Trail of Hope

There is so little happening in Nauvoo this summer.  No pageant, no Sunset by the Mississippi, no YPMs or the shows that go with them.  It's really kind of sad.  

But, there is the possibility of the Trail of Hope happening once we have a soft opening.  

There are three casts.  These people are part of the yellow cast.

I've heard many of these stories before and I've always enjoyed them.  It was fun to see non-professionals portray these people.

Some of these sisters are very animated.

It was so fun to see their faces light up as they became someone else.

Sister Chipesvu was Jane Manning as she is the only person here with the correct skin tone.  She is on every cast.

The Warners were so cute as Bathsheba and George A. Smith.  She can never get through her dialog without a tear. 

Some spoke, some sang, all were wonderful!

We had some amazing music to set the tone before we began walking the trail.

At the beginning and the end we had a young sister as herself giving a dialog.

I love Sister Riddle.  She did an amazing job.  

As I began I could feel the spirit so strongly.  It dwelt with me the entire time.  I love those early saints and how much they sacrificed and how strong their testimonies were!

There were two others who performed.  One was Elder Jensen who was so cute and funny.  The other was my companion as Brigham Young.  He was commanding!  I hope they get to perform it for visitors.

Arrowheads

While we were in Bentonsport, there was one thing that I remembered Elder Flanders telling me to go see.  There is a guy by the name of Tony who has collected arrowheads over the past 70ish years.  He grew up in Fort Madison and began collecting them as a youth.  He has thousands!

All of them that he has displayed are done so on these beautiful inlaid wood pieces or in cabinets.

Some of the arrowheads are actually spear heads.  The longer ones.  They would have been used as a knife or a javelin.

He has them sorted by size and shape.

Before we left, he told us we could pick one out from a box on the floor.  This was the one that looked the best.  Many were broken and this one was still in one piece.

Even the ceiling had inlaid.  There were antlers everywhere.  The lady in the antique shop told me that if Tony can't hunt, fish or grow it, he doesn't eat it.  He is a waif of a man.

I held it in my hand for size.

Everywhere you look, there are more cases or displays of arrowheads.

Lots of longer ones in this case.

These were quite small.

A view of one side of his museum.

These are ax/hatchet heads

I don't know about some of these.  There is the one in the middle that looks like a snake.  So interesting.

My dear companion and Tony with Tom looking on.

Since we've been here we have heard a lot of stories about how there used to be a city where Montrose is that was called Zarahemla.  Hmmm.  That sounds familiar.  Then there is this man who has collected thousands of arrowheads in a 50 mile radius.  What do I know of the Nephites and Lamanites?  Lots of wars and a city by the name of Zarahemla.  Make your own conclusions.

Bentonsport

On Saturday we took Tom and went for a ride to Cantril to the Dutchman store.  Then, since we were in the area, I said I wanted to go to Bentonsport.  I couldn't remember exactly what I was supposed to see there, but Elder Flanders made sure to tell me that we needed to go.

We found "downtown" in the town that time has forgotten.  The main street isn't even paved.  There is this bridge that spans the Des Moines  river.  It was a one lane bridge that was used for traffic up until 1986.  A simple photo shows just how rotten the thing is these days.

It is strictly a walking bridge and has a really nice sturdy decking.

As you can see, there are safe guards put around the exterior of the bridge so you can't fall off of the thing unless you really try.

As we stood on the bridge and breeze blew gently and it was really quite heavenly.  The area is quiet and the river moves along quite swiftly.  I liked being there.  The early saints crossed this river in this area.  It was once a booming town where the ships/barges came and loaded grain and took it out to the Mississippi.  But, the river needed dredging and that became an issue and so it no longer happens.  It is a bit of a ghost town.

Heber C Kimball Porch Again

Last week in the furnace of summer heat, Elder Flanders and I and sometimes Sister Odum, worked on finishing the HCK porch.  

Elder Flanders and I spent about a week filling holes with wood putty and caulking where needed.

Last week we finally got to the painting.  Sister Odum and I painted all the interior and exterior railings while Elder Flanders painted the facia.

Each morning we would look over what we did the day before and repaint whatever was needed.  The small porch was the last bit that we did.  It sure looks nice.

While we worked, Elder Massey and Logan Hasek worked on putting the stone work on the bottom.  They did a great job.  It was so hot, that we took water breaks and just went inside the air conditioned building to cool down.  All that is left is the upstairs door frame and two small spots on the main door frame that were epoxied. 

Orson Hyde Barn

Sometimes the paint crew gets a job that I think is strange.  This one is the dumbest one I have been a part of.  The new homes will be dedicated sometime in the near future.  The Orson Hyde barn is looking quite crappy (Elder Flanders' word) and Jordan wants it looking good.  

The construction crew will be residing the building and they are unsure of what structural problems they will encounter and it could possibly take longer than expected.

Therefore, we have to scrape the paint off of the siding so it can be repainted. 

It may be a year or only a few months before they will re-side it. 

We are going through days of work to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.  It is such a waste of time and money.  But, I do what I'm asked to do.  Pictures to follow once it is painted.

Temple Views

On Saturday evening Tom and I walked the trail of hope and when we turned around, this was the view of the temple.  I love the purple color in the sky.

I am always amazed by the view of this beautiful temple!

With Covid, I really miss going to the temple.  We went every week when it was open and sometimes more than once a week.  I look forward to the day when we can go back.  Hopefully, it will be before we go home in December.

Yard Art

Sometimes my husband gets these creative ideas about decorating.  This time he came up with a winner.  He found this stone with chisel marks on it and he had to have it.  Then he found the "Swiss cheese" rock and brought that home.  We had gone geode hunting a while back and he cut them open.

Then he built a frame to put it all together.  Then we went together and bought the flower.  It sits out front of our home and I think it is a one of a kind piece.  I really do love it!  He did great!