I have been terribly remiss in failing to keep this blog current. It is way past time to post something, and what better subject than our trip to Cancun, Mexico?

Under ordinary circumstances we probably wouldn’t have chosen Cancun as a destination, since we aren’t exactly beach people, but we had a timeshare week to use and decided it would be fun to discover what the Mayan Riviera is all about. We had a two-bedroom unit (plus kitchen and living room) and we wanted to share it. My sister and brother-in-law, Wanda and Mark Ostler, were kind enough to agree to go with us. Mark is a vacation planner extraordinaire—we really should have paid him to join us.

We stayed at the Royal Mayan resort, one of three Royal resorts in a row toward the south end of hotel row. We had a wonderful view from our balcony, looking out over one of the swimming pools and beyond to the ocean.

A normal camera lens (even a 28 mm wide-angle lens) didn’t provide a complete picture of what we could see, so I took several photos and stitched them together to make this panorama.

We had a lot of fun just hanging around the timeshare unit, visiting, reading and eating. Wanda is a photography lover as well, so we spent time comparing notes, learning the more esoteric details of our cameras and reviewing and editing our photos. Wanda has posted some of her excellent pictures on her own blog at Adventures in Wandaland.

The cabana in the picture above was a casual restaurant that we often frequented. They served a fantastic breakfast buffet with the best waffles in all of Cancun, I’m told. They were thick (Belgian style), made with whole-grain flour and cooked to order while you waited by an extremely dexterous chef. You could order them filled with bananas, pineapple, coconut, or pecans (or all four ingredients). Then you had a selection of several syrups. The waffles were a meal in themselves, but, of course, you need to balance the sweetness with a made-to-order omelet featuring your choice of a variety of ingredients and salsa on top. Needless to say, after that sort of breakfast a mid-morning nap was the thing.

Dawn and I tried to work off the calories by playing tennis several times during the week. They had some nice courts with artificial grass sprinkled with a light film of sand. We were a little skeptical when we first saw them, but they were actually perfect for the climate, as the sand absorbed the moisture from occasional sprinkles and provided a bit softness to go with the carpet. We got a nice workout, but it would have been necessary to play tennis for about three or four hours just to work off the calories from our breakfast.

We didn’t spend a lot of time on the beach. Dawn laid out the first day, lost track of the time, and got badly sunburned. I went down for about a half hour. It was nice if you are into sunbathing, but having survived two melanomas and several dozen basel cell carcinomas, it isn’t my thing.

Mark had pre-arranged for a driver and van to take us to on an excursion to two Mayan ruins—Chichen Itza and Ek Balam. It was an all-day trip and very interesting. At one of the stops I leaned out of the window and took a photo of this map of the Yucatan Peninsula so I could get a sense of direction. Cancun is at the upper right and Chichen Itza and Ek Balam are in the center. Later in the week we took an excursion to Xcaret, which is on the coast a little south of Cancun.

Chichen Itza was one of the largest of the Maya cities, having its ascendancy from about 600 AD to 1200 AD. It was a major trading center and apparently had quite a diverse population. Below is the most prominent archaeological feature at Chichen Itza, called El Castillo or the Temple of Kukulkan (a Maya feathered serpent deity similar to the Aztec Quetzacoatl). The pyramid was built over an older temple that was discovered by archaeologists in the mid-1930s.

They used to permit people to climb on the ruins, but now they don’t, which is probably just as well. Some people were spraying graffiti on it. Because we had our own private van, we left early and were able to arrive before the crowds poured in.

Chichen Itza had an especially large ball court. We were told the game was played with a rubber ball (remember, the Old World never had rubber until after the discovery of the Americas). The object of the game was to get the ball into one of the rings hanging near the top of the walls on both sides. The trick, however, was that you couldn’t use your arms or legs. What is left? Mainly your hips. Later in the week, at Xcaret, we saw some Maya playing the game and it looks as difficult as it sounds. We were told that the captain of the winning team was killed as a sacrifice to the gods in honor of his victory. I think I would have avoided being elected captain.

The day was mainly overcast and we worried that it might rain. However, aside from a few light sprinkles the weather was fine. I took this photo and then edited it with an HDR program to emphasize the stormy, somewhat eerie look.

We had a private guide (I think he was called “Santiago”), who was Maya and very small. We enjoyed his enthusiastic recounting of the history of the place. I took this candid portrait during one of his lectures.

As we walked from place to place at Chichen Itza there were vendor’s stalls lining either side of the pathway. We didn’t buy anything, but I thought some of their wares made interesting photographs.

No Mexican excursion would be complete without an iguana sighting!

 The Chichen Itza iguana.

After finishing at Chichen we were taken to a restaurant for lunch. Then we visited a “cenote” (a sinkhole). Apparently they are all over the Yucatan peninsula and are favorite swimming holes. I didn’t realize we were going to the cenote right after lunch, without returning to the van, so I hadn’t brought my swimming suit. I could have gone back to get it, but elected to just look so we could stay on schedule. It looked like fun. This shot was taken from ground level, looking down into the swimming hole. Look at the size of the people in the photo and you can see how deep some of these are.

We walked down to the water level and I asked Dawn
to take this photo just to prove I was there.

Next it was on to Ek Balam, a Maya city that reached its greatest prominence during 770 – 840 CE, but over the next several hundred years declined so that its population became only about 10% of what it was during its zenith. We were able to climb on the structures at Ek Balam. It was enlightening to get a firsthand sense of how steep the steps were.

This photo of Wanda and Mark was taken from the top of the tallest structure.

 I loved the intricate patterns made by the stonework. To think that Maya builders some 1,400 years ago laid these stones!

The stonework also made a good portrait background.

Dawn and I sitting on the steps of one of the buildings.

 Dawn

Wanda

This was the ball court at Ek Balam. Again I made an HDR photograph for dramatic emphasis.

After leaving Ek Balam we drove to Villadolid, a historic Spanish town in Yucatan. The city was established by the conquistadores in the 1540s and built on the site of a Maya city. The Spanish used the Maya stones to build their own structures. Villadolid has an interesting history that has featured at least two bloody Maya uprisings.

The centerpiece of the city is the Cathedral of San Servatio, which stands across from the central town square.

Catedral de San Servatio

A nice statue of Jesus on the cross—one of a number of artworks in the cathedral.

An HDR photo of the facade of the cathedral.

Later in the week we took a trip to Xcaret, an interesting theme park south of Cancun. It is hard to describe the park—perhaps one could say it is a combination of Sea World and the Polynesian Cultural Center (except with a Maya/Mexican theme), with added attractions such gardens and a butterfly pavilion. It was another all-day experience.

The first place we visited was Hacienda Henequenera, a house of Mexican folk art. Here are a few photos showing the interesting art objects on display. As you can see, they were beautifully displayed.

Musical instruments

Children’s toys

We also visited a chapel associated with the museum that featured an interesting tree sculpture as its centerpiece.

Dawn had a chance to sit with Jorge Negrete, the first choir director of the church.

This beautiful horse was getting a nice scrub down and shower.

Next we took a ride on a rotating, glass-walled whatchamacallit that took us high above Xcaret to get a panoramic view. Here are Mark, Wanda and Dawn enjoying the ride.

They had a flower pavilion with some colorful flowers, apparently native to Yucatan. As many of you know, flowers are among my favorite photographic subjects.

There were also some beautiful parrots that were native to Yucatan. (I have a difficult time spelling that word–keep wanting to write “Parrett.”)

You might expect to see flamingos at a Mexican theme park, but would you expect to see them mingling with the patrons? (Dawn took this great photo.)

There were giant sea turtles …

… and sting rays.

We traipsed all over the place looking for this exhibit, basically so that Mark could say, “Oh, the huge manatee!”

The manatees were about what you would expect—huge and not very attractive.

We also got a chance to see the Yucatan puma—and I appreciated
the great pose this one gave me.

Next it was on to the butterfly pavilion, which also included beautiful flowers and foliage.

At last it was time for our “sea walk.” They put helmets with air hoses on our heads and we walked single-file along a pre-determined path on the bottom of the sea. (Of course, the bottom of this little lagoon was only about 12 or so feet down.) At a pre-determined point, a guy with a fancy underwater camera and flash attachment took our photo. Frankly, I expected better quality, but you get the picture. The main attraction of the photo was our goofy look.

Next we visited a beautiful Mexican cemetery. Every headstone was an elaborate structure of some kind, colorfully painted and individualized for the person who was buried there.

Now it was time for a program featuring Maya dancers. The first photo shows one of the backdrops before the performance began. Unfortunately, by the time the performers showed up, we did not have a good view and it was very difficult to get any good photographs. (I had to shoot around heads and only could see tiny portions of the performance area.) But here are a couple of photos to give an idea of what we saw.

