Grateful for Angel Blessings

All family members are keeping our granddaughter Shannon and seven-year-old Ryland in our thoughts and prayers following the injuries they received at Stewart Falls in Utah on May 25th.  Updates have been eagerly watched for on our "Ireland Family" site as well as from phone calls, and we appreciate the inspirational updates from Ryland's mother. 

Shannon was released yesterday evening (May 28) from the hospital and is staying with us in our downstairs along with her parents and Jenna.  Scott has been doing his work online and by phone, but he will fly back to Denver Sunday evening and come back here the following Friday.  

 Shannon in the hospital,

May 26, 2020. 

Here is a copy from what Scott shared on our Ireland Family site regarding Shannon's fall:

"Shannon’s hip is fractured in 4 places, she has a broken arm, elbow, and rib, and the orbital bone around her eye is fractured. Her hip injury will make her pretty immobile for the next 6 weeks, and then she will have about 6 weeks of therapy ahead of her after that. She is expected, however, to make a full recovery; and hopefully by the time that fall semester starts back up, she'll be pretty much back to normal.
 

"The news articles on the web all imply that there were 3 separate accidents that day at Stewart Falls, with Shannon and a small boy (Ryland) both separately falling from 40 feet above the falls down the shear cliff face to the base of the falls. As Shannon was unconscious and Jenna didn't see the accident, we assumed that the published reports were correct. However, late last night we learned the real truth. Only Shannon tripped and fell 40 ft. Ryland was down below and was badly injured when Shannon landed on him. He was the angel that cushioned Shannon's fall and saved her life. We are extremely grateful that Shannon survived this traumatic fall (that has killed others in the past), but feel terrible that it came at such a great cost to Ryland and his family. Ryland had emergency brain surgery yesterday and is in critical condition. We have been fasting and praying for him all day. Please continue to keep both Ryland and Shannon in your prayers."

Kristine posted a link to Ryland's Gofundme page for those interested in helping that way; and she also shared the option to contribue toward Ryland's family's expenses through Venmo, so the funds go directly to them.  

 

Ryland with his family

and standing in front of his mother,

who has shared daily inspirational updates.

In addition to Shannon surviving the fall,
there were other miracles that happened at Steward Falls.

About 30 minutes before Shannon fell,

another female hiker had broken her ankle;

so paramedics were already there at the spot and at the time 
of Shannon's fall onto Ryland

and were quickly able to attend to him.  
Because of the nature of his injury, the paramedics realized 
the need to intubate Ryland with a breathing tube.

Just at this critical moment, another hiker

who was a pediatric anesthesiologist showed up and could help
precisely when this was needed.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

In 2014, Sam and I hiked to Stewart Falls with Ethan and Scott and Shannon.  
We did not go up above the falls and had a safe time, 
although it was very hot and standing by the falls felt good.  
Shannon and Ethan opted to get wet going behind the falls.  
Here are photos from that day:

Ethan, Gramma Narene, Shannon, and Grampa Sam

at Stewart Falls in Utah, 2014.

If you look closely, you can see at least two hikers above the lower falls.

Shannon's fall was from about 40 feet down to the bottom

where we are standing in the preceding photo.

We are extremely grateful Shannon is here and can be in our home

healing and getting better each day. 

We appreciate the fasting and prayers for Shannon and for Ryland

and grateful for the miracles that accompanied this accident.

Summer Fun

Note:  Our family chose the first week in June to have our biannual family reunion so that we could celebrate together our 60th anniversary (June 5, 1959).  It was a fun time and in a future posting I will be sharing photos from our reunion.  

* * * * * * * * * * * *

This posting will focus on some of our activities this summer since the reunion in my attempt to catch up on what we have done since then.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

On June 14, we had a nice day riding 

with Hal and Christy Smith to 

Eureka, Utah, 

where we enjoyed learning about this historic town.

 Eureka was founded in 1870 when silver and other ores

were discovered in the area.

