Mostly about Utah
On Monday I stopped by Motor Trend’s Auto Show in Sandy. My sons Paul and Jake wanted to see it so I went along. In the time I was there, I wasn’t approached once by any salespeople (a positive) and I was able to check out a lot of new autos. I was interested in [...]
I thought it would never snow but overnight we got several inches in Kaysville. Out came the snowman builders to construct a giant snowman. Just build him like a regular snowman but bigger. You may need some help to hoist his head so pay attention to the photographs that follow. Later in the day our [...]
Father Christmas came to visit
My grandchildren this year.
But when he loudly Ho Ho Hoed
They refused to go near.
So Father Christmas skillfully
Made candy canes appear.
And with this very tasty treat
He overcame their fear.
It is not often that the Governor warns the citizens of Utah about the weather. But he did just that Saturday night when he urged residents along the northern Wasatch Front to prepare for another windstorm, forecast to begin at 5pm Sunday. After Thursday’s windstorm, most residents have not had time to completely clean up. [...]
Yesterday we only had two hours before dark on Steven’s roof. After helping pull out two tree stumps at our neighbor’s homes, we headed back to Layton to finish the repairs to the roof. We nailed the last shingle by 4pm. Earlier in the day it seemed like the whole of Davis [...]
Moving Out Jake and Rachel got the keys to their new house yesterday. Today we moved them out of their rented duplex and into their first home. A lot of family members turned out to help them move and I captured the historic moment for Rickety. Moving In Thank you everyone for [...]
This year’s Halloween nor’easter has started me thinking about how to heat my apartment if the power goes out for an extended period of time. If the water and gas are still on, one possibility is to make a simple hydronic heating system using the water heater. The basic idea is to hook a hose [...]
Megan moved into the Davis Park YSA Ward in September 2010. She attended the newcomer’s gospel doctrine class that Paul taught. On the day that Megan went Paul was not teaching but he went each week. On 14th October 2010 the ward sponsored a pizza making activity that Paul and Megan attended. Paul made a [...]
We were sitting in the living room when Dan came in and asked Paul if he wanted to go hike to get an old shovel they had found months ago. Paul said that was a good idea and I reluctantly went along, giving them reasons why I didn’t think it was a good idea. We [...]
Last November Paul and I visited Spiral Jetty at Rozel Point. Then the Jetty was several hundred feet away from the waters of the Great Salt Lake. Yesterday Paul revisited Spiral Jetty, accompanied by Megan, with Julie and Dan. They found the Jetty almost submerged. Compare the photographs of the Jetty from November of last [...]
One of the main ingredients for Family Home Evening must surely be the treat. On Sunday, I spied an old can of Lyle’s Black Treacle (by appointment to Her Majesty) on the pantry shelf and prised open the lid, which had printed upon it, “BEST BEFORE OCT 2001″ and “DISPOSE OF ON EXPIRY.” [...]
Family members who have seen this video have requested that I post it. A kind of Grand Canyon addendum to our recent trip. I about fall over laughing every time I watch Jill’s little stumble. .
Now that Daniel is back from his mission he can concentrate on his schooling and maybe the odd girlfriend. His latest date, Krystal, was somewhat cold and a little flaky but she didn’t talk much so that was a positive. She has no heart for studying but did try a semester at Snow College. Krystal [...]
Today we visited the Ogden Union Station to attend The Hostlers Model Railroad 2011 Festival. There were HO, N, G, O and S scale layouts in several rooms. During the three day show over 8,000 people will visit (it seemed like all of them were there right at the time we arrived). The Hostlers Model [...]
Paul seems to think my eyes aren’t able to see quite as well as when I was his age. So for his latest project he programmed a jumbo universal remote that Megan bought from Deseret Industries. It cost $1.50 because the battery cover was missing. But there is nothing that Paul can’t fix with a [...]
There was snow on the ground so Adelaide, Sarah, the grandchildren, Jill, and I went sledding. We picked a very small hill for the grandchildren and took our cameras. Click on the images to enlarge. The videos are usually not visible in a feed reader. In the screencap below I have circled a girl in [...]
Paul slid on some ice on a mountain trail two weeks and wrecked his Jeep. Now it is time for repairs.
This is for today’s youth that can’t build anything without first looking it up on the Internet.
Yesterday Jake and Rachel opened their presents at their Wedding Gift Opening Gathering. It was hosted by Rachel’s mother and family were invited to attend. Jill and I took photographs of Jake and Rachel opening their gifts. Later I emailed the photographs to the givers with a short message. If you are thinking of trying [...]
Daniel brought back from Mongolian some traditional garb gifts. He allowed us to try on these Christmas presents ahead of time. First up is Daniel wearing a deel that appears similar to a caftan. Deels in blue, olive, or burgundy, made from cotton, silk, or brocade, reach to the wearers knees and fan out at [...]
Yesterday Jacob and Rachel were married in the Bountiful Temple. For those not familiar with Mormon weddings, I will explain. Members of the Church believe that marriages performed in temples are “sealed,” or blessed to last for eternity. Those who are sealed in the temple have the assurance that their relationship will continue forever if [...]
Today Rachel, my soon to be daughter-in-law, went to the Bountiful temple to receive her endowment. With her were her family and fiancé, Jake. Jake’s parents Rick and Jill; siblings Steven, Sarah, and Paul; and a brother-in-law Derek, were also in attendance. Daniel still has three days of his mission left to serve. After the [...]
Have you ever felt like you were going around in circles? That all you were doing was spinning your wheels? That the next round that life dealt you would be just the same as the last? Well no, not normally. That is until today when Paul asked me if I’d like to get out of [...]