Finally it was evening and time for the big show. Again, photography was difficult because of the low light situation and the fact that there were people in front of us. Nevertheless, I did get some decent shots. The performances depicted the history of the area from the time of the Maya through the Spanish conquest up to the present. Much dancing. Wonderful costumes. When you view the photos below, picture each of them duplicated ten or twelve times and synchronized dancing. (I chose to take individual photos to better capture the costumes.)

I should say a word about the above photo. This was an “old man’s” dance. About ten guys dressed as old men cavorted around, pretending to be feeble, but then performing the most astonishing gyrations. We all assumed they were young 25-year-olds wearing old men masks. Then, when the dance was finished and they were taking their bows, the dancers removed their masks and, to our astonishment, they actually were “old men.” They all had grey hair and I would guess they were at least in their sixties.

On our last day we took a taxi into the town of Cancun. It turned out to be a little less than expected, but there are always photos to be had. What we discovered, after considerable walking, was another kitschy outdoor mall.

Haven’t got the perfect bikini beach body? No problem, just buy one of our tee-shirts!

How about a sarape featuring your favorite NFL football team?

After we left the bazaar we did some more walking, trying to find a place to catch a taxi. It was a little unnerving, as we were the only Anglos in sight, it was dusk, and didn’t seem to be the greatest neighborhood. However, there was some cool graffiti.

This one freaked us out a little. I wasn’t sure if we were on the wrong gang turf. You hear a lot about violence in Mexico, but fortunately, we didn’t experience any firsthand.

At last we found the central square across from the church where there were lots of Mexicans having fun with their families. One of the attractions was a ride on a remote-controlled car.

When we returned to the Royal Mayan we visited our favorite cabana restaurant where they were having Tex Mex night. We again ate too much, but then we knew we would be heading home the next day and the dieting would begin.

Or maybe not ….

The wedding and reception were held at La Caille,
a picture-perfect venue for a such an affair (though with a tragic history).

The drive into the property was spectacular, like entering a French chateaux.

The grounds were stocked with exotic birds, or so they seemed to me. I thought this was some sort of designer chicken or perhaps a mammoth quail, but Dawn tells me it was a baby peacock. She’s probably right. That would explain why a mother peacock was always nearby.

Is this a goose? What a delicious meal it would make! As in “Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat. Please put a penny in the old man’s hat.”

In a few hours these seats would be filled with family and friends.

When I arrived, Becca was getting ready. She’s a beautiful young woman even before getting dressed out as a bride. 

And here is the final product! 

For most of the bridal photos I just followed Joel Hill around. Joel, who is Becca’s brother-in-law, is a pro photographer who set up some great shots. I’m sure his pictures will be fantastic. 

This was the moment of the big “reveal”—when Austin first glimpsed Becca in her wedding dress. He gave a good effort to look suitably awed. 

An unsung hero of many of these photos was Becca’s sister, Sarah Ostler Hill, who carried around a reflector to help light up dark parts of the faces of the bride and groom. You can’t see her in the photos, but she’s just off camera left.

Gemma Hill with Austin and Becca

Becca with attitude

Donovan Hill and Becca

The bride and her mother (and my sister), Wanda Thurston Ostler. As you can see, Wanda looked fabulous!

The bride and her father, Mark Ostler, looking stately, as befits a prominent Silicon Valley lawyer.

The bride and her lovely bridesmaids. (L-R) Annastasia Copeland-Rynders (sister of the groom), Laura Ostler, Krissy Ober, Jillian Stafford.

The bride and the flower girls (her nieces). (L-R) Ainsleigh Hill, Gemma Hill, Annabelle Whitley and Emaline Whitley.

Joel and Sarah Ostler Hill and their children, Gemma, Donovan and Ainsleigh

Dave and Allison Ostler Whitley and their children, William, Emaline and Annabelle

Jess and Jeff Ostler

Laura Ostler gave a very nice toast at the dinner.

David Ostler

Dawn and I were there too! 

Everywhere you looked there were colorful blooms.

You want exotic birds? I give you one of three swans a swimming.

William Patrick Whitley (or is it Magnus Falcon Danger Whitley?)

Mark walking the bride down the pathway to the ceremony.

The exchange of vows

Joel Hill and his Canon took some fabulous photos.

Above: The “official” photographer and I shot each other.

When Dawn and I were married in 1966 the photographs were a joke. Someone in the ward brought a small camera to the reception. The photos were small square photos, just three or four inches wide and tall. There was also a photo of everyone on the temple steps, but again the print was so small and indistinct that it is almost impossible to make out who the people are. The day before the wedding we went to the JC Penny store and got a black & white portrait—Dawn in her wedding dress, me in a dark suit. That was it.

But then we’ve had 46 great years together, so things turned out OK despite the somewhat inauspicious beginning.

Now, in the age of high-resolution digital cameras, Becca will have hundreds of great photos taken by many photographers. Ah, progress…. Now let me tell you about walking to school in a blizzard uphill both ways!

Mark looking distinguished and colorful.

Wanda, helping out with the bride’s photo shoot.

David and Wanda

In my opinion, Donovan Hill looks more like Harry Potter than does Daniel Radcliffe. Just give him some glasses and magic wand.

Gemma Hill and Emaline Whitley had fun terrorizing the exotic birds.

Jess and Jeff Ostler

Joel and Sarah Ostler Hill

The lovely Sarah Ostler Hill

Donovan and Ainsleigh at dinner. Love the red hair!

Annabelle Whitley was a bit grumpy earlier in the afternoon, but once she had a few drinks in her she got downright frisky. How fun it must be to spin around and make your dress fly out in a circle!

The centerpiece flowers were gorgeous.

Everyone had assigned seating.

The delicious dinner was served buffet style, so blame me if the arrangement isn’t perfect. 

The bride and groom graciously visited each table at dinner. 

Dawn and I didn’t stay for the party after dinner, but I’m sure it would have been fun to photograph the dancers. We had a great time and wish Becca and Austin the best. May their marriage be at least as long-lasting and joyful as ours has been.

(L-R) Vincent Selden, Quade Thurston, Noah Thurston, Brandon Selden, Megan Selden, Brooke Thurston

In honor of the visit I set up my garage photo studio and snapped a variety of poses. I thought they turned out rather well, so the bulk of this post will be pictures. As always, you can see a larger version of any photo by clicking on it.

Lee and Tammy and family have recently returned from spending five years in Taiwan, Tammy’s native country. Lee works for Ernst & Young and was, as he explains it, the Taipei office’s “token American.” I’m sure he was more than that. While they were in Taiwan they lived close to Tammy’s parents. Now they are living in South Pasadena and Lee commutes to the E&Y office in downtown Los Angeles.

Vincent, Lee, Tammy, Megan and Brandon Selden

Of course, Carolyn and Craig are more than happy to have their children and grandchildren closer to them.

Vincent, Craig, Megan, Carolyn and Brandon Selden

The kids seemed to quickly bond and had a fun time playing with each other. The Selden children are all fluent in Mandarin Chinese (in the case of the younger ones, probably more fluent than they are in English). Matt, who served a mission in Taiwan, chatted them up a bit in Chinese.

Quade, Vincent, Brandon, Megan, Noah, Brooke

I also took a picture of Matt, Amy and family. They’re excited because they have just purchased a new home in a different neighborhood of Corona, California. If all goes well, they’ll probably move in about five weeks.

Quade, Amy, Noah, Matt & Brooke

And here are shots of the kids divided by family:

Vincent, Brandon & Megan

Vincent, Brandon & Megan

Quade, Noah & Brooke

Carolyn wanted to get a photo she could use for Facebook or a web page. Here are a few that I think turned out great.

Carolyn Thurston Selden

Carolyn is the middle of my five younger sisters. She and Craig live in Woodbury, Minnesota. They have seven children and a whole lot of grandchildren. Carolyn teaches piano and Craig is in the administrator of the University of Minnesota dental clinic. The purpose of their trip to California is to pick up their daughter, Kari, who is completing her mission. Kari served in the California San Fernando Mission, which includes the town I in which I spent my teenage years—Granada Hills.

Carolyn Thurston Selden. I tried a different background for this photo.

Carolyn was the only true redhead in our family, although Wanda and I had red highlights in our hair. I especially like this photo of Carolyn:

Carolyn Thurston Selden

I can never resist taking photos of my grandchildren, so here are a few more.

Quade Thurston

Brooke Thurston

Noah Thurston

Megan Selden and Brooke Thurston, showing their moves.

