It's a White Christmas in Idaho (2008)

Well, this year is certainly different than last year. We have had snow and wind and now we are getting more snow and more wind. Tomorrow will be a fun day .......if I can get mom and dad from Gooding and get them over here (Jerome) for Christmas Dinner. We have invited my brother Gerald and Lori to join us. That would give us 6 for dinner. We may also try to get my Aunt Pat over from Twin Falls. There is a neat snowman down on Main Street. I will try to get a picture and add it to this entry. To all our friends and loved ones............Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to YOU.

I-86 to the Utah border has been closed all week. It was opened today but with the way it is snowing tonight, it's a good bet that it will be closed on Christmas Day.

Malad Gorge State Park - A fun place to visit

Blink your eyes and you will miss it! Malad Gorge State Park is between Bliss and Wendell. The Malad River is 11.5 miles long and is formed by the joining of the Big and Little Wood rivers near Gooding. The Malad Gorge is 2.5 long and is 250 feet deep. There are 6 viewpoints along the route; the last one being Woody's Cove.Looking up Malad Gorge from Viewpoint 2. The Malad Gorge falls and Devils Washbowl. Hmmm...I didn't know that the devil cleaned himself up.......why would he need a washbowl?

The falls as seen from above.
Peering down at the turbulent Malad River. The next picture is where the Malad River is diverted into a sluice to be funneled to a power generation plant midway down the canyon. Below the power plant the water is re-sluiced (is that a word?) and used to generate power as it enters the Snake River. Cool, huh?This is the top end of Woody's Cove. It is awesome to stand on the edge and look down. The next photo is looking west out Woody's Cove and out across the Hagerman Valley. Enjoy!!!

Box Canyon - One of those must see places!!

Tuesday, Marcia and I went exploring. We have wanted to hike Box Canyon for 2 years but just never could find the time. So ... we took the time and had a great experience. For those of you wanting to know, Box Canyon is 1/4 S of 3400 S on 1500 E in Gooding County. Here is a view from Google Earth (on GE the white boxes are pictures of the area).


At the bottom of the East end of the canyon (right in photo above) are two beautiful clear pools that flow from the bottom of the canyon wall.



The hike took us about 3 hours. It is just over 1 1/2 miles down to the end of Box canyon. The river running in the bottom is clear and beautiful. There is a trail from the canyon rim down to the river. There is a nice deck overlooking a beautiful waterfall. All in all ......... one gorgeous place. We were tired when we got home but enjoyed every minute of it.

The last photo is of the beautiful waterfall that is in the cusp of the river flowing out of the canyon. If you look at the first picture, this falls is located 2nd white dot from the left (just beyond the cusp).

A Day at Hogle Zoo

We had a wonderful day at the Hogle Zoo. We spent the day with Doris, Marcia's mother. It was a fun time and we quite enjoyed the visit. I had a concern that all of us might not return. (You know what they say ..... "All of the monkeys ain't in the zoo. There are some walking around with me and you!") Anyway we all were able to leave.

Here we see a marker introducing the zoo........




We are looking at the bears......ooops, maybe the bears are really looking at us.









Is this guy cool or what?? Did he fall into a vat of bleach?? The sign said this is not albino but a mutation where the alligator cannot produce melanin.


Here we see one of the two elephants in the zoo.


We found the original Big Bird.

WOW,...48 Wonderful Years....Happy Anniversary

What a wonderful day, Anniversary Day. 48 years ago I married a beautiful, wonderful young lady that has been my heart and soul all these many years. I can't remember (just a little) when I wasn't married. We have had many fun times and great experiences together. We have a tremendous family, 4 sons, 8 grandchildren, and 1 great-grandchild. What a marvelous legacy. I love her with all my heart. She makes my heart sing.

My How Time Flies!!

Ran across some pictures while going through storage the other day. The phrase "Those were the good old days" sure brought some tears to my eyes. This was a photo of our little family abt. 1972. The boys from left to right are: Michael, David, Gary Lynn, Terry, and Christopher. It occurs to me that Marcia is as beautiful to me now as she was then. Those were days of happiness. The smiles on the faces are smiles that were always there. We had lost our first angel, Kristine, 10 years earlier and nearly lost Gary Lynn at that time. Life was precious and fleeting. Eight years later we would lose Gary Lynn. How many times I would have gone back to that day and changed so many things, but time waits for no man and there is no going back. LESSON: Every day, as often as you can, tell those around you that you love them because there is not always a second chance.


This is Kristine. She was a precious daughter and brought much joy into our lives. She went through much as we tried to correct the problems with her hips she was born with, I believe it was called, "Congenital Dislocated Hips". She was put in a cast from the armpits to the tip of her toes that had wooden stilts attached. We could hold her hands and she could twist to make the stilts walk her forward.