 "Levi's Waist Overalls" sign
It is on the side of the second Penney's store in the U.S.,
with the first one opened in Kemmerer, Wyoming.
(Christy pointing to the sign)

In 1910 during the town's boom, Eureka

was the 9th largest city in Utah,

with a population of around 3,900 people.

The mines were procuring millions of dollars in profits.

 City Hall (1899)  

A sign on the side points to the city jail in the back.

Between 1930 and 1940, most of the mines closed down

because of low prices and water flooding the mines

making it more expensive to retrieve the ore.

The last major mine closed in 1957.

Since that time the town's population has slowly faded away.

The population was 766 in the 2000 census.

The Star Theater (or what remains of it)

The name of the town is from the Greek word eureka,

meaning "I have found it."

The city and its history was explored on the show

Ghost Adventures in 2018. 

The Tintic Mining Museum

Displays historical artifacts from the town's early beginnings.

We would have gone inside had it been open.

Porter Rockwell's actual log cabin,

which was moved to Main Street in Eureka

from his ranch at Cherry Creek, Utah,

just west of Eureka.

Built approximately 1865.

The sign said Porter Rockwell's cabin
 was built with thick walls filled with sawdust

for use in the summer months.
(Sam and Narene)

 Orin Porter Rockwell 

died on June 9, 1878, in Salt Lake City 

of natural causes and 

was buried originally in a Salt Lake City cemetery.

There is an ongoing movement to restore Main Street 

for historical purposes and to promote tourism.
Also, we were told some mining is beginning to take place again
due to the increasing values for some ores, such as tin and copper. 

Driving around in Eureka,

we were surprised to find modern buildings,

a modern school building,

and some very expensive homes.

We were told some of these newer homes belong to people

who have roots in Eureka and have recently returned.

Each August, Eureka holds the annual

Tintic Silver Festival

with a parade down Main Street, many craft and food booths,

a car show, and much more. 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

 

On our return home, we stopped at
Rowley's Red Barn
for an ice cream treat as we have enjoyed on other visits.
(Christy, Hal, and Sam)

An antique we had not seen before 
at the Red Barn.
Sam knew what it had been used for.  Do you? 
It is a fanning mill for cleaning grain.



* * * * * * * * * * * *

 Manti laSal National Forest - Elmo, Utah 
Sam took this picture on one of the times he
went with our friend Kim Berrett
to measure trusses for new houses.
June 21


* * * * * * * * * * * * 

We were pleased to attend the wedding of
Mitchel and Rachel (Evans) Nelson.
Mitchel is my brother's grandson.
They were married in the Payson Temple
on June 26, 2019.

Kayleen giving her new daughter-in-law a hug.

After the wedding, we attended the nice luncheon in Provo
at The Manor at the Riverwoods.
We were unable to stay for the reception that evening
because of a church event held in our backyard.


* * * * * * * * * * * * 


Enjoying our Backyard

Backyard showing off on June 17th with
red geraniums, yellow marigolds, and green lawn.

I wish we had taken a photo of our yard 
when we moved here at the end of October 2012
when there was no landscaping
except for a little grass near the pool.

Our marriage tree has "grown," too, since our move
with four more locks added for grandchildren's marriages.

We enjoy our backyard and appreciate the view and privacy.
The view out our front door, however, has changed
with three new houses across the road.

Our backyard is enjoyed by family, 
but also gets used by friends and church groups.
Beth is currently serving as Relief Society president for her ward
and had a social here on June 26th
for the ladies and young women.

My Relief Society and Young Woman
had a "Luau" here on July 12
with the girls also enjoying the pool.

And we always love having family come.

Sarah, Anna, Paul, and Max are just leaving 
after their time in the pool.
July 17

Sam joining in the fun on a pleasant evening 
when the Grahams came over.
Alex is at bat with Todd pitching;
and Amanda, Beth, and Sam on base;
and Joshua, Ethan, and Rebecca fielding.
July 14


 This post is getting rather long, so I will continue
with more summer doings in the next posting.