cc: file, Tony Hafen, Pauline Nelson via mail, Sara and Des Penny, Claude and Katherine Warner, Lloyd and Luana Warner, Diane Cluff, Maxine Shirts via mail.
"Well, for those who read these words, I guess it is obvious I did not get caught up this last week. I'm still three weeks behind. Oh well!
However, in my mind it fits to write about my experiences and feelings at Paul and Kate's wedding and reception the morning after Melanie and Jared's reception. I am so proud of all four of you. Simultaneously I am worried about others. I remember reading it is a sign of intelligence to be able to keep conficting ideas in your mind simultaneously. Jefferson's writing the Declaration of Independence while a slave holder. Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural creations, like Falling Water, while the commensurate philanderer. I have a long planning horizon and tend to be wholistic. As Roice has pointed out to me, I worry about 5 or 40 years from now, and don't seem to enjoy the moment. I apologize if it appears my enthusiasm for the wonderful choices and examples the four of you have and are making is lacking.
Kate, Paul, Jared, or Melanie, I could not be any happier with your choices, your examples, and with the sizzle you each bring to our family. Thank you for two of the most wonderful weeks of my life. I hope you each understand I am not in the same class as Thomas Jefferson or Frank Lloyd Wright, and it is hard for me to separate conflicting ideas and fears. I guess it is part of the lot of being a parent to worry about about your offspring. And, judging from Grandma Hafen's worrying about my Mom, and Mom worrying about Sara and me, I imagine I will worry about you kids, especially the kids who are making coices which I know can and will bring unecessary pain. In the meantime, be still and know that I am estatic about and completely fullfilled with the recent choices the four of you have made and are making.
This fact of being a proud father is reflected in my theme this week, the Timpanogas Temple. I vaguely remember in General Conference, or reading in the church news, when the prophet announced the church was building yet another temple in Utah. Usually when I hear about another temple in Utah I wonder, `When are they going to build a temple in Cedar City (or Enoch or Kolob or Zion?)' It is easy to fall into the mode of saying, `After all, I have paid about $400,000 in tithing and donations over my life, and so surely I should have some say in where that money is spent.' However, as soon as one says (or writes or even thinks) these words, it is obvious their source is not in harmony nor directed by the spirit the temple is all about. Tithing, like presents or heirlooms, are not really given if we attempt to keep strings tied to them. It is hard to trust the process.
As most of you know, I usually take the back road between the Salt Lake Airport and Cedar (Bangerter Highway to Redwood Road, in back of Utah Lake, to Eureka, then Delta, Milford, Minersville, Dad's farm, and Cedar). So even though I have gone to Utah fairly regularly (between 4 and 8 times per year since Mom had her stroke in 1985), and partly because many times I fly into Las Vegas and drive up to St. George or Cedar City, the Timpanogas Temple had probably been built for several years before I drove down I-15 and saw it shining on the hill top. There is a reason why it is the favorite temple of BYU students. Outside of the Salt Lake Temple, it is the most beautiful temple in Utah. It is not a great and spacious building. Rather it is a jewel carefully set on the crest of a mountain to beckon those who are willing to listen to and be touched by the spirit of the Holy Ghost. When I first saw it, I immediately wanted to go visit. However, those were the days when I did not talk to family about desiring to go to the temple, because it just raised ire. Little did I know that my first visit would be to attend the eternal marriage of my 3rd son.
Picking up from last weeks autobiography: I woke up to find myself not on a Houston Metro bus (0022.html) going to the Houston Temple, but on a small Delta airplane, which was landing in Canada. It was midnight. This trip I remembered to bring my passport, and so there were not any problems getting through customs, like in times past. Once again the airlines did not bother to loose, nor to damage my bag. Thankfully. The streets were wet, reflecting the glare of freeway and city lights as the India Indian cab driver took me to the Prince Palace Hotel in downtown Calgary. It took longer to get the key and to take the elevator to the 25th floor than it took to hang out my shirts, change into pajamas, and fall asleep. I was drained after dreaming and worrying about possible problems at the two upcoming weddings a few hours before, when I had fallen into a dream sleep on the plane. Yet I remember there was also comfort dreaming about entering the Lord's jewel, the Timpanogas Temple.
Despite the hour time difference, I woke up late. It was 8:15 before I crawled out of bed, ironed a white shirt, shaved, showered, dried my hair, and got dressed. It was 8:45 when I walked out of the hotel, walked four blocks to Prince Creek Park, and looked up on the bluff overlooking the Bow River to see the Calgary 6th Ward Chapel. Currently a smaller jewel than the Timpanogas Temple, the steeple still beckoned from the skyline, silhouetted against the glow of cool hazy morning light and a clouded sky. Climbing all of the stairs to get to the top of the hill was a better workout than running a mile. It was 9:07 when I slipped into one of the back pews, only to learn from the next speaker that sacrament meeting started at 8:30, and I missed the opportunity to confess my faith in Christ, repent of sins recognized and unrecognized, and recommit to honor by baptism by partaking of the sacrament. However, I could listen to the talks and as the High Councilor talked about unexpectably being put in a position to bear testimony at a professional meeting banquet, I recalled times when I have found myself in similar circumstances.
