July Jazz

 We had a LOT happen this month. Not only within the family, but around our area, and in the national news. 

Just to mention a few......for starters, it's been HOT we've had a lot of days with record highs into the high 90's and low 100's. 🌞🌞

We had a fire in Sardine Canyon that spread so close to some homes, that a neighborhood had to be evacuated. 

Dale's sister and brother in-law, Shari and Jim Hall were one of those that had to be evacuated as a precaution. 

LOGAN — Fire fighters spent Saturday afternoon fighting a grass fire near the mouth of Sardine Canyon, US-89/91. The Sardine Fire was first reported around 3:15 p.m.

Logan City Police dispatch reported the fire is suspected to have started by a car that had pulled off onto the side of the highway into the grass. Flames quickly spread due to the dry and windy conditions, pushing the fire north of the highway.

Fire at the mouth of Sardine Canyon.

Nearby homes in the Aspen Way subdivision were evacuated as a precaution. Dispatch operators conducted a reverse 911 call to residents, advising them of the evacuation.

Fire fighters were able to keep the fire away from any of the homes. The evacuation order was lifted late Saturday night and families were allowed to return to the neighborhood.

At last report, the fire has burned an estimated 30 acres according to Utah Wildfire Info. It was at zero percent containment.

Approximately 40 fire fighters were called out to extinguish the blazed. They were assisted by an airtanker and helicopter that dropped retardant and water on hotspots.

Utah Highway Patrol troopers reduced traffic at the mouth of the canyon to one lane in each direction, to allow fire fighters space to extinguish the blaze. They later removed the restrictions for northbound traffic and permanent barriers were brought in to keep traffic reduced for southbound motorists.

They were able to get it contained and there wasn't any structural damage to any of the homes in the area. I'm sure those homeowners were counting their blessings. 

With not a lot of snow this past winter and not a lot of rain this spring, this summer our state is in a drought. The Great Salt Lake is at the lowest it's ever been, and it's got the potential to cause a lot of problems due to it being so low. 

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Great Salt Lake has hit a new historic low for the second time in less than a year as the ongoing megadrought worsened by climate change continues to shrink the largest natural lake west of the Mississippi.

Utah Department of Natural Resources said Monday in a news release the Great Salt Lake dipped Sunday to 4,190.1 feet (1,277.1 meters). That is lower than the previous historic low set in October, which at the time matched a 170-year record low.

Lake levels are expected to keep dropping until fall or winter, the agency said.

Dwindling water levels at the giant lake just west of Salt Lake City puts millions of migrating birds at risk and threatens a lake-based economy that’s worth an estimated $1.3 billion in mineral extraction, brine shrimp and recreation. The expanding amount of dry lakebed could also send arsenic-laced dust into the air that millions breathe, scientists say.

It could be a bit scary! We NEED rain now, and a LOT of snow this winter!! We're praying for relief.

In national news, the war between Ukraine and Russia is STILL going on!! Russia is gaining some, and Ukraine is still not giving up. When will this madness end? Too many innocent lives have been lost due to this!

KYIV, Ukraine—Russia launched a missile attack on Ukraine’s key grain-exporting port of Odessa, officials said, hours after signing an international agreement to ease its blockade of the Black Sea coastline and allow for the safe transport of grain and other foodstuffs necessary to alleviate a looming global food crisis. 

The attack on Odessa appeared to violate the terms of the United Nations-brokered agreement signed by Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul on Friday, which stipulated that both countries would refrain from attacking port facilities or civilian ships used for grain transport, according to a copy of the agreement reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the strike, saying in a statement that all parties had committed to ensuring the safe movement of Ukrainian grain shipments.

At least two Russian Kalibr cruise missiles hit Odessa, the only major Ukrainian port resisting Russian occupation, damaging infrastructure at the site, Ukraine officials said. Another two of the missiles, which Russia has been launching from warships and submarines, were shot down by aerial defenses, officials said.

A railcar discharging point and a warehouse used for loading grain were destroyed in the attack, according to international grain traders.

The target of the strike was likely a nearby shipbuilding yard, workers at the port said.

