Ora Carpenter Omerza journal, June 17-20, 1982

17 June 1982

Jay had today (Thurs) and Friday off from work. He and Nikki came over about the time I was ready to leave for the Library. Jay had the tile for a new floor in the kitchen and dining room. I left them here to work while I went to the Library. When I got home they were still working. All the wax had to be removed from the floor and it proved to be a bigger job than we had expected. We worked until 11PM then Jay and Nikki went home and I prepared to leave the next day for our Carpenter family reunion in Utah. It was 1 AM before I got to bed and I had to be up by 3:30 AM to go to Mesa to start the trip. I was weary.

18 June 1982

What a day this was. I was up at 3:30 AM got everything packed in the car. My tomatoes were really producing so I picked a big sack full and took to Nancy as I couldn’t take care of them. We were able to meet at Joe’s to leave in their motor home at 6AM. I had offered my car to Ted and Nancy while I was gone since they were having trouble with one of theirs. I had to take on the trip bedding and clothes. I was really priding myself on getting everything into the car. Florence said to bring my clothes in a sack as we were going to put them in boxes in the motor home. When I got to Florence’s, Joe was loading the motor home. I took all my things out of the car and put them on the lawn beside the motor home and much to my horror as I took the things out I found I had gone off and left the sack with my clothes at home. Oh me. What to do. I did have some clothes on a hanger, the clothes I left was underwear nightgown and extra shoes. So Florence gave me underwear, Bertha gave me a nightgown and I was all set to go. I took the car over to Ted’s and was all ready to go by 6AM. However we didn’t get away until 7. There was Florence and Joe, Hazel and Ivan, Lorna and Afton, and Bertha and me. We were all set for a great time. We were off at 7 and on the freeway. We had only gone a short distance when we heard an odd sound that no one could recognize so Joe pulled over and the men got out and looked things over. Everything seemed ok and we went on some distance when we heard another sound and we knew something was wrong. We were at the Thomas Road off ramp so we got off and almost made it to the service station when it quit. In a few minutes it started and we got into the service station. One of the wheels was smoking so they figured it was either a brake or bearing. Joe called Barry for help and in a little while Barry and Merle came. They decided it couldn’t be fixed for us to continue the trip so Merle was gracious enough to let us take his car. It was nine passenger and just right for the eight of us. We had a lot of food with us as we had planned to prepare our own meals. We made sandwiches for our lunch and took our fruit and snacks and any thing that didn’t have to be refrigerated. Moved our clothes and luggage and were ready to go. I was busy making sandwiches while the men were removing the clothes so I supposed they got mine. I went to check where the clothes were hanging and mine weren’t there so I supposed they were in the car. We were all ready to go when Barry came out of the motor home and said, “Does this belong to some one?” and there was my clothes I had on the hanger. What a break. If I’d left them I would have been without clothes. I guess we got off by 10 AM. We thought for awhile we were going to have to go back to Mesa and get two cars or even abandon the whole thing but as it was we were all together and had a wonderful time.

We stopped at Page and looked at the dam and Joe called Barry and he said it was a wheel bearing and a broken axle on the motor home. We felt very fortunate to not be any farther from home than we were and to have such a good car where we could all be together.

Our destination was Glendale, Utah but when we got to Kanab it was getting toward evening and since the towns are small we were afraid we wouldn’t be able to get a room so we decided to stay in Kanab. We got four single rooms and took them for two nights. By the time we got the room I was pretty tired since I had only two hours of sleep the night before. We had to eat all the food we had with us that wouldn’t keep over night so no one was really hungry for supper. I was all for going to bed. Afton, Lorna, Ivan and Hazel went out to see the town and got them a snack but the bed was all I needed.

19 June 1982

Today was the reunion. We had to drive about 30 miles from Kanab to Glendale. We got ready to go and had breakfast and were on our way. They all met at the church for a meeting and getting acquainted. I met some cousins almost as old as I am who I had never met. There were so many there who aren’t regulars at our reunions. This is the first time the reunion had been held in Utah. It was well attended. After the meeting we went to visit the cemetery. It was quite interesting to see the graves of those who had passed on so many years ago. Then we went to the home of Margaret and Rex Burner. Margaret is the daughter of Uncle Charles Carpenter. They had a lovely place. There was a place in back of their home by a creek where some of them had parked their campers. About 4 PM they took us on a hayride pulled by a tractor up a narrow road in the mountains for a barbeque supper. In some places the road was so steep I thought we were going to have to get off and push. It took about four trips to get them all up there. It was about a mile from the house. They had tables and chairs. A volleyball game and baseball game going. The weather was great, nice and cool to us from this hot country. The meal was delicious and just as we were finishing eating we felt a few drops of rains but it didn’t last long. Everyone gathered under the trees. Two of the boys played the guitar and sang. They were really good. Then they started to lead us in some community singing. When it started to sprinkle again, we went right on singing but the rain came down harder and harder so they decided it was best to start for home since it took four loads to get them all back. We got back ok but then the rain stopped but we sat in their yard and visited awhile then decided to head back to Kanab. It was a beautiful day. Every one seemed so happy and sociable. It was one of the best reunions I’ve attended. Besides the Burners there was Aunt Emma’s twins Frieda and Fonda and their husbands and their brother Bob helping with the party. By the time we got back to Kanab I was as tired as I was the night before. The bed felt good.

20 June 1982

We planned to leave for home about 8AM this morning some of the girls aren’t early risers. Bertha and I awoke at 5AM we layed in bed and talked of the good time we had had the day before. Then we decided to get dressed and ready to go so we wouldn’t have to be waited on if they decided to go earlier. Joe and Afton were out side, taking in the fresh air so when we got dressed we joined them. It was a beautiful morning the air was cool and fresh. By 8 o’clock everyone was ready to go. We stopped and had breakfast and were on our way home. We came home by way of Jacobs Lake. The scenery was so beautiful. There is a lot of beautiful country in Southern Utah and Northern Arizona. As we drove along we talked about our grandparents making the same trip by team and wagon. Sometimes they had to wait three or four days to get across the Colorado river and we crossed it in minutes. We stopped in Flagstaff and had lunch and then went home. We had a lot of fun joking and laughing and kidding. It was good for me to be with my brothers and sisters. A very enjoyable trip. We got home to Mesa about 4:30 PM. I went over to Ted’s and got the car. Bertha came home with me. While I was gone Jay had put the new tile down in the kitchen. Ted had fixed all the light plugs with new plates and wiring and they had leveled the vacant lot. John had let Ted take a tractor and he cut all the weeds and leveled it all off. I hardly knew the place when I got home. Again I was ready for bed.