Dad's 64th birthday---March 23, 2014

Dad's 64th birthday was Sunday, March 23, 2014!  He and I partied the 

day before by going out to lunch at the Golden Corral and enjoying 

 "Big River", a musical based on the life of Huck Finn at the Hale Theater.

On his actual birthday, sleeping in was not an
option as he had Bishopric's meeting at 6:30 a.m. 

BUT---we partied later in the day!!!

FUN OUTSIDE:  It was a lovely Spring day!

 Dad is trying out one of the new rubber band helicopters we found at Harbor Freight.

He has already decided they need a new design and is working on it! :)

We also got to fly the new 72 inch wing span Macaw! 

 It was more difficult than you might expect as the wind was choppy.

Neldon was the flight technician. 

 Hayden ran so fast he produced his own wind.

 This is Grandpa pushing his girls.

"Swing me super high, Grandpa!" 

 Haylie!

 Neldon put in a full-time shift for a while. 

We tried out the new badminton net we got at the DI in St. George for $2.00!

Brenda gives Kaleb a lesson on serving. 

Aunt Andrea and Hayden made a good team. 

 Of course there were some ladder ball competitions.

Neldon's perfect form was captured!

This is the cool Abu Garcia Silver Max pole I got on 

clearance at Walmart with the help of an older avid fisherman.  

This pole is made in Switzerland.  Grandpa got fishing line for it. 

 Here's Grandpa practicing his casting.

FUN INSIDE:

Dallin enjoyed the toys Grandpa and Grandma got for Christmas.

 

Andrea proved she's still "got it" with a short birthday performance for Dad. 

No party is complete without a piece of green clay pizza!

 Present time!  The kids were as excited about the card they brought Grandpa as he was.

This is the card! Evidence suggests that some older-aged men are not immune.  The

 inside read something like: "Aging is not optional, but growing up is still a choice."

Dad is listening to the Smiths sing their own version of the  "Happy Birthday"
song as he inspects the fishing reel, toilet paper holder sent by the Shirleys. 

 

Grandpa had lots of presents and lots of help.

He liked all his gifts, partly because he picked most
 of them out himself at Harbor Freight.:) 

Grandpa reads the label of his birthday countdown gift.  It read:

                                       This bottle is a countdown especially for you--
                                       To help you count down every day until the next year’s through.

                                       Faithfully eat just one small treat---each day until they’re spent.

                                       Then you will be age 65!  Your reward? RETIREMENT ”

There were 365 pink sixlets in a bottle.
 ( I know because I counted them!) 

  Dad chose apple crisp as his "birthday cake."

 Grandpa and Haylie are singing  "Happy Birthday" together.

 Haylie anticipates the BIG BLOW while Grandpa makes his wish. 

 Let the blowing begin.

Aunt Brendie had a great idea to fill the cone with apple crisp 

and top it with ice cream.  It was a bit of a balancing act as you can see.

But it was so worth the effort! Hayden's plain ole cone is the photo bomb! 

Tyler and Aunt Andrea had to wrestle for a few minutes at the end. Tyler

was more than a handful, especially with Andrea in a dress.  She learned 

some new moves she wished she had known when Malea was at home. 

 Does it get better than an ice cream cone on a spring
evening with the trampoline all to yourself? 

This Easter tree has been around for a while. 
Anyone remember when we got it? 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD/GRANDPA! 

March 17th and the Dead Sea Scrolls

Dad was off on March 17th and I got someone to take my p.m. run. 
I started my day visiting with Shellie because it was her birthday,
and then ee headed out on an adventure.

 

I have always had a deep interest in the Dead Sea Scrolls, so Dad was 

willing to go the Leonardo with me.  The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of 

981 texts discovered between 1946 and 1956 at Qumran.  It was located on a dry
plateau near the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea where caves in the sheer desert
cliffs provided the environment where such parchment scrolls could survive
two millenia. They were found inside caves about a mile inland from the northwest 
shore of the Dead Sea. Nine of the scrolls were rediscovered at in 2014, after they 
had been stored unopened for six decades.  They cover material found in the 
Bible, as well as some historical details and commentary. We saw several pieces 
from the scrolls with their translations, but were not allowed to take pictures of them.

