April 15th through April 21st

 April 15^th through April 21^st:  Monday was a day at sea as we sailed from Curacao to Cartagena, Colombia. The day was spent in playing cards, eating and talking.  The talking is the best part of being together with family.  We tried to come up with trivia questions about my mom and dad for a trivia game to be played during the family reunion of my parents descendents that we will have this next July.  We really laughed a lot about the things we remembered growing up together.  Tuesday we docked early in Cartagena, Colombia and took a taxi to the historic district of the city.  This was a colonial port and has a famous fort that protected the city from the English and pirates.  Part of the film “Romancing the Stone” was filmed at the fort or at the Castile San Felipe.  It was hot and humid and we only lasted a few hours.  We went back to the boat and after lunch everyone got in the pool to cool off.  

Docking in Cartagena.

The new part of Cartagena.

4 pretty ladies.

The clock tower entrance to the old city.

Each street was full of charm and old colonial architecture.

Every building had a balcony overlooking the street.

One of the churches we visited.

A Botero sculpture of "La Gordita"

We really thought Cartagena was charming.

We saw a lot of cool old doors.

The cathedral in Cartagena.

We just finished some ice cream and felt happy and refreshed.

This little fellow was one of our greeters as we got back to the terminal.

Proof that we got in the pool.  Where is Tove?????

Wednesday we arrived at the entrance of the Panama Canal before sunup.  We got a good spot on the front of our deck and watched as we got in line to enter the locks.  In 2016, a new set of larger locks were finished to allow larger ships to cross the isthmus.  However, we went through the old locks that are now more than 100 years old.  They still work and use the original doors.  It was fascinating to see how 3 to 4 small locomotives on each side of the ships work together to keep the ships centered in the canal.  It took us about 2 hours to go through the 3 locks.  The locks on each side of Panama raise each ship 85 feet to a manmade lake that covers most of the interior of the country.  After passing through the locks to the lake we dropped anchor and let about half the passengers off for shore excursions.  We stayed on board and went back through the locks and we docked in the city of Colon about 4:30 pm which is on the Pacific side of Panama.  When the passengers that went on excursions got back to the ship we left and sailed for Costa Rica.  

We are lined up to enter the fist lock.

This is the water coming out of the lock so that the ship lowers down to sea level.

The gate is open and we are entering the first lock.

Click below to see us enter the lock.

Video of the first lock.

Click below to view second lock.

Entering the second lock


Click below to see a huge ship.

A ship passing next to us.

Click below to view.

Gates closing on third lock

This is coming back out and entering
the middle lock.
Click below to view.

Entering the second lock on the way out.

This barge was enormous and passed us going through the opposite locks.  It must have been a couple hundred feet tall.
Click below to view.

The huge barge passing us.
 

We stood on the deck for about 4 hours and got some sun.

Thursday we arrived early in Port Limon, Costa Rica and we went on a shore excursion in a small boat through the rain forest.  It was a lot of fun and we saw sloths, monkeys, an alligator and many different types of birds.  We finished of the day with more card games.  At this point, Alice has won most of the games of “sets and runs”.  

On the bus to the river.

Our guide and captain.

Our boat ride through the rain forest.

This guy was only interested in getting a suntan.

This is a banana flower and the yellow fingers at the top are what grow into bananas.

One of the sloths.

Friday and Saturday were two days of eating, card playing, eating and laughing as we sailed back to Fort Lauderdale.  

This was Saturday morning during our walk.

Sunday we arrived early and got off the ship. We had enough time to find a chapel and go to church.  It was a Spanish speaking ward so Chris translated for Alice and Tove and I translated for Tad.  It was a nice Easter Sunday meeting.  

When we arrive in Fort Lauderdale, there were already 5 cruise ships docked.

After church Sunday morning.

We then took an Uber to the airport for our trip home. We had a layover in Atlanta and then our plane was taken out of service and we did not get home until 1:00 am Monday morning.  What a long day, but what a wonderful week we had cruising the Caribbean.

April 8th through April 14th

April 8th through April 14^th:  Monday Xela had a fever and had to stay home from school.  Mom and I got to stay with her while Sam and Ginny went to work.  Tuesday Ginny drove us to the airport and we flew home to Salt Lake City.  Charlotte picked us up and took us to our home.  Chris did laundry and I packed for our cruise.  Alice came over about 8:30 pm and then John B. drove us to the airport.  We took the red-eye to  Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Wednesday Tad, my older brother, picked us up at the airport at 5:30 am and drove us to a condo the he had rented.  Tad and Tove, his wife, had been in Florida for about a week with their daughter and her family.  We did not get any sleep on the plane so we all took a nap.  Tad had a rental car and drove us to the port and dropped us off with all of our luggage.  He took the rental car back and then got a ride back to the pier.  We got on the ship, Zuiderdam, about 11:30 am and our cruise to the Panama Canal was underway.  We got a game a sets  and runs in right after lunch.  

Waiting to get on the ship.

Lunch right after we boarded the ship.

Leaving Ft. Lauderdale.

Thursday we anchored off the island of Half Moon Key, we took a tender to the island and walked along the beautiful sandy beach. 

Our ship as we head to Half Moon Key.

On the tender to Half Moon Key.

Tove stayed on the ship.  The beaches were beautiful.

Friday we were at sea headed to the Bahamas.  

The sunsets are spectacular.

This was our first formal dinner.  

Saturday we arrived around 1:00 pm at Aruba and we went ashore and bought some diet coke.  There really wasn’t a lot to see in  Oranjestad, the capitol.

Walking around Oranjestad.

Oranjestad from the ship.