Noah Thurston showing what he’s got.

Carolyn and me. I remember when Carolyn was born (which was in a California town appropriately named “Red Bluff”). I was seven years old and already had two sisters (Mary Kaye and Bonnie), so I was mildly disappointed that she wasn’t a boy. When Wanda was born three years later I was exasperated. When Cheryl was born after four more years I was simply resigned.

Tammy Cheng Selden & Carolyn Thurston Selden

Yu-Hsiu (Tammy) Cheng Selden. Tammy and Lee met at BYU. Tammy is thinking of starting up an Taiwan exchange student program.

Of course, no photo shoot would be complete without the “act crazy” photo.

Which family is the craziest?

After the photo shoot everyone went swimming. Here are Megan & Lee.

Vincent

Brooke. These photos were taken through the waterfall. Sort of a cool effect.

Brandon

Quade

Dawn never made it out to the garage studio; she’s probably weary (and wary) of my camera. However, everyone says she’s extremely photogenic, which is true. So it wouldn’t be right not to include her in this post. Here is a picture I snapped a few weeks ago on our way to church.

Dawn Parrett Thurston

Dawn, our Valiant, and our U-Haul in front of a motel in Lodgepole, Nebraska,
where we spent a night on our trek east.

Armed with a file of colorful maps (the paper kind, in this pre-GPS era), we navigated our cross-country trip with minimal difficulty, stopping to visit places like Locust Grove, Iowa (where Dawn’s Parrett ancestors had lived), Nauvoo, Illinois (where many of my ancestors had lived), Chicago (to see what I had missed by turning down the University of Chicago Law School), the Shenandoah Valley, and Monticello. It wasn’t until we pulled into Cambridge that we lost our way. The streets of that town, having first been laid out in the seventeenth century, seemed to shoot off in random directions, never staying straight for more than a few blocks. Many accommodated only one-way traffic, a detail not mentioned on our map. I thought I could navigate by keeping the Charles River on my left, but hadn’t appreciated its twists and turns. In California and Utah, where we had lived since our marriage, you could make four right turns and be back on the same street. In Cambridge, four right turns got you in a hopeless muddle.

Eventually, however, we found our bearings and settled into our one-room apartment in the new student housing high-rise, Peabody Terrace. I began attending classes and Dawn got a job as a secretary to two young professors, Alan Dershowitz (before he became famous) and Lloyd Weinreb. Her income was critical to our ability to survive. Since we couldn’t both afford to be full-time students, this division of labor seemed to be the most economically sensible. I promised I would support Dawn’s future education when I got a job as a lawyer.

I took this photo of Peabody Terrace from the other side of the frozen Charles River
during the winter of 1967-68.

Neither of us had been to the America east of Utah and our situation was ripe for stress, due to separation from friends and family, not to mention pressure from school and employment. Our church activity was a key factor in helping us adapt to such unfamiliar surroundings. We attended the LDS Cambridge Student Ward the first Sunday after our arrival in Massachusetts, where we easily made friends with other Mormon students from the many colleges and universities in the area.

The Cambridge, Massachusetts, LDS chapel on Longfellow Park.
I took this photo in about 1968. The chapel recently was destroyed by fire,
but has been rebuilt on the same ideal spot.

After several months of living at Peabody Terrace, we obtained a job as house parents at the beautiful Mt. Ida Junior College in Newton Center. This was a wonderful development because the job provided free room and board, plus a salary of $400 a month. Our net income would be substantially larger than Dawn’s secretarial income. So in January 1968, we made the move. By the time I graduated from law school three years later, all the house parent couples at Mt. Ida were members of our LDS ward and good friends.

Mt. Ida College in January 1968. The college was beautifully situated; it had been the estate of Robert Gould Shaw (the scion of one of Boston’s wealthiest families) and, for a few years, his wife, Nancy Langhorn. After an acrimonious divorce, Nancy moved to England, married Waldorf Astor, became famous as the socialite Lady Astor,
and served in Parliament for many years. 

Toward the end of our first year at Mt. Ida, Dawn became pregnant. Traditionally, the “dorm mothers” had been older single women; we were among the first married couples hired. There was definitely no precedent for babies! Initially we were told we would not be invited back the following year. We pleaded with the administrators to give us a chance to make it work and eventually they relented. I think they loved Dawn so much they couldn’t bear losing her. Ironically, she was about the same age as some of the girls she “mothered,” although I don’t think they realized that. Needless to say, we never lacked for babysitters during our time at Mt. Ida.

Our oldest child, Matt, was born on December 22, 1968. We brought him home on December 24 in a Christmas stocking provided by the nurses at the hospital.

Christmas Eve, 1968 — our best Christmas present ever.

When the college administrators saw how we successfully fulfilled our responsibilities even though we had a child, it opened the door for other young marrieds with babies.

Mt. Ida houseparents, 1969: Top Row: Diane Aldrich and son Steven, Dawn Thurston and son Matt. Bottom Row: Dave Aldrich, Morrie Thurston, Suzanne Garff and Dennis Garff. In other years Kent and Keena Price, and Marv and Sandy Van Dam also served as Mt. Ida houseparents with us.

Years Later…

We made many good friends in the Cambridge Student Ward, but as we all graduated from our respective programs we scattered across the country. In recent years, many of our Cambridge friends have returned to their home state, Utah. This has enabled us to reunite with some of the old gang at the Park City home of Chuck and Jan Stoddard. Even though we live in California, we’ve been fortunate to be able to arrange our schedule so we could be in Utah for the reunions and catch up with old friends. At our most recent gathering, on July 20, 2012, I set up a makeshift photography studio in the Stoddards’ family room and took portraits of those who attended. I’ve posted them below, in alphabetical order, with a little description of what they’ve been doing during the last 45 or so years.

Lynn and Jim Backman

Jim was an undergraduate at Harvard when we were there; he eventually received his law degree from the University of Utah. In 1974 he began a 38-year career as a law professor at Brigham Young University Law School. He spent two years in Germany as the LDS Church legal counsel and was involved in legal issues surrounding the LDS temples in Frankfurt, Stockholm and Freiberg, Germany. Jim also helped establish a broad-based internship program for BYU law students providing legal experience for as many as 200 students each year. After raising six children, Jim and his first wife, Carolyn, were divorced. Jim has since remarried, to his high school friend, Lynn Kimball, who had been a widow for almost four years. Jim and Lynn had been king and queen of the East High junior prom and she was head cheerleader when he was student body president.

Bill and Chris Bracy

Bill was in the Harvard Business School when we were in Cambridge. [I'm waiting for more information from the Bracys]  Bill and Chris have four children and __ grandchildren.

Jim and Connie Cannon

Jim was a classmate of mine at Harvard Law School. Somehow both of us survived and graduated, Jim with a joint JD/MBA degree. He then spent several years in Boston with the law firm Hale & Dorr, then several more in Denver as General Counsel to Sinclair Oil and Little America Hotels. The Cannons moved back to Salt Lake City in 1983, where he was a partner at Parr Brown Gee and Loveless for ten years, followed by four years with an international heavy equipment company working in Slovakia and China. Meanwhile, Connie ran a great swim school in their backyard and started a garden compost business, Replenish Products, which they managed for twelve years before realizing it was managing them. Since all the kids had flown the coop, they sold their large home and all the toys, settled with the business creditors and started over. Jim returned to the practice of law with the firm Stoker, Swinton and Cannon in 2006, but went on his own in 2010. They have six children, all but one of whom is married, and thirteen grandchildren. They gave them all strong wings, but weak roots, as they are scattered in California, Texas and along the New England coast. After teaching school for four years, Connie became a full-time homemaker. A few years ago, she began teaching piano and now has a full stable of students. She has served on many school and community boards and was a member of the General Relief Society Board of the LDS Church for five years.

Richard and Linda Eyre

During our Cambridge years, Richard was a student at Harvard Business School. After graduating, he and Linda became consultants, speakers and best-selling authors of books relating to parenting. Their many published works include Teaching Your Children Values (which became the first parenting book to make it to # 1 on the New York Times bestseller list since Dr. Spock), How to Talk to Your Children About Sex, and more recently, Empty Nesting Parenting and The Entitlement Trap. Linda and Rick have also written books individually and with other authors. Richard served as director of the White House Conference on Parents and Children during the Reagan administration and was a candidate for the governorship of Utah in 1992. Richard and Linda presided over the England London South Mission, and Linda has been a member of the Utah State University board of trustees. Insuring that they will have ample material to draw on, the Eyres became parents of nine children and have twenty-three grandchildren.

