Weekend of the 14th

This is a short narrative of the events of this past weekend and it's intended for my children. If you are not in the family I hope you can read it for what it is. Pam was in Denver and I missed her desperately despite the perfect assurance I had in my mind that nothing would happen regarding my call as stake executive secretary. For months I have had little twinges of "What If?" But I always put them behind me as nothing but listening to friends too much. That's a whole different story. I have been badgered for weeks about the change in the stake and I just wanted people to stop with it! I can't imagine anyone wanting to aspire to such a calling and I certainly did not.

When I met Elder Moon and Wood Friday evening the whole process began and they were wonderful. We had dinner as a presidency and wives with them at the Sagebrush Grill here in Monroe for the purpose of them getting to know us. Then Elder Wood and Elder and Sister Moon stayed with me in our home and they seemed to really enjoy being here. Sister Moon said it was just like going home. Saturday morning we had an hour long meeting with Elder Wood and Moon and they went over the process that would take place and the more they talked the more confident I was that nothing would happen with me. At 8:00 am the interviews began and we went all morning and into the early afternoon. They interviewed all the high council, bishops and past bishops and as I watched these men come and go I was amazed at how much talent and spiritual depth we had in the stake. Several times Elder Wood commented that we had the strongest high council he had ever seen. I don't know whether he was just flattering us or stating a fact, but they are wonderful men. Shortly after 2:00 pm I was in the clerks office with President Reid [the outgoing stake president] and Elder Wood and Moon came in and he said to me "This doesn't mean anything, but could we speak with your wife?" I can't begin to express the feeling that came over me. I knew what that meant and I almost broke down and couldn't hardly speak. I moved over to the phone and called Pam and when she answered I said "Elder Wood needs to speak with you." Well Pam had a conversation with Elder Wood and then I was called into the president's office and the call extended. My whole being screamed at me that I couldn't do this, but my mouth said "yes." They said some very nice things about me and the role I would play in the stake for the next few years. I just couldn't hardly contemplate it all. Well the next thing was counselors and strangely enough I knew who they would be and within 30 minutes they and their wives had been called interviewed and the presidency was set. They too were pretty overwhelmed and as we all met in the high council room for a few minutes they expressed their support to me and willingness to serve. The rest of the day was a blur as we went through priesthood leadership and the adult session but we got through the day and welcomed the arrival of your mother and Travis Saturday night. I can't tell you how much that helped.

Sunday morning the old presidency was released and the new presidency sustained and I don't know how the announcements were received throughout the stake, but I hope that we can be an effective presidency. When Elder Wood set me apart he gave such a wonderful blessing that I could hardly contain it. Hopefully the mantle will fall on me sometime. A special blessing for me was that Travis stood in the circle while I was set apart and that will always be a wonderful memory.

Now my children, I hope you know how much I love and appreciate each of you and the support you gave to me on sunday. You know all my faults and I hope and pray you will allow the power of the atonement to heal me also. I know that this calling will bless our family. I have already felt the goodness of the Savior in my life in special ways these past few days.

Love, Dad

Update for Pam

I apologize up front for those who look at this posting, for it is primarily to update Pam on what I am doing here in Monroe. I know most of you probably think that since I'm retired I sleep in till noon, go to Burger King for lunch and dinner and watch sports all night! Well some of that is true, but not all.

After a hard morning in the garden I came into the office to see about putting up the plaques and pictures that you and Johanna had laid out. The following pictures show the results of my work. I would have been watching sports on TV, but the cable has been down all afternoon. Some storm on Monroe Mountain!!!


I hope you like what I've done, if not we call always change it!