All he needs is a bottle of Coke.

Sunday we arrived in Curacao at 8:00 am and were some of the first people off the boat.  We took a 20 minute taxi to church.  It was a branch of about 80 members in attendance.  The meeting was in Papiamento, a language that is a mixture of Spanish and Dutch.  They had an Elder from the US translate for us.  Chris and I could understand a lot of what they were saying because many of the words are Spanish.  It was fun to go to church and feel the sweet Spirit that was present.  

Headed to church in Willemstad.

Mom and Alice went for a walk through Willemstad.

The buildings were painted so cute.

Mom says the crab cakes were delicious.

Enjoying some of the entertainment.

The steel drum group were incredible.

We are enjoying being together and playing cards and telling stories that invariably make us laugh.   I am still experiencing some pain and I am ready to be done with this recovery. 

April 1st through April 7th

April 1^st through April 7^th:  Monday Chris went to work and I rested.  Tuesday we went to the doctor and had Chris’ knee checked out.  They gave her a cortisone shot and we are hoping it will help with the pain she has been having.  She will probably need knee surgery for a meniscus repair.  The rest of the day, I rested and Chris went to work.  Wednesday we flew to Burbank to visit Sam and Ginny and their girls, Xela and Willa.  We took an Uber from the airport and got settled in.  

Willa wanted to wear her boots on her ears.

Thursday I took Ginny to work and the girls to school.  Then Chris and I drove to the Los Angles temple and went to an endowment session.  We got back just in time to pick up Ginny from work and then the girls from school.  

Outside the Los Angeles temple.

Friday after we picked the girls up from school, we drove directly to Newport Beach where we stayed at the Bayview Marriott. Sam drove down after work.  The girls enjoyed the pool.  

Hot tub fun at the hotel.

Saturday after conference drove to Balboa Island 

and then took the ferry to the peninsula. 

The girls played on the beach and then had lunch 

at Ruby’s dinner at the end of the Balboa pier.  

It is a great view of the ocean and makes you

feel like you are our in the middle of the ocean.  

We went and walked through the tide pools at 

Little Corona del Mar and then headed back 

to the hotel and listened to more of conference.   

Conference in our hotel room.

Riding the ferry from Balboa Island to the peninsula. 

Enjoying the beach.  My arms got sunburned.

Ferris wheel fun.

Lunch at Ruby's Diner at the end of the Balboa pier.

Sam and Xela at the tide pools.

Couldn't be prettier. 

Sunday we listened to conference and then went to a park for the girls.  We listened to the last session of conference as we drove back to Pasadena.  It was a fun weekend exploring Newport Beach and finding some good Mexican food.  One more day with Sam, Ginny and the girls and then we will fly home Tuesday morning.  We are so glad we were able to spend time with our California kids.  We keep trying to talk them into looking for a new job in Utah.  We are not getting anywhere with that idea.  I continue to get a little bit better day by day.  But I am still uncomfortable at times and it is taking too long. 

Xela at the park.

March 25th through March 31st

March 25^th through March 31^st:  I continue to improve from my surgery and feel a little bit better each day, but I have been surprised at how slow my recovery has been.  Tuesday I went to my doctor’s appointment and he confirmed that it is normal to still be in pain and there is a reason that the recovery time is six weeks.  Wednesday mom had some basil cell carcinoma removed and then we went to lunch with Kate, Charlotte, Alex, Tilda, and Mary Jane, Alex’s mother.  She has been here visiting for a week from Denver.  

Tilda was one of our lunch dates.

Thursday morning I had a root canal and got a temporary crown. We sometimes feel like our bodies are falling apart.  We then drove to Mount Pleasant to visit our good friends Mike and Merlene Ellington.  We spent a year in China together teaching English with the BYU China Teachers Program and they served for 6 months as temple missionaries with us in Guatemala.  They are wonderful hosts and we loved eating Chinese hotpot and reminiscing about our shared experiences.    

Mike and Merlene Ellington.

Friday we drove by our old house in Mt. Pleasant for one last nostalgic look and then headed to James’ new auto dealership in Lindon.  If you need a car, please give him a call.  

James at his new dealership. 

We then drove to his house and took his oldest son, Rigby, to buy scriptures and a scripture bag.  He will be turning 8 in a couple of weeks.  Mom did a Family Home Evening about baptism and then we drove home.  

Rigby's baptism invitation.

Saturday I was able to do my shift at the temple, but by the end I was pretty sore and had some pain.  After my shift, Alex and his son, Luke, came over and I helped them get Luke's pinewood derby car cut out.  He wants it to be a bag of potato chips.  

Luke and his car.

We went back to the temple in the evening and did a sealing session with John and Jill, Alex and Charlotte, Bryce and Kate, and Paul and Mary Jane, Alex’s mom and step-father.  It was nice to be together in the temple.  We were sad that Sam and Ginny live so far away and that James and Kirstin had some last minute problems and could not be with us.  

In front of the Bountiful temple.

Sunday I taught the lesson for the 5^th Sunday combined class.  We introduced the new Temple and Family History Plan and talked about the purposes and blessing of this important work.  I got a lot of compliments that I did a good job.  Our stake president was visiting and he also was very gracious in his comments.  We cooked a pork roast dinner for John and Jill’s family.  During my shift on Saturday the coordinator asked how I was doing and I said; “Last week I was about 50% and this week I think I am about 80%.”  He replied; “That is better than most of us ever feel.”  I am one of the youngest sealers and it made me realize I should be grateful for good doctors and that even though I am not healing as fast as I would like, I am healing and I will soon be feeling 100%.