After the moving Sunday night (the 22nd) we went back to the cabin and started packing and getting ready to leave for St. Louis.  It was raining Monday morning, had started in the night, and it rained almost all the way to St. Louis.

When we talked to the glass blower on Saturday I noticed he had a lot of geodes around his place.  I asked him about them and told him was of the merchants had told me they could be found around the river but I never found any.  He said that the best areas to go is where there is a creek entering the river.  The many he had he said that he got after a flood sometime in the 90's.  We found a place that was suppose to have them in Hamilton, just down the road from Nauvoo, so were going to stop there on our way.  It was about 9:00 am so I called to see if they were open yet.  It was called Nick's Geodes.  When he answered and I asked if they were open he hesitated a bit and sorta said yes.  I told him we were going by and wanted to check out the geodes at his place.  He informed me that his "place" was a dig site and since it was raining the digging would be pretty messy and dirty.  So much for that idea.  The glass blower gave us a couple of little ones and when Jim gets around to opening them I'll post pictures.

So the car started giving us some screaming sound from the belts Monday morning.  We had them all changed before we left and apparently they were a little loose and needed to be tightened. At least that's what Jim said.  It was only for a little bit so we went on our way.  We didn't get any geodes, darn but we did stop in Hannibal. MO to find the pottery shop.  Oh, and we discovered that Hannibal is the home of Mark Twain!

We didn't go on any tour.  We did find the pottery shop and got to go on a tour of the shop.  It was interesting and fun and I spent TOO MUCH money there!!!

We decided to follow the signs to the Mark Twain Cave.  When we got there we found out it would cost us $30 to take a tour in the cave.  We weren't willing to spend that much and we really didn't have time to take the tour. 

By the time we got to St. Louis it had stopped raining and cleared up but was very windy.  We got to see The Arch of St. Louis - "The Archway to the West", but were to late to go up in it. 

 

 

 There is a lot of construction going on in the area because they are getting ready for their 100 years celebration.  If I remember right it is going to be this fall.  Of course, I picked up the wrong flyer which doesn't have details about the arch but rather how much it costs to go on the journey to the top or take a riverboat cruise, and all that kind of information.  The arch is the largest man made structure in the USA.  It is 630 feet high.  The space needle in Seattle is 605. 
   It only costs $10 to go to the top and we would have done it if we had gotten there earlier.  Spent too much time in Hannable!

 

  Sunday evening we went to a movie at the Visitor's Center.  We didn't see any ads for the movie all week but when we went to church Sunday morning there were posters and all the missionaries we talked to Sunday afternoon said we needed to go to the movie.  There are two pretty good size auditoriums in the visitors center and they were both packed with people standing against the wall up the sides of the steps.  The director/producer of the movie is the same who did 17 Miracles, Ephram's Rescue, and many other church movies.  The name of the movie was The Cokeville Miracle.  It is based on a true story that happened in Cokeville, WY.  An excellent movie that we would highly recommend.

The director was there as well as the principle of the school at the time of the events along with the woman that played the part of the bad guys wife.  After the movie there was a question and answer session and it was good as well.  What a wonderful experience we had.

Someone asked the principle how he felt about the movie and he said that someone told him it would be a "multiple hanky" movie. He said it was definitely that.

The movie is suppose to be released on June 5th in the Midwest area and if there is good attendance it will be released in other area.  If it doesn't come to our area it will come out on DVD I am sure.

Watch for it.  

I was going to spend the afternoon catching up my blog but the RS presidency were having VT interviews and wanted me to be a part.  So we'll see what I can do this evening.
  Back to Sunday (the 22nd).  After we visited the blacksmith shop we went to the 70's Hall.  Their is a field between the blacksmith and the 70's Hall for the livestock they use for the wagon rides, carriage rides and the oxen wagon ride.  Right now all we saw were two oxen.

 



  The Seventies Hall was like their MTC.  It served as a small chapel for worship services and a place of instruction and lectures for those preparing for missions.  There was a library on the upper floor which is still there along with a museum.  I declined going up the stairs!  All the stairs in all the buildings are steep with quite narrow steps.



