Christmas for Claude in April...

For Christmas I gave Claude two Groupons. One of them was for an off-road drive on Black Mountain in Harlan County, Kentucky. We scheduled it for Monday, April 15th at 10am. Since it is a three hour drive from our home, we determined we would go up Sunday night and stay in Harlan so we could be rested for our 4-hour adventure on Monday. When I scheduled this through Ken Cridder, the owner of Black Mountain Adventure Tours, I told him we would come up on Sunday evening. He mentioned that he owned the Little Inn of Harlan. I checked it out on the Internet, picked the room we would like to stay in and called to make a reservation. His wife, Drenda, reserved the Coal Room for us. All was set.

Sunday we woke up to two rain showers that were pretty strong. Ken had promised to call if we needed to move the date due to bad weather. Claude and I went to Church. Then I visited with Papa. As we prepared to leave Georgetown, I received a call from Ken. He said the skies were clear and all was a go. As we left Georgetown, the sky was clear and there was a little wind. Then we headed south on I-75 to Corbin and turned west to Harlan. This turned out to be one horrific drive. The wind began to blow the Jeep all over the place. Fortunately, Claude is strong and was able to keep it on the road. The rain started to come down in buckets. We kept receiving text messages and eMail warnings about tornadoes in the cities we were driving past. We were very grateful to get to Harlan and find that Little Inn of Harlan. We were greeted by Drenda and she showed us to our room. We rested for a bit and then went out to find dinner at the local Pizza Hut. We dined on salads and bread sticks. Good meal. Then back to the Inn and another good visit with Drenda before retiring for the night. 

Monday Ken greeted us when we were going to leave and find breakfast. He said there was a lot of rain on Black Mountain and it might be a little warmer to wait till 11am for our drive. We visited with Ken a bit and then left to find breakfast at Hardee's before driving to Evarts where the trailhead is for our off-road trip. Ken was there with two Arctic Cat Side-by-Sides. Ken would drive one in front of us to lead the way. Claude would drive ours and try his best to follow where Ken drove. Ken was born and raised in Harlan County. He was a Highway Patrol officer and retired from the position. He knows and loves Harlan County. He also knows Black Mountain and was instrumental in the creation of the off-road trails park on Black Mountain. He knows the area very well. We were in for a wonderful adventure.

First, Ken took Claude on a brief ride to let him get used to driving the Arctic Cat we would be in for the next 4 hours. This also gives Ken a feel for how the person might handle the drive and which trails he might use.  While Ken and Claude did this brief drive, I roamed the parking area while Ghost, Ken's dog, observed my wanderings. Ghost would ride with Ken on the drive.

Once Claude was trained in how our Arctic Cat worked, we were off to tackle Black Mountain. We started on gentler slopes to our first pause for a photo op. It was exhilarating. At this stop Ken confirmed we were seeing coal seams along the sides to our trail. 

Then it was onward up the mountain.

There were level places where strip mining took place.  

We paused for a bit of a lunch break on the side of Black Mountain. This view is through a valley with Virginia in the distance.

Now we would climb up Black Mountain a little further. At this point we knew that Ken was pleased with Claude's ability to climb the mountain. He was taking us on trails that were more difficult.

We passed rocks left by miners that people have painted on. More coal seams in the mountain. Higher and higher we drove. 

One more pull over for a picture. 

Now for the final push to the top of Black Mountain. Due to the rains the day before, we enjoyed many puddles of water. Some seemed like small ponds. Ken pointed out the logs and the bark scraped off them. He told us this was from the black bears that live there. They tear the bark off looking for grubs in the wood. We had two really steep climbs. The final one was really big rocks up a steep hill. 

This put us at the top of Black Mountain, the highest elevation in Kentucky.  In the second picture you can see a level spot alone the top of the mountain. This level spot runs over several mountains. Ken explained its a huge coal seam in the mountain. The coal seams run like that through the mountains. I did not realize this. They would take these seams and strip mine right along them. Then restore them when the seam played out. 

This is Claude and me at the top of the mountain and then loaded up to head back down. 

This is the road we came up to get to the top of the mountain. We would have to take it and several others to go back down. That is the rule. You can get up the mountain but you must also go back down the mountain to get to the Jeep. 

