May 2025

 Dear Family and Friends, 

I hope you all enjoyed a fine Mother's Day. I received beautiful cards from family members, and this year the church offered succulent plants to all mothers, which I thought was even better than the usual single rose of former years. Then a few days later, I got an unexpected surprise. The former owner of Riviera Mobile Park, Beverley Hilterbrand, appeared at my door bearing a vase of lovely flowers that she said was for me for no particular reason, other than that she thought I was an amazing lady. That sweet thought warmed my heart and ‘made my day’. Beverley is such a dear soul to have thought of me that way. When she saw all the many blooming orchids everywhere, she wondered where we could put the vase. We decided that even though the kitchen table already had a little vase of petite orchids, that her large one with its flowers of various sizes, shapes, and colors would be ideal there, so that I could enjoy more freely all of the different kinds of flowers contained therein.

It was definitely a very pleasant surprise. Then, as I was preparing to return the vase with a thank-you note, I decided to include a special surprise gift of my own for dear Beverley — the Book of Mormon. Luckily, her daughter Melissa came by to chat with True, so I was able to send the things home with her to give to her mother for me. I had only a couple of minutes to explain about the Book of Mormon to Melissa before she and True took off, but I hope Beverley will read my book as readily as she did True’s book. I’m anxious to know of her impression.

The Daughters of Utah Pioneers end their season of meetings with a conference in May and then start up again in September, so the entire summer is open. The convention this year was hosted by another camp.  As fate would have it, Linda and I were unable to attend. But the next Sunday, Pamela Davies, a member of my ward in DUP, came up to me and said, “Are your ears still burning?” Of course, I didn’t know what she was talking about. Then she said, “Well, at the convention they sure talked a lot about you being the one who researched and sent to Salt Lake the information about the Mormon Sugar Beet Factory that was built in Grants Pass and that the first branch of the LDS Church in Southern Oregon was formed because of the number of Utah families who came to work in the factory, thus being pioneers themselves in a sense, even though it was 1916. The DUP headquarters had accepted this and sent a plaque that the Grants Pass camp placed on a brick monument for all to see. "Marie, that’s quite an accomplishment.” I replied, saying, “Well, maybe my ears did tingle a bit! And I do appreciate and accept that honor, but as you well know with most things, it’s not just one person, but there are always others involved too.”

In case any of you may be interested, here’s some more information about it: The monument was placed on property now occupied by the Fruitdale Grange because that is where the original factory stood. It was the 19th of May 2000 when DUP Marker #524 received its formal dedication from stake patriarch Frank Parry, with Mayor Gordon Anderson, city officials, newspaper people and others were in attendance for that special day. Linda Willis even captured the proceedings on a cassette tape that still exists somewhere I think. I also created a booklet about the factory and its people that was available at that time. I still have a couple of copies and should see about getting more printed up to help inform a new generation about a bit of local DUP and church history all wrapped up in this one event.

As you know from last month’s letter, True decided to rent a room from a friend in Portland for a month so she could concentrate on getting the format for her 2nd book up and going. However, knowing that flowers, plants, bushes, and other things around this house need to be taken care of, she thought she’d better come home for a week and tend to what needs to be done around here that Linda is currently unable to do. So it was good to have her here, and she was able to get done all that she had hoped to do. She even did some power-washing of the exterior, because the porch and awnings hadn’t been cleaned in umpteen years, along with the driveway and storage building too. Now everything is in ship-shape and spiffy-clean condition, thanks to True.

It seems that in the process, however, True somehow hurt her back, and was unable to go to Shasta with Linda as planned to retrieve some sparkling clear water from a mountain spring, and fill several five-gallon jugs with it . But that can wait until another time when her back is better and she will be able to heft those heavy gallons of water again.

As for Linda, she is improving slowly but surely.  Lately she has been quite busy clearing things from around the yard and garage of her little home with the help of church friends. So it is now more ‘spiffy’ and clean as well. She still helps out here whenever she can.

My missionaries, Dan and Cathy, will be coming home at the end of June after serving a 23-month mission. Unfortunately they will not be coming here as I had hoped, but will be heading straight to their home in Florida, which means I won’t be seeing them until they make a special visit out this way, maybe for Thanksgiving. Dan has been doing some genealogy research on the Mundell line while in Hawaii and he's been able to do the preparatory temple work for many of them. He sent me cards for their ordinance work to be finished by me and others here at our Medford temple.

When a good friend of True’s called and asked if she could come and look after their home and dog while they completed a trip to Europe they planned more than a year ago, she of course said “yes.” That means that her already rented room for the next month will remain vacant while she does this nice deed for her dear friend. But this is the friend she stays with every time she travels to Portland, so it is a way she can give back, and she can still work on her book from there.