Next, down Parley Street is the Trail of Hope

The path was soft and covered with bark shavings.  It was a little on the cool side and the wind made it feel rather chili.  The path was soft and covered with bark and I had a little hard time walking on it.  By the time we got to the end my hip was hurting but I couldn't help but think of the hurting in the hearts of the people who had to leave in that very cold February.  My discomforts, I thought, was nothing.

This was one of the journal entry signs.

 

The view of the temple from the trail.

 

Well, I guess this will be out of order so you have to go down to the last post and then come up to have it in the right order.  I'm breaking it up though so I don't loose it all again.

Before they give the prairie diamond rings they talk about how there was romance on the prairie and one story goes that three young men fell in love with the same girl.  Each one went to her father and asked for her hand in marriage.  He told them the first one who could bring her a diamond ring could marry her, thinking that would be pretty safe.  He didn't know that one of the boy's father was a blacksmith and he had horse shoe nails that had a head like a diamond and they were even made by the Diamond Company.  So he went to his father and had him shape the nail into a ring then took it to the girl and her father.  The father gave his consent.

 

  I forgot to mention that we spent some time at the temple Saturday afternoon taking pictures.  Well, I took pictures for Amy & Brian.  They got some nice pictures but they were on Amy's camera so I don't have any to post!  There was a nice little bunny runny around the grounds though.

SUNDAY morning, the 22nd, Jim and I went to church.  There are 3 wards in Nauvoo.  The first meets at 8:00 am and it is mostly senior missionaries.  The shops are open Sunday afternoons so they go to the early meeting
  Oh, I forgot to mention that when we were on the wagon ride it was mentioned that a lot of the brick homes are actually housing for missionaries.  There are 60 senior missionaries that just work at the temple.  That would be cool.
  Amy & Brian left for home Sunday morning so we went to the 11:00 meeting of church.  There were quite a few senior missionaries there but it was a lot like a normal ward.  The missionaries I thought maybe were some of the temple missionaries.   It is so wonderful that no matter where you are when you go to church it is always the same.  Same schedule, same teachings, same lessons, etc.
I love it.
  After church and we had lunch we wanted to go back to the brick shop and see if we could get another brick or two.  The door was open where they were making bricks so we were standing at the door talking to the Elder that was making the bricks. The first time we met him was at the Browning Gunsmith shop. His companion was doing a demonstration in another area and when he came back he invited us in.  I said that the sign at the door said "missionaries only" he said, "Oh, you're close enough" and told us to come on in.  We spent nearly an hour visiting with them as the were making bricks. I could kick myself for not taking a video but we were so involved in talking about them and where they were from and what they did I just didn't think about it.  Oh, and I didn't take pictures because the battery in my camera went dead.  Could have used my phone but didn't think of it till later.  They were nice enough to give us a couple of bricks.
  After the brick shop we went back to the blacksmith shop and I actually took a picture with my phone!

They tell about how wagons were made and how the wheels were made in the first area of the shop then go into the second section and talk about how they made horse shoes and oxen shoes.

It was interesting to hear how you can't just pick up an ox's hoof and put the shoe on like you can a horse.  You pick up his foot and he lays down!.  And the shoes for oxen have to be made to fit the cloven hoof so they are very different from a horse shoe.  In order to keep the oxen from laying down they would be put into a chute like this, have a band put under their bellies that would hold them up so shoes could be put on their feet.

They make a little horse shoe and a "prairie diamond" ring and give them out.

 





I am sooooooo bummed!  I spent a few hours this afternoon working on the next post and then I couldn't get it to publish.  I think I put to much stuff on the post and lost it.  I tried several times to save but it's all gone so I have to start over.

