Yesterday afternoon we drove to Burlington, IA to shop, dine, and go to a movie. Burlington is 28 miles northeast of Nauvoo, and has a population of 25,700. It is our first choice for shopping since it has several stores that Sandy favors.

Dinner was at La Tavola with five other missionary couples.

We then drove down Snake Alley, which is located near La Tavola.

Snake Alley was once recognized by Ripley's Believe It Or Not as the crookedest street in the world. However, San Francisco's Lombard Street beats it by several turns. The turns on Snake Alley are sharper though, giving it a total of 1100° of turning from end to end, where Lombard Street's straighter curves total only 1000°. 

View from the top of Snake Alley.

We then attended the movie, "Singing With Angels." The movie is based on a true story and deals with a member of the Tabernacle Choir. It was well attended by senior missionaries (a lot of white shirts and ties). 

This evening we went to dinner at The Pink with Val and Marth Rich (Boise, ID). The Pink is 22 miles northeast of Nauvoo in the town of Lomax, IL. The restaurant is not hard to identify, even if you've never been there before.

Marth and Val Rich

It appears to be quite popular with the local country folk.

On our way back from Davenport today we drove through Kalona, IA. There are a number of Amish farms around Kalona as well as an antique store called "Sisters' Garden."

Some Amish use propane-powered motorized vehicles with metal wheels. I'm not sure about propane, but apparently they avoid rubber tires because they make life too comfortable.

Note the hitching post with several ropes for more buggies.

Clothes hanging out to dry.

Blending the old with the new.

Brandon sent these pictures of Kendall and Presley taken during their Nauvoo visit.

The photos were taken in front of the Sarah Granger Kimball home. The following about Sarah is taken from the Encyclopedia of Mormonism:

"Sarah Melissa Granger Kimball (1818-1898) was founder of the Ladies' Society of Nauvoo, a suffragist, an advocate of women's rights, ward Relief Society president for forty years, and a strong presence in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for much of the nineteenth century. . . .Perhaps most significant in her early adulthood was her formation of the Ladies' Society of Nauvoo, the antecedent of the Relief Society. Married at age twenty-one to Hiram Kimball, a wealthy Nauvoo merchant who later converted to the Church, she sought to help build the kingdom of God, which the Saints then saw as embodied in Nauvoo, especially in the temple. She and her seamstress, a Miss (Margaret?) Cook, determined to sew shirts for the temple workmen and subsequently invited other women to join forces with them in a ladies' society. When they approached Joseph Smith for his approval of the society's Constitution, written by Eliza R. Snow, he stated that although the Constitution was excellent, the Lord wanted the women organized 'under the priesthood after the pattern of the priesthood.' According to Sarah Kimball's recollection, Joseph continued, 'The Church was never perfectly organized until the women were thus organized" (Kimball, p. 51).'"

After attending Church at the University of Iowa Married Student Ward today (Sandy taught Gospel Doctrine) we drove to Davenport, IA. We are taking the car to a dealer tomorrow for its 5,000 mile service. Davenport is 106 miles from Nauvoo and the closest dealership location.

Davenport is located on the Mississippi and is across the river from Rock Island, Illinois.

Beautiful clouds as we drove from Iowa City to Davenport.

Riverfront, Davenport, IA

"Brady" Street, Davenport

A monument in recognition of Davenport.

RiverWay, Davenport

Sandy found this penny near the Mississippi River. She likes to find pennies because they remind her of the following thought from an unknown source:  "Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription [In God We Trust]. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him. Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God’s way of starting a conversation with me. God is patient and pennies are plentiful!"

As we strolled along the river we passed this group beating drums. I asked a participant what was happening. Following is a statement from the internet that describes this event: "Sunday August 21st, 2016 is the 23rd annual Drums Around the World. It will be one hour of simultaneous drumming at 12 noon PST and will feature a large scale event hosted in Pioneer Park in Nevada City California along with dozens of self organized participants around the globe. Drums Around the World is an annual simultaneous world wide drumming day. The purpose is to Honor the traditions of the drum, and celebrate its power to unify humanity."

You just never know what you might see on a beautiful summer day in Iowa.

The Nauvoo Temple has 23 sealers:

• Temple Presidency:       3
• Local:                            8
• Missionaries:               12                   

I woke up this morning at 4:00 and checked the weather before going back to bed.

Location          Today's High        Humidity
Nauvoo                    75                   100%
Laguna Niguel         87                    74%
Moreno Valley       103                    51%
Orem                       91                    22%

Yesterday we went to the Annual West Point Sweet Corn Festival (65th year). This Iowa community has a population of 968 and is located 21 miles from Nauvoo. Vernon and Susan Moon (Ogden, UT Temple) invited us to ride with them. Residents shuck 18 tons of sweet corn (45,000 ears) and invite people to come and eat all they want for free. The Festival also includes BBQ chicken, a carnival, and arts and crafts. Experiences like this, and the temple, have made our mission memorable.

You can also buy a "hamberger" at the Festival

We attended a training meeting today for temple missionaries. The speaker was DNA researcher Ugo A. Perego, who holds a doctorate in genetics and molecular sciences from the University of Pavia in Italy. For years he has studied the DNA of Joseph Smith's family, and other figures in Mormon history.

In the past, seven sons (Orrison Smith, Moroni Pratt, Zebulon Jacobs, Mosiah Hancock, Oliver Buell, John Hancock and Don Alonzo Smith) were ascribed to Joseph Smith through polygamous unions. Negative findings resulted after DNA testing.

The most frequently mentioned child linked to Joseph Smith through plural marriage is Josephine Lyon. Josephine’s mother, Sylvia Sessions, was married to Windsor Lyon, but historical evidence indicates that Sylvia was also married to Joseph Smith. Near the end of her life, in 1882, Sylvia told Josephine that she was the daughter of the Prophet Joseph Smith. This statement was recorded in an affidavit given by Josephine in 1915. Dr. Perego stated that recent DNA research revealed that Windsor Lyon was indeed her father.

We enjoyed the presentation, and appreciate that modern science is able to objectively address such issues.

We have done some researching on our family lines since coming to Nauvoo. Today we were proxy for the sealing of five couples. and three sons. Both of us felt something special when Christian Mueller and Magdalena Leuss (Switzerland) were sealed.

Our oldest son, Brandon, his wife, and two of their four daughters spent four days with us this past week. It was nice to have them here. They toured many of the sites and attended several performances.

Brandon, Cassie, Kendall, and Presley

The girls took part in "Sunset By the Mississippi"

 

On Fast Sunday the temple assigns four couples to have dinner together to "break-the-fast." We were hosts this month.

(L to R) Tom and Sharon Shaw, Jordan River UT Temple; Robert and Marilee Hendricks, Logan UT Temple; and, Vernon and Susan Moon, Ogden, UT Temple


Another beautiful sunset; looking west from the temple.

One of our favorite places to eat is a Chinese restaurant in Ft. Madison, IA. In addition to good food they offer outdoor seating.

Last week we attended the dedication of the Nauvoo Pageant Headquarters. The cast eat and rehearse in the building. Costumes are made, altered and stored there as well. Since the Pageant is such a major part of the Nauvoo experience it is nice that they have a great facility now.

Last Saturday we attended the final performance of the Nauvoo Pageant. Roger and Kaleen Jerman (my brother Duane's daughter and son-in-law) were there. It was nice to visit with them. They took this picture and sent it to us.