End of the Summer

Well it's time for an update on this last month of the summer. What's very important is that school has started and I'm at home! I haven't given it much thought. It's nice being home without the worry of homework, lesson prep, and dealing with disrespectful students. I do miss the good students and the fun they bring to the day.
Well we are struggling to get in enough golf. Here we are at Spanish Oaks, at the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon. We planned to golf at Nephi, but they were having a tournament, so we just kept going north until we found a course where we could get on. Wonderful course, but lightning fast greens with more undulation that I have ever seen before.
Here's Pam hitting a 280 yard drive.
Here's where that drive ended up, chipping for an eagle!!
Well no eagle, maybe a birdie...no maybe a par...no well just get it in the hole.
For some time I have been looking to replace the old Sansui Receiver that I've had in the entertainment center. It was on it's last legs and the left and right channels were bad. So I went to trusty ebay and found this 1970's vintage Kenwood for $35.00 and when I got it installed it worked beautifully and everything worked. Both records, cd's and radio sounds great.
With summer comes a garden and with a garden comes processing. Here is the result of our corn harvest, 51 pints of corn and it was wonderful as usual. I pulled up all the plants this week and so the corn is over, but there's still beans, potatoes, carrots, beets, and tomatoes. Unfortunately the season is almost over and I don't know whether some of the veggies will mature or not. We also have a couple of peach trees that are loaded and we can't wait for them to mature.
Aunt Win is back at sorting through boxes and boxes and sacks and sacks of cards, letters and other memorabilia that Diane graciously allowed her to have?? Next Monday we will be moving her up north to an apartment she rented in a senior center. She is looking forward to this move and so our her kids and granchildren. She will be with minutes of all of them. This is a big move for Aunt Win, but we are confident she is ready to get back into circulation and the activities and people at this center will certainly keep her active and involved.
Here's our master bedroom and this is the result of too many nights in a hotel with a king sized bed. Pam talked us into buying a new bed and I have to admit it is really wonderful to sleep on. Occasionally Pam rolls over and lets me know she is in the same room with me. For those of you who wonder about the old bed - it is on the frame in Alex's room, so that bed is now a good bed!
Here's Andrew and Haley in our basement playing with Constructs. Johanna and her children flew in last Wednesday for a visit and then they will return to Denver with Pam next week. For some reason I thought this was just a visit, but no Pam and Johanna and Erin had big plans. For the past couple of days they have been storming through the foyer, hallway, stairs, Alex's bedroom and finally the office. They have painted and sprunced up each of these areas and the following pictures are of some of the new window treatments in the foyers and dining room and also the new painting and fixing up in the rooms I mentioned. I also got the return done on the hand rail and it is finally legal after 16 years.
Now that all the work is over it's time for some relaxation for the girls.
Well that's it for awhile. Next week will be a busy time for us all as we move Aunt Win and send Pam to Denver to help out with Alex and Cynthia and their new baby. We can't wait for that blessed event and I'm sure Cynthia can't wait also.

Weekend of the 16th of August

The weekend of the 16th of August began with a trip to Erda where Aunt Win spent the night with her son Jeff. Pam and I proceeded into Salt Lake and took a nostalgic drive down 7th west out to Sandy where we had a hotel room booked for the night. In the evening we attended a wedding reception for a friend of Erin's and it was unique in that Pam made Emily's wedding dress and it was very, very beautiful. This is Westons beautiful photo in the Joseph Smith Building, I hope you don't mind Weston - it's the dress!


The next day we attended the 90th birthday for my Aunt Elva, Dad's sister. She has always been a wonderful Aunt, full of vitality and enthusiasm. If we ever attended a Cottle function, Aunt Elva was there.

Erin and Kate are being introduced to Aunt Elva and Kate was very interested in this lady!

Uncle Walt, Dad's youngest brother, and Pam visiting.

Pam visiting with Marba and Paul Thompson, who used to live in Richfield. Marba is my cousin and is Uncle Merlin Cottle's 2nd daughter.

This is my sister Dixie and it was so good to see her again. She lives in Orem, but do you think we stop very often? We've got to do better. She was my protector when I was a little kid.

Pam and Aunt Win visiting with Aunt Elva.

