Sunday, July 24, 2011

Is it really 24 July 2011? Wow the time blazes by when you are rocking and rolling every day! The month of July in Nauvoo is a blurr. There are so many activities going on and so many visitors here that even in normal times there wouldn't be any down time but this July has brought some additional challenges. Supposedly each summer folks here get the "Nauvoo crud". The Nauvoo crud is sore throat and coughing which may get worse and it comes back time after time. People have it for a while and then feel better and then get it again. Well this July it has really plaqued the seniors. Normally we are packed on stage during some of the big numbers in our shows but the last few weeks we have felt a little lonesome on the stage because we have had so many folks out sick. And many days we have to change assignments because so many folks are out sick and some sites have had to close early because we are so short on people. Sister Karn had a real bout with the crud but seems to be on the mend now.

The big heat wave has also been here in Nauvoo. All the days this past week were in the 90s and the heat index was over 100 and on some days reached well past 100 into the teens. On some of those days we had outside assignments and boy was it hot in pioneer clothing! The great show "Sunset By the Mississippi" had to be moved to the inside stage and the room only seats 250 so some folks don't get to see the show.

The pictures we were going to attach don't seem to want to cooperate and attach! Did anyone else ever have technology problems? We sure love technology when it works but when it lets us down we sure are lost!

So folks - all is going well in Nauvoo and we are rolling rapidly and happily down the road of this time of service.

We love you all - God speed dear friends!

Elder & Sister Karn

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Push your handcart up here folks!

Above is a photo of the thorns on the trunk of the Thorny Locust tree. Pioneer trekkers and modern day trekkers have to watch out for these, along with Poison Ivy and Poison Oak.

Here are some photos of the handcart trail when people go on our local Nauvoo trek. Imagine 500 lbs. of goods in the handcart along with the difficulty of pushing and pulling the handcart trek.

"Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo" is performed all year long, no holiday exceptions, except for Sunday. There are 3 different casts. Each cast performs the show twice weekly. During the busy summer each of those nights two shows are performed, 7pm and 8:15pm. Because the Cultural Hall holds about 100 people it is necessary to have tickets. If you are coming our way, let us know and we can reserve tickets.

During the month of July we have wonderful visits from friends and family. It was so great to see them and to spend a little time around Nauvoo with them. Some were able to attend our night time performances of "Rendezvous" and "Sunset". We are pure and untalented amateurs on stage but we give it our all (especially Elder Karn). But the love and "good job" comments made us feel special.

We hope your summer is going well.

Our love to all, Elder and Sister Karn

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