PROVIDENCE UPDATE

Congratulations to two family members with significant milestone birthdays this past week!

"I'm loving 40, it's great!! .. and at 18                     voting adult Hannah says,                      "Rats, I'll never be a child again!!!!!"
                 (That was soooooo easy).

The trek 2 1/2 weeks ago through WY I took with Lance, Becky, Lonnie (Becky's brother and his wife Marsha was great and really gave me the essence and pictures of what my great grandparents and papa's great grandparents went through to come across those desolate plains and mountainous trails.

Becky and I pulled Lonnie who played the part of great grandfather, Hopkin Matthews (first land owner in Providence) because he was ill and his wife, Margaret and daughter, Elizabeth, had to do it for him.

At Martin's Cover, after I watched a large rattle snake crawl right in front of me.  Then on the way back Lance nearly stepped on another one while pulling the cart.  Such excitement!

Here's Lance and I at Independence Rock where another great grandmother,Mattie, gave birth to Peter who lived only one month.  He made the 7th child she and Mads had buried:  three in Denmark, one at sea and and two others who died of diseases after they arrived in America.  I'm in awe of her as she had been raised in a wealthy home and wouldn't have had to do any physical work.  She was remarkable that she could still keep going - must have been in her strong will.

The flat tire on Lances's car surely threw a wrench into our well oiled trip schedule.  But, it happened where he could get off highway on level ground and spare put on just before it got dark.   We had to cancel hotel reservations (too far) as spare requires only 50 mph on highway and the place we were going for  best deal in USA to get huge ice cream cones for little money was closed.  Found famous Little America had rooms and they all ate at midnight.  Next morning he had to drive about 30 miles and bought two new tires and returned to pick us up.

Oh, oh times up - canning of pears is calling.  To be continued.....