As I've said before, I don't know how much more Ukraine can take! They are not going to give up their country to Russia though. They are also in our prayers.

Now onto our simple, but busy month with the Hansens......Dale and I have been catching a LOT of sun. 

Andrew, Lindsay and their kids pulled their trailer over the mountain and stayed at Bear Lake with us in their own trailer site for a couple of days at the Sun Outdoors RV Resort (formerly Blue Water Resort).  We hiked the Limber Pine trail, and also went to the Minnetonka Cave. The kids truly were troopers. We played games, went and saw Pickleville's Beauty and the Beast and ate at their favorite place, Zips, where we got Dole Whips. It was fun, but a short stay for them.

We spent the 4th of July weekend with the Mallory's at Bear Lake. They stayed in the trailer with us for a few nights. We spent some time on the beach, which there is a lot of because the water is so LOW!!

Garden City put on real nice fireworks show, that out did the Logan fireworks this year, because Logan never did any in the Maverick Stadium like they have in the past due to the dry conditions. They did shoot some off at Willow Park as part of the annual Cruise In festivities though.

We went to Paris, Idaho for a Hometown Pancake Breakfast and 4th of July parade, and then we went to the Minnetonka Cave with them because they hadn't taken their kids there before. (Yes, two times in one week for Dale and I.They're trying to keep us young). The kids thought it was pretty cool, and it truly was nice to get out of the heat.

We went back to Paris after the cave and went to a Youth Rodeo. We got there early enough to get an area in the shade to sit in which was nice. All of the kids and Amie participated in at least one of the events. They had a chicken run, pig chase, goat run, and steer race. Our "city kids" did pretty good but didn't win anything (we would have had to have taken it home). We all had fun though and that's what mattered.

We played a lot of games, and Dale, Matt and the kids did some fishing in the mornings, but they never kept any fish they caught. It was a good time. God Bless the USA!!

I did quite a bit of ushering for Utah's Festival of the Opera at the Eccles Theatre. I ushered The Magic Flute, Carmen, The Man of La Moncha, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and The Pianists (a piano concert put on by those that do the accompaniment on the piano). They were all great shows. I had never seen The Magic Flute or The Man of La Moncha before so that was fun to see them.

As I was ushering one night Pres. Dallin H. Oaks of the Church of Jesus Christs First Presidency attended the show "The Man of La Moncha" with his wife. That brought some excitement to the audience as he walked in. I didn't get to see him up close though, but still it was pretty neat having him there.

All the shows were at least 3/4 of the way full to capacity, which was nice for a comeback season from COVID.

Dale and I went to the Hadfield Family Reunion for the evening part at Uncle Max and Aunt Marie's house. The next day the Mallory's joined us for the day event. Uncle Max is the last living child of William and Grace Hadfield and he's lived to be the oldest at 98 years, with Marie his wife, being 96. They are starting to slow down some, but it was so great to see them out and about and visiting with cousins we don't see often. Thanks goes to the Allen family (Uncle Foster and Aunt Myrl's group) for making this happen!

Back left: Liz & Mark Hadfield, Marshall Murray, David Bastow, Tracie & Colin Hadfield, Portia & Robert Neville, Brent Hadfield, Kent Hadfield, Dale Hansen, Randy Hadfield, Sterling Lundgren. Front left" Aleen Murray, Tami Bastow, Lauralee Rose, Jan Reese, Max Hadfield, Marie Hadfield, Debra Hansen, Kathryn Hadfield, Sheila Lundgren, Kathy Allen

To top off the month Dale and I crossed off a couple of my bucket list places to see and do. We joined up with the Mormon History Association's Church History Tour and headed back east! Day 1: We left the Salt Lake City Airport bright and early, had a layover in Chicago, and caught a tour bus in Buffalo, New York. We stopped for dinner in Amherst, NY and headed to Niagra Falls, NY where we stayed for the night. We got to know some of the people that are on the tour better and we decided that we're in great company. As you can tell from the pictures it was a long day, a bed was a welcome sight. 