This is picture is of Gary Lynn and Terry. Terry was born in 1964 and this is probably around Christmas time. Notice the bouffant hairdo. Now those were the days. Notice also the white athletic socks with the colored band around the top. Classy!! Narrow ties were in as was plaid. Darn we are a cute family if I do say so myself.

Those really were the good old days!!

The Ron & Linda Happening

A pleasant surprise occurred on Thursday morning. Our dear friends Ron and Linda were passing thru and wanted to say "Hi" to mom and dad. They were dragging a 29 foot camping trailer and had stopped for the night at the KOA south of Jerome. When they called Marcia and I were going thru our stuff in storage to determine what was out of whack with our inventory list when Ron and Linda called. Rather than have them drive all the way to Gooding and back and since I was already in Wendell (half way there) I went on a mission to get mom and dad and head for the KOA.
We had a short but fun visit. Mom and dad were happy and surprised. All I can say is "THANK YOU" Ron and Linda. What a special thing you did for my folks. To those of you reading this you need to understand that Ron just lost his mother, Daisy. We have spent many hours at family reunions visiting and having a fun time. This was difficult for Ron. Thanks again. The picture of two is Ron and Linda. The single is my father, Carter, and the threesome is yours truly and mom and dad (mom is Luella).

Anniversary Trip a Success!!!

We left on Wednesday, September 3, 2008 for our 48th Anniversary Trip. Actually our anniversary isn't until the 25th. My sister could only come up to take care of mom and dad the first part of the month, so we decided to go early rather than possibly not at all. Our destination was Cape Flattery in Northwestern Washington. Wow, did we choose a fun journey and one with great weather as well.







We eventually made it to Ruby Beach. That area was beautiful, although fog was our companion. The starfish and sea anemones were beautiful. The coast along the northwestern most part of the contiguous United States is beautiful beyond description.






We got to meet some dear friends that we had not seen in nearly 30 years. Bob and Judy were gracious hosts as we spent a couple of days with them touring Hurricane Pass and Port Angeles.
Bob we have known from Illinois but Judy came into Bob's life after we left Illinois. They make a beautiful couple and getting to know Judy was a real treat. Bob was the same as we had remembered him from Illinois......same sense of humor and same loving personality.

We definitely fell in love with the Pacific Northwest and more particular the beautiful land around Sequim (pronounced Squim).







We visited Mount St. Helens and were impressed by the shear volume of landscape rearrangement that is visible there. The message is "Don't mess with Mother Nature". She has AWESOME power and is not afraid to use it.



On the way home we stopped by some awesome waterfalls between Portland and Pendleton, OR.

I have put a couple of our pictures here, but for a view of more of our pix go to:

picasaweb.google.com/gkluther

We had a great time and only came home because we felt we had to..............dangit!! (Oh, yeah......we were also running short on money!!)

Dog gone elk..........

Just got an email from some dear friends in Helena, MT. They sent the following pics of Elk in downtown Helena. When we were up the last time driving around all the old familiar haunts we saw the same scene but I think we only saw deer. Must have been deer season and not elk season. Anyway enjoy the pictures.

What's fair is FAIR!!

I know it's a dumb title but all that I could think of. Today started with helping the Ellis family move into our ward. We had a lot of help but it still took 2 hours. I am instituting a new rule in the Jerome 1st Ward. If you move into our ward you cannot bring more stuff than will fit into an 8 foot moving truck. The preferred method is to have professional movers move you in. Like that would ever happen! hahahaha.........hope you know I am just kidding. Of course we love to help!! I then stopped by to see the new family from Missouri that just moved into our ward. He will be the new city manager for Jerome. They are the Marchant family. When I got home I was surprised to see that Marcia was home. I miss her terribly when she's gone, so I was extremely excited to see her.

We delivered some squash to the new families.........your not official until you have accepted your first zucchini!!

We then went to Gooding to pick up mom and dad and take them and their wheel chairs to the Twin Falls County Fair. Dad keeps wanting to walk, so our rule is ... if you walk you have to push the wheel chair. He gets very tired and soon says "I don't think I can do this anymore." We then put him in the wheel chair and he rides until he forgets why he is riding and wants to walk. Repeat.

I think they both had a good time. We toured all the building exhibits and saw the longhorn cattle and chickens. We had a dish of ice cream and the Buhl Methodists booth and when it looked like mom and dad were worn out we left. Actually, the ones worn out were Marcia and Gary. It was fun and as we left the storm clouds were gathering from the south. We got just a couple of drops but then it all dried up.

Thou shalt not envy thy friends........maybe, just a little!

Our dear friends Mike and Kathy just got their Mission Call to the Fiji Suva Mission to serve a CES Mission. They have been called for 23 months and report the 29th of December. They will be training, teaching, and some proselyting.

Congratulations!!!

to Mike and Kathy.

Peaches are just good!!

This I have learned from my friend John.