As we went down Black Mountain I was able to get this picture of some of the steepest trails we saw on our ride. These trails were pretty much straight up. They reminded me of those videos you see on television of the competitions where people roll their vehicle as they try to climb an impossible hill. We did some steep roads but not quite like these. 

This was just the most fun. I remember yelling to Claude at one point that I felt young again. Ken said he could hear us laughing. I would highly recommend this to anyone interested. The mountain is also used by those with their own side-by-sides. You just get a permit to ride on it first. I'm going to post the flyer in case anyone reading this is interested. Lots of fun up on Black Mountain!

The Tour of Two Cemeteries

In a continuing effort to get Papa out and about, Tuesday, April 9th, I picked Papa up at the nursing home and off we went. I told him things were blooming as it was spring in Kentucky. I explained we would do a cemetery tour to enjoy all these pretty flowers. He was happy to do that.

Our first cemetery was Calvary Cemetery in Lexington. We just happened on to this one as it is across the street from the Lexington Cemetery which was our destination goal. This was a smaller cemetery. But the blossoms were great and we enjoyed it very much. 

Then it was across the street to the Lexington Cemetery. This is a very old and very large cemetery. The ground was covered with all these tiny flowers. It truly looked like a layer of snow was covering the ground in many places. I told Papa we were very fortunate to be there that day. It would not be long before someone would come along with a lawn mower and all these pretty little flowers would be gone. Papa's favorite color is pink and there were so many trees full of blossoms in many shades of pink. He was happy.

Then we were off to the Frankfort Cemetery. Again, a very old cemetery an quite large. We had lovely views of Kentucky's capitol across the Kentucky River from the cemetery. I was able to point out Daniel Boone's grave. We didn't get out of the car. Too hard for Papa to walk on these uneven paths. He was fascinated with the grave markers.

I posted these two pictures on Facebook. One friend commented that they have a baby buried in Calvary Cemetery. I shared with her that, as we drove through Lexington Cemetery, there is an area with lots of tulip beds. These were all in bloom. Out among these tulips was a young mother with her two little kids dressed in spring outfits. The mother had a very nice camera and was taking lots of pictures of her little ones playing among the tulips. I pulled my car to the side of the road and Papa and watched this mother and her little ones for a bit. Papa loves little ones. At one point the mother looked up and caught my eye. We grinned at each other. I couldn't help but note that we were at opposite ends of a life journey and drawing memories and peace from that beautiful place at those opposite ends of life. 

This was a great afternoon. I must confess that prior to taking Papa out for any ride, I say a little prayer to Heavenly Father to confirm the route or place we should travel to that day. The prompting came to do a cemetery tour. I give Heavenly Father full credit for this very positive outing with my earthly father. I am grateful both my Heavenly Father and my earthly father love and care about me.

Another great day.

General Conference April 2019...

Saturday, April 6th and Sunday, April 7th Claude and I watched the General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We totally enjoyed this General Conference broadcast from Salt Lake City and watched on the BYU-TV Channel. 

Here are a few quotes I noted as we watched:

• There is not a right way to do wrong things. (Becky Craven)
• Although we cannot be perfect we can be worthy. (Becky Craven)
• Faith also includes trust in God's timing. (Neal A. Maxwell)
• Walking the path of discipleship takes practice. (Dieter F. Uchtdorf)
• The most joy comes from the simple things of life. (M. Russell Ballard)
• If your ox is regularly in the mire, we strongly recommend you sell the ox or fill the mire. (Jeffrey R. Holland)
• Repentance is not an event, it is a process. (Pres. Russell M. Nelson)
• You don't earn a blessing. But you do have to qualify for it. (Dale G. Renlund)
• Christ heals wounds. Christ is rest. Christ is light to see. (Sharon Eubanks)
• We want to know about the Lord. We want to know the Lord. (D. Todd Christofferson)
• When the Holy Ghost is your companion, you can have confidence that the Atonement is working in your life. (Henry B. Eyring)
• I need to feed my spirit. (Pres. Russell M. Nelson)
• Salvation is an individual matter. Exaltation is a family matter. (Pres. Russell M. Nelson)
• Do it now. Time is running out. (Pres. Russell M. Nelson)
• God's love is immediate. (Kyle S. McKay)
• God's objective should be our objective. (Pres. Russell M. Nelson)

Great conference. Time well spent and my cup was fuller after watching all the sessions.

