Nauvoo Trip - Day 5

John and Sarah had to leave early in the morning but our flight didn't depart until the evening so we had one more day to enjoy the area.  Before leaving town we went back to the temple for a few more pictures.  (We also gave our extra groceries to the NPMs next door, but I don't have any pictures of that.)

The kids watched the 1993 movie The Adventures of Huck Finn as we drove to Hannibal.  We spent several hours in town, checking out Mark Twain's old stomping grounds, going on a fun riverboat cruise down the Mississippi, and eating lunch at a yummy Italian place.

(Mark Twain's childhood home)

This was our view of the Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse up on a hill.

The Mark Twain Memorial Bridge is behind us.
I guess he's kind of a big deal in Hannibal.

We still had time to kill before we needed to go to the airport in St. Louis so we decided to go check out the Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse, and stop for a photo with Tom and Huck.

I'm so thankful we were able to make this trip and enjoy quality time with John and Sarah's family!

Nauvoo Trip - Day 4

On Monday I woke up early to go jogging.  It was really neat to have the Women's Garden behind the visitors' center all to myself.  I also jogged to the Sarah Granger Kimball Home.  I picked up some doughnuts and milk on my way back to the house and John found me when he was on his way to do the same thing.

Later that morning, we had a baptism sesssion scheduled.  It was wonderful to have that time in this incredible temple with all of these beautiful girls.  We had some male names to be done too, and since Jack wasn't up for going to the temple that day, Ben and John baptized each other.

We changed clothes and collected the rest of the group, then headed back to the historic area.

The tinsmith.

Luke got really good at this game in the Pioneer Pastimes area.

We ran into friends from the MBA program!

The Browning Gunsmith shop.

What Jack wanted to do more than anything else was rent bikes and ride around.  The rest of the group wanted to have some down time, so Ben and I took Jack on a bike ride through the historic area and down to the waterfront.  We loved it!

Here, we're on Andrew Hiram Whitlock's land,
with the Mansion House behind us on the left.

This is the grave marker for Hyrum, Joseph, and Emma
in the Smith Family Cemetery beside the Homesatead.

The Mississippi River at the end of Parley Street, where the Saints crossed
to begin their journey West.

This is a cool sculpture depicting Joseph Smith supporting Brigham Young
as they look over the river.  Brigham is holding a map.  The sculpture is called
"Eyes Westward," and I just learned that there's a replica of it in SLC.
Now I want to go see it.

Later in the afternoon we went on a horse-drawn wagon ride through the historic area, then toured some more.

Mill stones behind the bakery.
Seeing these always makes me think of Luke 17:2.
Just imagine...

I like this quote by Lucius Scovil, the owner of the Scovil Bakery.
Every Christmas, I still make the molasses cookie recipe I got at the Scovil Bakery
(along with a corresponding sample) on my first visit.  On this trip, I learned
that the Scovil Bakery operated on consignment - nothing was actually baked there.

The Riser Boot & Shoe Shop

The blacksmith showed us the difference between a horsehoe for a
normal-sized horse and the draft horses that had been pulling us
around on our carriage and wagon rides.

We learned a lot in the wainwright shop.  When the Saints were preparing to move
west, each household had to make their own wheels for their wagons so as not to
overwhelm the wainwrights in town.  But they were all made to the same specifications
so that if one broke, they would be able to fix it using universal parts.

That night we attended a fun music and dancing performance by the Nauvoo Performing Missionaries called "Sunset by the Mississippi."  It was very entertaining and we thoroughly enjoyed it, though we all felt bad for the missionaries having to work so hard in the heat and humidity.

This NPM and several others actually lived in the house next to our AirBNB,
which is the site where Sarah's Nauvoo ancestor lived.  Eliza loved talking
to this sweet sister and found that they had a lot in common.

After the show we got some frozen custard on
Mulholland Street and Jack took another opportunity
to play the street piano.

Nauvoo Trip - Day 3

We had a more laid-back day on Sunday.  We slept in a bit, Ben and John made breakfast, then we went to Sacrament Meeting.  Luckily, Will and his wife gave us a heads up that Sacrament Meeting would be crowded, so we arrived early.  About 20-30 minutes before the meeting was to start, we had to sit about 1/3 of the way back into the cultural hall.  The cultural hall eventually filled up, including the stage.  There were people in the foyers and a feed set up in the Primary room.  This was probably the most full meeting I've ever attended, and it must have been like this all summer because the ward was prepared - they even had two Sacrament tables set up.  I would guess that between the families in town to help with the pageants and the more short-term visitors, we multiplied the local ward by a factor of 10.

After Church we went to the temple and took some pictures, then went back to the AirBNB for lunch.

The basement was one huge bunk room (for all the nieces and nephews
I'd hoped would be coming) but Eliza and Iris preferred to sleep together.
So, they slept on two mattresses in the middle of the floor.

Ben and John made breakfast.
Also, twins!

 

After lunch we drove to Carthage to tour the jail.  Many other people had the same idea so we ended up waiting for a little while, but it was worth it.  Unlike most of the buildings in Nauvoo, the jail is original.  It was incredible to walk on the same floors Joseph and Hyrum Smith walked on, and to see the bullet hole in the door where the mob was trying to force their way in.  Being there, hearing the account of the martyrdom, and looking around and visualizing it in that very building strengthened my testimony.  I felt the Holy Ghost witnessing to me that Joseph and Hyrum Smith were men of God who were brutally murdered in that solemn place.

This is the window Joseph Smith fell out of when he was killed.

(The same window on the second story behind us.)

Back in Nauvoo, we did some more touring and visited the Family Living Center.

This is the home of William and Caroline Weeks.  William, an architect, worked closely
with Joseph Smith designing the Nauvoo Temple.  William eventually left the Church but his
family kept the drawings and returned them to the Church when the temple was being rebuilt.

Walking over to the home of Edward and Ann Hunter.
Edward was a Bishop.

This is the Stonecutter Pavilion, a little area that teaches how the temple was built.

Making rope at the Family Living Center.

Spinning demonstration.

Weaving demonstration.

Candlemaking.

We had dinner back at the house, then drove to the Seventies Hall to walk down Parley Street, along the Trail of Hope.  The Nauvoo Performing Missionaries put on an interpretive demonstration, sharing experiences of the people who had to leave Nauvoo, as recorded in journal entries and letters.  It was really beautiful.  Then we took some time to take pictures and enjoy the sunset on the Missisippi River.

(Jack was off making friends with some of
the Youth Conference groups.)

Back at the house, Eliza and Iris put on a dramatic performance of their own.

There was more laughing in this one, though.