While True was here, Diane felt she would be taking over everything again, so there would be no need for her to bring meals during that time. True hadn’t thought about that, but was glad to oblige. Even though her stay here was to be for only a week, True did indeed change things back to their original places and got things all neat and tidy inside again. Not that by myself I am a slob, but I do like to have constantly used items close at hand and I see no reason for putting them away after each use, just to make the table look uncluttered and pretty for myself and visitors if they should stop by. So I accommodate her when she is here and then revert back to my ways when she leaves, and everybody is happy.

Diane will be leaving for a week to visit her sister in Colorado from May 30 to June 6, during which time the sweet sisters of my ward will supply me with a meal each evening. I will be completely alone then, but that worked out quite well the last time Diane was gone for a week, so I’m sure it will be just fine this time too.

I’m going to share a little tale ... Remember how I said my bed is located by the large windows facing the river, with drapery to cover them when I choose? Well a few days ago, as I happened to pass by, my eye noticed some movement on the drapery rod, so I stopped to investigate. Sure enough, it was a little spider. It was way up high and I was some six feet across the room, so I was unable to reach it or do anything about it other than just stand there and watch. I saw it climb to the outer edge of the rod and then begin to descend into thin air! How could that be? What was supporting it? I know spiders make webs, but this one was like it was letting itself down on an invisible rope. I was just so fascinated! Little by little, it kept going down until it was almost to the floor, but then it turned quickly and began to retrace its way back up its invisible rope. Now I was really amazed! But I also began to laugh. Had it forgotten something important? The car keys? (ha! ha!) I was definitely intrigued by this simple little creature. And I was glad for the bit of humor it had unknowingly offered me that day. As you can see, I don’t need to depend on the TV or other devices for my entertainment, do I? That tale wasn’t so bad, was it? Just because it was about a spider, it didn’t make it yucky, did it? I’m still left pondering about the invisible rope. Was it retrieved or left there hanging to swing in the breeze?

Now of course the final touch of the month of May is Memorial Day, which in Grants Pass means it's Boatnik time. I don’t know what the name really means, but it involves many festivities during the long weekend including the Monday designated as Memorial Day, the 26th of May. Boatnik Festival included a fantastic parade, with a Queen and her court, an honored veteran as Grand Marshall, patriotic floats, and, of course, the portable Caveman Statue, which was prominently displayed and accompanied by a few ‘appropriately garbed’ cavemen doing their fun stuff among the crowd of sidewalk watchers. A marvelous high school band from Japan strutted down Sixth Street along with our own and made a great impression. The big carnival at the park, with its fun rides, lots of booths and vendors, all seemed to beckon to a tremendous number of people of all ages for enjoyment. But without a doubt it was the hydroplane race on Monday that was the main attraction of the entire festival.

People come from all over to participate or just to watch, and boy, by the thousands they come! It reminds me of Sugar Day long ago, when people arrived by the thousands to our little town of 3,500 to watch how sugar was made and then received a tiny cupful of home grown sugar as a souvenir. Now thousands of people come to still comparatively small Grants Pass (35,000 population) to watch how hydroplanes skim over the currents and rapids of the mighty Rogue River. But only one receives a prize. It is very exciting though, and so they continue to come. The town is able to handle the influx of people, and does benefit from their presence here that’s for sure. In fact, tourism is like the lifeblood to Grants Pass, which seems to be a hub of for several natural spectacles within a hundred-mile radius: Crater Lake, Oregon Caves, Redwoods, Pacific Ocean, etc.

The Riviera mobile park has a considerable stretch of riverfront property available for viewing the race, and it is quickly lined with residents and their visitors. It sometimes becomes like a big family gathering, with children and pets as well as food and chairs or blankets for the waiting time. My home near the river gives me a full view of the boat race from my front porch or living room window, so that's where I stayed this year because it’s just too difficult to get me in my wheelchair down the heavily graveled road leading to the river’s edge. From home I can hear the distinctive sound of the boat engines when they is still a mile away and I'm able to see the spray that some make as they pass by, even though I cannot see the actual boat itself because it’s too small. But anyway, no matter where it is observed, I greatly enjoy this Boatnik experience that happens in Grants Pass only once a year.

I also happened to learn that the Boatnik Festival is one of the largest events in the whole state of Oregon, second only to the Rose Parade of Portland. This tidbit of information was mentioned during my conversation with Dan Gateley, when he and his wife Faye and son Mark from Beaverton paid me a visit this year during the Boatnik festivities. He is my second “other Dan” who still calls me Mom. He is True’s first husband and the father of her four children. He was part of our family for a good many years, until she left him and the children for another and a different kind of life. It was through no fault of his, so I still love him, but I hadn’t actually seen him for several years, so I was glad for his nice ‘catch-up’ visit this month.

Now that I’ve covered all the happenings for the month of May, it’s time for me to bid you adieu. I pray that you will be kept healthy and strong and able to enjoy these lovely spring days before they turn into hot summer ones. But, mostly I pray that the Lord, who loves you, will bless you and keep you safe until we meet again next month, when it will be graduations, a tribute to fathers, perhaps weddings, and who knows what else.

But for now, I send my love and best wishes to all.

With love, Marie