cc: file, Andrea, Tony Hafen, Sara and Des Penny, Pauline Nelson via mail, & Maxine Shirts
"Writing Thoughtlets is like running a marathon. Once you are used to doing it, it becomes part of the schedule. It is just a matter of taking a few hours every Sunday to write down what happened during the week, and to attempt to find some wise words to share. I probably don't do so good on the latter half. While on the plane over to Beijing, I told Ben and Brian there was a catch in regards to their trip. I asked them to send me an e-mail summarizing their trip, so I could include these words in a future Thoughtlet. That was going to be for Thoughtlet #0305. However, I haven't received anything yet, and with the Columbia disaster yesterday, I will write about Columbia and Challenger for #0305. However, guys, it would be nice to have your notes by next Sunday for #0306. Maybe my request is to attempt to teach how much effort I do put into my attempts to share my love with all y'all.
Last week I ran out of steam about the time I was describing the trip home. It was snowing as we left the hotel. I couldn't find a reference in my quick search through past Thoughtlets, so you all might not know one of my superstitions is that when it snows it has positive connotations for me. Upon just a little reflection, it is funny how big my ego must be to believe a snow storm in an area I happen to be in has anything to do with me. I took several photos of the snow from the walkway to the airplane, while Ben and I waited for Brian to get searched by the guards. I'm surprised Brian was able to get his bag reclosed.
There isn't much to report about the trip home. At the terminal in Narita, Japan we watched a little girl loose her lunch all over the floor. It was kind of the final straw in my decision to not take Grand kids on this type of a trip until they are at least 8 years old (0302.html). Brian and I said good-bye to Ben in L.A. and worked our way over to the Southwest terminal. The flight from San Jose was fogged in, and so our 10:30 AM flight ended up leaving about 1:30 PM. Gave us time to eat red licorice and I ended up talking to a Navy guy about the Sea Cadets. By the time we got to Cedar City, talked to everyone, and I finally got to bed, it had been about 32 hours since I'd laid down. These trips are long.
I mentioned in the last Thoughtlet going to church with Grandma Shirts. Then I went to all three meetings with Heather and Rachel. Lloyd Kenny, who was in my class, was attending and is in the Stake Presidency. It was good to see him. I was surprised how old he looks. Maybe it is the gray hair which is distinguishing. Aunt Sara cooked a lovely salmon dinner for Sunday evening, and Rachel and Grandma Shirts were there. Sara gave me an article from the Spectrum on 08 January 2003 by Ed Kociela and his High Country Beat column, about Dad's farm [with comments about my youth in square brackets]. I loved the article, and it sets the tone for my adventures Monday and Tuesday in Toquerville, Utah. I quote:
Monday and Tuesday were the first time in about 8 years
where I have visited Mom for more than an hour or two. I
like the place she is at a lot better than Porter's. When I
was growing up, there wasn't much to Toquerville, Utah.
Still isn't much there. Youth groups went there a couple of
times to swim in the swimming pool fed by the hot sulfur
springs at the mouth of the canyon. I've spent time the
last few years thinking about the possibilities of using or
developing some geothermal energy in Southern Utah, as a
direct result of those hot springs. I saw Uncle Dick and
Aunt Elaine on this trip, and we talked about the excessive
microearthquake activity over by Enoch, and that I expect
there is an opportunity for a geothermal power plant there.
During the summers, when I would drive with Dad on the
Kanaraville, Hurricane, St. George, Santa Clara meat run on
Thursdays, and fill out all of the invoices for him, we
would drive through Toquerville, Utah, and never really
notice we had passed. Who would of guessed my Mother would
end up living there?
It was nice to spend time with Mom, not having to worry about catching a plane, or some family activity. We talked some. Mostly I just sat in the room with her. On Monday I drove over to the Wendy's in Hurricane and picked her up a taco salad and the fixings. On Tuesday Mom wanted to have Hunan for lunch. So Tuesday morning I drove down to St. George and visited with Uncle Lloyd and Aunt Luana, went to R&K Bookstore and got some new church books I'm interested in, and spent a little time talking to Uncle Russ, Andrea's oldest brother. I stopped at Larson Frosttop's on the way out of town and had a small thick blackberry malt. Go-ooo-od stuff! And Mom liked the meals.