Mike and Kaye Jensen

Mike graduated from Harvard Business School and then was enticed into a start-up company with two doctors. After bringing two medical products to market, the business was sold and the Jensens moved to San Antonio, then to Corning, New York, where Mike worked for Corning Glass. Later, Mike indulged his entrepreneurial bent by forming several start-up companies. At the age of 51, he decided to make an abrupt career change and returned to school at Boston College Law School. After being a stay-at-home mom, Kaye went to work to support this endeavor. After Mike earned his law degree, the Jensens returned to Utah in 1995, where they have lived ever since.  Kaye recently retired as administrative assistant to the legal counsel of the Workers Compensation Fund and enjoys playing tennis and golf. Mike focused his practice on Elder Law and recently in March 2012 joined as a Shareholder the Salt Lake law firm of Kirton and McConkie.

Steve and Margaret Nadauld

Steve obtained his MBA degree from Harvard Business School and then went on to get a Ph.D. in finance from the University of California at Berkeley. He has held positions on the faculties of the University of Utah, Berkeley, and BYU, and at one time headed the BYU MBA program. He served as president of Weber State University from 1985 to 1990 and has been president of Dixie State College in St. George from 2008 to the present. From 1991 to 1996 he served as a member of the LDS Church’s Second Quorum of Seventy, and he and Margaret did a turn presiding over the Switzerland Geneva Mission. Steve has authored three religious books, Justified by Faith, Principles of Priesthood Leadership and Why God Lets Us Choose. In addition to serving with her husband in Switzerland, Margaret was general president of the Church’s Young Women organization from 1997 to 2002 and has authored two books, Write Back Soon and A Mother’s Influence. The Nadaulds have seven sons and twenty-eight grandchildren.

Betsy and John Nagel

John and Betsy (then Haglund) weren’t married when we were in Massachusetts. John was converted to the LDS Church when he was at Harvard Business School. Betsy was living in Boston and working for Houghton Mifflin Company designing children’s books. John had a career at Arthur Anderson (before the fall), primarily designing management information and control systems. After leaving Arthur Anderson, he worked as CFO and CEO for various small companies. The Nagels have recently completed a mission (Texas Houston) where they served as Institute Directors at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville. Betsy has taught music for the past thirty years, was on the faculty of the Music Preparatory Division at Loyola University in New Orleans, and later held a similar position at the University of Utah. They have five children and fifteen grandchildren.

Louise and Tom Plummer

Tom was a member of our LDS bishopric during the years we were in Cambridge. After leaving Boston, he took a position at the University of Minnesota as a German language professor. While there, Louise obtained her master’s degree in English. They both took teaching positions at BYU in 1983, the year Louise’s first novel, The Romantic Obsessions and Humiliations of Annie Sehlmeier, won the Delacorte Press First Young Adult Novel Contest. Since then, Louise has published a number of award-winning young adult novels, including My Name is Sus5an Smith: The 5 is Silent, and The Unlikely Romance of Kate Bjorkman. She and Tom have each published wonderful collections of personal essays: Thoughts of a Grasshopper (Louise) and Eating Chocolates and Dancing in the Kitchen (Tom). Tom became chairman of the German Department at BYU and Louise is a popular LDS lecturer. Recently Tom has taken up photography and painting, though that description hardly does justice to Tom’s brilliant creativity. You can see his work for yourself on his website. They have four sons and thirteen grandchildren.

Keena and Kent Price

Kent and Keena were houseparents with us at Mt. Ida and Kent was in the Sunday School presidency with me in the Cambridge Student Ward. The Prices have lived in California, Germany, Michigan and Utah since Kent graduated from Harvard Business School. Kent has owned his own manufacturing company in the aerospace industry and developed and patented a new electronic instrument for the heavy trucking industry. He has been a visiting faculty member at BYU’s Marriott Business School and is an avid flyer of light and ultra-light aircraft. Keena has pursued a long career in nursing (a talent that may come in handy as Kent continues to pursue his ultra-light adventures). They have five children and twenty-eight grandchildren (thus tying the Nadaulds in the grandchild derby, at least among those who attended the reunion).

Lloyd Stewart

At the time we were in Cambridge, Lloyd was married to Vickie. After graduating from Harvard Business School, Lloyd worked with Smith Barney, eventually moving to Lafayette, California, to pursue business interests, including starting a medical product company, becoming CFO of a publicly held medical company and dabbling in venture capital. However, in the 1980s the Stewarts suffered personal tragedy (a serious injury to their oldest son) as well as financial setbacks. Lloyd and Vickie were divorced in 1992 and Vickie has since married Alan Eastman. Describing his recent career path, Lloyd writes: “I am CFO and Chief Anglo-Saxon of a new U.S. company formed by a group of wealthy Koreans who say they will pay me a lot of money when I make their company a lot of money.” Displaying his characteristic wit, Lloyd solicits his old friends to introduce him to a marriageable woman. “I appreciate the trepidation this may cause you, sort of like turning your best non-Mormon friend over to the missionaries. However, it’s for a worthy cause. My needs are modest. Hers may not be, which might be a problem. Someone between the ages of 25 and 75, attractive, smart, interesting and of good character. However, plain and deferential might work if she is a good cook and kind to animals.”

Jan and Chuck Stoddard

After spending a few years working for financial institutions in New York and Los Angeles, Chuck did what he thought he would never do—return to his childhood home of Grand Rapids, Michigan, to work at the Michigan National Corporation, a bank holding company founded by his father and presided over by his brother. After ten years at that institution, during which time he was appointed president of MNC-Central Bank, Chuck lost his job when the holding company was sold. Chuck then founded his own bank, Grand Bank, and presided over it for fourteen years before it was bought by another company and Chuck again found himself jobless. He now heads up a group of Grand Rapids “angel” investors. In addition to raising their four children, Jan has pursued interests in art and family history. Several years ago they presided over the Santa Rosa, California, LDS mission. Last year Chuck published his personal history titled Isn’t Life Grand? They have five grandchildren.

Dawn and Morrie Thurston

I suppose I should end this with a brief description of our years since I graduated from Harvard Law School in 1970.

Immediately after law school I was hired by Latham & Watkins, then a medium-sized Los Angeles law firm. When I retired as a senior partner in 2007 the firm had over 2,000 lawyers in major financial centers in the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. As planned, Dawn went back to school after we arrived in California, graduating from UCLA in 1975 and obtaining her MA from Cal State Fullerton after our children left home. She teaches life story writing at Rancho Santiago College and is a sought-after lecturer throughout the United States. Dawn and I each have published family history books (and are working on more). Together we authored Breathe Life into Your Life Story: How To Write a Story People Will WANT to Read.

I have also served as a legal consultant to the Joseph Smith Papers Project. My BYU Studies article titled “The Boggs Assault and Attempted Extradition, Joseph Smith’s Most Famous Case,” was given an award of excellence by the Mormon History Association. Dawn and I are on the board of the Miller Eccles Study Group and we host their Orange County meetings. Dawn is also a board member of the Association of Personal Historians and I’m the board chair-elect of Dialogue Foundation, publishers of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. Dawn and I had six children (two of whom died as infants) and have three grandchildren. What they lack in numbers they make up for in quality. (-:

Gary and Joan Browning

Gary and Joan Browning also attended our most recent reunion. Although they had to leave before I was able to take their portrait, they sent the above photo. Joan served as Relief Society President under bishops Richard Bushman and Jamie Lyon, and then again in her Provo ward. Her specialties continue to be humanitarian and compassionate service—and quilting! Gary has had a fascinating life since leaving Harvard, including being a Russian language and literature professor at BYU, department chair, and the director and then dean of University Honors. From 1990 to 1993 he served as president of the Finland Helsinki East Mission, which was divided early in 1992 into the Russia Moscow and the Russia St. Petersburg Missions. Gary and Joan were assigned to Moscow. In 2004 President Boyd K. Packer ordained Gary a patriarch. His calling specifies that he is to give patriarchal blessings in the Europe East Area and only in Russian. He flies mainly to Russia four or more times a year and stays for three weeks, typically voicing seven blessings a day while he is there. Gary and Joan also served at the BYU Jerusalem Center as a volunteer service couple from 2006 to 2008. They are the parents of five children and, to this point, have twelve grandchildren.

There were a number of our group who could not make it to this reunion. We hope to catch up next time with such old friends as Nolan and Margaret Archibald, Brooke and Jill Derr, Vickie and Alan Eastman, Bill and Karen Giauque, Rod & Beverly Haws, Wynn & Pam Johnson, Bonnie Lloyd, Jamie and Dorothy Lyon, Lorin and Judy Pugh, Noel and Sydney Reynolds, Dick and Paula Spencer, and Marv and Sandy Van Dam. We also hope to see Richard and Claudia Bushman—Richard was our bishop during the last two years we were in Cambridge.

