The next leg of our journey...AND Family!

On this journey back to our homeland...

We are in no hurry.

We take time to eat, exercise, read scriptures...

We stop a lot to walk, take care of nature calls, and look around.

This is a beautiful country...

May the Lord Bless it!

Didn't get a picture of Tennessee so this was in Memphis...

Don't know what it is...

 

Mississippi River...

 
 We crossed over the Tennessee and Arkansas rivers several times.
And again the Arkansas river in Penrose/Canon City Colorado.
It's hard to believe it's the same river.


 Arkansas rest stop.
What a beautiful splash of spring...
 

 
 Sunset in Arkansas...
We stayed just outside of Little Rock.

Arkansas rest stop just before we crossed over into Oklahoma...

The Ozarks...

Nice to see mountains.

This Walmart was about as big as Kent's grocery store in Tremonton...

The things inside were so funny...

BUT..

Stan did get him a winter coat...

He didn't bring one when we left Idaho.

We stayed in Guthrie Oklahoma..

The first Capital of Oklahoma...

Stan and I loved it here...

It had a wonderful feeling...

Very hospitable...

and down to earth.

A wall in a Walmart in Kansas...

Very impressive...
There is a much smaller version of this in the Canon City Walmart...
Are Walmart's doing this now?

The wheat fields of Kansas made Stan start itching for home.

Windmills were prevalent.

Our first snow in two years...

the higher we got the more snow...

crude oil rigs were abundant...

Colby Kansas is where we stayed...

 You won't find these in Florida...

BUT WAIT...

WHAT IS THIS?

IN KANSAS?

IN THE WINTER?

It was fake trees at the Oasis fuel stop.

guy wires hold them up..

as well as hold the palms apart.

Stan did have to do a double take as he was fueling up.

Welcome to Colorado!

REAL Mountains!

 FAMILY

 Soni and Grandpa are playing Battleship...

Austin and Bingham watch for a second...

 Eve is taking it all in..
 Can I just say she is a beautiful text book teen.

The mama of them all...

 Esther...
Papa...

 Phil...

 Grandpa in a more comfortable position?

 Eve Austin and Esther are playing scrabble with me, the Grandma...

 Bingham loves his tracks...
Not a baby anymore...
Wonderfully five.

 Austin and Grandpa arm wrestling...

Grandpa let Austin change arms because his right one was getting tired.

He is a tough little dude...

Delightfully 10

They got into lifting weights...

they always do that...

 Does Grandpa think Bingham is a 'weight'?

Trip to the mountains Friday morning.
Yes everyone is playing hooky...even Esther.

 We went to visit 'Bishop's Castle'

This is the tallest 'handmade' edifice in the US
Jim Bishop built it by hand by himself.
You can go on line to read about it.
Pretty fascinating.

 He has many other structures around the Castle...

 Exploring...

 Austin and Bingham were up to their chest in snow.

 Soni being Soni and picking a safe path.

 Visitor's Center

 Family climbing these stairs.
There has to be over 100 stairs...
and they are about six inches wide...
and they go straight up.

 Grandpa got to the top but came down...
I went up five stairs and that was enough.

 There is a back entrance that they all took and explored with Grandpa.
Safer and better stairs.

We were all cold and hungry...
This little place is in Penrose CO where the Woolston's abide.

 This place was almost as cute as Soni inside and out...

 Austin showing off his new found skills...

I almost made him wreck because he was looking at me.

Of course Grandpa had to show them all how it was done...

Sorry for my camera skills...

 Austin's basketball team
Won 28-2
Austin made his first basket Saturday...
Yah!

From the basket ball game...
we went to the Blue and Gold Cub dinner (lunch)...
And...
Pine wood Derby.

 Do these two look alike?
Soni and Esther.

Austin with his amazing car!

Eve gave her first talk in Sacrament Meeting.

 It was on Prayer...
Very well done.
There were references to it in Sunday School and Relief Society.

Austin Bingham Esther Soni Eve
Phil
A pretty wonderful family!

Esther has provided some pretty tasty meals..
Stan overdosed on her home made bread...
It has been two years since he had good whole wheat bread!

 Saturday morning it was 18, this temperature is coming home from church...

Tomorrow morning we start for Arizona...
Jim and Shaye...
Hope you have something warmer for us.

The missionaries spoke in church today.
Their message is timeless.
Every member a missionary.
They put the new spin on it and got people thinking.
It is obvious that the members in both wards we have visited...
in Huntsville and Canon City...
Are missionary wards.
These are some wonderful people.
We love what we are seeing and feeling.
THIS IS THE LORDS KINGDOM...
THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST WILL FILL THE EARTH.
WE ARE THE VESSELS TO DO THAT.