September 2023

 A new month has begun and a new year for our temple presidency.  Our first year went by so fast.  Can't wait to see what this year will bring.  Our first year was full of changes and adjustments, maybe this year will just glide by.  

Craig and Robbie came to town on the 31st of August.  Friday morning, the 1st, Lon, Craig, Kurt and Phil Warren went golfing early.  We are on the PM shift, so we had to leave by 1:00.  Robbie's niece is being sealed in the temple this afternoon.  Lon was asked to perform the sealing.  We got to do the abbreviated veil, then Lon performed the sealing, and I was able to attend also.  It was a wonderful experience for us both.  Such a great couple and a great spirit in the group.  

Saturday morning the 4-some went golfing again.  I always feel bad when we have to leave our company to get to our shift, but they understand and fend for themselves.  We offer a B&B, without any frills!  

On Sunday the 3rd, we had dinner with Tracy's family.  We met their exchange student Tom.  His sister stayed a year with Tracy a couple of years ago and she had such a positive experience that the parents asked if their son could come this year.  He is a very nice, polite young man.  

Labor Day.  Dad always told us that it wasn't a holiday.  It was a day to labor.  So, we always did.  Usually, Dad would start chopping corn on this weekend as schools were closed so he could have help.  The wind was blowing so bad that we didn't go golfing.  We visited with Mom and did a little shopping and called it a day.

PM shift these 3 days.  The temple was kind of slow this week.  I guess everyone was getting kids into school and enjoying the Labor Day week.  Summer has come to an end.

Friday morning, we golfed then headed to Mindi's house.  We have a baby shower and a mission return to attend.  Nathan and Loren were already there.  So great to visit with them.  Isaac was at work, so we didn't see him till around 8.  He has grown up so much.  We are so impressed with the young man he has grown into.  His mission was different than most people.  Due to the pandemic, he served his first year in North Dakota, then finally made it to Japan to serve his last year where he had been originally called.  

He definitely grew a few inches.

He gave a wonderful talk on Sunday.  Mindi was asked on Saturday night to share her testimony because the other speaker couldn't be there.  What a treat for us.  She also did a wonderful job.  We were spiritually fed.  After a lunch with about 30 family and friends at Mindi and Justin's home, we drove home.  

The second reason for our visit to Utah was to celebrate with this young lady.  Hannah is going to give us our first great grandchild in October.  Mindi gave her a baby shower for the Thompson/Parker sides of the family.  Jacob's family gave her a shower last weekend as they were out of town this weekend.  We are so thankful that Mindi did both the shower and the homecoming the same weekend.  So much easier for us to come down once for both occasions.  Grandpa Thompson gave Hannah some cloth diapers and duct tape in case of an emergency and Jacob couldn't find a diaper to use.  (Lon actually used this on Tracy once when I was gone, and he couldn't find the pins)  

It will be fun to get a 4-generation photo next month!

With the shower over, Mindi and I did some baking to be ready for the dinner on Sunday.  So thankful that we could be here for these special occasions.

Hannah and Jacob, Isaac, Justin and Mindi, Nathan and Loren

The entire family together again!

This weekend was a great way to begin our 2-week temple break.  Every 6 months, the temple closes for 2 weeks for deep cleaning and repairs.  Lon hopes to get in some serious fishing, golfing and relaxing.  I'm hoping for one day to do whatever I want without feeling guilty about it.  😏 Time will tell who gets their wish.

On Monday, after golfing, Lon went with LaRon over to Rick Otto's place to sight-in their rifles, getting ready for their elk hunt sometime in October.  Lon came home, walked through the house to pick up some cables and announced that they, he and Laron, had bought a fishing camper.  And he was gone for the next 3 hours.  

It took them 3 hours to get it loaded.  Both Paula and I were in shock when we saw this beat-up thing.

And the inside was even worse!!  The paper covering the walls and ceiling was falling off and it was sooo dirty!  The back door was all smashed in and would need to be replaced.  Luckily, they didn't have time to unload it on Monday night.  Lon and George did some research and found out that it would be at least $650.00 to replace the door, and that is just the beginning of who knows what is broken! 😵 After sleeping on it, Lon and LaRon took it to the dump!!

They went back out to Rick's place to return some blocking materials that they had used and came home with this instead.

19 foot , 1978 pull trailer

The deal was that they could have the trailer if they would haul off 2 pickup campers and help Rick build a lean-to so he could store his tractor under it.  Well, one camper gone already!  And the work began.  Lon started on the outside, sealing the roof, packing the bearings, fixing the lights, checking out the appliances.  LaRon started on the inside with cleaning.  They are so excited.  This trailer really is in good shape for as old as it is.  It will make a very nice fishing camper for them.  

So surprising that everything works.

The shower was very gross, but with a little paint and elbow grease it is beautiful.

The table makes down into a bed.

There is a table in the wall at the very back of the trailer also and the two benches make into a bed.  I made curtains for the windows on Saturday.  They worked on it Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.  We did golf on Wednesday morning but that was it for the week.  No fishing this week at all and Lon has been putting in very long days working on this.  We did get to relax one day though.

On Friday morning Kim, George, Lon and I took off to spend the day together.  First, we stopped at Hayspur Fish Hatchery campground for breakfast.