Pam and Aunt Elva. Her husband Lelsie died last year at age 89 and she is going strong and her daughter Rosanne, said she was doing very well and seemed to be as sharp as a tack. The family is very musical and Darrell, Elva's son, and his children played beautiful music throughout the afternoon.

In the evening Pam, Aunt Win, and I along with Erin, Weston and Kate drove to Highland and attended the wedding reception for Michael and Camille DeVries, held in the Hadley's chapel. It was a wonderful affair and it was especially nice to see all of Ann and Sherwood's daughters and families and visit with them.

Also of note on Saturday Aunt Win took a tour through the South Town Ranch senior home, where Uncle Dave lived for a year, and made a decision to put some money down on a very lovely 1 bedroom apartment. It was a wonderful place and perfect for someone like Aunt Win. She met a lot of lovely people who were very interested in when she was going to move in. We hope this will be a good move for her, getting her back into the Salt Lake area where she will be close by her children and grandchildren.

So that's our weekend and we had to hurry home for sunday's activities.

24th of July

Pam and I have had a wonderful couple of weeks before and after the 24th of July. Since returning from Denver we have spent much time in our yard trying to get it back into shape and harvesting some of the garden as it matures. Thus far the beans are coming on as have the beets. We are looking forward to the corn and hope we have a good crop.

The honor guard of the American Legion began the 24th of July festivities and we enjoyed the parade with Erin and Kate. Jennifer and her children Drew, Kali and Megan were also with us but on this day were enjoying a family reunion with Jennifer's family here in the Monroe area.


We had a few wonderful entries, besides sport teams and cars, that reminded us of the meaning of the 24th of July. Our great heritage of pioneers who came to this country to enjoy religious freedom and at the request of their leaders. They sacrificed and endured beyond anything we could imagine and we are grateful to them for their example.

Pam worked a booth for the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers and Erin and Kate aided her in selling tickets to a beautiful quilt raffle. Kate was so cute and I got to walk around the grounds showing her off to all of my friends.

Following the 24th of July Jennifer and her family left us for home and Tom and Johanna and their family arrived. We spent a lot of time on the golf course, both here at home at the Richfield course and on Tuesday the 29th of July we went up to the Palisades Golf Course in Sterling and enjoyed this beautiful course. Words can't describe how well we played !!!

Kate is sitting in an antique high chair used by many generations. I added a new tray and was able to re-glue and paint this wonderful piece of furniture and hope it provides many more years of use.
Tom and Johanna and their family left for the Wood family campout on Wednesday and Pam and I went north to Springville and brought Aunt Win home. She has been staying with her son Jeff and also niece Jacki for the past couple of weeks.

Denver Trip

Well on Monday the 7th of July, Pam and I got the urge to take a trip to Denver to see our grandchildren and get away from phones and duties. We arranged for Aunt Win and on Tuesday morning we were winging our way along I-70 enjoying the scenes across the San Rafael Swell and enduring Utah east of Green River. Our first plan was to stop in Fruita, Colorado and play some golf at the Adobe Creek layout and we were not disappointed. We got a room at the LaQuinta Inn and it was really, really hot so we planed to play golf the next morning. That we did the next morning, playing the Mesa Course and it was a lot of fun. Unfortunately when we concluded our round the van wouldn't start. You know the routine - "click, click, click." A man from the golf course came to help us but the van wouldn't jump start and he thought our starter was gone. Thankfully USAA came to the rescue for us and a tow truck took us to a local auto repair facility in Fruita. They couldn't get to us that day but a lady in the shop drove us back to the Comfort Inn and we got a room for the night. the next morning we got a call about 9:30 am and they happily reported that the problem was the battery cable and he repaired it and in an hour we were checked out of the hotel and on our way to Denver. We stopped in Silverthorne for an hour and shopped and then continued on to Denver.

