July buzz

Vermont in July.  If the biting black flies don't get you, the humidity will, in spite of the seemingly mild mid-80s temperatures!  Awe, but the beauties of this Green Mountain state never fade.  This is tour bus season, so we are getting lots of visitors, including families that are making their way across Church historical sites including Salt Lake City UT, Martin's Cove WY, Nauvoo IL, Kirtland OH, Palmyra NY and Sharon VT (that's us!).  Such diversity we never expected, but it really spices up our days with people from Canada, Africa, Europe and all over the USA.

Our visitors have all come to see Brother Joseph's birthplace - the cradle of the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We make sure that they understand that we revere and honor Joseph Smith as God's founding prophet of the last dispensation of God's Kingdom on earth, but we do not worship him.  We worship God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, just as Joseph did.  Joseph's translation of the 531 page Book of Mormon (Another Testament of Jesus Christ) from gold plates by the gift and power of God in under 90 days of actual work was nothing short of a miracle.  After studying the time line of the major events of Joseph's life, many visitors are truly touched by the Spirit.  I have given many copies of the Book of Mormon to those who express an interest in reading it - always with the stipulation that they promise to read it with prayerful heart and mind.

This is Sister Likes with Russell and Donna Mengel, who had just completed their facilities management mission in Nauvoo, IL.  They were fun to visit with and stayed so long that we took them out to dinner after their tour!

Elder Russell Mengel demonstrating the use of his dowsing rods, used to find water, metal and other items of interest.  He swears by their authenticity, having used them to find wells and old graves in Nauvoo while incredulous onlookers watched in unbelief.  He told us that he located a well and an old outhouse very close to where he was standing in this picture only a few feet from Joseph's monument, but we weren't about to dig up the grass to prove his point!  He gave me a pair of dowsing rods as a gift.  They are simply two copper rods bent into "L" shapes.  I seem to recall that, years ago, members of our family used what were called "witching sticks" to find water and certain kinds of mineral deposits.  Who knows, maybe they work for some people.  

The air conditioner on our 2007 Chevy Trail Blazer quit working, so I shopped around for a reliable repair shop.  The Chevy dealer wanted $800+ to replace the A/C compressor, but Ed Mitchell in the red shirt, the owner of this shop in Plainfield NH (population 2,400), told me on the phone that he thought that was too much money and to bring it in so he could see if they could fix it for less.  In about 2 hours Mike the mechanic in the black shirt had it fixed for $164.  I was so pleased I asked them to pose with me for my blog and assured Ed that he would get plenty of free advertising.  Both great guys.  Love the small town honesty!

Sister Likes standing in front of the KFC in West Lebanon NH.  This store sits on the site where Joseph Smith had leg surgery in 1813 at age 7 by Dr. Nathan Smith, founder of Dartmouth College of Medicine.

Lynne wanted to go for a train ride, so we took a 2 hour ride on the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad along the water front near Meredith NH, across the lake from Wolfeboro where Mitt Romney and the Marriotts have summer homes.  Notice how I coordinated my clothes with the train colors!

Sister Likes on an old caboose near the train we rode on.  Lots of antique things to see and touch in the Northeastern states.

142 youth and their 20 leaders from Nashua NH stake spent 3 days with us at Camp Joseph, adjacent to the Memorial.  Their activities, all planned by the youth, were superb.  They rebuilt about 100 yards of old stone wall near the Old Turnpike Road on the church property in one day using 13 teams, each assigned one section.  They lifted, moved and arranged 4 large truckloads of Vermont granite that must have weighed upwards of 20 tons, as it weighs 165 lbs/cubic foot.  They also floated down the White River together using a mass of designer inner tubes.  Fun group!

Summer activities

The humidity soars in Vermont in July.  We had our landlord bring us a dehumidifier that now runs 24/7 in our kitchen.  I empty a gallon of water out of it every 8 hours!  It has helped Lynne to breath better, as she had been struggling with bad throat and chest congestion.  Temperatures here in the mid 80s with humidity is akin to 100 degree temperatures in Colorado.

Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial visitor numbers have increased substantially with lots of vacationers and bus tours.  We keep busy visiting with lots of interesting people from all over the world coming to this outstanding Memorial.

A rare original 1830 Book of Mormon is in the Rauner Library at Dartmouth College in Hanover NH.  We were allowed to handle and photograph the book without restrictions simply by surrendering my drivers license to the librarian.

