Winter of 1963 in Mesa, Arizona As Terry and I got old enough to start going to school we could no longer go down to Arizona for the winter. During the Christmas break of 1963 we did go down and stay with grandpa and grandma Ripplinger in Arizona. Once Terry and I were just starting school dad and mom started raising dairy cows. We first milked them by hand over in the barn that later became Uncle Francis’s. But that was only while dad finished building the barn that existed on the farm until about 2004. In order for us to leave the dairy cows after that we would have to get someone to milk the cows while we took off for Arizona. Needless to say we didn’t get away too often. Some of the things I remember enjoying doing while down in Mesa with grandpa and grandma Rip was going to the temple and having grandpa take us on a tour of the Mesa, Arizona temple grounds. I enjoyed listening to him explain about all the vegetation that existed on the grounds. We would also go to the orange orchards and see the oranges and pick some while we were there. The fruit tasted so much better when it had just been picked from the tree. It just isn’t like the oranges that we buy from the stores. I also remember loving to spot a pecan tree. I could pick them out from a long distance away. We would also go buy fresh dates to eat. I can remember as a young boy having to actually travel between the different cities down in that area instead of them all being just one great big enormous city. Phoenix, Mesa, Gilbert, Camelback Inn, and Scottsdale were all separate cities. We would also go see some of the cotton fields that were nearby. I also enjoyed going to the park and playing grandpa in shuffleboard. I remember as a young boy being interested in the construction that was going on in the local area. They would build huge man-made lakes right there in the middle of the desert and then build subdivisions around these manmade lakes. They were actually fairly big lakes. I always thought that they were doing this to just make it feel like they had beach front property but I guess they needed the water supply incase a fire would break out they had nearby water sources to help fight the fires and also to keep it from spreading through an area with no water protection as to break up the houses. I remember spending time with grandpa and grandma. It was also fun to get away from the chores at home.
When I was 14 my neighbor who was a general contractor in Brigham City hired me and his son to build homes with him. We started out doing all the grunt work, you know, carrying all the heavy wood, tools, digging, etc, but as time went on he eventually taught us all the different stages of building a home: framing, concrete, roofing, finish work, and so on. I liked the job because it paid better than most others and I got to work outside.
I remember Grandpa liked hearing about our latest projects, and I'd even show him different homes we'd built when he and Grandma were visiting. It was on those little tours where I learned about their early trips to Arizona to work as a carpenter during the winters. Those conversations connected us. I liked hearing Grandpa's stories about his building days, and how he learned to pitch a roof and how he'd had a couple close calls. He seemed proud of the things I was learning and told me they would benefit me later in life. I have seen a lot of truth in that as I have battled to keep my own home in good shape.
Grandpa is a handy fellow with broad experience. Not only is he adept in agricultural science and biology, he also knows how to work on his own machinery, how to build his own home, in addition to all he knows about raising a great family. I like knowing that at the head of our fountain is a man who values a college education but also hard physical labor and has a do-it-yourself mentality. According to Grandpa, a man should know how to take care of his belongings, and if he does so diligently, they will last. Grandpa has shown us that. I remember the meticulous care he gave the equipment in the garage, how he'd carefully grease the tractors and other farm equipment on a regular basis, and even how methodically he would have us kids fold up his and Grandma's air mattress when they came on visits.
Those early trips to Arizona also show us Grandpa's industriousness and his inability to just "hang out" for a few months during the slow season. He wasn't one for being leisurely, and he's well earned the occasional nice, quiet game of cards around the kitchen table with his kids (well, sometimes quiet. Actually, if Uncle Clint is playing it's never quiet! Haha Clint.).
Mike, Terry, Debbie, and Tammie
Winter of 1963 in Mesa, Arizona
ReplyDeleteAs Terry and I got old enough to start going to school we could no longer go down to Arizona for the winter. During the Christmas break of 1963 we did go down and stay with grandpa and grandma Ripplinger in Arizona. Once Terry and I were just starting school dad and mom started raising dairy cows. We first milked them by hand over in the barn that later became Uncle Francis’s. But that was only while dad finished building the barn that existed on the farm until about 2004. In order for us to leave the dairy cows after that we would have to get someone to milk the cows while we took off for Arizona. Needless to say we didn’t get away too often. Some of the things I remember enjoying doing while down in Mesa with grandpa and grandma Rip was going to the temple and having grandpa take us on a tour of the Mesa, Arizona temple grounds. I enjoyed listening to him explain about all the vegetation that existed on the grounds. We would also go to the orange orchards and see the oranges and pick some while we were there. The fruit tasted so much better when it had just been picked from the tree. It just isn’t like the oranges that we buy from the stores. I also remember loving to spot a pecan tree. I could pick them out from a long distance away. We would also go buy fresh dates to eat. I can remember as a young boy having to actually travel between the different cities down in that area instead of them all being just one great big enormous city. Phoenix, Mesa, Gilbert, Camelback Inn, and Scottsdale were all separate cities. We would also go see some of the cotton fields that were nearby. I also enjoyed going to the park and playing grandpa in shuffleboard. I remember as a young boy being interested in the construction that was going on in the local area. They would build huge man-made lakes right there in the middle of the desert and then build subdivisions around these manmade lakes. They were actually fairly big lakes. I always thought that they were doing this to just make it feel like they had beach front property but I guess they needed the water supply incase a fire would break out they had nearby water sources to help fight the fires and also to keep it from spreading through an area with no water protection as to break up the houses. I remember spending time with grandpa and grandma. It was also fun to get away from the chores at home.
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ReplyDeleteWhen I was 14 my neighbor who was a general contractor in Brigham City hired me and his son to build homes with him. We started out doing all the grunt work, you know, carrying all the heavy wood, tools, digging, etc, but as time went on he eventually taught us all the different stages of building a home: framing, concrete, roofing, finish work, and so on. I liked the job because it paid better than most others and I got to work outside.
ReplyDeleteI remember Grandpa liked hearing about our latest projects, and I'd even show him different homes we'd built when he and Grandma were visiting. It was on those little tours where I learned about their early trips to Arizona to work as a carpenter during the winters. Those conversations connected us. I liked hearing Grandpa's stories about his building days, and how he learned to pitch a roof and how he'd had a couple close calls. He seemed proud of the things I was learning and told me they would benefit me later in life. I have seen a lot of truth in that as I have battled to keep my own home in good shape.
Grandpa is a handy fellow with broad experience. Not only is he adept in agricultural science and biology, he also knows how to work on his own machinery, how to build his own home, in addition to all he knows about raising a great family. I like knowing that at the head of our fountain is a man who values a college education but also hard physical labor and has a do-it-yourself mentality. According to Grandpa, a man should know how to take care of his belongings, and if he does so diligently, they will last. Grandpa has shown us that. I remember the meticulous care he gave the equipment in the garage, how he'd carefully grease the tractors and other farm equipment on a regular basis, and even how methodically he would have us kids fold up his and Grandma's air mattress when they came on visits.
Those early trips to Arizona also show us Grandpa's industriousness and his inability to just "hang out" for a few months during the slow season. He wasn't one for being leisurely, and he's well earned the occasional nice, quiet game of cards around the kitchen table with his kids (well, sometimes quiet. Actually, if Uncle Clint is playing it's never quiet! Haha Clint.).