For the next five days we enjoyed out family in Denver. Unfortunately it seemed that every time we had a family gathering my camera was somewhere else, so I didn't get many pictures. But the following were shots when we went to a softball game where Andrew's ward team played.

We were able to visit with each of our families in their homes and enjoy their hospitality. We especially enjoyed staying with Andrew and Sarah and we enjoyed Jane and Reynolds very much. Friday evening we had a family get to gether at Tom and Johanna's home [minus Travis and Jennifer and their family who were out of town]. It was a lot of fun watching all the interactions between the adults and the children. Saturday afternoon we had a large golf outing with Pam and me, Travis and Drew, Alex, Andrew, Tom and Spencer. It was a lot of fun. Sunday Pam and I attended sacrament meeting with Alex and Cynthia in their ward and then attended the block with Travis and Jennifer and Andrew and Sarah in their ward. Both meetings were good and we enjoyed watching our children's involvements in their wards. Monday Travis and I played another round of golf and then Monday evening some of the family got together again at Tom and Johanna's for root beer floats.

It was a wonderful five days and today we are on the road again, back in Fruita where we played another round of golf. Tomorrow we will complete the saga back to Monroe and hope everything is fine there.

p.s. Well tomorrow has happened and I needed to add to this post because it didn't finish like we thought. Wednesday morning we left Fruita and drove to Green River and stopped to play the golf course in the middle of town. When I paid the fee the man said the bugs were pretty bad today. We had repellant and I figured we would be all right, but who would have known the extent of the mosquitoes and knats. It was like playing in a fog at times. On the brighter side, the course was really beautiful and I really want to go back at a time when the bugs are to bed. It was nestled right along the Green River and the fairways and greens were lush and interesting. Oh yeah the cost was good also - $10.00 for nine holes. We played the fastest round of golf in history and when I went to put the clubs in the van I reached for the keys and guess what? They were in the ignition. Not doing well with the van this trip. Anyway the lady in the clubhouse call the local sherrif's office and a man came over and got us unlocked and we were off. Everything was fine at home and I think even Sidney was happy to see us!

Spring has finally Sprung!

With Spring comes the hope of a good garden. We haven't grown one for a couple of years but this year we felt the need to have one and it is growing beautifully and hopefully we will have a good crop of corn and beans. Because of the cool spring we missed the pea season and now it is too hot.
This is a shot down the raspberry patch and iris. Our orchard is also taking shape and the four fruit trees are doing very well. Maybe in five years or so we'll reap the benefit of these trees.
The Columbine's are beautiful right now.
As is our Catalpa tree. It is in full bloom and is always a treat. We also planted another Catalpa tree this year on the other side of the yard. Hopefully it will grow as beautifully as this one.
Another wonderful opportunity we are enjoying is having Kate with us. And I mean with us! Erin and Weston are celebrating their 4th wedding anniversary in Las Vegas and we hope they are having a good time, because we are. This is at 7:00 am Friday morning after a complete night's sleep. What a girl!
Here are some more shots of our beautiful center island. In the early morning light everything is so idillic. The flowers, greenery, and trees.





But finally here's cute little Kate enjoying her grandmother and I think Pam is enjoying Kate also. We close with a shot of the latest full moon rising over Signal Peak to the east. Everything is going well for us in Monroe. I do get a little tired of all the questions about retirement. I believe there will be a life after the "R" word. Aunt Win is doing well and she bought a car last Tuesday. We have discussed this with her for some time and finally we went looking and found a wonderful Taurus at Jorgensen's that would take care of her. It gives her the freedom to go and come as she likes and not feel so dependent on us. We are encouraging her to stay local, but I wouldn't be surprised with a trip north some time. She likes Cafe Rio also!! Pam got the "all clear" on her foot last Monday from Doctor Smith. He said everything looked good and it does. We are amazed at how well it has healed and looks and slowly Pam is getting back to normal. Now if we can get back on the golf course!!