WUCC New Mill Opening

Bubby and I had a wonderful bit of serendipity this weekend. After a very busy week, capped off with a trip to the Temple on Thursday and the Southern Utah Science and Engineering Fair, on Friday. I was looking forward to some quiet time at home, but a colleague reminded me that Western Utah Copper Company was hosting an open house and ribbon cutting for their new milling operation. They had invited SUU geology to come, and I felt obliged to participate with my colleagues. I contacted Bubby, thinking I could get a "kitchen pass", but she admitted that she would love to go along, so that was what we did.



This is our tour guide, who happens to be the spouse of one of the ladies Trisha works with.



Because I am a geologist, I have to include a photo of the wall of one of the pits. Nice channel cut, don't you think?

The open house was fun. We got cool souvenir hard hats and Bubby ended up with the safety vest, too. We toured the mine and mill in a big yellow school bus, and generally had an enjoyable time. When we returned to our starting point, there was a lovely meal, catered by Houston's Trails End restaurant in Kanab (some of you will know this is the site for the best chicken fried steak in southern Utah). The luncheon was lovely and bounteous, and we enjoyed the chance to sit and visit with my colleagues. None of them were able to have their spouses join them, so Bubby felt like a princess among a group of rock-jocks.

Having just read Rosalyn's thoughts, and wanting to share some things that I have been thinking about, I am going to wax philosophical for a few paragraphs. Of course, I am a great believer in the "tender mercies" of the Lord. I have witnessed them countless times in my life, including things like being prompted to look at just the right moment when a 4-year old Daniel was going down for the third time at Gunlock reservoir. I am going to share a portion of one of my more recent evidences of the Lord's intervention in my life.

About six years ago, I was unhappy with SUU. We had a President and Provost with whom I was not enjoying working. I had been looking for possible employment in other places, and usually backed out right at the interview stage because Bubby never felt that the options were as good as what we have here in Cedar City. In December of 2003, however, that all changed. BYU-Idaho was looking for a new faculty member with my expertise. I knew the geology faculty there, and recognized an opportunity. Bubby admitted that Rexburg might just be a place she would consider, so I applied. I was selected for an interview, and we were scheduled to make the trip in mid-February of 2004. I had some very positive feelings about my chances.

Some of you will know that all of the above changed with one phone call. On the Saturday night immediately before my scheduled interview, I was called into the CCU 1st Stake Presidency. I notified BYU-Idaho, and they were certainly understanding. Although excited to serve, I could not help the nagging feeling that my professional plans had somehow been put on hold.

What has happened in the intervening five years is, in fact, one of the tenderest mercies I have ever experienced. I loved my service in the CCU 1st Stake. During that service, we lost both the President and Provost with whom I had not enjoyed working. We also lost the dean of my college, and amazingly, I was asked to fill in on an interim basis until a search could be completed. I am convinced that these blessings are a direct result of my willingness to put my professional plans on hold and serve where I had been called. The Lord has blessed me richly because I was willing to accept his will in my life. We haven't seen the end of this particular story yet, and there may be future updates. But I testify that every time I place my trust in a loving Heavenly Father, the richness of the reward is almost incomprehensible. When I advise Matt and Laurie, or Daniel and Rosalyn, to just trust that they will guided to what is best in their lives, that advise comes from a rich set of experiences. Things really do work out, because our Heavenly Father is in-charge, and he loves and cares about every aspect of our lives.

The best thing we can do is be obedient and patient. The blessings will flow.

Buboppy

What is that smell?

While I don't have any photos to post, I can at least tell you all what we are up to. As I write this, I am freezing in my office. It looks like the heat in our building is off, yet again, this morning. They are having some difficulty or other and there have been about half a dozen times this winter when I have arrived to find my floor of the building very frigid. On one of those occasions, I stepped into the restroom (which is on an interior wall) and when I turned on the hot water tap to wash my hands, ice came out into the sink! I have already reported our little problem to the facilities management people, but I doubt anything will happen until after 8:00 AM.

