Sun Still Coming Up

Hello All!

Yes, we are still here in the Last Frontier. Farrell writing today … I started a travel log a few years ago when I retired with places we wanted to go, the places we have been and places where I have been for work. Earlier today (Saturday, our usual P(reparation)-Day), I started updating our Alaska adventures. The snapshot looks like this:

Anchorage, Seward (Resurrection Bay Tour), Valdez (Port of Valdez/Prince William Sound Glacier Tour, Thompson Pass, Keystone Canyon, Solomon Gulch Hatchery, Robe Lake Lodge), Whittier (Whittier Tunnel, Portage Lake/Glacier, Prince William Sound/Multiple Glaciers), Fairbanks, North Pole, view of Denali, Palmer, Wasilla, Hatchers Pass, Willow, Talkeetna, Girdwood, Tok, Homer, Homer Spit, Cooper Landing, Kenai River, Soldotna, Sterling, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Matanuska Glacier, Kenai, Kasilof Russian Settlement, and Flattop Overlook, etc.

I intend to add to the list. One of my fears is that after being here for 3 years someone will say, "Oh, you really should have gone to so & so." Send us your favorites so we don't miss something amazing. We will work them in. We have done almost all of these with other people. We are still stunned by most of the places we have seen. Even now I'm struggling to put into words as the views cross my mind. It makes me want to become an artist and just sit in some of those spots, painting and absorbing the view.

Anchorage Alaska Temple at sunset.

Kitty is always after a beautiful sunset. Almost every day she pulls out a camera and says, "Farrell, come and see this -- you just have to see this sunset" or the clouds or other view. I want to become more camera savvy so that I can help her make the most of her eye for beauty.

On to other things …

Addy as a baby with her older siblings.

We had the special privilege of watching the baptism and confirmation of our granddaughter, Addy, in TX via a video call this morning. This cute little one is now 8 years old and we love her family dearly. The Wi-Fi at the church wasn't very good but it was great to see her father baptize her, confirm her a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and bless her with the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Seeing all of their smiling faces was so joyful and we could feel our Heavenly Father's Spirit. This is a very special day for all of us since this granddaughter was born with HLHS and has had some major health struggles throughout her life, including three open heart surgeries. I spent many days with her and her mother at Primary Children's Hospital in SLC or babysitting grandchildren. We love her and her family and are so happy she made the choice to be baptized. We also both have our talks prepared for church today. Kitty is talking on the power of prayer and I am talking about the Savior as Advocate and Mediator. We have had many prayers answered with the sweet little one and her precious family.

Although the number of visitors at the Visitors' Center has dropped off, we have had some treasured moments this week. One older friend brought two of her friends -- friends for over 30 years. We had a sweet discussion about going to the temple. We talked about what will be important at the end of life -- family, friends, and our relationship with the Savior. Nothing else will matter much. A mother brought her four young children and they enjoyed the show and tell, glow-in-the-dark wristbands, and hot cocoa. The young missionaries visited us with a young man (Jerry) who is joining the church Dec. 10. He is from Puerto Rico. He is so excited to be baptized and come to the temple to do proxy baptisms for his ancestors. We talked about the love of Christ for each individual. We watched a short video and talked about pausing to consider the impressions that come to us through the Holy Ghost. There are times like that when those feelings are pervasive.

While we were with the missionaries another Sr. Couple dropped off a table for the Thanksgiving dinner at our house. They are pretty new. She speaks with a strong German accent and he has none and is not German but their last name is Kraut -- figure that one out. We really enjoy their association and are looking forward to having dinner with them and the other senior missionaries on Thursday at our home.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I have been nominated to be the Turkey chef. It will be a brined, spatchcocked turkey, smoked on a pellet grill. This may be a brave undertaking. There is a high of 9°F forecast for that day -- will see if the grill has enough power to pull it off. We will have 13 present including our Mission President and his wife -- they call them both mission leaders. It is unusual that they slow down enough to do something like this.

24 November 2024

People often express amazement at how fast the temple construction is proceeding. Of course, to us it is a little slower because we are watching daily i.e. like watching the pot boil. I have lost count of how many truckloads of steel have arrived from Nanaimo BC. One this week came in late at night with a woman driving and a little dog. The iron workers are staging the beams and columns all around the perimeter of the site -- in order to make the lifts organized. They are everywhere. One worker, a white hair native, marks the center of each beam so it will balance when they lift it with one choker strap. The big crane (not a tower crane) was fully extended moving beams around. Its hook was right at the edge of the current temple parking lot. Kitty said, "if that falls over, it will land on our house." This picture was taken today by Jonathan Hughes. The huge crane is barely visible on the far side.