The older gentleman who sat next to me in Sunday School and Priesthood meeting, both classes being held in the chapel, had been a convert for 50 years. His wife has never joined the church. The spirit bore witness of the rightness of Paul and Kate going to the Timpanogas Temple as I contemplated the events to come later in the week. Gospel Doctrine Class was the same lesson as we had the week before in Houston. The approach was completely different, and I realized it would be hard for some to see these two lessons as having even been related. What great wisdom the church leaders have in providing a framework within which eternal gospel truths can be taught with local context. I spent the afternoon at The University of Calgary registering for `GeoCanada 2000.' Keith Rawlinson picked me up at 6:00, and I spent the evening with his family. Dixie cooked a wonderful dinner of barbeque beef, salad, and each of the daughters had made a nice desert. They have a dog who likes to go for the crotch. Keith asked me 15 times if I would like a beer. Still I thoroughly enjoyed myself and the conversation. For those who do not know or do not remember, along with John Amason, Ron Burgerner, Rhonda Hartmann, and myself, Keith was one of the co-founders of Walden Visualization Systems, which became Continuum Resources International Corporation (../9803.html, ../9816.html). I really like him, and have learned over the years to listen closely to his technical advise and comments, while ignoring his ribbing about my not drinking beer. The last time I ate with them was in New Zealand, with their beautiful house overlooking the beach, where Keith jogged 5 miles every morning. This house overlooks a beautiful valley, State Park, which runs all the way to Baniff. There are black bears in the park regularly. I mentioned how beautiful the Calgary skyline was from the 6th Ward Chapel, and Keith's comments about how ugly downtown Calgary is when compared to the beauty of the park certainly resonated with my ideas which are encapsulated in Walden 3-D. Sometimes spirit-to-spirit communication is stronger than words. It was after 10:00 PM before I realized it past time to go back to the hotel.
Monday was Memorial Day, a company holiday in Houston. However, it was a regular day in Calgary. I got up and ran down to Prince Creek Park, ran around the Island, ran across the bridge over the Bow River, and climbed the steps to the Calgary 6th Ward. Good workout. I walked back to the hotel and then got cleaned up. I took the Calgary light rail out to the University of Calgary and spent the entire day listening to talks, seeing demonstrations, and looking at poster papers. Very good set of papers and presentations. I saw an old friend from an early trip to China, Bob Mummery, and we spent some time getting reacquainted. I was definitely tired by the time I got back to the green awnings of the Prince Palace Hotel. Tuesday was similar, except I gave a Keynote Talk in the morning. The talk was titled `Turning Maps into Models' and it was the best reception I have had for several years. Questions lasted as long as the talk, and then I spent a couple of hours in follow-up discussion with a lady from Germany, a couple of guys from Husky, and some folks from BP Amoco. Landmark's original power user at Amoco, Gordon Cain, came up and talked to me. The Husky guys asked me to come back to repeat the talk for the Calgary Geotechnical Luncheon sometime in the fall. It was nice to feel accepted again. Wednesday morning I was too tired to run around the island and climb the hill. So I slept in and filled out and copied an expense form. I went to talks about fluvial stratigraphic systems. I also talked to a professor at UC who is building a 3-D GIS system to run over the web. The flight to Salt Lake left Calgary at 5:30. I drove past the Timpanogas Temple at dusk, just as the sunset sparkled on the towers of the jewel.
Paul and Kate it was great to see you. Kate, I'm sorry I am a trekkie, and yet I'm glad you now have no doubt that I am still a little boy living in my fantasy world. It was a fun evening, and the pizza was good. Paul, what are you going to do without John there to order pizza, and then call back for drinks, without even having to look up the number? I expect you will compensate somehow. After 3 Star Trek episodes, I did my wash, ironed my shirts, and had a good night sleep. Thursday morning I went for a run, and had a type of out of body experience a block away from Paul's house. It was an anti-pizza expulsion experience and it took a while to clean up the bathroom and to rewash my jogging clothes when I got back to the apartment. Oh well! As I finished cleaning up Sara called saying Melanie, Jared, and her had missed their plane to Salt Lake. I suggested they fly to Las Vegas, and take the shuttle to St. George. They did, even though Sara didn't have her bag for a couple of days. I drove past the Timpanogas Temple about 8:30 AM, and again thought about how beautiful it is and how wonderful the rest of the week would be. I got to the airport at 10:00, just in time for an hour RC-SIG teleconference call using a pay phone across from Andrea's gate. She arrived on time at 10:30 AM and we said hello with my hand cupped over the receiver. After the call we got the rental car and headed out for St. George via Cedar City. I love the desert and think this drive has unique beauty.
