Dear Roice, Ben, Paul, Melanie, Sara, and Rob,
cc: file, Marti, Sara and Des, Diane Cluff, Tony Hafen, Darrell and Nancy Krueger, Eric and Annette Krueger, Eric and Renee Miner, Claude and Katherine Warner, Forest and Amy Warner, and Ivan and Chell Warner.
Welcome to "Thoughtlets." This is a weekly review of an idea, belief,
thought, or words that will hopefully be of some benefit to you, my
children, with an electronic copy to on-line extended family members.
Any of you can ask me not to clutter your mail box at any time.
What an exciting week! What a wonderful time we live in! What big
challenges we face! What wonderful blessings we have!
Since Saturday the 9th, the following has happened:
- Rick Zimmerman, a friend I met at PAIRS and the President and Owner of
Texas Independent Exploration, invited me over to his house for dinner.
We not only talked about emotional challenges, but Rick has become quite
interested in some of the things I am pursuing. We talked about Project
Mind (http://www.walden3d.com/project_mind), about the Virtual Environment
Technology Laboratory CAVE (http://www.vetl.uh.edu), about Advanced
Structures Incorporated (http://www.asidesign.com) where Roice works,
about Bill Bavingers work on pattern finding and mapping data against
the infinite grid (http://www.walden3d.com/SIC), about advanced computer
graphics research at the University of Utah (http://www.cs.utah.edu/~sci/),
about our intelligent habitat / 3-D cities built around people instead of
cars concepts (http://www.walden3d.com/w3d/design/W3D89A), etc. Rick
talked about taking his daughter to visit his Father in Maryland earlier
in the week and how they had visited the Air and Space Museum in
Washington D.C. He was particularly struck by a quote something to the
effect of `Who is the next Columbus?' Over the last ten years he has built
a company with considerable net worth and he wants to identify and fund
a more positive future of mankind. He has become quite skeptical of
human nature, and yet he still hopes for a better world.
- Sunday was Missionary Correlation Meeting, High Priest Group Leadership
meeting, Ward Conference (with excellent talks by Bishop Daniels and by
President Jones), substituting for Chris Schmidt's Sunday School Class,
Priesthood meeting, High Priest Missionary Committe Meeting at the house,
cooking dinner for Chris Nickol, Melanie's Young Women of Excellence
Award Ceremony, and finishing the reading of President Hinkely's
biography: `Go Forward with Faith.'
- I spent Monday and Tuesday working in Austin at the Bureau of Economic
Geology (http://www.utexas.edu/research/beg/index.html). We are coming
to the end of a big project evaluating the potential of South Lake
Maracaibo in Venezuela. As we put together a formal description of the
exploration prospects my mind was caught up in reviewing the impact of
the Lamanites in the last days. The previous project I worked on at
the B.E.G. resulted in 165 drilling locations for horizontal wells which
will cost US$500,000 each to drill. The payout on those wells is about
a year, and then it is almost pure profit. One of the executives from
the newly combined Pedevesa (merging Lagoven, Maraven, Corpoven, and
Pedevesa) visited a couple of weeks ago. As he talked about his expected
new position of being in charge of all of Western Venezuela, described
the relationship with OPEC, acknowledged Venezuela is currently supplying
more oil to the U.S.A. than Saudi Arabia and intends to triple output
over the next 10 years, and introduced me to a senior scientist, a lady,
who came up to help finish off the project, I recognized the fullfillment
of prophecy. These people are literally the beginning of a wave from
Central and South America which will change the land of the gentiles and
eventually build the New Jerusalem.
- Wednesday I had an unexpected visit with Dr. Bill Kanes, Director of the
Energy and Geoscience Institute at the University of Utah Research Park.
EGI (http://www.egi.utah.edu) was started about 30 years ago at The
University of South Carloina in Columbia. They have the largest current
oil and gas university research consortium (it numbers about the same as
the Seismic Acoustics Laboratory at the University of Houston when I left
to help start Landmark Graphics) and is has about 10 times more income
than SAL had ($7 million for 1997). They have about 43 major oil companies
paying $45,000 per year to play in their game. In addition to this,
companies pay between $15,000 and $150,000 each if they choose to
participate in specific geotechnical studies, including cataloging work
with institutes in Kazakhstan, West Siberia, and Pechora Basins in the
former USSR. I had become friends with Dr. Ray Levey at the BEG, who
recently took a job in Utah as Associate Director of EGI. I thought the
discussion with Dr. Kanes was going to be to see if there was interest
in EGI getting involved at the VETL. It turned into a job interview.
