Spiritual Communications

 The Holy Ghost "shall teach you all things" John 14:26

“These delicate, refined spiritual communications are not seen with our eyes, nor heard with our ears. And even though it is described as a voice, it is a voice that one feels, more than one hears. . . .

“The Spirit does not get our attention by shouting or shaking us with a heavy hand. Rather it whispers. It caresses so gently that if we are preoccupied we may not feel it at all”  Boyd K. Packer 

Being taught by the Holy Ghost is an awesome experience. 

1909 Cathcart Trip - Port Simpson, Kitchikan, Wrangell, Juneau

Anna, Celia & William Cathcart
 ca 1910

16 year old Celia Cathcart is traveling with her parents, Anna and William Cathcart, and "grandmother." We're assuming this was Emma Sconce. Friday, July 9, 1909 the party boarded a ship in Seattle, Washington and headed north to Canada and then Alaska. Celia is my father's mother. 

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Tuesday July 13

Tuesday the weather was as good as usual. The cloud effects we saw on this day were particularly fine. In places, the low dark stratus clouds would envelop the mountain in a maze of darkness, while above them the cirrus clouds would break away to disclose the last rays of the sinking sun. The sun never sets in this country until 9:30 or 10:00. Its reflections on the water are superb in their coloring. We also saw quite a number of porpoises. A porpoise is a large fish, from 3 to 5 ft in length, with a reddish colored body and light green fins and tail. It spouts water like a whale does. They are fond of racing along with a steamer, being sometimes known to swim a mile by the side of the vessel. Port Simpson was the next stop after Prince Rupert. The Alaskan towns are all very similar. They are built up on piles high above the water. The streets and sidewalks are all of boards which on account of the climate are nearly always damp and slippery. The houses are built on either side of the street, and are merely shelters, beauty not being considered. The walls seemed to be patched up with all sorts of boards, sticks, or mud. In front of most of the houses were totem poles. Kitchikan was reached about 3:00 Tuesday afternoon. It is also built on piles, at the side of a mountain. In the town is a little falls, which in the right season is crowded with salmon. About 3 miles from the town is another falls, greater than the first. This we saw from the boat. Large lumber mills and a shingle mill are located here. ; [sic] About 11:00 the boat stopped at Wrangell, remaining there until 7:30 Wednesday morning. Some very hideous totems were seen here. Small pieces of ice were now frequently seen in the water, having broken off from a nearby glacier of great extent. About 8:00 we landed at Juneau, the capital of Alaska. It is very pretty as a town, nestled in at the foot of two lofty snowcapped mountains. Clean-looking restaurants, fashionable jewelry stores and up-to-date vegetable markets characterized the place. The public building is located on a hill overlooking the city. Just across from Juneau, on Douglas Island, are the famous Treadwell mines and stamp mills. The Glory Hole, a great cave in the rocks where an entrance to the mines is effected, is plainly seen from the boat. I neglected to state that about 4:00 on Wednesday afternoon before reaching Juneau, we passed a great glacier known as Sumturn glacier. It is said that only 1/8 of the total glacier is in evidence, the remainder being submerged in the water. A little farther down our course stood a great iceberg which had probably broken off from the glacier as had other smaller pieces of ice. The coloring of the iceberg was gorgeous, it being a greenish blue in places and a whitish yellow other. It was a very irregular mass, much resembling a cave in the side of a detached hill.

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map from Alaska by Ella Higginson, published 1909

Port Simpson, British Columbia, Canada - The Tsimshian people spent winters in this area. Then Fort Simpson was built and changed the lives of the native people. "In the village surrounding the fort there gathered more than 2,000 Tsimshian ..." source more information here

Kitchikan/Ketchikan, Alaska - more information here. Image - Ketchikan in 1908; source 

"Ketchikan's History dates back to 1883, when a man named Snow built a salmon saltery. Two years later, businessmen from Portland, Oregon, hired Mike Martin to investigate possibilities for building a salmon cannery on the banks of Ketchikan Creek. By the early 1900's, Martin and the cannery's manager, George Clark, had set up a partnership and had opened a saltery and a general store. Two years later, with the fishing trade flourishing, Ketchikan was definitely in business. And by 1900, with a population of 800, the town was officially incorporated." source

