Fun times in Indiana

It's been pretty much non-stop fun since we got here, with lots of nap time for grandpa yesterday after a long day of travel on Monday. I thought I would sleep on the plane like I usually do, but it didn't happen.  We arrived just after midnight here, but that was only 9 pm on the west coast.

 A beautiful Indiana Sunset.

The weather has been perfect so far, nice and sunny and cool.

 I guess you can't tell well from this, but the leaves are just beginning to turn.

Stay tuned for more later in the week.

Lots of corn fields!

Today we went to an apple farm south of Greenwood where there was a lot to do, and some good eats. For our snack I got a real apple frittier - it put to shame those things we get out in CA at the donut shop. We brought home a dutch apple pie, some apple dumplings, and apple cider. Here are the photos of what we did.

 Beautiful Fall leaves reflected in the pond.

 Great looking chicken coop! 

This one looks like the one Peter & I built, but more compact.

 In the petting zoo there was this series of ramps and landings that went up

to the roof of the pony's shed, and then on up to two more landings.

Can't figure out what it is for.  Let me know if you have any ideas.

There was a gigantic pumpkin patch, and it seemed very sincere.

There were warty pumpkins.

 Green pumpkins.

 White pumpkins.

 And this pink pumpkin.

 With the goats in the petting zoo.

 And the alpacas.

 Swings in the barn playground.

 The end of a gigantic slide made out of drainage pipe.

It came out of the upper story of the barn 

and took a rather hard turn at the point where it met the ground.

K went down it once and said she hurt her back and would not go again.

B on the other hand went numerous times.

  Large, round bales of hay.

 A nice island in the pond.

 A little waterfall.

 Escapee from the pumpkin patch.

Cute little cowgirl on her pony, Angel.

LAX

In the process of flying to Indiana, we passed through LA. We didn't have to deplane, so that was nice, and we got some pretty good photos of the metropolitan area. Here are some interesting ones.

 Folsom Reservior - Poster Child for the Drought.

We saw plenty of others flying south along the Sierra Nevada, all about the same.

 The LA Temple, just east of I-405.

 LA in the foreground, and the San Fernando Valley up toward the top.

 Landing at LAX.

 The pilot said it was 90 degrees and cloudy - glad we didn't have to get out.

 Flying out over the ocean I did see some whales.

I saw them first under the water, then saw them come up for air.

In this photo you can see something under the water behind that boat,

but it must be pretty big, a whale or whales.

 You can see another something just under the water just off the point of that red thing on the wing.

By now we were really high, so whatever it is is mighty big.

 Sunshine on I-5 and Glendale.

Looks a lot better up here.

Our Closest Closets

Long before we began all the rest of the remodeling and repairing, most of which is completed now, we began to design and dream about remodeling our closet to make it more useful and efficient.  Well now the time has finally come for action!  The word came down from the job boss that the project will be completed this week - and it looks like that is exactly what will happen.  We are pleased with how it is shaping up.  We have spent literally years designing it and coming together on what it will look like and the materials to be used.  Here are some photos to show how it is coming.  Rather than doing a whole new post when it is finished, I'll just add photos to this one, so stay tuned!

 Before - looking north.

 Before - looking south.

 Painting.

 New floor and baseboard.

 The north end "framed in".

 North end with some shelves and the clothes bars ready for hanging.

The south end.  More shelves to be added tomorrow.

 Some shelves in.

 More shelves and clothe hung.

My side, with lots of space left over.

We plan on putting baskets in the shelving to put our clothes in.

What Else We Are Doing

Can you believe two posts in a week?  I must have too much time on my hands, right?  Not!  Here is a taste of what we have been up to lately:

Weather Watching & Biking - After a week of temperatures exceeding 100° last week we are enjoying a couple of days of really cool weather this week.  In fact, we got "measurable precipitation" today, and it never got out of the 70s.  We could get used to this.  We have also begun biking on a regular basis.  When we go together we go out to the Sutter bike path, 9.5 miles.  But this morning I went on my set 10 mile route up and down Railroad Avenue.  I am trying to get to 14 mph on a consistent basis.

Homework - This week I finally got around to finishing up the flooring in the closets in our offices (see photos below).  Peter O. has also been painting the exterior, but it is dark and I cannot get photos, so later on that.  Next week we will tackle the bedroom closet, floor first, then total reorganization.  We'll try to get before and after photos of that one.  Mom is actually doing real homework as her final semester of Pathway began this week.  English and Religion classes.  She is so smart and dedicated that I am certain that she will maintain her 4.0 GPA (now you all know where you got so smart), but it will be a bit more of a struggle this time around because of our altered schedule.

