A power outage and a reunion

Perhaps the most noteworthy thing from this week is the thing that really isn't noteworthy yet. I'm transitioning to a new job. I'll still be working for the Church History Department in the Church History Library, but over the next month I'll be transitioning from working for Reid Neilson to working on a different project. I know very little about this new project, as I won't actually start working on it until tomorrow. I don't even know if the project has been publicly announced yet, so I don't know if I can even tell you what it is, at least on the internet. I will be quite sad to quit doing what I've been doing. I'll still only be a contingent (contract) employee, but it could lead to something more permanent, which is why I'm doing it. But I will still be sad.

 Perhaps the best thing about August is the storms. Friday evening was pretty calm until around 7:00--then it started getting really windy and dark. A rainstorm came in and knocked out our power for a couple of hours. It's been a long time since we've had a good power outage; I kind of miss them. I love August storms when there's no power and you can watch the water flooding down the street.

On Saturday, we had a family reunion with the descendants of my dad's paternal grandparents. My great-grandpa died before I was born. My great-grandma died right after I turned three. I remember seeing her in the casket at her funeral, and I remember that I knew who she was, but I don't have any memories of her alive. Anyway, family reunions can be a bit awkward, since I don't really know those from my great-uncle's and great-aunt's families (I don't recall ever meeting my great-aunt), and because I am an inherently awkward being.

Anyway, it was down in Fillmore, where most of my pioneer ancestors settled, and where a lot of the family is even today. Because of that, a lot of our ancestors' relics are in the Territorial Statehouse Museum. The curator for the museum was kind enough to show us some interesting things.

He showed us a family Bible that belonged to Reuben McBride, which had items such as a marriage certificate, birth records, and a "Temperance Pledge" in which he vowed to avoid alcohol. (The Word of Wisdom wasn't as strongly enforced back then.)

He showed us a kettle that was brought over by Alexander Melville in 1852.

He showed us a boot-stretcher owned by Amasa Lyman. Other people there thought it was too small to have belonged to him and must have been one of his kids'; however, I suspect they just had smaller feet back then.

We saw various houses in Fillmore that belonged to these ancestors. We also went into Pioneer Market, a hunting store / grocery store / antique store / used book store / museum. The reunion was held in the Stevens Hotel, which isn't really a hotel anymore and which was built in 1929. We don't go to Fillmore as much anymore, since my grandparents died a decade ago, but it's fascinating when we do go. They may have spotty 3G and satellite dishes, but it still feels like going back in time.

This blog could have been much more interesting than it is, but I'm not feeling it.