Sunday, July 3, 2011

Photos from top down

1.Here is "Sister" Karn in the Stoddard Tin Shop showing visitors how to make a skimmer pan. It is one of the places that both the Elders and Sisters work.

2. In this photo I am in the Stoddard Tin Shop showing folks the "Super size" tin snips. There are small ones, regular size and this super size. One handle fits in a hole in the table and then they can be operated one handed.

3. This is how a happy tinsmith bends tin pieces.

4. Here is Sister Karn with her hand on the stove in the Sylvester Stoddard home. It is a neat home and has some fun things in it like the mouse trap!

5. This photo shows the first few steps that folks take when they go on the handcart trek. They cross this little stream known as "Joseph's Creek" about five times if they do the full trek. And crossing the stream is one of the easiest parts of the trek.

6. Here is a picture of the handcarts that are parked and waiting for the next folks to take them out. We have a total of 22 carts but two of them have broken wheels right now and three are out on loan for the pageant. Some days we send out all or nearly all of our carts and other days just a couple. There are days we have up to two hundred people use the carts and other days it is just a few.

7. Here is the headquarters of the handcart people. I am the assistant handcart site leader now and I go there three days a week to send out the handcarts and then recover them. The buckets in the left side of the building contain brushes and scrappers to clean the carts in the stream before they are put away. The cleaning part of the trek is the most fun for many of the folks that do the trek.

The other thing to report is that we bought a bicycle so I can go to the handcart job and then to wherever else I need to go. It is a good bike and I can carry quite a bit of the things that I need at the handcart site.

This past week the temperature reached 99 on one day and in the 90s on a couple of more days. The super hot day I worked at the blacksmith shop which is not air conditioned and worked at the forge part of the time, making minature horse shoes for a demonstration of what a black smith did. It is fun but on a day like that it is just too hot to enjoy it. So working at the Stoddard Tin Shop was really nice on the following day. You might not have known that tinsmiths worked in air conditioned shops! Well, at least they do in 2011 in Old Nauvoo.

We are well and enjoying the service and the spirit of Old Nauvoo. We hope that you are all well and that a cool breeze is blowing in your direction!

Elder & Sister (the magnificent) Karn

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Isaac Snyder, my (Pam) ancestor, is buried here. He died in 1844, at age 56, from "lung fever". His grave is unmarked.

Hi Folks,
It is easy to see the time whiz by here. We don't often have free time let alone time to take photos. But that is okay. It is lots of fun to learn so much about Nauvoo. Today we served in the Land and Records Office of Nauvoo. We had about 15 people come in looking for their ancestors that might have lived here in the Old Nauvoo period (1839-1846). It is amazing when one considers the short period of time the Latter-Day Saints lived in Nauvoo. In just 7 years the city was built up to a population of 12,000, rivaling Chicago. Many businesses were thriving and people built beautiful red brick homes from the bricks that were made locally from the clay found here. I had ancestors that lived here, one a blacksmith, one a wainwright (wagon maker) and another a farmer. I love learning more about them. It makes the period come alive to me. Elder Karn has a new assignment to help manage the handcart treks and he is kept very busy most mornings. The trail the handcarts take is pretty muddy and through a cow pasture where he has seen a bull. I think I will forego that experience.

We continue to do our best whether dancing or singing or telling about Old Nauvoo and those that sacrificed so much due to persecution. Most of the "Saints" left Nauvoo in the dead of winter, 1846, when they crossed the frozen Mississippi in their wagons. Times only became harder because of the weather and their meager supplies.

Have a good week. Elder and Sister Karn

Folks, For all of you who did not have time to look at the blog last week don't feel bad - you didn't miss a thing. We were so busy this past week that we didn't add much other than a couple of photos to the blog! So this weeks post is a bunch of different things all added together. The second picture is of the Pretty Pam aboard the Mark Twain River Boat. We went down to Hannibal, MO last week to check out Huck Finn but he wasn't home. It is a neat little town and we had a nice time. We also went on the river boat for a cruise (a short one hour one) up (a few hundred yards up stream) and then down the Mississippi a ways and then back to Hannibal. We did see the island that gave Mark the idea for Huck's hide out.

The first picture is of our front living room. (We have two and that is the first one you come into when you enter our house.) We have two sofas in the other living room and it is a little bigger.

The next picture is of a tug and some barges on the Mississippi. A single tug boat will push up to fifteen barges and they are about 150 feet long! They will fasten them together five wide and up to three in line and push from the back. It sure looks like "the tail waging the dog!" I can't remember how many tons they said they could carry but it was a huge number of tractor trailers worth!

The next two pictures are of the area that we call "Pioneer Pastimes". Families and school groups come to this area and learn what the games pioneer children played and just have fun. There are clothes there for people to dress up in and look like pioneers. We worked there one day and we only had a few problems - one of them was a little girl who did not want to give up her pioneer clothes at the end of the day. She was having fun and did not want any part of calling it the end of the day!

