I'm Still Learning; the last comes first, etc.

It's been long enough since I last tried to blog that I had forgotten that the first comes last and the last comes first. Trying to remember how to correct typo's etc is still on the learning curve. But if you can read through the errors and still get the message I'm grateful.
I thought I'd add a few more photos to this posting, but now they will come first, not last. I would have also liked to have explained the photos some, but didn't get that done either.
Susan Puls, who is in the Launch with Howard and I is the woman (a retired surgeon) who was and is responsible for finding and arranging for all of the LDS medical volunteers that will work on the ship during its four month long mission. During that time it will visit 7 ports of call in the Caribbean, Columbia, Panama, Nicaragua, and El Salvador. We went aboard shortly after the ship arrived in Dominican Republic after having been in Haiti. Most of the stories we heard were experiences they had had in Haiti.

The first photo above is obviously me aboard the ship as we were getting ready to leave for home.

The second photo is a group shot of some of the LDS people that we worked with on the ship. They were all volunteers who had given up vacation time and more in order to participate. Even the two military guys volunteered for the mission. The biggest guy in uniform is a vetenarian who worked with farmers on shore to deworm and innoculate their animals. He was a fun guy to be around.

The third shot is from the helicopter as we were headed for the ship the first day we went aboard.

The last one is a photo I took from the Launch as we left the ship to go in to see how things were going in the clinics that were set up in town. The clinics served as offices for those doctors that provided dental work, gynocology, pediatrics, eye care and a variety of other medical services.

I hope the photos in the previous blog are self explanatory.

Anyway, I thought I would get this much today and see what I could do tomorrow.

It's Been Awhile

Actually, this is a test. I've been away from blogging for so long that I don't know if anyone will actually check to see if I've written anything recently.
So, if you're reading this, thanks for checking in.
I have, over the months, kept thinking that I could catch up on all the things that have been going on. But, now, I think that I best give up that idea. (A little aside: I was thinking just a bit ago as I was eating a hamburger at the Dairy Queen that the "present" is like a river. It's constantly flowing---and rather fast. Today quickly becomes tomorrow and tomorrow is soon history. The present is never the same. It's always changing and soon your "todays" are in the rearview mirror. You've got your foot in the river of time, but as the water flows past your foot, time is flowing by as well.) Deep isnt' it. I don't know, it just struck me today how fast what is my "present" is passing.
As you know, I just returned from a Humanitarian reporting trip to the Dominican Republic. I don't suppose I'll write very much about it today, but it was both an exciting adventure and another penetrating reminder of how immensely blessed we are as Latter-day Saints living here in the United States. The total and stark contrast between what we know as day to day life and what so many others are experiencing is just mind and heart numbing.
The exciting part was the opportunity to travel to the Caribbean, visiting another country, and to be welcomed aboard a US Navel ship with total red carpet treatment. Our first boarding of the ship was by helicopter from shore to ship. Cool. Fun too. The ocean waves were heaving enough that they were having trouble getting people aboard the ship with the small launches so they decided to bring everyone out to the ship with the helicopter. I didn't object.
Once aboard we were ushered right in to a special luncheon that the ship's Commodore had set up for all of the LDS people aboard (14 of them plus Howard and I). The ship has three Captains aboard (usually there is only one). The Captain that ran the ship, the Captain that oversaw the medical activities, and the Commodore who was responsible for the overall mission called "Continuing Promise 2009.
Then we were shown to our berthing area (where we sleep and shower) which was in the very bottom deck of the ship. I had the bottom bunk of a three deep bunk layout. Altogther I think there were about 125 or so of us that were berthing there. The main deck was five floor up, the mess hall was still another floor up. And, there were no elevators for us to use. They were all reserved for the patients. I've never climbed so many stairs a day in my life. I'm still trying to get over the impact it had on me.
The other times we went onshore we were able to take the launches so we got to try both ways of boarding the ship. And getting aboard the launches was something of an adventure too.
Well, I've gone on too much already. I'll have to figure out out to share the "rest of the story" with you a little later; and let's hope that that is not next year.

