We are now in Hindley, Lancashire, England. We drove down here today to crash at the home of Hilton and Rhona McCabe. I met them while as a missionary here about 8 years ago. The friendship has continued and we have kept in contact.
Back on the British Side of the Road
Scotland Motorway
We are waiting to hear word from Salt Lake City. We are supposed to be closing on our home in Oklahoma City. Hopefully everything works out. We will find out tomorrow I guess.
Glasgow City Chambers
Last night we spent our evening in Edinburgh, Scotland. We walked throughout the city, saw the castle, the Holyrood residence, and the cathedral. Amanda got to see her world famous Mary Kings Close. It was very interesting. We got our hostel for the equivalent of $30 which we thought was a gonga deal.
Edinburgh Castle looking north
Edinburgh Castle looking northeast to the Scott Monument and North Sea
We landed in Prestwick on Thursday after flying out early from Charleroi Airport near Brussels. We then picked up our hired car and drove to Glasgow and on to Edinburgh. It took me a little bit, but I quickly adjusted to getting back on the wrong/left side of the road.
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Foog’s Gate – Edinburgh Castle
Half Moon Battery
Walking through Half Moon Battery
Mons Meg
Paul Ross in Mons Meg
It is late and I am too tired to write more of our travels today or of what we did in Edinburgh. We did stop to visit Downham, Clitheroe in Lancashire today where the entire town joined the church and later emigrated to Zion. Now we are back in the old mission. My second visit since being released. It is good to be back.
Before I talk about the Layton and Taylorsville Temples, I thought I better throw in another temple visit we made since I last updated. While on Spring Break this year, we made a stop in Vernal, Utah. While there, we scheduled and attended the Vernal Utah Temple with the kids. Glad we stopped to make another memory at another House of the Lord.
Hiram and Aliza at Vernal Utah Temple on 27 March 2024
Since the kids have a goal to attend the temple every month this year, we did also make it in April to the Twin Falls Temple. In May, while going to Utah for the open houses, we made sure to stop off and fulfill the monthly goal. May took us to Ogden Utah Temple.
Hiram and Aliza Ross at Ogden Utah Temple 17 May 2024
Later that evening, we attended the open house of the Layton Utah Temple with Amanda’s parents. Beautiful.
Paul, Lillian, Amanda, Aliza, James, and Hiram Ross with Bryan and Jill Hemsley 17 May 2024
We look forward to attending the temple after it is dedicated.
The next day we attended the open house for the Taylorsville Utah Temple, again with Amanda’s parents. We were also excited to run into the Brad and Rachel Hales family as well as Sarah Sanderson!
Bryan and Jill Hemsley with James, Aliza, Lillian, Hiram, Amanda, and Paul Ross 18 May 2024
It has been a crazy year for temple attendance and temple open houses. We have attended quite a few and quite a few are coming up for open houses. Wow, should be fun. It is exciting that the Kingdom and Church of God on the earth is in such a position to build so many beautiful houses to the Lord. We are blessed to attend the open houses and hopefully return some day to participate in holy ordinances there.
When I was interviewed for my first temple recommend in 1998, President Gene Hansen indicated he had a goal since he was first endowed to attend the temple every single month. He challenged me to do the same. As long as I have held a recommend, or I had permission to attend, I have attended the temple every single month since 1998. That meant a full day off of work in Missouri as it was a 4 hour drive one way from Branson, Missouri, to St. Louis, Missouri. Or from Richmond, Virginia, to Washington, D.C., that was a 4-5 hour drive and we often would go up and spend the night and return home on Saturday or Sunday depending on the circumstances.
Many open houses are upcoming, including Deseret Peak Utah; Casper Wyoming; Grand Junction Colorado; Elko Nevada; Syracuse Utah; Burley Idaho; Lindon Utah; Ephraim Utah; Smithfield Utah; Montpelier Idaho; Heber Valley Utah; Teton River Idaho; Salt Lake City Utah; Provo Rock Canyon Utah; Cody Wyoming; Lethbridge Alberta; Lehi Utah; and West Jordan Utah. Hopefully we can make some of the more exotic ones, particularly Birmingham England; Edinburgh Scotland; Honolulu Hawaii; and Vancouver British Columbia. We will see what our future holds.
Sitting and watching the current world in which I live, I find it interesting that our society and government seem to think that the world revolves around it. Not that we are beholden to overarching set of laws, but that they ignore those laws and do their own thing.
I found myself reverting back to ideas of Adam Smith in his The Theory of Moral Sentiments and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. It has been at least 7 years since the last time I read either and I need to check them again, but I cannot help but wonder how we floated so far adrift without anyone knowing. Then again, we live in a world where relativism seems to rule and I should not be surprised. Just ignore it and gravity will cease to exist.
Unfortunately, I do not have a better picture than these two we took in 2008. But at least we stood outside the gate of Panmure Close in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was at this site Adam Smith had lived for over a decade and died. I seem to recall that his books were published before living here though.
We are now in Hindley, Lancashire, England. We drove down here today to crash at the home of Hilton and Rhona McCabe. I met them while as a missionary here about 8 years ago. The friendship has continued and we have kept in contact.
We are waiting to hear word from Salt Lake City. We are supposed to be closing on our home in Oklahoma City. Hopefully everything works out. We will find out tomorrow I guess.
Last night we spent our evening in Edinburgh, Scotland. We walked throughout the city, saw the castle, the Holyrood residence, and the cathedral. Amanda got to see her world famous Mary Kings Close. It was very interesting. We got our hostel for the equivalent of $30 which we thought was a gonga deal.
We landed in Prestwick on Thursday after flying out early from Charleroi Airport near Brussels. We then picked up our hired car and drove to Glasgow and on to Edinburgh. It took me a little bit, but I quickly adjusted to getting back on the wrong/left side of the road.
It is late and I am too tired to write more of our travels today or of what we did in Edinburgh. We did stop to visit Downham, Clitheroe in Lancashire today where the entire town joined the church and later emigrated to Zion. Now we are back in the old mission. My second visit since being released. It is good to be back.
Sagacity 