Arizona Trip

Once a year we get together with George's siblings and spouses to make plans for the Walt and Orpha Lewis Foundation.  When George's Dad died, he left some money to be donated to charity so starting a Foundation seemed a wise thing to do.  Over the years the family has been very generous to several organizations, including my favorite, Kenya Keys. The IRS requires a yearly meeting of the Foundation so it's a great chance to get together.  Those meetings have taken us Provo, to Boise, and to Zion National Park several times.  During Covid, we did Zoom meetings.  This year the meeting was planned for Sedona, Arizona.  

It had been quite a few years since we had been to Phoenix.  Karen moved from downtown Phoenix to John and Katherine's neighborhood and we really wanted to see her new house.  Plus we wanted to see our niece Jennifer who is now a Instagram 'influencer'.  We chat back and forth on IG and I was anxious to spend time with her and her partner Mendell. Also hoped to see nephews David (and his family) and Brent.  And it is always a pleasure to be around John and Katherine and Richard and Tammy so it was an easy decision to fly down a few days early.

Karen took us on an LDS Temples of the area tour.   

First the Phoenix Temple

Then the Mesa Temple

Karen and George's 2nd great grandfather, Charles Crisman is a founder of Mesa.

In 1988 a bronze statue was dedicated to commemorate the Arizona Pioneers.

From the keynote speech given by Gordon B Hinckley:

"Enough praise cannot be said for those four men who stood here and began the work that led to the establishment of this community.

 I suppose that none of us today can really appreciate the labors of those who came here 110 years ago. This was the mesa, the high tableland above the river, shunned by early pioneers. It was dry and parched. The soil looked promising, but water was the key to survival. How to get it to the land was a problem.

President Hinckley felt it was inspiration that led those who came here in 1878 to turn to the long-deteriorated canal system of the Hohokam Indians.

After nine months of backbreaking toil through summer’s blistering heat, this small band of eighty-three men, women, and children carved out a twelve-mile canal to bring river water to the parched soil of the mesa"

As President Hinckley looked over the spacious park and the Arizona Temple across the street, he said he was “almost overwhelmed” by the history of the pioneers and the “length of their vision.”

Great-great Grandpa Crismon is the one with the gun, the one on the right.

To understand and reconnect with our stories, the stories of our ancestors, is to build our identities. 

Frank Delaney

I love being a part of the Lewis family.

Having dinner with our niece Jennifer and Mendell was such a treat.

Jennifer has been having some health problems and also went through a divorce recently so it was a joy to see her so happy.

Mendell is just a great man. 

Originally from Oklahoma, he has a slight southern accent that, naturally, endears him to me. He is very outgoing and has a wonderful sense of humor.  And icing on the cake, he has ties to a travel group that takes groups to Kenya to get to know the culture. 

His name for George - 'Big Homie G'.  LOL!

Of course the thing that I love most about him is that he obviously loves Jennifer and takes such good care of her. 

Our days in Phoenix flew by until Thursday when we headed to Sedona.  I had never been there before and it did not disappoint. Those red rocks are just stunning.

I adore my beautiful sister-in-laws.

Two days and two great hikes.

The photo bomber is the foundation lawyer - Joe Morton.  He and his wife Heidi fit into the family dynamics and we enjoy spending time with them. 

The 2nd day we tackled a more difficult hike to Devil's Bridge.

Steep stairs at times

And a climb with 'sort of stairs'.  I didn't take this photo.  It was from the internet. 

George and I were rather proud of ourselves for completing this hike.  I was slow on the steep 'non-stair' climbs but I made it to the top.  And it is amazing!

George wasn't happy being on the top so we didn't get a photo up there. I estimate that it would have taken 45 minutes to work my way through the line to get out on the bridge. There was a long line waiting. Every few minutes a group  would walk out to take photos.  Some were quick and some did multiple poses....a few poses that terrified us. 

Since no one else was interested in waiting for the photo op, I decided not to wait either.  Maybe next time?!?!?!

But we did get this one from below!

Sedona is spectacular!

Spending time with family was spectacular too!

Delicious food and lots of conversation!

I loved every minute.

After arriving back in Phoenix we were able to enjoy a visit with one of George's friends from his mission in Texas more than 50 years ago.  Terry Eschenroder was never George's companion but they did live in the same apartment with their respective companions.  Terry and his wife Robyn lived in our ward in west Boise before we moved to Spain.