Additional information on the Cambridge LDS group (including those who didn’t attend the most recent reunion) can be found on Kent Price’s website at this link.

Basel’s central square was a colorful place – a hub for the many tram routes throughout the city. The beautiful red building is the Rathaus (Town Hall).

Our trip got off to a rocky start at LAX. We had a Delta flight to Paris, or so we thought. It bore a Delta flight number and our tickets said “Delta,” so where do you think we went to board the flight? Terminal 5, the Delta terminal, of course. But no, the flight wasn’t leaving from the Delta terminal. The attendant said we were flying on their “partner airline,” Air France.

“So where do we go to board the Air France flight?,” we asked anxiously. The attendant didn’t seem to know. Some partnership! However, being a helpful person, she went back to her bank of computers and tapped for awhile. Then she announced that we needed to go to Terminal 2.

“We’re flying to Paris,” I said. “Is it possible that we should go to the International Terminal?”

No. Apparently her computer said Air France was at Terminal 3. So we lugged our heavy bags and accessories and started walking. LAX is a big airport and we could have taken a shuttle, but we were worried about missing the flight by the time we figured out which of the thousands of shuttles we should take, and how long it would take to arrive and then deposit us on the other side of the airport. It was a hot day, so we were dripping with sweat by the time we reached Terminal 2.

Alas, no Air France at Terminal 2. Or at least no Air France going to Paris. “You need to go to the International Terminal,” we were told. Ironically, the International Terminal is close (relatively speaking) to Terminal 5, where we originally had been dropped off. There was nothing we could do, however, except start walking. Or running, as it turned out, because now we were really concerned about slow security lines and missing our flight. Luckily we are in relatively good physical condition and didn’t drop from a heart attack or heat prostration.

We arrived at the International Terminal thoroughly drenched and completely out of breath. Fortunately, the security lines weren’t too long and we were in time for our flight. Indeed, we were in time to stand for a half hour in one of several long lines at the boarding area waiting for the busses to take us from the terminal to the airplane.

Here is Dawn looking surprisingly composed and cheerful in line for our Air France flight out of LAX. All of the people you see in the picture (plus some behind me) are standing in lines to board the same flight, a double-decker Airbus 380.

The flight was uneventful. As always, it was long and cramped for coach passengers like us. We had a four-hour layover before boarding our flight to Basel. During the layover we met up with our friends, Al and Linda Switzler from Highland, Utah, who were to be our traveling companions.

Our plane from Paris to Basel was much smaller. Here is Dawn at the top of the ramp, with Linda and Al following right behind.

Our purpose in flying to Switzerland was to take the Viking River Cruises “Rhine Getaway,” a cruise from Basel to Amsterdam. In doing this we would be following in the footsteps of Dawn’s immigrant ancestor, Frederick Parrott, who made a similar “cruise” in the 1730s. Of course, his trip was no doubt far less luxurious, but it was interesting for Dawn to see the route he would have taken, particularly because she is writing a book about her Parrott/Parrett family that begins with Frederick’s story.

Here is our travel route from Basel to Amsterdam along the Rhine River.

We had arranged for two-day extensions in the beginning and at the end of the cruise. Although Viking was supposed to meet us at the airport, nobody was there, which only seemed fitting after the start we had at LAX. However we took a taxi to the Basel Hilton and Viking was very accommodating in reimbursing us for the expense.

I took this shot of the Basel Hilton at the end of a day of touring the city. The sun was setting and gave the setting a warm glow. It was a very nice hotel and the included breakfasts were spectacular.

We went out that first evening for a genuine Swiss meal at a restaurant called Elsbethenstubli. I got a veal dish, which was very good. And expensive. But you find that you enjoy meals more if you regard foreign currency as play money.

Al and Linda Switzler and Dawn in front of our restaurant.

The next morning Viking had arranged a walking tour with a guide, who was all decked up in a Swiss-looking outfit. She was a very professional guide, as was the case with most of the guides we had on the tour.

Our Basel guide was dressed to the nines. She told us that the glass skylight pyramids in the background were not copied from the Louvre, but vice versa. 

Basel strike me as an exceedingly clean and well-run city — a place you wouldn’t mind living in. Here are some pictures of some of the things we saw.

The folks in Basel have a sense of humor. They have a pond with a variety of fountains, all creatively mixing up the water.

Click on the link below to see the short video I took of the fountain in action. Hit the “back” button when you’re finished.

20120707 Basel 4090 bbh

(As you’ll see, I am not a very accomplished videographer!)

There were many colorful buildings in Basel and, indeed, in many of the towns and cities we visited on our trip.

In the afternoon and evening we wandered around town. By then we had a pretty good lay of the land. We had been given tram passes that would take us anywhere in the city, so we just rode one tram to the end of the line and then back into town again.

I was very impressed with the public transport system in Basel. It seemed very ecologically friendly — electric trams and bicycles were the main means of transportation.

 I just liked this window, especially with the birds nest in it.

And I liked this clock.

And this whimsical piece of outdoor art in one of the eating squares.

I don’t know the significance of this lion-monkey-tongues-out-bas-relief, but I liked it. If any readers know what it signifies, let me know!

Another colorful building.

Another shot of the colorful city hall. We stopped in a MacDonald’s on the opposite side of the and got some American-style soft drinks with ice!

This is the Basel Munster, the biggest and oldest church in the city. It was begun in 1019 and finished in 1500–a nearly 500-year construction project! Along the way the original building was destroyed by an earthquake in 1356. Originally a Catholic cathedral, it is now a reformed Protestant church.

The interior of the Munster.

Later in the afternoon we took a streetcar to the Kunstmuseum and took in the Renoir exhibit. Some beautiful impressionist art.

Quite by accident we missed our streetcar stop at the Kunst Museum and had to walk back across the bridge over the Rhine. How lucky we were! Otherwise, we never would have seen a spectacular example of “yarn bombing.” We had never heard of it at the time, but later learned that it is a form of street art or graffiti using knitted yarn to cover structures like poles, trees and bridge railings.There must have been hundreds of artists who participated in this yarn bombing. 

Some of the knitters were especially creative!

After our visit to the museum we walked back into town and had dinner at one of the many open-air restaurants along the main street. It felt good to get off our feet. While we ate, this fellow walked down our street, stopping at most of the restaurants along the way. He had a following of raucous students accompanying him. I’m not sure what the point was–perhaps some sort of college fraternity hazing. He had a pink purse and periodically people would put money into it. He also seemed to be getting a free glass of beer at most every stop.

The next morning we had time to kill while waiting to board our ship. We took a streetcar back to the Munster, where Dawn and I negotiated the winding medieval staircase up to the top of the bell tower. (Al and Linda couldn’t make the climb, but they were good sports and came along.) There was quite a view from the top! Here we are looking one way down the Rhine.

And here we are looking the other way up the river.

Dawn, looking none the worse for wear after our grueling climb. (Well, “grueling” may be too strong a word.)

A colorful tower, as seen from the Munster.

Looking back down from the tower gives you an idea of how high we were.

Back on earth again!

Next post: We board the Viking Embla for its maiden voyage and sail off down the Rhine.

]]> http://www.morristhurston.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=3082 3 http://www.morristhurston.com/blog/?p=3019 http://www.morristhurston.com/blog/?p=3019#comments Wed, 27 Jun 2012 16:12:10 +0000 Morrie's Musings http://www.morristhurston.com/blog/?p=3019 Continue reading →]]> I just realized it has been several months since I’ve posted anything to my personal blog. This will be a quick photo-essay of my recent trip to Colorado during the week of May 28. My purpose in going was to attend a conference in Boulder titled “Aurora Multimedia Workshop: DSLR Filmmaking for Photographers.” I had recently acquired a Nikon D800 with video capability and wanted to explore the possibilities for creating video projects.

After the conference was finished, I took a personal day and drove up into Rocky Mountain National Park. I’ll show more photos from that day later in this post, but this was one of my favorites, so I’ll feature it here.

On my way from the Denver airport to Boulder I stopped in Westminster to visit my sister, Cheryl Reeder, and family. We had a nice visit and then had dinner at Ted’s Montana Grill, where several of us had various types of buffalo burgers. Here are some photos I took at the Reeders:

Adults: Matthew Reeder, Sariah Ong Reeder, Cheryl Thurston Reeder, Bob Reeder. Children: Samuel Reeder, Gwynneth Reeder, Eric Reeder

Cheryl & Gwynneth

Eric

Gwynneth

Cheryl & Morrie

The Reeders’ Home

The conference was in Boulder, home of the University of Colorado (the “Buffalos”). It was my first visit to the town. It is always enjoyable to visit a college town and Boulder was no exception. Perhaps it is the nostalgia it brings for one’s college days, or the young feeling one gets when seeing so many college students. Adding to the experience was the weather, which was warm and sunny, but not overly hot.

