Family, parade, birthday, weeds, and fun

Monday July 3, enjoying another day with the Sabin families. We had a wonderful breakfast of french toast and fruit and whip cream. Kneaders watch out Alyson can outdo your french toast. If you come to the ranch you have to have a ride in the handcart, or  push or pull one. Stephanie Sabin and Clay Winward, took the little ones for a ride. Scott Sabin and Eric Sabin didn't want to be left out so they grabbed another handcart and had to race. It was quite the challenge with all the rocks they had to go over.

Seven of the grand kids ready to go with the handcart

Scott and Eric Sabin ready to race with Clay and Stephanie and grand kids

We had to say our goodbyes to Eric, Stephanie, Ethan, Matteo, Sabin and Clay Winward as they left for Oklahoma. We went to another part of the ranch and hiked up to a cave/arch area. Everyone had a great time, playing on top of the and picking prickly pear cactus. Kelsie and Addy took some home and we will see if it grows.

Elder and Sister Call resting in the arch.

Looking out the arch way at the beautiful ranch.

David and Alyson Tregaskis relaxing in the arch

Cooper Sabin sliding down the rocks

Shamae and Scott Sabin chillin in the arch

Blake Bonnett with his ropes on top of the arch.

Kelsie collecting the cactus

On the way back to the missionary village we saw a moose. It was neat to see him get over a fence. They are not as graceful as the dear or antelope that just jump the fence so effortlessly.

The moose we saw on the way back from the arch

We took another hike to Romance Rock after lunch. The boys have been packing around ropes all weekend so they used these to lower themselves off of Romance Rock.

Romance rock in the background and the hikers all ready to go.

Romance rock with some on top and some walking up to it.

The afternoon was pickleball and ATV rides around the fields that were close by, or game playing. Kelsie rescued another bird, it had fallen out of the nest at the top of the pavilion. She got a ladder and gloves and put it back up in the nest. Later that day the killdeer bird eggs hatched and it was fun to see the little ones running around.

Kelsie Bonnett and some flowers she picked inside of a bone she found

What could be better than a haircut while visiting the ranch?

The mother killdeer with the eggs before they hatched

Sharley hanging out in the hammock

The mother killdeer sitting on one of the babies that just hatched

Tuesday July 4. Happy Independence Day. Had to say good bye to Alyson, David and Olivia Tregaskis at 6:00 A.M. as they left for Iowa. The rest of us went to Woodruff to be in their parade. We took the trailer with a handcart on it. The Barton's McDowell's, Clark's, Theler's and Call's all walked in the parade and Claire, Cooper, Parker Sabin, Chase and Blake Bonnett rode in the handcart. (Sister Call's grandchildren. Kelsie Bonnett and Addy Sabin walked and threw out candy. The Barton's played, "Come, Come ye Saints," on their harmonica's. We threw out candy and waved and heard a lot of "there are the missionaries." The parade is about 3 blocks long and you walk down and turn around in the church parking lot and go back again. The town all comes out and supports it so well. Said good by to the Sabin's and Bonnett families  as they left for Jackson, Tetons and Yellowstone.

Waiting in the line up of the Woodruff parade. Call's and Theler's in the front, Barton's McDowell's and Clark's in the back, and the grand kid's in the hand cart.

Waving the flags, getting excited to start the parade.

Kelsie Bonnett and Addy Sabin

Sister missionaries, Clark, Theler, Barton, McDowell, Call

With the missionaries we had wonderful Philly steak sandwiches made by Elder McDowell, and salads and then went and watched the fireworks in Evanston. The whole city puts on quite a show with fireworks going off all around you. It was a perfect end to a wonderful celebration of our nations freedom.

Missionaries waiting for the fireworks to begin.

Wednesday July 5, Elder Call's 64th birthday today. You get to have all the missionaries sing happy birthday to you on your special day, then it's all a work day after that.

Elder Call by the trailer with fun birthday signs on it.

