Ezra's Baptism

Annelise was baptized in the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania, at the same spot Joseph Smith was baptized.  When Ezra turned eight, Camille's creative mind searched for a way to make Ezra's baptism truly special.  She and Steve arranged for Ezra to be baptized in the Sweetwater River, at the Martin's Cove Historic Site in Wyoming.  It was at Martin's Cove that two companies of handcart pioneers were rescued from the deep, freezing snows of the high Wyoming plains by men sent by Brigham Young from Salt Lake City.

 Dave and I met the Eberts on Friday night, June 26, 2015, at Little America.  It was a 2 1/2 hour drive from SLC.  Little America is a funky place.  Its name is spelled out on metal tanks lining the interstate highway, and the symbol of Little America's delights is its 75 cent soft ice cream cone, advertised on huge billboards as guest approach Little America.

 We searched the menu at the café for healthy food, in increasing despair.  Dave and I finally settled on fruit smoothies, but burgers and French fries were the order of the day.

 Early Saturday morning, Dave and I wandered the huge parking lot where truckers traveling east and west rest in their cabs for the night.  We spotted a trailer with Iowa license plates carrying a John Deere cotton picker.  We called Jonny, who calculated dates and travel schedules and said this cotton picker was no doubt assembled under Jonny's supervision just a few nights before.  It was now on its way to Long Beach, California, for shipping to China.

 Several trucks carried the huge blades for windmills which increasingly dot America's desolate stretches and provide energy for US cities.

 I even found a truck labled "Eyring Movers," with a home address of Cleveland, Ohio. Which of my relatives is running that business, I wonder.

 We ate breakfast at Penny's Diner in Green River.  I ordered mush and the kids shared omelettes.  There were also regional specialties on the menu, such as biscuits and sausage gravy.

 We had time, at Martin's Cove, to hike towards the Cove, where the freezing handcart companies were sheltered until they could be helped onwards to the Salt Lake Valley.  We could see Split Rock in the background.  Split Rock and nearby Independence Rock are two of the monuments along the Mormon and Oregon Trails.

 We donned white shirts (the men and boys) and dresses (the women and girls) for the baptism ceremony. 

Steve and Ezra walked into the Sweetwater River to do the baptism.  They said the water felt cool and refreshing in the extreme heat of the Wyoming summer.

The mission president and his wife joined us for the baptism and both gave talks, as did Jono and I.  The mission president's wife talked about the teen aged boys who repeatedly carried the sick and dying handcart pioneers across the freezing Sweetwater River. 

The mission president showed a popular painting of Christ getting baptized and pointed out the similarities between the Wyoming landscape and the River Jordan.  Jono talked about the conversion of his Great-great-great Grandfather Ebert in Germany.  I told about Sam Bennion and Noah Brimhall, Ezra's ancestors, who were among the rescuers of the Martin and Willey Companies.  I also talked about how Ezra could be a "rescuer" in his life.

 Dave and I are so proud of Ezra!

 We celebrated Ezra's baptism with a picnic feast, complete with chocolate milk and Grandma Gretta's mint chocolate brownies (as well as great sandwiches and hummus).

 On Sunday, June 28, 2015, Ezra was confirmed a member of the Church. The Eberts and Spendloves gathered for the event at the home of Ezra's grandparents, Al and Marilyn Ebert. First, though, we had another family feast.  "Ezra has chosen to be a vegetarian," Camille said, "so I cooked macaroni and cheese, one of his favorite meals."  Camille made her mac'n'cheese more elegant with a "bar" full of toppings--carmelized onions, crumbled bacon, ham, sliced cherry tomatoes.

 Steve presided over the confirmation.  He invited men with the priesthood to join him in "the circle" as he confirmed Ezra a member of the Church.

Camille introduced the group to all the good things about Ezra.  "Ezra is a quiet boy and people may not realize how wonderful he is," Camille said.

 Ezra enjoyed all the acclaim.

 At last--the treat Marilyn Ebert provides whenever her grandchildren turn eight.  Sugar cookies in the shape of "e's" for Ezra, and in the shape of 8s.

Father's Day Dinner

It was a special treat for David.  Mike and Heidi invited Dave and me to dinner as a Father's Day gift for David.

 The food was luscious--a Blue Apron meal of sautéed chicken with a chili pepper rub, corn relish, rice pilaf with sliced zucchini cilantro and parsley, and a salad of watermelon and nectarines.  Heidi baked a cheesecake for dessert.  Mike also wrote his dad a thoughtful note on a card handmade by Heidi.

 Heidi and Mike had a new wedding treasure--a vase from Mike's stockbroker, Terry Yeckley.

With their wedding gift money, Mike and Heidi bought several sets of napkins and colorful runners for their table.

The best part of Mike and Heidi's Father's Day gift was just being with the two of them.  They are delightful.

Iowa III--Day to Blow

Jonny worked Sunday night at the John Deere factory.  On Monday morning, Jenny and Sam were off to work and preschool.  After a French pastry breakfast with Dave and me at La Mie,  Jonny went to bed and Dave and I drove to Omaha.  Our plane didn't leave until 5:15 p.m., so we had a whole day to blow.

Jonny made good suggestions when we toured Omaha with him last Friday.  "Visit the botanical garden," he said, "and the Durham Museum."  We did.  The Lauritzen Botanical Gardens overlooked the Missouri River.  The gardens were spread over many acres, and we took a 50-minute tram ride to get an overview.  There was a Victorian garden, a model railroad garden, a rose garden, a forest glade, and an Oriental garden.  We also walked through the conservatory, with its lush tropical flowers.

Hibiscus always make me think of Burma.  I grew up with red and yellow hibiscus plants blooming around our home.

Petunias make me think of my dad.  He planted them all around our home in Holladay, sprayed them every day all summer, and they were gorgeous.

The Lauritzen Gardens had a special exhibit of animal sculptures, spread throughout the grounds.  We especially liked this bear.

The Durham Museum tells the history of Omaha.  It is housed in an old train station, built during the 1930s in striking Art Deco style.  Dave and I took an Art Deco architectural tour in Chicago one time, and there's a lot of Art Deco throughout Midwestern cities.

 We loved the statues of servicemen sitting on the benches in the museum lobby, as they must have lounged around the train station during World War II.

Omaha is the headquarters for Union Pacific Railroad, and a large section of the museum houses trains and train signage.  We wandered through an old-time caboose, and also through the media car which was used on Truman's whistle stop tour across America during the national campaign of 1948.  There was even a boardroom table in the car.

 We spent a few minutes checking out the "Old Market" section of Omaha.  Huge brick warehouses now include stylish shops and restaurants, with fern-covered alleyways between the buildings.  After the French pastries at La Mie, we had room for neither gelato, fresh pasta, nor the Persian food at Ahib's.

 Our last stop was St. Cecilia's, one of the ten largest Catholic cathedrals in the U.S.  I loved the wood carvings and stained glass windows.  I was the only person in the cool, dark cathedral on this Monday afternoon--I had all that richness and beauty to myself.