Day 2: We had a nice breakfast at the motel, loaded up our luggage and headed to see Niagra Falls. We got on the "Maid of the Mist" and took in the sights. It was a bit windy so we couldn't get a real good close up look at the falls from the boat, but we did get wet from the spray!! What a beautiful sight to see! 

We had lunch in Mendon, NY and saw the property of where John Young and Brigham Young lived as well as where Brigham Young gave his first sermon which was in a building that was built during the Civil War era. We stopped at the Tomlinson Corners Cemetery and saw where some of the early Saints like Miriam Young (Brigham Youngs 1st wife who died from tuberculosis at the age of 29), and Solomon & Vilate Kimball (Heber C. Kimball's parents) were buried. We saw the home of Solomon Kimball before eating dinner in Victor, NY. It was more a day of bus travel, but we heard a lot of stories about the area and the early Saints. It sure is a beautiful area.

Day 3: Breakfast at the motel, loaded up our luggage and headed for Palmyra, NY. There are quite a few churches in the town of Palmyra, with four different religions having a church on all four corners at one intersection. Six of those churches are quite large too. No wonder young Joseph Smith was confused about which church to join. 

We stopped at the temple and were able to walk around the grounds. It's a smaller temple but overlooks the Sacred grove. So pretty--green, and lush with foliage. This temple was the 110th temple to be announced and the 77th temple to be dedicated. It was dedicated on the 170th anniversary of the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on Apr. 6, 2000. We got a picture of our tour group in front of the temple too.

While in the area we stopped at the Sacred Grove Welcome Center and watched a film about Joseph Smith and the First Vision and then we saw the Smith's Log home, where the Smith family lived at the time of the First Vision took place in a nearby grove of trees, now called the "Sacred Grove". Three years later (Sept. 21, 1823), Moroni appeared in the upstairs bedroom to Joseph Smith three times in the night and once the following day, prophesying, giving instructions, and telling Joseph of the Book of Mormon plates. In June 1829, the Eight Witnesses to the Book of Mormon were shown the plates in the Sacred Grove. 

When the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints purchased the Smith property in 1930, the log home was no longer standing. It just had the foundation, so a replica of the cabin was rebuilt on the original site and was dedicated by Pres. Hinckley in 1998. Revelations received at the house are Doctrine & Covenants 2,19, 22, 7 23.

We were able to walk through the Sacred grove area, which was a lot bigger than I thought it would be. It was so peaceful and quiet and had benches along the different paths you could sit on to just listen to the birds and sounds of nature. The leaves on the trees were filtering out the sun as it shone through giving the grove a sacred feeling. So pretty!! While we were sitting there in the quiet thinking about the experience young Joseph had and knowing that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph somewhere in this grove made for an opportunity for the Spirit to touch my heart in a way that it gave me chills even though it was quite warm outside. We could see the Palmyra temple through an opening of the trees as we walked back which was pretty cool too. 

From there we went and saw the Grandin Press, the Book of Mormon Historic Publication Site. The original building & press were owned and operated by Egbert B. Grandin. The first editions of the Book of Mormon were printed here. The Book of Mormon was first offered for sale in this bookstore on March 26, 1830. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints purchased the Grandin Building in 1978 and after extensive restoration effort opened it is 1998 as an historic site.

Then we stopped at the Palmyra cemetery and saw Alvin Smith's gravestone. Alvin was the oldest of the Smith boys. He died at the age of 25 in 1823 as a result of an over-dose of calomel administered by a doctor as a medicine for "bilious colic". 

We headed back to the Smith's farm area and saw the home that Alvin had started to build to provide for his future family and to care for his parents in their elderly years. Having apprenticed as a builder, he managed the initial construction himself. He was able to get the heavy timber frame raised but was never able to finish the home. The Smith family finished the home and moved into it in late 1825, even though much finish work needed to be done. Two months after moving in the last payment on the farm was suddenly called due. Unable to make this payment, the Smith's lost title to their property. They arranged to continue living there temporarily as renters. In the spring of 1829, they were required to return to the log home. 

When Joseph received the plates from angel Moroni, he often kept the plates hidden inside and around the frame home and property. In this home, Joseph learned that Martin Harris had lost 115 pages of the Book of Mormon translation. 

