Vans -- then and now

Remember when……………..remember the days when many cars didn’t have safety belts and there were no laws requiring them? Remember those trips the Barber Eight took to see what the East Coast had to offer. Remember the 12-seater, brown and tan van? Everyone’s favorite, right?

Our first big trip (over 2,000 miles) took us to Kirtland, Ohio; Buffalo, New York; Niagara Falls, Canada, Palmyra, New York; New York City, Washington DC, Richmond, Virginia; Williamsburg, Virginia, Jamestown, and finally we stopped to see Jefferson’s Monticello in Charlottesville, VA.

On our last stretch of the trip, as we traveled down through Kentucky and into Tennessee, all six of our children somehow piled into the very back bench seat in the back of the van. Brad and Lori brought their Cabbage Patch dolls, and I took a picture.

This picture of one of my all time favorites. Six happy, wonderful children, still with big smiles on their faces after spending almost two weeks on the road—all eight of us sharing the same room in a different hotel almost every night. That’s a lot of togetherness—and a lot of time in the van. But everyone seemed happy as we drove on home—home sweet home.

Thanks for the memories.

By comparison, here’s Mom and Dad all by ourselves in our minivan—seat belts firmly in place. If you look closely, however, you’ll see a car seat in the back----always prepared to haul children (or in this case grandchildren) across the country.

Ancestors endowed in Nauvoo Temple

After the martyrdom of Joseph Smith, the Saints continued to put forth a very dedicated effort to complete the Nauvoo Temple even though they knew they would soon have to abandon it and go west. Once the temple was ready for ordinance work, the Saints worked around the clock to give and receive the temple ordinances. Based on my research, at least eleven of our ancestors (four on my side - William Casper, Arvilla Durbin, and James and Ellen Bennett) and seven on Mom’s side - Joseph, Newel, and Lydia Knight, Joseph, John and Susanna Egbert, and James Loveless) received their endowments in the Nauvoo Temple. Joseph Knight, Newel Knight, and Lydia Goldwaite Knight were endowed in mid December of 1845. William Casper, James Bennett and his wife Ellen Pincock Bennett, and Joseph Egbert were endowed in late January of 1846.

On February 3, 1846, Brigham Young announced to the throng assembled at the temple that they would not be able to continue performing ordinances since the brethren needed to leave Nauvoo before their enemies prevented them from leaving. He recorded in his journal the following. “I also informed the brethren that I was going to get my wagons started and be off. I walked some distance from the Temple supposing the crowd would disperse, but on returning I found the house filled to overflowing. Looking upon the multitude and knowing their anxiety, as they were thirsting and hungering for the word, we continued at work diligently in the house of the Lord. Two hundred and ninety-five person received ordinances.”

Four of our ancestors were among the 295 persons that received their endowments in the Nauvoo temple as a result of this continuation of ordinance work. Arvilla Durbin Casper who was the mother of William Casper, John Egbert and his wife Susanna Hahn Egbert, and James Loveless were all endowed on February 7, 1846.

Red, White, and Blue Winner

Red, White, and Blue Winner

We have a winner. The owner of the patriotic throw (with additional 4th of July themed gifts) is Lori Cruze. As Brad would say: “Welcome to the winner’s circle.” Thanks to all of you who entered---all five of you. Watch for more giveaways in the future.

Red, White, and Blue

Close Up Picture

4th of July Quilted Throw

July 4th is right around the bend. In the Barber family we celebrate Brad’s birth, but we also celebrate the birth of our nation. Our GIVE AWAY is a nice patriotic 100% cotton quilted throw. We purchased this at Stein Mart, and it’s brand new. Lots of good uses for this throw. Throw it on your sofa to show off your patriotism. Throw it on the ground for that “4th of July” picnic---it’s small (50” x 60”) but would fit several kids. If you live where it’s cold, snuggle in it as you watch the fireworks. It might also be used as a table cloth or runner if you’re throwing a themed barbeque. A wall decoration? Lots of fun ways to use this patriotic throw. If it’s something you might want, just make a comment.

This contest will only run for five days, so we can get it sent out in plenty of time for Independence Day celebrating and decorating. Ends at noon EST on June 19.

Independence Day Trivia

- July 4, 1776 – America declared that we had already declared our independence—two days earlier, on July 2, 1776 when the Continental Congress passed the resolution for independence. The Declaration was approved on July 4, and John Hancock was the first to sign his name—nearly a month later, on Aug. 2.

- July 4, 1777 – the first Independence Day celebrations were held. In Philadelphia, home of the Continental Congress, fire-crackers, gunfire, and ringing bells established July 4th as America’s nosiest holiday.

- July 4, 1786 – an errant celebratory artillery shell hit the Beaufort, N.C. courthouse, which burned down.

- July 4, 1826 – America celebrated the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Before the day was done, two of its signers—Presidents Thomas Jefferson and John Adams—died.

- July 4, 1884 – Miners in Swan City, Colorado, blew up the town’s post office because they were not supplied with fireworks.

PS ~ Think we’ll throw in a couple of extra July 4th themed items. Good luck.

Krispy Kreme Donut Winner

We have a winner!

We are happy to announce that Julie Langford was the winner of our Krispy Kreme donut give away. We think Julie looks pleased and a little bit mischievous.

Golf scores among friends

Russ and Brad Watts

Keeping a golf score among friends is not to be taken too seriously.

Remember back when Russ, David, Scott, and Allen actually made it to the golf course more than once every other year? Looking back in a past Barber Pole we found this entry, and felt it was worth repeating.

From the July 2001 Barber Pole

"Dad reports: When Mom said she couldn’t believe how it was that I had played golf so much more than David or Allen and couldn’t beat them, I reasoned that I might have done better if I had understood sooner which rules we were playing under. Both Allen and David have special rules. Allen’s “mercy rule” is that you never mark down more than three shots above par, no matter how many shots you actually take on any one hole. Allen made sure we all understood this rule on the first hole, when he hit his ball out of bounds. David’s “let’s just have fun rules” are more extensive and were only understood as the game progressed.

They are:

1. Practice drive – any drive off the first tee that is not right down the middle of the fairway

2. Free drop – if you hit the ball out of bounds you get a free drop – no penalty shot need be added

3. Best ball – hit twice off the tee, then take the best ball

4. Improving your lie – if our lie can be improved – do it

5. Mulligan – any drive that goes in the water, out of bounds, less than 50 yards, OR that hits Russ

6. Penalty stroke – a silly rule – never use when playing among family or friends

7. Gimme putt – any putt from within 5 feet of the hole

8. Identifying your ball hit into the rough – always use a white ball and don’t pay attention to its brand or number, then choose the most playable white ball you can find – it’s probably yours

9. What to do when you hit your ball into the adjacent driving range among hundreds of other of balls – take a free drop at the most advantageous location available as long as it’s within 50 yards of where your ball is thought to be.

10. Keeping score – number of times you hit the ball minus any practice drives (see #1), mulligan’s (see #5), and missed gimme putts (see #7)."

Now that we’ve reviewed Allen and David’s rules, we’ll all start out even when we go golfing this summer. Just to make sure I was ready, I shared Allen and David’s rules with Brad Watts when we went golfing Friday. He thought it was a good idea and we invoked almost all of them. We even took a few photos as we took advantage of them.

This lie definitely needs to be improved

Those trees shouldn't be there anyway - free drop

Clearly a gimme

Amano Bar Give Away Winner

Brad Barber was the winner of our Amano chocolate bar give away, and here's some pictures of the happy winner. The description on the chocolate bar package says "The result is a remarkable chocolate with flavor notes of apricot and marshmallow that you will find enchanting."