The Blue Collar Team

I took some photos one morning this week while we were waiting for the start of our 7 am daily Preparation Meeting at Nauvoo Facilities Management. This is Dad playing prelude music. We don't have a piano so he plays this keyboard. He does a pretty good job.

This is Lee, one of the employees who will be conducting the meeting, asking Dad what the opening song will be. At this meeting we have announcements, a spiritual thought, and a prayer. It's a great way to start the day. It helps us to be unified in our efforts to make Nauvoo a beautiful place.

Here are the people who usually sit on the north side of the room. You know how people usually gravitate to their usual seat. You can tell which are missionaries pretty much by the grey hair. (BTW, doesn't Dad have about the most beautiful grey hair you've ever seen?) The others are employees, seasonal help and interns.

That's Elder Speirs in front. He has a great smile. This is the Speirs' second mission here. He plays the doctor character in "Rendezvous" opposite my Agatha character. Sitting to the right in the picture is Elder Layton and I think the Laytons are on their 3rd mission here.
This one shows Dad's good friend and coworker Mark in front. My coworker, Sister Palmer is in the 3rd row, knitting. The young guys in the back are employees. Boy did I work them hard these last couple of weeks, moving furniture around to prepare for the arrival of our 80+ new missionaries.

This is the south side of the room. The young women in the back are interns. They will be helping Dad mow this summer. The man on the right front is the brilliant horticulturist, Durell. Ask him anything about plants and he will probably have an answer. He designs the beautiful gardens.

The guy in the front right crossing his leg is our tech person and there are also plumbers, carpenters, cabinet makers, painters, auto mechanics, graphic arts, grounds keepers and welders. It is really a treat to hear the testimonies of these blue collar "guys and gals"and Elders and Sisters when they have their turn to give the spiritual thought, and everyone takes a turn.

STILL MAGNOLIAS

As I walked to the Relief Society commemoration I passed the magnolias in bloom.
The Sisters assembled for the carriage ride to the Red Brick Store, the place where the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo was organized on March 17, 1842.

These are the Sisters (pretty as a magnolia) participating in the reenactment.

There were 20 sisters for the organization meeting. Could they imagine that in the 21st century there would be more than 6 million members of Relief Society in over 175 countries?

For a feel of the actual carriage ride see video below.

This is the rebuilt "Red Brick Store" where Joseph Smith had an office and business.

This is the where the upper room was where the Prophet Joseph Smith taught the sisters, "This society is to get instruction through the order which God has established--through the medium of those appointed to lead-- and I now turn the key to you in the name of God, and this society shall rejoice and knowledge and intelligence shall flow down from this time."

The sisters of Nauvoo clamored to join the Relief Society. They were excited to give spiritual and temporal aid in an organized, authorized way.

This is where Joseph Smith had his office.

After the commemoration I walked home from the "flats" up to the bluff near the temple where we live.

As the sun was setting over the Mississippi river I passed the horse drawn carriage taking the other sisters back to the Visitors' Center.

A Chip off the Young Block

Like son like father. In the control room.

Following in son/William's footsteps, Dad's new calling is assistant AV person. He is in the process of learning how to use some or all of this stuff.