Wrangell - "Wrangell is the third oldest community in Alaska, and the second oldest community in Southeast, and the ONLY city in Alaska to be ruled by four nations and under three flags... Tlingit, Russia, England, and the United States." source Click here to see totem poles from around 1909. More about Wrangell here and here

Juneau - ca 1909; source  The area that became Juneau was a long time fishing ground for the Tlingit Indians. In the late 1800s gold was found and that started a stampede. The town of Juneau was laid out. The boomtown became a mining center. In 1906, just three years before the Cathcarts' visit, Juneau became the state capital. Juneau was named after Joseph Juneau, a Canadian prospector. Read more here. 

Douglas Island - Treadwell Mines & Steam Mills - "The Treadwell gold mine ... was in its time the largest hard rock gold mine in the world, employing over 2,000 people. ... Although John Treadwell had twelve years of experience in both placer and lode mines, he was a carpenter and builder by trade who had come to Alaska prior to the Klondike Gold Rush." Wikipedia   Read more here

Glory Hole - massive pit that resulted from gold mining

Sumturn Glacier - unable to locate information on this

Color of glacier ice - "Majestic glaciers and thick snow banks act like filters that absorb red light, making a crevasse or deep hole appear blue." Read more about light, color, and glaciers here. 

Check the list of August posts on the right for more posts from Celia's diary.

Love Life

Gordon Hinckley

Skipping

July 1951

When I came across this photo the other day, something told me this is how Dad and I looked at the time of a very special memory. 

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We lived a few blocks from downtown. I have a vivid, and very happy, memory of going to the barbershop with Dad. We held hands and skipped along the Courthouse's wide, slate sidewalks. We sang, "Hippity hop, hippity hop, off we go to the barbershop." 

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Dad probably wasn't this dressed up when we skipped along. I hope he wasn't skipping with his pipe in his mouth. 

This is such a strong memory for me that I've posted about it twice before. This makes three times. See here and here. 

Truth-Service-Love

Thomas Monson gives a "formula" to guide us on our earthly journey and lead us to eternal life with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

"First, fill your mind with truth

second, fill your life with service

third, fill your heart with love"

more here

Book - The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

“The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing” by Marie Kondo

"This best-selling guide to decluttering your home from Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes readers step-by-step through her revolutionary KonMari Method for simplifying, organizing, and storing."   worldcat.org

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I read this to see if it would help me with the downsizing process as we get ready to move. Our new place has one less bedroom and no private, separate garage in which to store anything (gated, shared, open garage) I’m still thinking about Kondo's ideas a few weeks after I finished the book.

Kondo’s main premise is to surround yourself with things that bring you “joy” and that things came into our lives and homes for a reason. She advocates that each item be touched so you can tell whether or not there’s a positive connection with it. I found her tips helpful up to a point, especially when going through our clothes. Most of her ideas make sense. I do draw the line when it comes to ascribing feelings to socks – I don’t know if my socks truly resent being folded and the tops pulled over to make a bundle. 

I think it’s stretching it to talk about “joy” connected with office supplies and things in our kitchen cabinets. But the premise does help me quickly connect with why I might be keeping items – is there an emotional connection, am I stockpiling for a friend or grandchild activity that realistically isn’t going to happen, did that sale item turn out to be something I didn’t really need, and so forth? 

I’m glad I followed her advice to start with clothes instead of books as I originally planned our weeding out process. It was somewhat “easy” to go through each piece of clothing and quickly think about the last time it was worn and how I felt when I wore it. It sounds strange but I think all of us would have to admit that certain clothes bring forth specific feelings. This process went much more quickly than I thought it would.

I’m thankful we dealt with many, many family mementoes last year. We have a “manageable” number now. I’m leaving them and the books until last. We gave away hundreds of books when we moved from North Street. We don’t have quite that many to give away this time but we do need to downsize even more – keeping only the best of the best. 

As we’re making space in closets and rooms, I’m reminded of how I felt when our North Street home started emptying out. There is a "freeing" and open feeling that comes with space and the absence of lots of stuff and clutter.

