Carl's Conversation

I had a real intelligent conversatiion
yesterday. I talked to MYSELF for about
an hour and a half trying to figure
out a problem on a genealogy program. I finally got it!
Carl says I used a few expletives but I do not
recall that I did Ha Ha?

Tribute To Farragut

Tribute to Farragut   Written 1966

                                          By Wallace Baldwin

There is a place in the wilds of Idaho

Called Farragut State Park.

One morning peaceful and empty,

Held 4000 boys by dark.

By train, plane, bus and car,

They came from near. They came from far.

From the wilds of Canada came some to stay,

And many from the good old USA.

The troops of 40 were very proud,

To pitch their tents under sky and cloud.

The staff was ready and willing to go.

The boys were willing to provide the show.

The showers were more than some could take,

When they got out they would shiver and shake.

They woke up in the morning and like a bad dream,

Would run to be first at the latrine.

The leaders would shave in the water cold,

To show the boys that they were bold.

“Mean Mouth” would holler and “Big Bear” scold,

And tell the boys the water was not COLD.

“Bridger” would tell the boys not to touch

His hairy face ot they would be in dutch.

“Money Bags” had a following profound,

But he always had money to go around.

The ice cold showers could have been drastic,

But the faithful leaders danced the light fantastic.

The boys would holler and scream and shout,

Some didn’t like it, but none dared pout.

The food was fantastic, for a Boy Scout camp.

The ground was hard, but never damp.

The marching feet of the sailors of old,

Were marched by the boys who were not so old.

The trading was done, at least so they say,

By the boys from Canada and the USA.

If Beret’s were the only thing Canadians had,

The trading American’s would have been taken bad.

As the trucks and buses left at last

The encampment activity a thing of the past,

The boys looked forward to home so dear,

But all talked about a return next year.

We your leaders think your great,

Even after the food you cooked—We ate.

Clean up you disliked, and some fingers were cut,

But we will all remember Old Farragut.

I wrote this in Jul/Aug 1966 at, what I think, was the first U.S.- Canadian, Boy Scout encampment. I passed out a copy to all the boys and it became known as the ”Tribute to Farragut”. The names of the leaders, of course do not mean anything to you, unless you were there. The leadership for our troop of 40 was- Bill Mendenhall, Ken McFarland, Larry Ballard and Wally Baldwin (Me.)

TREK

                                  TREK

                     

   BEFORE LEAVING                                 BACK HOME
   I know he took at least one change of clothes with him but it sure looks like he still has the ones on when he came home that he had on when he left? I am sure that is not just a coincidence.

   Yes, it is true that it is difficult to explain TREK to someone who is not from Utah. Even in Utah there are some people who raise an eyebrow when you try to explain TREK to them.

   For example consider this situation, which may happen several times where ever there is as LDS congregation. You are out to lunch with a friend, a customer, or an acquaintance and you casually mention that you need to stop on the way home and pick up a few things because you are going on a TREK next week.

   So they look at you and say,”Oh, you mean like a Jeep safari to one of those beautiful Utah Red Rock canyons?” And you of course have to answer, “No, I am taking a bunch of young Men and women from our Church, and we are going to walk 38 miles in 3 ½ days pulling hand-carts with all of earthly possessions in them.”

   They kind of look at you but do not say anything for a few minutes. Then he says, “About this TREK thing, you are just kidding me, right”? Then you realize the moment has come that you have to rationally explain TREK.

   I have a Grandson who just got back from TREK a few days ago so I thought I could try and explain it very easily.  --- “NOT SO.”

   At this point let us just say you did explain it to your friend but as you did a lot of things come to mind that you had not thought of before.

   Well when I started thinking about them (I being an amateur blogger) I decided to do a blog about TREK, even though I have never been on one and I am sure I will never go on one.

   Since I am 83 years old I felt I need some help from the point of view of some younger people. I picked P.J. as my cohort in this adventure. A lot of input in this blog comes from him, but I also talked to some other young people about some of it.