There were many good things about the conference. One of the highlights for me was listening to Bob Dotson, who is the producer of “American Story,” sort of shorter versions of “This American Life,” which can be seen on the Today Show. Dotson also does hour-long specials for MSNBC and is writer and host for “Bob Dotson’s America,” a series of programs on the Travel Channel. He has won many journalistic awards. He gave several lectures to our conference about the techniques he uses for interviewing and capturing statements that turn a ho-hum segment into a fascinating one.

Bob Dotson

Another highlight for me was the information presented by Cory Rich, who has done some really great multimedia presentations. Cory was selected to do the video that Nikon used to introduce its new D4 and D800 DSLR cameras. Even more interesting was his “the making of” video called “How of Why,” which can be viewed here.

Cory Rich

While I found the conference to be educational, I was not as thrilled as I had been two years ago when I participated in a workshop in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, called “Photography at the Summit.” Both workshops were put on by the same organization, headed by Rich Clarkson, but it seems that still photography is more conducive to this sort of learning experience. Video, I discovered, is just a lot more time-consuming and involves a great quantity of equipment and manpower. To do it right, you almost need a “crew.” Editing and putting things together is not something you can do in the space of a few hours. Also, I am not very familiar with film editing programs. Perhaps learning Apple’s Final Cut or Adobe’s Premier would have been useful prerequisites to attending a conference such as this.

Cory Rich showed us some of the equipment he packs and carries to his video shoots around the world. Here he has laid them out, packed in carrying cases and ready to go. Of course, he has a five-person crew to help with everything.

One evening we went from our conference venue (on the University of Colorado campus) to downtown Boulder to try our hand at shooting video. I dutifully shot video, but realized that I hadn’t done very well. Hand-holding an SLR camera produces lots of shake and I didn’t have a video tripod. I also took some still photos of the Boulder shopping district to show what an interesting place it is. These next shots were taken on a street that had been closed to traffic and turned into an outdoor mall.

A good bookstore is a prerequisite to an interesting shopping area and this was an excellent store.

A colorful shoe display

Downtown wildlife

An old bank building had been turned into a “Ben & Jerry’s.”

You can see the sort of places that interested me.

One of the things I most enjoy is shooting candid portraiture. There was an outdoor farmers market nearby and a lot of people were sitting on the grass, enjoying the warm evening and eating food from the food stands in the market.

I thought she made an interesting study. Parking was quite expensive in Boulder and there seemed to be many more bicycles than cars.

Staying with the portraiture theme, here are some more candid shots of instructors and students at the workshop.

I also took a few photos round about Boulder and the college campus.

Finally, as I mentioned at the top of this post, I took Saturday for a drive into Rocky Mountain National Park. The day started off sunny, but soon the clouds rolled in and things changed. Still, I was able to capture some interesting photos in the ever-changing weather.

I picked up a Tilley hat at a gift store to keep the rain and cold at bay. I’ve always wanted one of those.

This was my rental car. The cheapest available, but it worked fine.

The view out my car window when a wet snow started to drop.

This guy was checking out my new D800. Probably hadn’t seen one before.

The final takeaway from my Colorado experience: It was fun to see Cheryl and family, Boulder is a town I would enjoy living in, multimedia is an exciting way to express oneself artistically (though time-consuming and expensive), and I’m a still photographer at heart. If I were younger, just starting out, and looking for a career, I would be drawn to filmmaking.

]]> http://www.morristhurston.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=3019 5 http://www.morristhurston.com/blog/?p=2957 http://www.morristhurston.com/blog/?p=2957#comments Fri, 27 Apr 2012 02:37:36 +0000 Morrie's Musings http://www.morristhurston.com/blog/?p=2957 Continue reading →]]> Our neighbor and friend, Christina Reeve, has hosted wonderful pre-Christmas dinners for a number of years. Chris, a culinary artist, is in charge of the food for these parties, aided by her friend Anita and cousin Gigi, who likewise know their way around a kitchen. Recently, Chris’ daughter, Jessica, (aided by Anita), decided to turn the tables and surprise Chris with a birthday party. Jessica is a director of culinary services for Bon Appetit, a top-flight catering company. As you might guess, the feast was wonderful.

I took along my camera and shot photos of the food. But what I most enjoyed was shooting the people. (I know that last sentence sounds a bit odd.) I enjoy recording the character in the faces of friends we have known and appreciated for many years. Most of my photos are un-posed candids; I simply try to capture a familiar expression. Sometimes they turn out well; sometimes they don’t. Here are the ones I particularly liked from Christina’s party (in no particular order). My apologies to the folks whose photos I missed — there’s always next time.

Christina Reeve — Our frequent host and nearby neighbor for thirty-four years. Apparently she is only three years old (or maybe thirty, if each candle stands for ten years).

Jessica Reeve — We’ve known Jessica since she was a little girl. We remember how she loved horses. Now she’s staked out a career in the food catering business.

Carole Robinson — Another friend from the day we moved to Villa Park in 1977 and I was assigned as the Robinsons’ home teacher. Carole’s husband, Max, was our dentist until he became incapacitated; now her son, Chris, takes care of our teeth. Max was one of the greatest bishops ever; Carole is an inspiration to all widowed women. 

Elaine Greene — The Greenes, friends for years, are now one of my home teaching families. Elaine is a talented administrator and teacher, having held nearly every Church position imaginable (at least until women are given the priesthood).

Bob Greene — I used to play basketball with Bob who was a banking executive until his retirement. He was formerly our Stake President and is now LDS Public Affairs Director for Orange County. The Greenes’ children grew up with our children.

 Mary Warren — Another long-time friend and former Relief Society President (as are several of the other women portrayed in this blog post). Mary is always fun to be around.

Herb Warren — Formerly our bishop and an all-around great guy, Herb is a veterinarian specializing in race horses.

Connie Maude — Blessed with a beautiful soprano singing voice, Connie has been a mainstay of our ward choir for as long as I can remember.

Les Maude — A good friend and faithful ward member, Les can build or fix anything (sort of my polar opposite in that respect).

Connie Gwilliam — Our ward chorister forever. You’ll never hear a hymn dragging when Connie is in charge. I realize how spoiled we are when I visit other other wards and hear hymns sung like funeral dirges.

Weldon Jolley — Another of my home teachees, Weldon is a former bishop, is currently a patriarch, and was a research scientist with honors and credentials that would fill a book.

Ferneth Courtright — Ferneth and her husband, Ivan, have been good friends for many years. They were among my best writing students.

Dawn Thurston — What can I say about Dawn? A brilliant woman who has given her talents in many Church positions, from Relief Society president to Young Women’s president, to Gospel Doctrine and Relief Society teacher. And, she’s a fabulous life story writing teacher. All this while having to endure that husband of hers!

Anita Smith — Christina’s friend and one of the party organizers. A legal secretary by profession.

Christina Reeve

Joshua Reeve — One of Jessica’s twin boys. It is always fun to shoot kids in their wide-eyed innocent years.

Nathan Reeve — The other of Jessica’s twin boys.

 Joshua and Nathan.

Christina, Jessica and the beautiful birthday cake.

And now to the food — here is an overview of some of the scrumptious fare.

Chinese Chicken Salad (fresh roasted chicken on the side).

There were several varieties of sandwiches, including this turkey on marble rye.

Roast beef, cheddar, lettuce & tomato.

A cheese board with candied walnuts and pecans, which I find go great with any dish! Just behind the cheeses is a tray of cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches, which turned out to be my favorite.

What’s for dessert, you ask? How about huge chocolate-dipped tuxedoed strawberries?

If strawberries seem overly healthy, there were plenty of other choices, including out-of-this-world home-made lemon bars.

I have a feeling Jane Austen would feel quite comfortable in Christina’s living room.

One of the many little items of decoration in the Reeve home. When we were all younger the Reeves raised rabbits. (We don’t have to raise them, they seem to understand that our yard is their dining room.)

T H E   E N D !

Aunt Ruth passed away a few days ago at 97. Actually, Ruth Reese Dahle wasn’t my aunt; she was my mother’s aunt, but as she was only a couple of years older than my mother, she functioned more like my mother’s cousin.

