Greetings from Driggs

Although I'm glad I'm not in 100 degree weather I do miss all you amazing cousins! Here's an update on my garden and the kids.


I'm testing out a new digital camera (loaner) and it's amazing. Now my obsession has turned to compulsive. Evelyn drooling on the front steps this morning.


David thinking "this is not good that mom has a new technological toy, i am now even more neglected then before."


Iris and allium from my garden. gotta love the bokeh from the 50mm fixed lens.


Lupine from my garden too. the abundant weed up here in driggs, I'm lucky mine is giving off more colors than purple!


THANK YOU KATH, and Neive (for not wanting these jammies). Evelyn was the lucky recipient of them instead. Just so you all know, evelyn was screaming in her crib last night for about 45 minutes. When I finally gave in and went to make sure she hadn't put a hole in the wall, I saw her standing in her crib holding the pj pants that had come off from her wild kicking the waist is big for skinny-binny baby, but that got fixed with a hair elastic secured on the hip, look closely at the bunched fabric there). the minute i put the jammy bottoms back on she laid back down and fell asleep. these will be the favorites for years to come.

Our Mexican Relatives

On June 7, 2008, Zac, Lacey, Shauna, Jed and Carolyn spent 6 hours with our relatives at Alicia's home. Elder Francom was being released and we spent 5 days in Mexico City that were never-to-be-forgotten. During our visit with loved ones, Elder Francom was the only one who was bilingual, and he kept his smile the entire time he worked away helping us understand each other. We had a delicious dinner - they actually "killed the fatted lamb." It was delicious. Such lovely people. Such a wonderful time! (On the next to last page of the descendants of C.H.M. y Agramonte, we met everyone who is alive except one daughter of Alberto who was in Paris, so they brought her picture. ) We are half-2nd and 3rd cousins to those we met. Carolyn is half 1st cousin, once removed to Alicia. and 2nd half cousin to Santiago/Alberto Jr., and Jorge. The half is because we are from different wives of C.H.M. y Agramonte - we from Clara Stenhouse, they from Alice Lelia Almon Smith.

We were met at the Tree of the Sad Night, where Cortez wept over the loss of his troops to the Aztecs in 1520. That tree stands at the end of the street on which Agramonte lived. Santiago and his oldest daughter, Alicita greeted us along with Jorge (Rebeca and Alberto Sr.'s son) and his wife Cecilia.

Carolyn and Santiago Soriano Agramonte.

Santiago's mother, Alicia, the widow of Trinidad.

Carolyn

No more Braces for Jeremy

No more Braces for Jeremy

Phillipino Food

Marc made us some Phillipino food tonight. My mom was hesitant to have me put some of the pictures on here because they are not very pretty to look at. There are more on my blog if you're interested. It was an adventure!

Just checking to see if I can do this! Nothing to say yet!

Anyone?

I just sent out a few more blog invitations to people who may have forgotten their log-ins. Does anyone else want to join now that it seems people are finally catching on? I just realized this blog has been going for 4 years now. I guess we were just so ahead of the times even our own family didn't catch on. You do have to have a gmail account now to use blogs, but you can sign up for one easily. I usually just type in gmail.com to get to it.

Hurrah for the 4th of July!

We had a wonderful 4th of July at the Hayeses tonight. Thanks Kath and Mike! We got home and found these pictures from Scott and Melissa who learned at 7AM that they live on the parade route in Alameda. Apparently it was still going at noon today. Scott said there were 170 floats and that all the houses near his house were decorated! My mom wanted me to share this with everyone. It lookes like fun!

The Annen's

Laura, Hunter and Jessica came over last night. Marc pulled out his Jack Skellington head he made for Halloween and we had some fun taking pictures so I thought I would share a few. Enjoy!

The Yanceys have new neighbors!

Jan and Stefanie

3426 E Hidden Springs

Hugh and Sharon

3441 E Hidden Springs

Rebekah

Jane

Welcome to Coral Canyon!!