This is one of the cave entrances where scrolls were found.

This is an aerial view of Qumran located on the West Bank not far from Jerusalem

This is part of a circular plague found in the multiple layers of civilization

 excavated in Jerusalem. The center has 16 squares.  The four central squares have 

symbols of Christ and the outside squares represent the 12 Apostles.  These 

artifacts and scrolls come from the Era when traditional Judeoism merged 

with and was then replaced by Christianity.

 The center piece is an ear ring that was 2000 years old, found in the City of David, 

just outside of the present day Jerusalem.  It was constructed of a coiled gold

 hoop with a large in-laid pearl, and  two gold pendants with one emerald and one pearl.

These pots come from the period archaeologists call Iron Age I (1200-1000 BC) 

These large storage pots are among the record preserved in the pottery of this ancient people.

This clay pot is unusual of the era because of the horned animal and bird that adorn it.

Iron age I is characterized by the four room dwellings unearthed.  

These were rectangular with a central courtyard surrounded by three rooms.  

The courtyard was the center of household activity including grinding 

cereals, weaving looms, clay weights, and cooking and baking in clay 

ovens or open fires. These pieces were unearthed from such dwellings 

and were typical of the homes of that time.

These are ossuaries carved from a single piece of limestone.  They 

are small boxes made for bones that are about 23.5 inches long, 12

 inches wide and 18 inches high. First the deceased was buried in 

the ground or tomb for at least 12 months.  Then, family members

 collected the bones and placed them in an ossuary that was 

permanently placed in the family tomb.   If you remember, the 

Israelites took Joseph's bones with them when then left Egypt.

We saw royal stone stamp seals, figurines featuring pomegranates and

 doves, and those of ancient goddesses. We saw four-horned altars, evidence of 

wealth, oil lamps, ink wells, jewelry, money, and even fabric from this era. The 

dark items on the plate are dried dates that were found in the caves of Qumran.

Over  1200 coins were found in the caves of Qumran. Three intact ceramic 

vessels with tight lids were filled to the brim with coins.  All 561 were pure 

silver.  Most of the coins were Tyrian shekels and half-shekels, the same of 

those accepted at the Jerusalem Temple for tax and other payments.

This title mosaic was unearthed and preserved.  Notice the two menorah in the center.

The large stone protruding from the wall is actually one from the "wailing wall" 

in Jerusalem.   This wall has immense value to three world religions: Islam, Judeoism, 

and Christianity.  We were able to write a message on a paper and leave it on

 the block.  We were told the would be delivered and left at the sacred wall in Jerusalem.

We thanked the Jews for the Bible, their priceless "stick of Judea"and invited

 the to consider the "stick of Joseph" also known as the Book of Mormon! :)

The Leonardo Museum has other displays. These are 

original figures from the movie "Chicken Run."

They make home-made instruments in one area of the building

This wreath is made from the hand molds of children.  It is actually 

in the Library which is on the same block as the Leonardo.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/world-s-largest-collection-of-dead-sea-scrolls-to-get-new-home-in-jerusalem-1.1734161

P.S.  On the way home we stopped at a reception center to drop off a 

gift and an envelope to Sharon Wheeler, Katie's good friend from Aspen 

Grove who probably saved her life the night she was so sick up there. 

 This is Sharon and her new hubby.  They were married on St. Patrick's Day 

because both her mother and Grandmother were married on St. Patrick's Day.  Cool Huh?

They got married at the Millennial Falls reception Center in Draper.

 

 

This is a man-made water fall that gives the place its name. It is impressive!

 This is the chapel area where they were married.  Sharon's hubby is a

 recent convert, so they could not go to the temple until Fall.  They felt 

waiting might not be in their best interest.

 Loved the chandelier and stained glass windows from the loft.

 Kind of looks like a "green" wedding doesn't it?

 

 We had our traditional "green dinner" when we got home. :)