Old Pictures Project

When we were in Utah for Grandma Sorensen's funeral I was able to talk my dad into letting me take some of his old slides so I could start a project to scan and digitize them. At first he seemed a little reluctant to let me take them, but in the end he let me take some slides taken in June of 1982 of our vacation to Independence, Nauvoo, Mt. Rushmore and other stops. It was a very memorable vacation and it has brought back memories. I am also very happy to have the opportunity to digitize these because they were going blue with age and seem to be a little dark. But, with the magic of computers once I get them scanned they can be improved and preserved, as least as much a possible. CDs go bad and hard disks crash but hopefully I will be able to get them backed-up enough that we can keep them. Below is a sampling of what I have scanned so far.

This is Robbie, Sacha, Aunt Deane, Hollie, Angela, AmiJo, Mom and Me on the steps of the Colorado Capital Building in Denver, CO. It has been a few years since we went on the trip, but it seems like we met Uncle Bob and Aunt Deane and their family in Greenriver and then drove to Denver from there. After that, we stopped in Wichita, KS and met-up with my Uncle Brent and Aunt Vickie and their family (David and Megan were the only ones born then, Megan was 2 1/2) and they came with us for part of the trip.

Sacha and AmiJo at the Temple Lot in Independence, MO. That place has changed quite a bit since then. Now the Community of Christ (formally RLDS) has built a temple there. I think this is the temple lot owned by The Church of Christ - Temple Lot that still has not built a temple where Joseph Smith dedicated the ground for a temple. They are another break-off church from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They have not built a temple because they do not know what to do with one.

This is Sacha by the sign at the temple site.

This is Sacha, Angela, Troy, Mom and me in Independence, MO. I think this was taken in front of the LDS Church's Visitors Center but I could be wrong. It has been a few years since we were there.

This is a picture from the St. Louis Arch. The coloring is bad because the slide was going blue. The city has changed a bit since then and the old stadium has been torn down and a new one has been built. I would not have ever imagined that I would own a house within site of the Arch back then.

This is a picture of the old motor home, which really was not that old back then. It did not have any air conditioning and I remember it could be hot at times. That is me, Troy and Angela in the picture.

This is another picture of the old motor home and Aunt Deane. I am holding Hollie.

We are skipping ahead in the trip now to Wall Drug. Where the heck is Wall Drug? It is in South Dakota and their claim to fame is they offer free ice water. All drug stores did when they became famous, but they advertised it on big billboards and from there they grew into a huge tourist attraction and bronco-busting location. This is a picture of me, dressed in the traditional style of the day (short shorts and tall socks) doing my best to break the wild beast. If I remember correctly (it has been a few years since then) that I broke the horse and it was a tame beast from that time on. I could be wrong though.

Troy found himself a honey at Wall Drug and got right cozy with her. Troy is also dressed in the traditional dress of the day with his tall socks and short shorts. I think the visor was a nice touch.

Brazos Bend

Last Saturday we went to Brazos Bend State Park, otherwise known as The Alligator Park, to hunt some alligators and shoot them with our camera. We have not always been successful in our hunt for alligators but this trip was a winner and we saw 16 alligators, 3 turtles and many birds. There are some wood piers on one of the lakes and we went out on it to take a look when we heard a sound underneath it. We looked through the cracks and there was an alligator under it and he did not like the noise we made by jumping on the pier. I was able to record the sound on the video camera but unfortunately I do not know how to post that. Even though I cannot share what we heard that day, here is a sampling of what we saw.

This is an alligator that was out swimming in one of the lakes.

This alligator was off the path a bit down on a swamp area.

This is one of the turtles we saw sitting on a log.

This was the first alligator we saw sitting on the trail that day. He was a big one and we were able to get some good pictures.

Here is the whole family with the alligator in the background.

This is a close-up of the big boy without the family in the picture. Remember, there are no fences between us and the gators.

I got the video camera out to take some footage of the big boy and he decided he had his fill of being photographed. So, he walked across the road and into the water. It kind of freaked us out when he got up and started moving. There are signs to keep track of small children and pets so the alligators do not get them.

This is a picture of one of the trails that is lined with trees with Spanish Moss hanging from them.

A family picture with the trees and Spanish moss.

This is a picture of one of the lakes, which is full of alligators, from a lookout point.