Happy New Year!

Well, I’m back.
It’s been awhile, but it seemed that it might be good to get back into the swing of things.
I’ve enjoyed the holidays. Being able to hang out with the family, enjoying the Christmas spirit, and remembering the events surrounding the birth of the Savior always makes the Christmas season a wonderful time of the year. I really enjoyed our family get together. That was the high-light of the season for me.
With all of the headache stuff I wasn’t sure I’d complete my goal of reading the Book of Mormon through again this year, but, hey, I finished it this morning. I obviously wanted to wrap it up before the New Year but that didn’t happen. At least I finished this morning. I marvel at the breadth and depth of Book of Mormon each time I read it. We are so blessed to have it be available to us; to bless, teach, and provide amazing insight into the mind, purposes, and will of the Lord.
We have all enjoyed a good year in 2008. We’ve each been blessed with progress in almost every area of our lives. It’s been a difficult year for so many people, and we have all taken our hits too. But, all in all, we’ve been greatly blessed and prospered. In addition, Sue and I even have our first grandson in the mission field. (Wow, how is that even possible?) We’re very proud of Taylor, and from what we hear from Rhonda, Candice and Andy, he is already establishing himself as an excellent missionary. Truth is, and I hope you know, that Sue and I are very proud of each one of our family members. You amaze us. You bring us great joy. For us, you are what life is pretty much all about.
As I wrap up my few notes today, I’d like to wish each of you the very best for the coming year. I trust it will be a great year for you in every way.
And, keep taking those great photos. We all enjoy them. I’ll do my best to keep up with you. The photos of family are the source of great memories. The landscapes are a reminder of how beautiful the world is and how much the Creator has done to bless our lives.

Bryce was a Blast

Both Sue and Rhonda are writing about our trip to Bryce Canyon, so I'm not going to try to duplicate what they have said. The trip down was about 3 hours. Bryce is located just about 10 or 20 miles outside of Panquitch. To give us a little break, we stopped on the way down at Mom's Cafe in Salina. It's one of those down home kind of resturants that everyone seems to enjoy. The timing for our trip turned out to be perfect. The weather couldn't have been better. Beautiful blue skies, a few fluffy clouds here and there, and the temperature was just right for having the top down practically all the time.

The best thing though, was being able to spend the time with Rhonda and Sue. It seems we were always finding new and fun things to photograph and we were almost overwhelmed with the beauty and wonder of the place. When night came we were finally able to give our grins a little rest.

On the way back we drove through Escalante, the Grand Staircase National Forest, over Boulder mountain, and into Wayne County. We stopped in Bicknell to eat at the Sun Glow Restaurant where we enjoyed a piece of Pickle Pie and a piece of Pinto Bean pie. They are old pioneer receipies that the owner of the restaurant has featured for many years. Some of you have been there to enjoy these pies with me before.

After taking a few photos in Bicknell we drove over to Loa and took a quick look at Grandma Taylor's old home, Uncle Arvel's home, and the Tabernacle. Then we headed home. A lot to see in such a short time, but we enjoyed every scenic vista along the way. I think we even got a few "soon to be favorite" photos.

Ron's Bryce Canyon

Just a quick note

As you all know I've not felt all that well lately. These headaches are getting kind of tiresome. They leave me feeling very lazy and listless. So, I end up being mostly useless. Not a good thing. However, there have been some interesting things happening just the same. I was surprised to see my report on the tsunami effort in the June issue of the Ensign. The writer who interviewed me left LDS Philanthropies out of the story which was kind of disappointing, but it was helpful to Humanitarian Services just the same. If you look carefully you'll see that they did give me photo credits. (Well, okay, that 6 point type is pretty hard to see. The idea is to have it there for legal reasons, but they are also not concerned if you don't see it.)

