St. George

This Spring Break we went to St. George, Utah. Typically, St. George is known for lots of fun in the sun. We had lots of fun, but little sun. (We have had a very wet Spring.) While there we went to the Fun Center, hit some balls at Sand Hollow (and were given the VIP tour by Papa), fed the ducks, and enjoyed the rock walls and bike path at a park.

Not big enough to ride the rides

Easter

Please forgive the delay in posting Easter pictures. We had a wonderful Easter. The children consider it one of their favorite holidays. They participated in several egg hunts and scored lots of candy. Mom and dad enjoyed a weekend full of General Conference. There was much said by the leaders of the Church that was needed to be heard.

The pianisten

As soon as we got home from the campout, we had to quickly shower and to get ready for Mason's and Carter's piano recital. The boys were very tired, but they did an outstanding job! Both played their pieces perfectly. We were very proud of them, and you could tell they took pride in their performances.

Pleased to be done!

Fathers and Sons 2011

Our ward went to Hyrum Reservoir for the annual Fathers and Sons campout.The boys had a great time exploring the woods and playing in the cold water of the reservoir. They built a fort out of branches, leaves and grass clumps. It was a great adventure!

Long Beach, California

I was able to go to Long Beach for a writers conference. While the conference was held at the Hyatt in downtown Long Beach, I stayed across the bay on the Queen Mary. I was the envy of the conference goers.

Queen Mary with the Russian sub The Scorpion

The ship is rich with history. Its maiden voyage was May 27, 1936. It was designed to serve as a luxury cruise vessel, but at the start of WWII in 1939, she was drafted into the war effort.

In 1966 she sailed her last time before being put on the auction block. With 20 something bids, Long Beach acquired her for $3.45M. (The next closest bid was something like 800k.)

The Queen Mary is huge! It is 1,019.5 ft. (310.74 m.) in length (The Titanic was 882.9 ft.) It still holds the record for the most passengers (soldiers) at 16k! The men had to take shifts sleeping, and they say the sheets were still warm from the last guy. Normal occupancy was 1,174.

Toward the bow of the ship on the sun deck.

Looking across to downtown Long Beach

I jumped in on a tour. We pause just below the entrance to Sir Winston's Lounge.

A port for cruise ships right next door.

In my bathroom. Passengers were able to choose the source of their water!

This is how I flushed my toilet.

Before AC became a staple.

This is how you get heat/cool air in your room/bathroom.

My room window with a great view.

 I took my roller blades on the trip. Each morning I went exploring. I made a new friend in a blue heron. He followed me around on my exploration.

Looking back toward the ship

My friend for a day.

My friend follows me.

My next post will show some of the funny things I saw in LA. Here is a hint, what do crazy, eastern block people do for work in LA?