Some of Kondo’s ideas are a bit much for me – I don’t want to empty my purse every day. I don’t feel a need to thank my clothes every day. But I can and want to have a greater awareness of and appreciation for the things in my life – and make conscious decisions about which items should be part of our surroundings.  

Peace of Mind

Joe is giving this message to the people he home teaches this month. 

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Peace of mind is a very important part of life, but often seems hard to achieve.



Quentin L. Cook said, “What are the sources of peace? Many search for peace in worldly ways, which never have and never will succeed. Peace is not found by attaining great wealth, power, or prominence. Peace is not found in the pursuit of pleasure, entertainment, or leisure. None of these can, even when attained in abundance, create any lasting happiness or peace “  

So how do we get peace of mind as a way of life ? We have to go to its eternal source – Heavenly Father and to the person He sent to us to show the way – Jesus Christ.

"Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me." Doctrine and Covenants 19:23

The key to peace in our lives is: Learn, Listen, Walk following Jesus Christ as a way of life. – Not just a nice thought – but a walk to become like Christ – step by step, inch by inch with determination and persistence knowing we are on the true path and will obtain our ultimate reward of returning to live with Heavenly Father and his Son Jesus Christ – our brother.   

Click here for entire talk

Avocado & Gold

Avocado & harvest gold were the "in" colors in the late 1960s and early 1970s

These swivel racks have been in my kitchen since Harvest Street (perhaps at Oxley Road, prior to Harvest Street). Then they went to North Street. Then Kirkland Avenue - and wherever we go next. 

I recently came across these table cloths. I made the bottom one with the fringe when we moved into our Harvest Street home.The top one was with us on Oxley Road in Columbus, before we bought the house on Harvest Street. Here's that table cloth on Oxley Road at Michael's first birthday party (August 1969)

More avocado and gold 

Julius at Hide-A-Way Hills in August 1972

The metal cabinets in our kitchen at Harvest Street 

were a yellowish-gold - June 1970

Read about the popularity of this color combination in the 1960s and 1970s here, here, and here.

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Side Notes: - Glasses on table at Oxley Road - These were in Duz detergent. Mom collected an entire set of them and gave them to us when we were married or shortly thereafter. Pyrex bowl in bottom picture - John and I received a set of three of these bowls as a wedding gift. Joe and I are still using two of them. The third bowl broke sometime in the last 48 years. 

What "in" colors are you using now that you'll find in your home almost 50 years from now? Kind of strange to contemplate, isn't it?

Interactions & Listening

interactions that nourish the soul 

interactions during which people can feel your love

"For our interactions to truly touch their hearts, we have to pay attention to them, ... Most important is letting them talk, then asking them questions. And then being willing to listen, yes listen, and listen some more." Robert Hales

From talk on parenting 

video & transcript

1909 Cathcart Trip - Canada - Vancouver To Prince Rupert

Anna, Celia & William Cathcart
 ca 1910

16 year old Celia Cathcart is traveling with her parents, Anna and William Cathcart, and "grandmother." We're assuming this was Emma Sconce. Friday, July 9, 1909 the party boarded a ship in Seattle, Washington and headed north to Canada and then Alaska. Celia is my father's mother. 

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Friday July 9 .

[in Seattle] Friday we spent in shopping and in resting. We left the hotel about 9:30 and got aboard the Princess Charlotte where we spent the night, arriving at Vancouver about 8:30. The Sound was very smooth and the stateroom a model of comfortable luxury, so my first night on the water was a most pleasant one. We spent the day at the Vancouver Hotel which is under the management of the C.P.R.R. We didn't venture out all day, as it rained, except to go across the street to an Indian curio shop. One peculiar thing about the street car system of Vancouver is that the conductors pass around a little mug into which each passenger drops his fare so that the conductor is not tempted to be dishonest.

