Halloween Tricks

Good old fashion Halloween tricks.
I'm glad that our children have grown up in a time that most Halloween tricks have gone by the wayside.
When I was a kid we were more into candy than playing tricks on people, however we did start the farmers outhouse toilet seat on fire once. That about sums up my childhood Halloween pranks.
My dad told me that when he was a teen they once took a guys model T apart, moved it to the barn roof and put it back together.

Hope everyone has a safe
and trick free Halloween

check out this vandalism instructional video courtesy of The Office.
you'll have to watch a 30 second commercial before it starts, but it's worth it.

CITIES OF THE DEAD

When ever I travel whether on business or vacations. I love to check out the local cemeteries. It drives my wife nuts, because that is the last thing she wants to see. I especially enjoy grave yards with historical significance.
By far the best and creepiest of grave yards I have seen are those found in New Orleans.



The above-ground tombs in the cemeteries of New Orleans are often referred to as "cities of the dead." Enter their gates and you will be greeted by decorative, rusty ironwork, and blinded by the sun bleached tombs. Crosses and statues on tomb tops cast contrasting shadows adding a sense of mystery. Votive candles line tombs on holidays to remind you the Dead have living relatives that still care.
New Orleans has always respected the dead, but this isn't the reason the tombs of our departed loved ones are interred above ground. Early settlers in the area struggled with different methods to bury the dead. Burial plots are shallow in New Orleans because the water table is high. Dig a few feet down, and the grave becomes soggy, filling with water. The casket will literally float. And so they began the custom burying in above ground tombs. Wealthier families of course have the more ornate looking tombs, with iron rails, statues and other adornments. Crowded so close together they look like row houses in a small city. And so they began to be known as "Cities of the dead"
The families that own the tombs have buried generations in the same location. City ordinance requires that the previous relative must have been dead for at least 2 years. Their remains are then deposited down the sides or the back of the tomb, whats left of the coffin is destroyed, thus making room for then new tenant. Some of the tombs have long lists of those that are "buried" in the same tomb. Cool stuff. No wonder the New Orleans cemeteries are said to be among the most haunted in the world. It is probably relatives fighting over who was there first.

FRANKENSTEIN

It is October; Monster month, so I can declare,
I love Frankenstein.
Ever since I was just a kid I loved Frankenstein, I read Mary Shelly's novel "Frankenstein - or the Modern Prometheus" when I was about 12 years old. And have reread it several times over the years. Shelly completed the novel when she was only 18 years old. Even with her husband's connections it took over a year to find a publisher for her novel.
Of course Frankenstein is the name of the Doctor that created the monster, the poor monster never had a name other than "Frankenstein's monster", no wonder he had issues.
But what I really love is Frankenstein movies. There have been over 100 movies (believe it or not) having to do with Frankenstein in some way. No I have not seen them all. There are some good ones some bad ones and some very bad ones. How about "Lust for Frankenstein" 1998, nope, haven't seen that one. There are funny ones "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" or how about "Blakenstein" , haven't seen that one either
The first "Frankenstein" was a silent movie released in 1910, it was a whole 13 minutes long. I do have this one on my iPod a great start of the genre
My favorites by far are the Universal Studios movies made in the 1930's; "Frankenstein" 1931, "Bride of Frankenstein" 1934, and "Son of Frankenstein" 1939. With the famous monster created by actor Boris Karloff (right).
And of course high on the list of favorites is Mel Brooks "Young Frankenstein" and to make this one even more funny, you should watch the 3 old ones first. There are many subtle scenes that Mel Brooks took from the old ones, like someone descending an enclosed stair case with an unlit candle! who knows where the light source is. Or lightning flashes that can be seen in a dungeon with no windows! great stuff.

SO, HAPPY OCTOBER
Watch a Frankenstein movie.
there are plenty to go around.

DEFEAT!!

