Western NY

We had a great trip to Western NY early in the summer. All of the Stoner family met us there to have a little fun. Our main purpose for the trip was to remember Grandpa Stoner. He passed away last January. We love him and miss him. His gift to us was a great reunion with all of the family.

 

We visited Old Fort Niagara on the banks of Lake Ontario. The Lake looked like the ocean to me. It was enormous. The Fort was very cool, especially for Matthew and Benjamin. What boy doesn't want to see an old drawbridge, castle, cannons, and guns?

This is the drawbridge, and entrance to the fort. The French and British owned the fort at different times during battles for territory.

You can see Mr. Stoner with the rest of our tour walking toward the castle where all of the soldiers stayed.Lots of stone, fireplaces, and huge rooms. The most shocking tid bit of information I learned is that the soldiers washed their heavy uniforms in urine! They saved urine in a big pot until it turned to ammonia, then scrubbed and soaked their clothing in it. I'm so thankful for my delicious smelling apple mango tango gain detergent!

Benjamin, with a French soldier. He showed us how to load and shoot the musket. It was very loud and exciting!

 Matthew stands at the entrance to the castle.

 We also drove to Niagara on the Lake. It was the cutest Canadian town! There were the most beautiful flowers everywhere. This is Lauren posing for the pic outside of a very fancy restaurant.

 There were several hat shops. My girls were told to quit taking pics of the hats. Lauren felt very offended at that. I think the store owners are afraid of copy cats. They want to keep their hat creations as original as possible.

 Grandpa Stoner,took us to visit the Peter Whitmer farm in Fayette, NY. It was here that his great grandfather was the caretaker of the farm. At the time, the Stoner's were not members of the LDS church. Later, their son, Harold, worked on the Joseph Smith Farm in Palmyra. This is where Harold was eventually baptized. I really loved hearing this history.

 The crazy Stoner cousins!

 Great Grandpa Stoner is laid to rest with Great Grandma.

 Little Stoner boy cousins!

Our family standing in the Sacred Grove. Plus cousin, Max. We didn't want to wake him up just for our picture.

Let's Go Back to June....

Jessica braided a lot of hair on the trek! This dress was actually made by my sister when she was in high school! That was back in the 70's when the prairie look was popular. Jessica made the apron with the help of our great friend, Lori. Don't be shocked, but I actually made the bonnet. I thought I might shoot myself while making it! It was hard! I made mine too. Thank you Tammy Gibson for helping me!

This is my dear friend, Sandra. I'm so happy to serve with her! I kept giving her a hard time about her pioneer outfit. My sister actually made this dress too! I told Sandra she looked like she came straight off the set of "Hee Haw!" We frequently broke out into song in our best southern accents, "Where oh where are you tonight? I searched the world over and then I found true love. But you found another and pthbt you were gone!" Remember that song! I loved Hee Haw! Also pictured here is our fearless trailboss, Mike. His tent was right above mine at our campsite. He snored all night long! Fortunately, someone had some extra earplugs for me.

What a great group of "Pioneers!" Can you find me? These youth had a great time dancing the Virginia Reel, attending workshops, and playing games. The testimony meeting was so great. I directed a youth choir singing "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing." To me, they were amazing.

Here's Jessica taking her turn pulling the handcart with her "family." The hike was perfect! Not extremely hard, and not too easy. At one point the girls were left to push and pull on their own. It was a very humbling experience for them. We all appreciate the strength of our men. I think the boys also had a hard time watching the girls struggle. It was a good lesson for all of them.

Lauren's family!

Lauren and her friends created some sort of "gang" on the trek. Aren't they cool. Lauren accidentally dropped her lavender bonnet in the port-a-potty the very first day of the trek. I was not happy! She fished it out with a stick, ewwww! I was very proud of her. I washed it in a bucket and it was just fine!