Grand Opening for the Car and the Truck

After a week of waiting, the car and truck were anxious to have the ribbon cut so they could come home to the garage where it is shady and the sprinkler water doesn't put spots all over them. So, with a little fanfare, we let them line up and cut the ribbon!

 

They showed their appreciation in the usual way.

Then it was on to the next little project. It seems that some of the brick in the back yard patio have been moving around without permission. Some were sinking, others just, well, not where they should be. So, with no fanfare, a boundary for change was established and the bricks unceremonously taken up and stacked to be reset on a new level bed of sand and dirt.

Here is the view with about half of the rascals taken out and stacked up. Watch for further developments!



Delivered and Installed

Our status as the only house on the street with no driveway is over at last. On Friday, they came and put in the new walk and 1/3 of the driveway. Can you believe it? That big concrete truck was able to fit right in the side of the house. Well, I guess a camper could too, if we decided to go that way.



Then on Saturday they came back and got the rest of it in. Well, almost. On Friday the concrete truck broke up some sections of the sidewalk, so it was agreed that they would be replaced. The pile in the street is what had been sidewalk. Well, they were just one 4' section short of concrete, but they promised they will come haul away the pile on Monday and put in the rest of the concrete on Tuesday. Then, we will wait a week while everything gets stronger and by next Saturday, we will have a car and a truck in our garage! Imagine that.

Friday night Christine and I had policing duty at the Handcart Days Fair. Well that is what I called it, but when we arrived to check in they gave us a puzzled look. After a minute they said, Oh, you're here fo the garbage patrol and issued use gloves and garbage bags. Policing sounded better to me, but it was sort of fun to walk the park among a nice family crowd and from time to time, empty a waste can. They even gave us free tickets, so we got a cold drink and I had a scone that was tasty.

On Saturday, Christine and Leana went back with Aleksandr to enjoy the festivities and use up the tickets we had left over. Here is how Leana used some of them. I told her she needed to keep it on for Church so the bishop whould know how useful she would be working in the nursery. She didn't seem to think that was such a good idea.

The drive is ready, but not the concrete

Last week we expected the new driveway to be put in, but first the weather was a problem. It is is not a good idea to put in concrete and then have it rained on by a thunder storm. Then the contractor said he was delayed by employee vacations. So, hopefully we will see it put in this week, but then again, Monday and Tuesday may have more storms.

So last week Christine and I went on a Trek to Wyoming. That is where over 300 young men and women from our stake trek across the trail with all their gear loaded on handcarts. They left on Wednesday morning and returned on Saturday afternoon, having walked over 30 miles over the four days.
We were part of the food team, so we got to help set up the camp kitchen, cook and prepare meals, take down the kitchen (and our own little tents), then drive on to the next camp location. Most days we also prepared trail lunches for the companies (three companies with 10 camp families each and about 10 youth in each camp family). The lunches were given to them in gunny sacks.

The food was good and well appreciated by all. Christine did a lot of serving and helping. I did a lot of cooking on the stoves - potatoes and eggs for breakfast, soups and stews for dinner, stuff like that. For Saturday breakfast, I figured out how to make 24 gallons of oatmeal in batches so it didn't burn. I was so happy when I saw the youth liked it and many came back for seconds. Of course, I'm sure the toppings that included fresh berries, honey, raisins and brown sugar were not the real reason they liked my oatmeal.
We were both exhausted, but also overwhelmed by how happy we were to be part of the trek. We would do it again in a heartbeat. Everyone there was so committed to a shared positive and spiritual uplifting experience.