to be Happy)  I made Dinah Shore Rice pudding and snicker-doodles and we also had yummy chocolate cake for Sis Clarks birthday.  The Stake Presidency from Evanston and their wives also came.

Michael McLean with Bob and Debra

The skies and sunset here on the ranch are so amazing!  Arizona and this ranch has to have the best skies I have ever seen.  The thing here is, the night skies are so clear and the stars are unbelievable! The Sego Lilies are in full bloom.  I can honestly say I had never seen them before in my life.  They are plentiful this year and so beautiful.

A beautiful Sego Lili blooming in a rough climate

Just another gorgeous sunset!

Unbelievable sunset!

They moved the cows this week and now we are not mooed to sleep each night.

Cows on the mooooove

We manned the gate the first 2 days of trek this week.  It was fun getting to stop and talk to each vehicle as they came onto the ranch.  We have to make sure they stop at the railroad tracks as this is a very busy and fast crossing.

One of the railroad trucks being loaded onto the tracks.

 We meet the nicest people on trek.  We also water and take care of the grounds and Debra painted the furnace room upstairs in the trek center. On Friday and Saturday we helped on trail 6 with the St. George North Stake.  We worked with the Ekins whose daughter was on that trek.  On Friday night we picked up Elder Kukuchi, an emeritus 70, at the gate and attended his fireside for the St. George Stake.  He told about his conversion in Japan and the pioneers in that country.  It was a very cool and great night.

Elder Kukuchi speaking to the St George North Stake on trail 6. Notice Sis Kukuchi bundled in a warm blanket.

We left for Salt Lake on Saturday as soon as we got our group into staging.  We were meeting up with Heidi, Wynn, Alea and Weston at the Tabernacle for an amazing concert of the combined MCO (Millennial Choirs and Orchestras) called, "Be Still, My Soul".  They had several standing ovations and with good cause.  You could not stay in your seat it was so good.  On Sunday we attended Music and the Spoken Word at the conference center and I believe the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has met it's match!  It was so fun to run into our dear friends Tom and Connie Larsen from Mesa. He and his daughter Mandy also sing with the choir.

Heidi and Alea with the Millennial Choirs singing in the Tabernacle in Salt Lake

Music and the Spoken Word June 25, 2017

The Christensen family then came to the Ranch for a couple of days and we had more fun than any family aught to.  We hiked to the arches on the ranch, rode trail 29 (soooo dusty!), played pickle ball. rode a bicycle built for two, threw axes at a wooden target, and played games.  It was so great to have them here with us.  They left us with a fun surprise as the TP'ed our trailer and left fun notes for us. This has been a great week.

Grandpa and Christensen playing pickle ball in the trek center

Pickle Ball amidst the handcarts

Weston and Heidi on the bicycle for two at the ranch June 26, 2017

Christensen's farewell TP our trailer.  Loved the notes they left us!

Grandma, Heidi, Weston, and Wynn climbing to the arch on the ranch

A dusty trail ride on 29

A crazy game we played.  We laughed so hard!

Alea at the piano, ever playing.  We are so proud of her.

Winter? Trek two, Fathers Day

Monday started out with one of the coldest days yet!  This is Spring almost summer in Wyoming! The blizzard and wind was so cold I was very grateful it was not 1856.  We pretty much hunkered down in our warm trailers while we rocked with the wind.  The snow packed onto the windows so deep you could not see out of them!  This was our preparation day, but we did manage to run to town before the snow hit.

June 12, 2017 Blizzard

The sisters made pull ropes for the carts a couple of weeks ago.  They are 18 feet long after we bend over the loops, braid and tape them. I have learned such skill here at Deseret Land and Livestock trek mission.

Debra in a pile of ropes

Tuesday was our usual "toilet tuesday"  The Sisters spray out the inside of the jons with a simple green concoction and wipe them down in preparation for the trekkers coming in on Wednesday.  This week was an especially cold Tuesday, but we had no snow.  We were just grateful the trekkers were not here on Monday or Tuesday.  The Elders move carts and port-a-jons to where they are needed for the trekkers coming in.

Sisters Theler, Call, Barton. McDowell on Toilet Tuesday.  Sis. Ekins is taking the picture.

This week we Trekked with Elder Jack and Sister Carolyn Theler on trail 6.  It is one of my favorite trails and the only one that actually gets into some trees.  It was perfect trekking weather in the low to mid 60's, but they had some pretty cold nights.  Their first night they woke up to ice on their stuff. We trekked with the Creekside, Layton Utah Stake.  They had 250 people and 19 hand carts.  There is still a lot of water on the ranch so we had several water crossings.  Unlike last week I was determined to keep my feet dry.  In large it worked.  Walking and wet feet tend to cause a lot of blisters.  This weeks group was much better because they took off their shoes and walked across and then dried their feet before going on.

