Pageant Day 2

What a marvelous experience . . . already! There is such a Spirit here! Our first visit here was three years ago, but it was different. Then, we were here for ourselves. We came to see what we had read so much about. And it was wonderful!

But this time, we are here to share the Gospel; to uplift and strengthen others. And it is far more wonderful!

One of the cast leaders said, "The pageant could be run a bit better and more efficiently. But we are not about running a pageant. We are about sharing the Gospel and bringing our brothers and sisters to Christ."

And that is what we have heard more than anything else!

And what a treat it is to work with the young precious ones who are fast becoming the most effective missionaries in the Church!

The pictures show the very first rehearsal at the (unfinished) stage and our area just to the side of the stage where we care for the little ones. Things are not in full swing just yet.

The temperatures have been in the upper 70's. But we know that is not likely to last!

Oh, how we wish you could be here!

The Caldwell's

Day Two

Another great day! We had a good time in our travels and learned a few more things. Also stopped to see the Wildlife Safari outside Omaha but we have had problems with the internet at this hotel and can not upload them. [Got it fixed!]

As we traveled, we listened to Joseph's history as told by his mother, read stories from past pageant experiences and worked on Hannah's (our soon to be newest grandchild) baby blessing afghan.

We saw acres and acres of corn and a fun looking museum which is built as an arch -- over the freeway! Pictures to follow!

Mike and Melba

Part of our reading, has included the life of Joseph Smith. We thought it would be fun to post some of that info here as well as a "Question of the Day" for our grandchildren (the rest of you can play along on your own!). Those who find all of the answers will get a prize when we return. Asking moms and dads for help is just fine. You can also use the internet. We will not likely really be able to post a question every day.

Today's question: "How old was Joseph when he had his leg operated on the remove infected bone?"

During the operation, 8 pieces of bone were removed. During the days that followed, 14 more pieces worked there way to the surface and were removed. Joseph was quite ill for some time and lost a lot of weight. He became so light, that his mother was able to heft and carry him quite easily. That same boy grew up to be the western slope wrestling champion!

Day 1

What a great day we had! Beautiful scenery, 64 degrees, light traffic -- you know; just like Salt Lake City!

First, we had breakfast at a rest stop about 30 mile from the Utah/Wyoming border.

Once we got into Wyoming, there was plenty of cloud cover and even a shower or two. And the temperature in mid-afternoon really was 64 -- for a while! But the hottest we ever saw was 84. Eat your heart out!

You can see from the picture that we saw lots of windmills. There are whole 'farms' with hundreds of electricity generating windmills!

The only semblance to a problem was construction up Parleys. That kind of killed our gas mileage. But we still managed to bet about 29.5 overall, even fighting a stiff head wind the last couple of hours. That's pretty good for that big hunk of a car!

Enroute, we listened to music from the pageant (which I downloaded from the web), read about Joseph Smith, and listened to a talk about CS Lewis given by Michael Wilcox. It was really fun and interesting.

"All our bags are packed, we're ready to go, . . ."

Nauvoo, here we come!

Seems like it has taken a long time getting here but we leave in a few short hours! Got our Nauvoo hat and a "few" bags packed (how long are we staying?)!

This is going to be an awesome experience! Wish you could go with us!

Flooding in Nauvoo

Here are the latest pictures from Nauvoo. These are provided by the Steen family who were recently interviewed on our local Channel 4 news with their report of conditions in Nauvoo. You can see all of their pictures of Nauvoo area flooding at theamazingsteens.bloggspot.com.

The first pic is of the road between Nauvoo and Keokuk. The original paved road has been overlayed with gravel to raise it three feet and keep it above the water. The second is of the Nauvoo House, the only structure in Nauvoo which is in jeopardy at all. You can see the sandbag re-enforced earthen dike and the water which is seeping through it.