SEPTEMBER BRINGS OUR ANNUAL TUACAHN THEATER NIGHTS AND THE BEAUTIES OF FALL

 Each September, we look forward to traveling to St. George to watch the three musicals put on by the Tuacahn Theater. This year was no exception. We left for St. George after our temple shift on Friday, the 15th. We stayed with Ryan and Katie for Friday and Saturday nights. While there we were able to see Nathan play in a footfall game and a soccer game as well as watch Grace in the theater production of Newsies. 

Nathan made 2 touchdowns and 2 extra 
points in this game.

Kicking the ball

Grace was in this scene dancing and singing

She also played a nun

On Sunday, we went to church and came home to bake the Outback bread I had rolled out earlier in the morning. When it was done, we all piled into two cars and drove to Pine Valley to see Ryan and Katie's cabin which they had bought a few months prior. Lauren and her boys were staying at Ryan and Katie's for the weekend, too, so they drove with us. The weather was at least 20 degrees cooler which will be a nice respite for the Millars during the hot summers in St . George. The cabin is a work in progress but we could see its potential. It's on a half acre which will give the family lots of room to play. They are so excited to have a place for a retreat from the business of life. Julia has already had a group of friends drive up to enjoy the cabin and cooler weather.

The cabin

The kids playing some football

When we returned, Paul and I left Ryan's to go check in at the Worldmark Estancia for the rest of our stay in St. George. After checking in, we went to Don and Dana's home to meet the Fullers and the Bulkeleys who were traveling in from Heber and Alpine. Dave and Suzette joined us, while we were fixing dinner, and surprised us with Darrell being with them. We were told Darrell might come but didn't think it would happen. We were all glad to see him as it had been years since we have been with him. He lost his wife, Wanda, a few years back and has had a hard time adjusting to life without her. Ed and Debbie joined us later that evening as they were coming from Idaho and couldn't get away until the afternoon.

Our Sunday dinner of green salad, tri tip, garlic potatoes, and corn
on the cob (from our garden) as well as the Outback
bread and raspberry butter I had made earlier that day. 

For this family get together, Ed and Debbie and Sam and Kathy stay at Don and Dana's while Deon and Gary stay with us at the Worldmark condo. On Monday morning, the Fullers and ourselves drove out to Pine Valley as Deon and Gary wanted to see Ryan's cabin. We stayed there for a while, drove out to the little lake close by and then headed back to St. George. On the way, we decided to drive through Snow Canyon State Park. We had never done that before and were glad we took the time to do so as it was beautiful. After lunch at Freddie's, we went to Ryan and Katie's home so Deon and Gary could see that too. They had seen it when it was being built but not the finished product. They loved both the cabin and the home.

Snow Canyon

It was then time to join the rest of my family at Don and Dana's to make our own pizzas for dinner. Don has a pizza oven in his bake yard so this has become a tradition. We brought two fruit pies from a little pie place in Veyio just down from Pine Valley. Ryan had said the pies were really good and he was right. Everyone enjoyed their pizzas and the pies. After dinner, we all left for the Tuacahn theater to watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was a wonderfully fun production with the most incredible background graphics. We are always amazed what they can do with the LED screens they are now using.

Tuesday was a special day. Most of us met at Tiffany's Creperie for a late breakfast. Everyone loved it so that will become another tradition when we get together for out Tuacahn experience. Paul and I split a breakfast crepe of a poached egg, avocados, and Canadian bacon covered with a hollandaise sauce. We also split a sweet crepe which was absolutely delicious, too.

We went back to the condo to change into Sunday clothes and, then, met everyone at the St. George Temple. We had tickets for the open house  of the newly designed temple. We were so glad we could see the beauty inside this temple. The decor was right in keeping with the age of the temple and was incredibly beautiful. We felt like we had stepped back in time as we walked through each room. The baptismal font took our breath away with it's elevated font and black and gold decoration. We stayed around to take lots of pictures to record our all being together at this historic site.

Dave and Darrell together again

 It was a baked potato bar for dinner before heading back to the Tuacahn theater for the  production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The story line was a little dark but the performances of the 5 main characters were out of this world. The main character had played as the phantom in Phantom of the Opera on Broadway as well as the Jen Valjon in Les Miserable. That was the caliber of the singers who performed and it led to an incredible performance. This production got an immediate standing ovation as the last scene ended. So enjoyable.

Our last full day in St. George, was spent relaxing in the hot tub at our condo before cleaning up to meet everyone at a taco restaurant right next to Alumni Creamery. We had lunch and then had to have an ice cream cone. We were all really full but couldn't pass up the deliciousness of BYU ice cream. 

At the taco restaurant

BYU ice cream!!!!