Family History - Today we began regular meetings with my mom to set in order her boxes of photos, labeling who they are and when they were taken.  This requires a bit of research and the ability to recognize faces as they change through the years - and is about as much fun as I can take.  I would gladly set aside all else in my life and just do this. (okay, and read)  I am also pulling down a bunch of histories and going through them.  What a rich heritage we have!  I am humbled and gratified to be related to some wonderful people, some who are direct relations and some who are cousins.

Temple Service - We are spending a lot of time preparing for the begin of our 3 year adventure in the presidency of the Sacramento Temple.  We are so excited for this opportunity to serve.  We have been reviewing training material, and I have met a couple of times with the president and other counselor.  And a couple of weeks ago the 6 of us got together informally to get to know each other. As part of our preparation we are not slacking off on our days serving in the temple. Mom goes each Wednesday with Aunt Melody and I go a couple of times a week, but on different schedules based on the need for that week. My service as a sealer is most enjoyable!  This Saturday we will sub for another couple - I am really looking forward to that.

 This is my office, under my "built in" desk where I spend most of my time

on the computer.  It is nice that my chair rolls in and out easier.

This is the closet in mom's office.  It will look better when we get the baseboard on,

but we didn't have any on hand at the time.

That Hickory looks better in person than as represented here.

Grass Valley

Last week we took a couple of days off for Joanne's birthday and kicked around the Grass Valley/Nevada City area.  We had a delightful time, even with the very hot weather, and the smoke that filtered in the second day.  We also learned an interesting thing: At around 7 am it was 82° in Grass Valley, and only 73° in Yuba City.  But by 3 pm it had reversed, being around 103° in YC and only 95° or so in Grass Valley.  As the purpose of the trip was to do nothing, we did a lot of that.  But we did find a few nice little places to eat in Grass Valley and spent most of a morning at the Empire Mine State Historic Park.  As a relaxing trip it was very effective.  Highlights include the lamb sandwich I had the night we arrived, and the lemon cucumber water we enjoyed the next day.  We also picked up some great licorice at a candy store that had at least 2 dozen different styles to choose from.  And finally, we picked up a bunch of pasties to take home with us.  There are basically 2 places in Grass Valley to get these traditional Cornish dishes so we got a few from each place.  They are delicious, but have prompted us to consider making our own even though I have searched in vain (so far) for an ancestor from Cornwall.  Here are some photos of what little we did.

The "dining car" at the hotel - an old dining car from a train.

 Looking down the principal mine entry shaft.  There were close to 400 miles of tunnels in the mine and it went to a vertical depth of nearly a mile. It is almost entirely submerged in water now.

Those iron bars reinforcing the walls are twisted trolley car tracks from San Francisco that were surplussed after the 1906 earthquake and made their way here.

 Sitting in the miner's cart that carried them down to work.

This photo was actually taken by a nice couple from just outside London.  They were impressed with the mine, and the USA in general, but could offer little in the way of background about Cornwall.

 Inside the mine owners "cottage".  This side board was imported from Bulgaria and is solid walnut.

 The dining room.  Those chairs are not comfortable, I sat in one.  Apparently the lady of the house did not care to linger over dinner, and didn't want guests to get too comfortable at table.

 The main sitting room, just inside the front door.

 The sitting room provided for the live in maid.  I thought that was very thoughtful.

 One side of the kitchen.

 The original wood stove that was used to cook the meals.

 Ice box, etc. in pantry.

 The butler's room where the meal courses were put together for service.

As mentioned, the lady of the house did not linger over meals.  When she was done and ready to move on to the next course, everyone else better be also, because she rang for the butler, the dishes were removed, and the next course brought in.

 The owner's study.  All of the paneling for the walls and ceilings is center-cut redwood without stain.

And it is all original.

 All the windows are leaded like this.

 A beautiful flower in the reflection pool.

 The view of the cottage from the reflection pool.

 My favorite place on the estate and mine.  This is the "maple concourse".  It was very peaceful and quiet, and a shade cooler than the rest of the area.  We could have sat there for hours.

One of the pasties we brought home.

Looks kinda like a smiley face - that is how we felt when we ate it.
These pasties are a traditional Cornish dish that the miners could take with them into the mines to eat.  They are a hearty meal and I am told that the firm and extensive crust surrounding them was there so that they could hold it with their dirty hands and not have to eat that part - there was obviously nowhere to clean up down in the mines.