Friday night we left Vancouver on the Princess Royal for Skagway. The boat was billed to leave at 11:00, but there was so much loading to be done that it was between 3 and 4 before we left. The ship was one owned by the C.P.R. It was a three-decker, and a very big affair. It was crowded to its utmost, as there had to be two sittings at the dining room which accommodated about 100, The channel was very narrow the first day, as we passed through the Seymour Narrow, the water was very calm and of a dark green in color. About 4:30 Sunday evening the ship made its first stop at Alert Bay. This is an Indian village. The houses in which the natives lived were all alike except for a difference in the color of paint used. They all had three windows in the front, one high one and one on each side of that but lower down. These, of course, were in the fronts of the houses, which were perfectly plain except for a set-in doorway. The roofs were all V-shaped. To one side of each doorway stood a totem pole. These are great wooden monuments, carved and painted to represent all sorts of hideous figures such as persons, fish, and birds. These poles are the record of the family history of each household, and are very dear to the Indians. Sunday night, whales were seen at quite a distance from the boat. Later, it became very rough, and many persons got desperately seasick.

Monday July 12

Monday morning it was calm again. The first stop was made about 8:30 at Swanson's Bay, where a big pulp factory is located. The day was foggy as its predecessor had been, and the clouds hung very low over the heavily wooded mountain. Snowcapped peaks were to be seen, and at their base, pretty waterfalls. No stops were made during the day, but one Indian village was passed. Near this were numerous fishing boats in which men were manipulating their large nets. Snow-capped mountains were still plainly to be seen. Late in the evening, Prince Rupert was reached. On account of the large amount of freight to be unloaded, the ship remained here quite long, Prince Rupert is the terminus of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad, and a great deal is expected of it. It is expected to become the city of southeast Alaska.

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According to this site, the Princess Charlotte was a new ship in January 1909. In 1949 after 40 years of service in the Pacific Northwest waters, Princess Charlotte was sold to a Greek shipping line and was in service another 15 years. 

The “Princess” title came to be used for CPR [Canadian Pacific Railway] ships because of the aging CPNC [company bought by CPR] vessel Princess Louise. The popular “Empress” ships were already established in the Pacific, so the decision was made to carry out a royal theme, with smaller coastal ships bearing the prefix “Princess”. In the 1960s Stan McDonald chartered one of the Princess ships and became excited about cruising. His company, Princess Cruises, was named after the Princess Patricia, the ship he chartered a number of times.  source 

Vancouver Hotel, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - 1909 postcard

CPRR & CPR - Canadian Pacific Railroad

Princess Royal - ship to Skagway; image ca 1910

 "Princess Royal, a larger wooden ship of 227 feet having 72 staterooms with 144 berths also from BC Marine Railways was fitted with large triple expansion engines designed for 15 knots. She made her maiden voyage on July 18, 1907 sailing to Alaska." source 

Seymour Narrows - a treacherous part of the journey

Alert Bay, British Columbia, Canada - Indian Village, totem poles. Celia's descriptions of the houses were very accurate based on the pictures at the link below. Click here for images of people & buildings at Alert Bay in 1909. You can see some of the totem poles that Celia didn't care for. History of totem poles here

Swanson Bay, pulp factory - Click here for a history of the town

History of Prince Rupert & Terminus of Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad - Click here

It's fascinating to follow the ship's route through narrow waterways of the Inside Passage

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Congratulations for making it to the end of the post. I hope you explored the links. I was surprised at the number of photos I could find from the time the Cathcart family was cruising these waters. I keep thinking about 16 year old Celia from very small town Illinois and all that she's experiencing on this trip. 

annotations added to this map

Fresh Courage Take

Some of life's trials are long lasting and won't get better in this life - like Parkinson's. We face those challenges with as much courage as we can muster and an immense amount of hope and gratitude for our lives and relationships on the other side of the veil. 

I usually fall asleep easily but recently I tossed and turned for hours. My heart and mind were preoccupied with all that's going on. The phrase "fresh courage take" was the first thing I was aware of when I woke up the next morning. 

I was thankful for that reminder. Sometimes we need to straighten our shoulders, "gird up our loins" (see hymn below), reset our grip, take a deep breath, and keep setting one foot in front of  the other with increased determination and courage. That's what came to me that morning - fresh courage take.

