Speech and Debate trip to St. George--- March 14-15, 2014

I had a bus run to St. George with the State Speech and Debate team on 

March 14-15, 2014. Dad took care of some business and then followed me down.

DAY ONE:

The first order of business was to attend a session at the St. George 

Temple.  It had been 10 years since I had been in that temple.  That

was also a bus run with the JHS Speech and  Debate team. :)

After leaving the drabness of winter at home, 

the color and smell of the flowers was divine.

There was popcorn popping on many of the trees.

Sadly, all the palm trees and bushes froze early in 

December.    They are now blonde rather than green.

This is one of the inter-active stations in the visitor's center.

Dad has a moment of reflection.

The small art gallery there featured a model of old Jerusalem 

and a few prints of the famous artists Carl Bloch and Harry Anderson.

After dinner at Cafe' Rio, we drove up to the Tuacahn Center.

Did you know there is a Tuacahn High School that focuses on the performing arts?

Dad as Joseph.

Mom as the Little Mermaid.

This is the outdoor theater in case you have never been here.

These are the two founders of the center and 

one who appreciates all the performing arts!

We took a drive up through Snow Canyon.  I remember 

playing in the sand dunes in that canyon when I was sixteen. 

The landscape really changes as you climb up out of the canyon.

We spent the night in Enterprise, Utah because all the motels 

were full in St. George. It is about 40 miles north of St. George.

DAY TWO

The bus rolled in at 10:30 p.m. and out at 6:45 a.m., so I

never did see Enterprise in the daylight. ):  However, Dad 

was able to sleep in a little and came when it was light.

Between St. George and Enterprise is  the valley where 

the Mountain Meadow Massacre took place. 

This is the new marker put in by the Church in 2011. 

The monument itself was dedicated in 1999.

There is a great article on this event in the Sept. 2007 Ensign by Richard E. Turley Jr.

All but the small children were killed.  These are the names of 

the children who were spared and later returned to their families back east.

This is one of many ancient volcanoes in the area. 

The Snow Canyon High School where the competition was held, 

was within two miles of the Jacob Hamlin Home so we dropped by.

This is Jacob Hamblin's home, one of the best built homes of the era.

One Grandma does not equal two or four horse power!

This is the view from the front porch.  Evidence of Spring was everywhere.

The master bedroom and nursery combo.

Historians claim Jacob rode over 30,000 miles in this saddle.  The Book of Mormon on 

the shelf rode in the small saddle bag.  It is the book owned, read, and treasured by Jacob.

This is an early pioneer  mail box.  Notes for those following were

left in the nose and usually pointed the direction they were to go.

The production center of the home is on the second floor. 

The family produced most of what they needed here.

This is the circle where the children were home schooled and where FHE was held.

This raw-hide chair washed down the creek from who knows where,

 in the Flood of 2005. After a thorough cleaning, it found a home here.

On our way out of Santa Clara we were intrigued by this memorial.

It is a monument erected to Sarah Sturtevant Leavitt, and early pioneer 

settler of this area and ancestor of Governor Leavitt.  She was a woman 

of incredible faith, determination and spiritual sensitivity.  The busts 

around her are the seven of her 12 children who lived to adulthood. 

Included is a website with her story.  Read it when you have some time. 

 http://www.bunker.org/sarah.html

This was one of her daughters with her small infant.

Several plagues had quotes from her journals.  This is one of them.

Near this monument was the City Hall that featured this 

tribute to the courage and valor of many during the Flood of 2005.

Our next stop was the new museum that houses some of the dinosaur 

tracks etc. found and carefully removed from the Johnson farm nearby. 

"In February 2000, Sheldon Johnson discovered numerous dinosaur 

tracks preserved at the bottom of a 3-foot-thick sandstone layer 

overlying a mud stone layer on his farm within the St. George city limits."

Notice the petrified log in the foreground. 

"The St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm houses 

exceptionally well-preserved dinosaur tracks, fossil fish and plants, 

rare dinosaur remains, invertebrates traces and important sedimentary 

structures. This site is described by many paleontologists as "one of 

the ten best dinosaur track sites in the world" and is one of the most 

important discoveries in Early Jurassic paleontological history"

While looking for a flight museum we stumbled upon 

a quaint, new business district, called the Cottonwood Village. 

It is the home of Brigham's Playhouse where theater productions are held and...

Rowley's RED BARN! It has been in operation for about 4 months.

This is an old chopper.

...and this stationary motor.  Water was poured
in the hole in the top to keep it cool.

After dinner at the Panda Garden we ended up at the new town square.

It was dedicated on Oct. 15, 2007.

This monument honors Erastus Fairbanks Snow: missionary, 

Founder of St. George and President of the Cotton Mission.

This tower stands at the very center of the original St. George settlement.

This place is a kids paradise. Best of all it's free of charge!

This is a sculpture found there. It was over 10 feet tall!

This is a "Tyler shot" of the same sculpture with 

 the old Tabernacle steeple in the background.

These children were posing by the Frog King and Queen.

The old Woodward School is in this complex and the area 

features many scenes of children from the past playing here.

This was a priceless shot!

This is a merry-go-round that is free to those under 47 inches!
All others pay $.50!

A detail from the merry-go-round.

This is an unusual selfie!

Dad was trying to keep this little guy under control.

This is designed to have plants in it.

Then we got to experience the new Children's Museum.

The sign still says "The future home of..."  It's that new!

Below are just a few of the activities available for kids (and grandpas:)

Cow milking. There is actually liquid that squirts out!

Tire changing.

Flight simulator.

Info on what the hand signals at an airport mean.

Time zones from around the world.

A Government Center.

Kids can learn about State and Local Governments.

There is a bank where you can get money and then go grocery shopping.

These two shoppers were fighting over who got to the check out first.

It reminded me of shopping on Black Friday!

There was a magnificent castle with rooms.

The Crests of several European countries were there.

I think this armor would fit Grandpa!

Every castle has a wardrobe with lovely clothes.  

The kids could put these on and then sit on the Royal thrones.

No castle is complete without a dragon.  This one has braces!

This harp has invisible strings that really make sound.

Kids are welcome to play the piano.

This cool instrument is played with the sole of a flip-flop!

Most of the art was from Van Gogh, but the kids could create whatever they wanted.

Can you tell who the star soccer goalie is?

Of course my favorite was the science area. This shows how tornadoes form.

The display explores the power sources in nature.

This is designed to make a big bubble with you inside.

We never got a picture and with all the kids waiting

it didn't seem right for a grandpa to hog it too long.

The Tabernacle was closed so we just enjoyed it from the outside.

Both Grandpa and I thought it was Andrea!