Random memories from years past (in video)

I found a bunch of videos on my hard drive, which I'm not sure I ever uploaded to a blog.

Singing Happy Birthday to Lizzie

This is what happens when people don't follow laws . . . or when there aren't any laws. :)

 Dan & Dan

 Dan with Faythe, Grace, and Hope

With Chris Green at a friend's wedding in California - 2003

With Mudda at Phil's wedding in St. George

Memories . . . in video (little Ari)

I found some fun videos I haven't seen in a while. This post is in honor of Ari's birthday (yesterday). Some of the dates on the videos may be wrong, but they're still funny!

2011

I think this is the Museum of Rock. Maybe.

This isn't Ari, but I'll bet Ari was partially responsible for inspiring this action. :)

Honey Lake?

 Friday the 13th:  Trip to Lake Assal, Djibouti.  "Assal" in Arabic means "honey."  There's definitely nothing sweet about this lake.  According to Wikipedia, it is one of the saltiest bodies of water on our planet (possibly the second saltiest) with a salinity slightly higher than that of the Dead Sea.

Camels walking on the salt as we arrived at the lake.

 Finally!  Something whiter than my skin.

Salt

 Those are the slippers from the hotel where I'm currently staying.  No need to destroy my own.

 A humble Djiboutian family that lives on the lake.  The battery in our SUV died while we were at the lake (90 minutes from civilization!).  I brought a portable jump starter, but first we tried putting the car in second gear and the family helped us push a short distance until the vehicle started.  And yes, I wore my hotel bathrobe all the way back to the hotel.

I wish the US would import this model of Toyota Land Cruiser.  I love it!

Tunisia

I spent the last two weeks hanging out in Tunisia.

I swam in the Mediterranean Sea.....once.

Most of the time I swam in the pools.

 Visiting an old fort.

 Checking out the souvenirs.

Two of my favorite people at the resort:  the guy who made fresh orange juice each morning. . .

And the man who made the morning crepes.

These were my favorite breakfast foods.

 Roundabout with a large tree growing out of a large vase.

On top of a house on the old fort.  I didn't open my eyes because the sun was directly behind the man taking the picture.

 Visiting ancient Carthage

Looking out over the Mediterranean Sea

Not sure who that was, but it looks cool.

 "Citizens!  I am hungry.  Let us eat pizza!"

Papa John's Pizza, Tunis.

Congress

The following article clearly states that a group of baboons is not a "congress," but I still think our congress is a group of baboons, although that may be offensive to baboons.

It's a funny article, too: 

https://www.thoughtco.com/group-of-baboons-not-a-congress-3968493

"But the fact remains that a gathering of baboons is not a 'congress.'  When a troop of baboons gathers it usually accomplishes something useful."

Try a different one, Mr. Baboon.  The yellow one might hurt your teeth.  I did see a baboon with a torn-open can of soda licking out the rest of the sugary drops of liquid.  Strong little things.  I saw another one finish off a bottle of water exactly how a human would drink from it.  Muslims believe that evil people who lived long ago were condemned by Allah (God) and are now living on Earth as monkeys.  Perhaps I saw Nero today.

Star Valley, Wyoming

This morning I drove three hours north to visit the Star Valley Temple.

This is supposedly the world's largest elk horn arch.

I love this area.  So pretty.  The drive was nice as well.

Denver & Fort Collins Temples

 Around noon on Tuesday I took a short flight to Denver, Colorado to visit the Fort Collins and Denver Temples.  I had not yet performed ordinance work in the Fort Collins Temple.  I picked up my rental car and discovered that the Denver area has toll roads.  I'm sick of toll roads after living in the Washington D.C. area for a few years, and because I was not in a hurry I decided to avoid tolls during my one-day trip to Colorado.  I drove 90 minutes to the Fort Collins Temple.  When I left the Denver Airport the sun was out and the temperature was quite pleasant.  As I arrived in Fort Collins the rain was coming down lightly, the wind was blowing, and the temperature had dropped at least 10 degrees.

 The first two photos are the Fort Collins Temple.  It is new and beautiful.  Prior to entering the temple I stopped at a local soup cafe and enjoyed a large bowl of lentil and buffalo-sausage stew.  Then I returned to the temple and attended an endowment session during which I felt like a combination of an old man and an ADHD youth.  When I wasn't dozing off I was fidgeting in order to avoid dozing off.  Lesson?  Don't go to the temple in a state of exhaustion.  

Following the endowment session I drove 90 minutes back to the home of my Uncle Doug and Aunt Denise.  Doug was waiting for me when I arrived.  We chatted for a few minutes and then retired to bed.  Cole (Doug and Denise's 13-year-old grandson) was kind enough to let me borrow his room for the night.  The next morning I chatted with Erica (Cole's mother) and her two other sons for a bit, and then I drove 45 minutes to the Denver Temple.

I performed some initiatory work at the Denver Temple and then I drove another 45 minutes back to the Denver Airport to return home to Utah.  I enjoyed my short, but productive trip to Colorado.

My rental car.  Notice the license plate?  Now THAT'S customer service.

Total cost of my one-day trip:  $45

$11 - Airplane Ticket (I used points and only paid the airport fees)

$6 - Rental Car (I used points)

$13 - Food

$15 - Gas