Halloween, 2023

 

Hunting season is about done. There have been several reports of successful hunts and for some families that will mean meat in the freezers and the likelihood of venison jerky. It also means winter weather is fast approaching.

Brad and RaOne Stuart of Bountiful, UT, are spending some time at their Mink Creek home in Mink Creek. They are in a perfect setting for this year’s fall with nature abounding

The recent program of the Primary children brought a number of grandparents and other family members to enjoy the time. Eric and RexAnne Nielsen came up from Lewiston and Kelly and Teresa Rasmussen and their daughter Kjerstin of Preston , both sets of grandparents of the children of Trevor and April Rasmussen. Cindy Erickson of Bear Lake came to watch granddaughters, Maddie and Molly, of the Miles and Jasmine Erickson family. Other grandparents live within the local boundaries.

Karen and Layne Erickson and Colleen and Warren Wilde attended the Search and Rescue Sheriff’s Auxiliary’s Fall banquet at the Robinson Building in Preston. Layne and Warren have been members of this group for many years.

Candy Longhurst flew back to North Carolina to spend some time with her daughter McKinley and Skyler Stevens. The couple live in Raleigh and this was the perfect time of year for beautiful scenery in the eastern part of our country. She was able to take in a trip to a museum, and a highlight was a visit to the North Carolina Renaissance Festival where there were appropriate activities and displays to fit that time period.

Kristin Collins was able to spend a few days with their daughter Claire Collins om Caldwell, ID. Claire teaches in the elementary school and was happy to have her mother’s extra pair of hands during a testing time for the students.

Hearing of the beautiful fall weather we have been having in Idaho prompted Lori Muldner to phone, expressing some pangs of homesickness. Lori now lives in west Texas, but spent several years living in Mink Creek. The warmth now in Texas made her remember the beauty and coolness of an Idaho fall.

It will be a crisp night for the ghosts and goblins out tonight. Just be glad there isn’t snow to have to deal with, only the treats and eats and having fun. Happy Halloween.

October 25, 2023

 There are plans for our Trunk 'R Treat event, planning for Halloween night at the Mink Creek Ballpark.  There are also weather forecasts suggesting it may only be 16 degrees outdoors on that particular evening.  The future will tell. 

The vibrant colors of a rich fall are changing, becoming muted as the leaves dry and wait for some strong winds to sweep them up and scatter up and down the valley. Some leaves have already fallen and are crisp and crunchy underfoot to hikers and hunters. For the hiking set the crunches only add to the fun of being out and about in the canyons. The hunters find it a little more challenging to go about their business undetected.

Mink Creek provides many hiking areas. The Kerry and Lacey Christensen family took advantage of a long hike while the weather was pleasantly warm. The route took them from Liberty as a starting spot in Bear Lake County, and brought them through the mountains back home to Birch Creek in our village. This adventure created some fun, lasting memories.

Phee and Robert Crosland drove a lengthy road trip recently. First stops of any length were in Wisconsin and Minnesota to reconnect with members of Phee’s family where she grew up. Another highlight was in Kentucky, visiting the Ark that was constructed there. Their son Marco and his family live in Texas, another stop on the agenda, then on their way back to Idaho they swung over into Colorado for a few days with daughter Arianna and Ben Hostetter and their children. The Crosland’s enjoyed the scenery and new vistas, but were glad to return and settle back into their regular Mink Creek daily routine. “There’s No Place Like Home.”

Kent and Tammy Beardall drove to Spanish Fork, UT, to spend a weekend with their son Shawn and Callie Beardall’s family. This was a special occasion because Shawn has been called to serve as a counselor in the bishopric of their Spanish Fork LDS Ward.

The combined Young Men and Young women groups invited a few of our older citizens to a lovely dinner, served in the recreation hall of the LDS Ward. The objective of this event was to sharpen the social skills of the young in terms of table manners and being able to conduct pleasant conversations in a dining situation. There had been some previous instruction on these two items so this was a fitting way to practice what had been learned.

October 18, 2023

 Sorry about missing last week's version from the paper, so this week readers get a double dose of Mink Creek.  Sit back, relax, and catch up.  

 A good sized group of adventurous friends, most of them with Mink Creek connections, gathered together to ride the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in northern Idaho. There were many days of preparation and packing with excitement building the whole time. For some it was a repeat experience, for others the first time ever to run the river. Paul McKay and his son Cody, Lin and Sharla McKay, their son Payton Newby and his brother Josh Newby with wife Sarah and two sons Gage and Nash, Tony and Jill Hale and Shane and Kara Johnson—this group of thirteen drove to Challis and boarded a plane that dropped them off at a landing strip where they could descend to the Middle Fork to begin several days of soaking up nature along with lots of river water, and the beautiful surroundings as they navigated their run. They returned with satisfied smiles for the bucket list outing.