I'm up to SATURDAY, the 21st.  We planned on going on the wagon ride and you have to have tickets.  It doesn't cost anything but they have tickets to know when the wagon is full and they can't take any more.  The visitors center opens at 9:00 so Jim and I went to get our tickets.  They almost didn't have enough for all of us for the 11:00 ride.  There was a group of youth that came in on Friday and they were doing baptisms at the temple Friday night.  I think 3 of the cabins where we were staying had people from that group.  They were from Kansas.
  Anyway, we got our tickets and the wagon was full.  I do not know what I was thinking but I didn't take any pictures of the horses, the wagon or anything.  BRAIN FADE!
  We had a sister missionary that gave a information of all the places we passed and one of the teamsters talked about some of the areas to.  He was the one who told us that the river wasn't as wide when the saints had to cross it as it is now.  There is a dam down river that makes it so wide now.  But a lot of is it very shallow and the barges and boats have to stay in the marked channel or they are in danger of running into a sand bog.
  After the wagon ride Amy & Brian went to a couple of the shops and Jim & I went to the Family Living Center.  It was very interesting and again, I didn't take pictures.  Saturday must have been a really off day for me.
  At the Family Living Center there are displays and demonstrations on weaving, making bread, candle making, rope making, pottery, rug making and I think a couple other things.  At the bread making demonstration they actually give you a slice of fresh bread.  The rope making is hands on and you get to take a rope home with you.  It was very fun and interesting.
  I had been asking around to find out if the was a pottery shop in the area.  A couple of old Nauvoo native ladies knew there once was and told us where to try and find it.  Before we went to lunch we tried to find it but there was no pottery place.  Instead there was a glass blower shop but it wasn't open.
  We went lunch at the Nauvoo Mill & Bakery.  I think I expected it to be a little bigger but it was simple and had pretty good sandwiches.  Amy & Brian went back to the cabin to put Sara down for a nap and we went to see if the glass blower was open yet.  He was.  He said that the potter use to be there but sold out to him and went to some other town and was doing really well.  It wasn't on our way to anywhere so didn't plan on finding him.  But the glass blower was very interesting.  He had been gone for a few months and was just opening and getting things set up.  I, of course, had to buy a few things!
  We had been seeing some trees that looked like they had lost all their bark from about the middle all the way to the top.  He had several around his place so I asked him what kind of trees they were.  He said they are sycamore trees.  There was one we saw on our way to Keokuk one day that was very interesting.  I actually took a picture of it.  Imagine that!

 

  Saturday afternoon we watched the kids so Amy & Brian could go do some site seeing alone,

Friday, Mar. 20th
   Friday morning we went to Carthage.  First, we watched a film about Joseph and some of the history of The Church.

  They have a new visitors center and it is really nice.  The jail was getting a new roof so there was work going on.  This is the back of the jail and the addition on the left is part of the living quarters of the couple who ran the jail.  The man was friendly to the saints and he and his wife took good care of the prophet and those who were jailed with him.

When you enter the back door this is the room you go into, like their living area.

 

 This is the next room, their dining area.  We were told that the jailers wife would cook for the prisoners and fed them well.

 This is where much of the cooking took place.  I found it interesting that there was a bed in this room. 

 The jailer and his wife had two little girls and they would play on the bed when mom was cooking and working in the kitchen.  The day the mob came there were a couple of shots that were fired into this area and just missed the girls on the bed.

This is the dungeon part of the jail where the prisoners were held.  It's a dark room,  You can see in the second picture where they would be chained. 

 The room was heated by this wood stove.

The day the mob came the jailer had been sent away.  There were town leaders that knew if he were there he would be killed trying to protect his prisoners.  He actually moved them out of the jail area into his bedroom, which was next door.

This is the window Joseph fell out off.  The walls of the jail are very thick, as you can see by the window sill.

 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 There was no lock on the door and when Hyrum and others tried to hold the door shut this is the bullet hole that killed Hyrum.  There's also a hole on the side of the door just above the door knob.  This is the original door.  The holes had been covered with wood at one time but when it was removed the original holes were revealed.

This is the front of the jail.

 

There are rods that go through the walls and floor joices then have a large nut on each end.  These nuts can be tightened up to keep the walls straight and snug.  You can see the stars on the picture above.  The rods go both ways on the building.

 

After we got home from Carthage we babysat so Brian & Amy could go to the temple.

 

SHOOT.  I forgot to post the pictures of our cabin and where we're staying.  I didn't think about it till after we left - I didn't take pictures of inside but I think Amy did so maybe I can get those pictures from her.

Ethan & Hannah loved that swing at the end of our porch.