   So, if so many people go on TREK each year it must have a purpose and it must be a good purpose. In my opinion, for a young man or woman to even consider a TREK experience there must be spirituality involved to incite them to want to go. For example P.J. did not make up his mind until the last minute. I asked him when he really made up his mind and he told me “on the bus as it was pulling out of the parking lot.” Now that may be an exaggeration and maybe not?

   So what is the purpose?

   So why would anyone, especially vibrant, busy young people, want to go pull a Hand-Cart, over hill and dale, sleep in the dirt, never shower, wear “weird clothes (buy the way they all serve a purpose), get sunburned, tired, and heaven forbid—not use an electronic gadget for four days of their busy lives?

           

FIRST- It is a very family orientated experience. The large group of people on a TREK, are assigned to be in a family group, perhaps with people they do not even know. However when TREK is over they are as close as any family There will be a MA and PA and several children. P.J.’s MA and PA even came and visited him when he got home and TREK was over.

NEXT – Each member of the group are asked to walk in Memory of a real Mormon Pioneer. In this there also may be a family connection. P.J. chose Levi Savage as his pioneer. (Wiki)—Levi Savage Jr. is a prominent figure in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He was one of the earliest LDS missionaries to Asia, and was one of the leaders of the “Willie Handcart” Company.

ALSO – Then as a family group, during the whole trip, you find yourself helping each other, being kind to each other and you find yourself actually enjoying each other’s company. You also have family prayer together and also group prayers. This reminds me of a talk given by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf when he said. “when one wagon gets stuck in the mud, God is much more likely to assist the man who gets out to push than the man who merely raises his voice in prayer—no matter how eloquent the oration.”

   I imagine that everyone who reads this Blog will have at least heard of an LDS Youth TREK or perhaps been on one.

   The experience is obviously different for different people. Some enjoy it and have a great time and wish they could go back. Some do not enjoy it and wish they had never come. However P.J. loved it and said he hopes he can work it out to go again if he has not gone on a mission, when four years rolls around. (You can only go on TREK once every four years so he will be cutting it close.)

  After listening to the youth I talked to, I would love to go myself but I guess the only way I could ever do it would be vicariously like the pioneers whose name they carried with them.

   There are a few other things about these youth TREK’S that make it considerably easier than the real pioneer ones. A lot of things are done for them in advance to make it a lot more enjoyable.

   ONE- They do not have to cook their own food and the food that is prepared is actually “Gourmet” according to P.J.. Just think for a minute about the cooks and the logistics of preparing three meals a day for 400/450 people. It is almost a miracle that each TREK seems to always come up with a magnificent cook.

   TWO- Even though they hauled their tents, ground cloths, sleeping bags, five gallon buckets of “Necessities” or “essentials” in the Hand Carts, the toilets and large drums of water, cooking utensils and other bulky things were loaded up after camp was broken in the morning and was waiting for them in the afternoon and the next camp spot.

   THREE – There was a medical truck (for emergencies), that was used mostly for cuts, bruises, blisters, minor scrapes, bunions and sunburns. With the temperature 96 to 100 every day I am sure there were plenty of sunburns.

   After only one day I think all of them realized that the weird clothes all served a purpose. The wide brimmed hats and bonnets were obvious. It would soon be realized that the wide dresses and skirts for the girls helped keep away the ticks, and being wide made them much easier to walk in. Then of course I am sure there was a LOT of sunscreen.

   So at what point do we realize what the purpose of TREK really is? Does it take one day on the trail, or two days, or perhaps we really do not know until we get home and think about it for a few days.

   I imagine it would be a spiritual experience if each person is walking in the name of an original pioneer. I am pretty sure that the small talk with each other and with their new MA and PA had to give them some new perspectives.

   There are other purposes also and one of them has to be physical accomplishment. “I can do hard things.”

