I'm Going There Someday...

Yesterday our family had the opportunity to travel to Rexburg, Idaho to tour the newly completed but not yet dedicated LDS Temple. 180,000 people will come to visit the temple during the month long open house. It was a blustery, snowy day, making the roads a bit treacherous and snowpacked, but it was well worth the trip.

The temple sits on a hilltop next to BYU Idaho, making it visible from miles around.

Ground was broken on July 30th, 2005, the open house began December 29th, 2007, and the dedication ceremony will be February 3rd, 2008.

The 57,504 square foot building stands 168' 9" tall, measured to the top of the golden Angel Moroni statue - which itself is 10' 8" tall. It will be the church's 125th operating temple worldwide - the 3rd in Idaho, including the Idaho Falls, and Boise temples, and coming soon to Twin Falls.

The exterior consists of a quartz rock finish which was mined in Washington State. There are 700 art-glass window panes created by Utah artist Tom Holdman. The interior includes hand painted murals by Leon Parson, wood trim imported from Africa, and other stone & tile imported from Israel. Many of the stained glass windows and interior finish detail include a local flavor or agricultural motif, including local wildlife and landscapes - such as fields of wheat and the Teton Mountains. http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,5143,695239429,00.html

The finish detail and craftsmanship inside and out is inspiring. The open house tour reminded me of when I went through the Seattle temple open house and attended the dedication ceremony as a 15 year-old. It's not every day that you get to tour nearly every room of a temple with your entire family - including three teen-age boys!

The next to the last picture in this posting is mine - the other beautiful shots are courtesy of Rick G. Wallace - Thanks Rick! http://www.pbase.com/rwallace/temples

Hot Air Launch!

Christmas night we launched our traditional hot air balloon.

The homemade airship, consisting of balsa wood, tiny birthday candles, and a thin clear garbage liner was tugging at Landon's fingers to be released skyward.

Conditions on launch (our driveway) were perfect for the flight. It was clear, cold, with no perceptible breeze at ground level. Upon release, the balloon climbed quickly,

to about 500' directly overhead. It then reached a layer with a slight south breeze which carried it a few miles to the north. The flight lasted 8 or 9 minutes, at which point it was pretty well specked out at a couple grand, looking more like a bright, new star. It flickered as it gradually disintegrated, and then self-extinguished.

The successful moonlit flight was a nice end to a long, busy, enjoyable Christmas day!

White Christmas

Christmas eve through Christmas morn' brought about 8-9" of new snow to our valley! It made the drive home from Grandma & Grandpa's a bit tricky, but we made it safely in time for Santa. Christmas day dawned clear and cold, with a beautiful blue-sky day. After the early morning festivities, the boys and I went outside to help neighbors shovel out their driveways and play in the new snow.



While Landon dug a snow hole,

I noticed the nicely "groomed" street in front of our house.

I couldn't resist hooking up a sled to my motorcycle and pulling the boys around the neighborhood!



I remember doing the same thing with my brother when I was a kid (until the cops came and put an end to our fun!)



Even Clover braved the cold to get in on the fun. The bright sun made the 20 degree temp. seem not so chilly, and apparently all of the officers were too busy to come harass us!

Even Roscoe P. Coltrane came out to play!

We eventually ran out of daylight and energy. I could tell I would be a bit sore in the arms, abs, quads, and back from all of the shovelling and playing - but it was a good kind of sore ;-)

You'll Shoot Your Eye Out!

After a late eve, Christmas Day came early. At 7 am sharp (the designated time) the boys were up for stockings and presents.


From the looks of things, Santa found our home OK. You may notice that our tree only has lights and decorations from about four feet and up. This is because Clover was playing with (and breaking) the balls, and chewing up the light strands plug ends!


Well, no one got a lump of coal - not even Clobberhead! She actually did not have a stocking, but Santa still brought her two new chew-babies!



Although the boys were thrilled with their new tie assortment (Keri's e-bay finds) and other clothing items for church or school,



They were most excited about their various video, computer or music games,



and gadgets!



And who knew, that modern hang gliding actually evolved from (a) parapanties?! (Thanks Cody & Greg!)



Clover went wild attempting to de-leg her new octopus...



Then she entertained everyone with her Princess Leia imitation!



She finally ran out of gas and developed some very heavy eyelids.