But, hey, I had a meeting with the general manager of Church publications and the managing editor of the Ensign last week. It was something of a break-through meeting and the door was opened for us to have a long-term relationship with the Ensign---meaning stories about the work we do will become a fairly regular happening. I met with a reporter from the Ensign this week and we are already starting to work on the next story. That's something that a year ago we would have thought impossible. But now it's going to happen, on a somewhat regular basis.

It appears I've been tagged. So, here is my best shot at a response:

3 joys: Family (I'll bet that surprises you), being creative, sharing.
3 fears: Serious illness (affecting anyone in the family), messing something up at work, Suzie meeting a bear when I'm with her.
3 goals: Finish strong in preparation for retirement from work, complete the yard, take a long road trip with Suzie in the Mustang.
3 current obsessions: Serving well in the Church (teaching right now), finding time to play golf, taking photos. And, completing the remodeling of the house!!
3 surprising facts: Have I got any? Hmmm. I have this itch to explore more of this great big world, starting with places fairly close to home and including Alaska. (I'd don't know that you'll find that surprising.) I've shaken hands (or spent time with) each of the prophets since David O. McKay. I also attended General Conference when George Albert Smith was President. Yea, I'm that old. And last, I enjoy going for rides with the top down. (I'm sorry, not much in the way of surprises here.)

Great Times; Days to Remember

It's not often you get to celebrate someone's 90th birthday, but we have been able to enjoy that blessing with my Dad. He has lived quite a life. He was born and lived all of his growing up years in a pioneer setting. Born in a 2-room log cabin, slept on straw mattresses, his Mom cooked on a wood/coal burning stove, and they had no indoor plumbing. Water was obtained from a pump outside, and winter or summer the outhouse some 30 or so yards from the house was the only restroom available. They traveled by foot or horseback, grew or hunted for their food, and went to Fishlake in the winter to cut ice blocks for the ice house so they could keep things cool in the summer. Now, 90 years later, he has been a part of, or seen, so much change. The list of things that we now enjoy as part of our everyday life, but didn't exist when he was growing up, is amazing. He was the 8th child born, but three of those that preceeded him in birth did not survive. The first born, a brother, died at the age of five of menengities. Two earlier-born sisters died as infants. Eleven grew to adulthood. Six are still living.
I want to thank all of you for coming. That meant alot to Dad. He meant alot to me. I apologize for not spending more time with you. Somehow the night got away from me. I was trying to let Dad's siblings know how much I appreciated the effort they made to be there; and tried to find out a little about how they were doing. Before I know it the night was gone and it was time to leave. So, again, I'm sorry for not spending more time letting you know how grateful I was for your being there. (And, Rhonda, we know you would have been there too if you could have been. We missed you, and send our love to you and the kids.)
It has been a busy time. First was the President's Dinner at BYU in Provo and the President's Advisory Committee happening at the same time in Idaho. The next week we had the Dedication and Open House for our new building. Then Monday I left for our communication team conference in Idaho. And, to top it off, we've got our annual LDS Philanthropies conference coming up on the 5th and 6th of June. All of these activities required a lot of preparation on our part in communications, including two videos and a variety of printed materials. I also covered the shipping of Humanitarian Supplies to Myanmar this past Sunday at the SLC airport. UPS provided a large cargo plane and we loaded it with supplies for the people who were so devestated by the cyclone. I took photos and prepared a story that is posted on our website. At the same time we were in the process of publishing the BYU Provo's President's Report. And that is just a little of the things we have been doing. Wow. It's fun. But I could use a break. And here at home we've been trying to get the basement cleaned out so we can be ready for the construction crew who will be here Tuesday morning.
Well, I didn't mean to unload all of this here. It just kind of flowed out.
I hope my family knows how much I love you. You make me very, very proud. And it so much fun to hang out with you. You are great.

Happy Mother's Day!

Suzanne, Happy Mother's Day. You have always been an amazing, dedicated mother. Your love, care, and skill have carried the day on many an occasion, making life better for all within your family circle. Indeed, your impact on the family may not be fully known for a few generations, but certainly what you have done---and continue to do---will have a wonderful influence throughout eternity. It is my honor just to stand by your side. I love you.