Clueless in La Mesa

Our dear friends, Ray (See image) & MaryAnn called us from Ogden on the 22nd of July. They were coming south from Canada and wanted to know what all the preparations were for in the state of Utah. We had the pleasure of telling them about "Pioneer Day", which would be celebrated on the 24th.

The 24th of July, 1847, is significant to residents of Utah and to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints around the world. It was the day that Brigham Young proclaimed Salt Lake Valley as the "very place" that the saints were to settle and build Zion.

We observed the occasion here in San Diego by attending a picnic at the stake center on the 22nd. We had hamburgers, hot dogs, and biscuits with home-churned butter...no steak. We have had pioneers on our minds lately. Recently Lupe and her mother, Silvia, Daniel, and I went to see again the new biographical film about Joseph Smith, and tour the small museum at the Mormon Battalion Visitor Center. I myself have been absorbed for weeks in researching the march of the Mormon Battalion, which also occurred in 1846-47.

On the 24th itself, I wore my Mormon Battalion tee-shirt to an inservice I am attending. Needless to say, it was a conversation starter. That evening, Lupe and I attended an organ recital at the Spreckels Organ Pavillion in Balboa Park. Richard Elliott, one of three organists from the Tabernacle, was featured there (See image). Among other selections, he played variations on "Come, Come, Ye Saints". It was a fitting event for a summer evening, and another connection with our pioneer heritage.

My siblings, Kathleen, David, and Dianne, got together here in San Diego last week to celebrate our more recent family heritage. With Mom & Dad, we enjoyed family ektachrome slides and talked about old times. Mom and Dad want to pass along relics of their early years. We've decided as siblings to hold on to them and then offer them to any interested grandchildren or great-grandchildren at an appropriate moment. Pictured here are the scriptures issued to my dad during World War II, along with the desk nameplate he used during his duty as a chaplains' assistant in Santa Barbara.

Looking the other direction on our family tree, Scott & Sasha have purchased a home in Draper, Utah, where they have relocated. Like pioneers, they have travelled to Utah to start a new adventure in their lives. Their move is also a reunion. They are just freeway minutes away from Scott's family and from my sister, Dianne.