We spent the rest of the day napping, relaxing, eating leftovers, playing in the snow, helping neighbors shovel snow, playing Guitar Hero III, searching for "AAA" batteries, and attempting to figure out new electronic device software for ripping, zipping, burning, or whatever else you do with it! (I'd almost rather be putting a new bike together at 1 AM!)

It was an enjoyable day, ending up with a very nice Christmas dinner of our own.

'twas the Night Before Christmas

Christmas-time is full of traditions for our family, immediate & extended. Christmas eve-day we went over the mountain and through the 'hoods to Grandma & Grandpa's.


First we went to a local nursing home where ALL of the cousins, as well as the adults put on a musical "talent" show Christmas program for the residents.



The boys played their holiday recital pieces,



as well as a few other numbers in their repertoires.



Landon and Keri performed a duet, while Kim nearly got run over by an elderly man eagerly "shuffling" to the restroom.



The show also included a couple of young soloists, a recorder, and a number of carols and hymns. The program lasted nearly an hour, and was concluded by a moving male chorus grand finale of "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer". It took a while, but the applause finally dropped to a dull roar when they realized we couldn't do an encore - but we did acquiesce to signing some autographs ;-}

Afterwards we took time to shake hands and wish everyone a merry Christmas, and it was obvious that they were just happy for the visit. Hopefully we were able to teach the kids that Christmas is not only about presents, but also about giving, service, and being grateful for family, friends, health, a warm home, clothes on our back, and food on the table.

Then we went to Grandma and Grandpa's for a yummy dinner, after which we had a fun white elephant present activity, followed by other family gift exchanges.



After the pumpkin pie, we carefully hurried home on the snowy roads to get ready for Santa. Landon and I did our (traditional) Christmas eve newspaper delivery - complete with jingle bells hanging from the paper bag! We shoveled some snow and put the finishing touches on Christmas as the midnight hour slipped by unnoticed.

All I want for Christmas...

...is some straight front teeth! (maybe by next Christmas!) Guess who just got braces?!!

It's....

Tanner-man!

The only thing "good" about it (according to Tanner) is that the orthodontist finally removed the jaw-spreader contraption from the roof of Tanner's mouth. Although it is easier for him to speak now, his inflamed gums are still adjusting to the new irritations, and Tanner is adjusting to having to brush ten times a day. Hopefully they'll be paid for by the time he's 18! :-]
(Is that some peach-fuzz on his upper lip?!)

16!

Guess who just turned 16!...

It's...

JOSH!!!

Happy Birthday, Josh!

He's still working on getting his driver's license.
Until then the roads may be a little safer :-0

301' Jump on a Motorcycle!

On his 'blog, Alex linked this great classic early 70's clip of Bob Wills at el Mirage dry lake in the Mojave Desert. The record-setting "jump" (or flight) still stands today as the longest glider-aided motorcycle leap.



Some of you may not know that Bob and his brother, Chris were modern hang gliding pioneers, and co-founded Wills Wings in 1973. For those readers who don't regularly check out the Oz Report, here it is again - definitely worth a watch - or two!

277' Jump

Freestyle motocross rider Trigger Gumm (I guess that's his real name) holds the current record for the longest distance jumped on a motorcycle at 277'. (It still falls short of Bob Wills' jump!)

'tis the Season...

...for the traditional Christmas piano recital!


The boys have been diligently (although sometimes begrudgingly) taking piano lessons for the past four years. Today they, along with sixteen other students, had the opportunity to show their stuff!


Landon bravely played a happy rendition of "Pat-a-Pan".


Tanner demonstrated some fancy finger work playing "I Saw Three Ships".

Josh wowed everyone with some soulful bass-work in a complicated arrangement of "What Child is This?"

We are proud of each of them for doing so well - and mostly just for "stickin' to it" :-]

I wish that I had continued my piano lessons when I was about 9 or 10 years old. Mom & Dad had Paul and I take lessons for a year and a half, and then gave us the choice to continue - or not. Having other priorities, I decided to stop, and now wish I could play! Perhaps when the boys are finally up and out of the house I will start my lessons again.

10 Things:

Here are ten absolutely true (or at least based on a true story) tidbits of information that you may or may not know (or care to know) about me - listed in no specific order:

1. I'm not crazy, I'm just a little un-well (I know, right now, you can't tell!).

2. I Like PbJ&P sandwiches (peanut butter & jelly, with bread & butter pickle chips) - on wheat or white (or even rye might be good!)

