Niagra Falls

We debated about taking this detour to Niagra Falls right up until Curt turned the rent-a-van onto the road going there. Everything always takes longer than expected, and we didn't know if we really had the time. We knew we didn't have time to take a boat ride and wondered if the view from the edge would be worth it. Looking back, there should have been no debate. The falls are worth the extra effort, and the view, though probably not the best, was still great.

Somewhere I read that the water currently pouring over the falls is only about half of what it used to be before the power companies diverted the water for electricity. At night the power companies divert even more water; it's done at night to not affect tourism.
We looked over at Canada, thought of Justin on his mission, and waved at him. I'm sure he felt it.
Can you see the tourist boat near the top center of this picture?
This peaceful stream quickly turns into the raging falls. Image someone's surprise if they didn't know the falls were just a few hundred yards away. Lazily floating on the inner tube...la, la, la, aaahhhh!

February and March

Here's a quick recap of February and March.

Krysta turned 22!

Kevin was asked to Sweethearts by this cute girl. She asked him by bringing over all the ingredients to make a milkshake with a cute saying to go with it. Even before he knew who asked him, he knew he would like her. Food does that to Kevin.

Verl submitted some of his photography to the Utah Arts Council and they selected him to be in one of their art shows. The show was in the Art Space Gallery by the Gateway.

Sanae poses by the pictures of her in her kimono. Verl had some cool shots of his family posed behind a screen.

This is Verl's former photography teacher at the U of U.
The show was a success and he ended up selling four pieces! Since my photography doesn't do justice to his, go to www.verlanceladams.com to see his work. Much of his photography explores the concepts of light and shadow, and the colors might not translate as well from a computer screen, but you'll get the idea. I especially like the faces in the gallery titled "A Matter of Perspective."

It finally snowed enough for Camille and Rachel to make a snowman. Notice the stick mohawk and the cute rock face.
Another cute snowman showed up on our doorstep in response to Kevin asking another cute girl to prom.
Kevin is handsome in a tux.
Kevin's friend's dad was able to get this Camaro on trade, so they and their dates had a sweet ride for the day. Kevin and his date had to sit in the back where they discovered that the car was designed for looks more than comfort. Anyone taller than about five feet has to sit hunched over. Well, like I always say, "beauty hurts."

Justin and Andrea got married! I didn't bring a camera since I knew it would be well documented. Krysta caught the bouquet, and we all got to enjoy the beautiful flowers for a few days.
And the Hunger Games arrived in all its midnight glory. Notice Christian's shirt and the loaf of bread. What a cute group of cousins!

Palmyra and the Sacred Grove

A few months before this vacation, I went to a Relief Society fireside where a descendant of Hyrum Smith spoke. The man and his wife were interesting to listen to and also brought along several artifacts from the Smith family history including the clothes that Hyrum was wearing when he was killed in Carthage Jail. At the time, I was actively looking at vacations in Europe. This was finally going to be my year! I could possibly put to good use the German I had taken (and mainly forgotten) in middle school. But during the fireside, I had the distinct thought that a European vacation would be frivolous at this time, and we needed to take the family to see the Church history sites in New York. When I got home I had to break the news to Curt that I thought our relaxing kid-free vacation should be replaced by a family trip--the kind of trip that you need a vacation to recover from! Curt was immediately on board and we (meaning I) began to plan. Soon, our plan to travel to Palmrya to see the Sacred Grove turned into an entire East Coast vacation. I jokingly call it the most expensive fireside ever, but I think this trip was definitely meant to be. I still have hope for Europe some day. One good thing about flying seven people cross country for ten days, is that now Europe for two actually seems affordable!

So that is how we all ended up here, in front of the Palmyra Temple on a beautiful summer Sunday.

On our Sunday morning visit to the Sacred Grove there was a youth tour reverently occupying every bench. The next morning, a week before the Hill Cumorah Pageant, we had the Sacred Grove all to ourselves. Definitely a highlight of the trip.
Other highlights included, the Peter Whitmer farm.
Grandin Printing Shop,


an original Book of Mormon,

Alvin Smith's grave,

the Martin Harris Farm,

and the Hill Cumorah.
The stage was almost set up for the pageant the next week.



We loved the Christus in the Hill Cumorah Visitor's Center. This is a slightly different version by the same artist that created the one on Temple Square.

Monday morning we visited the Smith Log Home which I thought was actually roomier than it looked on the outside. Of course, it was still pretty small for a large family.

Outside the Smith Frame Home.

Lucy Mack Smith created floor coverings just like this one that she would sell to help support her family.

This is the hearth in the Smith Frame Home where the golden plates were hidden for a short time.

Before leaving on Monday, we stopped once more at the Sacred Grove. Other than the people who took our picture, we were all alone.





Better than Europe.