OK, it was your typical week, slightly altered by spring break. One of the differences between my new job and what I have always done is how holidays are handled. I am on an eleven month contract now (instead of a nine (faculty) or ten (department chair) month contract). That means I accrue sick leave, vacation time, and even have non-contract time (for the one month I am not under contract). What this means in practical terms is that I was in the office everyday last week except Friday. I worked about six hours each day and then broke to do other things. Bubby and I saw two movies last week ("Not into you" and "Duplicity"), neither of which I would recommend. I fished in Sand Hollow on Monday and Thursday afternoons. The weather was beautiful, but the water temperature is still below 58°F. I caught two fish on Thursday.

The big news is our home repair projects. Bubby has befriended a man in the ward who is recently divorced. He was thinking about the SWATC's truck driving school and came in to get some information. During their conversation, Bubby asked what he had done in the past for a living (the heat just came on!!!), and he told her he had been installing aluminum siding for a number of years. Bubby and I have been talking about covering up all of the wood on our house with aluminum, so she said, "Why don't you give me a bid some time?" He dropped the bid off last Monday, we met with him on Tuesday, and he ordered the materials on Wednesday. Progress has been slow, but steady (he works alone), but the front and west-side of the house are done now. He hopes to finish everything but the rain gutters (they require special equipment) by Wednesday. It does look nice and the best part is knowing that it is permanent. Power-washing is all that is required to maintain it. Bubby thinks that it makes the house look so much different. She says you probably won't recognize us when you next visit. I am sure you won't drive by without being able to recognize it, however.

We had stake conference this weekend, and it was a treat to sit in the audience and let someone else worry about the program. We even ran up to Annabella and Uncle Roland's 60th birthday party (photos forthcoming). As Auntie Nell has already stated, he is very excited for his iPod touch. Of course it started snowing before we left to come home, so we had to cut our visit short. It was fun to see all of the Lee gang, except our Jana and family. Lots of fun when that clan gets together. So many cute little kids.

We stopped in Parowan on our way, transferred some movies to Uncle Phil's new external hard drive, and loaded up his iPod for the trip to Japan. He is leaving today, I think. I also bought a little external battery/charger for an iPod touch, and sent it with him. We know have one in the family so if you have travel plans and need a spare battery, let me know. I am happy to share.

Monday was a blur, and when I got home, Bubby fed me and I couldn't stay awake. She said I was sleeping so fitfully, and loudly, that she could barely hear the TV program we were "watching". We were in bed by 9:30, and off on our walk by 4:45 AM. It was cold, but beautiful this morning.

All the signs of spring are upon us. I noticed Bubby's tulips pushing up in the planter box, and of course we have the changing weather patterns (snow and then sunshine almost as fast as you can say their names). We love spring in Cedar City! Bubby and I have been sleeping with the patio door open. It always makes us appreciate our down comforter. It also makes us sleep very deeply.

Buboppy

Happy Birthday Bubby

Tuesday was Bubby's birthday. She and I had to do some higher math just to figure out how old she is. As a gentleman, all I can report of our findings is that she is still younger than I am.

She reports she had a wonderful day with lots of well wishes from friends and family. Of course, the Relief Society decided to throw a birthday party in her honor (they do it every year, I wonder how those without March birthdays feel?).

Daniel, Rosalyn, and kids sent the beautiful tulip bouquet, which Bubby has now placed in a planter pot given her by Big K. The pot looks like a teacup.

All in all, a very happy birthday for someone who makes us all happy.

Buboppy

Homeward Bound

I promise, this is the last piece about our trip. Bubby really wanted to connect with Rick, the son of her good friend and former employer, Dr. Snow. Rick is in an MBA program at William and Mary University in Williamsburg. Bubby faithfully obtained contact information before we left, but forgot to bring it along. We tried some email to Dr. Snow, but somehow we couldn't get through. Finally, with time running out, Bubby called The Mrs. Snow, and got a cell number. She was told that Rick was actually in D.C. for the weekend, but was expected to return home sometime later that evening.

