Sunday, September 28, 2008

Michael Ballam

Last weekend we attended a benefit concert by Michael Ballam on Friday night and a Fireside by him on Sunday night. I know our children are not Michael Ballam fans but maybe some of the other readers will be interested.

This is a picture at one of his son's weddings.

On Friday night it was a benefit for the Opera by Children program that he is involved in and some local people are trying to get going in the schools here. It was a rather intimate setting at the home of our Stake President with about 25-35 people. They had food before and a meet and greet afterward. He mostly told of how he wanted to be an opera singer when he was a child and how he became one, interspersed with some of his favorite show tunes and why he liked them.

On Sunday night the highlight for me was the story he told about an old Jewish Rabi he met while doing a study abroad in Israel. He was one of the few who still know how to chant the Torah the way it used to be done. The Torah was never read but sung and the older versions have the musical accompaniment written along with the text. He sang a couple of the opening lines for us and said that on the occasion mentioned in the scriptures when Jesus read from the scriptures it was not actually reading but singing. He said that this old Rabi once visited the US and chanted some of the Torah in a meeting out in the west somewhere near a Navajo Indian reservation. There were some Navajos present who immediately recognized the tune and got very excited. They asked him where he got that music. It was the same tune as that handed down through their culture for centuries.

He also told the story of how he was approached by President Hinckley, then an apostle, about his role in the temple film. He was told he would have to take 6 months off to do it and could not tell anyone, even his wife, what he was doing. At the end he bore his testimony including his testimony of how real Satan is strengthed by his experience playing that role.

Veda and Friends

Since I didn't post a picture last week, I'll put another one in this week. This my grandmother Veda Bringhurst and two of her friends Belle Hammond and Anna Laura Klienman (L to R). Don't Know what ages but appears to be late teens to early 20s.

Sisters

All of these are daughters of W.A. Bringhurst listed from left to right:
Anna Augusta Bringhurst Naegle daughter of Susan A.S. Bringhurst 2nd wife
Lara Selinda Bringhurst daughter of Susan A.S. Bringhurst
Elleanor (Ella) Bringhurst daughter of Susan A.S. Bringhurst
Veda (with sore eyes) Bringhurst daughter of Mary J.S. Bringhurst 3rd wife
Vera (center) Bringhurst, daughter of Mary J.S. Bringhurst
Mary Eleanor (Nellie) Bringhurst daughter of Selinda D.P. Bringhurst, 1st wife

It appears to have been a strain to hold still long enough for the picture to be taken. I'm told that is why people are seldom smiling in these old pictures. They didn't have fast film in those days.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Changing times

O.K. for those of you who get squeamish or just plain bored looking at the inside of an automobile, you can skip this one. I had made a commitment to myself to get the oil changed in our new Hyundai Sonata yesterday since it had been driven to Utah and back this past summer, about 3000 miles, and I had not changed the oil since then. I was debating whether to do it myself, or pay $29.95 at a local garage we have been patronizing, since I was busy and not looking forward with anticipation to crawling under a car. I decided to go out a see how hard it would be to get the oil filter off. I could not find the oil filter anywhere, so I figured it wasn't going to be easy and just drove to the garage. After they got my car in the bay, the repairman came in to the waiting area to inform me that it would be about $6 extra since my vehicle has an internal oil filter. I decided to to go out to see what an internal oil filter is. I found this picture on line but it doesn't show how it goes in and I don't want to go out and have to replace the O rings to take one so I will attempt a description.

They had removed the top cover off the engine and there was about a 7" round cylinder molded into the engine block on the top side near the fuel injectors. He had removed the cover of that cylinder with an oil filter wrench. Attached to the top was a long cylindrical projection with large rectangular openings in the sides all around. Over that slides a filter element similar to an air filter element. There is a large O ring at the top where the cover contacts the engine block and a small one at the bottom where the end of the thing seals. Both O rings have to be replaced each time the filter is changed. It's a good thing I decided to be lazy and have someone else do it. I would have searched forever for that oil filter, probably after having drained the oil. Maybe I will try it next time.

Still a Prophet

After Church today a young mother came up to me and asked if her son, about 2 years old, had been making eyes at me during Sacrament Meeting. They were sitting across the aisle and about 3 rows ahead of us. I said yes he was. She said that he had told them that he saw our Prophet sitting just over there. This is not the first time I have been mistaken for a Prophet. Several other children have also said the same thing. We thought it was because of some slight resemblance to President Hinckley - both bald, both gray fringe, both wearing glasses, etc. This one is too young to remember President Hinckley, however. It's nice to be thought of in such illustrious company, but a bit daunting to make sure I don't damage their reputation in some child's estimation.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Mary Janet Stapley Bringhurst

Mary J. Stapely age 19Mary Janet Stapely Bringhurst, age unknown

Mary Janet Stapely Bringhurst

My great grandmother (mother's mother's mother) at 3 different ages. The top one on the left is 19 years old, the others unknown. The hair style at 19 is quite unique.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

38 Years

Perhaps its appropriate that we have a hurricane threat as we celebrate our 38th anniversary. I remember being awakened by an earthquake in LA on our wedding day. We marked the occasion by going out to Pericos (a popular Mexican restaurant in town) for dinner and taking a break from the diet, then coming home and falling asleep watching a movie. Well, Suzanne fell asleep anyway. We have seen our share of bumps along the way but all in all its been a good journey. In 2 years we will be celebrating 40. Any ideas on what to do to celebrate? If it's anything like this year, a trip to the coast is probably out.

Hurricane!


It's ironic that our relatives in Indiana and New York will probably see much more effect from Ike than we will. We are on the dry side and so far have seen a little breeze and nothing else. It's forecast path takes it up through Indiana and NY. There is not much accurate information about the damage in the Houston and Galveston area yet as the hurricane is still passing and still a category 2 hours after making landfall.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Wedding picture

My mother's wedding picture (8 Sept 1943)

Social Event


I am assuming this is some sort of party or social gathering. The list of names is cut off at the top unfortunately so the first 2 on the left are unidentified. The rest from left to right are:
Lawrence Kleinman
Rhea Higbee
William Bringhurst (brother of Veda)
Lavine (?) Sylvester
Walter Bringhurst (nephew of Veda)
Veda Bringhurst