Back to Iron Mountain

Last week Pat and I went to the U.P. to check on all of the church buildings.  He brought along the palm sander as he knew Iron Mountain's lettering would need some work.  

He was so right.  There was green stuff on some of the letters.  They weren't black like they were the first time I cleaned them, but they were very dirty as can be seen on the above photo.  I cleaned the S before I thought to take the photo.

I started sanding everything I could reach and then got a chair for those higher letters.  The sander battery died shortly after I began and thought I would have to finish by hand.  That was not working very well.  Pat found another sander for me to use.  The sandpaper didn't fit very well but I was able to do the job to my satisfaction.  

I suppose we'll have to go back and do it again in another couple of years.  On a side note, while we were in Nauvoo, we noticed how crusty those letters looked.  We had cleaned them 18 months earlier and they were pretty dingy already so you can imagine how bad the ones in Iron Mountain looked after several years.  I still have a fondness for making sure the name of the Savior's church looks good.

Office Facelift

When Selma "Ma" Hoffman died in 1989, her house was converted into the office for Hoffman Transit.  It was painted blue and given dark blue trim.  A few years ago it received a new metal roof and the dormer received new vinyl siding.  

Over the years the shrubs in front of the building became overgrown.  I know they were trimmed back at least once when Andrew worked there prior to his mission.

Brett decided he wanted it repainted.  I told him it was possible as I helped with the Hyde barn in Nauvoo and the siding was in approximately the same shape...rotten.  I put it off last year and so now I decided it was time.  I began the job of scaping.  Brock needed to earn a few dollars so I had him come over and help for a few hours.  

I was able to get a lot of the old paint off but it was going to be a very big job if it was just Erin and I scraping.  Once we got higher, it would just be one of us.

This photo shows just how ugly the siding is.  It's probably original to the house which makes it 100+ years old.

With the shrubbery removed the foundation was now exposed and although it isn't horrible to look at, it is capable of looking a lot better and more professional.

We trekked over to Tilleda and got the bucket truck.  Yea!  It runs!  I used the pressure washer to "scrape" the old paint off.  It worked beautifully!  After it was scraped, Pat sprayed some Kilz Kleer on it to seal up the paint that didn't come off.

The next step was putting plastic over the windows and then finally painting.  Pat reached a few spots that I couldn't.  It was a challenge to keep the paint off of the green metal roofing.

Then the job of painting the window and door frames began.  We had enough paint to spray the foundation as well.

Just getting the paint on and the foundation painted made a huge difference.

Once all the trim work was painted it looked like a whole new place.  I know the shrubbery will grow back.  It just needs to be kept in check.

Lastly, a new door has been installed and new steps brought in.  But, Brett wants one thing more.  An awning. It has been ordered and will go up when it arrives.

Now to tackle the interior!

Girl's Breakfast

Erin's birthday was on a Friday this year and she and the Sammi and children as well as Andrew, Cierra and Eddie all went to White Fish Dunes for the day.  I believe they had a great time although the water there is always COLD.

On Saturday morning I invited the girls to breakfast to celebrate Erin's birthday together.  Pat joined us and he paid for breakfast.  Thanks honey!  I think this is a tradition we need to continue.  Getting together for breakfast or lunch to celebrate being a family and being women.  We have a lot more birthdays yet this year!

 

Pioneer Day

Pioneer Day was on a Sunday this year and I told Pat that I was going to get out one of my dresses and wear it to church.  He decided to join me in wearing some of his apparel as well. 

Clare said Butch and Eli wanted to wear pioneer clothes too.

They came over on Saturday night and went through the pageant clothes.  Both of them are the perfect ages to wear the shirts that Andrew wore when we were in the City of Joseph pageant way back from 2000-2004.  Eli even wore a pair of pants!

Sweet boys!

 

Other Nauvoo Happenings

We arrived in Nauvoo on Saturday the 2nd of July.  Rick MacGregor had contacted us before we came and invited us to dinner with he and Sherry.  It was a good time catching up with friends we made during our mission.  Such kind people!

One of the reasons we went on Saturday rather than on Sunday was so we could attend church in the Hannibal branch.  A new branch president was called a few months ago.  Dan Cooke is now the key holder.  What a great privilege for him to grow and learn!

I went to the missionary wall and imagine my surprise as I looked at the Cooke brothers both serving!  These young men as well as Macey Voelkel were part of our Sunday school class.  We had hopes for these young men but were a bit worried about whether or not they would serve.  Caden had a steady girlfriend and I was pleased to find out that she was their newest convert!

Later in the week we went out to lunch with Charlie and Vickie Monaco.  It was fun to watch the two of them interact.  He calls Pat every other month just to talk.

The only night we were able to go see Sunset By the Mississippi we ran into Elder and Sister Prettyman who are now serving in Adam-ondi-Ahman.  They love it there!  I was just so excited to be able to reconnect other than online with Jody!

The Fillmores, Plesheks, Erin and Tom came for a visit as well.  We all went to Fat Jimmy's for dinner one night.  I rode with Andrew and Cierra and found it very interesting that before Eddie fell asleep he parked his cars in his shorts.

Another blessing we had while in Nauvoo was the opportunity to go to the temple a lot!  Serving in the Nauvoo temple for the summer are Kris and Scott Cunningham as well as Larry and Debbie McMurdie.  We haven't seen the McMurdies in a long time and it was so fun to catch up.  I didn't know they left Green Bay and moved to Idaho.  They told me all about their mission in Africa.  It was so rewarding for them and yet, not something I ever want to do.

