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