Brandon will graduate from medical school on May 19 then will begin his residency in Las Vegas on June 25. Since we wouldn't be able to be there for graduation we went early to celebrate with a trip to Nauvoo with them then we drove their other car back to Utah.
The Scovil Bakery is always a great place to get a gingerbread cookie.
It rained hard every day we were there so we were grateful for the warm quilts for the wagon and carriage rides. I have a new appreciation for those early settlers in draining the swamp land because we saw plenty of standing water and violent storms.
The Patty Session Cabin. There were about 300 log cabins and 1000-1200 tents in Nauvoo at the time it was the second largest city in Illinois.
There were about 150 brick buildings in Old Nauvoo. Those that are there today have been restored or reconstructed. The senior missionary force doubled to about 200 with the coming of those serving for the six month summer mission. We were the first tour for several of those new missionaries. The young music missionaries were arriving later in the week. It was fun to see Elder and Sister Brague who work with them. We knew the Bragues well from our mission.
The horses and oxen are considered missionaries and are very well cared for. Those who handle them have spent their lives around fine animals.
The Sunstone is from the orginal Nauvoo Temple.
Heber C. Kimball's home that he only lived in for a few months.
The Nauvoo Rendezvous with all the senior missionaries was charming and fun!
We were the only people at the Family Living Center so we got wonderful personal tours at all the centers and came home with a rope we made, a brick, and prairie diamond (bent horseshoe nail). The sites were only open during the daylight hours because of very little electricity for lighting in them. In the LDS sites a gospel principle was always shared as well as uplifting insights into the lives of people.
Melody and Brandon with the Mississippi River in the back ground.
We went to Cathage Jail for a sober reminder of that fateful June day in 1844.
The rain stopped for a while on Tuesday evening so we were able to walk down Parley Street to the river and read the signs. Brandon liked this quotation by B. Roberts.
The Nauvoo Temple can be seen from all over the city.
We attended an endowment session at the Nauvoo Temple on Tuesday morning when it was raining so hard. The motif of the temple includes the sun, moon, and the stars as well as flowers. It is done with period furnishings with modern conveniences. The dark wood is beautiful. There is an assembly room on the first floor which is similar to the one in the Kirtland and Salt Lake Temples. The session moves from room to room with beautiful murals on the walls as well as the film. The carpets are richly colored.
This is known as is know as Kissing Bridge. It is near the Smith Homestead and is a beautiful area. It was used as one of the sets in the Joseph Smith film.
Melody and Brandon near the bridge. Many couples have their engagement pictures taken here.
A special treat was seeing Joseph Smith's sword that he gave to our ancestor James Allred before Joseph went to Carthage and was martyred. The temple experience was the highlight was our Nauvoo trip though there were many, many memorable experiences.
Wednesday morning was very rainy but we went to the Joseph Smith Homestead and enjoyed a good tour from the Community of Christ. I appreciated the kind, neighborly spirit of all the people in Nauvoo. The Church of Christ has only a quarter of a million members. Women in their church now hold the priesthood. It was good to be in the Red Brick Store. They provided us with large umbrellas for our tour. My respect for the entire Smith family and particularly Joseph and Emma was increased as we walked where they walked and dealt with some of the weather challenges.
We enjoyed the carriage ride through the woods to Inspiration Point as we learned about the stories of many of the early members of the Church.
John and Kathryn Ann were in Nauvoo for several days in 1997 with Katrina, Julie, and Melody and it was an unforgettable experience. To come again fifteen years later with Melody and Brandon with all that we have learned and experienced was a great blessing and joy. Melody and Brandon were so good to us!
We are incredibly blessed to have a faithful posterity who honor covenants and love and serve their families and others. Our children have married marvelous companions that truly are our children-in-love. Our grandchildren are precious gifts from heaven. We are filled with gratitude for innumerable blessings.
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