Mrs. Snow contacted Rick, who called us, and we were able to hook up with them. They were entertaining friends over the weekend, but an outing to a local ice cream parlor was planned and we joined them.

The photo below is Rick and Erica and their cute children. Bubby was really excited to visit with them, at least for a minute, and get caught up a bit. Rick is doing both an MBA and a MAcc (Masters of Accountancy) program. He already has a degree in economics and finance, but didn't like the job that brought him out east when he graduated from BYU.



The photo below is Rick and his little girl, who's name escapes me. She was super cute and was clearly giving her parents a run for their money. It seems precocious kids are the norm these days. Maybe our mistake was insisting on certain behaviors?



We drove back to Baltimore on Sunday morning, checked in for our flight, and discovered that it had been delayed one hour, which caused us to miss our connection at JFK. The agent got us on an alternate flight to Atlanta, and then on to Las Vegas. We had a few anxious moments when our flight to Atlanta was also late and we feared we would miss our connection to Las Vegas. But after some exercise in various wings of the Atlanta airport, we just made our flight as they were closing the doors, and we got back to Las Vegas about 7:30 PM, half an hour before we were originally scheduled to arrive(??).

We stopped in Mesquite and slept, but we were both at our jobs first thing Monday morning. We had a wonderful time, even if we didn't accomplish everything according to plan. It was surely nice to get away.

Buboppy

Yorktown

Yes, we are already back home, but Bubby wanted to finish our posting from the trip. There is still a little story to tell, including the miraculous return home, but I am getting ahead of myself. You will have to wait for another posting to get the final details.



So, when we finally got hungry (Chickahominy for breakfast), we were in one little community or another, and I noticed an Italian deli on the side of the road. Of course Bubby is always up for Italian, so we stopped. We were planning to share a salad and a calzone, and thought it an appropriate amount of food for the two of us. The salad was outstanding and we devoured it greedily, and then this monstrosity showed up! We only managed to eat about 1/3 of it, and the rest became dinner and a strange sort of breakfast on Sunday morning. Never think you know what the portions will be like, based on cost. This thing only cost $10 in a much higher priced part of the country!



We did find our way to Yorktown and the battlefield. We went into the visitor's center, watched the film, and generally soaked up the history of the site. We have visited here a couple of times before, but I am always in awe of the sacrifice made by the colonists at historical sites like this. They really laid it on the line and their efforts have lead to all that we enjoy in this country. Of course there have been challenges, and there are challenges ahead, but we are proud to live in this land and appreciate our great heritage.



I have no idea why Bubby insisted that this photo be included. I always prefer to be on the other side of the camera.



OK, I am going to reveal something about Bubby and Poppy. We can be a little quirky, especially when we are on our own. Bubby was studying the map when we were approaching Yorktown and noticed that there was a town on the north side of the York river called "Ordinary". I said to Bubby, "wouldn't it be fun to drive to Ordinary and see the town? Heck, we could do something extraordinary in Ordinary!" The more we talked about it, the better it sounded.

We paid the $2 toll to cross the bride and drove the 10 miles to Ordinary, as documented by the sign in the photo. Of course Ordinary is one of those towns my Dad used to joke about. You know, the ones where as you driving into town at 35 mph, you start to comment, "nice town . . ." but before you can finish the thought, you have exited the city limits, so you finish your sentence, "wasn't it?" We wanted to find something cool to do, like go to the grocery store and wander the aisles (an all time favorite activity for any of the Robert Eves family), but Ordinary doesn't have one. We did see the Ordinary Steak and Seafood House, locally called the Ordinary Tavern. But we were not up for it. All I can say is that we visited this community, the most extraordinary thing we did was buy gas for our rental car.

Buboppy

Jamestown

We decided to relive a memory this morning. When we were here the first time, over 15 years ago, Bubby went to a luncheon at the Chickahominy House. We took Daniel and Matthew there when we visited in 1996. So, this morning we drove out on the Jamestown Road and found the restaurant in the same place, and popular as ever. We did notice how much had sprung up around it since we were here last. Urban sprawl is certainly effecting this popular area.

