Holes in the Ground

Hello All!

The big news this week, as noted by the title of this blog, is civil work has begun on the site. That means they are digging the hole for the temple foundation. The contractor has fancy CAT equipment -- track hoe (twice the size of the ones used for the demo work), a dozer, a large articulated haul truck, a compactor, another small track hoe plus a few other pieces. They look just like a kids Tonka toy set and the operators seem to use them easily like toys. They really move …. We now have a large pile of dirt temporarily blocking our view from the Visitors' Center toward the rest of the site -- oh well.

Go to this website to see pictures of what is going on. Select the photo gallery in the left column, then the construction tab.

https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/anchorage-alaska-temple/news/

Farrell installed a second set of stairs for our Visitors' Center on Saturday. We are supposed to have a handicap ramp but haven't seen it yet, so in typical Elder Badger fashion, took alternative action to allow people to enter the correct door. We have been surprised at the number of folks who wander by and want to know what is going on. Sometimes we will run into them while we are out taking pictures so we invite them to come in. We are not officially open yet, but have had 25-30 visitors so far and probably many more we have missed. The biggest surprise was to look out and see the Mission Leaders (Pres. & Sis. Larsen) come walking up trailed by 9 new missionaries. We were in the middle of putting a storage cabinet together with parts and packing materials scattered around. We had a wonderful chat with them. For the first time it was standing room only. The light in their eyes was undeniable. This is going to be fun.

We have been faced with many technical challenges -- think computers. Even with a lot of background and skill in that area something else is always coming up that takes focused mental effort. I have been able to work most of those out. The latest challenge is video editing. That is a new one. I had to merge multiple mp4 files, reduce the number of frames, clip out some content etc. I am making week long time lapse sequences of the construction. After much searching I found the right program to do the task. We are also ready to go using various media for aids in answering questions and teaching. I found that most of the church website videos stream via YouTube. Not wanting to access YouTube (ads, misc. content. etc.) directly for a 2-3 minute video I had to find a better way. I now use a downloader program that can handle a full playlist without ads downloaded to my local SSD. Next up is the promised drone instruction by one of the general contractor's employees. I'm trying to get in the proper frame of mind to avoid crashing it on the first round.

Of course we always need to touch on the weather. While the lawn is getting mowed in Mapleton, we still have 3' of snow on the level in the front yard and a good 6' by the street here in Anchorage. The locals are promising that yes it will disappear and that it happens fast. Historically, the trees bud out May 15. We now have 14 hrs. 36 min. of daylight! Temperatures are hovering in the upper 40's and night time temperatures are now in the mid 30's. That last one is what we have been waiting for -- 24hrs above freezing. We have enjoyed finally walking on dry roads and Farrell has started to ride his bike again -- feels so good to get out and about. Kitty will join him soon when the sidewalks/bike paths are clear.

We wish you all well. We love you.

What a wonderful time to live!!! #Think Celestial

Elder & Sister Badger