Come, come, ye Saints, no toil nor labor fear;


But with joy wend your way.


Though hard to you this journey may appear,


Grace shall be as your day.


........

........


Gird up your loins; fresh courage take.


Our God will never us forsake;


And soon we'll have this tale to tell--


All is well! All is well!

Click image to hear Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing

Come, Come, Ye Saints

lyrics here

From the hymn - Come, Come, Ye Saints - Written by William Clayton as the Latter-day Saints were trekking west after being driven out of Kirtland, Ohio; then Missouri; and finally Nauvoo, Illinois.

image - Handcart Monument by Torleif Knaphus, Temple Square, Salt Lake City

Prayers During Life's Journeys

We often pray for our loved ones and their journeys. I just came across these thoughts about a trip and our prayers during the journey.

Our son has done the 200 miles bike ride from Seattle to Portland at least twice, once with a son and another time with a daughter - both times with people from their church congregation. The ride is a tradition for some members of their congregation.

One year their journey had many similarities to the journey we make through life. Our prayers for them over the two days mirrored, in a small way, prayers we have for our family and friends and the prayers our Heavenly Parents have for us as we go through our journeys here on earth. Their ride started in the rain – a heavy rain. As parents, we hope none of our children have to go through too many “rainstorms.” When a storm does appear in their lives, we pray for protection and safety as they navigate the tough times. On long journeys, and life is certainly a long journey if we’re fortunate, we delight in the stretches of sunny hours and smooth roads. When the journey is seeming to be long, we pray that legs don’t cramp and that bodies, minds, and spirits are up to the exertion that’s required for the journey.

Although we want sunshine and no hills and no accidents for all of our children on their journeys, we also know, from our own journeys, that life just doesn’t go that way all the time. We also know we can learn invaluable lessons from the rough patches of our lives. Just as our son and grandchildren trained for their rides, all of us have choices about how well we prepare ourselves and consistently train for this journey through earth life. 

Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are the best coaches we can have – and the scriptures are one of the most useful training manuals ever. 

image

Missing

This time of year I'm missing delicious, 

still-warm-from-the-garden Ohio tomatoes

gift from a friend - fresh off the vine

Most years it's difficult to grow tomatoes here due to the cooler climate and short warm season. Often they develop on the vine but don't ripen. One of the only good things that can be said about the ten 90 degree days we had this year is that tomatoes had enough hot days to ripen!

I eagerly cut into these tomatoes and savored the taste - probably the best we've had since moving out here. But, not too far back in my memory is the taste of Ohio tomatoes, especially those grown in that wonderful Ohio River mud in Gallipolis - now that's how a tomato should taste!

1909 Cathcart Trip - Seattle

Anna, Celia, William
ca 1910

16 year old Celia Cathcart is traveling with her parents, Anna and William Cathcart, and "grandmother." We're assuming this was Emma Sconce. Monday, July 5, 1909 the party arrived in Seattle, Washington after a cross country train trip from Sidell, Illinois. Read about that here. Celia is my father's mother.

Seattle was hosting the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition June - October 1909.

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Tuesday July 6

The next morning (Tuesday) we went out to the Exposition grounds. The buildings were all of a cream colored plaster-like substance. The main ones were arranged so as to face a rectangular park which consisted of sunken gardens. Beautiful flowers such as pansies, poppies, carnations, geraniums, foxgloves, Canterbury bells, etc. covered the terraces which rose from the walk to the buildings. We visited the Alaska, Hawaii, and Government Buildings, then went to the Eskimo Village on the Pay Streak. There we found Mr. Baber, who conducted us through the main amusements, such as Igerrote [Igorrotes] Village, Trip along the Yukon, Human Laundry, Scenic Railroad, etc. In the evening saw Ethel Barrymore in "Lady Frederick" at the Moore Theatre. In the boudoir scene she says to the desperately desperate Charley: "You have noticed that dark streak under my eye which gives so much feeling, so much pathos and sentiment to my expression?" "Yes", whispers Charley. "Well, here it is", as she picks up the pencil.