HAVING THE COURAGE
TO ADMIT DEFEAT
CAN SOMETIMES
BE A KIND OF VICTORY

TECHNOLOGY

"Sometimes technology makes you drive into a lake"
Michael Scott

"Think of how stupid the average person is....then realize that half of them are stupider than that"
George Carlin

COMING SOON TO A TV NEAR YOU

9/17/09

BORIENTAION:
(noun) Linguistic portmanteau combining "boring" with "orientation," i.e. a boring orientation meeting.

YOUTH CONFERENCE 2009 DONE!!

We just got home from our Youth conference. We went for 3 days of camping in the Spruces campground. It was a great time and no one was killed either on purpose or accident. It is always a success when you can come home with the same number of youth as you left with.
We had an amazing geocache search on Friday morning; we divided into 4 teams and went searching for clues. Each set of clues had reference to different scripture story, so the teams had to identify the story and then tell us about it at a fireside Friday night. The geocaching took a little longer than we planned because some mormon/moron had 2 sets of coordinates that where 5 miles North of where they really where hidden.
Of course the weather had an uncanny ability to dump rain on us everytime we started to get food out. And Saturday morning was a steady down pour from about 6 oclock on. So we cut it short and headed for home with car loads of very wet youth and leaders. But all in all it was a successful time.
Thanks to all that helped.

CAMPING WITH GRANDSONS

A few weeks ago we went camping for a couple of nights with Michelle and Jana and their boys. We had such a good time playing games, eating and taking hikes fit for a 2 year old, which consists of walking around the campground. As we would walk around the campground Zane had to stop at every sign or numbered post so he could tell me what they said. Of course he can't read so they all said the same thing "Wa, ree, sick." translation: one, three, six.
Zane was also the one that spotted a place off the road where we could throw rocks in the creek. Small boys can find nothing more fun than throwing stuff in the water to watch it splash or float, or throwing stuff in the fire to see it burn. I think this comes from our base instincts as cavemen. It of course was the only real form of entertainment for many years, next comes clubbing women on the head and dragging them back to camp. Thank goodness these guys are to young for that yet.

PIONEERS

This week is the anniversary celebrating the Mormon Pioneers arrival to the Salt Lake Valley.
This is the oldest picture I could find of the first home built in the Valley. It is now located between the Church's Family History Library and the Church History Museum.

The cabin was built in 1847, soon after the Saints arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. Six people—Osmyn M. and Mary Whiting Deuel and William H. and Eliza Whiting Deuel (the Deuel brothers married sisters) and William and Eliza’s two daughters, Minerva and Mercy Ann—lived in it from October 1847 to May 1848.

It is hard to believe that six people (two families) lived in this cabin that looks to be about the size of a single car garage. I am so grateful for the sacrifice of these early pioneers that gave so much for what the believed in and made things so much easier for those that followed.

It is likely that when the Deuels moved, they rented the home to other settlers. In 1849, they sold it to Albert Carrington, who placed skids under it and, with ox teams, moved the cabin to his property at West Temple and First North. (this is the location where the picture was taken) In 1852, Christopher and Maryann Riding and their five children were living in it. Brother Carrington gave the home to his daughter, Francis, and her husband, Zebulon Jacobs. They lived in it briefly, and years later offered it to the Church as a historical relic.

The cabin was dismantled and moved to the Deseret Museum, where it was displayed until about 1919 when it was moved to Temple Square. I remember always going to see the cabin when it was here, I thought it was kind of a creepy looking place. It stood on Temple Square until 1976, then was put into storage. In 1984, the cabin was placed on the plaza in its present location.

BACK HOME AGAIN

After 3 days of camping with with family, we are now home again. It is nice to be clean and setting in a air conditioned house again.
But we sure had fun, playing games, eating Dutch oven chicken, laughing, hiking, eating Dutch oven Mexican (thanks Jana), making crafts and just having a great time with family, and eating of course.
It is crazy fun watching grand children running all over the place. Watching Zane, Drake and Quinton splashing in a puddle and Zane laughing so hard about it that he fell down in the puddle, and Drake went playing in the dirt after the puddle incident (yes that makes mud) so gramps was in trouble.
There is nothing that is more satisfying than to be with family.
I love my family so very much and am glad that we could be together for a few days.