Meet me in St. Louis

This is the east side of the temple. I couldn't get any further back, so it didn't get the full grandeur, but it is a very beautiful temple. We went on an excursion sponsored by our mission president and his wife. They even bought us all lunch. We are truly spoiled in this mission.

We took two of these vans to St. Louis. This was a really exciting ride. The springs in the back lifted the two sisters almost to the ceiling when we went over a bump. I had to laugh at us, some were too hot, some were too cold, some wanted air, some wanted the windows closed. Oh brother, I wondered if there would be any pleasing anyone.

Our arrival at the temple. There were 12 single sisters, and 3 couples that went with us. It was a full session. In fact, the sister from St Louis that I was sitting next to, commented that she had not seen such a full session. When we walked in and the brother behind the desk saw my Nauvoo Recommend, he commented, "Your temple is almost as beautiful as ours". I decided it wasn't worth starting an all out war, so I responded, "All temples have their own beauty." But in my head I thought, "If you want to talk spirit, there's no comparison".

This is the Illinois sunrise. It is 5:50 AM. We left Nauvoo at 5:00 AM for St Louis. Believe it or not, I actually got up and got there on time, and didn't eat anyone for breakfast.

Was that the Seminole Heights Community Garden on the news last night?

Yes it was. Here's the info from Robin sent out to the members-

Wanted you all to check out the front page of the website because I've posted a video that 83 Degrees did on the garden and I've posted a link to a story that Channel 8 did on the garden.

They'll be running the story again - tonight on the 5:30 news - if you want to record it or tell folks about it.

Thank you so much for all you do! We wouldn't be where we are without you!

Hope to see you this Saturday - at the garden. :)

Cheers!
-r

http://seminoleheightscg.ning.com/

Be Outstanding In Your Field... Research....

A new Snap!Retail newsletter is out today, and it includes my article on how to make field research work for your business. Leave me a comment here, and let me know how you look outside of your business at possibilities for growth, change, and evolution of your brand...

How to Hire Me, #101

Need Deb to help you find a solution to a challenge in your store? Just ask me!

____________________

Hello, Debi, {greet me by name}
I'm Shell, owner of The SeaShell Boutique in Alki- www.shesellsseashells.cam. {tell me who you are}
I found your blog through a search for retail designers. {tell me how you found me}
When I saw you were from Seattle, I cheered! I need help with my retail store and am hoping you can assist me in finding solutions to a few problems.

Specifically, I have floor plan 'issues': {state your case succinctly}Too many hidden spots, no clear direction of where to go, and a cashwrap that seems to be hard to find. {give me some details}

I'd like to have you create a new floor plan that addresses those issues. {give me the final result you want from me}

So, I need to know if you are accepting new clients now, what your availability & fees are, if you can get this done in the time frame I have, and how the process works for you. {ask me what you want to know}

I have a limited budget for this (don't we all?!) which means I have just a few hundred bucks to spare - and I'd prefer not spending it all! My time frame for design & installation of the plan is two months, because I need to make changes before summer tourist season hits.  {be open about your situation}

But really, I want to know from you how to best utilize your services. How much can I do to prepare so that your time is maximized for my benefit? {ask me SMART questions}

Can you email me back this week at _____ with the specifics of this? (You could call, but then I'd have to write it all down legibly enough to read it later - probably not going to happen!) {give me your contact info and tell me what/when/how you want it}

Feel free to visit our web site at www.shesellsseashells.cam {include store contact info}
and take a look at our slideshow - it shows the entire space. If there are other materials I can send you (photos, links, etc.) to help you review or prepare, please let me know. {send preliminary materials so I can see what I would be dealing with}

Thank you, Debi - I look forward to hearing back from you!

Shell
The SeaShell Boutique
Alki, Washington

_______________________

There is no Shell who sells sea shells in a boutique on Alki Point, Washington - to my knowledge, anyway. She's a fictional perfect 'inquiry'. She's an example of how to get to the heart of a matter fast. If the emails, phone messages, and comments sent to me came in that form, I'd be off and running on your business challenges before I even got back to you! A very efficient way for me to work.