Wednesday July 7

Wednesday we again visited the fair, taking in the European, Oriental, Agriculture, Manufacturers, Forestry, and Music Pavillions [sic]. In the forestry building were two "big sticks", one 74 ft long by 4 ½ ft square, the other 156 ½ ft long by 17 in. square. The Washington game exhibit was especially fine; it represented a woodsy scene showing the cataract, hills, boy fishing, and wild animals. At the Music Pavillion [sic] we heard the Innes Band and also enjoyed two solos from a harpist. At night we admired the illuminations, and then went to the Natural Ampitheatre and saw the Iola Company, a squad of 48 K's of P, give their drill. 

Thursday morning was spent in taking an auto ride through the city. We went up on First & Last Hills, Capitol Hill, and Beacon Hill. Went through Volunteer Park and saw Washington Lake. Saw the men in their work on the streets, making them wider and removing the hills. At the Exposition we visited the Fine Arts Gallery, in which we saw nothing exceptionally appealing but a picture of Samson slaying a lion. The gladiator stood astride the monster, forcing its jaws open with his own powerful hands. The scene was in the mountains. We also went to the Canada building and to the Canadian Klondike where we heard a picture-talk.

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Exposition - The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition 

From article about the Exposition:

“The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition opened in Seattle on June 1, 1909 with nearly 80,000 visitors. Originally planned for 1907 to mark the 10th anniversary of the Klondike Gold Rush, the Exposition was postponed two years to avoid a conflict with another summer long exhibition in Jamestown, Virginia, marking that town’s tercentenary. In addition to providing time in which to raise additional funds, the delay gave the planners the opportunity to expand the original concept from that of a commemorative Alaska exhibit to a fair encompassing all the Pacific Rim countries and territories. The new scope of the AYPE would not simply commemorate the past, but display the value of commercial trade with the Pacific Rim, celebrate a new era of commercial and industrial expansion and promote Seattle as its center. Nationally known landscape architects from Boston, brothers John and Frederick Olmstead, designed the fairgrounds. The central portion of the grounds was oriented along axes that exploited the natural beauty of the setting, with views of Mount Rainer, Lake Union and Lake Washington. Built on 250 acres of the largely undeveloped campus of the University of Washington (and partially funded by the state legislature for later use by the University), the AYPE grounds were close to downtown and convenient transportation. Though most of the buildings, designed by John Galen Howard, were too poorly built to survive, the landscaping of the grounds added value to the university by removing wilderness and opening new possibilities for future university installations.” source     jht - We saw remnants of this layout when we toured the University of Washington campus with our grandson years ago.

Click for images of Government Building and Alaska Building

Check out the Hawaii Building - Our relatives were likely dressed like the men and women in this postcard. Think how much space those dresses would take up in a suitcase! I wonder if they traveled with trunks such as pictured here.

Eskimo Building - It was supposed to look like a glacier.  source

Pay Streak - midway at the Exposition. Click here for an explanation and great pictures. One of the pictures shows a woman with the "native" children. I wonder if this is how Anna Cathcart and Emma Sconce dressed for the fair? 

Mr. Baber - mentioned earlier in the diary. On the train from Chicago to St. Paul, Minneapolis they met Helen Baber, "whose father my father had known a long time ago." 

Igorrotes – Filipino group that appeared in an anthropological exhibit at the Exposition. Slides #38-40, 42, 43 here 

Human Laundry – part of the Midway at the Exposition; I couldn't find an explanation of what this was

Ethel Barrymore in Lady Frederick at the Moore Theatre, images here and here. The theatre is still in use in Seattle. 

From Bill Holton's Recollections - "Mother took me to the Hartman Theater in Columbus to see Ethel Barrymore in "The Corn Is Green". I must have been in high school. That was my first real stage show, and it was wonderful to see an actress of the calibre [sic] of Ethel Barrymore." jht - Do you think Celia remembered her experience in Seattle and shared that with her son Bill as they watched Ethel Barrymore in person at the Hartman Theatre? I like to think that she did. *I found a program for a performance of this play at the Hartman on October 1943. Celia died December 1942. Barrymore performed "Whiteoaks" at the Hartman Theatre in January 1939. Perhaps that's the play that Bill and Celia saw. 