Debra, Bob, Carolyn, and Jack Theler June 14-17

They played some of the funnest games I have ever seen.  They played an A frame game that looked so fun. I want Bob to build us one.  Save the baby, blindfold soccer, team tag, and the usual stick pulls, tug of wars, sack races, cross saw cuts, hatchet and knife throw, and relay races.  These are all meant to build unity and team work. It is so great to see these youth interacting with each other and having so much fun.  I just can't help but think that if they were home they would be on their electronic devises and not with real people.

Walking the A frame game

Save the Baby game

Trail 6 has a 10 mile, 4 mile, 10 mile, and final 4 miles. day. so it is a lot of walking.  It was great to see our "Valley Bays"  (That is what the Martin company called the boys and men from Salt Lake that rescued them) role up their pants and take all the handcarts across the water to keep the others dry. Chivalry is not dead, especially on trek!

Our " Valley Boys"  Layton Creekside Stake

On Saturday they left for home, Layton, at 1:00 and then the work of putting away, cleaning up trucks and side by sides goes into full gear.  We finished up, showered, and crashed.  Today we attended the Almay ward where two of our missionary couples spoke for Fathers Day.  The Calls and Thelers did a great job of talking about Fatherhood and the Priesthood.  

We have a killdeer bird outside our trailer.  She is sitting on 4 eggs and is very protective.  They build their nests in the rocks and they just seem to disappear until you walk up to them and then they puff up and come after you.  Their eggs are black and white spotted and look just like the rocks.

mama killdeer protecting her nest!

Happy Fathers Day to all the great Fathers in both of our lives.  We owe much to Fathers! 

Muddy, Trek and Birthday

We flew into Salt Lake from Austin after Brenan's (grandson) high school graduation.  We got back on the ranch late, and hit the bed exhausted.  Tuesday was "Toilet Tuesday"  The sister missionaries put water, toilet paper, garbage can liners, and prepared them for the trekkers coming in on Wednesday. We also checked the handcarts to make sure they each had two pull ropes and a pull bar.  Elder Barton, along with some other Elders, moved the port a jons into the staging areas for the various treks.
Wednesday morning we welcomed our first trek of the season.  The Magna Utah stake and 200 trekkers arrived at 9:00.  Elder and Sister McDowell were the other missionary couple with us this week.  This stake was very prepared and a joy to walk with and serve.  We did trail 14 which still has a lot of water and mud, as do most of the trails.  Debra wore her rubber boots through the first 5.3 miles hoping to keep her feet dry.  It did not work.  Her boots filled with water and lead to sore feet and blisters.  Bob also got blisters but we know that our feet will toughen up over the next 8 weeks.  That night after their 9.1 mile trek, Debra called a hoe down (she really enjoys that).  It never ceases to amaze us how the energy returns when the music and dancing begins.  Bob and the McDowell's were out dancing and helping to teach the dances.

Elder John and Jeanene McDowell and us going on first trek of 2017

Thursday after 8.2 miles, Bob did his pony express routine and delivered the letters from home to the trekkers.  He does such a great job and had them in stitches.  I think he has found a new outlet.....comedian!

Bob the Pony Express rider

Friday about 1 mile out of camp, they started dropping of the Bishops.  It was a very windy day and the kids were glad to get to camp and to set up their tents after 7.9 miles.  They unloaded their carts and began battling the wind to set up their tents. The Stake President called the kids together and asked, "where are your Bishops?  They are out there on the plains who will go and find them?"  Almost every young man and some of the young women grabbed their empty handcarts and took off up the hill running.  (they are not suppose to run, but there was no stopping them)  About 15 minutes latter the toped the hill and we could see them coming back into camp with the Bishops on their handcarts.  It was an amazing feeling to know that even though they were tired and hungry they would heed the call to the rescue!  There are amazing youth in the church!

Wind blown tents with trekkers trying to hold them down!

High on the mountain top their banners were unfurled!

Saturday was Debra's birthday.  Medicare---- here she comes!  The missionaries sang to her in the morning and Sister Call decorated our trailer.  When we got out to our group they sang happy birthday at least 10 times as we walked the final 4 miles back to staging.  Staging is where the trekkers start and stop their trek. Their buses did not come for 2 hours, and it was so fun to see them gathering in groups and playing all kinds of games.  I could not help but think that if they were home they would all be alone on their electronic devices.  This truly is an opportunity to leave "the world" and find joy in real people relationships.  Of course some were so tired they just crawled under a cart and went to sleep.  We sent them home and proceeded to clean side by side, truck, water buffalo, and port-a-jons.

