To the Baltics - Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, France, England, and the Netherlands (September 2023)

 Theron and I were talking one day about what we wanted to do for our 50th wedding anniversary (which will be in 2024). I had never been to the Baltics and with the war in Ukraine and Russia and unrest in the Middle East, we thought that might be a good safe place.  In mentioning this to our neighbors, Steve and Marlene Harker, they said they had just booked a cruise to go exactly where we wanted and they could get us a great deal - done!  We were going to celebrate early.

On September 11, 2023, we left St. George and flew to Copenhagen, Denmark.  We spent an extra two days there before we caught our boat to sail away.  I was fascinated by the canals:

One of the fun things to see in Copenhagen was the original Christus statue and the statues of all the apostles.  It is located in a small church somewhat in the center of the city.  This is the same statue that is now the symbol of the Church.  These are the same apostle statues that the Rome, Italy visitors center were modeled after.

Each day as we walked the city, we noticed the large number of bikes that everyone rides.  We also noticed a large smoke stack and facility across the bay.  Wondering what it was, we went exploring and found it to be a garbage burn facility that they had built a ski slope and park on top.  Along one of the sides was a huge climbing wall.  A great use of a garbage dump.

The ski slope is all artifical grass.

We left Copenhagen on the 16th and traveled to Warnemunde, Germany.  This is a port to get to Berlin.  We have been to Berlin, so we decided to do something different; we took a high speed train to Mecklenburg and rode a narrow gauge railroad.

Harkers went with us and neither of us had any Euros.  We always use a card but in this small town on the coast, they don't take cards.  We didn't realize this until after we had, had our street waffle and ice cream.  Steve and Theron had to walk 3 miles to an ATM to get some Euros to pay.  Yea, we almost missed our train to go back.

We were also traveling with Marlene's cousins all from Hawaii.

Our next stop was Kalundborg, Denmark, where we visited a Viking village.  Theron found a friend.

Sailing on, we stopped in Gothenburg, Sweden, where we walked around the city and enjoyed a little rain.  Sailing on again, we traveled to Oslo, Norway where we enjoyed seeing Michelangelo's Madonna and Child statue.  This was a work of art stolen by Germany in World War II and later found in a salt mine, recovered and returned to the Church.  It is his only work located outside of Italy. We also visited the Kon Tiki Museum.  What a marvel that these men built a raft and sailed from Norway to the Pacific Islands.

Kon Tiki Museum:

Now to London, England, where the boat stayed for two days while people enjoyed going into London and seeing all the sites.  We have been to London several times and so we decided to go as far up the Thames and Greenwich.  This town houses the tower that all watches and clocks are set from - Greenwich Mean Time is the zero hour for our 24 hour clocks.  While on the hill where the Greenwich tower ball is located, we witnessed it setting the hour where the ball goes up the pool and then fall to indicate the exact hour of the day.

These are pictures from the Cutty Sark ship.  They have a museum with replicas of all the ship mascots that ride on front.  What a variety, including Theron.

Our next stop was Le Havre, France.  This is a gateway to Paris which we had also been to, so we decided to take a trip up the coast to a seacoast village called Entreat.  It was a beautiful town and the cliffs were enchanting.

This is a World War II ammunition bunker built by Germany.  It has pictures of what the town looked like before the Germans bombed it.  What wasted destruction.

Now to Bruges, Belgium.  We signed up for a waffle making class and then toured the city.  I love this town, it is so quaint.

The red house is where the waffle making class was held.

The last stop was Amsterdam, Netherlands.  We stayed here an extra day and interesting enough, Brent and Clair Padilla were ending their tour of Europe here and we met in the cheese shop.  We learned how windmills work, how to make wooden shoes, how cheese is made and how to ride the train from one end of the city to the other.  On the streets, there is a walking lane, a bike lane, a train lane and a car lane.  You have to look both ways for everything as bikes have a right of way and can come from any direction.

The inside workings of a windmill.

This picture was taken showing the bombings in Amsterdam during World War II.  The child alone symbolizes the devastation.

Adrian's 48th Birthday (August 7, 1975)

 We could not have hoped or wished for a more delightful daughter.  She has been a joy to our lives from here first moment in life.  We love you more than you will ever know!!  Now that her two boys have gone away from home (mostly) and Todd is at school or working, she travels with us.  She has always had a strange case of FOM - fear of missing out.  That is what makes her so special.