I can't remember my sign in info at the moment, so I'll just use Susie's. I just wanted to add that my knee replacement experience is not a typical knee replacement experience, jolly though it may be! For anyone who may be considering total knee replacement at any time in life, you will not be having the experience I've had. I don't know anyone in our family that will ever have knees like mine. This recovery is extreme because the knees are extreme. My Dr., who specializes in knees, hips and trauma has never seen knees like mine. He had to construct every surface, and remove a lot of extra bone. Most people who get total knees have something that remains intact, or an area of torn cartilage, (rather than no cartilage,) etc. I don't think I've had my tibial process since 6th grade.

On a lighter side, I'm recovering here at Susie's in her guest bedroom, which has beautiful lavendar walls, on Mom's bed. My medicine is in her nightstand drawer and I get to look at her picture on the dresser, sitting next to a beautiful rose bush centerpeice. I can honestly say I have felt both Mom's and Dad's presence during my knee experience. (Dad certainly has less pain tolerance than Mom.) I had a tough transition from the surgical spinal block to IV pain meds. My PCA pump had a connecting piece that was broken. As many of you know, my leg stuck out laterally from the left knee before being surgically corrected. The muscles really wanted to go back to that position & after a few hours of unsuccessful pain management I started to reach down to move the leg back to it's original position myself when I heard, "The muscles don't belong there, Dear." Yes, I know. I do feel like Mom stuck in there with me 'til the pain was under control, and am very grateful to have a straight left leg. I guess that's not really, "on the lighter side!" It sure is comforting to be surrounded by visual reminders of Mom and Dad as I take this time to regroup. Thanks to each of you for your help with Katie & Ian, for putting my name in the temple, and for your encouragement. I do feel like this is a great accomplishment and big blessing to have a knee that works well.

Love,
Linda

And for those of you who had no idea I was even in the hospital . . . sorry. I had to just get it overwith before I chickened out.

The Gory Details

Hello out there! Thought you may be interested in an update on Linda. She is doing remarkably well! She climbed the stairs to join us for Sunday dinner. You can see the bruising on the thigh from the draining surgery. We assume the striped brusing on the shin is from the nurse trying to put the tight T.E.D. hose on a patient on Coumadin.

Shauna came to my class yesterday and taught them an art lesson on Georges Seurat's La Grande Jatte. It was so much fun and I will be sure to teach it in the future. She brought a fun book that told interesting facts about the painting and then the kids colored on sand paper and we ironed it on another piece of paper so it looked like pointilism. It was so much fun and far better than listening to the constant tapping of markers. The kids could not stop raving about how much fun they had and how pretty my cousin is after she left! Also...










about two years ago Martha gave me these beautiful curtains that she was going to give to DI. I took them since I seem to never be able to throw things away and I finally put them up two nights ago. They look great and match our condo perfectly. Yes, that is a jackalope next to the beautiful curtain. After Marc's grandma died when he was 7 years old he was told he could take something to remember her by. He chose the jackalope. I was thinking maybe he chose it because he was so young and knew no better, but nope, I'm pretty sure he would have chosen to take that if he was 37. I am still shocked I allowed him to put a hole in the wall for that hairy monster. Marc just read this and wants me to add, "anyone not cultured enough to appreciate a good taxidermy joke like my jackalope shouldn't be allowed to touch my Aloysius!" I don't touch him.

Welcome back Elder Francom!

Zac just came home from his mission to Mexico City on Monday. His homecoming will be This Sunday at 1pm. 9150 South and 1300 East, just North of Western Garden Center.
Then family is invited to Zac’s house after the Sacrament meeting at 1429 E. 9150 South, just about 5 doors east of the church. We're so happy you're home!

Herod & Essenes Field Trip

The first site we visited was Masada, an Essene stronghold in the Judean Wilderness, right by the Dead Sea.  This elevated mesa was perfect for a defensive structure.  We took the tram up (thankfully) in the sweltering heat.