We walked from one picnic/parking area to another picnic/parking area where there is some playground equipment to have lunch. Lori decided she was too tired to walk back to the car so I went with Brett and Jared and left Lori there with Ryan. Ryan played on the playground equipment and chased squirrels while Brett, Jared and I hiked back. As a result, Lori and Ryan missed out on seeing many of the alligators. This is Brett and Jared with a little one that was sitting on the trail. We tried to sneak past him but when we went by he headed for the lake.

This is a close-up of the little one before he headed for the water.

This is a larger alligator that was sitting by the bank waiting for a small dog or child to come by. You can see him behind Jared and Brett.

Brett is pointing out the alligator in this picture.

Jared wanted his own picture with the alligator as well.


Jared got tired on the walk back and so I carried him for a little way.

This alligator was a big boy sitting by the side of the trail with his mouth open. It could be argued that this was the best alligator siting of the entire trip and Lori and Ryan missed it.

This is a close-up of the big boy with his mouth open. He has some impressive teeth.

Another picture with Brett and Jared with the big alligator in the background. They are feeling a little nervous and it shows.

A parting shot of the big one showing his teeth.

Grandma Sorensen

On May 1st Grandma Velva Sorensen passed away. I would like to write a tribute to her but my cousin, AmiJo Comeford, wrote a wonderful obituary and I would not be able to top that. Therefore, I am posting what AmiJo wrote on my blog.

Our loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Velva Atkin Sorensen, passed away at the age of 87 on May 1, 2007 in Cedar City, Utah. She was the second child of William and Lula Atkin of St. George, Utah. She began her sojourn in St. George, Utah and like the desert that was to become her home, she blossomed as a beautiful rose. Velva was raised in St. George with summers spent in Colorado and on the Arizona strip at the sheep ranch. She graduated from Dixie High School and then attended Dixie College. Velva then fell in love with and married Lowell Sorensen on October 25, 1941 in the St. George Temple. They are the parents of six children. Velva was known as a gifted seamstress, and taught not only her own daughters to sew through the 4-H program, but many others in Cedar City and St. George. In addition to making beautiful clothes and quilts, Velva also created exquisite embroidery work. She was an active member of the Latter-Day Saint Church and served in diverse capacities, including many years as the Relief Society president of the Cedar City Sixth Ward. Her service to others did not end with a release from her calling. Velva continued to care lovingly for the widows in her ward and served many children as an instructional/reading assistant at Enoch Elementary School, as well as ever gently fulfilling the eternal calling of mother and grandmother. All who knew Velva remember her dainty and graceful demeanor, and each friend, family member, acquaintance, and stranger alike was blessed by her quick, fun smile. Though Velva has continued her sojourn into another sphere, her friends and family will forever love and miss her. We will always remember Velva as one who taught us to be better families, friends, and servants of the Lord. Velva, may your eternal journey be a joyful one until we embrace again, never to be separated more. Velva was preceded in death by her parents, Lula and William Atkin; her husband, Lowell Sorensen; her sister, Sylva Tanner; and her great-granddaughter, Tiffany Peterson. Velva is survived by six children: Darwin (LaDawn) Sorensen of Riverton, Utah; Dee (Ellen) , Brent (Vickie), Julie (Wendell) Beck, all from Cedar City; Geraldine (Robert) Comeford of Washington, Utah; and Bonnie (Scott) Smith of Murray, Utah, brother, Floyd (Ellen) Atkin of St. George; and sisters Luen (Gordon) Flammer of West Jordon, Utah and Beth (John B.) Cox of St. George. Funeral services will be held on Monday, May 7, 2007 at 11:00 a.m. at the Cedar City Fourth Ward Chapel located at 400 North and 500 West in Cedar City, Utah. Friends and family may pay their love and respect to Velva at the Southern Utah Mortuary in Cedar City at 190 North 300 West on Sunday, May 6, 2007 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. and at the Fourth Ward Chapel from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Monday morning, May 7th. The family gratefully expresses their tremendous thanks and appreciation to the Kolob Regional Care Center for their loving care of Velva. On-line condolences can be sent to our website at http://www.southernutahmortuary.com/.

We had the very good fortune of being able to attend the funeral even though the expense to get there was high. That is one of the downsides of living such a long distance away from family. It was a bitter-sweet experience. It was sad to have Grandma Sorensen pass away but it was really nice to see some of our family members that we have not seen in a very long time again. Below are some of our pictures from the trip to Utah for the funeral.

Jared and Conner passing time at the viewing.