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

And now for the weather report -- COLD. Most nights are single digits -- warming up this week a bit as snow is expected. January & February bring the minus numbers. I smile because the days have been beautiful blue sky days. The General Contractor complains about how the weather is slowing things down. What he means is that some of the labor is diverted to covering and heating. We did have one day warm enough to pour some concrete (mid-20s).

Our Church sets up "Giving Machines" this time of year in places all around the world. Two are in North Pole (that's North Pole, Alaska by Fairbanks not The North Pole). The link below is from the church newsroom. They partner with local charities, community groups, and churches to identify needs. Then people choose from the selection and "buy" that item as a contribution. All proceeds go to the charities. I was surprised this time because the items are all local needs -- everything from education items to vouchers for medical care, food, housing, etc. We have been to North Pole, AK and it was very festive and had a special feeling. We feel the love of God and all men especially this time of year.

Giving Machines in North Pole

Have a great Thanksgiving! #Think Celestial

Love, Elder and Sister Badger 

Back to Winter

Dear Family & Friends,

Our youngest daughter with her new baby. 

It's great to be back in Alaska, but I
loved being in Utah. I was able to hold our precious new grandson, visit most of our family and a few friends, and speak at a grandson's baptism. The weather was beautiful in Utah. The flowers were blooming at our oldest daughter, Anna's, home when we arrived. We were able to go trick or treating in nice weather with her family and then they had two evenings of killing frost and the flowers all died. The leaves had just started to fall when we left. Anna and her dear husband hosted a family Thanksgiving dinner while I was there. They also had their 8 year old son get baptized and I was able to give a talk on The Holy Ghost. 

Our youngest daughter, Heather, was on the verge of having a C-section due to a cord wrapped around her baby's neck. The doctor was busy with another patient so on the advice from her midwife, decided to try for a natural birth. She had already had an epidural and was instead able to deliver a healthy baby boy with no further complications. I have been putting both their names in the temple and feel that angels were watching over them and their caregivers. She is a wonderful mother. Holding grandbabies is a rare privilege. The are so perfect, pure, and loveable. I keep telling my children that after they have had children they will know how much I love them.

I had an ENT appt. while I was there and found out I had a double ear infection and was put on antibiotic drops. They are just starting to feel normal after nearly two months. Since I was already in Provo, it was a short drive to Mapleton:)

Jan, Kitty, and Michelle:)

Our wonderful next door neighbor and treasured friend, Jan, invited our dear friend Michelle and I over for a delicious lunch. The Baer's put in their mission papers after us, were called before us, and have already returned home from Long Island, NY serving in the Church Educational System. I miss these dear friends and so many others. It was great to go for a short walk on the trail. I was also able to stop by to see our sweet neighbor, Kelly, for a few minutes and visit. 

Leaving dear family and friends has been the only sacrifice while serving a mission. It will be equally hard to leave the dear friends we have made here in Alaska when we return home in two years. I will ignore that truth for now. I enjoy growing, learning, and having a divine purpose. I love serving in the temple on Tuesday evenings and attending on Thursdays. 

Farrell and I are learning best practices as we take and label pictures and write our weekly report. I had to renew my antibiotic prescription for my ears and spent 2 1/2 hours at Costco today as they transferred and filled it. While we waited, we had them give us our yearly flu and Covid shots. We pray it helps. I should have tried getting in my 10,000 steps while I waited! Farrell decided to get a hot dog and take a nap in the car. We left around 4 and the sun was just at the horizon and it was 18 degrees after a 4 degree morning. He had to stop at Lowes to see if they had a snow blower tire replacement. Then we headed home. As a result we will finish our weekly report tomorrow morning. 

Have you ever heard of reverse sticker shock? Compared to Alaska the prices at the Utah Costco were amazing! Even with a 3% food tax, food is about 20 - 25% cheaper in Utah. I told Farrell I wasn't looking forward to going back for our weekly shopping trip, but since it's just the two of us I really don't look at the prices, buy the same stuff almost every trip, and am grateful we have three Costco's in Anchorage. There is also one in Fairbanks and Juneau. I wish I owned more Costco stock:) We do get free salmon, halibut and other fish from neighbors and friends. We get invites to eat with local families 2-3 times a month. We are usually asked to bring a salad or dessert.

While we were waiting we received a call to speak in church on Sunday. Because they gave us plenty of notice I said yes. I don't accept many last minute things anymore. Farrell is going out teaching with the young Elders Wednesday evening.

Grandma with 18 of 27 delightful grandchildren.

Mom with 7 of 11 amazing children.