Mom, Dad, and I had to put that to the test today. On our drive we stopped by the Kelly Orchard south of Buhl and picked up a box of peaches. Mom very gingerly let me have 3 of her peaches. I can personally attest that.......are you ready for this?..."Peaches are just good!!"

We had a big fire between Gooding and Wendell that burned somewhere around 1300 acres. It came up a couple of places to the edge of Highway 46. We had a fire in that region last year. I didn't think there would be enough fuel to support another fire this soon.

This is One Happy Day!!

I am so excited!! Annahleise sent some pictures of the grandkids that we have not been able to see this year. They are growing so big and we miss them. So guess what.............you get to see two of our grandkids that are way fun kiddos and both have beautiful red hair. If you are really good I may post some other pictures for you. Aislinn is into dancing and Jorre is into soccer and it looks like guitar. Makes sense 'cause his dad is a guitar player in the band Accidental Genius. I have found at least one YouTube appearance of Chris and the Band. Have a great day, I am already having one.

Wedding in Twin Falls Temple

My 2nd Counselor's son, Keith, married his sweetheart, Courtney, today in the new Twin Falls Temple. It was a beautiful session as they were sealed for all time and eternity as husband and wife. They make a lovely couple.

I also went through a Temple session with Walt (my 1st Counselor) and Carlyne. It was a special day in many ways.

I also got to talk to Jorre and Aislinn, two of my grandchildren. They are excited about school and love their teachers. Their mom, Annahleise, is working with special ed students and spends part of her day in their school as well as other schools in the district. She is loving her job and she has the same hours that J and A have so it works out good for all of them.

Got a Facebook message from the Emster, my oldest grand daughter, and she starts college tomorrow. She is really excited and I know she will do well. I am so excited for her and this new phase of her life. YOU GO GIRL!!!!!! YEAH!!

The Sky is Falling!!! oooops, I mean burning!

Today Marcia left to go help her mother. All of her sisters and brother that live in and around Brigham City are either hunting or in Hawaii. Me, I would choose Hawaii. Took mom and dad for a drive, cut dad's hair and did the wash. Mom fixed lunch and I did the dishes. They were shingling the new porch. Dad was driving mom crazy with "what are they doing out there?" repeated 100 times. Coming back to Jerome the sky is an eerie shade of blue-gray. Just above Jerome and to the east. The air smells smoky. Just way weird!! (Later) Go to get in the car to go to Family Home Evening and the car is covered with ash. I find out at FHE that the cause of the ash is the Jarbridge fire down near the Nevada/Idaho border. It started in a wilderness area away from civilization and the officials said, "Let it burn". Now, of course, it is out of control. Duhhhhh! Did they learn nothing from the Yellowstone Fire?? Oh well, the smoke smells kinda cool.

Another classmate, Ron Post has passed away at the age of 68. Of the 88 graduating class members of the Class of 57, 25 have passed away. That's nearly 1/3 of the class in 50 years. Don't know what other classes average but I think this is not a good trend. Okay, yes, I realize we all have a limited time here. Some get more time than others, but it's me not you that is in this statistic, okay?? Seems like a lot. I don't dwell on it much............then why do I always read the obituaries??

Had to call the police, again, last night. The next door neighbors are driving me mad. At 1:15 am there are around 6 people out there being loud, obnoxious and then a car with 4 more drives up. That was the straw. I called dispatch and soon 2 cruisers were there. It quieted down somewhat.

By the way, is anyone interested in some zucchini or yellow squash? We can't give it away fast enough.

Twin Falls Temple Dedication and Celebration

The last two days have been exciting days for the Luther family. I have been involved in our Youth Commemoration Celebration that saw it's finale last night.




The practices for the youth started about 4 months ago. It was all worth it. President Thomas S. Monson, President and Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was present at last nights performance. Somewhere around 3500 youth participated and did a totally awesome job. The Times News (local newspaper) has some photos of the event at
http://gallery.pictopia.com/magicvalley/gallery/54391/
They did a "Potatoe Rap" that was totally hillarious. They had a young man that performed that was an awesome ballet dancer. President Monson, President Eyring, Elder Costas, and Elder Cook attended. President Monson brought his daughter who is also in the Young Women's Presidency of the church. One highlight for me was that I got to watch the performance with Marcia. I had been over all day since 10:00 am. She came to see the 7:00 pm performance and guess what there was a vacant seat right next to her........not for long.

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Today was the dedication of the Twin Falls Idaho Temple. President Monson and President Eyring, 1st Counselor to President Monson, were here for the dedication as well as Elder Quinton Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Elder Costas of the Seventy. They held four dedication sessions with the cornerstone ceremony being part of the 1st session. Marcia and I attended the 1st session which was televised via satellite into our Stake Center at 9:00 am and then we also got to attend the last session that was held at 4:30 pm in the Twin Falls Temple. It was a very spiritual experience and we were admonished to attend the Temple often.