Blog – Page 33

Oakland California Temple

March 26, 2010 by rickety Leave a Comment

Jake at the Oakland California Temple

Thursday was Day Four of our California Temple Trip with Jake and I attending the first session of the day at 7 am at the Oakland Temple. Afterwards we did sealings where as proxies I was the father and Jake was the son. Then it was on to the Sacramento and Reno temples. We stayed over in Reno to rest for our drive home on Friday. The photographs of the Sacramento and Reno temples I will post at a later date.

Click on the images to enlarge.

The Oakland temple was in Paul’s mission.

The exterior of the temple is reinforced concrete faced with sierra white granite from Raymond, California. On the north and south faces of the temple are two decorative friezes, and is the last temple to have such.

The front (north side) illustrates Christ preaching His gospel to the people. Within the front garden courtyard there is a statue of children in front of a bronze plaque bearing a scripture from 3 Nephi 17, from the Book of Mormon, telling how Christ blessed the children during his visit to the people of ancient America.

The temple sits on a prominent site in the Oakland hills and has become a local landmark. Through the front courtyard are stairways which lead to the temple terrace situated above the ground floor of the temple. We were there early so the gates to the courtyard were locked.

From the temple grounds and terrace are spectacular views of the Bay Area, including downtown Oakland, the Bay Bridge, Yerba Buena Island, downtown San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. The Grounds are accented by flowers, palm trees, and a formal-style man-made river running from one fountain to the other.

One of the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge can be seen in the mist.

The temple was built on an 18.3-acre plot, has 4 ordinance rooms, 7 sealing rooms, and has a total floor area of 95,000 square feet.

Photos by Rickety. Text from Wikipedia.

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Fresno California Temple

March 26, 2010 by rickety Leave a Comment

Jake outside the Fresno temple

Wednesday was Day Three of our California Temple Trip with Jake and I starting the day with a trip to the Los Angeles Temple. The temple was closed but we were able to walk around the grounds and take some photographs which I will show you later in another post. Afterwards it was a drive northward to the Fresno Temple where we waited for five hours to take in a session. We knew what the schedule was but couldn’t work in the times any better. Once leaving the Fresno temple we got a motel near the Oakland Temple ready for the next day.

Click on the images to enlarge.

The Fresno California Temple is the 78th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

California has long had a history with the Church starting with members who sailed to San Francisco aboard the Brooklyn and members of the U.S. Army unit known as the Mormon Battalion who were discharged in San Diego, many of whom stayed and helped build up the San Diego area.

The groundbreaking ceremony was in March 1999. Before the temple was dedicated it was opened to the public. During that time 53,000 people toured the temple. On April 9, 2000 President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the Fresno California Temple.

The Fresno California Temple has the same design as the other smaller temples that are being built worldwide. The exterior is white sierra granite and features a single-spire topped by a statue of the angel Moroni. It has a total floor area of 10,700 square feet, two ordinance rooms, and two sealing rooms.

Since gold leaf is a perfect conductor of electricity, and because the figures are often placed high above the ground atop a temple’s tallest spire, they are frequently hit by lightning. Today’s figures have a copper rod running through them vertically, which extends several inches above the figure’s head at the top, and attaches to a grounding cable at the bottom. This serves both as a lightning rod and as the mechanism for mounting the figure on the building’s tower. (New Era)

Notice the lightning rod on Moroni's head

Photos by Rickety. Text from Wikipedia.

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Redlands California Temple

March 23, 2010 by rickety 8 Comments

Jake at the Redlands California Temple

Tuesday was Day Two of our California Temple Trip with Jake and I starting the day with a 5:30 am session at the Las Vegas Temple. Afterwards we left immediately for the Redlands California Temple but missed the start of the session by 7 minutes. However, we were able to help with some initiatory work.

We left right after we took our photographs to take in a session at the San Diego Temple. This time with Jake driving we made the session. After some quick photographs we left for the Newport Beach Temple. Again we were on time (just).

Today I am posting only the Redlands temple pictures, the other temples we visited today will have their photographs posted later. Click on the images to enlarge.

The Redlands California Temple is the 116th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Rick and Jake by the patron entrance

The site for the Redlands California Temple was dedicated in December 2001 and construction began soon after. Members helped in the construction by donating rocks for its building, some of these rocks were from the area where the original Mormon colonists of 1851 camped.

The familiar Holiness to the Lord on the temple

Young children also donated their pennies to buy the palm trees that are now planted around the temple. The temple sits on 4.6 acres and is 17,300 square feet. It houses two ordinance rooms and three sealing rooms.

