Just a Random Report

Great Grandpa &; Grandma Barton, Ryan Danna Scarlet and Violet, Grandma and Grandpa Losee

So....the latest is the blessing of sweet Violet....I guess that is OK to start at the end...the rest is covering a whole summer and fall's worth of happening

 

4 wheeling in Sheep's Valley by Fish Lake

Back to School fun at the Johnson's

Lunch time after 4 wheeling over Parker Mountain

The side by side traveling was lots more fun...now Dean wants his own...!

The sisters decided to explore the area and so we have hiked every Friday to somewhere... and have loved the adventure and what we have discovered. 

Yes...grandma's can have fun at Kanara Falls too!

Scarlet's birthday was lots of fun and we loved having Repunzel visit

It isn't preschool this year...it is Storytime and this is celebrating Charlie Brown's Halloween

One big event was Girl's Camp and yes I am one of the three little pigs...!

The Losee Reunion was just in September and Grandpa hung out with all the rest of us for most of the day.

It was great to have all the kids there

Dean decided to fix the electrical house at the Dirt Farm and after a lot of hard work they got it done

He also likes showing off the old tractor and his granddaughters at the Swiss Days Parade

this is the crew that hiked the Grand Canyon in May...Russell, Dean, Marsha and Oscar Taylor

Debbie and I just enjoyed the view

We did Tuachan a couple of times...this was a special tour with Allie, Bree and Sharla and their friends who took us back stage and made it very speical viewing of Hairspray

Grandpa and Wyatt

Our trip to Tuachan to see Aladdin...Karen, Danna, Shana & Shayla

Riding in the back of Grandpa's old tractor

Barton Reunion time

It smelled like butterscotch....no kidding!

Hiking at Red Canyon

Hanging out at the new pavilion

Clean up time and the end of this round of remembering..

Israel Trip 2012

Here we are...ready to take off for Israel...

We look pretty content as we wait for our 12 hour flight to Israel...

Our first stop after landing in Tel Aviv and loading the bus was to Bethlehem...

Dean waiting his turn to see the traditional birthplace of Jesus

The traditional site...not quite what we are used to seeing at Christmas time

Dean on the plaza outside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem

Our first meal in Israel and a sigh of things to come...always plates of salad specialties

New day and new sites...this is the old ruins of Ceasera and we are standing under the old aquaduct along the Mediterranean Sea

We also visited Nazareth where they had a restored site with traditional costumes and activities. We really liked this place and the donkey really liked Dean

A stop at the River Jordan where we watched as lines of people waited their turn to be baptized

This what a real manger probably was like in Jesus time

Lunch was at a seaside place that served Peter's Fish...I was the only one trying it at my table but convinced them all to take a bite

I ride on the "King David" across the Sea of Galilee and the captain made sure we enjoyed it with a little Israeli dancing and (as everywhere we went) things to buy...

Our boat captain tossing the fishing net into the Sea of Galilee
We weren't even tempted to give it a try...

Brandon had no trouble getting into the mood of the country....
Dean took a swim in the Sea of Galilee so that he could say that he swam where Jesus walked...

Old ruins everywhere...the man in the vest it our tour director Dean Marriott and the lady in the hat is our Jewish guide Joni

A cool stop at En Gedi...a water spot in a very desert setting...

A dip in the Dead Sea....you couldn't sink at all and even had a hard time getting your legs under you to stand up...

We rode the tram to the top of Masada - a ruin from the time of Christ that sits on the top of a mountain and was a holdout for a group of Jewish rebels that the Romans finally conquered.

Finally Jerusalem...and the Temple site... It was raining and cold and I dressed to stay warm so please don't judge me to harshly!

The Western Wall or Wailing Wall, where the Jews gather to pray and so did we.

You can see the golden dome of the Rock...a Muslim mosque that sits today where the Temple sat in the time of Jesus...they don't allow us to enter since 9/11...

A Bar Mitzva...a Jewish ceremony for a boy coming of age...they were happening all over the square by the Western Wall...

Our trip through Hezekiah's Tunnel was a wet one with water up to the top of our legs and flashlights to find our way...

One of our favorite places was the Garden Tomb...

Looking out across Jerusalem from the BYU Center...

The view during Sacrament Meeting at the BYU Center...it is amazing and a bit of a distraction during the services...which we attended on Saturday the Jewish Sabbath...

We will always be grateful for the opportunity to visit the Holy Land and experience the things that we did. It is a journey worth taking!