When you go to the Chickahominy house it is all about the plantation breakfast, which includes hot square biscuits and salty Virginia ham. There is a lovely gift shop in the home and we had a chance to look around while we waited for a table. When you go to this spot, you feel like you have stepped back in history a couple of hundred years.

We continued on to Jamestown and made our first stop at the glass shop. The NPS has a glass blowing operation on nearly the same site as was occupied by the first Jamestown craftsmen. It is hard to believe that this site was the first industrial venture in the new world.



They were making wine jugs today and we watched with interest through the blowing of several. In this photo, the glass blower is forming the bulb of the jug.



In this photo, two glass blowers are working together to attach the handle to the jug. It is quite a process, but interesting to see how quickly the 21st Century craftsmen were able to turn out today's production item.



We were surprised and pleased to find that Jamestown has a brand new visitor's center. It is really beautiful and state of the art. They completed it in conjunction with the 400th Anniversary of the founding of Jamestown (1607-2007). We watched their new multimedia film and then walked out to the shores of the James River to see the old church and stockade.

We had to walk out over a tidal swamp to get to the exhibits, and Bubby was taken by all of the turtles and frogs we saw. If you enlarge this photo, you will see two small turtles in the center of it. The other fun thing was the noise from all of the frogs.



They were really croaking up a storm, and Bubby had me make a movie, just so our readers could here them sound off. It would have been a noisy place on a warm spring night, for sure.



This monument was part of the commemoration of the 300th Anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. It really stands out as you approach the site.



This inscription is found on the site of the monument that faces the James River. It is hard to believe that these hardy folks notched a living out of the wilderness at this site. It is true that initially their motives were more financial than practical, but the colony survived and, as was pointed out in the orientation film, when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, the Jamestown colonists were already making laws and had an organized government.



All of our young readers will know about Pocahontas and her important role in the founding of Jamestown. Both she, and Bubby chose to wear green today.



Here is the statue of Captain John Smith, again a key player in the success of the Jamestown colony. It was really fun to revisit this place and to sense the history of the area. Besides the fact that it was over 70°, and while we were there, and Daniel called to tell us it had snowed a foot in Cedar City last night. It really is great to be here, today!

Buboppy

On to Williamsburg

When we finally crawled out of bed on Thursday morning, we decided to take a little wander around and find ourselves some breakfast. We ended up at a real local lunch counter where the food was reasonably priced and palatable, but the people watching was outstanding. We sat and watched the parade of customers while I tanked up on Diet Coke and Bubby sipped peachy tea.

We went back to the Marriott and hooked up with the BCNHA crowd. They were flying out that afternoon and we caught a ride to the car rental location with them. That is where we parted company. It was fun to be together, but for us at least, the time was too short.

We picked up our car from Enterprise and headed south. We didn't want to go down the
freeway, and we wanted to avoid Wasthington traffic, so we found an alternative route. It probably took us an extra hour and a half, but it was well worth it. We stopped at a seafood spot for lunch. Bubby had a crab cake sandwich that she loved. I had some peel-and-eat shrimp and a cup of chowdah. It was a lovely drive and we just enjoyed the sunshine and the sights.



We took this photo for Booty, because we remembered that his National Jamboree was at Fort A.P. Hill.



We had some trouble finding our motel, because we had come into town via an alternate route (avoiding the main highways). I finally called for directions and we checked in. It is a Marriott vacation property and we have a great room and a really good price. I am sure they would love to sell us a time share, but we aren't encouraging them. While we were at the registration desk, a good Samaritan offered us the second day of his two-day passes to Williamsburg. Bubby was elated. We took a run to the grocery store (our room has a kitchenette) and settled in for the night.



On Friday morning, we wanted to be at the Visitor's Center by 9:00. We caught the movie and headed into the town via a bus. I had to take this photo of Bubby with one of the period-dressed workers. Our first stop was at the Palace of the English Colonial Governors.