We also examined several files about Dr. Nathan Smith, the founder of the Dartmouth College of Medicine and the first resident M.D. to teach at Yale University Medical School.  He performed the surgery on Joseph Smith's left leg in 1813 that saved him from amputation due to a severe osteomyelitis infection in the bone caused by typhoid fever.

Sister Likes talking to a Republican activist during the staging of the Randolph VT parade that we participated in with a float designed just like the Memorial Monument by Elder Mike Mooney, our finish carpenter FM Missionary.  This guy hugged my bride and gave her a peck on the cheek.  Good thing he wasn't a Democrat!

Elder Ogden driving our John Deere Gator in the parade with Sister Likes riding shotgun.  There were thousands of spectators lining the streets.  We gave away all our balloons, pass-along cards and candy in the first quarter mile of the 3 mile parade route.  Community spirit in these small towns is high!

We had 100 balloons to start - not nearly enough!

This newspaper ad is what attracted everyone to the parade.

Our sister missionaries with their young women helpers walked the parade route handing out balloons and goodies.

Here's what's left of my poor old rusty Chevy after only 3 months of touring Vermont!  Only a few more years and there won't be anything left of it to haul off.  Just joking, of course.

Sister Likes leaving the Sugar and Spice Restaurant in Rutland VT.  This building was well over 200 years old.  Their breakfast was top-notch.  There are many old maple sugar houses in Vermont that have been turned into small businesses like this one.

Taiwanese refrigerator magnet  - gift from Robert Lee (see last picture)

Another parade on Saturday, July 12, this time in South Royalton - the village where we live.  It was my turn to drive this time!  The 13' float barely missed hitting the overhead electrical wires.  Sisters Smedley and Sumsion on the left, our directors Sister and Elder Osborn on the right.  A few more balloons and we would have been airborne!

Robert Lee and his wife (on the left) touring with two former missionaries who had served two missions in Taiwan.  Brother Lee had been the Stake President and his wife the Stake Relief Society President in Taiwan.  They are all very humble servants of the Lord.  The brother on the right speaks fluent Chinese.

On the road again!

Our first Saturday and Sunday off since we started our mission turned into a getaway that took us through New Hampshire to the Maine coastline last weekend - a 400 mile round trip through such beautiful lake country that it could have become boring - NOT!

Our son Randy used to play class A beach volleyball near this amusement park in Old Orchard Beach, Maine next to the Atlantic Ocean to give him a break from his medical school studies.

One of the University of New England College of Medicine (UNECOM) buildings in Biddeford, Maine where our sons Randy and Rickland received their medical degrees.  The campus is a spit and holler away from the Atlantic Ocean.

We had lunch at this cozy restaurant on a narrow neck of land just east of UNECOM.

Super delicious hard ice cream cones are sold here in Saco, Maine a few miles south of Portland.

We drove north Saturday night to Auburn, Maine, then attended Auburn Ward sacrament meeting Sunday morning before driving back to Vermont.  The Church sat high on a hill near stunning Auburn Lake, a large fresh water supply that does not allow any body contact with the water.

We packed our Sunday lunch so we didn't get to eat with this festive crowd in Meredith, New Hampshire on Lake Winnipesaukee.  Nice break from driving, though.

Lake Winnipesaukee is huge!  Some nice yachts plied its waters. (Maybe Mitt Romney was there.)  A few inexperienced stand-up paddle boarders wobbled their way by.  One young girl about 12 years old paddled up to this dock and did a face plant on the dock while trying to stop...OUCH!

Our very first selfie!! It took me a while to figure out how to go back to regular photos on my ipad mini after snapping this photo.  Old geezers all the way!

Leroy's favorite very healthy breakfast of orange juice, shredded wheat and fruit.  Very colorful with our bright table cloth, don't you think!?

On most Monday evenings we have family home evening in the Director's residence with the adult members of our ward and all our missionaries.  We start with a program followed by a potluck dinner.  We usually have about 2 dozen attend.  The people in this picture are all missionaries except the man sitting on the left - he is Bishop Wilson.

Harmless luna (moon) moths like this are found at the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial from time to time.  Another one of God's fantastic creations. (Size comparison next to a quarter.)   I showed one of these on July 1 to a family with 4 small children.  They usually just sit there without flying, but as I tried to put the moth back on a shrub leaf it flew right into the face of the 4 year old boy.  Really freaked him out!