Winter Vacation January 2013

Grandpa Bart and Grandma Iris Watching the Sunset over the Pacific Ocean

Over the years, winter has seldom been considered vacation time, but since we have retired, moved to Logan, and begun working at the Logan Temple, what extended free time we have comes in the first two weeks in January, when the Temple is closed.  A couple of years ago we went to Hawaii for two weeks and this year we decided to go to Oceanside, in sunny southern California.  We made a few stops along the way to visit some of our children and their families.  We first stopped in Layton, where we spent some quality time with Jason and Rene and their family.  They are always so fun to be around and we spent a good part of our time laughing, which we really needed for a change.  It seems when Iris and I laugh at home it is usually at one another rather than with each other.  I guess we can blame it on old age.  It was especially good to see Rene on the mend from her fall, broken arm, and subsequent surgery.  This has not been fun for her, but she is tough and has a loving and attentive family and is improving from day to day.  She is always so active and it has been hard for her to slow down and let her body heal, but she is doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances.

    Jared and his family were busy sponsoring another race and so were unable to catch them this time around.  We understand the race went well and we are proud of Jared as well as each member of their family. 

     We stayed with Stephen and Candice and their four  for a few days and had the opportunity to go with them to their church meetings.  They are always so good to us and we love to see their kids, especially after their long time in Pueblo, Colorado.  Then we saw them usually once a year. Now, they are closer so we are able to see them more often.  They have a wonderful, very active family and are a delight for us to be around.

     We stopped in St. George and visited with Ellis and Jeannine, as well as Brenda and Dean, who have decided to winter in Dixie this year.  It was good to see them all.

     We proceeded on down I 15 to the Las Vegas, Nevada area, where Philip and Megan took us in and showed us a good time for three days in and around their home in Henderson.  It felt good to be in a warmer climate for a change.  Garrett and I took a hike up Black Mountain near their home. It was fun for me to spend some time with him.  He is such a good and loving young man and we are very proud of the progress he has made in the last few years.  I hope all of us can do as well with our individual challenges as he is doing. We both enjoyed the hike.  I also  enjoyed going with Garrett and Gavin to the park where they demonstrated their basketball skills for me.  It kind of reminded me of our kids playing in the driveway years ago. Even the trash talking.  I swear I did not teach any of them to do that, but I guess boys will be boys.  One difference though, there was no blood left on the court at the park.  Such was not always the case after a few hours on our driveway back in Montpelier, Idaho, where we raised our family.  While we were at Philip and Megan's I went with Philip and the boys out to the Spencer W. Kimball Scout Reserve in the mountains not far from Las Vegas.  This scout camp area is rather high in the mountains and it was cold up there.  The small lake at the camp was covered with a couple of inches o ice, enough to keep them from sinking when they ventured out onto it a little ways.  It was interesting to see  where the boys in that area go for summer camp.  It's very different from what I've been used to, but beautiful in its own way.  It was good to see some of the projects Philip has been spearheading.

     Our next stop was at Worldmark Resort in Oceanside, California.  The weather there was nice and warm, at least by our standards.  As we viewed the either reports from back home in Utah, we were glad to be where we were enjoying temperatures about 70 degrees warmer than the ones back home.

We strolled along the beach, viewing the Pacific and all the beautiful things associated with it in warmer climates.  We especially enjoyed the beautiful sunsets and the warm breezes through the palms.  Philip and Megan and their family joined us there for three days.  It was great to be with them.  It is good to see how they are teaching and raising their kids.  At one point we sitting around the table and some of us started eating.  Garrett spoke up and said: "Have we said a prayer on the food?"  The answer was: "No."  Garrett's response was: "Then why are we eating?" As a grandparent, who wants his children and their families to always remember their Creator and our Savior. this was a wonderful thing to see.

       We made a little side trip to San Diego and Coronodo Island.  We visited Old Town San Diego and the Mormon Battalion Exhibition.  It was very nice and also educational.  The kids, especially, liked the hands on exhibits panning for gold and carry black powder guns etc. etc.  We also stopped at the beautiful San Diego Temple.  It was very impressive as we arrived their after dark when the temple was fully illuminated.

     We also went to the old Spanish Mission of San Luis Rey in Oceanside.  This was also very interesting to us to find our about the activities of the early missionaries and the Indians and early Mexican/Spanish settlers of this beautiful region.

     Our trip home as uneventful except for a short stop at Ellis and Jeannine's in Washington, near St. George and another night at Stephen and Candice's.  We got there in time to watch Mason play a basketball game with Stephen as his coach.  We enjoyed that a lot and were so glad we got there just at the right time.  We got home late Sunday afternoon and now it's back to our routine.  It was 14 below zero the night we got back to Logan.  Maybe we should have stayed another week or so!

    Below I will show some of the photos I took of our adventures.

Grandpa Bart and Garrett on Their Hike up Black Mountain near Henderson, Nevada

Garrett on our Black Mountain Hike Overlooking Henderson, Where He and His Family Live.

A Little Brotherly Basketball Competition Between Garrett and Gavin

More Basketball Action at the Park in Henderson.

Walking with Birds.  Grandma Iris on the Beach at Oceanside, California.

Philip putting on a clinic for Garrett, or is it the other way around?

A photo op before lunch.

Megan and Sweet Libbie.

Gavin getting a lesson in gold panning from his dad.

The stunning San Diego LDS Temple.

Philip and Megan's family on the beach at Oceanside.

One of my better sunset over the Pacific photos at Oceanside.

The Oceanside Pier at Dusk.

Mason in action on the basketball court in Lehi.

Mason and one of his teammates posing for Grandpa Bart.

Gabi, Halle, and Sophie having fun in their unfinished basement on a very cold day in Lehi.

At the Mormon Battalion Monument in San Diego, California.

Grandma Iris at the Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside.

Megan  takes this commandment to multiply and replenish the earth seriously. Surprising results when she decided to take a picture with my camera, not realizing it was set to the panorama mode,