From August 9th through September 6th 2003 an open house was held for the Redlands Temple. About 11,000 people volunteered to help with the open house and more than 140,000 people were able to tour the temple and learn more about the purpose of temples.

The temple was built on a lot that originally was home to an orange grove; during the open house visitors were served orange juice made from the trees that once stood there.

Church President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the Redlands California Temple on September 14, 2003. Thousands of members attended the four dedication services. The Redlands Temple was the fifth temple built in California. It serves approximately 70,000 members in the area.

Photos by Rickety. Text from Wikipedia.

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Las Vegas Nevada Temple

March 22, 2010 by rickety 4 Comments

Rick at the temple gates

Monday was Day One of our California Temple Trip with Jake and I leaving Kaysville in the afternoon and reaching Las Vegas in time to take photographs of the temple before the sun went down. Tomorrow morning we will take in a session when the temple opens. Click on the images to enlarge.

Rick and Jake. Every temple is The House Of The Lord

Suns and Moons on the temple wall

The Las Vegas Nevada Temple is the 43rd operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Located in the Sunrise Manor CDP near Las Vegas, Nevada, the temple sits on 10.3 acres at the base of Frenchman Mountain. A groundbreaking ceremony and site dedication for the temple were held in November 1985. President Gordon B. Hinckley, then a counselor in the First Presidency of the Church, presided and gave the dedication prayer. Construction began soon after the ceremony.

The Moon above the temple

Some strange living things in the temple grounds

View of the temple from the street

View of the temple from the parking lot

A very beautiful temple

The temple was open to the public for tours between November 16 and December 9, 1989. Almost 300,000 toured the temple and its grounds during these three weeks. The temple has six spires, the highest of which is 119 feet. At the top of this tower stands a ten-foot statue of the angel Moroni.

Ten foot tall and 119 feet high Moroni

...I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven...

The exterior is a white finish of pre-cast stone walls with a copper roof. The temple has 192 rooms, which includes four ordinance rooms, a Celestial room, six sealing rooms, a baptismal font, and other facilities to meet the needs of the purposes of the temple.

The angel Moroni in spires

Moroni viewed looking straight up from the patron entrance

Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the Las Vegas Nevada Temple December 16-18, 1989. Eleven sessions were held and more than 30,000 Latter-day Saints attended the dedicatory services.

From the top of the street as the light was fading

Photos by Rickety. Text from Wikipedia.

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Cowboys Stadium Tour

March 20, 2010 by rickety 11 Comments

Sarah has Cowboys Stadium tickets

Why is Sarah smiling? Because she has Cowboys Stadium Tour tickets. One each for Derek and herself and her parents. Bryson gets to go in free. Tours of Cowboys Stadium allow fans behind-the-scenes access to several areas including the Cowboys Locker Room, Cheerleaders Locker Room, Playing Field, Private Clubs, Media Interview Room and other areas.

The center-hung video display board is the largest high-definition television screen in the world

Jill and Bryson watch the big screen

Cowboys Stadium is a domed stadium with a retractable roof in Arlington, Texas. It serves as the home of the National Football League’s Dallas Cowboys. It replaced the partially-covered Texas Stadium, which opened in 1971, and served as the Cowboys’ home through the 2008 season. It was completed on May 27, 2009. The stadium seats 80,000, making it the 3rd largest stadium in the NFL by seating capacity.

A football in the ceiling

Some words of encouragement

The stadium is the largest domed stadium in the world, has the world’s largest column-free interior and the largest high definition video screen which hangs from 20 yard line to 20 yard line. The facility can also be used for a variety of other activities outside of its main purpose (professional football) such as concerts, religious ceremonies, basketball games, college football and high school football contests, soccer matches, motorcross races and rodeos similar to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Derek, Jill, Bryson, and Sarah, on their way to visit the private suites

Derek, Sarah, and Bryson would be enjoying the game in luxury, if there was one

Cowboys Stadium was designed by the Dallas-based architectural firm HKS. Originally estimated to cost $650 million, the stadium’s current construction cost was $1.3 billion, making it one of the most expensive sports venues ever built. To aid Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones in paying the construction costs of the new stadium, Arlington voters approved the increase of the city’s sales tax by 0.5 percent, the hotel occupancy tax by 2 percent, and car rental tax by 5 percent. The City of Arlington provided over $325 million (including interest) in bonds as funding, and Jones covered any cost overruns. Also, the NFL provided the Cowboys with an additional $150 million, as per their policy for giving teams a certain lump sum of money for stadium financing.