These stones are hewn in round shapes not for launching, but for dropping over the edge of this high plateau-like fortress.  Looks painful

This is my Joaquin Phoenix face.

Here is the Dead Sea as seen from Masada.  We swam at the Dead Sea during this field trip, but I didn't take my camera because I didn't want to ruin it.  What a strange, otherworldly experience feeling so buoyant.  We floated in it and then rubbed mud all over ourselves.  It's 1300 feet below sea level, lowest on earth.  6 million tons of water evaporate off the Dead Sea daily.  I'll post pictures when I get them from someone else's camera.

Sweat from every pore.  I think it was mid-30's that day

 

Claire and I @ Ein Gedi, where David hid from Saul

Qumran.  The Essenes lived in this city where they made/preserved the Dead Sea Scrolls.  They were found up in that cave.

Galilee Pt. 2

 

The beautiful sunset from our beach at the Kibbutz we stayed at called Ein Gev.

Here we have Gamla, which means Camel in Hebrew/Arabic.  A community of Jewish Zealots lived here during the time of the First Revolt against the Romans in the 1st century A.D.  As they became overrun by Romans, 5000 Jews decided they'd rather die than face the penalty of revolting against the Caesar, so they leapt of the edge.

Sepphoris was the Roman capital of Galilee before Tiberias, and later hosted the Sanhedrin which completed the Mishnah.  This is a picture of the "Mona Lisa of Galilee," a beautiful Greco-Roman mosaic.

This next one is of the guys in my class at Qazrin a Jewish Talmudic Village.

In 1850's German Templers began building colonies in Palestine to await the second coming.  In Haifa, there was such a colony and we visited this German Templar Cemetery there.   In 1892, two missionaries were sent to Haifa and baptized two couples (the Graus and the Kegels.  Both Couples and two missionaries from Utah, (Elder Clark's grave seen here) were buried here.  The significance of these 6 graves lies in a later Israeli policy stating that for a Christian denomination to have presence in Israel, they must have at least 6 members that have passed away by some date after Israel became a state.  (This was in response to the many Christian denominations that wanted to setup in the Holy Land).  These people were prepared so that the Church would be able to exist in the Holy Land today.  Both the Elders from Utah died young and in their missionary service in Haifa, and thus the broken column represents a life cut short.

Galilee

Shalom. There's so much that happened in the last week and a half we spent in Galilee that it's going to be a struggle to blog everything, so I'll do my best to get the good stuff. Here goes:

Herod's Ceasarea Maritima, a splendid city built by Herod for Greco-Roman sophisticates. Beautiful ancient port city.

Megiddo (Armageddon). Here seen a round Canaanite altar. Here's where it's all going down.

The Church of Annunciation in Nazareth, commemorates the Annunciation of the birth of Jesus. Many nations have contributed their own interpretation of the Madonna and Child; Slovene Mosaic seen here.

Kelly, Emilie and I at Nimrod Fortress. It's Muslim fortress at the foot of Mt. Hermon built upon Crusader architecture.

Tanks in Golan Heights. Glad they didn't discharge on us
Sailing across the beautiful Sea of Galilee, Tiberius in the background.

This boat was miraculously preserved since the time of Christ, and found in the Sea of Galilee. Maybe it was Peter's

Capernaum. This is believed by scholars and archeologists to be Peter's "pad".

Mt. Tabor where it is believed the Transfiguration occurred. Inside was a cross that some pious German Christian carried on his back from Germany up onto Mt. Tabor. That's devotion.

Beth Shean or Scythopolis. This was once an important crossroads city in ancient times, primarily in Roman/NT/Byzantine periods. First is a picture of the Roman ruins from on top of a nearby tell.

Second is a public Bath House. Boiling water would be poured around these short pillars, upon which rested a wooden floor. The steam would rise through and heat the boards.

Third is a public bathroom. Stall technology was not yet incorporated.
That's all for now, more when time permits.