Thursday, March 15, 2012

Archaeology

Archaeology.
  In Provo.
Yes, please!

Believe it or not, there is an actual dig going on right next to NuSkin on Center Street.  The Church is digging up the old, original Stake building that was used before the new Tabernacle was erected.  The Church News had a blurb about it and my friend MaryAnne called them to get us in for a walk through.
Here are some pics:
     This is the dig looking from southwest corner to the northeast corner.  You can see some BYU student volunteers doing some sifting in the corner.  They are finding things like buttons, straight pins, rusty nails, etc.  When I talked to them, they thought that because the building was also used as a school at the time, that this may be where small bits and pieces would fall through the floorboards while working on projects.
     This is a photo of the building that once stood here and was later demolished to make way for the new Tabernacle that stands today.  The dig has recovered that small round window casing.
     In this display case, there are remnants of slates in the center and some slate pencils on the upper right.  Lower right are coins.  Upper left in the case are tiny toys about the size of a quarter as well as a small porcelain doll face.  Lower left are several buttons they've found.
     This display case has shards of a dish in the lower left corner.  At the center left are some rusted items such as a spike and an ornamental piece of some kind.  Upper left is a lid to a crockery pot.  Just to the right of the spike is a portion of an old light bulb.  The building had been electrified shortly before being demolished.  The items on the right are easy to identify (bottle, place, horseshoe) but what was interesting about the place (saucer, really) is that it was found in two places.  The brown part was burned in a fire, the white half was not.
     Here's a view of the new Tabernacle today (after the fire that gutted it recently), looking from northwest to the northeast corner.  You can see the braces holding the structure in place.  The archaeologist said that the temple interior will be built as a stand alone structure inside these walls and once finished, they will secure the inside building to the walls.

     Oh, and see the vehicle in the picture there?  Under that - get this - is the old well that was covered up back in the day.  Hopefully, they will excavate that too and I would be so interested to see what they find down there!
     Here's another shot of the dig with the buildings on Center Street in the background.  You can see how thick the stone walls were.  They told us the interior walls were plastered and some of the plaster was even done in colors (green, red, etc.).  The floors would have been wood planks and some of the wood thresholds have been uncovered but the wood is shredded from decay. 
     This is the view looking from north toward the south.  The poster on the fence has the photo of the old Stake House.  Behind the poster is the dig.  Then behind the dig is the new Tabernacle that is being converted into a Temple.


     Again, looking from Center Street southward you can see the poster, the dig, and the Tabernacle.  The sad thing is, they are going to have to hurry and finish digging what they can by March 31st because the whole thing will then be filled back in to get ready for the ground-breaking ceremony for the new Temple construction to begin on the Tabernacle structure.  Shame they can't leave it uncovered and use it to attract visitors.


     This is one of the spires on the Tabernacle that fell during the fire.  They may be able to refit it when the restructuring is done in the future.  

     Anyway, it was fascinating to be able to walk all around the dig, ask questions, look at artifacts, and feel a part of history.  Very few human beings will have this chance.  I'm a lucky one.

Archaeology Nerd.  Yep yep.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Plates

For our RS Birthday celebration tonight we got to hear the star of several Joseph Smith movies speak about his experiences.  Dustin Harding.

He spoke about his early desires to be an actor and his parents' support in that dream.

When he was to audition for the part in the Church movie of the First Vision, he spent time fasting and praying that the actor chosen would be the one the Lord would wish to have bring the Spirit to the film.  Dustin went through many stages of audition fasting and praying not to get the role, but that the proper actor would be selected.  He was humbled to have been chosen.

He said he was directed by the General Authority who interviewed him that he would not only need to live his life in accordance with the Gospel during the filming, but that it would be his duty for the rest of his life.  He said he has felt that responsibility earnestly and has taken that direction to heart.  He wants very much for people to always feel the goodness of Joseph Smith.

Dustin Harding spoke about small miracles that occurred during filming such as how the crew was never able to get the mechanical lighting to look right in the scene when Heavenly Father and Jesus appeared in the grove.  However, on the last day of filming they relied completely on nature and the lighting was absolutely perfect for the filming.

He also said that when the director toyed with putting in the experience of being overcome by a darkness in the grove, that the clouds gathered and the rain poured keeping them from filming that part of the story completely.  They took the hint and left that out of the film altogether.

Dustin Harding
Film(s)
  • [2003] The Book of Mormon Movie
  • [2004] The Restoration DVD
  • [2005] Praise to the Man
  • [currently] Plates of Gold
He bore his testimony of the First Vision and of Joseph Smith with tears and with conviction.  It was a good evening.  A really good evening.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Personal Progress = DONE!

     Yep, that's right.  I actually finished the Young Women's Personal Progress program all by myself.  It is the new program which includes the newest value VIRTUE.  The leaders made the announcement that moms could earn the medallion while their daughters were in YW so I thought what the heck.  I never got anything like this when I was a teen and if they were going to offer me the opportunity to experience such a thing, I might as well jump on it!

     All I have to do now is submit the record of what I've completed and then the YW leaders will get the certificate signed.


    I look forward to receiving the medallion.  Silver, please.


CC and I will both have the award.  However, hers is a different version of the medallion because she earned it a few years ago.  She earned it under the old program (purple book).


     What next?  CC and I will work together to complete the requirements for the Honor Bee charm, which is basically to re-read the BOM and sort of sponsor another YW girl through the program, and so forth.  I think we can earn up to 3 charms.  We'll see.  Don't want to over-kill.


     It feels good to try something new and meet a challenge.  I'm proud of CC too for having completed hers and for wanting me to go the extra mile with her on the Honor Bee portion. 

     Smile, y'all.  I'm still alive!

Friday, March 2, 2012

Two-FaceBook

     How is it that so many people will put mean and crude things on their facebook pages and be okay with it?  I suppose it is like when people play games online like Dwight Schrute on The Office played called "second life" and they can pretend to be someone they are not.

     But what gets me is the bad language and the shock value of a lot of what's posted.  Sometimes I ask if the posting party takes the sacrament with that mouth.  Isn't this what we were warned of in so many conference talks - the dangers of anonymity online?  


     It hit home when I saw some particularly snide remarks about the church on a friend's facebook page one evening and then listened to the same friend bear a gentle testimony in sacrament meeting the very next morning at church.  I did a double-take.  But, more honestly, I felt let down.



     Most of what I post is drivel anyway.  I mean, I don't have an interesting enough life to post anything I am up to and frankly, that anyone would care to know about.  So, my posts are generally silly and as such don't garner a lot of attention.  But, at least I'm not pretending to be someone I'm not.  I use clean language and I try not to be cruel.


     It is true that the world is getting harsher, meaner, and more caustic.  Why do so many feel it is necessary to jump on that bandwagon hoping it makes them "somebody".  I agree with the few that think the world needs people who are more gentle and kind.  Its good to lighten up.  Just don't set it all on fire!


     Oh, Facebook, if only people would be their true faces online and not hide behind the vomit.