EGI is looking for someone who can talk to the local community (they
have no members of the church on transplanted staff), who can market
their research in Houston (I told him I would not leave Houston until
Rob graduates from High School in four years), and who can work on seismic
interpretation projects. Although it is a relatively small operation,
compared with some of the other stuff I am involved with, EGI is in a
nice part of the world, and if, as it appears, I need to find a new
companion (Genesis 2:18) the potential is higher there (although I will
never stop loving your Mom and continue to hope she can find it in her
heart to change her mind). What suprised me was how open Bill Kanes was
with me regarding the future of EGI and why they moved from South Carolina.
When he first visited Utah, the University had him meet with the top
financial guy in the intermountain west, the top mining guy, and with
President Hinkley, who was 1st counselor in the First Presidency at the
time. He was asked if EGI could help provide geological studies for
new cities (which Bill said no, it was outside of the charter), could
provide investment guidance for energy investments, and implied open
doors into new countries where the church currently does not proselyte.
I was impressed, and had already set up a meeting in Salt Lake on my
way to the Hafen Family Reunion in Heber. The meeting with Bill was
scheduled for an hour, from 10:00 to 11:00. After lunch I brought Bill
by the house, which he said would be a suitable Houston office for EGI.
- Thursday morning early I flew to Las Vegas, drove to St. George and took
your Grandma to lunch and shopping. She bought Sara and I a nice cotton
blanket with pictures of major historical places in St. George on it for
an early Christmas present. We had a good time, even though she is upset
at having someone renting her house. The afternoon was spent with Ray
and Tom Gardner reviewing Shirts' Canyon again, as a possible place for
the prototype new kind of city. Rick had got ill earlier in the week
and so he needed to stay at work and postponed his visit to Southern
Utah until the leaves turn nice colors in the fall. I spent the
evening on the hills in Shirts' Canyon taking pictures of the sunset and
thinking about Columbus. I stayed with Sara and Des that night.
- Friday morning I woke up early and drove to Salt Lake by the back way.
I stopped about half way between Milford and Delta and looked at the
stars, listened to the coyotes, and practiced screaming as taught at
PAIRS (between that and allergies I lost my voice for the next week).
I also stopped by Utah Lake and climbed over the mountains to look at
Cedar Valley (by Cedar Fort) on the west side of those mountains. Took
some nice pictures of this beautiful little desert valley. I stopped at
Deseret Books and met with Jack Lyons, an editor, to discuss ELDO's
(ELectronic DOcuments) and Prime Words (http://www.walden3d.com/w3d/prime_words/PW_Cover.html),
and using Bavinger's pattern finding techniques
and user interface to create a new kind of indexing schema for books. He
gave me permission to use the LDS Collectors Library '97 Infobases to do
a test project. (Bavinger is quite excited about the anticipated patterns
to be drived from 1,400 volumes of text.)
- Lunch and the afternoon were spent with Dr. Ray Levey, Dr. Bob Erhlich,
Dr. Chris Johnson, and Dr. Mike Wright. Neat group of people. Ray and
Bob are both Jewish, and we have really become good friends. They plan
to start an Information Management study group and to have me head it up.
Chris has the largest computer graphics system in the world: a 60
processor Silicon Graphics (the VETL has 4 processors). Back when I was
at the `U' it was the leading institution in computer graphics in the
world. Graduates, like the founder of Silicon Graphics and NetScape, are
encouraging a return to these roots. Most of Chris' work has been in
BioPSE (Bio Problem Solving Environment) where they do computation steering
to simulate the impact of electrical implants in the body, etc., etc.
He was also involved in a $26.8 million grant called ASCI from the DOE
which is part of the transfer of nuclear technology from the large
national labs. His third area of focus is geophysics and energy and
he agreed Walden 3-D / EGI will be the industry interface. Mike was
in charge of Kennecott Copper when I was going to school and now he
heads up the Geothermal Studies at EGI. They are the only geotechnical
group in the world studing geothermal power supplies. Neat stuff, with
a tremendous potential impact. Especially in South America. I was
quite excited as I left EGI and drove up I-80 to Heber.
- It was really nice to drive up to the beautiful landscaped gardens of
Sunrise Nursery and see all of the Hafen family gathered for a reunion.
`Muggy' had cooked a whole pig like they did in Argentina where he
served his mission. Roice was there with Diane and two of her kids.