Maybe it's just me. ?
Maybe I am so busy with two businesses that cryptic messages and endless exchanges of vague statements just bog me down. I need info! I need it now! Give it to me straight, honest, and open so I know what you want, and you'll get back from me a quick answer stating what I can do for you and where we go from there. I won't accept the project if I can't fit it into my schedule on your timeframe, or if I think I'm just not the right person for it. If your budget seems really low, I'll ask you what the most important issues are so we can focus on that and cut my time involvement to the minimum. But I'll still try to help.

BTW, Jessica from Yarn Market News did exactly this when she contacted me about speaking at the recent YMN conference. I checked the links she sent me, and immediately made the decision to say yes based on her informational email. ;0)

Foursquare or how we got "Crunked" on Sat. Night

[Charles] I keep hearing about this Foursquare thing and thought I should see what the chatter is all about. We have an Iphone and it does all sorts of things. It doesn't do my laundry or feed the dog, but it comes in handy when doing a quick search for a place to eat or to update our business Facebook page. We even have a nice App for taking credit cards now that is really helpful at the outdoor markets.

Anyhow, I decided to check out this game/app Foursquare after all the talk about it from the music blogs I read and the hype it got at SXSW. You can learn a lot at their website, but if you want to really get it, then you should just download the app and get started trying to get "Crunked" or become a "Mayor".

Basically this is an App that allows the GPS on your phone to locate what is close to you and you can read user loaded "tips" or "to-do's" to give you some quick info about the place. You need to rack up points to play the game and compete with your friends. Your friends can be invited from Facebook or Twitter and can play as long as they have a phone with a GPS. To play, you "check in" when you get to a business, especially a hangout like a bar or restaurant (although most businesses are listed). The first time you check in at a business you get a bonus for it being your first time. If you check in to Cafe Hey every morning then you get points each time you do. If you check in to the business more than any other person, then you become the "mayor" of that business. Yes ma'am, there is a mayor of Party Liquors - I checked.

There are lots of awards that are meant to encourage exploration and loyalty to local businesses. Mayor of Target? - okay... Mayor of the Independent Pub? that's an achievement to be proud of. We decided to try to win an award called "Crunked" which means that you have to hit 4 bars in the same night. We upped the ante by saying we could do it in our neighborhood and on foot.

We started out with the hard stuff at the Front Porch which is a close walk and admired the new lights that they had in the bar. From there we hoofed it a good ways down to Ella's Restaurant. We ran into some friends there and had a little bite to eat with our second round of drinks. We even gave a little tour of our custom work there to a few curious patrons. We had a great time chatting with Joe, Shawn, Ernie, and Melissa as always. We tried to spot the mayor while there, but she must have had the night off. The next stop was the Refinery and this was the only cheat because they were closing, we skipped the drink. We did stick our heads in and admire the progress of the decor and their really cool sign "Eat. Drink. Confabulate." Love it.

It was a short walk down to the Independent to close our night. We got to chat with Greg and Michelle from the Refinery as they cooled down from their evening. I showed the bartender, Mike I think, that we had gotten "Crunked" but he wasn't quite as excited as I was. I was at my fourth bar, though, so maybe I was over-enthusiastic... We did it though, and we were nearly an hour late when we dragged in to relieve our babysitter - my eternally patient mom asleep on the couch. We did have a great time and saw some pieces of our sidewalk that we had never studied. We hustled by some roadkill and got a better look at a few buildings we had only driven by. All in all, it was a success. I'm not sure if I'm addicted to Foursquare yet, but I did meet the Mayor of the Independent and she seemed to be enjoying her role just fine.

-Charles

Saturday is full 1. Garden 2. EcoFest 3. Wild Things

Photo from Ecolution

[Charles]
Get your rest tonight kiddies! Tomorrow is gonna be a full day... #1 Seminole Heights Community Garden planting #2 EcoFestival downtown #3 Where the Wild Things Are at Al Lopez park.