We had a special experience on Saturday welcoming the Muldoon (Hmong speaking) branch to the Visitors' Center after they had been to the temple. The 27 people who came filled it wall to wall. We have had 47 primary kids there but these were all older teenagers and adults. Most are first generation members of the church. Their parents/families were evacuated from Vietnam when the US pulled out. They had helped the Americans and found their lives in danger. One man had been a POW. Whatever the case we thoroughly enjoyed them while talking about the temple.

The temple building continues with snow, cold or shine. The concrete batch plant won't mix concrete below 17°F and don't blame them. It does affect the schedule sequence. The workers shift gears a bit and move on to something else they can do. Putting up ICF walls and steel erection are the big tasks at hand. When a day in the mid 20's shows up they pour concrete. Four big heaters and the natural gas lines to each were brought in. We will have about five months of this. Kitty is trying to stay warm in snow pants and a hard hat over her hood while she takes pictures on site:)

Have a great week. You are in our thoughts and prayers. #Think Celestial

Love always, Elder & Sister Badger

 

A Mix of Fun and Work

Dear Family & Friends,

Farrell writing this week …These weeks seem to go by very quickly -- except for Kitty's absence on this end while she is enjoying a sweet new grandson. How happy I am that she is able to do that. Can't wait to see him, his mother, and others at Christmas.

Mount Redoubt

Mt. Redoubt (one of the three close volcanos -- 75 miles) from my dinner spot with ward members last night (not my picture, but exactly what it looked like).

Things have shifted gears a bit up here with the coming of winter. There is less to keep track of because there are only four sub-contractors on site. There is always something new and interesting on the construction end. This week it was the arrival of the iron workers. They hang structural steel. This is a very small project for them -- no high rise sky scrapers. That doesn't slow down their skill and athleticism. They are equipped with a safety harness, two big clips (like carabiners), big belt bags (for bolts and nuts), and three or four spud wrenches. A spud wrench is like an adjustable crescent wrench but has a pointed handle. The point is used for lining up holes for bolt insertion.

Tools of the trade.

All of these tools jangle when they walk. You can always tell when an iron worker is coming. They hang up to five steel beams spaced out along the crane cable at one time. They swing them over the destination, lower the first one, the ironworker grabs it and swiftly (and I mean swiftly) locates one end at a hanger plate and then signals the crane to lower it more to put the other end in place. Both workers start putting bolts in. The first one to secure two bolts will holler "two in" quickly followed by the other end yelling the same thing. "Two in" is short and abbreviated making it hard to understand. I had to listen several times before I figured out what they were saying. As soon as that is done, one of the workers immediately steps out on the just hung beam, swings a safety cable around it, clips it to his harness and moves to the other end. The picture here is not ours -- just to give you the idea. Our steel is a bit smaller.

Steel workers from internet.

They drop the next beam down and repeat. While the crane swings back to pick up more, they put the rest of the bolts in. Speaking of the crane operator -- what skill! It is like he is connected to the guys securing the steel. They constantly flash hand signs to him. I already knew some of the signals but find there are about 10 they use regularly. They are not big grandiose moves but just subtle moves. You can tell I really enjoyed the show. I'm clicking pictures at the same time. The smaller of the two workers was built like a brick. He was all over that steel. He is from Hawaii. His partner is from Honduras. I asked the latter what in the world he was doing in cold Alaska. He replied, "I don't like to sweat". Hard workers -- don't know how in the world their knees hold out. One has a sweatshirt with the logo "Blood, Sweat, Steel". There is a lot more of that to come. The object is to put steel decking down with concrete poured on top. That will make the winter roof. This drone picture was taken on 11/9 and is from from https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/anchorage-alaska-temple/photographs/

Anchorage Alaska Temple progress.

We wondered what would happen in the Visitors' Center when the weather cooled off and kids went back to school. Now we know. It is very quiet. When someone discovers us, they go back to their ward and tell everyone and then we get a fresh crop of visitors. We do have it in their ward bulletins but apparently no one reads those :-). We have developed some friends that bounce back to visit every few weeks. They come from all over Alaska. Some of them I have to ask, "and just how did you get here?" It is not uncommon to hear the tale of a four hour boat ride, followed by hours of driving. Flying is also typical. One of the young missionaries was on transfer today and was flying to Soldotna (2 1/2 hrs.) by car. I think it was just easier than shuttling him that direction. He had a guitar case with guitar which is sometimes allowed. I had the privilege of signing the case. It was covered in other missionary signatures. I love the visits from the kids -- easy to talk to. Any introvert tendencies I have had are pretty much gone. Kitty has to cut me off when she thinks I have gone on too long.