   Another thing would be mental toughness, and I am sure that varies for each person. Feelings might be all the way from, “I wish I had stayed home” to “I am so glad I went. I learned so many new things about myself. I also met new friends and I hope I can go again.”

   How did the TREK families compare to the families at home? The comments seem to cover a whole range of situations. Some got really close to their new Ma & Pa and some said they hardly ever talked to them. I suppose that is just like at home in many cases.

   I was interested in the interactions of the people on TREK so I talked to P.J. about some of the specific things I wondered about.

   WB-Were you more willing to help other people on TREK than at home?

    PJ – Yes I was willing to help but for the most part most people were quite self sufficient.

   WB –Did you know Ma & Pa before the TREK?

   PJ – No but they were great on TREK. I did know their daughter from Seminary.

   WB – Did your thoughts about the girls strengths, and stick to it attitude, change on TREK.

   PJ –   Not really I think most of them were good before—maybe more spiritual on TREK.

   WB – Were family prayers different on TREK than they are at home.

   PJ  -- We do family prayer at home, but there was a different feeling on TREK than at home.

   

                                      

   While they were on the TREK they got a good start in the morning with a bugle call of Revelry, the same thing that has awakened soldiers, sailors, boy scouts, and yes even hand-cart TREKERS for years.

   The majority of people I talked to agreed on at least one thing. The final Testimony Meeting or devotional was awesome.  Some comments were: There was a spirit there that was hard to explain--- I have never heard so many sincere testimonies, especially from the Youth of the Church--- Tears were flowing from the majority of the people there --- I wish I could keep that feeling I had.

   Both adults and youth say it was one of the most spiritual feelings I have ever had.

   Well while our TREKERS were gone I thought the first thing they would want when they got home was a shower and food. Well I was right on one—the shower. If they all went home at the same time it is a modern day miracle that the South Jordan sewer/water lines did not plug up? Of course the reason they did not want food is because they ate gourmet food all while they were gone. As I said a hot shower was 1^st place, a soft bed was next and a lot “wanted” a soda.

   It was strange to me that they did not mention any electronic gadgets as something they missed the most.

   So to wind up this Blog, it was hard for me to imagine the amount of organization it must have taken to put it together. It is hard to even think about the food needed and the miracle gourmet cooks they had to cook the food. Someone had to arrange for the hand-carts, some tents, toilets, buses, and all the other, what we like to call, background work that has to be done.

   It is also hard to imagine the youth would take off four days to hike and pull a hand-cart across a high mountain plain, without showering, while getting blisters and sunburn on any part of their body that was not covered up. I am sure the second day some woke up to muscles that they did not know they had.

   Then maybe the most amazing thing is that at the end they told everyone they had a terrific time and would like to do it again.

   I hope that everyone in the background, the support people, and especially the MA’s and PA’s who were on the front lines every day found it was well worth it.

   God bless them for their effort. I know P.J. says he had one of the most spiritual and fun times of his young life.

W.R Baldwin
3 July 2015

Carl and LIFE

Carl once had a friend by the name of Pearl Stevens. She was talking one day and decided to give him some advice about life. She said,"Life is like a big tall mountain. You walk up one side and then down the other side." Then she said, "Just remember the rocks. shale and sticks on the side you go down  are a lot bigger, sharper and heavier than the ones on the trip Going Up."

EMERY COUNTY ARCHIVES: The Ghost Town of Mohrland

EMERY COUNTY ARCHIVES: The Ghost Town of Mohrland: Home --PUBLIC WELCOME!The Archives is the AnswerPostsPhotographsEmery County Historical SocietyCollectionsHistoriesAbout Me

A lot of you older Hiawatha residents came from Mohrland. I thought you might be interested in this article. I was born in Mohrland and moved to Hiawatha about 1937/38. Hope you find the article interesting and you even might want to contact the author and thank her for her efforts. TO LOOK AT THE ARTICLE JUST CLICK THE blue LINK AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE.
Wally

BOOKS & TEACHERS

BOOKS & TEACHERS   

      30 May 2015

   I love to read! Many places would be considered a good place for me to open a book and enter some other place in the world. It could be a chair that I curl up in, that has been placed strategically in front of my old Franklin Stove. It could be sitting in my porch swing at our cabin or waiting for an appointment in a Doctor’s office. Then of course it could be lying in bed trying to go to sleep at night.