On Thursday, Mar. 29th we went to the 10:00 am session at the temple.  Good day to go to the temple because it was on the cold side and a little rainy.  By the time we got to the temple it wasn't raining but it was cold and windy.
   When we got there we were walking from the parking lot and there was another couple just a little way behind us.  There's a door on the side and then, of course, the big doors in front.  We thought we should go in the big doors in front but wasn't for sure so I turned around and asked them if we were suppose to go in the doors in front.  The sister laughed and said, "We're following you!"  Come to find out they are from Caldwell and have never been here either.  Well, we found our way in and it was wonderful.
  During the week there are two sessions in the morning and two sessions in the evening.  On Sat. they have a session start every hour.
  After the temple we went back to our cabin, changed and went shopping at the shops in downtown Nauvoo.  You can walk the whole downtown area.
  When Amy & Brian got here they got unloaded and settled in.  We had a birthday dinner for Brian since it's his birthday:  Elk steak (that we brought from home in dry ice), baked potatoes, broccoli & salad.  Sure is nice having a kitchen in our cabin. 

Our week in Nauvoo went sooooo fast!  We didn't have very good Wi fi connection and I didn't do very well keeping up with posting, but here goes.
WED.  March 18th
   We spent the morning touring some of the sites.  Jim was very interested in the Gun shop.  The Elder that did the tour for us was from Montana and he built his own gun of that time in history.  He was very interesting and informative.  Coming to Nauvoo at this time of the year has it's advantages.  When we tour a place we aren't rushed and most of the time we were the only ones on the tour so the missionaries took their time and we got to know them a bit.  Today we were engrossed in the tours and didn't take as many pictures.  We decided we'd go back and take more pictures.

When we went to the brick shop this is the oven in the front.  Our tour guide on this day was somewhat plain in his presentation and when we asked if we could each get a brick he told us we could only have one but we could go to the Red Brick Store and buy more.  When we went to the store we were told they didn't have any.  The brick makers usually supply the store with bricks but they hadn't received any yet.  The store is owned by the Community of Christ which long ago were know as the reorganized church.

We went to the tin shop but spaced getting any pictures.

These pictures are of the print shop.  We learned some interesting things here.  There were three sisters in the print shop and as they were giving their presentation we kept hearing things being dropped on the floor upstairs.  Finally we were told that there was a sister up there working on a quilt and apparently dropped the frame.  Nothing to be to concerned about!!

 

So the table shows how print set up happened - the beginnings.  It's all upside down and has to be proof read paragraph by paragraph very carefully because if you put a whole column together and then discover a mistake in the first paragraph it all has to be taken apart, to the mistake and start all over from there.  It was very time consuming.  So a couple of things I learned - When I was a kid my mom would tell me to mind my "p's and q's".  I never knew what that had to do with anything until we were in the print shop.  The only difference between a "p" and a "q" is the way it's turned.  Sometimes young people were typesetters and they would be reminded to "mind the p's and q's", meaning - be careful and don't screw up!

 

This picture is taken were the typeset would be put on paper. The arm in the front would be pushed back and forth and it would apply pressure that would make the print be applied clearly on the paper.

Then the paper had to be dried and there were papers hanging all over - of course I didn't take a picture of that,

Oh, the other thing - I call people "ding bats" occasionally.  That term describes the decorative things added to the type to make the paper more appealing.

There were two publications printed in the print shop:  The Times & Seasons and The Nauvoo Neighbor.

The Times & Seasons would be compared to our Ensign now and the Nauvoo Neighbor would be more like The Church News.

 

We went down to the river's edge. at the end of Parley Street.  This is where the saints crossed the river.  I was amazed at how large the Mississippi River is, although I don't think it was this big when the saints were here.

This is the ferry that took the saints, their wagons and the meager belongings they had, across the river.

 This is the point they entered the river.

 

 

This statue of Joseph and Brigham is at this site too.  We were told they often talked about the saints moving west - just not like it ended up happening.

These pictures show the underbrush and trees along the river bank.

Oh, I got a rock from the river bank.  Jim wouldn't let me get a big one!!!

I also found an oyster shell, all in tact and still connected.  Sweet.

My Nauvoo temple picture for today.

 

 





We arrived in Nauvoo late afternoon and by the time we got unloaded and went to see the temple there was a beautiful sunset over the Mississippi River.

Which made the temple look like this

 

We went down to a town called Keokuk to get some groceries and Jim got a night time picture of the temple that is really beautiful.