Call's Called To Serve: Pay Sisters Pay a visit

Monday May 23, was our P-day and we drove to Rockport Reservoir, that is really close to where we are staying and we are going camping there over Labor Day with the Call Family, We then went to Park City and had lunch on Main Street and found this tree where there were shoes, and ski boots hanging all over it.

That night for family night the Walkers were in charge and we had a fun Cowboy poetry night, and tall tales night, and fractured fairy tales. We laughed and had such a wonderful night.

Tuesday May 24, the Elders had their lesson on filling the Water-buffalo's and cleaning them out, and put the chemical T-clore in and drove them to make sure they get all sanitized. The Sisters wrote on all the walls of the Port-a-Johns the instructions for the Trekkers, and had a lesson on T-clore and what to do for the the water-buffalo drivers. We have to make sure the trekkers have clean drinking water. We brushed linseed oil on the handcarts, had a bread making demonstration from Sister Hutchings, and painted some posts that are placed in the fields for the trekkers to follow. Elder Call helped with making more handcarts.

Sanitizing the Water Buffalo's

Sister Call painting Linseed oil on the newly finished carts.

Elder Howard mounting the axle for the wheels.

Just finishing up on another (number 11) handcart.

Wednesday May 25, our job was to power wash the port-a-johns. There so many trailers of them, it took all day to do this. After they are power washed we have to take all the plugs out and fill them with water to activate the chemicals in them, and then put the plugs back in them. It was not the warmest day and our hands and feet were really cold by the end, and it made us appreciate the pioneers a little more and the sacrifices they made walking in the bitter cold. We really are spoiled. Then they are taken down to staging at all the different places where the treks start.

Port-a-Johns at Fox Hollow staging, one of many staging areas

Some of the Port-a-Johns ready to take to staging area

Wednesday night we had a wonderful night with Joann Pay Baird, and Dorine Pay Lloyd, who are Marjorie Pay Hinckley's sisters. They are known as the Pay Sisters and in their family there are 5 girls and one brother. We had dinner with them and all the Stake Presidency and what a treat this was. After dinner they did a fireside for us and it was amazing. Words can not describe what a most enjoyable evening it was. They are so cute and spry and spunky for their age. They shared a cute saying at the first of their talk that goes like this.

I know just how ugly I are
My face ain't no bright shining star
But I really don't mind it
Because I'm behind it
It's you folks out front gets the jar

Then they told of the story of their grandparents Richard Pay and Mary Goble. The Sisters have been to England and all the places their grandparents traveled to get to Salt Lake. Their story was very touching and their dad was the 13th child and their grandparents suffered much and lost many of their children. Then after their story they showed us a grave marker of Edith Goble. It says our baby Edith Goble born Sept 23, 1856, died Nov 4, 1856. The story of how they got it was wonderful, truly a miracle. If you want to read more of the story it is in the book "Tell my story, Too," with the Hunt Company.

They go around and speak to groups all the time and one young man at Martins Cove where they presented the story, broke down in tears and said wow this makes it so real, these are not just stories, it brings them to life.

The Pay Sisters

They sang their song.

This grave marker was found floating in a puddle in Idaho.

I was a board from the side of a wagon.

Thursday May 26, we were in charge of Pray meeting the scripture an pioneer story again and what a treat to share with the Pay Sisters. Then we traveled to the Guild Ranch that is out by Fort Bridger, it is 35,000 acres and been in their family since 1869 and is now in the 7th generation. We were treated to the day with Wendy Peterson who runs treks on the ranch for the last 6 years. They have about 6,000 come through each summer, and they do their own trekking. This is on the actual trail. We saw the rust on the rocks from the handcarts, Brigham's Arrow where the advanced party of Brigham Young and Parley P. Pratt came out of Fort Bridger and made a course correction and put this large arrow in the ground of rocks so all the saints will turn at the arrow. We drove and saw where they went down a big hill and on to the muddy. The muddy is a river they crossed. We had lunch at the muddy and all the pioneers came through there. We thought of our Pioneer ancestors that were in this same spot as we sat today. We went and saw some pioneer graves. What a special day.

On the Guild ranch just south of Fort Bridger.

All of us listening to Wendy Guild Peterson tell about the Mormon trail that crosses their ranch.

Pioneer Graves

Brigham's Arrow

Mormon Trail Marker

Lunch at the Muddy Camp crossing.

Muddy Camp all pioneers crossed here at the muddy.

Marker for the Mormon camp site and crossing.

Pioneer Grave in the middle of a field.

We left to go to Kelsie Nicole Sabin Bonnett's high school graduation from Orem High. Kelsie is Sharley and John Bonnett's daughter. Gaylene's grand daughter. That is what is nice about this mission is that we can leave for special events.
Kelsie graduated with honors and will be attending BYU in the fall on scholarship.

Friday May 27, we returned to the Ranch and finished another handcart and put linseed on two more.

Saturday May 28, We finished another handcart, so now that makes 11 that have been made this year and Elder Call has helped with all 11. In the afternoon we spayed weeds on a trail and went through gallons of weed killer. There are lots of roads to spray still. A fun dinner night with Elder and Sister Ekin's and then playing Rook, we are keeping score over the summer and so far played 12 games. It's been fun to play since it's been so many years since I used to play it a lot with my grandmother.

Here is a finished handcart. Ready for use this summer.

We used "Wormy Maple" for the box.
It's beautiful when the Linseed oil is put on.
It's a very hard wood and should last a long time.

Sunday May, 28, after a wonderful day at church and planned potluck lunch that is always so tasty we went with The Ekin's and Howard's to walk up to the water tank. (BTW is 7012 feet, that is why it is so cold here.) When we went to leave for the walk we heard some screeching and two badgers were fighting by the corrals. The badgers are mean and do a lot of damage here so we are not happy when we see them. We see wild life every day here.