Revisiting Texas

May/June brought chances to go to Texas for the Adcocks. Keenan went over Memorial Day weekend to Fredericksburg, Texas, for our niece Lexie Mason's marriage to Adam Waldrum. He had a great time. I had the week off of work due to the holiday, so I drove to California and spent some time with my favorite Hunters and at Disneyland.

Later in June, Allie, Keenan, and I flew to Dallas then drove to Atlanta for our nephew Kaipo Adcock's wedding. We first went to the Fort Worth Zoo at Allie's request. Then we went to the Water Gardens water feature in Forth Worth. We drove to east Texas, stopping at a BBQ place for dinner, then drove on to Atlanta. We stayed at Karen's house. Karen lives on a lot of acres with her husband and lots of animals, her greenhouse, and a pond. We had a great time reuniting with family. The ceremony was Saturday morning. It was at Rachel's local church and her pastor officiated. It was really sweet. After the ceremony, we had bbq pork sandwiches, chips, and soda. We also had cake. It was so fun to see the nieces and nephews I haven't seen in years. They had the same cute faces. At the wedding were Tori, Kalei and his wife, Carol, Kauhi and his wife, Brandi, Renee (Kauhi's ex and mother of the groom), Kaylee, Kainoa and Kaipo Adcock, Karen and her boys, Colby and Nicholas and their girlfriends. Papaw was there. I think it was nice for him to have all of his children around.

Later that night, Karen fixed yummy food for us. We all hung out. We went to sacrament meeting in Atlanta then went back to the house for family time. I took a big long nap. We had a fun bbq with everyone and went to Katherine's grave for family pictures. Luckily there was someone at the cemetery that could take a picture of all of us. Tori suggested Keenan give a family prayer while we were all there together and it was really nice.

Got Whataburger for lunch

this is a real ostrich egg, largest egg in the world, about the size of 24 eggs.

 

A safari area of the zoo

Mitty's relative

they matched my nails

We always loved the Water Gardens

The view from the room upstairs where Keenan and I stayed

 

Allie had fun riding around with Tori and Papaw

Keenan and Kainoa raced around the pond while the pig watched. 

Allie did not catch the bouquet

baby goats

baby pigs

We drove Sunday night to Richardson, Texas: Home Sweet Home! We drove up to Sue's house, next door to our old house and it was so fun to see her. She was kind enough to let us stay with her. We visited for a while, then we went to bed. We got up and went to the donut store by 24 Hour Fitness where we used to go all the time. Still good. We then went to Karen Dillard's College Prep and visited with Karen and David. They now have 300+ employees. When I was there, I think there were about 25 of us. It's fantastic. We toured their space, which is one of 5 locations and is much bigger than it used to be. We then decided to back to Sue's to hang out. Allie, Sue, and I swam while Keenan took a nap. Keenan and I went to visit Lin Maute for a bit. Lin had been in our ward in Richardson and we've kept in touch all these years. Then many neighbors came over for pizza. We hung out on Sue's front lawn and just talked and laughed. It was very fun. Nina is the neighbor who used to be a seamstress. She taught me how to make a slip cover. Pam came over. As she crossed the street, she reached out to Allie and said she would recognize that face anywhere. Andy and Katherine came over. They came to Utah many years ago and we saw them then. We also peeked inside the windows of our old home and Sue took us to walk around the back yard. They really haven't taken great care of it. There have been some crazy things go on since we left.

First of all, the family we sold it to seemed very nice. Then we found out the mom was on drugs and was a prostitute, working out of our home. The husband kicked her out. The kids are grown now and some have lived in the house. They rented the house for a bit to a family that seemed to have multiple generations live there. Then the older daughters of the owner moved in with some friends who didn't have a place to live. They turned out to be trouble. One night there were gunshots fired. A man was shot in what used to be Allie and Melia's bedroom. He ran down the street. One bullet went through the window, through Sue's window, grazed the frame of her bathroom and landed in her bathroom. She heard the whole thing and didn't know what it was until the police came later and started questioning her. She said it was crazy to see about 8 inspectors trying to cram into her bathroom, getting evidence, forensics, etc. Crazy. This was last October. The house hasn't been occupied since then.

Cute Lin Maute. Melia called her Yin Fun. The kids loved her. Our last night in Texas was spent in her house, after we closed on our house.

Allie, Sue Hoot, Me, Karl, Keenan, Pam, Nina, Andy, Katherine

Chocolate Ice Cake still good after all these years

David and Karen Dillard, me, Allie, and Keenan

Greenwood Hills Elementary School

Flew back to real life in Utah on Tuesday. It was a great trip. Glad we went.

Fires, Small Town America, and, of course, Disneyland

June 2018, you've been very good to me. I finished teaching in mid-June and I hit vacation running.

Jen, Starlyn, and I went to Jen's property in the Uinta Mountains. We were so excited to spend the night in their trailer and enjoy 4 wheeling and being outside. Starlyn loves that stuff and I love hanging out with Jen and Starlyn, so it was going to be a great time.