From there we headed to Martin Harris' farm. Martin Harris mortgaged his farm for $3,000 to finance the printing of the first 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon. Harris ended up having to sell part of the farm to pay back the debt. (The home we never got to go in, but saw was not the one that Martin lived in; it was built by the property owner many years later). The Church does own some of what was Martin Harris' farmland. We had our lunch at a Pavillion that is built on it. Dale shared a reading about Martin Harris after we had lunch, while we were there.

We headed to the Hill Cumorah after lunch. Since the church has discontinued doing the Hill Cumorah Pageant, they've removed all of the staging and let the land return to what it was, a hill with grasses and trees. There is a monument at the top of the hill that talks about its importance. The golden plates (plates of brass) were buried in the Hill Cumorah, about three miles southeast of the Smith family farm. The plates were in a camouflaged stone box on the west side of the hill, not far from the top, under a stone of considerable size. The Church acquired the hill in 1928. The monument on top of the hill was erected in 1935.

The Peter Whitmer Farm came next which is now in Waterloo, but in Joseph Smith's time it was in the township of Fayette, NY. The Church was first organized here Apr. 6, 1830, at the Lord's command (it was originally called the Church of Christ). At the service, Joseph and Oliver were sustained as the first and second elders in the Church. Prayers were offered, the sacrament was blessed and passed, and divine revelations was received. Following the service, several important baptisms took place near here, including Porter Rockwell, Martin Harris, and Joseph Smith's parents. The final portion of the Book of Mormon was translated here. Moroni showed the three witness the golden plates here, as was Mary Whitmer.

The Church purchased 100 acres of the Whitmer farm in 1925. The Whitmer home was re-built on its original site and dedicated in 1980 (during a General Conference session, April 6) by Pres. Spencer W. Kimball.

After more stories and tour members introductions while traveling on the bus we stopped and ate at The Cracker Barrell and headed to the motel. It was full day.

Day 4: Rise and shine!! Breakfast at the motel and luggage on the bus to head to Bainbridge & Colesville (these towns are now called Afton & Nineveh). We saw and visited the Joseph & Polly Knight home. Prior to receiving the Golden Plates, Joseph Smith worked for the Knights. They eventually joined the Church and made important contributions to its early success, including financial help. A small stream by the home was dammed up to make a pond and this was where Emma Smith was baptized. The Knight home is the site of the first branch of the Church-the Colesville Branch. 

We saw where the Melchizedek Priesthood was restored to Joseph and Oliver Cowdery, where Emma Smith's parents lived and the house they built for Joseph and Emma to live in, which also was where some of the translating for the Book of Mormon happened. 

We also saw where Joseph and Emma's first child was buried, and also where the Aaronic Priesthood was restored. We saw the Susquehanna River, where a lot of baptisms were made, and heard all the stories that went along with each of the places. Dale sang the song "Ye Elders of Israel" with the men on the bank of the river. It was very moving. There was a lot of joy and sadness in this area.

We ended the day in Kirtland, OH quite late, but well fed, both spiritually and physically. Those on the tour are becoming dear friends, and great memories are being made.

Day 5: We'll be staying in the Kirtland area for a couple of days, so we didn't have to get out bags on the bus this morning! Our first stop was the Morley Farm. The Morley's, early converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, built a home for the Prophet Joseph Smith and his wife Emma. Joseph and Emma lived in the house for only a few months, from March 1831 to September 1831. During that time, Joseph received 13 revelations that are now recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants. Today a small portion of the land is open to the public.

The home that now stands on the property is not open to the public, and it is not the home where the Morley's or the Smiths lived. However, visitors can walk on a short uphill trail to a place that was significant in Joseph Smith’s ministry. There, in a small schoolhouse, he prophesied to a group of men about the growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In that same gathering, 23 men, including Joseph Smith himself, were ordained high priests (Church History Study Manual).

A local man by the name of Karl Ricks Anderson spoke to us about the area and what happened at the farm. Our son, Andrew, served his mission for our Church in the Cleveland, OH mission and was acquainted with Bro. Anderson. What a wealth of knowledge this man was!!