#1 Get up early and head over to the Seminole Heights Community Garden for a planting workshop. Don't wait until it's too hot to get some dirt on your hands! This weekend might be pushing it to get some plants in the ground before the heat gets here...

http://seminoleheightscg.ning.com/

#2 Wash up and head downtown to Lykes Gaslight Square and chat up the vendors and hear some great music while checking out a downtown bike race! Talk about multi-tasking!

http://www.ecolutiontampa.com

#3 Take in Where the Wild Things Are at Al Lopez park

Admission is FREE! Saturday, March 27, 2010

7:45pm – 9:45pm Al Lopez Park 4810 North Himes Avenue

The Wheels on the Bus... Paint the Town Green Next Friday!

Seminole Heights residents... fans of Tampa Street Market... public transport enthusiasts... We are trying to get a group together to join in the Urban Charrette's event "Paint the Town Green" on Friday April 2nd. This is a sort of pub crawl and social event involving public transit and bars and restaurants from Downtown Tampa to Ybor City.

Here's the deal, we want to put together a Seminole Heights crew that will meet up in the hood (I'm thinking at the Independent) at 5:30 or so and then hop a #1 Hart bus to downtown at about 6:00. Most of those "other" people participating will be driving downtown and parking (LAME!) We are going to show them one of the best reasons to live in Seminole Heights - EASY ACCESS TO PUBLIC TRANSIT AND DOWNTOWN!

So join in, meet up, have a pint, and we'll try to hit a few spots on the map. The participating bars are -

Downtown -

the new Sono Cafe at the Tampa Museum

Taps,

Columbia Cafe at Tampa History Center,

Sail Pavilion at the Convention Center,

Spain,

the Tampa River Taxi (not sure if they have drinks) and

Hattrick's.

Ybor -

Gaspar's Grotto,

the James Joyce, and

Tre Amici

We won't make it to all of these, but that being said, depending on the size of our group and how late each person wants to stay out, we will assume anyone can cab it home anytime they want. The #1 bus runs home up Florida Avenue every half an hour from the Marion Transit Center although I learned the hard way that the bus pass you get for this event only works on the day you buy it... lesson learned, get on the bus before midnight or catch a cab home.

The main idea is to get a group of us on the bus and head downtown and have some fun. Let's show the city of Tampa that we can and will use transit when it goes where we want to go!

If you're interested in joining us or doing it on your own, here's the link to buy your pass with Paypal that entitles you to a one day transit pass and some discounts at the stops...

http://www.ecolutiontampa.com/_passports.php

www.tampastreetmarket.com/wp

www.tampastreetmarket.blogspot.com

and find us on Facebook as well!

8Bottles to make a Polo Shirt?

Photo from 8bottles.com
[Charles] Scanning through the vendors listed for this year's NYC Green Expo I saw a strange name pop out at me - "8Bottles". I envisioned some corporation trying to convince me that I needed 8 more re-usable bottles or something ridiculous like that. What I found was a funny little company with a very simple product. Recycling 8 green plastic bottles by shredding them and spinning them into fabric they can make a green-tinted polo shirt that doesn't look bad. I would have to see and touch em in person to be sure, but I like that they are trying to do one simple thing and do it good. I feel like we sometimes get a little scattered in green and don't concentrate our efforts enough to make something good and to be good at making it. Check em out if you like. I know our expo this weekend might not be as big as the one in NYC, but I guarantee you'll meet a bunch of people who are trying to do the same thing - make something good for the benefit of our environment and the people on this little rock we call home.

www.8bottles.com

www.ecolutiontampa.com

The Day of the Program

The sisters arriving on the wagon. To the right of the picture are President and Sister Ludwig, mission president and wife. If I did nothing else for this program, the wagon was a great hit. The sisters loved that opportunity and it made things seems more real.
This is the shawl Donna made for me. It is so perfect to the syle of the day. The dress is the one I had made for my birthday, but it got done just in time for this program and so I had it special for the Relief Society Program. The stove is in the upper room of the red brick store. The day cap is typical of what the women would have worn in the 1840s.

Relief Society Program

This is still at the dress rehearsal. Elder Saville, serving as John Taylor, Elder Guymon, serving as Joseph Smith, Sister Guymon, serving as Emma, and Sister McMinn serving as Julie Beck. The shot just said volumes to me. Each leader has to step back and let the next take over, but offer her support and love.