Getting ready to cook.

George makes the best breakfasts.  This trip was our mini-camping trip for the summer.  Without our campers anymore, Kim and I tried to remember everything we would need - but we forgot a spatula!  We did have tongs to turn the bacon over with.

George tried to use a plastic fork for the eggs - -

They pretty much ended up scrambled and suddenly George remembered that he had an emergency kit? in the truck.

This little shovel saved the day!

I don't think that this was the kind of emergency it was made for, but it saved our breakfast.

What a perfect way to begin a day; pancakes, eggs and bacon cooked outside by the master chef.

We drove across to Fairfield and then on up to Featherville to see the kokanee salmon fish run. It was a beautiful day for a drive.  We were a little saddened that the leaves haven't started to turn yet. 

Anderson Ranch Reservoir

What a pretty place.

I don't remember ever being here before.

We headed for Baumgartner's Camp next.

I have never been to Baumgartner's, but Lon has been there when he was young.  It is a natural hot spring.  When Lon was young, it was just a small rock enclosure that trapped the spring water and people enjoyed soaking in the hot water year-round.  Now a pool has been built and a huge campground surrounding it.  Lon was so excited to compare it with the memories of his youth.  We drove in, went around the campground loop, and drove out.  Never did see the pool, George had other things on his mind, so we drove on.  We were so shocked that we just staired at each other.  Because I don't know if we will ever get there again, here are pictures from the internet of the pool.

It was a very clean campground.

The hot spring is 101 degrees and piped into the pool.

As we headed out, I asked, "George, where is the pool?"  He pointed behind us and off we went😞

We took several side roads trying to find the kokanee run, but we were evidentially a week too late.  We did see one dead one.

Looking for kokanee at Viriginia Gulch turnoff.

Our next stop was for dinner.  Lon wanted to be able to roast hot dogs over an open fire.  

We found a great campsite along the Boise River.

I think we could have stayed here for a few hours.  It was so peaceful, listening to the water and enjoying the campfire with special friends.  

We ended up back in Fairfield and headed home through Gooding.  We drove a 250-mile loop and saw some very pretty country.  This was our "camping trip" with George and Kim.

On Sunday the 18th, Ron Bloxham arrived about 6:30pm.  Ron, Lon and LaRon took off about 7 Monday morning for CJ Strike to do some fishing for crappie.  They got home around 8pm.  They headed out again on Tuesday for Magic Reservoir, fishing for trout this time.  Mike Capps went with them this time.  Ron headed for home from there. 

Ron's catch of the day

Lon and Ron Bloxham

I went to the memorial service for Stan Bolish's wife on Monday with Connie and Dennis and spent Tuesday with Mom.  

Wednesday, we headed to Boise and had lunch with Val and Charlotte Dille.  Then we counseled with Val about some financial questions and came home.  Lon and LaRon are planning their maiden voyage with the camper for Thursday and Friday, but Rick Otto called, and they will now spend Thursday and Friday building his lean-to.  Time to pay for the camper. 

Lon and LaRon, working men

The new lean-to completed

Rick Otto, LaRon and Lon.  Two full days but it's done.

Lon and LaRon went fishing on the 23rd and I got half a day to do whatever I wanted to do, without having to go anywhere.  I watched a movie without feeling guilty about it!  We did very little golfing and very little fishing, but our two weeks have come to an end, and we are back to the temple.

Sunday morning, we were thrilled to have Ken and Lynn Longmore come by for a visit.  We fed them breakfast and visited for about 3 hours then we had to get to church, and they headed home.  It was so good to see them.  Mick and Linda spent Sunday night with us because Judy is still not completely over her cold, and they don't want to catch anything.  

Monday morning, the 25th, the temple presidency went golfing at Canyon Springs Golf Course.  Lon, Derlin and Reed really enjoyed themselves.  We, Nancy, Nancy and Kathy, met them at the temple president's house for lunch.  It was good to be together again after our two weeks off.  We had training meetings starting at 3:30 for the office staff and then at 5:00 for the recommend desk staff.  Two weeks is long enough to be away from the temple, we are ready to be back!

We were supposed to have the next three days off, but Derlin got sick on Monday night, so we closed for him all week.  The temple was filled as people are preparing themselves for General Conference.  We did have some plans that we had to work around, Nancy filled in for me on Tuesday afternoon so I could visit with Mom, and Lon and LaRon drove to Challis on Wednesday morning before our shift that afternoon.  The trees are starting to turn colors up high.

They came over Trail Creek Summit on the way home

LaRon and Lon

Beautiful country

The leaves are turning up high and the summits have snow on them.
  September 30th, already?  This month has gone by so fast.  Shayla and Justin came down and we met at the golf course for a 10:45 tee time.  It was a little cool when we began, but warmed up enough that it was a very pleasant day to golf.  We started on the back nine, then finished on the front nine because of a tournament.

Lon, Nancy, Shayla and Justin

What a fun day with "our baby"
  We really had the course to ourselves.  We had a great time. 

We got home and enjoyed watching General Conference the rest of the afternoon and evening.  It was a great conference so far, looking forward to the Sunday sessions tomorrow, in the new month of October.