Blog – Page 18

Jeep Cherokee

October 15, 2010 by rickety 6 Comments

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 would not go into 4-wheel drive.

Jeep Cherokee drive chain

Paul inspected the transfer case and found that the drive chain was loose. If you click on the photograph of the chains side by side, you will see that the old chain has stretched a good 3/8 inch longer than the new chain. Once the replacement chain was installed Paul had a 4-wheel drive Jeep that could actually drive four wheels.

There were a few minor issues like replacing the 90% water antifreeze with a 30% water mix, fixing the blower motor, and two new window winder handles.

Of course a quick test was in order so we headed to the mountains to check Paul’s repair work. It looks like he is good to go, judging from this superb video I filmed. Click here if you cannot see the video.

I took several photographs with the sun low in the sky which gave the Cherokee a definitely uncool pinkish color look.

Rickety signature.

Missionary Dan Email #27 from Vancouver, Washington

October 13, 2010 by rickety Leave a Comment

Daniel and Elder Powell

My new companion is Elder Powell. He is from Gilbert Arizona and is a great person to be with. I’m excited to work with him with the short time that we have together. We worked very hard to get investigators to church this week. After transfers we spent Thursday, Friday and Saturday teaching our investigators what church will be like, setting up rides, and confirming that members can take them and sit by them. I don’t think we’ve ever made more phone calls and talked to more people in attempts to get people to church. All of them were excited and were very willing to come.

With every forward effort there is opposition. On Thursday I got a bloody nose and a flat tire (I’m okay now). Sunday morning as we saw our hard work fall apart I got another flat tire in the rain. Calls from investigators and talking to them later we found out that one investigator had to care for his mom’s poor health, one got sick and couldn’t come, another her parents didn’t want her to go, and the other had to go pick up her kid last minute. Two completely forgot even though we were at their house the night before, three went on vacation and one mentioned that she doesn’t want to come because she feels she doesn’t belong at our church.

I admit I was discouraged sitting at church. With the high hope that all could make it, we were sure we had at least six that would be there. I realize that we did all that we could and things just happen.

But it wasn’t until our new member Stephanie came in and she sat next to us that made me feel much better. It instilled in me a new commitment this coming week to again attempt to get people to church, teach them with the Spirit and help them feel of Heavenly Father’s love for them.

With all our efforts to do something good, it seems sometimes the opposition will overwhelm and win. I know if we press forward with faith great things can happen. This is the Lord’s work and he will be there.

We ended up having two investigators come, that have come before, and continue to enjoy coming to church. To see them smile makes it all worth it. I love being a missionary! Thanks for all the letters of support.

Love, Elder Willoughby

Elder Daniel Willoughby is serving in the Washington Kennewick Mission. If you want to communicate with Daniel, write in the comments or use one of these addresses.

There Are Differences Between Us

October 10, 2010 by rickety 20 Comments

These photographs have some real differences to reconcile. See if you can help.

Spoiler Alert — don’t read the comments until after you find the differences.

Update: The solution has been posted in the comments. Remind me to make the next one more difficult.

A hat tip to Adelaide for giving me the idea.

Missionary Dan Email #26 from Vancouver, Washington

October 5, 2010 by rickety Leave a Comment

Daniel_and_other_elders_at_general_conference_time

Daniel (bottom left) and other elders at General Conference time

General Conference was great! I really enjoyed everything that was taught. It felt like they gave all the members encouragement and I could feel the love that they have for us. My favorite talk was from President Uchtdorf on simplifying our lives. I try to live a simple life. For example you will notice for the past four and a half months I have worn one tie per transfer. It started with dark green, then light green, now yellow. The same tie every day for 42 days.

The next transfers tie (which starts tomorrow) has been selected, but I haven’t yet selected a tie for my month extension. There is competition among missionaries in my zone campaigning for the tie which I will wear. They want theirs to be picked. This in turn simplifies my life more because I don’t have to buy any new ties. Other ways to simplify my life are: Wearing a white shirt and slacks every day.

I really enjoy General Conference. I hope to become more positive and express more gratitude for all that I have. Elder Hardy and I had a great last week together. Transfer calls came and Elder Hardy will be transfered. I’ll get a brand new missionary tomorrow to train. I’m excited to train again and at the the same time sad to see Elder Hardy leave. He is a good companion. He’ll be great missionary!

President comfirmed my extension, but so far I don’t think there is any more updates on flight plans. I’m sure they’ll figure it out when it comes time. Thanks for all the support and have fun on your cruise!

Love you all, Elder Willoughby

Elder Daniel Willoughby is serving in the Washington Kennewick Mission. If you want to communicate with Daniel, write in the comments or use one of these addresses.

10 Beautiful Chinese Landscape Photographs

October 3, 2010 by rickety 6 Comments

China is an ancient civilization extending over a large area in East Asia. China has the longest continuous history of any country in the world. Prior to the 19th century, it possessed one of the most advanced societies and economies in the world but missed the industrial revolution and began to decline. China was the source of many major inventions. It has one of the world’s oldest written languages.

According to Wikipedia, China ranges from mostly plateaus and mountains in the west to lower lands in the east. In the east, along the shores of the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea there are extensive and densely populated alluvial plains. On the edges of the Inner Mongolian plateau in the north, there are grasslands. Southern China is dominated by hills and low mountain ranges. In the central-east are the deltas of China’s two major rivers, the Huang He and Yangtze River.

I love to see beautiful landscapes. I have never visited China but if you have been to any of these locations please tell my readers about your experience. Click on the images for a larger photograph or follow the photo credit links.