This was one of the most touching scenes of the program. Sister Saville, who was portraying Elizabeth Ann Whitney, was thanking Emma for her service when they were suffering from malaria. She had just given birth to her ninth child and could hardly crawl, but Joseph and Emma gave up their home so Emma could care for Elizabeth. No longer were they missionaries playing the parts. It was as if Elizabeth and Emma were there in the room.

Sister Black rewrote Ye Elders of Israel to Bless the World with Love. She got permission to make the change for this program only from Salt Lake. Emma Smith (Sister Guymon in red by herself) is inviting the sisters of the first Relief Society to join in the service of the Lord. The sisters respond back, "We'll go to the poor as our Savior has told, and visit the weary, the hungry and cold. We'll cheer up their hearts with the news that He bore and bring them to Zion and life every more." Shades of my first mission have rolled over into this one.

This is at our dress rehearsal in the upper room of the Red Brick Store. This gives some idea of the production end of things. People are trying to figure out where to sit, and how to make the last minute changes that are being made. The blond lady in blue is Sister Black, the one with the scarf is Sister Williams, who played Eliza R. Snow. The other two sisters are Sister Hurley and Drebot. Both of them expressed such genuine gratitude for being a part. Sometimes you don't realize how something so simple can be so meaningful to people.

Ecolution Festival this weekend Downtown Tampa

[Charles] This weekend folks, head downtown to enjoy a green festival surrounded by a bike race... You heard me, there is a criterium downtown that will be circling the blocks plus a few more. This will be a great chance to come out and enjoy our downtown. Walk over and see the new Curtis Hixon park or the Tampa Museum when you're done. We will be out with all our eco friends enjoying the sunshine.

http://www.ecolutiontampa.com/

ECO. Festival 2010

Lykes Gaslight Park and the Streets of Downtown Tampa - Saturday, March 27th, 2010 / 11am- 9pm
Presented by Mise en Place and Tampa Downtown Partnership

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Live music. Local food. Street festival. Urban bike race.

ECO.festival 2010 is an afternoon full of fun, enlightenment and entertainment. The outdoor festival is highlighted by live music, food, wine tastings, green products, educational seminars and children’s activities.

The Urban Charrette and Mise en Place are proud to announce their partnership with 2nd Annual Tampa Twilight Criterium at this year’s Eco.lution festival. The Criterium or “Crit” is a fast paced, urban bike race through the streets of Downtown Tampa. Participants and spectators attending the Crit will have the opportunity to join Eco.lution and sample local food and drinks, listen to live music and learn about how to make Tampa a more sustainable city. For more information on Tampa’s Twilight Criterium visit the event website at www.tampacrit.com

Please Be Still :: Still Room Studio: The two boys

Please Be Still :: Still Room Studio: The two boys

From an artist in our area - fascinating photo and story

Our latest finds in the Market

Here's a few of our latest finds in the market. Head to the website for more photos!

http://tampastreetmarket.com/wp/

1. Crazy cool found art from a rusty old green stamp sign in Texas.

2. New art from Anika Easter flanked by some complimentary blue lamps.

3. Puzzle cake handpainted and created by local Seminole Heights woodworker.

4. Salvaged green lab table with drawers

5. Awesome metal divider shelf

Tempus Projects Show Tonight in Seminole Heights

Tonight in Seminole Heights there will be an art show over on Florida Ave at the recently inaugurated Tempus Projects. Showing will be a number of interesting and diverse artists including one of our good friends Lynn Manos. Please take some time this evening to show your support for arts in our neighborhood. The Heights has always had a reputation for being a creative art community so let's show them some love! Make a night of it and check out Cappy's or walk across the street to the Refinery or from The Independent. It should be an interesting and exciting evening and by supporting them, we can show them that we want more arts and shows in our neighborhood.

-Charles

GREY MATTER at TEMPUS PROJECTS

March 19 -April 9, 2010

Opening Reception March 19, 2010 7pm -10pm

TEMPUS PROJECTS Presents:

GREY MATTER | a group exhibition featuring work from Hildebrando Bellizzio, Deon Blackwell, Dave Galbraith, Allen Hampton, Wes Kline, Elizabeth Kozlowski, Lauren Garber Lake, Shannon Richie-Lindsey, Lynn Manos, Cindy Mason, Alessandro Midulla, Meg Mitchell, Ellen Mueller, Justin Nelson, Princess Rashid, and Brian Taylor.