There were about 50 people and we had a lot of fun. Tony caught half
a dozen large rainbow trout for breakfast Saturday morning. We ate,
played vollyball and got sunburned, ate, fished, ate, talked, ate,
played horse shoes, ate, had campfires, ate, told stories, ate, looked
at the phesants and goats and rabbits, ate, and for the most part enjoyed
each other's company. I wish you all could have been there with Roice
and I. Sara and I are going to do the Hafen reunion next summer and so
I hope you will all plan on attending with me. We will probably go back
to Heber since Glenn volunteered and has set up such a nice 1997 version
of the Calf Springs Ranch of the 1950's and early 1960's.
- Sunday after another giant breakfast of sausages, hash browns, pancakes,
fruit, and juice, talking to Grandma Hafen, and saying good-byes I drove
down to Cedar City. I went through Provo at 10:40 and decided to go to
an 11:00 Sacrament Meeting. I saw a young couple dressed for church
and followed them to the Bonneville Seventh Ward. It was special:
- After the sacrament the parents of a baby who was blessed were asked
to share their testimonies. I cried as I thought of each of your
blessings and how much you each mean to me.
- Sister Erin Gwilliam talked about receiving an ugly ring while serving
her mission in Southern California. Then she found out it was her
Great Grandmother's ring and it became a blessing which was no longer
ugly. The scriptures she read about commitment were very touching
(Omni 1:26; Alma 23:6; and Alma 24:25 & 30).
- I love the songs of Zion and was especially touched this meeting as
we sang: Now Let Us Rejoice; As Now We Take The Sacrament; Precious
Savior, Dear Redeemer; and Nearer, My God to Thee. There were tears
in my eyes during the songs.
- Brother Erin Gwilliam talked about Christ as the ultimate example of
commitment. He told about Wilma Rudolf, who born 2 months premature
in 1940 and who later had polio won the 100, 200, and 400 meter Olympic
races in Italy with a sprained ankle. He said: winners make commitments
and losers make promises. We must first have the desire, second have
the courage, and third be determined (Luke 23:44-46 and II Timotny 4:7).
I did not have the radio on once from Las Vegas to Salt Lake and back.
- Bishop Farnsworth (probably related to David Farnsworth, a friend from my youth), closed the
meeting talking about the word theame for the 3rd Quarter: Commitment and
Consecration. He pointed out our level of commitment determines the level
of blessings we receive. How our attitude or testimony determines our
commitment. Then he admonished us `Do not be slothful because of the
easiness of the way. We must strengthen our testimony and our commitment.'
There is so much to think about. We have so many blessings.
As I contemplate the Hafen Family Reunion there are two things that stand
out. First was the words my sister Sara said about kindness. There were
too many unkind, hurtful, mean words spoken at the reunion. Any is too
many, and they were excessive. I certainly recognized how I have let myself
get caught up in this unhealthy family tradition and see the fruits of an
unrecognized sin in my own life. I hope we can all learn to see the positive
and to only speak the positive about others. There were times when there
were wonderful things said. Grandma Hafen sat outside all day Saturday and
just enjoyed her posterity. She looked at me and said `Arn't all of these
people the most beautiful people you have ever seen in your life.' I agree!
She later asked me to take a picture of Dan Cluff, with his long hair and
beard, so she could brag to her friends in St. George. I won't try to call
out all of the kind things which were said, partly for fear of missing
someone and causing an unintended offense, but largely because I have already
written way more than some of you have time to read and more than I have time
to write.
The second thing that stands out for me about the Hafen Family Reunion of
1997 happened Friday night and was confirmed Sunday morning. I had just
got to sleep in my little tent, and Roice was asleep on the cement by the
table at Campsite 17 in the Wasatch State Park Campground, when Diane Cluff
came and knocked on the tent and asked if I could come and help her brother
Anthony (Muggy) give her daugher Michelle a blessing. Michelle had an
asthma attack and couldn't sleep. I had oil. I explained how a blessing
worked, annointed, Muggy sealed the blessing, and I asked Michelle to give
us each a hug and to go to sleep. She didn't sleep very well. However, on
Sunday morning as we were saying good bye to everyone this beautiful young
lady came up and put her arm around me and wouldn't let go. It was absolutely
wonderful. What blessings we have, if we can only remember to count them."
I'm interested in sharing weekly a "thoughtlet" (little statements of big thoughts which mean a lot to me) with you because I know how important the written word can be. I am concerned about how easy it is to drift and forget our roots and our potential among all of distractions of daily life. If you ever want to download any of these thoughtlets, they are posted at http://www.walden3d.com/hrnmen
or you can e-mail me at rnelson@walden3d.com.
With all my love,
Dad
(H. Roice Nelson, Jr.)