Because I grew up in California, and Ruth lived in Utah, I didn’t know her well. I do recall seeing her at various Reese family reunions, always smiling and friendly. A few years ago I met her again and we talked about family history. Then I did one of those things you always wish you had done, but more often than not, you don’t. I set up an appointment to visit her in her home and interview her on camera about her father and how it was to grow up in the Reese household.

Ruth Maurine Reese Dahle (1914 – 2012)
I took this photograph on January 9, 2008 in Ruth’s Ogden home.
She was 93 years old at the time.

The day I arranged to visit Ruth turned out to be one of the worst snowstorms Utah had experienced in years. I drove from Park City to Ogden and it was quite an adventure, especially for a California driver. Fortunately, I had an SUV, but I saw many cars that had just slid off the road, or become stuck on an inclined street, wheels spinning, unable to continue. I pressed on, however, and somehow sloshed and skidded my way to Ruth’s house. When I got there she seemed genuinely surprised and said, “I can’t believe you came in this weather!”

But she was expecting me. Ninety-three years old at the time, but she had dressed in a cheery red blouse, white knit sleeveless sweater, and slacks. She had made up her face and she looked great. She was also as mentally sharp as any nonagenarian I have met. I interviewed her for two hours, which can be grueling, but she held up like a champ. I was mostly interested about her growing-up years because that is where our relationship coincided—her father was my great-grandfather. I also obtained copies of some photos of Ruth when she was younger—a beautiful and classy-looking woman then, as well.

Here is Ruth’s short obituary:

Ruth Maurine Reese Dahle, 97, passed away peacefully at home on February 20, 2012. Ruth was born on November 2, 1914 to William Griffiths and Karen Andersen Reese.

She married Norman DeVell Dahle on July 23, 1935 in the Logan LDS Temple. They were married for 62 years before his passing in December of 1997.

Ruth had very fond memories of her childhood growing up on a farm with 12 siblings in Cache Valley.

She was a wonderful hostess, a marvelous cook, and loved entertaining. She was a math whiz and had a keen mind up to the very end. While some count sheep when they can’t sleep, she thought that much too boring and would instead recite the 13 Articles of Faith all the way through from beginning to end and then start over again. Ruth had many talents including playing the piano and organ. She made beautiful hand-crafted items as gifts which she knit or crochet for family members and friends. She was a champion bowler in her day and thoroughly enjoyed playing games of any kind. Her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and even many of her great-great-grandchildren will long cherish the times they played “Hot Dice” with Grandma Dahle. She also loved to play cribbage.

Mother was very proud to be an original Daughter of Utah Pioneers. Ruth is survived by her children, Norm (Karma) Dahle, Clinton, UT; Pat (Frank) Clark, Clinton, UT; Elden (Sharon) Dahle, Malad, ID; and Reese (Patsy) Dahle, Taylor, UT; 13 grandchildren; and 22 great-grandchildren; and 25 great-great-grandchildren.

I wish circumstances had permitted me to travel to Utah to attend the funeral because I know I would have heard many other great stories about Aunt Ruth.

I titled this post, “The End of a Generation,” because Ruth was the last surviving child of my great-grandfather, William Griffiths Reese, who left Wales with his parents and infant brother in 1860, Mormon converts going to Zion. Willie (as the two and a half-year-old boy was then called) was the son of Charles and Sarah Griffiths Rees of Amroth Parish, Pembrokeshire, Wales. (The family changed the spelling of their surname to Reese after arriving in Utah in order to avoid confusion with Rees families already living there—I will use the Reese spelling.) Charles was 29 years old; Sarah was 27. Like many men in the area, Charles was a coal miner in Wales, a dreary, draining occupation that left many dead long before their time.

A few years ago I took a trip to Wales and visited Pembrokeshire and the churches in which our Welsh ancestors were baptized and buried. It is a spectacularly beautiful place, located along the south coast of Wales (its “Riviera”), with beaches, cliffs, and green, rolling hills further inland. The countryside is criss-crossed by winding, narrow lanes, bordered by hedgerows, and you can always see some sheep grazing in the fields. Today it is a favorite place for wealthy Londoners to vacation.

Pembrokeshire Coast, Wales

St. Issells Parish Church is in Saundersfoot (next to Amroth), but many of our Welsh ancestors were christened and married there.

The young Reese family sailed on the ship Underwriter, chartered by LDS Church authorities. Also traveling in the company were Charles Reese’s brother Thomas (and his wife, Mary), as well as their sister Margaret (and her husband James Davis or Davies). The Reese family had been members of the LDS Church for several years (Charles was baptized in 1852), but the three siblings had promised their widowed mother Mary that they would not leave Wales while she was still living. Mary Morgan Reese passed away 1859 and the following year Charles, Thomas, Margaret and their families left for America.

Mormon immigrants congregating in Liverpool awaiting the trip to America.

There were 596 Mormon immigrants crammed into the sailing vessel—70 from Switzerland and the rest from the British Isles. They sailed from Liverpool on March 30, 1860, and arrived in New York Harbor on May 1. There were four marriages on board and four deaths.

One of the Swiss immigrants, a young man named Johann Lebrecht Baer, was married to his betrothed on board and wrote later of the experience. Apparently, before he converted to Mormonism, Johann belonged to a religion that frowned on frivolous activities such as dancing (perhaps Methodism?). Of course, the LDS are known for their love of dancing, but Johann had quite a different reaction to the onboard frivolity:

Underwriter was the name of our boat with 600 passengers, all Mormons, so called, from the British Islands, except us Swiss. After all was settled the ship did plow its way over the briny deep and what did we the Swiss hear and see? Hand organ, violin music and then dancing! We did not like that and asked one another what kind of people is this?  One of our elders … went to England sometime ago and could now speak English fluently, told us they were all Mormons. We were horror stricken in hearing this. We never expected that Latter-day Saints would indulge in such worldly pleasures. We were disgusted. I always abhorred dancing. I said: “Mark now, we will have a storm on top of this. Remember what is written in the Book of Mormon when Nephi’s brethren and the sons of Ishmael and their wives began to make merry inasmuch as they began to dance and so on—and there arose a great storm and the compass did cease to work. Now we did get a storm so they had to quit too. [I modified some punctuation for clarity---MAT.]

We can imagine the difficulties in assimilating such disparate backgrounds and customs into a unified group. The problem would be multiplied in Utah, which contained even more varieties of ethnic backgrounds and customs.

Most of the passengers on the Underwriter continued on to Florence, Nebraska (near present-day Omaha) where they were outfitted with covered wagons and continued on to Utah. The Reese party, however, had spent all they had just to get across the ocean and needed to earn more money in order to purchase their outfits. They stayed in Bevier, Macon County, Missouri. Today, Bevier is a small, sleepy town of 700 people, the coal mines all played out; in earlier days, it was quite the opposite. A recollection of a slightly later time:

[When I used to visit my grandparents there,] Bevier… was a bustling coal town, with active coal mines all around the area. I loved hearing the big steam engines pulling the heavy coal trains from the mines through town…. Miners would gather at the Bevier roundhouse each morning to catch the 4 a.m. passenger train and ride to work. [Larry Vaughn, Surviving God's Woodshed.]

The Reese men found work in the mines and the women worked as maids. By the next spring Charlie and Tom and families had earned enough money to purchase their ox teams and wagons and so they set out for Utah. Jim and Margaret Davis, however, stayed behind in Missouri and never went further.

The Reeses were part of a wagon company headed by Milo Andrus and John Murdock. Willie (Aunt Ruth’s father), although only three years old, walked most of the way across the plains. After a brief stay in Willard to earn more money, the family moved on to Hyde Park, in beautiful Cache Valley, Utah. As land became more scarce, some residents of Hyde Park took their cattle and horses down to open fields west of town near the Bear River. Bears, cougars, coyotes and deer were abundant in the area and the streams were well-stocked with fish. It seemed a good place to farm so, in 1870, the Reese family relocated to an area known as Upper Benson and homesteaded 160 acres of land. They and another family became the first settlers of Benson. Soon others followed.

The Reeses settled in Benson, Utah, an area where streams and wildlife abounded. This is a modern Benson scene, with an LDS meetinghouse in the background.

The area had been such a haven for wildlife that it was also a hunting ground for Native Americans. Apparently the Reeses were friendly with the natives, but there were moments of stress and concern as well. Years later the story was told of eight-year-old Willie being home alone with his two younger brothers when they saw a group of Indians approaching. He stood his brothers up against a wall, told them to be silent, and struggled to get the bar in place on the only door to the house. He eventually succeeded and the Indians banged on the door for awhile, but decided to go on to the next house to demand food. Perhaps there was no real danger, other than the loss of some food, but young Willie remembered it for years afterward.