TEMPUS PROJECTS brings these artists together for a diverse exhibition of drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture. This exhibition will debut at TEMPUS PROJECTS in South Seminole Heights located on the back lot of 5132 Florida Ave Tampa, FL 33603. More on these artist will soon to be posted at www.tempus-projects.com

In the courtyard: Kurt Piazza will be premiering new video work for one night only and TEMPUS PROJECTS hosts an open air happening of handmade goods in a one night venders market. Pick up quality goods from local craftsmen and more.

The Opening Reception for this exhibition will be held on Friday March 19, 2010 from 7pm till 10pm with refreshments and light hors d'oeuvres.

The event is free and open to the public but donations are greatly appreciated. The exhibition runs through April 9th, 2010 with gallery hours by appointment. Classes and groups are encouraged and welcomed.

Tracy Midulla Reller

Creative Director

www.tempus-projects.com

tempusprojects.art@gmail.com

813.340.9056

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Name's Luxe. RotoLuxe.

The most jaw-dropping prop I used onstage for my YMN Conference seminar was a selection of plastic pots. Not just ANY pots, mind you! These are brand new to the market  - I discovered them at Seattle's Northwest Flower & Garden show in early February, and two weeks ago they were launched at the Las Vegas show. Fabulous shapes, intense colors, interior lighting, and waterproof construction make them perfect for SO many retail & event uses. They are bonafide superstars!

Take a look at the SIZE of that white one! 

The Vazon 'Methuselah' is 41" by 44" in size. MASSIVE in scale and impact. In the photo above, you can see me sitting in a chair onstage just to the left of the huge white pot. THAT's how big they are! The others are Vazon 'Magnum', 23" by 23".On the other side of the stage, a white Chumbo 24" by 12" size is shown in a lateral position on top of another table.

These illuminated pots acted like a magnet in the dimly lit conference room {hence the not-so-incredible photos here}, drawing attendees to the stage to oooh, ahhhh, and snap photos. Every last flier and business card provided by the company was snapped up in record time, as well - I think these very smart people knew a great thing when they saw it!

I'd like to offer a huge thank you to Hans Lammersdorf, owner of Rotoluxe and all-around generous guy, who lent me these to make my seminar stage displays really stand out. He didn't know me from Adam and yet he trusted me to promote his product and make his company look good. {I think you'll be happy, Hans!}

From outdoor decor to window displays to in-store displays or fixtures, these products are a no-fail way to catch the  eye of passers-by and customers in an instant. There are so many shapes, colors, and sizes available that they will meet a wide scope of needs for your visual merchandising. With a wide selection of colors available, you'll be able to find at least one of your 'Brand Palette' colors for your store!

For complete information on products and pricing, please visit the company web site at www.Rotoluxe.com.

There are a million ways to use these in a retail setting - from topping them with a glass round to create a tabletop surface, filling them with loads of product, tipping them to provide an optional storage or display compartment, or stacking them willy-nilly to attract attention - and they'll be workhorses for years of successful merchandising.

www.RotoLuxe.com

Joseph Smith Homestead

This is the famous Red Brick Store. For a time the prophet had his office in this building. Many members of the twelve received their endowments here. The Twelve were given the keys of the Priesthood here. The Relief Society was organized here. Many individuals received help from the Prophet Joseph here in giving them food and other essentials, as well as giving them employment so they could feel good about receiving the assistance they did.

Standing on the banks of the Mississippi,I couldn't resist this sunset.

This is in the Smith Family Cemetery. It's a full cover granite headstone. Emma is buried on one side and Hyrum is on the other. Over closer to the river are the graves of Lucy Mack and Joseph Smith Sr. Samuel is buried here, but in an unmarked grave. This is probably pretty dumb, but whenever I go over here, I always walk out whistling, "Praise to the Man".

This is a reconstruction of the log cabin in which Joseph and Emma first lived when they moved to Nauvoo. It was one of the original ten cabins. Joseph added on to it with time, thus the white parts you see around the cabin. The home had two levels,not just a loft

Many individuals slept in this home when they first came to Nauvoo with Joseph and Emma sleeping on the ground outside their home.