European, Oriental, Agriculture, Manufacturers, Forestry, Music Pavilions - click here for photos. Click here to see photos of the Forestry Building, including the big stick

Innes Band - from New York City; more here

Iola Company, K's of P - This must be Knights of Pythias. Click here for a newspaper article about a jubilee that was held the same time as the Exposition. It mentions a parade but doesn't say it was part of the Exposition. 

Auto ride through Seattle - removing hills - This is an interesting article on how Seattle's terrain has been shaped and reshaped over the years - with some pictures of what Celia and her family might have seen on their drive. More here

"heard a picture-talk" - from Wikipedia - "The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before sound motion pictures were made commercially practical. Reliable synchronization was difficult to achieve with the early sound-on-disc systems, and amplification and recording quality were also inadequate. Innovations in sound-on-film led to the first commercial screening of short motion pictures using the technology, which took place in 1923." more here

Click here to read an account written by Mateel Howe when Mateel visited the Exposition in June 1909. 

Whew! That's it for Seattle! I keep wondering how this group from tiny Sidell, Illinois felt about aIl they were seeing and experiencing. Sidell is only a few blocks wide and not many blocks long with about 1,800 people in the township in the 1910 census.  I enjoyed looking up links for this post.  I hope you enjoy Celia's account as well as the background information I found. 

*September 21, 2015 - information about Barrymore performance in Columbus, Ohio updated and corrected

Thoughts About A Triptik

I came across the Triptik put together for our move from Ohio to Washington. I couldn't bring myself to throw it away. As I paged through it, I thought about the "Triptik" we have for our journeys here on earth.

Total distance: 2,477 miles from Worthington to Kirkland - that's one way

What's the "distance" from heaven (pre-earth life) to earth and then back again to heaven (life after death)? I"m pretty sure it can't be measured in miles. I'm glad we all have a round trip ticket!

Total estimated time: 35 hours, 22 minutes

Average life span - about 80 years

Travel package, trip planning, expenses & reservations - These hints for planning the trip come in handy.

Our journey here on earth benefits from planning - goal setting, learning from others about their journeys, education, scripture study, .. we have many resources to help us.






Warnings about construction and other hazards; information on how to navigate the multitude of routes through big cities


The scriptures and the Holy Spirit give us cautions and instructions 

How to get help in emergencies 


Fortunately we have a 24/7, free, always accessible wireless connect to God









Driving regulations - essential to know these for a successful trip


We've been given the 10 Commandments & other counsel that make for a smoother trip through this time on earth



What an adventure this life is! I'm thankful for the individualized "Triptik" we each have access to through the love of our Heavenly Father, the example and teachings of Christ, and the help of the Holy Spirit. 

click here for more thoughts about journeys

Around Kirkland

Kirkland is a wonderful community. I know we say it quite a bit - it's truly a great place to live. Here are some photos from the last month.

One evening I was driving home from a meeting and noticed the setting sun was huge and very orange. I drove to a park where I knew I could get a great view. I wasn't the only one who stopped to watch this wonderful display of beauty. I wish the camera could capture the feeling of total awesomeness. Below - the sun as seen through the sculpture "Winter". 

 Marina Park is at the end of our street - in downtown Kirkland. These pictures show a rather quiet evening. Here's a description of what was happening on another recent evening. 

We sat on a bench, watched the people, and enjoyed this beautiful spot - families were out. Children were chasing the ducks - lots of dogs of all shapes and sizes - a woman had a rabbit on a leash - someone played a mandolin type instrument in one part of the park. In another part, someone was playing a piano that’s in the park as part of a “piano in the park” program. An artist was painting. Toddlers were learning to walk. Boats were coming and going from the dock. Paddleboarders were sharing the lake with the boats. So much to see and enjoy. 

Puddle Jumpers is one of my favorite pieces of public art in Kirkland. You can just feel children's joy. This sculpture is in Marina Park. 

Our son and his sons boated over one evening. (His wife and daughters were at Girls' Camp for the week.) They docked at Marina Park. We met them downtown for a wonderful visit and dinner outdoors.