These blogs are never complete without a weather report. It is what everyone talks about. Quite pleasant the last two weeks -- dry (for the most part) and mild -- mid-30's for daytime temperatures. That won't last. The forecast is for low 20's in the day and low teens at night. It might take me awhile to warm up from this Alaska experience. A heating pad has become a good friend. And yes, I have been wearing a coat for weeks now. Like last year, I'm getting used to the low sun on the horizon. The highest sun elevation at the moment is at about 1pm. If you put your hand out at arms length, the sun is at about the width of your hand, 11 degrees above the horizon. It is like you are driving into a low sunset with the sun shining through your windshield most times of the day.

Everyone take care.

Love you all. Kitty gets back Wed. night late. We have been working together occasionally while she has been gone. She took her computer and we share files in the cloud. #Think Celestial

Love, Elder & Sister Badger

Grandbabies are the Best

Dear Family & Friends,

Kitty holding new grandbaby.

Newest grandson.

Kitty writing this week:) We have a new grandbaby! Our youngest daughter, Heather, and her husband, Branson, just had a little baby boy on Halloween. It was her due date and she wasn't even induced:) He weighed 7 lbs. 14 oz. and was 20.5 inches long. He is so precious and mom and baby are doing great. This is grandbaby #27. Holding grandbabies is the best. Those really are the best years of your life. Sometimes I wish I could go back, but only if I had a maid and my amazing parents lived next door.  Shout out to all the dads who let moms take naps when they become too sleep deprived.

Had a fun time that evening trick or treating with the some of the grandkids, my oldest daughter, Anna, and her husband. They have a fun tradition of having a fire pit in the middle of their cul-de-sac and all the neighbors gather for dinner, hot dogs, soft drinks, and give out treats. The weather was perfect with a light jacket, wool scarf, and gloves. The costumes are so creative - farmers, fire fighters, princesses, 50's, Nancy Drew, etc. After the little ones had had enough my daughter and I went out on another neighborhood adventure with one of their older daughters. Their oldest child went with friends. It's a tradition that brings back a lot of memories from both my childhood and taking my own children out to visit all the neighbors and neighborhoods. The piles of candy, sorting, and trading were also fun to watch. I limited my intake all week to three small pieces, since sugar and my body don't get along as well anymore.

Farrell stayed home and passed out full sized candy bars to the neighbors to 37 trick or treaters. One small perk of being retired and empty nesters. He had 37 youngsters come to the door. Some came at 9:45, but he had already turned out the lights and retired. We always turned out the lights at 9 p.m. Some of the school districts still have school the next day. Others had the next day off. I would not want to be a teacher the day after Halloween. Too much sugar always made our kids cranky, whiney, and it had to be hard on their teeth. 🎃

Rachel holding nephew.

We had our annual Favorite Things party to celebrate my birthday. We met at my daughter Rachel's home and it was so relaxing. Even Heather along with her new baby were able to come and hang out. We had take out Indian food, held the baby, had cake and a candle, they sang Happy Birthday, and visited. Her sweet husband took care of the kids downstairs and we stayed up way too late. I drove that night to our oldest daughter's house and spent the night. Luckily we went off daylight savings time so we had an extra hour of sleep. 

The next day we went to church together and celebrated an early Thanksgiving dinner that evening with our side of the family. Their neighbor smoked one of the turkeys and our son, Jesse, made homemade croissant rolls. There were lots of sides and pies and we were all pleasantly stuffed. The food was delicious and the grandkids were the best.

Harvest Dinner

On November 2 up in Anchorage was the annual Harvest Dinner/Wild Game Night. The variety of food is always the best part. It's fun to visit with ward members and friends from the neighborhood. Some dishes are more popular than others. Usually by the time I sit down I can't quite remember what all the dishes are. It makes for lively discussions. We were asked to cook a ham, so Farrell decided to smoke it. I always tell him when he comes in from smoking meat that he smells good enough to eat. I think someone should invent men's cologne that smells like smoking meat:) The harvest dinner is a great way to enjoy the cold weather. 

We have had two big snow storms and it's totally winter already in Anchorage. Back in Utah it's still fall. Hope you are all doing well. We are so grateful for family and friends. Stay warm and stay safe. #Think Celestial

Love always, Elder & Sister Badger

Caribou Polish Sausage

Dahl Sheep in Golden
Mushroom Gravy

Moose Burger Lasagna

Caribou Sausage & Beans

Bear Stew

Rockfish in
Coconut Milk

Sitka Black Tail Deer

Caribou Stew

Bodacious Black Bear
on a Beautiful Bun

Halibut Olympia

Salmon Burnt Ends

Black Bear Nachos

Moose Roast

Moose Meat Loaf

Wild Turkey

Curry Mountain Goat