Last Tuesday afternoon found Paul and I heading north to visit Spiral Jetty at Rozal Point. It was a warm day for Northern Utah in November. We drove past the Golden Spike Visitors Center and followed the signs to Spiral Jetty. The dirt road was being graded in places as we traveled closer to the [...]
The short version: The wedding is on Wednesday 15th December 2010. The detailed version: The proposal was kept top secret. No-one knew. Steven helped to figure the ring size from photographs by counting pixels. So he knew that a proposal was coming but he didn’t know when. Jake explained to me in an exclusive interview for Rickety [...]
The odometer is driven by a small unipolar stepper motor. The motor is so small it can be driven directly by the Arduino using the example code found here at Arduino.
Paul decided it was time he took up four wheeling so he bought a 1993 Jeep Cherokee. There was one problem — there always is: when Paul tried to shift into 4-wheel drive there was “a grinding and crunching noise,” as Paul described it, coming from the transfer case. This newly acquired 4-wheel drive vehicle [...]
Steven visited yesterday evening and with his brothers gave my tree a new look.
The women were safely occupied with General Relief Society Meeting so we wouldn’t be disturbed for two hours.
Below is a one minute video of someone many of us know who is teaching himself piano. Can you guess who it is? The identity of the musician is revealed at the end of the video. The title to this post also gives you a clue. The arrangement was purchased for $1 from the Jon [...]
In the photograph above Connie illustrates what the canyon looks like by the pictographs. Not that it helps much I admit. There is a Forest Service marker at one point that warns you not to touch the rock art. We looked at the rock, and even took pictures, but we could not see any art [...]
On Labor Day at 8 am nine adventurous souls set off to find the Parrish Canyon Fremont pictographs. The pictographs are not very far up the canyon.
Paul and Jake tell me that yesterday they launched from the south and sailed to the east on Causey Reservoir. They camped there and then sailed back to the south today.
My son Steven went with the crew of the Good Raft Paul to photograph the launch at Causey Reservoir.
The raft was completed yesterday evening. The second story was braced and disassembled for transportation.
Paul and Jake have all the barrels and the wood they need and this evening are finishing the project. With help from kind friends they were able to complete a portion earlier. If you had no clue what the project was about then the photographs and videos here should make it a little clearer. Click [...]
Paul acquired his last four barrels for $5 each. The next stage of this project involves a lot of wood. No problem, Home Depot is not far away.
Paul has undertaken a number of projects of late. There was the arc welder from microwave ovens (still to be completed); the Halloween costume from a microwave oven; the Arduino AVR High-Voltage Serial Programmer; Green Jell-O Filled Orange Wedges; and Green Jell-O Pineapple Rings.
Derek and Sarah have been back from Texas since June and staying with family. Yesterday it was time for them to move back into their own home.
Last Sunday the family gathered to the Lakeview Ward for the blessing of Cassandra Willoughby.
I wanted to take my grandchildren camping so I made reservations for two campsites. I then invited the parents to go and before the day was out they were ready for the trip. So last weekend we went to Wasatch Mountain State Park. We camped overnight at Little Deer Creek Campground. Here are a few [...]
This morning was the Independence Day Kaysville Rotary 12th Annual 10K and 5K Run / 5K Walk “Run for Reading” at the Davis High School Stadium.
Six pounds eleven ounces. Nineteen inches. Born at three twenty eight. We’re all doing well.
This year’s Kaysville South Stake 5K Family Fun Run participation was a little lower than usual, probably because of the weather. With rain, temperatures in the 40′s, and a 12 mph wind only the hearty ventured out. Here’s what the weather looked like from where I stood, nice and dry inside the bowery. There were [...]
Paul spends a portion of his time constructing arc-welders from microwaves and making green Jell-O treats. Jell-O pineapple rings are easy to make: Empty juice from a can of pineapple rings. Mix the Jell-O (use green if you live in Utah), substituting juice for water. Use the can as a mold, moving the pineapple rings around to [...]
This year Father’s Day came early. No, I’ve not moved to Romania, Tonga, or Germany (they all celebrate Father’s Day in May). It is just that Paul and Jake decided to move up Father’s Day a whole month.
This month it was Paul’s birthday so we asked him where he wanted to go to eat. He decided on Dairy Queen, which explains the photograph above. He’s the good looking chap in the yellow shirt.
When Jill heard the news she was just ecstatic. Jill is not an emotional women (sounds contradictory, I know) but this once she was a whoopin’ and a hollerin’ all over the house.
Paul has undertaken a number of projects of late. There was the arc welder from microwave ovens …
On Labor Day at 8 am nine adventurous souls set off to find the Parrish Canyon Fremont pictographs. …
Last Wednesday Jill and I took Bryson to visit Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City. The weather was cooler …
The 100 million mark banknote I am holding was mere pocket change compared to the value of the …
On our second day in Rocky Mountain National Park, Mike and I traveled along Bear Lake Road to see …
Recently I have been concerned about the increased deficit spending by the Obama Administration. The …
I thought it would never snow but overnight we got several inches in Kaysville. Out came the snowman …
I'm Rick Willoughby. I live in Utah, working as a Software Engineer. I'm a Mormon, married with 5 children and 3 grandchildren.
I emigrated from England in my late twenties, bringing with me one small suitcase and $1,000. I appreciate the opportunities America gave me and the friendliness of the people to new citizens.
I blog about my family as well as politics, religion, finance, technology, and other topics.
Currently Rickety has an average of 17,000 pageviews a month and over 400 visitors a day. Thank you for being one of them.
