I Think It's a Wrap!

20 Aug 2010--Yesterday, rainy and cold, was supposed to be the perfect day for lounging around guiltlessly...but NO, instead Cathy and I had to work on our washing machine that malfunctioned a few days before Marie left. This puppy weighs 165 pounds, so moving it around to work on it was not an easy undertaking. I keep telling Cathy that we are getting older, but she hasn't said "uncle" yet!




After moving and inspecting it, we realized 2 things: 1st was that the drum inside was loose, and probably had been for 10 months, and 2nd was that because it was loose it had banged metal against the wires that controlled the drain pump, causing a blowout of the pump.

Here you can see how confined the space was we were working in...truth be told, if Cathy wasn't so focused, I would have gladly paid someone else to fix it! haha Fortunately, after Cathy re-spliced the wires and attached them anew to the pump, we were able to salvage the machine.

When we got up this morning and went outside we noticed that the base was getting ready to honor our military folks with a "Nation's Defenders Picnic". If you click on the 1st pic you will see a fighter jet flying over by the mountains.

We headed down to Salt Lake City to the "This is the Place Heritage Park", probably our last sightseeing event in this area. Marie didn't seem to want to go here while she was visiting, but I think she would have liked it had she decided to go. It is a 450 acre park, with about 60 buildings that try to tell both the Mormon story and the story of the 1800s that everyone of that period would have experienced.

Of course, as you enter you see a statue of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, with a story telling you how Joseph Smith had seen Salt Lake City in a vision, and how Young led them there.

And inside the Visitor Center there is an extensive explanation of the Mormon involvement in the Mexican American War. What sort of surprised me was that if you read all this stuff, it tells you basically that our government needed the Mormon's help at the same time that the Mormons were trekking to Utah, and that Brigham Young used the situation as an opportunity to fund his journey. I guess you could call it "inspired", or "callous", depending on where you were coming from. I was most surprised by how they worded it here.

This is a really impressive monument to the pioneers of Utah...each area tells a story.

Up to this point we have been outside the "paid" area of the park. (We got the military discount, so it only cost us $9.00 total!) Here we are entering the park, under a replica of the entrance to Brigham Young's property.

This guy is sitting around waiting for someone to give a ride to, and this woman was actually spinning yarn to make something of...everyone here is in period costume, with some of the people being volunteers. I asked about the little kids in costume and was told they were all volunteers with their mothers.

All the buildings here have been reconstructed from other places, or replicas of others that were well-known buildings of their time. This building was built in 1866, and reconstructed here. Before the pioneers had an official bank, the church and local merchants acted as lenders. FUN FACT ALERT: The woman behind the cage told us that prior to the Civil War, there was no official US currency anywhere, so each bank printed its own money, backed up by silver and gold. If you wanted to move to another town, you had to try to get the bank to give you silver/gold, or you would be out of luck at the next town.

This is a one room house from the 1850s that housed a family with 10 kids. They told us that the 1st wife, who bore no children, was made to live outside in a "lean-to" attached to the house, and that boys of the era lived in the barns for the most part. In winter, they climbed to the attic area of the house, where it was a bit warmer.

FUN FACT ALERT: This girl told us where the saying "Good nite, sleep tight, don't let the beg bugs bite" comes from. Rope was used in the old days to hold up the straw-filled mattresses, and over time the rope would stretch, lowering the mattress to the floor and the bugs. So, they would tighten the rope (sleep tight) on the outside of the wood to lift the mattresses away from the bugs.

She also told us that in addition to hanging their seasonings from the ceilings, the old-timers hung lavender in all their houses because lavender keeps both flies and moths out of the house.

This school house had a copy of the original state flag as the pioneers wanted it to be. They wanted the state to be called "Deseret", and for this to be their state flag. The lady in costume was telling everyone how they used to use the paddle for discipline.

Cathy in different time periods. haha

The chair on top of the building is not a joke...they said a chair would be placed on top of a building to give an idea to those who couldn't read what was sold inside.

A grist mill with great scenery.

In the tin shop this kid was making a candle holder. All the people here can actually do/make whatever it is they are selling in their shops.

FUN FACT ALERT: This guy told us that any shop we see anywhere in Salt Lake City that has "Deseret" in the name is owned by the Mormon Church (Could be the whole state for all I know.) So when I bought those books a few days ago, I was inadvertently contributing to the LDS. haha

The highlight of the day was meeting Evelyn, a woman of about 80-85 years, who was delightful. Her father was actually raised in this house (she is pointing to him in the picture), one of 13 kids. It was originally built in 1880, in Leamington UT, and she and her family had it carefully removed and re-built here in Heritage Park in 2001. She volunteers here every Friday in the summer, and other family members donate time also. The former prophet (president of the LDS) Hinckley blessed the house...he was married to Evelyn's sister. She couldn't have been happier to talk to people who were interested in her story...I told her I was going to make her famous on my blog, and she was thrilled!!!

There were a few farm animals here...doesn't the pig look like he is smiling?!

Here is a stitch pic of the Salt Lake Valley as we look down on it from the park.

Finis!!! And on to the southeast/southwest of Utah starting on Monday.