The Mine Trip July 2023

Curt and Adrian's Families wanted to take another trip to the Mine; so we did.  July 24th weekend as tradition dictates.  This year Adrian's neighbors The Crocketts came and it was fun reliving old memories and showing them traditional places - the overlook, the ice cave, and the actual mine.

What more can be said except in pictures to help our memories remember:

We are all ready to jump over the overlook -- Not!

It's so seldom we get to see Adrian and Todd together.  Adrian spent the first few days with us and Todd came up later; so glad he could make it.

At the Paradise Reservoir.  Todd even went swimming.

Always fun at the Dinosaur Quarry where Great, great grandpa Schaefermeyer worked.

 

Island Park - 2023 Family Reunion, July 4 - 10, 2023

 The family decided to go back to Island Park for our reunion.  Rich gave us the cabins and provided several OHVs for us.  Rich's only project was putting in some fence posts and fencing around the fish pond.  It was a little hard to plan things because everyone was coming up at different times and going home at different times.

Theron and I stayed with Brett and Lori Simonsen about 5 days longer because Ali was in Little Mermaid and this way we could drive down for that and then drive home.  It was longer than we wanted to stay but they got me out on the Russian River kayak ride.  After the first two or three rapids it was easy sailing and lots of fun.

Probably the most memorable part of the trip was our kayak trip.  When we started it was bright and sunny.  We slowly meandered down the river and watched as dark clouds moved in, the rain began, the rain continued, the rain became more powerful and by the time we pulled out we were cold and soaked.  We only saw two moose.

The best part of the trip was the family shirt - "This is my dysFUNctional  family shirt."  Marc had fun printing this.  We all wondered if the shirt was dysfunctional or the family was dysfunctional??  We still have questions.

Marc and Adrian selfie.

Everyone except Cameron.  Cameron is still serving the Lord in Georgia.

Brett's cabin in the woods.

Bringing This Blog Up-to-Date from April to June

Pur Pool Water

Theron and Shanna were busy the month of May running our business, Pur Pool Water.  We had three pools a week, steady.  That was all Theron wanted to do and it was enough to keep us busy.  When we purchased this business, it was with the intent on selling it - just bring it to St. George and have it around.  One evening, we invited Steve Harker, our neighbor from across the street, to dinner (His wife, Marlene, was in Hawaii taking care of her father.) and we mentioned we wanted to sell our business.  He said he knew a fellow that was interested.  Sure enough, his friend, Kevin Dueck, called us the next day and the rest is history.

He started going with us on the jobs and learning the business.  He started looking for funding.  He had his kids come look at the website and he looked at all our information.  By June 20, 2023, we had sold this little business.  Glad to get rid of it; but sad in a way to see it go.  It was fun meeting so many people and seeing the diversity that is around us.  Theron will continue to give technical support and we talk to him often.  We smile when he is having success!

The payment of the business let us pay off the new fifth wheel trailer and the Tesla.  It's now one of the few times we have been totally debt free.  If I can give advice to our children - get out of debt, get out of debt.

Bryce Canyon

On June 6 - 10, we pulled our trailer to Bryce Canyon.  Adrian was with us and Todd came a couple of days later.  Adrian had tickets to the Piano Guys outdoor concert there.

We took our electric bikes.  We had wanted to ride their bike trail for a number of years and this was a great opportunity to do so.  Adrian rented a bike and we rode about 20 miles.  It was so fun to be out on a bike again.

The next day, Theron and Adrian rode the mules into the canyon.  I have given up riding mules because of the rods in my back.  Well, they liked it so much that they scheduled a ride for the next day so Todd could go with them.  Two days of back to back riding.

This was really the first time we had spent much time at Bryce and it is a beautiful canyon and a wonderful place to camp.  As with all trips, there was a major accident, I did a fire dance around the fire pit - I didn't trip but I really racked my knee up.  I wore a brace for a few days and it has started to feel better.

When we left Bryce, Todd and Adrian came back and stayed with us for a few days.  They had Tuacahn tickets and Todd was able to work from our office.  It was a delightful time and warm days and nights.

Happy 21st Birthday Cameron!

 Cameron is having a great time serving his mission in Georgia, USA.  He has mastered Spanish and seems so full of the spirit that it emanates from his e-mails and phone calls.

For his birthday, Adrian put together this card to send along with some presents.  It's a true expression of how we all feel about his service.  The family is behind you Cam!!!

 Happy Birthday, Cameron.