Bryson and Derek by Tony Romo's locker

Bryson at the cheerleaders lockers

A pair of nearly 300 ft-tall arches spans the length of the stadium dome, anchored to the ground at each end. The new stadium also includes more than 3,000 Sony LCD displays throughout the luxury suites, concourses, concession areas and more, offering fans viewing options that extend beyond the action on the field and a center-hung video display board that is the largest high-definition television screen in the world. Glass doors, allowing each end zone to be opened, were designed and constructed by Dallas-based Haley-Greer glass systems.

Bryson makes it to the 10

Jill, Bryson, Sarah, Derek, and Rick are in the end zone

The retractable roof was designed by structural engineering firm Walter P Moore and the systems were implemented by mechanization consultants Uni-Systems. These Kinetic Architecture fundamentals will be employed in order to create quick conversions of the facility to accommodate a variety of events. When the design was officially unveiled on December 12, 2006, it showed that, from inside the stadium, the roof will look very similar to the Texas Stadium roof, with its trademark hole. However, it can be covered by the retractable roof panel to protect against the elements.

Cowboys Stadium

Tom Landry, head coach 1960 to 1988, career record 270 - 178 - 6, Super Bowl Champions 1971 and 1977

Photos by Rickety. Text by Wikipedia.

San Jacinto Monument

March 20, 2010 by rickety 1 Comment

San Jacinto Monument

Prior to touring the Battleship Texas we visited the San Jacinto Monument and learned about the Battle of San Jacinto. In the above photograph of the monument, Derek and Bryson are by the minivan, Jill is to the right, and Sarah is gesturing. We rode the elevator to the top of the monument to enjoy the view of the Houston Ship Channel and the USS Texas from 550 feet.

San Jacinto Monument observation windows from where we viewed Houston and the USS Texas

The San Jacinto Monument is a 567 foot high column located on the Houston Ship Channel near the city of Deer Park, Texas. The monument is topped with a 220-ton star that commemorates the site of the Battle of San Jacinto, the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. The monument, constructed between 1936 and 1939 is the world’s tallest monumental column and is part of the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site. By comparison, the Washington Monument is 555 feet tall. The column is an octagonal shaft faced with Texas Cordova shellstone, topped with a 34-foot Lone Star.

San Jacinto Monument engravings

The monument recounts the Battle of San Jacinto with words and engravings etched into its stone. Below is the fourth segment of the eight section story, which I will recount in the next eight paragraphs.

The 4th section engraved on the San Jacinto Monument telling of Texas independence

The early policies of Mexico toward her Texas colonists had been extremely liberal. Large grants of land were made to them, and no taxes or duties imposed. The relationship between the Anglo-Americans and Mexicans was cordial. But, following a series of revolutions begun in 1829, unscrupulous rulers successively seized power in Mexico. Their unjust acts and despotic decrees led to the revolution in Texas.

In June, 1832, the colonists forced the Mexican authorities at Anahuac to release Wm. B. Travis and others from unjust imprisonment. The Battle of Velasco, June 26, and the Battle of Nacogdoches, August 2, followed; in both the Texans were victorious. Stephen Fuller Austin, “Father of Texas,” was arrested January 3, 1834, and held in Mexico without trial until July, 1835. The Texans formed an army, and on November 12, 1835, established a provisional government.

San Jacinto Monument Texas Cordova shellstone

The first shot of the Revolution of 1835-36 was fired by the Texans at Gonzales, October 2, 1835, in resistance to a demand by Mexican soldiers for a small cannon held by the colonists. The Mexican garrison at Goliad fell October 9; the Battle of Concepcion was won by the Texans, October 28. San Antonio was captured December 10, 1835 after five days of fighting in which the indomitable Benjamin R. Milam died a hero, and the Mexican Army evacuated Texas.

Texas declared her independence at Washington-on-the-Brazos March 2. For nearly two months her armies met disaster and defeat: Dr. James Grant’s men were killed on the Aguadulce March 2; William Barret Travis and his men sacrificed their lives at the Alamo, March 6; William Ward was defeated at Refugio, March 14; Amos B. King’s men were executed near Refugio, March 16; and James Walker Fannin and his army were put to death near Goliad March 27, 1836.

Sarah and Bryson in the observation deck of the San Jacinto Monument

On this field on April 21, 1836 the Army of Texas commanded by General Sam Houston, and accompanied by the Secretary of War, Thomas J. Rusk, attacked the larger invading army of Mexicans under General Santa Anna. The battle line from left to right was formed by Sidney Sherman’s regiment, Edward Burleson’s regiment, the artillery commanded by George W. Hockley, Henry Millard’s infantry and the cavalry under Mirabeau B. Lamar. Sam Houston led the infantry charge.