3. I have two 25 year-old dress suits in my closet which still fit me, and have recently come back in style (just ask Keri!). Speaking of Keri, I married a Utah girl - which, as it turns out, isn't all that bad!

4. I still have the 8-bit original Nintendo game system with a bunch of games, including Zelda! (No, I don't still have the Atari Pong or Space Invaders game system!)

When I was little I also had a toy Evel Knievel gyro-powered stunt motorcycle!

Sadly, though, I never did have the lunch box :-/

5. In a previous life I was a Cop (did someone say, "When pigs fly?!")
In a previous, previous life I was a Park Ranger ("they pay me to have this much fun?!)

6. When I was ten years old I was dumb enough to lay down on the ground in front of a homemade ramp and allow my brother to jump over me on his bike - and lived to tell about it (it must have been the Evel Knievel influence!) I still love ya, Bro!

7. I have never received a speeding ticket (knock on wood) - but I have been known to run an orange light or drive in the left lane now and then (I'd rather be lucky than good any day!)

8. I have always had an obsessive-compulsive personality. By acknowledging this (instead of hiding or denying it) I am able to reasonably manage it, and don't allow it to become a destructive force in my marriage, family, or daily life. Generally speaking, I am not a clean or neat-freak, but I do like to have some semblance of order and work toward everything having its own "place." This is just a part of who I am - and that's OK!

9. I usually have a snack of cold cereal with bananas and walnuts, topped with a scoop of ice cream in bed each night (did I mention that I'm a bit strange?) - often with an ice cold Coke or diet Dew chaser (there are worse habits or guilty pleasures, you know!).

10. I love the sound and smell of rain at night outside our window - as long as the weather is good for flyin' the next day!!

Inspection Day

Cody and I took advantage of a blustery, snowy, wintry, IFR-type-day to do a full sail-off annual/100 hour glider inspection. The big gym at Cody's workplace made a great, warm, indoor inspection area. Cody already did his U2 inspection last week, and found no major problem which would render a glider "grounded", but he decided to replace a few flying wires due to the number of hours on them.

Cody thoughtfully offered to help me inspect my Sport today! We carefully followed the step-by-step instructions in the manual, allowing us to completely pull the sail from the frame. Then we visually and manually inspected every inch of the 7075 air frame, and all the wires. Ol' Sport passed her "physical" with flying colors, with no dings or dents in any of the aluminum. A couple of the cables will need replacing in the next year, but there was nothing to indicate un-airworthiness! Cody said he will feel much better the next time he sees me doing a loop ;-}

The sail is not exactly crispy, but in very good condition for a Sport, showing no signs of any UV degradation or fatigue. I am definitely hoping to move up in gliders soon, but until then I will get plenty more airtime on this one!

We re-assembled and completely set up my glider, and everything looked and felt good. We then had time to set up my Wills Wing SST, which I recently pulled out of storage. It was my 2nd glider - right after the Pliable Moose!

I last flew it in the Fall of 1987 on the south side of the Point, logging a nice 45 minute soaring flight.*

It took some time trying to recall how to set it up, but between the two of us we figured it out. Although the transport bag has seen better days, the glider itself is in very good condition. Cody and I could not resist ground-running and "flying" it across the entire length of the gym, ending each run with a gentle flare. After my run Cody asked, "Where's your camera?!!" and I suddenly realized how blog-worthy the moment was! But, alas, my camera was at home :-(

But I'm bloggin' about it anyway :-)

and improvising with some old pictures - because a 'blog without pic's can be a bit blog-bor-ing!



On 4-25-76 an SST piloted by Bob Wills carried 5 people over Guadalupe Dunes, CA. A short time later the same glider carried 6 people! This was done to test the limits of wing loading, although the glider had too much flex to ever reach such a limit, or even sustain any structural damage.

HGMA Certified in 1977, the SST (SuperSwallowTail) was a huge leap ahead in performance for its time. It enabled many pilots to readily experience extended soaring flights instead of just "ground skimming" or brief "sled rides".

Flying my SST over the valley in central Washington in 1986 as the cumies are poppin' - check out those high-tech leading edge de-flexors!
*Thanks for the pic's. Mom!