All too soon it was time for dinner. Sam and Kathy had purchased chicken pot pies from a store that specializes in pies. Along with a green salad and sourdough bread, dinner was delicious even though we were all so full. While we were eating, a storm blew in and inundated St. George with a huge rainstorm complete with lots of thunder and lightening. We wondered if the night's production of Tarzan would be able to be performed. We waited for the storm to calm before we took off for theater. At the theater, we waited for about 45 minutes before it was announced that the production would be performed. It was about an hour late getting started but it was an entertaining performance and worth the wait. Thursday morning, we all packed up and headed for home. A fun get away with family.

Instead of going straight home, Paul and I drove to Sandy to meet Jon and Mindi at Bingham High. Jaiden had a football game. Jon and Mindi had some business appointments in Salt Lake on the weekend so they flew in a day early so they could watch Jaiden play his game. We were glad we could come too as we had wanted to see him play. His JV team only played the first half of the game, with the sophomore team playing the second half. (Their game had been canceled) We weren't too sad to only be able to see Jaiden play half of a game as we were able to get home earlier that evening. We had been gone almost a week and had some things to do to get ready for our temple shift the next day.

At the first of the month, Paul and I went to the Cougar luncheon to hear Coach Satake speak about our football team's chances in the Big 12 conference. We enjoyed a lunch provided by Tucahnos after which we listened to the coach. He was optimistic about our season. The best part of the afternoon, for me, was seeing my dear friend Jan Holiday. We hadn't seen each other for several months so it was good to be with her again.

That weekend, it was time for another football game. Todd was able to come to this game and came to visit with us before the game started. That was great as we hadn't seen him for a couple of weeks. The game was in the afternoon so during the first half it was very hot sitting in the stands. By the second half, the shade came onto our side of the stadium and then the clouds rolled in to cool everything off a bit. Thank goodness. We won the game.

Ready for the game - ourselves, the Fullers, and the Bulkeleys

Also happening this month, was Paul having a colonoscopy and endoscopy. He had been complaining about discomfort in his abdomen so he wanted to get it checked out. He spent the day before prepping for these procedures, eating only Jello and beef broth along with his Gatorade mixed with Miralax. It wasn't the best day for him but worth it when the procedures were all done and the doctor said there was nothing to be concerned about. We were both relieved.

We have been amazed at how quickly the hills around Heber have turned red. In Heber, we even had our first freeze and there's been a definite chill in the air.  Provo Canyon's colors were brilliant this year, too. Absolutely gorgeous. Fall has come to Utah.

The Heber side of the mountains

Provo canyon has never looked so beautiful

That about covers our month of September except for a few memes that caught my eye.

A MONTH OF TRAVEL AND FAMILY - WHAT COULD BE BETTER

 We started our month out with a long awaited trip with the Fullers to Colorado. We took this trip two years ago. We wanted the Fullers to see this beautiful country, so we booked it again last year. We had to cancel that trip because Gary had an issue with his eye and couldn't go into high altitudes. We booked the trip this year and it finally happened. We started our trip with a stop at Freddy's in Vernal as we all love their steak burgers. We drove onto Steamboat Springs where we took a break to get an ice cream cone at our favorite ice cream store there. (They have the best huckleberry ice cream.) We then proceeded to our first destination in Colorado, Granby. We unpacked, went shopping, and had a Mexican dinner at the condo before watching a movie.

The next day, we drove to Grand Lake where we hoped to have a nice relaxing stay, sitting on the beach and enjoying the beauty of the lake. The problem was that there was a cold breeze which made that impossible to do. We walked along the boardwalk and then drove to Main street to find a place to have lunch. We found a delightful little deli where we could eat outside in the sun. We drove some roads trying to drive around the lake but none of them went completely around the lake. We returned home for dinner and another movie.

On Wednesday, we left Granby to drive to Estes Park on the other side of the Rocky National Park. We drove through the park stopping at many of the view areas to see the amazing vistas of Mother Nature. At the summit, we spent a little more time even though it was very cold and windy. It took most of the day to drive through the park. We arrived at the World Mark resort in Estes Park and enjoyed a relaxing evening going out to dinner at Tony's Pizza and another movie.

We found the best view of the Grand Lake on our
way to the National Park entrance

At a resort overlooking Grand Lake

Gary took this picture for his grandson, Kyle, who
has enrolled in fire fighter school.

An old cabin seen along the drive through the park

At the summit

We finally found a place for a picnic lunch which
we had packed.

Thanks to this lovely family traveling from Mexico, 
we were able to sit at a table as they were willing
to share theirs with us.

While we were checking in at the resort in Estes Park,
we spotted this live bear just outside the resorts pool area.