Aunt Luana and Uncle Lloyd, thanks for rescuing the kids! Mom, thanks for going out to dinner with us! I've watched Jared ever since you told him he looks goofy like Paul, and have determined he was just shy. No one can be goofy like Paul! Mom, I wish we made it to St. George more often, and am glad we were able to come and to see you again. Aunt Sara, thanks for housing Melanie, Jared, and Sara! Grandma Shirts, thanks for letting Andrea and I campout. What a neat family weekday! Friday morning Andrea and I went for a run/walk (there is an difference in elevation between Houston and Cedar City). We stopped and saw Scott Truman, then I went over to pick up the kids at Aunt Sara's. I walked down and picked up on a conversation Ray Gardner had started when we were in Cedar City at Christmas about working together if we move back to Cedar City. Seems like we had just started talking when the crew all arrived at the office.
So we (Brian, Sara, Melanie, and Jared) took off for Provo. Andrea, and Heather rode up with Aunt Sara later in the day. Andrea had friends to see and a tuition reimbursement for Audrey to negotiate. Melanie, I thought it was funny how you kept asking me questions, which could be answered with a single syllable (which of course I did). The part I found funny was that when I started talking about Walden 3-D ideas, a new city in Shirts' Canyon, milking water from the atmosphere, integrating clear and gray and brown water for multiple use, Buckminster Fuller's Cloud Nine Floating Ternsegrity Spheres, moving the Salt Lake Temple to Jackson County on the bicentennial of the restoration of the church in 2030, and other such musings you quickly became bored. Sara, thanks for asking questions and being interested in the stuff I think about and work on. I thought it was funny when we drove past some cows and I pointed and said `Look, hamburger!'
We got to Provo early enough I went over to FARMS (Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies). I met Dr. Dan McKinley and Dr. John Sorenson, whose book `Mormon's Map' I had just read. I proposed a high resolution seismic survey over Santa Rosa, the ruins `A Possible Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon' predicts is Zarahemla. Dr. Sorenson thinks it is too big of a project to build a model of the ancient civilizations of MesoAmerica where his books are written about. I figure it would be less than a tenth the amount of data in a good sized 3-D seismic survey. Dr. Sorenson wanted to get back to work and he pointed me towards some engineers in the Clyde building who are doing work with remote sensing. I met with Dr. David G. Long in Electrical and Computing Engineering. After a short conversation, he invited me to come and give a seminar at BYU sometime. He introduced me to Dr. Alan Zundel, who is from Cedar City, has 20 students doing 1-D, 2-D, and 3-D finite element and finite difference modeling of surface water quality and migration, watershed, rainfall, and snowmelt; and groundwater modeling, migration, contours, and plumes. Neat people, and given funding for some of my ideas, there is a definite opportunity to engage them in some of the projects I hope to undertake. This was a fun couple of hours for me.
Friday evening we drove up by the Timpanogas Temple to help get ready for Paul and Kate's Brunch and Reception. The temple is beautiful at night with all of the lights. It was fun to get to know some of Kate's family. Good people and hard workers. Brian and I cut up pineapples while Aunt Sara and Andrea washed and arranged strawberries, grapes, and other fruit (I was also arranged). We got to Randy and Kathryn's about midnight, tired, and feeling good.
I slept in Saturday morning. Andrea got up and started ironing table cloths with Aunt Sara. I think they even found time for a run/walk. I got up and got ready before Aunt Sara, Brian, Heather, or Andrea. Randy and Kathryn sure have a nice house. We got back to the chapel about 8:30, and Brian and Heather and I put balloons and signs up on the other church (the one on the invite in Paul and Kate's announcement) showing them where the real church was. The brunch was nice. Kate was radiant. Kate, I especially noticed your aura at the Timpanogas Temple, both during and after your sealing. The sealing was performed by a retired member of the Tabernacle Choir. His words were simple and profound. One of the things he taught is marriage starts with love, communication, and commitment and it lasts with commitment, communication, and love. There is such a simple elegance in the process of being married for time and eternity in The House of The Lord. Paul, thanks for being my Nephi, my strength and my hope when I felt all that was important to me was lost. Kate, he is not perfect, and he is a very good man. I think you have both made a wonderful selection.
The photographer was good, and I thought it was funny to have someone video taping the same pictures being taken by the photographer. That is, I thought it was funny until I saw the portion of the video tape put together for the reception that evening. What a wonderful legacy. Sara and Brian and Bridget went to Salt Lake for the day. Andrea, Heather, and I took a nap at the church after the wedding and before getting ready for the reception. The reception was in a wonderful pioneer rock amphitheater. I put yellow and green balloons out and asked people to move their cars. The tables had bowls of water on them with goldfish in the bowls. The food table was a cornucopia, and everything was so-ooooooooooo good. There was a good crowd, including one of Andrea's missionary companions. By the time we sent Paul and Kate off in a sea of bubbles and under the lights of the Timpanogas Temple, we were all really tired. I think the video does a better job of telling the story than I can do with words, and so I won't belabor this epistle. I'm just glad I could spend those few special moments, which have the promise of eternal relationships, with those I love in the Timpanogas Temple."