Must tell this one!

I just have to tell this story.

On the way to Utah for "THE WEDDING" Les and Emily had this little adventure:

Leaving Ramah while it wasn't very light put them in Pescado at the time the jackrabbits were still out. One was in the road and Lester thought it would hunker down, like they usually do when they don't run to the side of the road. 
He didn't.

When they stopped in Gallup at Micky-D's for breakfast someone was staring at their truck and asked them "Where did you get THAT?". 
This is what they saw:

  The guy thought it was a cool grille ornament and wanted to know where Les got it!
Les explained it was a real rabbit and was off the road.
Emily: "Take that thing out of there!"
Lester: "We'll be stopping and some res-dog will take care of it."

At Shiprock when they stopped - sure enough a dog ran by and grabbed the lunch 
and exited - stage left.
It was too bad for the rabbit, but once it had chosen to become ambient temperature, what followed seems very funny to me. Especially Lester's grasp of conditions on the reservation! He could probably manufacture fake ones and sell them to local rednecks.

I'm still here

I know it's been a long time 

 but I'll be back soon!

Just so you would

 know it's really me!

Special Fast for Snow

At the end of January 2012, Our bishop, Martin Romine, had the inspiration that all the rain in the summer wouldn't be enough to save the valley from the effects of the drought we are in, So he invited the Ward, and all others in the area who wanted to, to join in a special fast and prayers for sufficient snow to fill the lake and help replenish the water wells in the area. Members were to also attend the temple on 11th February and all to concentrate our prayers for snow. 

Here are some of the early results:

A tree at the Church!

 Ramah Care's front yard!

Grandma Carmen's Mustang convertable!

Since the first snow, we have had more and even when the meteriologists have said "This storm won't be much," we have had good moisture from each ripple that came through. I think there is enough snow now on the Zuni mountains to fill the lake. 
We want to thank all who joined in the fast and prayers!
 

Yuma here we went!

Some of our family lives in Yuma Arizona.

2 sisters and their husbands.

We took Carmen's Mustang on it's first road trip,

and were pleasantly surprised to get 29 mpg!! :o)

on the way down. We stopped at "Becker's Butte" in the Salt River Canyon - the same place where we stopped on the way back to Ramah 29 Oct 1955, after our wedding in the Arizona Mesa Temple. Both stops we took a photo of Carmen sitting on the rock wall. I have searched for the first photo (56+ year old one) and can't find it, but here's the one from 1 Feb 2012.

 The reason we took this picture with the blanket in the lap was to try to duplicate the old photo where the wind was blowing Carmen's skirt making it appear she was expecting after 24 hours of marriage. We thought it was funny but without the other photo it didn't turn out as we thought. So much for that boring bit.
On to Yuma

My oldest living sister, Mervie and her husband Hal Earl

Left to right:
Carmen, me, my youngest living sister Agnes, her husband Don Rose, my sister Mervie and her husband Hal Earl.
We went out for lunch at Cracker Barrel and the waitress took this shot. The quality of the photo was not nearly as good as the food or service.
   While in Yuma, Don and "Pete" Rose took us to see a park dedicated as a monument to the Mormon Battalion.
 In the park is a heroic sized statue of a soldier on a multi-sided base with the roster of the battalion inscribed on it. There were the names of my grandfather, William James Johnston and his brother Jesse Walker Johnston. Grandpa made it all the way to San Diego California but his brother became sick near Socorro New Mexico and was sent back to Santa Fe then on to Pueblo Colorado for the winter, and from there to Salt Lake City Utah.

I had left our camera in the car so didn't get any photos of the park :o( RATS!
On the trip home we took a side street to see if the house we lived in for a short time in Globe Arizona still existed (it didn't) . On the way back to the highway we spotted a very unusual shop and stopped in to see what was going on. What a place!
The large outside yard was FULL of ????? (I don't even know what to call them except "sculptures") - here are a few:

  All the objects in this photo were made of cobble stones, iron and willows.

Carmen is admiring the works.

Note the stone and iron butterfly on the table in front of the chairs.

Even the flowers and cacti are made of iron.

 An army of stone and iron ants.

 Cactus and roadrunner.

Javalina mama and pigletts.

 Monkey by same artist.

 Would you believe a dishpan turtle?

Mariachis!

What else but a dragon surrounded by flowers, some cranes, a flamingo, and a grasshopper!

More mariachis, 2 calves and many objects of unknown identity (at least to me).
 


 This is only 2 of the many scorpions in the yard.

 There were many spiders in the yard, too.

Where else does the "remainder" of your cigarette go?

Inside the warehouse were many beautiful works of art, antiques, and some really bizarre things like this elk skin with something in it's mouth.

I simply have NO archive that begins to rival this! 
So maybe next BLOG!