Celebration of Pioneer Women at This Is The Place Park

On March 13, 2014 a few ladies from the Levan 2nd Ward 

attended an annual presentation at "This Is The Place Park" 

honoring pioneer women and the birthday of Relief Society.

We checked in at the visitor's center.

 Jackie Messersmith, Beth Hone, Magdeline Cummings, Stephanie Ballow

 Brigham Young and Joseph Smith share the vision that 

they were never able to view together in mortality.

 The "This Is The Place" Monument.

 Detail of one of the panels that touches my heart. 

The actual presentation was in the Smoot 

Hall Brigham Young Academy Building. 

 This is the little stage where the four performers spoke. 

Each was in era costume and told the story of an early pioneer.

 This one was my favorite.  She represented Sarah Granger Kimball 

who was responsible for the grass-roots beginning of Relief Society.  

I was surprised the she was married to a wealthy non-member at the time.

She was concerned about the condition of the temple workers clothes and 

offered to provide the fabric if her seamstress, Margaret A. Cook, would

 do the sewing. The group expanded and soon a constitution and by-laws 

were written by Eliza R. Snow and presented to Joseph Smith.  That is 

when he announced that the Lord had something better in mind for the 

women of the church: The Relief Society was born!

 Then we moved to the replica of the old Desert Hospital 

and the lace and quilt display housed on the second floor.

 This is the old Deseret Hospital. (No private rooms in that day!) 

 This is an old wooden wheel chair. 

 This big painting captures the social and practical part quilting bees once played. 

 If you think that looks like Brenda looking at the History of Quilt panels, 

you're right.  We had four extra tickets so I offered them to Brenda and 

some friends.  I was surprised when all the friends she brought were over 60. :)

 All of these beautiful lace in-lays were done by hand.  Some 

were tatted, some crocheted and some used wooden spools and pins .

 

 This is how the lace was made using spools and straight pins! 

 The tatting shuttle is also shown.

Examples of more pioneer hand work. 

 This quilt was lined with wool and when it was laundered it shrunk.  It's 

title was "Honey, I shrunk the quilt."  It was still one of my favorites.

 This was the squirrel quilt, made by a 13 year old girl.  These are actual squirrel skins!

 The "past envisions the future" quilt. 

 The "Star of David" quilt. I loved the little porcelain pioneer quilter in the left corner.

Many pioneer quilts were done on hand looms like this one. 

It exotic piece was a table covering that was never finished, but has been preserved. 

 The sewing machine changed the pioneer art of quilting. 

 There were several famous quilt block patterns that had been made into 

puzzles to keep children entertained while the adults enjoyed the show.

 The Visitor's Center houses an original 45 star U.S. flag. 

This is the sight that greeted us as we left for home!  Can you tell I have a new camera?

Haylie's birthday (3/3/14)

Our little Haylie Nadine turned three on 3/3 of 2014!

This is the story of how that day went for us.

Dad and I only worked 1/2 a day and then picked Grandpa Anna up before

 heading to Provo.  This is what the Tabernacle Temple looked like that day!

We went to the Sacred Gifts Art Exhibit at the Art Museum at BYU.  It 

featured the religious art of Carl Bloch, Heinrich Hofmann and Frans Schwartz.

It took 14 years to make the needed arrangements to borrow the incredible 

altar pieces and paintings from churches, castles and parishes in Europe.

Dad and Grandma Anna.(I was there, too.)

We learned much about the paintings that I had never known or noticed before.  

This one has a pair of dice in it. Although it may allude to the guards gambling
for the Savior's robe, it has far deeper meaning.   One of the dice is in the
smoldering fire signifying Satan's complete defeat and destruction.  The other
is in the very corner of the rock in the forefront.  Three sides of the  dice can be
 seen: the six, three and one are visible.  The six symbolizes final victory as the
six trumps all.  The three represents the three members of the Godhood and their
central role in the Plan of Salvation. The one represents the only one who could
complete the work of the Atonement and rise triumphant from the tomb. Wow!
That's just the little dice in the forefront.  Imagine all else the Artist has hidden in
this depiction of Christ's resurrection.

This is a Hofmann painting on canvas. He originally painted for himself 

to hang over his bed so that in the evening the Savior's gaze would ask, 

"Have you lived this day in my Spirit according to my commandments?" 

President Monson has a reprint in his office, although it is does not show the hand.

 

Hofmann also did this painting on canvas. When asked who he used 

as his model for the boy, Jesus, he responded, "When I read about 

Christ in the Bible, there arises  before my fancy a picuture of Him which 

I try to retain and to reproduce---that is my only proto-type." 

I have often seen Hofmann's "Christ and the Rich Young Ruler", whose 

story is told in Mark 10:17-22, but I had never paid much attention 

to the muted figures in the background creating a contrast between 

rich and poor, pleasure and misery, spiritual and worldly, in addition 

to evidence of what good the young ruler's wealth might have done.

This is a magnificent altar piece from the Sofia Albertina Church in Sweden.  

Carl Bloch is the artist.  He also painted 23 religious paintings for the King's 

Praying Chamber in the Frederiksborg Castle Chapel.  This piece is nearly 

life-sized and depicts the diversity of those who find rest and solace in Him. 

This was my favorite work by Frans Schwartz.  He painted it as an altar piece 

for a parish chapel in Denmark.  While it is here in Utah, the congregation

 left its place in their church vacant to remind them that their absent angel has a duty 

elsewhere, but will soon return to them. :)  Schwartz captured the essence of 

the tender comfort offered the Savior by the angel sent from Heaven to 

strengthen Him during His darkest hour in Gethsemane. 

This painting by Bloch was one of several done on copper. Often early painters

 depict Jesus battered, bruised and bleeding on the cross.  I never have liked that. This

 one maintains His divine stature in spite of the cruel, indignity of the crucifixion. 

Certainly one of the beautiful themes of the exhibit was a focus on the work 

of the Savior's hands, that we may learn and do likewise.  Wish you all could see it!

After enjoying the art exhibit, we went to Stonehenge of Orem,

 the re-hab center where Aunt Sheree has been since her back surgery.

It is a lovely facility known for its intense recovery program.

It is also very near Bart and Tonya's business and Val's home. :)

This shows the stone formations that constitute the business' name.

Finally we made it to Haylie's party at the park in Springville.  

It was a chilly evening, but for March 3rd, we couldn't complain.  

Brenda quickly wrapped Grandma up so she wouldn't freeze.

It was definitely a Princess party and the meal was very tasty.

This is Haylie's castle pinata'.  That was a detail she requested.

These shots show the fun while breaking the candy out!

The kids watched and waited for their turns patiently.  It didn't hold 

up like one of Aunt Janna's, but the candy inside was just as sweet!

This is Haylie's princess birthday cake. 

Her face says it all!

A last look confirmed that this cake had no candles):!!!!

So Grandpa Chuck pulled out his lighter and let her 

blow it out three times as she made her birthday wishes!

As you can see it was rather dark by the time the cake and ice cream 

were served. The chill of the night after eating ice cream brought the 

party to a quick end.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAYLIE

 and "Thanks" Aunt Brendie for a great party!