I (Bruce) am now the assistent on the handcart group. It doesn't mean much other than that I tell folks what not to do and where not to go with the hand carts. Then I give them a handcart and send them out to pull it around and have fun. Most everyone enjoys it and gains a lot of respect for the folks that pulled carts that were loaded and travelled 1,200 to 1,500 miles!

Both shows that we are in are going now. We are not big time players but have lots of fun doing our parts.

The only other news from here is that we have had some very hot and humid days and some big storms roll through. Pam had to take a couple of days off this week because the cold settled into her chest and was not good! She is a little better now and back on the job!

Love to all and stop in when you are in the neighborhood!

Elder & Sister Karn

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Some fellow missionaries here in Nauvoo, and friends we worked at the Ogden Temple with, took these photos at our last performance of

"Sunset on the Mississippi". Interestingly, Elder Karn is carrying the Marine flag during the patriotic tribute. The Army flag was already spoken for. It is all good. The temperature and humidity during this show was up there. If you look closely you can see the steam. Love to all!

Karns

Sunday, May 29, 2011

1. Sunset over the "Mighty Mississip" this evening.

2. Nauvoo Temple, standing on the hill like a giant frosted wedding cake




































3. Elder Karn coming out of this evening's zone conference


























4. Sister Karn demonstrating candle making at the Family Living Center today (candles were made of tallow not wax!)

































5. Elder Karn demonstrating rope making at the Family Living Center today




















Every week brings new skills and experiences. We have been assigned some new places. Our days are full. Probably one of the most exciting things is that we opened our new show, "Sunset by the Mississippi" last night on the outdoor stage. The audience seem to love it.

As far as the Mississippi goes, we aren't seeing any flooding here and everything is fine. We get some wild thunderstorms. We had night in the middle of the day today. The street lights came on and it was dark! We have a weather alert radio that comes on and warns us of tornado warning when we are home. The city of Nauvoo has a tornado siren and we all have assigned areas to go to in the event of a tornado.

We have had some wonderful visitors; friends from around the country come and visit us. A visit to Nauvoo is worthy every effort.

This weekend we are thinking of all those who served their country and defended freedom. And we remember those who serve today.

Elder and Sister Karn

Sunday, May 22, 2011

The summer schedule is in place tomorrow where work shifts are longer and time between work and performing in the shows is minimal. We will be stuffing sandwiches in our mouths and gulping water during that time. Costume changes will be even quicker. We will both learn something more about speed there, although Elder Karn has speed down to a science already!

Just in case you are interested there are 5 different categories of missionaries here: the senior couple or senior sister site missionaries, including us (tour guides), NRI (maintenance and repair) missionaries (most wives are also site type), young sister missionaries, young performing missionaries (ages 18-25) who are here for summer only, and the temple missionaries. I don't know exactly how many the total is but it has to be more than 250. That is a lot of people to manage for one mission president. That is also a lot of residences to provide and manage, even though we all pay a reasonable rent they cover all utilities except phone and internet. All missionaries are volunteers and pay their own living expenses. I am guessing the young performers and the sisters pay a "standardized" monthly rate for all expenses and that it is probably less than what the seniors pay. Our rent $575 monthly. We find that reasonable considering the space. I have included photos of our little red brick home. Since this photo, I have planted some flowers in place of the weeds out front.

We saw the young performers in action on stage with us this past week. They are incredibly talented in voice, instrument, dance, etc. In order to perform in Nauvoo they must first audition for their participation and also support themselves. And they love what they do! I am convinced. Most of them are "performance" majors at universities. They are also full time missionaries and must obey all mission rules.

Everyone here is so fun to work with and get to know. And everyone has a story of some kind that makes us better for having known them.

We are still missing family, especially grandchildren. My greatest blessings call me "Grandma".

Love to all,

Elder & Sister Karn

Sunday, May 14, 2011

Folks, Finally we are adding a post to our blog! We have been very busy trying to learn new scripts, dance steps, and songs. We have been in two perfomances of "Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo". Our assignments or "parts" increased from the first night to the second. We sure hope that it does not continue to increase at this pace! The other show we are practicing for, "Sunset By the Mississippi", will open 28 May. That is a variety show and is a lot of fun!

So far Elder Karn has been a Rope Maker, a Shoe Maker, a Blacksmith, a Cooper, a Potterer, a Weaver, and a Brick Maker. Sister Karn has been giving tours in the Brigham Young Home, the Scovil Bakery, The Pendleton Log School House, the Post Office, the Stoddard Tin Shop, the Heber C. Kimball Home.

Anyway, attached are a few pictures for you to check out. Perhaps Pam will even attach a picture of me practicing the "Mustache Song". It is one of the fun songs from Sunset that the Elders are preparing for the show.

The Mississippi is running very high and is so massive that we marvel every time we see it.

Nauvoo is really a beautiful place and we are so fortunate to be here!

Hope to see you in Nauvoo! Elder & Sister Karn