In the Light

Hello All,

Farrell writing this week. Love the light up here! 17 hours and 44 minutes of daylight. First light @ 3:50 a.m., Sunrise @ 5:05 a.m., Sunset @ 10:49 p.m., Last light @ 12:04 a.m. The sun comes up in the far NE and sets in the far NW. We never see nighttime as we are always asleep:)

Fuchsias & lobelia.

About the same temperature every day. Mid 50's high and mid 40's low. Usually a sprinkle here and there. We were finally brave enough to pick up two hanging baskets on Friday for our front porch. They usually don't put them out until June 1 here. Fuchsias really grow well here. They are covered in blossoms all summer. We had them last year. Kitty picked baskets again that also had blue lobelia to match the house. In the Utah heat in past years it was all I could do to keep them alive.

This week was one of the busiest we have had. Between all of the activity with the temple construction and a visit from our church project manager it kept us running. He lives in WA and oversees I think now four temples. We always appreciate his visits. He is a very smart, people person. We feel relieved of all our burdens when he answers all our questions. Seems like we would have them all answered by now but something always comes up. They are often people questions or sometimes protocol questions. He did give us a lot more to do -- wanted help with his monthly report which added about two days to our week. We do have fun taking what we call our monthly rendering photos. We did it on Friday early evening -- the most likely time no one is around. They are the architectural renderings that we try to match place and position with a photo.  I show each rendering on a tablet in front of Kitty while she precisely lines up the camera. We thought we would put an X on the floor but that hasn't happened yet. This round was a little tough. There was a lot of extra stuff around blocking some of the views. The worst offender was sheets of plastic dropped from the ceiling to protect areas from the fireproofing spray they had been applying to overhead steel beams. Luckily the next day when we went back and they had cleaned most of it out allowing us to get representative pictures.

 17 May 2025 Courtesy of Johnathan Hughes

This picture was taken 5/16 from the NW corner by drone. I personally like going up to the 2nd level. That is the area I keep telling Kitty is the place I want to put a chair and hang out for awhile. I could easily bring my computer up and sit in the sun. Only problem is everyone else is working so hard I would feel a little out of place. The white material is the final PVC roof membrane.

The foreman for the civil contractor is one of our favorite people. He works long shifts, does precision work, always says hi, and smiles. I caught him sitting late one day on the edge of a trench. I tried to tease him a bit by saying it was the first time I had ever seen him sitting. He was actually sighting along the pipe keeping it straight while a big front end loader backfilled the trench. 

Corner lot behind temple.

About a week ago, the decision was made to build a temporary parking lot on one corner of the site which is currently not part of the temple site proper (different zoning). They need more room for construction worker parking. Our Visitors' Center trailer is moving next week as a result on the other side of the parking lot. It will be a great spot, a little higher elevation, a better view, and out of the traffic. That was originally the desired location but the truck driver couldn't maneuver the 60' x 10' unit back over a deep swale into position through the deep snow. This second try should make it happen. They seem to be committed. We secured everything in the Visitor's Center on Friday for the move. The computers moved to our house (so we could keep working), all the pictures were taken off the walls and laid face down on the floor, cabinet doors secured, etc. We have learned over time to be flexible. It will take them awhile to reconnect power, internet (which we can't live without), sewer system, etc.

Young moose by Klatt Chapel Sunday.

I have had several conversations with neighbors lately. I really enjoy those. One woman has a couple of beautiful golden labs. Everyone here has dogs it seems. Another neighbor we have mentioned before is a vet with a 6 yr. old son. She also has a dog that acts like he is in attack mode half the time. It jumped our 6 ft. fence. Luckily he comes up to me amicably. A single man down the street always wants to talk. He will stop when he is driving by to talk. One has a yard filled with native plants/flowers. She wants to tell me all about them. I enjoy it all. They all get invitations to our Visitors' Center. Soon the General Contractor will be replacing their backyard fences. It will be an upgrade for all of them but somewhat disruptive during the transition. He is about to go visit with each one make sure they are all prepared. I think the church property line is about 5' inside their fence lines. Some time ago, the church made the decision not to pursue that issue. Keeping animals and kids safe is the main goal.

We saw a young moose next to the parking lot after church today at the Klatt Chapel. It's been awhile and it was fun to see one so close.

We hope all are doing well wherever you are. We love you. Keep in touch!

#ThinkCelestial

Love, Farrell & Kitty

Elder & Sister Badger