Dearest Family,
I am SO happy to be back home but I had a
WONDERFUL week in beautiful country - especially at this time of
year!!! We left Farmington last Sunday about noon and drove through
Sardine Canyon - the road leading to Logan. I have gone on that road at
least a million times and at different times of the year but I have
never seen it as pretty as it was last Sunday - it was just a panorama
of gorgeous Fall colors and it was shown on television all week. The
Fall leaves weren't as pretty on the way to Etna, Wyoming but coming
back yesterday the golden leaves looked like they were almost on
fire!!! Last week Cheryl and Don came to get me and took me for a ride
to Monte Cristo - up Ogden canyon quite aways. The scenery was just
gorgeous and it was the first time I have ever been in that part of Utah
- we saw the Causey Reservoir and other places that were SO
interesting!!! I have truly been treated to "Nature's Beauty" and it's
difficult to describe how "awesome" it really is. I have worried that
the drought would make the leaves kinda' drab this year but if anything
they have been even more vivid. Lynn and I went on a trip to the New
England States at this time of year about 12-13 years ago with Chris &
Wayne and that was surely a treat but I have found you don't have to go
that far to find Fall colors as pretty as they have been in Utah this
year.
We always have such a good time in Wyoming
and one of our friends is a retired beautician so she said she would
give me a permanent while we were there. I thought we could just
"sneak" away and get it done but when one of the other ladies who was
with us found out about it, she asked to have her hair cut too and then
the man who was working on Margaret's television sets asked to have his
hair cut too. I felt bad that I had started something but the lady who
is the beautician was very sweet about it. Mary Ann Holman is her name
and she is from Brigham City - she and her husband were life long
friends of Margaret and Delonne. I will never understand why I can't get
the beauticians here in Farmington to cut my hair before they give me a
permanent - it is always too long and not as curly as I like it. I love
the way Mary Ann has done it and I plan to go to Brigham City when it
needs to be done again.
Margaret has been doing a "television"
project all Summer and since she can't be there alone she asks friends
to go with her. She has a television installer come and he usually
brings one of his sons or a young man/friend to help him. He is 41
years old and has 5 sons and 1 baby daughter and he is such a nice man -
they stay in the "bunk house" which is close to Margaret's main home but
completely independent and they are always so comfortable there and love
it. He has built a beautiful "entertainment center" in Margaret's
family room (one of her family rooms) and is just about finished making
television sets in her 8 bedrooms and other family rooms all work. She
has always had them but they would only get the Idaho news. This
installer (Syd Parker) has installed four satellite discs but he still
isn't finished - he says he has one more trip to make. He was in Etna
all last week - he came home on Friday to attend a temple preparation
dinner that he had organized.
We went into Jackson Hole one day while we
were in Wyoming and we went to a special restaurant in "Teton Pines"
after we had gone shopping - "Steiglers". It is a very pricey place and
I wouldn't want to go there very often but it is fun once in awhile. It
is always fun to shop in Jackson Hole and it seems like I have been
there so often lately that I am getting to know my way around.
We like to shop in Afton, Wyoming too which
is quite close to Etna. Star Valley is SO different from Utah - wide
open places and an easy way of life. I walk 2 miles each morning
because I am always the first one up and there isn't alot to do - I walk
down the road leading to Margaret's home and talk to the cows in the
pastures lining the road. There is a horse riding stable along the road
also and the young woman who gives riding lessons is a very serious
teacher so she doesn't visit very much.
We got to Logan yesterday afternoon in time
to have dinner at the stadium - bar-b-cued beef sandwiches and potato
chips. The football game was WONDERFUL and Utah State won - I kept
looking for Laura, Michael, Ricky and Sarah but I couldn't find them -
the stadium was packed!!! I was especially interested in the opposing
team - they were from Monroe, Louisiana and I spent many, many weekends
there doing Relief Society work when I was in the Gulf States Mission.
Do any of you remember going there with me - I believe Jeannie was the
only one. I would go with Jim & Mary Nance and we left on Saturday and
came home on Sunday evenings and I was expecting John - WOW - that's a
long time ago but this is the first time I have heard about Monroe for
many years. We listened to the BYU-Air Force game on the way to Logan
and I'm SO disappointed that they keep losing.
We had our opening social for the Daughters
of the Utah Pioneers the week before I went to Star Valley. It was
very, very nice. A member who lives in the same area where the Weinerts
lived in the Cherry Hill Subdivision had it at her lovely home and we
had 18 members present. Now I'm going to try to get them interested in
the International Convention in Salt Lake in October - I will have to
drive any who can go and that might be a problem because Chris & Wayne
may be here at that time. They had told me they would come in October
some time but when I got home last night I had a message on my answering
machine that they were in Salt Lake and would be back the middle of
October. It's kinda' hard to schedule things when I don't know for sure
when they will be here.
Claire - thank you SO much for your
wonderful pictures!!! Claire and Bob went with friends to the Great
Salt Lake to see the "Spiral Jetty" which is a rock formation made by an
artist many years ago and it has been covered with water until the
drought of this year. Those pictures look like places from outer
space!!! I want to hear all about it. I also love the pictures of
Katie with her cheerleading friends "in action" - priceless pictures
that will mean so much in the future.
Annie - thank you SO much for your wonderful
family picture!!! I'm SO happy to have an "up-to-date" one of your
whole family - it has been a long, long time since I have had one. I
must tell you too that the planter you gave me for Mother's Day is just
gorgeous and I keep forgetting to tell you. I talked to Mary Sue's son
this morning at church and he said that Mary Sue would probably come see
them this week - it's great that she can come so often. Did you get to
go to Phoenix???
Jeannie - it was fun to talk to you from
Wyoming. I appreciate SO much your helping me to take care of my
planter and also for getting the papers in. I was happy to receive your
note Bob that you had been over to my condo to check on things - that
means alot to me when I am gone. I had my mail stopped and hated to ask
anyone to do anything for me but the more I thought about it the more I
wanted someone to water my planter so I called Jeannie. One of my
friends in my ward left for six weeks and their toilet kept running and
finally flooded their basement and did EXTENSIVE damage - I just like
someone to "walk through" and make sure things are okay.
I hope the Roys and the Johns are doing
good!!!
I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING YOU ALL COME
NEXT SUNDAY TO WATCH THE AFTERNOON SESSION OF CONFERENCE AND HAVE
DINNER. You haven't been here all Summer and there isn't anything I
enjoy more than preparing for my family - I just wish the Roys could
come too!!!
Susanna & Steve - I know your little guy's
name is Jackson!!! I have a difficult time keeping things straight
sometimes and having Preston and Jackson born so close together hasn't
made it any easier - Ha!!!
That's all the news - I think!!! I LOVE
EACH ONE OF YOU SO VERY, VERY MUCH. PLEASE BE SO VERY, VERY CAREFUL IN
EVERYTHING YOU DO. Grandma B XXXXXOOOOO