The Mansion House

This is the shed that was at one point the unknown grave of the prophet Joseph and his brother, Hyrum. Obviously the shed is not original, but the spot is where they were buried.

Obvously the Saturn Vue is not a part of Old Nauvoo, but the building behind it is the Nauvoo House. It was also built to house Joseph and Emma and people who came to Nauvoo. After the martyrdom of the prophet, Emma and her children were driven out of Nauvoo for a period of about 6 years. She returned with Lucy Mack, who was frail and ill, her children and her husband, Louis Bideman. They lived in this facility until Emma's death. It is now used by the Community of Christ as a place for groups to come in and stay. If they are not using it for their Church, people can rent it. It's pretty pricy, but in comparison to hotels, you can get a lot of people in here. It's wonderful for youth groups.

This home was built for Joseph and Emma so they could accommodate all the guest who came into town. In the back you can see a huge foundation that indicated it went back twice or three times the size of the current building. Joseph and Emma, along with their children lived in the very front of the home in a small space, with all the other space given to others who would come to visit, or needed a place to live. One interesting fact about the home, there is a "hidden closet", which allowed the prophet to crawl into the attic and hide from men who were here to do him harm. It would have been from this domicile that the prophet left for Carthage.
In the basement is where the official viewing of the prophet and Hyrum was held, and they were buried here for a very short time before being removed to an unknown grave.

Sidney Rigdon Home

This is the home that was occupied by the first counselor to the prophet Joseph, Sidney Rigdon. Sidney was with the prophet on many occasions when revelations were given including the 76th section of the Doctrine and Covenants. He was a powerful and persuasive orator. When he left the Church, all of his family left with him, including his wife and daughters who attended the very first Relief Society meeting.

Do re-designers tend to overcomplicate things?

We make a lot of trunk to coffee table conversions at TSM. It's one of our favorite things to take an old trunk or locker and convert - especially with wheels. I saw this post today and I wonder why a lot of designers feel the need to overcomplicate such a simple thing. Of course, a lot of these trunks are curved on top, which we try to avoid, but still?

www.antiquetrunktables.com

Telling MY Story....

Thank you to the wonderful staff at Yarn Market News & Soho Publishing, for including me in the YMN Smart Business Conference 2010 over the past few days. Karin, Jessica, and Gabrielle took such good care of me and everyone else at this event. It was an altogether enjoyable experience, meeting so many people who are creative, passionate, and headed for success in their businesses.

It was my pleasure to present a seminar to this marvelous group of people, I tell ya'. I speak to many varied groups of retailers and business owners, and can unequivocally say that the reception I received at YMN was among my very best experiences ever. If you are visiting my blog after being at my presentation, welcome - and thank YOU for such a warm welcome to your industry! You are all proof positive that good business is about good relationships.

It was also fun to reconnect with Linda Cahan, fellow speaker. Linda and I have known each other for eight years, through our involvement with gift shows on the West coast... we've been onstage together before and always have fun! Linda and I enjoyed the 'Panel Discussion' session, where we had the opportunity to answer questions and refer to slides brought in by local shops. So much inspiring information...

Speaking of inspiring, check out the cover of the March issue of YMN Magazine for Yarn Shop niche retailers. Look closer. Those aren't tomatoes, my dear readers. Those are made from YARN! Every issue of this to-the-trade magazine offers us stellar visual inspiration and loads of resources, info, and material for shop owners to use. I am blown away by the attention to detail here, and editor in cheif Karin Strom is the driving force behind these 'visual puns'... way to go, Karin!

You can find more of my thoughts on the use of color in a retail environment in this issue: Kristine Hansen interviewed me, along with other visual, design, & color experts, for her article 'The Colors of Money'. It can be found on pages 34-35 (continued on 43). 

I've posted more photos of my stage displays and presentation on my Facebook page. In the next week, I'll be creating new posts here with photos & info taken from my presentation - including where you can get those AMAZING props I used on stage!!! Stay Tuned...

St. Paddy's Social and a toast or two...