Sister Gaylene Call and Debra on June 10

Exhausted sleeping trekkers waiting for their buses

Handcarts for a shady nap

Sunday after church and our missionary pot luck dinner we had a fireside with David Wolverton aka David Farland.  He is a famous writer and has over 50 published books.  He teaches writers and has taught Stephanie Meyer (Twilight), Brandon Mull (Fablehaven), James Dashner (The Maze Runner).  He wrote "In the Company of Angels" a story about the Willie handcart company.  We get the best guests and I am always learning more and more about our ancestors.

David and Mary Wolverton (Farland) Author of In the Company of Angels and 50 other books

Our internet continues to be challenging.  I will try to add pictures but if not they will be added later.

Family, Flowers, Flying

Wow it has been two weeks and much has happened, so lets begin with a big update.

Bob digging the hole for the rock and wheel monument

Elder Peart, Elder Call, Bob, and President Platt (Evanston  Stake) setting the rock

Elder Lynn Summerhays, the former general authority over our mission, donated a wheel and beautiful carved rock to the mission.  Bob and I finished digging and adding gravel to the hole in preparation for the crane to come in and set the rock.  We are ever learning new things and this was just another one.  It is beautiful and now has solar spots to light it at night.  The saying on the bottom says, "To Those Who Came Before Us". That happens to be the song we missionaries learned last year and are doing again this year to sing in the wards around Evanston. It has become our theme song.

Debra with her wheel barrow full of gravel for the hole. .It took about 4 loads.

Bob and Debra by completed monument

Debra's sister, Rosemary Yates, came to visit on May 25-27.  She served here the year before we came and was so excited to come back. She served with Elder and Sister Peart and they were all glad to see each other again.  Friday we rode trail 6 in the side by side and saw many beautiful sights she wanted to see again.  The Spring flowers are really blooming, but it was still very cold, so we both bundled up!

Cold drive along trail 6

We hiked up to some arches and neat rock formation along the Dairy Bowl road.  There are so many beautiful places on this ranch.  I know we will miss them too when we are finished with this mission.

Bob and Debra at the arch above Dairy Bowl

Debra and Rosemary in the arch

Saturday Debra and Rosemary left Bob on the ranch without his truck and drove to Idaho Falls for what was suppose to be a reunion with all the siblings but it turned out to be a sisters reunion with Sherry, Richard, Linda, Rosemary and Debra.  This was over memorial day so we visited the cemetery there and Jon's (the big donkey) grave.  How we all miss him but are grateful to know we will all be together again one day.

Linda, Debra, Sherry, Rosemary (the sistee uglers) at Jon's grave (the big donkey)

While we girls were away Elder Barton helped to build a couple of bridges over deep ditches that are still running.  There will be several mud and water crossings but the deep ones we are trying to bridge.

Bob at "driftwood crossing" on trail 14 and 6

Sister Barton had two new experiences as soon as she got back from Idaho.  She pulled a truck with a tow strap so it could be jumped (the battery was dead) and then she pulled her first trailer, a two holer port a jon down to one of our staging areas.

Debra's first trailer pull  

In the middle of all this Bob's Mom, Evelyn, fell and broke her right wrist.  It did require surgery and we are so thankful that our sweet Daughter, Heidi, was there to help out and be with her.  She is recovering and in good spirits.

Evelyn, Bob's Mom, just before surgery for her broken wrist

On June 1, we flew to Austin Texas for our oldest grandson, Brenan Mayhew, high school graduation.  He graduated Cum Laude, with a distinctive graduate award.  He will be attending BYU in Provo Utah in the fall.  We are so proud of him and his accomplishments.

Brenan Jacob Mayhew

Proud  Grandpa and Grandma at Brenan's High school graduation

We celebrated with dinner at Salt Lick BBQ, the best BBQ we have ever eaten.  We have to go there every time we visit Austin.  Sometimes we go twice but not on this visit!

The whole gang eating the best BBQ ever at the Salt Lick in Austin TX

The next morning we got up early and went to an indoor sky diving place called I Fly.  It was so fun.  Bob says it was beyond awesome.  That should definitely be on everyone's bucket list!  You are inside a big wind tube like thing and you just lay down on the air and fly!

Jacob, Shaylin, Brenan, Debra, Bob, Kyen, and Heather ready to fly! 

We went to church with the family and then flew back to the ranch today.  It was so fun to be with family but also to get back to the ranch and our mission.  Treks start this week so our next blog will be all about our first trek of 2017!

The wild flowers are blooming in full force and so pretty.

Growing in the middle of the road

pretty wild flowers at D L and L