Nicholas and Ryan at the viewing. Ryan is doing his grumpy face for the camera.

Tracee and AmiJo at the viewing. Tracee just graduated from college and AmiJo has her Ph.D. and taught a year at BYU. We are all very proud of them.

This is a picture of Henry, David (Megan's husband), Landry, Rollins (Megan's boys), Megan and Haley. I had not ever met Megan's husband before and I have not seen any of them for about 10 years. They came in a group and I did not recognize Henry at all and since I had never met Megan's husband, I thought Henry must be her husband. I introduced myself to Henry and everyone got a big laugh about that. But, I have not seen Henry since he was about Brett's age. He has changed a little since then.

Nicholas, Ryan and Landry. Landry told us that he was done being three and so now he is four. He is quite a character. I think he gets it from his mother.

This is Brett Sorensen holding Brett Sorensen. Brett the younger is Max's son.

The children before the funeral. This is Aunt Julie, Uncle Wendell, Darwin (my dad), LaDawn (my mom), Uncle Dee and Aunt Ellen.

More of the kids before the funeral. This is Uncle Brent, Aunt Vickie, Uncle Scott and Aunt Bonnie. I missed Aunt Deane and Uncle Bob, but they will be in later pictures.

This is at the cemetery. All of the grandsons that were there served as Pall Bearers. Those that were there were Robby, me, Mark, Jeff, Troy, Henry, Richard, Max and Lowell. David could not be there because of his job and Cody is still serving his mission in the Houston area. Cody is only about an hour away from where we live but we cannot go see him.

Aunt Julie, Aunt Bonnie, Aunt Deane, Uncle Wendall and Uncle Bob at the cemetery.

Ryan and Nicholas doing their best to stay out of trouble at the cemetery. Ryan slept through most of the funeral. I guess he thought it was like Sacrament Meeting so he crashed on my lap.

Uncle Bob, Aunt Deane, Aunt Luen's daughter, Elaine (my Dad's Cousin) AmiJo, Jimmy (Hollie's Husband), Hollie, Tracee, Gracie (Hollie's Daughter) and Robbie.

Brazos Bend State Park II

Continued from the previous post ...

This is me demonstrating the art of tree climbing. The picture does not provide the proper perspective of how high in the tree I am, but the kids were impressed. It is nice to have kids that are still young enough to impress.

Jared, Brett and Ryan under a dead tree branch. I have to be in the picture again to hold Ryan so he does not fall off the log. Right before the picture was taken Ryan fell down and hurt himself while we were walking and we did not want him to fall again.

Due to the wind and cold weather, the alligator sightings were rare. We did see a couple swimming, but none were sunning themselves on the bank where we could get a good look at them. Following our hike, we went to the Visitors Center and the place was packed. They were having an Earth Day Celebration and there were booths and activities for the kids to do. Even though we did not get to see very many alligators, we had the chance to pet a baby alligator. This is Brett and Jared doing just that.

In addition to petting the baby alligator, we had the chance to pet a corn snake. I really do not like snakes very much.

In addition to the snakes and the alligators, the kids had a chance to hold a turtle.

This is Jared putting the turtle back.


They had a rock climbing wall set-up so the kids had the chance to try it out. This is Jared and Ryan getting ready to do some climbing.

This is an action shot of the kids climbing the wall. I am mostly pushing Ryan up the wall, but he was having fun.

Brazos Bend State Park I

Several weeks ago (April 14th to be exact) we made a trip to Brazos Bend State Park to go on a hike. The weather was cool and windy and I have to admit that standing in the wind it even got cold. We have adjusted to the warmer climate so it may be that we just get cold easier now than we used to, but it was quite chilly that Saturday. The kids were driving us crazy so we decided to go on a hike to get some of their energy out and to take some pictures. We packed a lunch so Brett could pass-off a Cub Scout requirement and headed out. Below are some of the pictures we took on that trip.

Brett, Ryan and Jared on a tree stump on the trail. The tree stump is not visible in this picture but it is in the picture below.

Brett, Jared and Ryan on a tree stump.

A picture of us on a low tree branch. I had to be in the picture to hold the kids on the branch so nobody would fall off. Jared is struggling to stay on even though I am holding him.

I was able to wrestle the camera out of Lori's hands and get a picture of her with the kids. This is a rare one these days. It is great that Lori takes so many pictures but the downside is I am in so many of them.

Jared alone on the tree limb.