I saw yer man at the social the other night and he was absolutely legless! Read on for the irish translation...

Thanks to everyone that came to the social on Saturday and Sunday's SH Market. We had a great time at the social this weekend and are happy to be back after a week of shopping and visiting. We look forward to the next event and thanks go to Loko Cuisine for the amazing food and fun. John left the party on a stretcher and we've got the photos to prove it...

Here's some irish words and toasts in case you need a little help tomorrow at the pub -

Here’s a few useful phrases in Irish Gaelic:

Erin Go Bragh – has nothing to with your bra or even Erin’s bra and where it might be going. This is the most common phrase you’ll see on Irish placards and what nots. It translates as “Ireland Forever” and is a sort of shortened assertion of allegiance to our little island.

Failte – Good luck pronouncing this one – it sounds like full shah and means “welcome”. Often, over the bar in a pub while surrounded with all sorts of knick knacks and family photos there might be a plaque that says “mile failte” (meela full sha) or even “cead mile failte” (kaid meela full sha) which means a thousand welcomes or a hundred thousand welcomes respectively. I think this phrase got co-opted by the tourist board cause it’s everywhere.

Slainte – Literally “health” and is pronounced slahn shah. This one is very useful and will come up often in the pub as it is the shortest irish toast you’ll ever hear. If someone asks for a toast you might get away with this one although, they usually want a long winded thing about your fathers and the devil and something else.

Here’s a couple of funny things they say in Ireland that might get you some street cred in the pub.

Yer Man or Woman

Denotes a person whose name is unknown (or cannot currently be recalled) but whose identity is assumed to be known to everyone. Could lead to such hilarious exchanges as

"Didn't I see yer man in town yesterday?"

"That wasn't him, that was the other one ..."

Hole in the Wall – this is what they call an ATM… I know, that’s not confusing at all

Legless – one of the many entertaining ways to describe how you’ll be after 4 hours at the pub.

A few of my personal favorite irish toasts if you’re planning on celebrating properly tomorrow:

The nice one for friends – “May the roof above us never fall in and may those that gather beneath it never fall out!”

The funny one for friends – “May you be layin in heaven 15 minutes before the devil knows you’re dead!”

The funniest and best - “May those who love us, love us. May those who don’t love us, may God turn their hearts. And if he can’t turn their hearts, may he turn their ankles, so we can see ‘em by their limpin’.”

Slainte! And have a good one yerself!

-Charles

Dickson Mounds

Dickson Mounds is dig site about 2 hours away from Nauvoo. There is another bigger site very close to St. Louis. It's always interesting to learn little pieces of history, both ancient and modern. 8 of us missionaries went there on our p-day and had a great day. Hope you enjoy this little travel through the barriers of time. Religion played a huge part in these early dwellings. They built temples (much like the pyramids of Mexico) and they had a high priest shown above. They also worshipped the fiery serpant, much like those in early Mexico. We found it most interesting how they also had a place of three earths. They described the one as being the sun, the moon and the stars. Our guide was not LDS, so he didn't understand why we found that so interesting. Even though many of the plain and precious truths were distorted, they none-the-less showed that they once had been taught the doctrines of truth.

At the dig, they found a preserved dwelling. I was amazed when I saw this replica that they could live in a straw house in the middle of the winter here, but our guide assured us that the homes were quite cozy. They had found fire pits in the middle of the home and it indicated they cooked and kept warm by those fires. They also found many that were burned out, which indicated that they weren't that safe.

This is a model, one of many at the museum. They actually have a canoe that was dug up from the early inhabitants, but I didn't get a picture of it, but this does give you some what of an idea of the method of travel. It wasn't the Mississippi River boats.

One of the men who was with the group made the comment, you notice that they added the idea of conflict when white men were introduced into the picture. They have a lot of pictures of what they think the society must have looked like based on what they have dug up.

I was hoping to get the explanation, but I didn't, as you look to the top of the photograph, you see a kind of hill. This is an Indian burial ground from the Mississippi Indians. This is a dig site where they are learning about the cultures that lived here in earlier days. We were hoping it had some evidences of the Book of Mormon, but it was dated about 800-1300AD. The higher the mound, the more important to the tribe the individual.

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