The Sights and Sounds of Illinois

On our trip to Illinois, it was easy for me to see, or to envision, it as where the Garden of Eden was—well Adam Ondi Ahman is really in upper Missouri, but the landscape is so similar. There were flowers and plants there that I’d never seen or imagined before.

This picture is of a weed that grows off the side of the highway.

And now I also know what it would feel like in the jungles of Africa. The (summer) air there is so thick that it’s almost something entirely different than oxygen, and extremely difficult to breathe. And, while walking through an untouched patch of forest, the sounds were strikingly similar to my TV idea of a jungle. I half expected a boa to come and wrap itself around my leg.

We had a lot of fun just hanging out and visiting with my son’s family, but we did also venture out to see some pretty spectacular sights. We went to Nauvoo, and saw the Nauvoo pageant. They were both very interesting—and I saw one of my cousins (from Arizona) there that I haven’t seen in ages. Very interesting. It’s a small world, right?

We also went to Carthage and saw the small jail where the Prophet Joseph Smith was martyred. It’s interesting, isn’t it, how such important events always seem to happen in such insignificant places. I felt the reverence there, and know that the place where the Prophet Joseph died is hallowed not only to those in this life, but to those in the Heavens as well. This is the original door with the bullethole that went through and shot Hyrum Smith.

I hadn’t realized until I saw it, that the Mississippi River is still flooded. Yes, this is the tip of a statue near the Saint Louis Arch.

We got to go into the arch, it’s inexpensive and well worth the $10. The visitor’s center underneath the arch is full of interesting displays of American history, and also sports a few shops.

It’s an old tram that looks like an old TV version of a space capsule that takes visitors to the top viewing tower. There are eight on each side of the arch that go up every 15 minutes. Come to think of it, the people of Saint Louis shouldn’t have to pay city taxes because they make an insane amount on the Arch alone.

We went other places, too, like the Saint Louis Zoo, and to a really great park called Boo Park. It sports a castle, dragons and fun things like that for kids to play on. Now we’re back in AZ, missing our son and his family, and find change staring us in the face. We’re moving back to the big city, and are faced with the daunting task of squeezing the belongings on an acre property into a smaller home and a city lot.

The Golden Spiral, by Lisa Mangum

I bet you wondered if I would ever post again. It's been forever. Not that I haven't been thinking about my wonderful cyber-friends--I just haven't had the time to post all of the good things on my mind. I'm breaking my silence with a book review.

When Lisa told me that she had only one box of her pre-released, The Golden Spiral, I abandoned my lunch and ran to the other side of the hotel to the bookstore--and begged the bookstore attendees to re-open just long enough to allow me to purchase a copy. (Yes, I'm a name-dropper, and yes, Lisa Mangum came and sat at my table for lunch at the recent LDStorymaker's conference--and yes, Lisa is my new bff--in a totally non-stalker way, of course.)

The Golden Spiral is the second in a series of three books about Abby and her time-traveling love interest, Dante.

In this sequel to The Hourglass Door, the stakes are raised significantly for Abby as she fights to gain the lead in a race against time. So far it looks like she’s loosing as Zo, the leader of the ‘bad-guy trio’ goes through the door successfully and begins altering her life.

Abby’s one-time boyfriend—the guy next door—doesn’t remember that they aren’t together anymore. He also doesn’t remember that he’s helping her make another hourglass door. And her acceptance into the prestigious Emery College turns into a rejection.

She is struck with terror when she discovers that the river of time has been changed, and her dad and little sister are no longer a part of her life. They’ve been erased and no one except Abby remembers that they ever existed.

The thin veil between the present and the river of time is getting thinner, and Abby finds it easier to get to the bank of the river while dreaming. She discovers, through her dreams, that Dante is stuck somewhere in the darkness between time with the disintegrating V, and hopes Abby can save them before it’s too late and he also succumbs to the darkness.
Abby’s good friend, Valerie, is locked up safely in a mental institution, and no one except Abby understands the significance of her child-like drawings or her stories of the Pirate King who lives on the river.

This book keeps us reading and wondering when Abby and Dante will be reunited—when will they get the upper-hand on Zo—and will Valerie have her mental health restored. The Golden Spiral is entertaining and definitely a page turner. I recommend it for everyone who loves adventure and the paranormal all bound together by love and family loyalty with just a hint of romance. If you yearn for a book where the main characters have good values and integrity, then The Golden Spiral is for you.