Since it is the 4th of July week there are only 3 treks this week. We don't have a trek so it is a week of projects for the four couples not trekking. We spent most of the day spraying over 200 gallons of weed spray on just one woman's pull. If you don't get these weeds early in the season, or left from last year not being sprayed they really get big.

Thursday July 6, more projects this week. The morning Elder Call did weed eating around all the trailers. This is about a 3 hour job. Sister McDowell  and Sister Call went to a campsite and had to remove all the charcoal that a Stake had put down badger holes. Then the badger digs then all up and scatters them. They think it will be OK since there is holes but it never works. The afternoon was another round of spraying weeds. Trying to get all our support roads done for the season, but it is a never ending project, we do the best we can to get most of them done. We had to fix some handcarts out at a far staging area.

Elder Call weed eating around the missionary village

Fixing one of the handcarts in staging

Sister Call's brother's ward is here trekking this week, Gary Silver's ward. The Somerset Ward from Farmington, Utah. We went to see my nephew's son who is trekking with them. Gary flew down to Mesa Arizona to bring Van Silver up for the trek experience. He lived with them last year so he knows all the people in the ward. We had dinner with them and visited with so many people that really love Gary and Mary Silver. We had a delightful night with them as they had Richard Benedict who plays the part of the older Ephraim Hanks in the movie, "Ephraim's Rescue," and "17 Miracles." It was a treat to spend the night with them on this beautiful night, with the grass blowing in the breeze and watching the sun go down. They were so welcoming to us and enjoyed visiting with them.

Sister Call, Van Silver, Elder Call

Richard Benedict aka Ephraim Hanks

Friday July 7,  guess what we did again this morning? Yes wedding, we have been splitting it up wedding in the morning or afternoon so two side by sides are always out spraying weeds. We got the morning today when it is a little bit more cool. We were on the far end of the ranch and we were turning around and we got stuck on a rock. The 4 wheel drive was not working so we finally got a hold of the Morittie's and they came and hocked a tow strap onto us and pulled us out. While we were waiting we found the neatest rock to go exploring on. When life hands you lemon's make lemon aide.

If you have to get stranded on a side by side, it's nice to have a beautiful valley to look over.

Sister Call on the fun rock she found.

Elder Call looking in under a rock cave.

The afternoon Sister Call made banana bread for all the missionaries and we started putting linseed oil on the new handcart wheels.

New handcart wheels that we are putting linseed on,

Saturday July 8, we went to celebrate Elder Call's birthday tonight with the Howard's and McDowell's.  After dinner we went for a walk around the block. It was really different walking on flat sidewalks and no dust or dirt. We found on our walk one of the tallest thistles I have ever seen. It was behind a building in the alleyway. Now we see why we spray them, they could take over the whole ranch.

The tall thistle in the alley in Evanston.

 We have a saying on the ranch, "pure dirt don't hurt," this is dedicated land. Seeing flowers seems strange after living among-est the sage brush, but we love it here on this mission and the circle of life we see everyday. The beautiful sunrises and sunsets are breathtaking. Our mission is flying by so fast and we are enjoying every minute of it and we know we will be so sad to say good by at the end of the summer, but we know that some other couples will get to come and have this wonderful opportunity to serve the youth that come on these treks.

Beautiful sunsets on this dedicated land.
Sunday July 9, the Howard's spoke in the Evanston 1st Ward today and their talks were so wonderful. One thought I want to share with you from Elder's talk is: "I will not be sad that it is over--I will be glad it happened." That is how we have felt this whole week as we said good by to family as they each left for Oklahoma and Iowa. We also get so close to each ward or stake as they come and when Saturday afternoon comes it's emotional to say good bye. We may never see how these treks will change their lives, but we can only pray that they will take a part of it back into the world and they will remember some of the things they felt here and rely on those things when times are hard in their lives.

We watched the Cokeville Miracle tonight and some of the people who where children at the time this happened are coming to present family home evening tomorrow night

Watching the Cokeville Miracle in the Depot