With the battle cry, “Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!” the Texans charged. The enemy taken by surprise, rallied for a few minutes then fled in disorder. The Texans had asked no quarter and gave none. The slaughter was appalling, victory complete, and Texas free! On the following day General Antonio Lopez De Santa Anna, self-styled “Napoleon of the West,” received from a generous foe the mercy he had denied Travis at the Alamo and Fannin at Goliad.

San Jacinto Monument view of USS Texas

Citizens of Texas and immigrant soldiers in the Army of Texas at San Jacinto were natives of Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Austria, Canada, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Portugal and Scotland.

Measured by its results, San Jacinto was one of the decisive battles of the world. The freedom of Texas from Mexico won here led to annexation and to the Mexican-American War, resulting in the acquisition by the United States of the states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, Utah and parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas and Oklahoma. Almost one-third of the present area of the American Nation, nearly a million square miles of territory, changed sovereignty.

San Jacinto Monument view of the Houston Channel

San Jacinto Monument view of the Houston Ship Channel

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Battleship Texas

March 20, 2010 by rickety 10 Comments

Battleship Texas from the top of San Jacinto Monument

On my recent March trip to Texas I took the opportunity to tour the Battleship Texas. She is anchored at San Jacinto State Park, the first US battleship to become a permanent museum ship, and the first battleship declared to be a US National Historic Landmark. I will tell the story of this great battleship using the informational signs placed on deck.

No. 1 and No. 2 turrets have four of the ten 14-inch 45 caliber guns, which fired 1,400 lb armor piercing shells

Built during the period of arms escalation in the early 20th century, the Texas was briefly the most powerful battleship in the world. She was designed around her massive 10-gun main battery which was capable of firing 7 tons of 14″ shells at targets 12 miles away. This concentration of offensive firepower in the big guns distinguished the Texas as a dreadnought, a ship fearing none other at sea.

Derek illustrates the relative size of the shells the Texas fired

Launched in 1912 at Newport News, Virginia, the USS Texas marked the beginning of the American rise to world-power status in the early 20th century. Texas survived as a warship because of the 1922 arms limitation agreement. By treaty, no new ships could be built; thus, the Texas was sent to drydock to be modernized and refitted. Improvements included new torpedo protection, new oil-fired boilers to replace those fueled by coal and additional armor plating and anti-aircraft weapons.

Bryson operates gun on Battleship Texas

The Texas was equipped to defend herself against destroyers and torpedo boats, which moved too close and too fast for the big guns of her main battery. This secondary battery consisted of sixteen 5-inch 51 caliber guns (originally 21 guns) that fired 50 lb. projectiles, eight to ten per minute, with a range of eight miles. Six of the guns were mounted in an “aircastle” on the main deck.

Battleship Texas anti-aircraft guns

The defense from the air attack had become far more vital by the onset of World War II. By 1945 the Texas was equipped with these anti-aircraft guns: ten 3-inch 50-caliber guns, ten 40mm four-gun (quad) mounts and forty four 20mm guns.

Battleship Texas dentist

During World War II, Battleship Texas’ crew grew to more than 1,800 men. The ship had to provide for each of these men’s basic needs, including haircuts and visits to the dentist. There was a canteen, soda fountain, library, dispensary, and post office.

Jill found her way to the crew's sleeping quarters

Diagonal armor raised the protection above the second deck to enclose the conning tower trunk, the boiler uptakes, and part of the secondary battery. Barbettes and a conning tower with 12″ armor rose above the main deck. “Non-essential” spaces — crew and officer’s berthing, gallery, and sick bay, for example — were left vulnerable to a direct hit.

The purpose of a battleship was to float her big guns into action against an enemy and to keep them floating and firing. The ten, 14-inch diameter guns of the Texas’ main battery were her reason for being. A full broadside could be fired every minute and a half. These guns made the Texas the powerful weapon in the world in 1914 and a serious threat thirty years later.

14 inch guns on the Battleship Texas

Shells and 105 lb. silk bags of powder were stored in magazines below armored decks. For loading each gun, a shell and four powder magazines were passed into the handling rooms and hoisted up the armored barbettes into the turrets.

The 14-inch guns were directed from fire control stations atop the foremast and in the tower aft of the stack. Here, the bearing of the target was observed and the distance estimated with firing finders. With the help of spotter aircraft watching the splashes as the shells hit the water, fire controllers could correct the range after each shot.

Battleship Texas main battery fire control

Main battery fire control at the top of the foremast

Ballistic calculations — for speed and direction of target and ship, wind direction and other factors — were made in the plotting room deep inside the ship. During World War II, radar and a Combat Information Center in the foremast were added.