We drove to the property and got out of the car around 12:30 pm. I smelled smoke and thought "ahhhh, the mountains." Then I realized it was a weird time of day for a campfire. Then Starlyn pointed out smoke as I noticed ash falling from the sky. Um, this was not good. We drove up the Sykes' lane a bit further to investigate, but saw nothing. We drove back to the main road and toward the "back gate." That's where we saw Jen's neighbors. They had seen smoke from the window of their home and were looking for the source, too.

We couldn't find the source from the road, but we definitely saw smoke. We saw a helicopter overhead, so we figured help was on its way. We went back to Jen's property and walked toward the smoke. We walked to the top of a tiny ridge and looked down on probably 3-4 fires. They were small, but too much for us three to tackle without hoses or anything. Not good. We went to the neighbor's house to call help from their land line. We couldn't get into their house because of their dogs. We drove toward the ranger station. We ran into the neighbors again and told them where the fire was coming from. They went home to call for help and we went to Jen's to take pictures.

We went to a nearby lake to eat lunch. It seemed unwise to stay near the fires. When we came back about an hour ago, a fire official told us we could check back in a couple of hours, but that we probably wouldn't be spending the night at the property. He was sure they'd get it under control quickly, though. We went to the neighbor's house to tell them we were leaving. By that time, the fire had risen to the branches of the trees and was nearer to Jen's property and fence. This was crazy. First responders on a forest fire. That doesn't happen everyday.

 

The view of the smoke as we headed home

That's a delicious bagel sandwich in my mouth. Lunch break. 

We headed back to Ogden. Jen was kind enough to buy us lunch at a Mexican restaurant and we swam in her pool. We had such a great time. Starlyn and I slept in Emily's room and left for Panguitch in the morning. We found out that the fire spread to 65 acres and it took days to get it under control. We were sure the first helicopter would drop water and all would be fine.

Ok, so small town America, aka Panguitch. I can't say how much I love that place. I love going with Starlyn. Lee's family, the Hatches all live there and they welcome anyone like family. I'd gone with Starlyn a couple of years ago. We stayed in Starlyn's camper in Randy and Debbie's yard. This time we stayed at Ron and Cathy's house. Cathy was out of town. We had plenty of space to sleep and get ready. It was the balloon festival weekend so Randy and Debbie's place was full. They had their daughter and her 3 kids and 3 friends and Debbie's half brother and his 2 grandchildren. Starlyn, Lee, Houston, Garrett and his wife, Libby and I represented the Hjorths. We had soooooo much fun. We got there Friday night and Randy and Debbie's daughter had fixed hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner. We hung out and taught the teenage girls how to play 5 crowns. We got up early on Saturday morning to go to the balloons.

We were gonna crew if someone needed us. We found out that Senator Bramble needed crew so we helped him get his balloon up in air and landed. It's not difficult to figure out how to help. It was really fun and as a bonus I got to ride in the balloon for about 10 minutes. That was really cool. I also got initiated as a balloonist. So much fun. We then ate in town at the Lion's Club's breakfast. We met more relatives. I met a 90 year old woman who got her degree in Home Economics from Utah State way back when. She also served a mission. The pancakes, eggs, sausage, and fruit were delicious. There were no crowds and no long line for food. It was just perfection.

We walked around town and looked in shops then went back and took naps. Starlyn and Lee and I later went on a ride. We saw Cedar Breaks and Panguitch Lake and where the fires burned last year. There was a huge fire. It was awful. Saturday night I helped Starlyn fix teriyaki bowls for everyone. We love our Instant Pot. It makes meal prep so easy. We threw everything in and just talked while we waited for the chicken to cook. Then we shredded it and made noodles and veggies.

Saturday night is "the Glow." When I mentioned to Starlyn that I might go home on Saturday after the balloons, she said "you can't. You have to see the glow." I had no idea there was more at night. The Glow is great. The balloonists come to main street. Panguitch blocks off about 5 blocks of main street and people just walk up and down the street. There are live bands playing and the balloonists blow their flames. Weather permitting, they inflate the balloons. It was too windy for the balloons, but seeing the flames up and down main street was pretty special. I am in love with small town America. Jenny, RaDawn, and my friend Kris Kokol talk about going next year. We'll get a room at a local motel and enjoy balloons, breakfast, and the glow.

More small town America awaited me the following week when I accompanied Jen to Cedar City. Christian was attending a writing camp at SUU and they don't have on campus housing, so Jen got a motel room for her and Chris. She asked if I wanted to keep her company during the day while Christian attended his workshops. What the heck? Sure!

