One Day In Heber...

Last Friday, while my dad was in town, I surprised him with a day-trip to Heber-the town of our ancestry. I have to give Byran credit for the great idea. Growing up, we used to spend about a week in the summertime camping in our trailer in the backyard of my Great-aunt Phyllis' home in Heber. There is just something about this town that just really makes me feel at home every time I drive through. I mentioned this was a surprise. Dad had no idea what I had planned, which was half of the fun for me. I love surprises! We are two peas in a pod when it comes to Heber and I wanted to explore it with him.

Our first stop was the corner of 300 East and 100 South, the home my Grandpa Grant grew up in.

 

It was built by my great-grandfather after the original home here burned down. Grandpa lived here until his father passed away.

I got out to take some pictures while Dad stayed in the van. I noticed the owner sitting outside and talked with him. Once I told him my great-grandfather had built the home, he invited us to come in and take a look! You should have seen Dad's face when I told him we were going inside! He had never been in the home before.

Grandpa's personal history has a description of the interior of the home. It was fun to read it to the owner and walk around the rooms and try to figure out which was which. This chandelier in the entry was very, very old. Could great-grandma Nellie have chosen it?!

Grandpa's history told of 4 bedrooms upstairs. Several rooms looked as if they still had the original wallpaper. I loved the transoms above the doors and all the original woodwork.

Grandpa used to tell of how in the winter it was too cold at night to go outside to the out-house, so they would just open the window and, you-know. He also talked about a yellow stain on the outside of the white house! :) Could this be THAT window! Dad and I had such a chuckle about that.

 This is coming down the stairs, looking to the front entry.

 And here we are on the front stoop.

This is my favorite picture of the day, Dad shutting the gate after visiting his Dad's house. I wonder how old the big pines at the front of the house were, and if my grandpa's family planted them?

Our next stop was to meet up with the President of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. She took us over to the D.U.P. museum and let us look around. We found this picture of John Murray Murdoch, my great-great Grandfather who joined the church in Scotland and came across the plains with his family, loosing two children a long the way. After some time in Salt Lake, he settled in Heber.

 This is his first wife, Ann Steele. Together they had 15 children!

 This is Rachel Howarth Fortie another great-great Grandmother on a different line.

 Right across the street from the museum just happened to be the "duplex" my great-great grandfather built for his two wives-yes poligamy.

 This is the home he settled in on his farm later on.

No one was home here, but I would have LOVED to have had a look inside!  The front entry looked like it could be the original door and hardware, painted red. The patio was made of sandstone. Such a neat feeling I had standing there on the porch!

In this building, in the room in the top right hand corner used to be a dentist office where my grandma Gladys worked for her brother-in-law. She met my grandpa Grant one day when he came in to get his teeth cleaned. They eloped in 1930 :)

Ahh...Chicks' Cafe! We used to come here for an occasional breakfast with Grandpa Grant. My favorite item on the menu is scones. Dad and I had lunch here-including scones of course!

Our next stop was the Heber Cemetery. There is just something about the Heber Cemetery that gets me every time. I feel like I'm walking on hallowed ground. So many of my ancestors are buried here, and Mom and Dad even have plots here too.

 We spent about an hour walking around finding the gravestones of Dad's maternal and paternal grandparents and great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and other extended family members. Dad has such a good memory to find headstones after not visiting here for almost 20 years.

 This is another favorite photo of the day, Dad looking back at the headstones of his great-grandfather and great-grandmother.

The final stop of the day was at the Heber airport. Dad's father was a pilot and flew in WWII. Dad has flying in his blood, but wasn't able to get his pilot's license because he is color-blind. I remember driving out to the Heber airport on visits there with Grandpa to watch the planes and gliders take off and land. It was so exciting, and fun to watch Grandpa's reaction and hear him talk about flying. To this day, Dad will always run outside if he hears a helicopter approaching or a jet going over. I have seen tears come to his eyes watching a jet's fly-by before a game. It is in his blood too.

I had a tour of the airport set up for Dad. Unfortunately the military museum was closed, but I think he still enjoyed it. This was our tour-guide who drove us all over the airfield in a golf cart.

 We had good timing as we were there to watch several gliders take off.

 I wish I could remember the name of this bomber being restored in someone's hanger. It was amazing and reminded me of the plane from the movie "Memphis Belle" on the inside.

It was such a fun and memorable day for me.  I think Dad enjoyed himself too. He says he doesn't like surprises, but I think he liked this one as much as I did.

I love you Dad, thanks for being a good sport and sharing the memories with me!

PS-Mom, thanks for sharing Dad with me :)