Spring in St. George

Our St. George house was a full and happy place over Presidents' Day Weekend, February 12 to 14, 2016.  Grant stopped by for dinner on Friday night with five BYU friends, on his way to Las Vegas for the weekend.  Spencer arrived with his own five BYU friends late Friday night.  Logan, Colton, and Colton's girlfriend, Shelby, stayed with us.  Eleeza and Jesman stayed with friends, but spent their days with Spencer et al.  We enjoyed Sunday dinner together.  What talented young people! As we learned more about them, we were more and more impressed.  All the kids were musical, and they sang, played the piano, talked, and laughed.

 Spencer asked our advice on fun hikes and activities.  The young people hiked to Angel's Landing in Zions and also explored the St. George red rock areas.  I encouraged Spencer to take his friends to Brigham Young's winter home, and to ask to see Thomas Cottam's chairs while he was there. Thomas Cottam was my great-great-grandfather and built the original chairs for the St. George Temple, as well as for many homes in St. George during the late 1800s.  Spencer reported that the Brigham Young home has 22 chairs made by Thomas Cottam!  Spencer also saw the hand-made wooden dolls that Thomas Cottam made for his daughter and her friends, since no one had money for china dolls in pioneer days.  I read about those dolls in the letters of my great-grandmother, Catherine Cottam Romney.

While Spencer and his friends were off on their own adventures, Dave and I spent Saturday afternoon in Zions Park.  There are petroglyphs in Zions Park, but they aren't marked, to protect them from vandals.  Dave and I hiked down a stream bed and came upon a panel of fine petroglyphs.

 The rocks of Zions Park are oozing water, as winter turns into spring.

 Dave remembered me with an armload of Valentines gifts, including chocolates, flowers, a sweet note, and a balloon of the green frog who loved the princess!

Superbowl and Spencer

 "For sure we need wings," I told Heidi, as we talked about the menu for Superbowl Sunday. "They have so little meat on them," she sighed, "that they're hardly worth the trouble."  I thus created a new menu item for our Superbowl Party on February 7, 2016--hefty drumsticks doused in hot sauce and served with blue cheese dressing, just like wings.  Alas, Mike was gone Sunday afternoon on a work trip to Florida, but Spencer joined us with his friends, Colton and Isaac.  Spencer, Colton, and Isaac do their own cooking at BYU, so they were eager eaters of our chili, chips with salsa and guacamole, popcorn, and a few healthy things, too--green salad and a platter of fruit.

For dessert, we sampled a variety of gourmet root beers, and then made root beer floats.  Spencer helped manage a root beer store in Seattle, so he appreciates fine root beers like some people appreciate fine cheeses and wines!

RootsTech and My Own Cousin Fest

It was a week I'd eagerly anticipated for the last year.  RootsTech is the largest family history conference in the world, held right here in SLC.  It ran from Wednesday, February 3, 2016, through Saturday, February 6, with 25,000 attendees.  I slipped away from work to attend on Thursday and Friday afternoons and all day Saturday.  

My Aunt Sally Stratford's son, Larry, was in town for Rootstech with his wife, Carolyn.  I invited them to join me at our house for dinner on Wednesday night.  Larry is the Calder genealogist, and he brought me special treats--a scrapbook my Grandfather Calder put together of newspaper clippings that interested him as a state legislator, and a video clip of my father and mother touring Europe with Uncle Dick and Aunt Sally.  I have no other videos of my parents, and I was fascinated to watch their dear gestures--Dad examining the innards of their new German car, Mom listening with intensity and furrowed brow to Uncle Dick.

I devoured the general sessions, classes, and exhibits at RootsTech.  At the general sessions, I heard Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of "Team of Rivals", a landmark book on Lincoln, talk about the stories she has found most fascinating in the lives of the presidents about which she has written--Lincoln, Lyndon B. Johnson, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, John Kennedy.   I also enjoyed hearing Mike Leavitt tell the stories that were most dramatic during his time as governor--winning the US Olympic bid, surviving a fire of the governor's mansion, and making it possible for Utah to have its first woman governor, as he left to join George Bush's cabinet.  The theme of the conference was the power of  stories.

One innovation this year was the award of $100,000 in a contest for start-ups creating new family history products.  The winner created a software program that facilitates tracing and using health information from ancestors and relatives.

 I heard many dramatic family stories at a lunch my cousin, Catherine Poelman, organized on February 4, 2016.  Catherine gathered her sister Midge (Mildred), me, and three cousins from the "other side" of my mother's family--the daughters of my mother's sisters, Maureen and Isabel.  Aunt Maureen's daughter, Kay, and I talked about the stories we heard from our mothers about the Eyrings fleeing the Mexican Revolution of  1912.  My mother was born in a refugee camp in El Paso on the way out and Aunt Maureen was six months old at the time.  "Whenever I see a photo of the refugees that includes a woman holding a baby, I always think that's my mother," Kay said.  Before Mother died, she encouraged me to get to know Kay better.

 As I attended RootsTech, I resolved to create more of the sweet experiences I had this week, as I got better acquainted with the children of my dear aunts.  As I talked with Catherine and Midge, I thought how much I loved and admired their mother, my Aunt Catherine Edwards.

Year of the Monkey

 "My monkey needs a friend!" Mia said, at the end of our January 31, 2016 Chinese New Year party.  "So does mine!" Ezra echoed.  Stuffed monkeys were treats in the party goodie bag, so we borrowed four extra monkeys from guests who were not as attached to them as Mia and Ezra were.  It was a very successful party--Mia and Ezra went home with lots of monkeys, and everyone else went home with lots of good food and memories.

 Dave and I decorated the house with banners, lanterns, and posters proclaiming "Happy Chinese New Year!"  We placed bright red goodie bags at each place setting, filled with stuffed monkeys, Chinese yoyos, chopsticks, and candies wrapped in gold and silver wrappers.

Camille came with her children and a platter of tropical fruit, Mike and Heidi helped fry the spring rolls, and Spencer came with his roommate, Colton, and their dates.  Mia and Sophia couldn't wait to sort through the goodie bags.

 Ezra liked the yo-yo.

 Everyone loved the carved wooden dragon that makes its appearance every year.

 We started with homemade spring rolls, and continued with beef and broccoli, sweet and sour pork, chicken cashew, and ham fried rice.  We sampled almond float with sweetened cherries for dessert.  Annelise was an expert with chopsticks, as well the photographer for the night.

 We talked about the Chinese signs of the zodiac.

 We can depend on Mike and Heidi to help with our parties and to enjoy them as much as we do.

 Emilie and Jono sat at the "date" table with Spencer, Colton, and their friends.

 After dinner, we showed photos of Chinese people, places, and products on the TV and talked about their influence--Xi Jingping, Chaing Kai-Shek, General Stillwell, Jimmy Dolittle's pilots, Marco Polo, firecrackers, blue and white porcelain, panda bears, Hong Kong and Shanghai harbors, and more.

 A good time was had by all.