Caroline Anderson Jensen passed away on September 25, 2023. She has always had a beautiful yard full of colorful flowers. Caroline entertained the village children each Halloween when she would dress up as a witch to greet the trick r’ treaters coming to her door. She provided a special fun fright and many memories over the years. She is survived by her husband, Lynn Jensen and their children, LeAnn Sant and Michael Jensen. A private ceremony was held in the Mink Creek Cemetery.

We must report another passing. Denzil Bennet Baird grew up in this area, a son of Harold and Verla Baird. Most of his adult life was spent in Brigham City where he and his wife, Dorothy Atkinson raised their children. He passed away at age 93, September 28, 2023, and is buried in Brigham City Cemetery.

There have been at least one herd of sheep enjoying life in our nearby canyons these past warm months. With the changing weather and the frequent storms moving in it won’t be long before their owners and herders will take them back to their home ground in Utah.  

There was quite a crew from Mink Creek that went down to the Canning Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ogden, UT, to give some help with canning tomato soup. They were in two shifts. The early morning crew were Wynn and Cecelie Costley, Jeff and Barbara Olson, and Terry Westerberg. The afternoon helpers were LaMar and Claudine McKague, Wayne Olsen, and Garth and Robin Stevenson. The tasks required were varied, some with adding spices, some were mainly observing that none of the canning equipment malfunctioned, another checking for damaged cans, but each one required a person at their post. No one was peeling tomatoes.

The Syringa Camp of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers held a fall meeting at the Mink Creek Church. They have twelve members and Mary Ann Jepsen serves as their captain. Julie Westerberg gave a fun lesson about the historic “Hole In the Rock” pioneers where the early settlers of Utah were sent to colonize to the south. In 1879, when the expedition of settlers were sent down into what is now San Juan county of Utah it was one of the most isolated parts of the nation.

Mary Jean Rasmussen had a fun visit from her daughter Terrie Carr of Centerville, UT. Terrie has just returned from a trip to Las Vegas and so there was lots of catching up to do.

Johnny and Jeannine Iverson’s daughters, Christine Clark of Roseville, CA, and Cherie Shellig from Virginia, met here to spend some time with their folks and enjoy the lovely colors of fall that surround us in this area. Earlier this summer Teresa Russon, another Iverson daughter, of Greeley, CO, came for some family time.

We express appreciation to the members of the county mosquito crew for their services during this past summer. The flashing red lights that announced their presence in the neighborhood during late hours were most welcome, due to the results produced from their efforts.

We have had some early morning fog lying in the bottom of our valley. It seems to just be waiting for the arrival of the sunrise and when the warmer rays of light come the fog slowly dissipates. The colors we have enjoyed this fall are hanging on but gradually fading.

October 3, 2023

 

Mink Creek has some young men participating in the Preston High School football program this year. Tommy Henderson, son of Brady and Shoni Henderson is a senior. Hazen Baird, son of LaRon and Liesa Baird is a sophomore, along with Conner Iverson, son of Kurt and Margret Iverson, also a sophomore. Tom was crowned Homecoming King at the Homecoming game. The boys are dedicated to the sport, learning much about teamwork and having fun. Cheers for the Indians!

Claudine and LaMar McKague drove to Lehi, UT, to witness the ordaining of their son Ethan McKague as he became the 1^st Counselor in the bishopric of the YSA Ward of the Lehi area. Ethan recently graduated from BYU in Provo and is now employed in Lehi.

Some of the Young Women of the community took on an early fall service project following a stormy event. They met at the home of Nate and Dana Olson on Station Creek to help gather debris that a strong wind storm had scattered about their yard. Pine cones and branches littered every where the wind could reach.

Bob and Claudia Erickson welcomed a visit from her nephew, Thane Perkins of Orem, UT, and his daughter Caitlyn who lives in Richmond. The Perkins duo were up in this direction for the wedding of Thane’s son, Michael Perkins, to Shelly Moosman of Banida, ID. The new Perkins couple will be living in the Preston area.

With official Fall season upon us some of our mountainsides are more orange than green. South Canyon is one of those, like a tub of orange leaves were spilled from the top then spread out as they fell to the canyon floor. Strawberry Canyon is dotted with bright reds among the yellow aspen and deep forest green of the evergreens. It is a beautiful place for an afternoon drive.

Several moose have put in an appearance in our canyons. Their dark color is such a contrast to the beautiful colors. Our deer are out and about, checking on anything that might be available in local gardens and orchards. There are reports of green beans and cucumbers still producing. Frost hasn’t hit everywhere so some are spared for a few more days.