Mountains of the Yangtze River Gorge Yunnan China

Photo Credit: Peter Morgan

Dazhai Terrace China

Photo Credit: randomix

Guangzhou Moon China

Photo Credit: shenxy

Simatai Great Wall China

Photo Credit: Mary Helen McNally

Qingyuan Guangdong China

Photo Credit: shenxy

Kunming China

Photo Credit: Steve Evans

Larima Xinlong Sichuan China

Photo Credit: George Lu

Huangshan China

Photo Credit: Chi King

Kuerdening Valley Yili Xinjiang China

Photo Credit: George Lu

Kawagebo Meili Yunnan China

Photo Credit: Fon Zhou

These photographs carry a Creative Commons license that permits copying, distribution, and transmission provided that they are not used commercially and attribution is given. Other restrictions may apply, follow the photo credit links for details.

Missionary Dan Email #25 from Vancouver, Washington

September 28, 2010 by rickety Leave a Comment

Today we got to go to the temple. It is a great place to be and I always feel the Spirit. Today it reminded me of the MTC because our zone came together. It was an awesome experience.

We continue to work hard and the area is doing very well. We found several new people to teach and a few investigators we’ve been teaching came to church for the first time. They enjoyed it. Stephanie has met a lot of people and is progressing very well in the ward. I’m excited to see what will happen at transfers. The roads for my bike are safe and great to ride my bike on.

Thanks for all the support next week will be more exciting to write about.

Love, Elder Willoughby

Elder Daniel Willoughby is serving in the Washington Kennewick Mission. If you want to communicate with Daniel, write in the comments or use one of these addresses.

Give Your Tree A New Look Videos

September 26, 2010 by rickety 4 Comments

Steven visited yesterday evening and with his brothers gave my tree a new look. We made three short videos so that you can see how it was done. Slash and Drag would be a good name for the process. The first video shows Steven and Jake Slashing. Next we have me Dragging the branches away for later disposal. Lastly Jake (he really likes to pan) illustrates on film our handiwork, ready for Jill to see in all its glory.

If you cannot see the videos, click here.

Give Your Tree A New Look

September 26, 2010 by rickety 7 Comments

Steven visited yesterday evening and with his brothers gave my tree a new look. Above are before and after photographs. The women were safely occupied with General Relief Society Meeting so we wouldn’t be disturbed for two hours. Fir sprucing up my conifer I wood need tree handsaws and three sons.

Aurora said it would be OK to prune the tree just a little

Steven said that if we do it wrong it will grow back in ten or twenty years anyway

Paul didn't say anything

Jake said you all will need a drink

I said this will look really different

The tree said this is not a good thing

The Visiting Teachers will probably say they have some shade while they wait for Jill to get home

Paul still didn't say anything

Collateral damage

Too bad this is not covered under lawn care

Later in the evening we began to drag

Mission accomplished

I had a request to post any videos I had of this project. I will publish them in a few hours. Jill walked past the tree in the dark four times last night to help load Steven’s car. She didn’t notice that we had given the tree a new look. This morning while Jake and I were watching the tree videos she heard “Tree” and “Chop” in the same sentence. Jill went outside and saw the results of our efforts.

Jill said she was astonished by our work.

Patsy’s Mine Hike: Part 2

September 26, 2010 by rickety 7 Comments

Melissa by Patsy's Mine entrance

On Friday we hiked to Patsy’s Mine in the mountains above Farmington. The trail to the mine is marked and we had no difficulty in finding the entrance. The mine does not go very far and most of the time you can stand upright, though in places one has to stoop. I found out how hard the rock is when I banged my head against it.

Melissa found the bat first. We wondered if it was rabid

There was a bat about 20 feet into the cave. We wondered if it was rabid. It must have been, to want to go hang from the roof of an old mine. Apparently exposure to rabid bats increases with the migration season. This year, four elementary-aged Davis County students have been exposed to a bat that could not be tested. Whenever bats aren’t able to be recovered or are too decomposed for testing, it is not known if they carried rabies. Therefore, to err on the side of caution the children are treated with post-exposure vaccine because the disease is virtually 100 percent fatal.

Melissa, Susan, and Jill with the mine entrance in the background

I walked past the bat and caused it to fly out of the cave past the girls which provoked an appropriate round of screaming. Further into the cave we could hear a faint rumbling sound. We thought maybe it was the freeway traffic or the train. We were a long way from the valley though.

The last time Jill and Susan visited the mine, they navigated by the light from their digital cameras. This time they were more prepared.

There is graffiti on the walls of the mine that in 2,000 years will have archeologists wondering what manner of intelligent life wrote it. They will be figuring that out for a long time.

The right fork is basically just a big puddle

The main tunnel is straight with a fork at the end. The right fork ends in a few paces and the only thing of interest is a rusty rail. The left fork does not go much further before ending. Off of the left tunnel is a small space where you can clamber through and stand upright. Nothing to get excited about.

The left fork soon comes to a dead end

According to the deep thinking and creative Chanelle (her blog no longer accessible), there is an old steam engine that has become hidden from the main trail with years of plant growth. If we had known this beforehand we would have searched for awhile to see if we could find it. According to Chanelle, copper is the most available mineral in the mountain. Shes writes that “…even though there are large quantities of it, the quality is lacking. Because of this, the mines in this area were abandoned and closed up.”

There is an opening in the left fork that goes nowhere

Patsy's Mine entrance. That's it for the tour

Jill says she enjoyed this mine and that she wouldn't mind finding another to explore