Charles Reese prospered in Benson. As related by William’s second wife, Carrie, “Grandpa Charles was quite a good businessman …. He drove an ox team for years, finally trading for a span of horses. Some of the people thought he should have been excommunicated, because he drove horses when even the bishop did not, but the bishop soon quelched [sic] that feeling, he being a broadminded man.”

The family of Charles and Sarah Griffiths Reese as adults. Top Row, L-R: Alma Victor, Moses Martin, Thomas Heber, Richard Ohsman, Andrew James. Bottom Row, L-R: Charles Albert, Sarah, Charles Sr., William Griffiths.

Charles and Sarah Reese had twelve sons (although four died as infants and one died at age 12), but no daughters. As we have already learned, William Griffiths Reese (called “Willie” as a child and “W.G.” later on) was one of these. William was a bright young man so his family sent him to Brigham Young College, in Logan. That school, established by a grant from Brigham Young, was opened in 1978, with Miss Ida Ione Cook as principal. William would have been in one of the first classes of students. Some of the subjects taught at the BYC were  rhetoric, natural philosophy, physiology, United States history, ancient history, book-keeping, and algebra. The deed of trust from Brigham specified that “no book should be used that misrepresented or spoke lightly of the Divine mission of the Savior or of the prophet Joseph Smith, or in any manner advanced ideas antagonistic to the principles of the Gospel as it is taught in the Bible, Book of Mormon or the Doctrine and Covenants.” ["Establishment of Brigham Young College," from An Early History of Cache County, compiled by M. R. Hovey, 1923-25.]

William interrupted his schooling to teach at Mendon, but returned after a year of saving money and gaining experience. Then, in 1882, he received a letter from Salt Lake City (“Box B”) issuing a call to serve a mission for the LDS Church to Great Britain. During his two-year mission he had the chance to visit Pembrokeshire and many of his relatives still living there.

William Griffiths Reese as a young man at the time of his first mission to England and Wales.

Before William left for England he had become serious about a young woman, also studying to be a teacher, named Mary Maria Rees. William loved poetry and throughout his life he composed poems for many occasions and moods. About Mary he wrote:

But here was one – a classmate, too,
One of the truest of the true,
Whose soulful large brown eyes expressed
More sympathy than all the rest.
As weeks and months had passed along
And we had joined in work and song
My heart with love for her grew warm
Her every action had its charm,
And as her hand I gently pressed,
To say goodbye, I felt distressed
There was a light’ning round the heart
To think I know from her must part.
And travel far by sea and land
E’re I again might clasp her hand.

Mary’s father was a Welsh immigrant named John Rees (no relation to the Charles Reese family), and her mother was a child in the large Molen family (thirteen children) who had lived in Nauvoo and had crossed the plains with the first wave of pioneers in 1847. Shortly after William returned from his mission, he and Mary were married. The date was July 2, 1884; the place was the Logan Temple. Marriner Merrill, then Logan Temple president, later an apostle, performed the wedding.

The marriage photo of William and Mary Reese

At the time they were married, William was not quite 27 and Mary was 19. They settled in Logan, where both obtained a teaching positions, William at a nearby grammar school and Mary at Brigham Young College, where she took over the teaching duties of Ida Ione Cook. The newly married couple bought a home and over the next decade had four daughters (including my grandmother, Sarah Wanda). In 1894 the Reeses moved to Benson, where they had purchased a farm. A fifth child, a son named William Grover Reese, was born there.

The family of William and Mary Reese in 1892. The children (L-R): Sophronia Ione, Sarah Wanda (my grandmother), Mary Naomi, Anna Eliza. All of the girls except Anna went by their second names. The Reeses’ youngest child, William Grover, had not yet been born. (Mary’s hair was short because of an illness she had suffered. I need to research what it was.)

Then, in June of 1898, a terrible tragedy occurred. As related later by William, he had returned home from closing exercises of school in the Hyrum District, where he was teaching, and was met by “my dear wife was standing on the porch awaiting my arrival.” Later they went to his parents’ home and Mary complained “of being chilly.”

Next day she went with me to Logan and seemed so well and happy. Sunday she observed fast day and went to meeting. She prepared supper for the family and a number of our relatives. In the evening she complained of being tired and chilly. Monday I insisted upon her staying in bed and having a good rest. She rested very little Monday night. She complained of having trouble with her breathing. I built a warm fire in the dining room and she got up and sat by the fire. After bathing her feet in warm water and giving her what remedies we had at hand, she said the felt better. However, I sent for Bother and Sister Martineau, Sister Thompson, my mother and her mother, and my brother Andrew and wife.

She now began sinking, her pulse grew weaker and weaker, and at 9 o’clock Tuesday morning her sweet spirit took its flight and my darling had gone. At first I thought she had fainted, but no! She was dead. O! What a dark cloud overshadowed my sad heart, and I felt:

The form of my darling will never be seen
Gracing my home like a beautiful queen.
Her loving spirit had taken its flight
And left me alone, life’s great battle to fight.
My dear little children have lost their sweet mother.
To love them as she did, they’ll ne’er find another.
When troubles come to them, Oh! where can they find
Such a loved one to treat them so good and so kind?

William, then 40 years old, was left with five children to care for. He hired a young Danish immigrant, Karen Andrea Andersen, to serve as nanny while he taught school. Although at 22, Karen was only ten years older than William’s oldest daughter, she did a marvelous job. A year later, she and William were married.

William Griffiths Reese and Karen Andrea Andersen Reese

Karen (or “Carrie,” as she was called), went on to bear eight more Reese children. By every account I have heard, she was a wonderful mother, not only to her own children, but to Mary’s five children as well. They grew to love her as their own mother and I have never heard anyone suggest that she played favorites. My mother, who was a daughter of Mary’s daughter, Wanda, always spoke glowingly of “Aunt Carrie.”

Here are some of the Reese kids and cousins playing in Benson in about 1920-21 (with year of birth in parentheses). Aunt Ruth is in the center. Standing top: Lowell Reese (1912), Norma Reese (1909), Weldon Reeder (1913), Evelyn Reeder (1911). Sitting center: Barbara Ashcroft (my mother) (1916), Ruth Reese (1914), Will G. Reese (1917). Sitting bottom: Cleve Munk (1918), Reese Andersen (1918).

As illustrated by the photo above, when my mother was a child she often went to Benson to play with Aunt Ruth, who was close to her age, and with cousins from the older Reese children. When I was young our family would visit my mother’s family in Hyde Park every summer; we would always make the trek to Benson to visit Aunt Carrie and the other inhabitants of the Reese homestead.

When I visited Ruth in her Ogden home, she had the above painting hanging on her wall. It is her childhood home in Benson, along with inset portraits of her father and mother, William and Karen Reese.

William was called to serve another mission, this one to Australia, in 1906, when he was 49 years old. He left Carrie at home to tend the farm and their children. I’m sure it was a challenge for her. On W.G.’s fiftieth birthday he wrote a long poem that served as a history of his life to date. About Carrie he wrote:

From earliest times this truth was known,
It is not well to be alone,
A wife is man’s protecting guide,
‘Tis well to have her near his side,
And He who knoweth all our need,
And to our prayers giveth heed,
Provided me another wife,
To share my joys and griefs of life.

As wife, how well her part she takes;
A loving mother, too, she makes.
My faithful wife of days of yore,
Beholds the one who fills the space
Of wife and mother in her place.
Her noble spirit does rejoice,
Because I made so blest a choice.

In holy wedlock come the joys
Of darling girls and precious boys.
Three boys are added to my home,
One darling little girl has come,
The children of my noble wife –
Companion of my later life.

William Griffiths Reese, Welsh pioneer, died on October 13, 1938 at the age of 81. He had been a life-long school teacher and farmer. William kept a journal most of his life. While he was in Australia he sent letters to the Logan Herald that were published on a bi-monthly basis, providing a fascinating look at the Antipodes through the eyes of a rural Utahn. My mother remembered him through her young eyes as sometimes demanding, though never unkind. He prided himself on using correct grammar and punctuation.

Carrie lived to age 81, passing away in 1958, mourned by a large posterity of her own and Mary’s. She filled in some of the gaps that were left by W.G. in his written histories. Aunt Ruth was her seventh child and third daughter.

This is a photo I took a few years ago of the old Reese home in Benson.

Ruth was the last of the thirteen Reese children to pass from this life. She was the last of the children of a father who walked across the plains to Utah and a mother who immigrated from Denmark. Her passing marks the end of a generation, the end of an era.

Postscript: Someday I hope to publish a history of William Griffiths Reese, his ancestors and descendants.