   I am not really “picky” when choosing a book, but there are some I will not read and some I seem to devour in a couple of days and when I come to the end I wish it would go on longer.

   At the beginning of this BLOG on books, I must admit that I was not sure when I started reading, but I do remember (about) when. I was in Jr. High School or High School and I was encouraged by a wonderful English Teacher. Sadly I do not remember her name but I do recall exactly how it happened.

   One day she asked me if I would stay a few minutes after class to talk to her. Of course I thought I was in trouble and I could not think of why? However the conversation was not like I expected.

   She asked me how many books I owned. I indicated to her that I was not sure but I knew we had a few around the house. She then said, “No, I mean how many books do YOU own?”I supposed of course that she already knew the answer but I answered, “None.”

   Then she asked if I would do her a favor. Happy to please (and to find out I was not in trouble), I told her I sure would if I could. She asked me if sometime from that day hence, would I decide on a book and go buy it. It could be any book, but should be one I WANTED and not one my parents wanted me to read. Then would I read it and come back and tell her why I liked it? That sounded pretty easy so I told her, “Sure I would do that.”

   The book I chose was, “A Yank in the RAF.” As I recall it was not a big book, but it was about one of my dreams of flying, preferably as a pilot. I think I still have it stashed someplace in one of my “treasure storage boxes.” Yes, I have read it several times over the years and yes I did report back to the teacher on the book.

   Now of course I am not sure that it was this teacher that started me on my path to reading, but I have given her that credit for the past 70 years or so. It seems that under those circumstances it is a shame I cannot remember her name.

   Even so I will be ever thankful for that teacher and the fact that she was interested enough in me to kind of “force feed” me into becoming interested in reading books.

   When I started the Blog tonight I was thinking about books and reading and it seems I have, as I do many times, digressed a little. However I think Books and Teachers just naturally go together.

   The other thing that started me on thinking about Books and a Blog was one of my Grandsons. We were talking one day and I asked him if he liked to read? He indicated that he did, so we went on with a more in depth conversation. The upshot of the conversation was that books are a wonderful thing no matter how old you are.

   You can go almost anyplace, visualize almost anything and experience almost anything you want to with the help of a little book and a good Author.

   I have traveled quite a bit during my lifetime, but I have been places with a good book that I never would, or never will go, in person.

   From books I have some idea of things that went on in the past. I understand the hardships of settling the western part of the USA. I do not understand but I am more aware of the suffering of several wars in the past. I also have some idea of how people in other countries live, what they eat and what they do for recreation and even how some just get by from one day to another.

   As I said earlier, I can curl up by a warm fire on a cold winter day. I can sit on my porch on a warm summer day, or even just sit in the seat of my car while waiting for something else and if I have a good book I can be in some other place in the world, on my own for a short while.

   I do not know how many books I NOW own but it is a lot more than ONE. We have books stacked on every table and chest, closet & chair and any other place that is not being used to store something else. Several years ago I decided to keep a list of the books I have read and I think a good guess is there are 700/800 books in various places in our home and cabin. I hope that teacher is up above me somewhere and looking down and rubbing her hands and smiling.

   All of this because of a caring teacher who showed interest in one of her students and introduced him to READING A GOOD BOOK.

DEAD WAKE- A good Read

DEAD WAKE

        by

ERIK LARSON

This is a non-fiction book

about the sinking of the 

LUSITANIA which was

one of the pre-ludes

to the United States

entering the First 

World War. WWI

I have read "snippits" of

this story in the past but

never a  step by step

adventure. I Liked It.