After Karen moved to Gilbert, Terry happened to be her Bishop.

Small world!  Unfortunately he was recently released as bishop because he was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  He is having chemo and radiation but was able to visit with us.

Lots of prayers for him and his family.

Yeah for family and friends, good food, good times and our beautiful world!

Provo and Salt Lake

 An overnight stop at Tammy and Richard's home in Provo was perfect!  Jackson got to meet more family. 

 He loved playing with the race track and with Tammy's dollhouse.

For so long, Jackson was not a fan of having his picture taken.  I am glad that he finally decided he likes to pose.  These are in Tammy's neighbor's yard.  They really go all out for Halloween.

We made a quick stop at the Bean Museum on the BYU campus.

Jackson explored the 'cave' and even met the scary bear.

And posed with the tall, tall giraffes!

So handy that the museum is close to the Creamery....naturally we had to get some mint brownies for the road!  Delicious!   These were a favorite when we were at BYU and we even had them at our wedding reception.

George headed off to Boise while Mary, Jackson and I visited the Salt Lake Temple construction site.

An amazing project as they renovate this pioneer era temple with all the latest in earthquake protection.

Jackson could have watched all day.

There were lots of cranes moving equipment around.

Elevators taking the construction workers up and down!

Trucks and all kinds of heavy equipment.

Jackson was totally fascinated. 

On our way north to Boise, Mary did a little walk down memory lane as we drove around her alma mater, Weber State University.  I don't think she had been back since she got married in 2000.

A lot had changed!

Then it was 5 hours in the car with Jackson who had been spending multiple hours in the car for about a week.  Lots of songs and games entertained him pretty well.  We only had one melt down!

I have a lot of admiration for Mary.  

3000+ miles by herself driving with Jackson

What a woman!

What a mom!

Orpha Lewis's 100th!

 On Sunday March 20th,  George's siblings organized a Zoom meeting tribute to their Mom on her 100th birthday.  Karen wrote a biography and Tammy put together a slide show of photos of her through the years.  It was a wonderful occasion.

The grandchildren shared their memories of Grandma. I love the tender thoughts that our children expressed.  Although her mobility was severely limited through all their lives because of rheumatoid arthritis, she taught them life lessons through her interactions with them, as well as her cheerful acceptance of her limitations.   Each of them was touched by Grandpa's tender devotion to her throughout her life.

Here are some of the family photos through the years.  I wish I had a copy of the family photo on the bottom so that you could see clearly that we were all wearing 'ugly sweaters' and didn't know it!

Tammy didn't marry until several years after her death so Mom didn't know the wonderful additions to the family of Richard's kids, our 'Bonus Family' as I call them! It meant a lot to me, and I am sure to Tammy, that they wanted to know more about Grandma Lewis.  And it is a tribute to the love they have for Tammy.

I learned a few things that I didn't know before.  In the years just before her marriage, she earned a Masters of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Retailing from NYU. I knew that. What I didn't know was that she was in the top 10% of students in her program.  The photo on the left shows the members of the honor society of her program.  Notice anything?  Yes she was the only woman, groundbreaking for 1949-50! The other photo is a newspaper clipping from her hometown of Spanish Fork, Utah.  A sort of 'small town girl makes good in the big city' story.

When are kids were little I asked her what she did to have such smart children and she quickly replied, "marry their Dad".  I don't think that is the entire story.  She gets equal credit in the 'brains' department.

George uses different word to describe his parents. The word that describes his Dad is 'doing' and the word that describes his Mom is 'being'.  One cousin described them this way.  Dad was providing and Mom was nurturing. 

Together they created a wonderful family!

After the meeting we enjoyed several of Mom's recipes

Lemon Pepper Chicken

GreenBean Casserole

Waldorf Salad

canned Peas

Rolls 

Toffee Torte 

All served on her stoneware that Matt inherited.

Then we sang "Happy Birthday" and her Great-Granddaughter blew out the candles!

Happiest of birthdays Orpha, Mom, Grandma!

Lewis Family Meeting

 Each year George and his siblings get together for a family meeting.  This year everyone came to Boise.  We started off the weekend with a wonderful bike ride on the Boise Greenbelt.  Five of us rented electric bikes and Tammy and Richard, who are avid bikers, brought their bikes with them.  