The first full day in Estes Park, we drove back into the park through the East entrance. We wanted to drive the Old Fall River Road back to the summit. It was a dirt road with steep drop offs along the way. Our car was filthy by the time we got the top, but it was an exciting drive.

Another picnic at a beautiful campground just outside
the Old Fall River Road

The drive up the dirt road

We stopped at Chasm Falls and
Paul and I walked
down for a view of the falls.

At the summit

We then drove to the lower loop road that included Bear Lake. We walked to the lake and took some photos before returning to our condo for dinner, and of course, another movie.

We had one more day in Estes Park, so we decided to explore the darling town. There is a river that runs through the town and many quaint shops along the main street. We first drove to the Stanley Hotel, a beautifully restored hotel. This hotel was built by the man who designed the Stanley Steamer. He came to Estes Park, to try and improve his failing health. He felt so much better after spending a few months there, he returned every year thereafter. He built the hotel to bring some of the big city feel to the little town. It and the health benefits of the mountain air, brought many visitors to Estes Park. The hotel inspired Stephen King's novel, the Shining. In honor of that book, there is a maze in the front of the hotel for guests to try and find their way through it. (We were told that in the ending scene of the book, the villain dies trying to find his way out of a maze.) We walked the maze and found it rather easy as the bushes are still small. When they get bigger it will be much more difficult.  We drove around to Estes Lake before going to Subway in town. It was located in the beautiful town plaza where the river runs through.

Note the back of a Stanley Steamer automobile
sitting in the lobby of the hotel built by Mr. Stanley.

Paul looking at the menu for the hotel's
restaurant. A Filet Mignon is $102. All
the sides are in addition to that base price.

At the back of the hotel where you can eat 
at tables outside.

Looking out from the front balcony of the hotel

The maze

In the maze

A statue of Mr. Stanley which stands
within the maze.

Lake Estes

Walking around the town plaza filled
with restaurants and shops.

The river that runs through the town

The cougar in the background getting ready
to attack - just kidding.

That evening, we watched the British Pageant which Charlotte had been involved in for the past few weeks in England. It was an amazing performance and a great testimony builder.  We were reminded of the sacrifices our fore fathers made to establish the church in America. I was in tears during the finale when all the fulltime missionaries joined the cast on stage to sing the final number. The whole production was incredible. We were so glad we could see what Charlotte had been involved with while in England.

We left Estes Park, the next morning and drove to out last stop in Colorado, Steamboat Springs. We tried to find somewhere to eat lunch in the town but ended up eating cheese and crackers in the back of our car sitting in the church parking lot. Of course, we had to have another ice cream but were disappointed that the ice cream was so soft we had to eat it fast. It still tasted good but couldn't be relished. That night we went to a Mexican restaurant to celebrate Gary's birthday which was the next day.

Our last day before heading home was Sunday. We went to church, fixed nachos for lunch, drove around the city, and had Dairy Queen ice cream cones before coming home to fix Sunday dinner. We had tri tip with all the trimmings for dinner and celebrated Gary's birthday, again, with a small lemon cake, complete with candles to blow out. Another movie, ended our day. We left for home the next morning, stopping again at Freddy's in Vernal for lunch. A mighty fun trip.

We got a call from Faye McQuire, the day after we returned, to tell us he had a box of Lodi apples for us from his trees. Those apples make the best applesauce so for two days I was canning applesauce, not the easiest procedure, but well worth it. I canned 25 pints of applesauce and made a batch of Paul's mom's delicious apple cookies to finish out the apples.

The week after we got home, we had to put the finishing touches on a ward activity - a barbecue and movie in the park at the Crossings.  We shopped for the hamburgers, hot dogs, buns and potato chips at Costco, then locally for the condiments like mayo, pickles, lettuce, and tomatoes. Flyers were printed and distributed in the neighborhood as we wanted to invite even the non members in our area. The movie screen and projector were set up mid week to make sure it would all work out to show a movie in the park. The activity was on that Saturday night. We worried about the weather as there were storm clouds all around the area. It rained in Park City at 3:00 and at 4:00 there was a downpour, just up the road from us in Timber Lakes. We didn't even have a sprinkle in the afternoon and by 6:00 we had blue skies above us. The Lord was looking out for us and answering our prayers. We had a wonderful turnout for the party and everyone had a great time, based on the comments we received the following day at church. The food was good and we had just about the right amount, except for lettuce and tomatoes of which we had too much. We wouldn't make the effort to have a movie again as it was late when it finally got set up and many parents took their children home before it even started. It was a good idea but we found the children created their own activities to do to keep them involved after dinner.