While we were waiting for our tour, I snapped a photo of the horse-drawn carriage as it rounded the corner in front of the Palace.



The interior of the Palace was quite impressive. Bubby remembered all of the swords and guns in the entryway, but I sure didn't. It was a pretty cool tour, even if our tour guide was on the annoying side.



Another of the rooms in the Palace.



Bubby had a memory of an candlelit concert in the Bruton Parish Church, so we had to visit there.



We walked all the way up and down the Duke of Dorchester Street and decided to grab a bite of lunch at the Chowning Tavern.



We had to wait for a table, which was very pleasant in the warm sunshine. It was fun to have lunch in the tavern. The menu was limited, but we knew this would not be the last meal of the day, so we didn't want too much. We ordered a bowl of the soup of the day (navy bean and ham) and some corn bread. Both were excellent, and at $4.00 each, quite a bargain. Our waitress was a marvel and worked the room like a seasoned veteran.



We decided to have peanut pie for dessert, just to see what it was all about. It was a lot like pecan pie but not nearly as good.

We continued our wanderings including a visit to the cabinet shop and the cooper's shed. Lots of interesting things to see. We finished the afternoon with a wander through the commercial portion of the town. Didn't buy anything but a handful of mints, however. Not very good shoppers.

We asked some key questions when we got back to the Visitor's Center and our car. We ended up at a local BBQ joint, and I mean joint, called Pierce's. It was fun to be there with the locals. The portions were huge, and the hush puppies divine. After dinner we found an Orvis outlet, and Bubby had a wonderful time shopping for clothes. She bought a couple of items before they closed, but I have a feeling we will be going back tomorrow for a second look.

We are holed-up in our room watching HBO and catching up on our correspondence. Bubby is doing a batch of garments so we will have enough to get us back home. Tomorrow is Jamestown and Yorktown, and the outlet malls. We'll try to get some good photos.

Buboppy

A Cold Day in Our Nation's Capitol

We hooked up with all of our friends at the keynote speech of the conference on Wednesday morning. Thanks to Auntie Nell! If she hadn't called at 6:30 in her excitement to touch bases with Trisha, we would likely have slept through the event. It was a screening of part of Ken Burns latest film on the National Parks. Ken Burns was very impressive and the film looks great. It will be shown on PBS for an entire week in September.

Once the talk was over, we loaded up most of the BCNHA group and headed for our day in DC. It was a cold, clear day, but we were scheduled for this activity, so away we went. Of course a big part of the excitement is following Sean, who has the GPS but doesn't lead a caravan particularly well. Part of the fun of these annual conventions is hanging out with our friends, all veterans of numerous outings. This is Paula, standing by the Washington Monument (trying to get out of the cold breeze).



As we were driving in, we snapped a few shots from inside of the van. It took us quite awhile to find parking, but we ended up on the campus of George Washington University in an underground garage.



For me, the most fun was the visit to the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum. We saw lots, and lots, including some amazing fossils, the Hope Diamond, and this set of shark teeth. Bubby had to have this photo so Jake can see how really big these things are. These teeth belong to a great white shark.



We went to the new World War memorial, the Air and Space Museum, and the new Native American museum. Lots of walking and lots of fun. Bubby and I stopped for a photo op on the mall.



At the end of the day, we headed for the Lincoln Memorial and the Viet Nam Memorial. It was a great day, but we did a lot of walking. We found our way to the parked cars and headed for Baltimore. We were all tired and hungry, but had to settle for a third rate Italian restaurant that is trying to knock off the Olive Garden (it was called the Olive Grove). They have quite a way to go.



When we got back to our motel room, we jumped right into bed. Bubby was asleep in minutes, it took me nearly half an hour to fall asleep.