I loved the electric bike experience.  And as you can see from this photo, so did Katherine!

Truthfully we all enjoyed it!  The leaves on the greenbelt were still full of color.  The electric bikes made the ride so easy.  George and I both took spills for making the same mistake.  On the handle of the bike there is a throttle which propels the bike rapidly forward.  Both of us accidentally activated that and took flying leaps forward and into the ditch.  Luckily the only thing that was hurt was our pride.

We also had some great meals.  I was successful at finding restaurants that had gluten-free menus.

And the siblings were able to decide on appropriate donations for 2022 from their Walter and Orpha Lewis Foundation funds.

Glad to be a part of the Lewis family!

 

Five of the Best Years Ever

Five years ago today, John, Monica and 2 month old Isabella took the long flight from Buenos Aires to Boise to make their home in the US.  

Because they had a lay-over of several hours in Salt Lake, I flew to Salt Lake and surprised them.  My flight got in a short time before theirs.  After figuring out what gate they would be using, I walked that way and ran into them on the concourse.  Funny that Monica recognized me first!  Tammy picked us up and took us to downtown Salt Lake.

I will never forget holding that sweet little Isabella for the first time.  Oh what joy and what instant love!

These last 5 years have shown me the truth of the statement, "If I had known how much fun grandchildren were, I would have had them first."

Perfect!

 It isn't often that you go on a trip, even a short trip, and come home saying that it was just perfect but that is exactly how I would describe our short trip to Salt Lake City to celebrate our 45th Anniversary!  Perfect!.  The weather was sunny and warm with cool evenings.  Every meal we ate was delicious.  The hotel was right in downtown Salt Lake.  We had short visits with Tammy and with Eric & Joanne Monson.  I marked another one off my bucket list by hiking to Ensign Peak. We also drove the Alpine Loop which was all new territory for me. And we got to see the renovations to the Salt Lake Temple in progress. 

Of course in 2020, a mask photo is mandatory.  I'm not sure why as no one is likely to forget this crazy year.

A major renovation is happening at the Salt Lake Temple where we were married 45 years ago.  Part of the plans are to modernize the foundation with the latest in earthquake proofing.  The original foundation is visible behind the two workmen.  It dates from 1862.

The original cornerstones were made of firestone from Red Butte Canyon and were placed in 1853. In 1857, ten years after the pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley, news broke that a potential hostile United States army was coming to Utah. Brigham Young had the temple foundation covered with dirt to hide the construction of temple. The army set camp near Utah Lake, about thirty miles south from the site and only left when the American Civil War started in 1861. When the foundation was uncovered, Brigham Young noticed that the cornerstones were flawed and concluded they wouldn’t be able to support the weight of the temple. He then decided that the foundation should be made entirely of granite, with sixteen feet thick footings.

 After spending time at the temple, we drove up to go on our hike. Ensign Peak is a small mountain peak at the north end of the Salt Lake Valley.

The trail is less than a mile and has some great views back across the valley.

Hiking it has been on my bucket list for several years. Although today was a bit hazy, it was still fun to look out over Salt Lake City.

  

On July 26, 1847, two days after arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, Brigham Young and seven other pioneer leaders climbed the hill to survey the valley. From its summit they laid out in their minds the city they intended to build.

Next was a great dinner at an Irish Pub in Park City.  We hadn't been to Park City in more than 20 years.

Don't worry as we were diligent about wearing our masks

And about social distancing....even if I got too close to this bear!

On Friday we drove the  Alpine Loop  which took us to the back side of Mt. Timpanogos.  It is even prettier than the front side!

The fall colors would have been better a few weeks ago but it was still a delightful drive.

After a quick lunch, we visited with our friends, the Monsons. Eric was George's friend from high school in Chicago and they were roommates at BYU when we were dating.  We spent a lot of time with Eric and his wife Joanne when we lived in California from 1977-1978.  It has been 20 years since we saw them but we just picked our friendship right up.  It was so good to visit with them.  We wore masks and socially distanced except for during the photo and none of us spoke when the masks were off.

Last stop before heading to Salt Lake for dinner with Tammy was the cemetery where George's parents are buried.  It is a beautiful spot.

Since it happened to be George's Dad's birthday, we left a small pumpkin on his grave.  Deer come down and eat the pumpkins.  What a lovely tradition started by Tammy!

Yes it was a perfect little get away!