In the event of battle damage to the fire control systems, the guns could be fired by local control. The turrets could even be rotated and the guns elevated by hand if the electrical power were knocked out.

Battleship Texas and San Jacinto Monument

To see this battleship was one of the highlights of my trip to Texas. I recommend that you pay her a visit when you are in the area. Here are a few more photographs of Battleship Texas.

There were guns everywhere on Battleship Texas

View from the stern. Sarah stands by the 14-inch guns

Rick mans the guns

Jill mans the guns

Bryson and Sarah

Jill, Sarah, and Bryson

Can you see Jill, Sarah, and Bryson in the photograph above? One of my favorite photographs is the one below that shows a gun protruding from what seems like every square inch of Battleship Texas.

Don't mess with Battleship Texas

Arduino AVR High-Voltage Serial Programmer

March 19, 2010 by paul w 115 Comments

My son Paul is the author of this guest post.

This Arduino sketch is useful for rescuing ATtiny microcontrollers rendered useless by incorrect fuse settings. It does this by putting the bricked tiny into high-voltage serial programming mode and writing the fuses to safe values.

Connection Diagram

Click to enlarge

The Arduino is connected to the tiny though 1k resistors and a 2N3904 transistor is used to switch 12 volts applied to the tiny’s reset pin. After uploading the sketch the Arduino sends “Enter a character to continue.” repeatedly until communications are established by sending a byte through the serial monitor. The Arduino then programs the fuses.

Serial Monitor log

Enter a character to continue.

Entering programming Mode

lfuse reads as 62

hfuse reads as 5F

efuse reads as FF

Writing hfuse

Writing lfuse

lfuse reads as 62

hfuse reads as DF

efuse reads as FF

Exiting programming Mode

Download the program: hv_serial_prog.pde

Based on work by Jeff Keyzer.

Let me know if it works for you.

Caption Competition #6

March 18, 2010 by rickety 8 Comments

Sarah behind bars at The Aquarium at Moody Gardens

I took this photograph in March at The Aquarium at Moody Gardens on Galveston Island, Texas. Amidst all the fish tanks and displays was this cage so my daughter Sarah agreed to create my next caption. This picture will be easier to write a caption for than the last competition so go ahead and stun us with your creativity and wit.

Rachel holding NASA chocolate bars

The first prize (Kaysville and environs only) is a Johnson Space Center 3oz almond milk chocolate bar. The motto “Failure is not an option” is printed on the wrapper along with the famous NASA logo. Second prize is a smaller milk chocolate bar with the image of the space shuttle blasting off into space. A sight that you now will only see on chocolate bars and old newsreels.

For the judging I will ask my readers to vote on one or more of the captions written for this Caption Competition #6. Those writing captions can also vote. And yes, you can vote for your own caption though all the world will know you absolutely have zero social skills.

Even if you are not local we will be totally spaced out to hear from you. However, we cannot mail prizes because importing this space age chocolate from Texas brought our budget crashing to earth.
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Planning the California Temple Trip

March 17, 2010 by rickety 2 Comments

View Larger Map

Next week is spring break and time for another temple trip like the Utah Temples Tour I did in 2008. Just my son Jake and I will be going this time. There are seven temples in California and in visiting those we can also take in the two Nevada temples.

Monday

The Reno temple would have been first on our itinerary but the first session on Tuesday doesn’t start until 4 pm. That doesn’t work if you want to use Monday afternoon and evening for travel from Kaysville and then get an early Tuesday morning session. The alternative is to travel on Monday to the Las Vegas temple and attend the 5:30 am. session.

Tuesday

Las Vegas temple it is. We will then use the rest of the day to stop at the first of the California temples. Redlands, San Diego and if time permits the Newport Beach temple.

Wednesday

If we didn’t attend a session at the Newport Beach temple on Tuesday we can start today with a 7 am. session. The Los Angeles temple is closed so that will be a photography only stop. Next is Fresno and Oakland.

Thursday

This last day takes us to Sacramento and Reno and then home.

I hope to post some photographs of the temples we visit while on the road. If not I will catch up with my blogging when I get home.

Update

All went as planned until Wednesday. We didn’t reach Oakland until late so on Thursday we needed to visit the last three temples, Oakland, Sacramento, and Reno. It was nightfall when we exited the Reno Temple and so we stayed over in Reno. This increased the time of the trip to five days, Monday to Friday. We drove over 2,000 miles.

Here are the links to the posts of each temple in the order we visited:

Las Vegas Nevada Temple
Redlands California Temple
San Diego California Temple
Newport Beach California Temple
Los Angeles California Temple
Fresno California Temple
Oakland California Temple
Sacramento California Temple
Reno Nevada Temple
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