 

Serving table all set up

Getting read to cook hot dogs and hamburgers

The movie being set up. The sound was a problem for
a while so the movie got started later then we had planned

Also on that weekend, we had Todd and Kailee and their family come spend the night on Friday. We watched the children while they went to Park City for dinner at Ruth's Chris. Todd's company gave him a two night stay at condo along with gift certificates for $800, hence the date night to Ruth Chris. The condo was a bit small for their whole family so Todd and Kailee came back to our home to spend the night with their kids. The next morning, I fixed a sourdough waffle breakfast before Todd and Kailee took off for a couple's massage, also compliments of the company. We had a good time watching the children that morning before taking them to Park City to meet Todd and Kailee. They were going to ride the roller coaster and alpine slide there but the rain started to so they grabbed lunch and went home.

We all watched a movie, Sing 2, that evening,
with popcorn, of course.

And, of course, I had to bake cookies
with the children in the morning -
a tradition at Grandma's home.

Sunday was Todd's birthday so they came back up to Heber for a birthday dinner of pot roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, beans and corn from our garden, and ice cream cake from Dairy Queen for dessert. All of those things are Todd's favorites. We loved spending his actual birthday with him and his family. 

Happy Birthday, Todd

Before having Todd's birthday ice cream cake,
 Aria got my round brush stuck in her hair.
Thank goodness for Kailee's patience 
as she carefully pulled Aria's hair out of the brush
strand by strand. At first we thought we'd have to cut it out.
Thank goodness we didn't have to do that.

By the end of the month, Andrea brought her college age girls back to school. They arrived on a Tuesday afternoon and spent till Saturday early morning. She was able to get everyone moved in on Wednesday so the rest of the week was spent shopping to set the girls up with groceries and other items needed to help them get started with the new school year. Tuesday and Wednesday everyone spent the night up in Heber. Thursday night it was just Andrea, Allison, and Charlotte and, by Friday night it was just Andrea. She got up and left by 6:00 Saturday morning to make the long drive back to Oregon in one day.  Gratefully, Andrea's friend, Kelly Stockford, drove with her so she didn't have to drive back home by herself. I loved being able to spoil everyone with good food each evening. Andrea loves coming at this time of year because of all the produce from our garden that is part of our meals - corn, beans, beets, and potatoes to be specific.

On Thursday, Andrea and Allison had some time before they could pick up Charlotte and come back up to Heber, so they drove to Pleasant Grove to show Allison where Paul grew up. When she got to the place where the house was she called to tell us that the house was no longer there - at least most of it was gone. It seems that whoever owns the property now is doing a total remodel. They are building on the same foundation and have left part of the garage, the back bedroom and the bedroom upstairs. It was kind of sad to see the pictures as that house held a lot of memories for all of us.

Note the one car garage, still intact.

The back bedroom window

The upstairs room where Paul and Derrill slept.

Right after Andrea left, Ryan and his family came to Heber. They arrived in the early afternoon so they could go to the BYU football game that evening. (Katie had brought Julia up on Friday to enroll her into an ACT practice class at BYU. It lasted till Monday early evening.) When everyone arrived on Saturday, I fixed a Mexican pizza for lunch which was a big hit. We visited for the afternoon until it was time to go the football game. We won the game but it wasn't pretty. 

A photo taken after the game when the
players circle the field to take selfies with the fans.

Sunday, Charlotte, Allison, Maggie, and Kacey joined us for Sunday dinner. I fixed ham with all the trimmings. Everyone seemed to love the dinner and we all had a great time visiting together. It is fun to have our college grandchildren back in Provo. I love spoiling them with a wonderful Sunday dinner. Allison claims she eats nothing on Sunday so she can eat a lot when she comes up here.

I love having our Sunday dinner table full again.

We had a few doctors appointments this month. Paul had been experiencing stomach pains a few hours after eating for a while now so he wanted to have a colonoscopy and upper GI to find out what could be causing this. In order to schedule these, he had to see the doctor's physicians assistant which he did. He now has those procedures scheduled for mid September. Paul also had an issue with a pinching in his goin, probably due to a mesh that was inserted when he had a hernia operation a few years ago. We went to see a doctor about that at the end of the month and, of course, the pain in his groin had gone away. The doctor said it could be one of many things and if it returned to come back in for an ultra sound. So far there has been no more pain, thankfully.

One other thing that happened  this month was a new calling for Paul. He was called to be an assistant shift coordinator at the temple. He has been a shift coordinator before so he knew what this calling would entail. One good thing is that there is another person who does the scheduling of the workers. Paul shouldn't have to worry about being called at the last minute when workers can't make it for their shift assignments. That was the biggest headache about being a shift coordinator.  He'll be wonderful as he has such an easy way with people and the workers love him.

I'll end this month's post with a picture of this beautiful rainbow seen while traveling toward the canyon one morning. Heber is such a picturesque place to live.