Fireflies and Mushrooms

Take a close listen and look at the above video. We are definitely not in California any more.(Video removed)

Here is a ball point pen next to this monster to show the actual size.  Nauvoo is truly an amazing place!

This mushroom is at the base of a tree at our residence.  It is amazing how humid it is that it can create such a huge mushroom.

Orientation Week

Monday, April 26th was a day set aside for us to finish unpacking and to go shopping to stock up our apartment.

Tuesday was the day for us to begin our training. Although we are familiar with all of the ordinances, each temple has their small ways that are different from the other ones. We spent Tuesday thru Friday learning these differences and becoming familiar with this beautiful temple. Toward the end of the afternoon, after the training was completed, we were each given a plan of the temple and given permission to explore anywhere in the temple for the next few hours. What a wonderful opportunity to get to know this wonderful site.

 Saturday was a day of catching up on all of the shopping, sight-seeing, and resting. One special thing was that anybody that wanted could climb up the belfry to the top of the bell tower to see the sights. This was an incredible view. About 300 degree view of the Mississippi River as it rounded the bend at Nauvoo.  A sight not seen by many. 

On Monday, May 3, 2010 the temple opened after the two-week shut-down for semi-annual maintenance and we started the work that we came to perform. What a wonderful spirit in this sacred building and what wonderful people that we get to work with.

This statue stands right outside the Nauvoo Temple

Today is May 16, 2010. We have now had the opportunity to work in the Temple for two weeks. It really feels like we are on an endless vacation. There are two shifts of workers each day. We work the morning shift on Monday thru Wednesday beginning at 7:00 am and finish about 1:30 pm. We work the afternoon shift on Thursday and Saturday beginning at 1:00 pm and finish about 8:00 pm. Friday is our day off (P-day). Although the work is taxing it is very rewarding and we have enough time to see some of the many wonderful sights of the area.

Nauvoo Restoration, Inc., a company setup to restore the area back to what it looked like in 1840 – 1847 has done a wonderful job of restoring some of the original sites and rebuilding some of the destroyed buildings to look as they did back then. At each site missionaries dress in period clothing and portray what it was like then. An example is the brickyard, where they manufacture small bricks the same way and give them out as samples. We also have had samples of shortbread from the Bakery.

During the past week we have also had the opportunity to attend three evening lectures given by Susan Easton Black. Susan is a professor at B.Y.U. who has done extensive study of the Nauvoo and surrounding areas and has been instrumental in helping to establish the Land and Records Office where people can find out about ancestors who may have lived in, or traveled through this area in the 1840 time frame. Many people come away surprised when they find that their family members are listed here. I know that when Judy and I came here to the Temple Open House in 2000 we found records of her ancestors.

A family of geese headed toward the Mississippi River

Nauvoo Pageant

Check out the final scene I shot of the Nauvoo Pageant.
http://youtu.be/nKgGrExq2mg

Read more about the pageant by clicking here or by visiting their website: http://invite.nauvoopageant.net/2010/Invitations/Presidency.htm

What a Wonderful Time

We arrived on Thursday evening, April 22, 2010 in the city of Nauvoo. The sun was just setting and darkness began to cloak the streets. We drove by the temple as it stood silently overlooking the great Mississippi River. Because the temple was closed for semi-annual maintenance, the streets were void of much traffic and the shops were closing for the day. The only shop still open was the frozen custard shop. We stopped long enough to have some dessert and greet an old friend from Roseville, who happened to have the same idea that we had.

We then drove out to our temporary residence about three miles outside of town and found that it consisted of about 25 buildings about 5 years old set up in a way to resemble a small community. The small condo consisted of a living room/kitchen, a bathroom with a tub/shower combination, and a bedroom. It was very adequate for our needs.

The next day was spent reacquainting ourselves with the visitor sites of the area. The visitor’s center with its displays and the 20 minute video of old Nauvoo and the Cultural Center with its evening production of “Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo” were the highlights of the day. We even ran into a member of the Granite Bay 2nd Ward there.

After another night in our temporary residence we arrived at the “Arrival Center” at 10:00am and were given the keys for our residence for at least, the next six months. We have been assigned to live at 740 Parley Street (not a mailing address). Our residence occupies the ground floor with another missionary couple occupying the 2nd floor. It is a red brick home in a rather undeveloped, but very grassy area. My uneducated guess is that we are surrounded by about 10 acres of green grass. Our place contains a living room with cable TV, a kitchen with modern appliances, a bathroom with a shower (presently minus a shower curtain), and a bedroom large enough for a super king bed, computer table, and a chest of drawers.

Our evening was spent dining at the home of our Host and Hostess for the day. Also at the dinner we ran into a couple, The Riffeys, whom I knew back in 1965, Elaine Riffey was a councilor to Judy in the Primary Presidency of the San Jose 9th Ward.

Today, Sunday, April 25, 2010, we arrived at our Sacrament Meeting about 15 minutes ahead of time to get some good seats. At exactly 7:50am the whole room became suddenly quiet except for organ music and remained in that state until the meeting started at 8:00am. Needless to say, there were no children in attendance because we were all grandparents, but the atmosphere lent to a spiritual feast that lasted for the next 3 hours in 3 different meetings. Four speakers in the Sacrament Meeting spoke on the lives of some of their ancestors who had lived in the Nauvoo area in 1846 when the saints were driven out of the area by the mobs.

Our Sunday afternoon and all day Monday we will have the opportunity to relax and do some touring, finish unpacking, and finding places for the contents of the car.

For those who care, our address for mail (and chocolate chip cookies) is:

Paul and Bonnie Walter
P.O. Box 310
Nauvoo, IL 62354-0310

(Packages sent via FedEx or UPS):
Paul and Bonnie Walter
50 N. Wells Street
Nauvoo, IL 62354

Please don’t use cute titles such as Grandpa, or Grandma, or Old Man since it will be too hard for the postman to tell which one you are intending it to be sent.

Our Cell phones are still the same:
Paul (916)759-2954
Bonnie (925)628-4183

We look forward to seeing as many family and friends as possible during the stay here in Nauvoo, the beautiful.

Love,
Paul and Bonnie

Leaving Utah for Nauvoo

After leaving Utah we only had one construction stop of about 30 minutes. We stayed for a day in Firestone, CO to see Bonnie's son and family and then Wednesday drove to Winter Quarters (Florence [Omaha], Nebraska).

We arrived early enough to visit the Temple site and the Mormon Trail Visitor's Center.

We stayed overnight in a motel described as 'adequite" by the Senior Missionaries. We think a better description would have been slightly below "sub-standard".

Crossing the Missouri River, we stopped at Council Bluffs, Iowa then an easy 6 hour drive to Nauvoo, Il. An interesting fact; it took the Mormon Pioneers 4 months to make the same distance from Nauvoo to Council Bluffs, February 4, to June 14, 1846.

Our arrival in Nauvoo was spectacular.  This picture of the temple was taken from the car.

Temporary housing until we report Saturday afternoon (April 24, 2010).

Leaving Home

Last minute packing of car on Tuesday morning April 13, 2010 at 10:59 AM  (Yes, a very late start).

No room for anything else. (The kitchen sink is in there, somewhere).

Who said it is OK to drive over Donner in April?

Some parts of Nevada are beautiful.

Then again, there are the salt flats.

And then, of course, the famed "Utah Tree".

Arriving in Mapleton, Utah, only to find some of our kids leaving for Roseville, California to a funeral.

Upon their return, we gathered for dinner at the Olive Garden before leaving for the next phase of our journey.