Buboppy

Finally on Our Way

It was a very busy weekend, and all of the doings associated with our stake conference made it even more hectic. We had meetings starting at 8:00 AM on Saturday morning. I was home by noon, and didn't have to go back until a dinner that we arranged for all of the stake leadership. The dinner was very nice and a good prelude to our 6:00 PM session on Saturday night. I had a talk in that one. Daniel and Rosalyn were house-hunting and visiting us, but alas they were left to their own devices much of Saturday and Sunday because of the conference.



Bubby did get this nice shot of Mr. Drewfus and we had a lot of fun seeing the kids. Daniel made us a special lemon pudding cake for dessert on Saturday night. Thanks Dan for all of the effort. It was very tasty.

On Sunday, I conducted priesthood leadership, and then we did the general session. We were all released and although I am sure it will feel weird for awhile, it is going to be good to go to Church with Bubby. It will also be nice to have a little more flexibility with Tuesday afternoons and Sundays. Of course, something new awaits. I already have to speak in Sacrament meeting on Sunday, March 15th.

After lunch with Daniel and Rosalyn and sending them on their way, we started to get ready to drive to LAS and catch a plane. I went on-line to check us in, and saw something weird, our reservations said we departed on Tuesday morning instead of 11:15 PM on Sunday. I tried calling Delta (our airline) and we got busy signals. I finally got through to Expedia, through which we booked the flights, and after much consternation on their part, it was realized that Delta had canceled our flight and re-booked us on Tuesday morning at 11:40 AM. I looked into alternatives, but of course the cost was triple what we had initially paid for our tickets. The problem was weather at JFK, I guess it was an awful snow storm.

After a conference call with Gayle, and a realization that we were not going to be able to leave until Tuesday morning, we decided to wait until Monday morning to drive down to Las Vegas. We were able to sleep in our own bed, prepare for departure in a leisurely fashion, and still left home by 10:00 AM. I did some checking and got us a room at the Mandalay Bay. That is Bubby's favorite and after lunch at the 4 Kegs and some shopping at Trader Joe's, Fry Brothers, and an oriental store, we checked-in. It must have been a quiet night for Mandalay Bay, because they offered us a half-price upgrade to a suite. We jumped at it and had a really lovely room for the night. Bubby had a jacuzzi bath.



When it came time for dinner, we headed to an old favorite, located in the Commercial Center off of east Sahara. We both had soup, mine was huge and full of noodles. Bubby's was so hot she has been suffering ever since. She ate it all anyway, though. We also shared some green papaya salad, and of course some dessert.



Bubby wanted to include this image for all of the sticky rice and mango fans we know. It was really good.



I decided to put this one in for Booty. He'll remember the coconut ice cream. They now offer it as a topping to sticky rice. It was really good, much better than what Bubby ate.



On Tuesday morning we left Mandalay Bay at about 7:30 and headed to Weiss Deli in Green Valley. We had decided that we wanted a bagel to take on the airplane, which turned out to be a very good thing. Had it not been for the bread and cheese and bagel we took with us, we would have been consigned to our "milk run" flight with little more than soda and Biscoff cookies. We also had a cheese Danish for our breakfast, in honor of Aaron's birthday. Bubby's was apricot, and she loved it.

While we were waiting to board our first flight (we flew LAS to SLC to ATL and, finally to BWI), we realized that Delta had put us in 1st Class for the first leg of the flight. This is Bubby immersing herself in the experience. Sure, it was only for a 45 minute flight, but it was absolutely wonderful. We were sorry to land. It made the other two legs seem even more crowded than they were.

When we got to Baltimore, we finally rounded up our luggage at about 11:45 PM, and then waited until 12:10 AM for the light rail to the Inner Harbor. We got off at Camden Yard, very nervous to be wandering downtown Baltimore (the panhandling capitol of the world as far as I can tell) that late at night. Luckily it was too cold for the homeless and we were able to walk directly to our hotel and were in bed by 1:00 AM.

We had missed most of our conference,through no fault of ours, so we don't feel too bad. There is lots more to tell, but we will do it in the morning. We are headed into Williamsburg for a grocery run.

Buboppy