Spring Break for the Mini's...

The beginning of Hayden and Bailey's spring break was spent in Maryland with Michael's grandmother and his family. They were able to see the cherry blossoms in Washington, DC and eat at a Roy Rogers. Here are Michael and Hayden enjoying a burger together. 

The Marx family would return Tuesday evening. Bailey had an orthodontist appointment Wednesday morning. Claude and I drove to Shelbyville Wednesday afternoon and met Andie to pick up our Mini's to spend the next few days of their break with us. 

On the way home we stopped in Frankfort and had lunch at Taco Bell. Then we were off to the other side of I-64 south of Frankfort to introduce the Mini's to Josephine Sculpture Park. We went to Walmart first and picked up some paint markers for them to use. I posted before about Claude and my first visit to Josephine Sculpture Park. We really wanted the Mini's to have the opportunity to write on the wall there. Hence, the paint markers. They very much enjoyed getting to do this. Then we walked through a bit of the park on our way to the car. I sent Andie and Michael pictures as we drove home. Andie's response, "Everyone should have grandparents that teach them about horse racing and graffiti!" 

Thursday, April 4th, our outing would be to Frankfort. Claude had a KIA Board Meeting. We tagged along, dropped him off and headed into Frankfort in search of the Rebecca Ruth Candy store. We were able to tour the place where all the candy is made. At the end of the tour the Mini's were given a free piece of candy. It turned out to be Bourbon Balls. These were first made here. Those Mini's thought they were big things getting Bourbon Balls. I also had them each stretch a penny. They had a good time with this adventure.

We still had time before picking up Claude, off we drove to the Frankfort Cemetery. Our goal, to find the grave of Daniel Boone. The Mini's were fascinated with some of the head stones as this is a very old cemetery. The neat thing was seeing the Kentucky Commonwealth Capitol from Daniel Boone's grave.  

I thought we might make it to the Vietnam Memorial in Frankfort. This is the coolest tribute to those who lost their lives in Viet Nam. But, we got a text from Claude that he was just finishing up so we pointed the Buick toward where Claude was and then headed home after picking him up. Good day. Andie and Michael we proud of us for getting these two out two days in a row.

Friday, April 5th, would be our last full day with the Mini's. We slept in a bit. Then we packed these two up and headed to Williamstown, Kentucky to have them see the Ark Encounter. We toured the interior of the Ark and then walked to the Ararat Zoo for a bit. Tried to entice them into riding a camel but neither of them would. I totally enjoyed doing that in Egypt and was hoping to share that fun experience but they just didn't want to ride a camel. But, they enjoyed the Ark and Bailey was very happy being with animals. And, Claude and I got extra points from Andie and Michael for getting the kids out and about three days in a row.

In the evenings we watched several movies. We ate lots of foods the Mini's wanted. Happy they ate well on their solid foods so we could spoil them a little with the junk foods. Claude would drive them home Saturday morning after dropping me off to visit with Papa. It was a good spring break and the Mini's went home ready to rest after visiting Maryland and then touring some in Kentucky.

Finishing March 2019...

Saturday, March 23rd was a pretty busy day. 

I took these two picture of a rock and board that Claude has painted. This rock and board were picked up by Jake when he lived in Utah. He brought them with him when he moved to Michigan and they have been stored in our basement ever since. When Jake was home at Christmas, he went through his things that are stored here to pare them down a bit. He gave two items to his Dad and Claude went to work. He researched the place they came from and the years and found accurate information. Then he painted the rock and the board with that family history information. We will  keep the rock in our yard. Jake wants the board back to hang in his apartment. So happy to have these two bits of Claude's family history that Jake found and kept.

Both items are from Uncle Joe's cabin on property that is now owned by Thiokol. The building that the wood came from is now gone. Such treasures. Here is the bush by our driveway that we have put the rock under. I took these pictures of the bush this week when I noticed it produced little yellow flowers. I found it interesting that the flowers grow on the underside of the branches. 