From there we ate our lunch by the Kirtland Visitor's Center and then visited the Center and saw the Whitney Store, Joseph and Emma's room in the Whitney Store and where the School of the Prophets happened, and revelations were given to the Prophet Joseph. 

We saw the Whitney home, Ashery, Sawmill, Johnson Inn, and the schoolhouse. Then we took a short drive and toured the Kirtland Temple, a lot happened here as well. 

"Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple on April 3, 1836. They recorded: "We saw the Lord standing upon the breastwork of the pulpit, before us. . .. His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters" (D&C 110:2–3).

We also walked across the street and walked around in the Kirtland cemetery and saw some of the early Saints' headstones/resting place.

  

We got into our motel earlier tonight, which was nice, and ended up playing cards with some couples we met on the tour. We also visited with others from the tour group after dinner.

Day 6: After breakfast we loaded up our luggage on the bus again. Kudos to the guys that are assigned this task. They were awesome. 

We headed to Fairport Harbor which is situated south of Lake Erie at the mouth of the Grand River and 12 miles northeast of Kirtland. This harbor played an important role in the building of this part of the Western Reserve. It was a port of call for boats carrying immigrants from Europe, going to the upper lake regions, and a haven of calm water for boats in a storm. When early converts answered the call to "go to the Ohio", it was often through this harbor that they arrived while making their way to Kirtland. Additionally, missionaries departing to points of east (including Europe) departed from this port, traveling across Lake Erie toward Buffalo and other ports. I have ancestors that probably landed here on their journey from England when they came to America. Pretty cool, huh?

Dale sang the song, "Brightly Beams Father's Mercy" in a quartet with Robert Hale, Steve Terry, Ralph Hill, and our bus driver Dan by the harbor. We took time to check out the lighthouse and walked along the beach. It was a nice area, and to kind of surreal to think that I had relatives that came from England and landed there. 

From the harbor we went to the stone quarry at Chapin Park where they got the stone for the Kirtland temple. That was a pretty area as well.

We headed to Mantua and Hiram after that. This is where we saw the home of Eliza Snow, as well as walked through the John Johnson home. It was at the Johnson home where the Prophet Joseph healed Alice Johnsons (aka/ Elsa) arm that was severely afflicted with rheumatism and was disabled to the point of being almost useless. They were Methodist's and later joined the Church. They invited Joseph and Emma and their newly adopted twins to live with them. Joseph and Sidney Rigdon received the marvelous vision of the degrees of glory in the presence of several others on Feb. 16, 1832 (D&C 76). The Prophet Joseph also worked on the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible (JST) in this home. On the night of Mar. 24, 1832, while Joseph and Emma were sleeping, a mob of approx. 50 apostates and anti-Mormons severely beat, tarred and feathered Joseph and Sidney. The next morning, Joseph stood to conduct Sunday services. But little Joseph shortly thereafter died from exposure to the elements, as the door to the home was left open by the mob while he was sleeping ill with measles. Another child of Joseph and Emma's that they had to bury. So sad.

Then we headed to the Cleveland Airport where we should have boarded the plane for Kansas City, Missouri, with a lay-over in Denver, CO, but due to what the airlines (Southwest) said the plane was delayed. Long story short we waited, and waited, and waited in the airport until we were informed that our flight had been cancelled due to weather, and the next flight out wouldn't be until two days later! So, our tour guides and Mormon History Tours had to figure what to do with 55 people for the next two nights!! 

So, we waited, and waited, and waited some more at the airport and were finally told they had secured rooms at two hotels, but that food and outside activities would be at our cost. We were all just glad we didn't have to spend a night at the airport. We had to wait some more for vans to pick us up and then to get checked into one of the two hotels they were able to get rooms at to fit our group. We got put in the hotel with the Essay winners (the young kids), which was great. It was good to get into a bed and to be able to sleep in it and not sitting in a chair.

Because this is such a long post, I decided to leave you hanging to see what we did to entertain ourselves in Cleveland, OH on Sunday and Monday. Look for Part 2 of July Jazz or maybe I'll change it to July Jaunts of 2022.