Mom was wearing her Nigerian dress. As she read, she would think of something and ask me a question. Questions like: `What is a PET Scan.' I explained about `Positron Emission Tomography,' and satisfied she would go back to her reading. Her mind is still like that wild stallion. Even though she is caged by her body, her mind will never be caged. I was surprised on Monday when out of the blue she said, `Did you bring your guitar?' I told her no, and that I was sure I could borrow one. Turns out Brian has an acoustic guitar, and so I borrowed it and brought it down with me on Tuesday. He has metal strings, and my fingers were really sore after just playing a couple of songs. Mom seemed to like it, and I sang about 15 different songs. I had brought my notebook with all of my songs with me, for the singing time with Yan Dun Shi and family. She liked the songs about you kids.
It was the first time I had ever sang the songs I wrote about Grandma Hafen and Dad to her. The chorus to Grandma Hafen's song has the words `one or two tears.' After I finished the song, Mom said, `One or two tears? I think she was clinically depressed.' After I sang Dad's song, she said, `Aunt Vee(?) used to take each of the kids down to the field and say `Howard Nelson (or whoever it was) is a good little boy (or girl)' as the meadow larks sang their song.
Mom was telling me how much Des liked going out to dinner with Sara and Roice and Sara Nemic when he was in Austin. She asked me about the program Roice has written, which Des likes so much. I explained it allows you to define a solar system and to study the impact of gravity on the movement of the suns, planets, and moons. Mom came back with, `Another one of those Mormon plans to become a God or a Goddess?' I replied I didn't think that was where Roice's mind is these days, and asked if that is what she wanted to do. She flashed back, `Hell no! I have enough to take care of without worrying about new worlds.' We both laughed. It was a nice visit, and I plan to figure out how to do this more often.
Of course, I can't sit still, and so I worked on my book, `An Open Mind,' and watched some of the country MTV-type videos on Mom's television in Toquerville, Utah. It still amazes me how television signals travel around the world and reach places as remote as Toquerville, Utah.
On Monday night, Paul, Kate, and Grant joined Audrey, Rachel, Grandma Shirts, Uncle Des, Aunt Sara, Brian, and me at Milts Stage Stop for a feast. Paul, Kate, and Grant were on their way home from spending the Martin Luther King holiday with her parents in Washington. Mom wanted to go to Milts. It is so sad there is no reasonable way to bring her to something like dinner at Milts. We had a good time. On Tuesday night Sara cooked dinner again, and Heather joined us. Audrey had to study, and she came over late, and ended up winning the card game we played. I was second, and I can't even remember what the game is called. Oh well!
Wednesday morning Grandma Shirts took me to where the Hotel Escalante used to be and I caught the new shuttle to Las Vegas from Cedar City. It is called I-15 Express and costs $35. The contact is Brian Nicholson at 435.867.0150 or www.I15EXPRESS.com. He is a nice guy from the San Francisco area. Retired policeman. He can handle 15 folks in his van, and I anticipate running geologic field trips in Utah using him. Hopefully Ward Abbott will lead the field trips. If not, I'll get professors from the U or the Y. The AAPG is the 11th-14th of May in Salt Lake, and I anticipate bringing a bunch of Chinese and/or Nigerians through Utah on a field trip in conjunction with the convention. Seemed like I had to wait a long time in Vegas. They showed `Sweet Home Alabama' on the flight back to Houston. I like that show. It was good to be home. Matt was glad to see me back, and that felt very good.
Thursday through Saturday were spent getting caught up on mail, e-mail, papers, and sending my first notes to Mr. Yan Jiafeng at Beijing Hua You Geo Science & Technical Development Ltd. (Geo). Matt went to San Antonio Friday night with his Sea Cadet Commander. They spent the day taking an inventory of uniforms. Andrea and I went to see the movie Just Married. It was kind of dumb, and yet the bottom line statement was pretty good. I'd rate it a B- and lower on acting and higher on humor. However, my week was dominated by my enjoyable time in Toquerville, Utah."