Also this day, Claude added a luggage rack to the Jeep. We use this Jeep like a little truck. Claude has several projects that require long pieces of lumber. With this rack he can now strap them to the top of the Jeep to bring them home from Lowe's in Georgetown. I think they look very nice.

Claude has finished one other really nice project. Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Sadieville had a nice bell on top. In an effort to protect this historic building, the bell was removed and a new roof put on. Claude brought the bell home to clean it up and restore it. He has now finished that work. He made a sturdy wooden frame for it and ordered a plaque with a description of the bell and where it came from. The Georgetown Scott County Museum would love to have it. Claude is waiting for the new Mayor and City Commission from Sadieville to determine if they want to keep it or to give it to the Museum. Claude worked very hard and did an excellent job on this project.

This Saturday morning I drove to Lexington to attend the Lexington North Stake Relief Society Service Project. The project was to make fun hats for young children in hospitals. These were pre-crocheted caps. We took a kit with the hat and yarn. We attached the yarn to the hat and then styled the yarn hair. I was able to get the yarn attached to one of the caps before I needed to leave to spend time with Papa at the nursing home. It was a very fun activity.

After a nice visit with Papa, I returned home to change clothes. Claude and I were headed to Georgetown for the wedding reception of Victoria Alexander and Brandon Holt. It was a very nice finish to a very full day.

Debated whether to post this one or just keep it to myself. I have decided to record it in this Blog. I visit Papa everyday in the nursing home. On Monday, March 25th, I found Papa curled up under his blanket sound asleep. He is often asleep when I get there. I usually quietly sit beside him or put away his laundry or clear up around his bed till he wakes up. This day I just stood there for a good long while watching him all curled up in what is truly his only corner of the world. It is so hard to watch this. We spend our lives accumulating and building our own nests full of the things we like, want, need, enjoy, treasure, etc. When it comes to the end of our lives, we will take none of those 'things' with us. Our experience and learning, the type of person we have become, covenants we have made and kept with our Heavenly Father, those are the kinds of these that will go with us. Papa had all those things. Now he has this little space, pictures of family, a few books, a television and a few clothes in a closet. He treasures his walker that still lets him get around some. As I watched my father sleep, I was reminded of the reality of what is most important in life and what is really just to make life a little nicer for us to live. I will continue to visit him every day and try to fill his world with a little of those nice things until he takes the things that are really important from living his life with him when he graduates to the next step. This is real life folks, real life.

Okay, I'm headed into Kroger. As I left my car to walk across the parking lot, this is a car I past. I had to pause and take a quick picture. Sent it to my kids labeled "the worlds most awful job". Goodness. I could see parents using this as a poster for why one needs a good education!!

That same day was Nissa's birthday. This year I posted pictures of her when she was the ages her kids are now. In the first picture Nissa is Aubrey's age (her youngest), in the second picture she is Paul's age (her middle child) and in the last picture she is the same age as Katelyn (her firstborn). 

The next day was Paul's birthday. I just posted on Facebook these fun pictures from our Paul's life. In the second one I happened to catch his very first steps. In the third one he really wanted a donut but he didn't want to be sticky. Andie, his aunt and Nissa's sister, got some baggies and covered his hands. He was one really, really happy little boy with that donut he wanted so badly. Paul is on the sofa with a headache. Michael, Andie's hubby and Paul's uncle is sitting with him. We got him a baseball mitt for a birthday in the next picture. Then he is having a moment with Bo, the Marx family cat. Finally is a picture of Paul today with his beloved dog, Molly. Cute kid!

On Thursday, March 28th I was asked to help judge an activity at the nursing home. It was called 'Chopped'. Three of the residents with the help of three of the staff prepared desserts. There were a few mandatory ingredients and the rest was up to them. We judged them in three areas and each contestant won a trophy for one of those areas. The first two pictures are for Best Presentation. The second two pictures are for Best Flavor. The last two pictures are for Best Texture. This was a fun activity and well attended by other residents. 

Whew! We made it through March. So many other things happened but these are the ones I chose for this Blog entry.