So many blessings in serving in whatever capacity it is!

 

Pageant Security

July 2nd took us back to Nauvoo.  We had a meeting on Sunday evening which was really for those participating on stage.  We had another meeting with just the security folks and met the team.  

Our security leads were Casey and Suzanne Price from Idaho.  Great people!  It was kind of sad to leave them.  They have their finger on the pulse of security now and will be back next year as leads again.

One of our jobs, mostly mine, was to sit in the air conditioned security shack and watch the monitors from the time people started coming to the pageant grounds until they were gone.  It was a real challenge to sit in the cool while everyone else sweltered outside.  This is the view of all the camera angles.  

One night I watched this particular camera.  As soon as it went from color to black and white, the spider web came into view.  I should've taken this picture sooner as it was way more impressive earlier. 

This was our group during the second week we were there.  

Another of our jobs was to work from 2am until 6am.  We were to take care of cleaning up around the seating area whatever the 10pm to 2am people didn't finish.  The other thing we were to do was clean the bathrooms/changing areas under the stage.  In one of the changing rooms I found this hobbit door.  There is just storage behind it. 

These are the Gallachers.  It is pronounced Gallagher.  They were only with us for the first week as they worked the week before we got there.  Beautiful people with great personalities and just fun to be around.

One of our jobs was to help in the parking area.  Pat had a co-pilot one night and the following night some of the people asked where Olaf was.  

During the second week Val and Susan Allred had their grandson William join them.  He quickly made friends with Pat.  There was even a time or two that William was allowed to drive although not with any passengers.  There was some type of wiring problem with this #9 golf cart that caused the lights to burn out or start smoking.  We bought a headlight for the cart and left it there to be used the rest of the time. 

The other assignment we had was seat reservations.  Pat devised a way to make it much more manageable and keep the people in the shade.  He would get on his chair and tell the people if it rained, he would get their money back.  That always garnered some laughs.  This was probably his favorite job as he schmoozed with the people and they enjoyed him back.  

It was such a great time and we enjoyed it so much we are planning to go back again next year.

 

Marty and Jamie Steen

Before we left our mission we decided to apply to work security for the Nauvoo pageant.  We had to reapply as the pageant didn't happen in 2021.  When we were accepted, we had to figure out where to stay.  We had a pop-up camper but weren't sure what hours we would be working and didn't want to roast in it all day long if we were sleeping.  Even with air conditioning it would be HOT!

Pat called Marty Steen whom he worked with while we were missionaries, and asked if he knew anyone we could rent a camper from.  He called back a few minutes later and said we could stay with them.

Jamie called me the following day and said they were serious and we could stay with them.  I told her we would come.  We had a great time together.  They had four of their grandchildren there for the entire month so we played with them too.  Great kids!

We found out that Marty isn't the tough guy that he shows everyone but that he really is a softy and he liked to talk.  I would never have guessed that.  We shared a meal or two and we shared lots of watermelon and fruit salad.  We surely would like to do it again if we could stay with them.

Connecting with Old Friends

While in high school my very best friend was Terry Zimmerman.  Forty years later we rarely see one another.  She lives in Green Bay and I would usually see her at the July 4th parade with her mom.  Since her mom has passed I don't believe I've seen her at all.

I was in contact with her sister, Missy and she told me that they were going to be out at the lake for the first two weeks in July.  We were going to be gone those weeks so I asked if I could come for a visit on July 1st.  I spent an hour or two with them.  It was good to catch up.  I found that I don't have much in common with her anymore and I think I've aged better although I have a lot more snow on the roof.  Still, it was wonderful to see her again.

 

Painting the Garage

It was during the Spring time and probably more like the beginning of June that Patrick cleaned up around the Transit garage and asked Dan if he could paint it.  Dan didn't really give an answer so while he was gone on a vacation, it got painted. 

For years it has been this caterpillar yellow or maybe more like a school bus yellow.  It could be seen on a foggy day for sure. 

I had to go over one morning and help.  My helping consisted of lifting and lowering the forks on the forklift while Pat sprayed the paint on. 

It surely looks a lot better and actually matches the other building.  When Dan got back, he didn't even notice!  :-)

 

Family Camping 2022

We went camping as a family on June 16th.  It was only one night instead of two due to the storm the day before.  We had the same sites we had the very first time we camped there.  

It was fun to all be together.  We ate good food and talked and laughed.

The place has changed a bit since we last camped there in 1999.

As long as there is a playground and a swimming pool, the kids were happy.

One night was okay rather than the two we planned on.  Eddie didn't sleep very well.

The pool was a hit!  It was warm and because we were there during the week, it wasn't crowded at all.  

Tom doesn't always enjoy swimming, but even he liked it. 

Pat and I went and bought some tubes for the kids to play in.

We found out in a hurry that the two we bought was not enough.  We went back and bought two more!

I love being with these people who I call family.

I have always enjoyed camping.  As long as I don't have to sleep on the ground.  I should've brought a thicker blanket though.  I got a little cool in the night. 

Even Nessie enjoyed her time with us.  And she got to use Lobo's old bed so she wasn't on the ground.  I believe a good time was had by everyone.  We'll plan again for next year!