That was a great call. Jen and I had a great time. Christian loved the workshop, so it looks like we may have a repeat in 2019. Jen and Chris picked me up on Tuesday. We got into Cedar City on Tuesday night. Jen took Chris to his camp on Wednesday morning. There was an opening session for parents. I slept in and missed the free breakfast. Good thing I had brought yogurt and fruit. Wednesday Jen and I spent time following Hunter family steps through Cedar City. Joseph S. Hunter lived in Cedar. His son, Joseph Snedden Hunter, also lived in Cedar. Another son of Joseph S. was John Davidson Hunter. Joseph Sr and Joseph Jr lived and died in Cedar City. We saw their graves and saw John Jr's home. It's still there. We also went to the Daughter's of the Utah Pioneers' Museum. John, Joseph Jr's brother, eventually went to Holden where he had John Edward Hunter, who had Otto Hunter, who had Aarl, who had me. So, we have strong ties to Cedar City. If I ever want to move there, all I have to do is say that I'm a Hunter and I'm in. We also went to the temple in Cedar City and did initiatories. That is a beautiful temple and not very crowded. We walked around the beautiful SUU campus and got awesome burgers and onion rings at Hermies. The girls who worked there told us to come back for their fried bread and honey butter. Ok, twist our arms.

We got great pizza at a place near the temple and struck up a conversation with a young family sitting next to us. They had ordered a nutella raspberry dessert pizza and told us we had to get it. They came from St. George for a baseball game and always stop there for pizza and the dessert. Ok, again, twist our arms. We got it. Wow, that was yummy. Cedar City has about 28,000 people, like American Fork, but feels small because it's all alone. It isn't surrounded by Pleasant Grove, Highland, Lehi, etc. We went to JoAnn's fabric and got stuff Jen needed. We just had a great day. When we got out of the temple, we noticed smoke in the sky. Another fire!!!! We had nothing to do with this one, either. It sure made the sky look crazy, though.

Puffer Lake, the site of the infamous camping trip 50 years ago where I threw up in Jen's hair and she peed in her own long blonde hair. Wind also blew spaghetti into Jen's face. What a trip. That's why Hunters don't camp.

Mel used to have a hat just like this.

Joseph Hunter, Jr.

Joseph Hunter, Sr.

A home that belonged to Joseph Hunter, John Edward Hunter's brother. Cedar City, Utah

Hermie's burger and onion rings. Excellent

These poor guys didn't survive their birth. I don't think their mom did, either.

Fire #2. Cedar City Temple

Jenny surprised me and got us tickets to fly to LAX on Thursday to spend the day at Disneyland. We got up SUPER early to drive to St. George and catch our flight. We got into LA around 7:00 and got our rental car and drove to Disneyland. We had so much fun. We got to to on the new roller coaster, the Incredicoaster (it's re-themed after "The Incredibles" movie), Midway Mania, Guardians of the Galaxy, Splash Mountain, Small World, Spacek Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, and probably more that I can't remember. We also shared the fantastic pulled pork hot dog and Jen tried one of the limited edition churros. I showed Jen Beast's Library, the mock of Star Wars Land, where the single rider line is at Space Mountain (we actually got  put together in spite of being in the single rider line), and saw a preview for the new Avengers movie, Ant Man and Wasp. We got some fun pictures, too. We left the park around 4:30 and drove to LAX, returned the car, and got our flight to St. George. The flight to LA was so cold that Jen bought a travel blanket in the airport that we shared on the flight back. While in the airport in LA, I hear "Sister Adcock." It was Jason Lee from our ward in AF. He and his wife, Becca, were coming back from China. We gave them a ride to their home in Ivins on our way back to Cedar City. Got back and crashed.

In LAX and so excited for the Incredicoaster

In person!!!!!!

Two of my favorite things.

Jen found the secret spot on Zurg and got extra points.

I showed Jen the secret, hidden single rider line at Space Mountain. She couldn't believe it. 

Splash Mountain was temporarily closed for a long time. We were hoping to conquer all the mountains.

Mountain #2: Big Thunder

It opened. Mountain #3: Splash. I got more wet than Jen

Our shirts say "The Mountains are Calling: Splash, Space, Big Thunder." We're so outdoorsy.

Friday we got a slower start. Again I missed the free breakfast. We went to St. George. Our great grandpa John Edward (or maybe John Davidson) Hunter worked on the St. George Temple. Jen and I went on a session there. It was neat. I felt quite sick at one point. So sick that I thought I might have to leave. I just prayed and prayed that I would feel better and soon I was better and got to stay the whole session. After the temple, we went to lunch, then went to the theater to see "Oceans 8." We went back to Hermie's in Cedar and got the fried bread and honey butter. Boy, that did NOT disappoint. The BEST honey butter I've ever had. That was delish. Christian got home late-ish after a dance. I had fallen asleep. We got up on Saturday early enough for me to finally take advantage of the free breakfast. Got raisin bran and orange juice. Then I saw the biscuits and gravy and had to have some of that. On our way home we stopped at the Holden Cemetery and saw graves.

St. George Airport with Jason and Becca Lee.

The sun was bright. There were just a couple of angles that showed me and Jen and the temple without the temple disappearing in the light of the background. What a day!!!!!

So Jenny and I saw the following on this trip:

Otto Hunter, grandpa (Holden)
John Edward Hunter, great grandpa (Holden)
John Davidson Hunter, great great grandpa (Holden)
Joseph S. Hunter, great great great grandpa (Cedar City)
Joseph Snedden Hunter, great great uncle and brother to John Davidson (Cedar City)

Jen spends spare time reading stories of our ancestors on an app on her phone. She was able to share a lot of stories with me.