Yelm, WA: the triumph of the Triumph

Say you inherit a 1959 Triumph motor car from your father-in-law. Say it doesn't really run. Say you can't seem to find a buyer for it. What to do? If you're my brother Adam, you fix it up. You replace the parts you need to. You grease everything. You buy replacement parts from some place in England. A lot of sweat, a lot of reading of the manual (and probably viewing of YouTube videos by other Triumph enthusiasts). You get a special collector's car license plate so it's street legal. You remind yourself how to operate a stick shift car.

The rear view mirror is 2 inches by 5 inches, just above the dash. The round side view mirrors are just a bit bigger. There is no radio to distract you. It starts with a key, not a remote. It fires up loudly and proudly and the gas fumes let you know you are in a vintage car.

Finally, you proudly offer rides to your sisters down a lonely road in Yelm. You don't take it above 55 mph (that would be pushing it). But the top cover is off, the breeze is in your face. Your sister Betsy holds her hands up in the air while you cruise down the deserted street, like she's on a roller coaster. Happiness happens on a warm July day.

San Diego Mormon Temple - Open House 2026

The Mormon Temple in San Diego was last open to the public in 1993, when it was first dedicated. 33 years later, some renovations were required and the temple must be re-consecrated. Before that happens, the church opened it to the public for a month. We arrived July 9th, parking a half mile away. It was that busy. I've always seen the Temple from I-5, never its ground, which are green and flowered. Many nicely dressed Mormons had come to see the temple that day. We tagged along, less well dressed.

Samuel, Ann and I wound our way past the well signed gardens and Mormon volunteers where we filed into an air conditioned tent with white carpeting and multiple pictures of Jesus. From there, a Mormon man from San Bernandino took us into the temple.

But before we entered, Mormon children seated on benches put white booties over our shoes. And then we were ready. Under the gaze of Jesus, we were politely asked to not take pictures during the tour. So see here for the online pictures. We first visited the baptism font, a circular pool atop six oxen sculptues (to represent the 12 tribes of Israel), then the Sisters dressing room, where females don all white nightgowns, then the Sealing Room, where couples and families are joined for eternity, a chapel, an Instruction Room (where a Mormon accepts the Covenant, not to be confused with the Jewish covenant), the marriage waiting room, the celestial room (for contemplation) and the Brothers dressing room, where males don a white collared shirt, white tie and white pants. I may have missed a few rooms. Each room contained Mormon volunteers to describe the room. For the Instruction Room, we had Jennifer, dressed all in pink. Another group joined us and Jennifer remarked that we could do two tour groups at once, killing two birds with one stone. She quickly corrected herself. No birds would be killed; it was just an expression. As we exited, a polite group of Christians handed us pamphlets, one by Mormons with instructions on saving our souls, and one from an unnamed Christian sect strongly hinting that Mormonism was a false faith. On the way home, we listened to The Book of Mormon, the musical, which has been my guide, up to today, on the faith.

Boston: Ether Dome

In our brief stay in Boston, Steven was keen to show me The Ether Dome. Not Thunderdome, like in the Mad Max series, but Ether Dome.

This is where they first used anesthesia in surgery. The Ether Dome is only accessible through the rabbit warren of offices at Mass General Hospital. In fact, we had to enter through a tunnel. Inside is a steep half circle theater, with large paintings of surgical procedures.

And suprise, suprise, The Ether Dome contains an Egyptian mummy. You lift a cloth covering to view him. Strange. The skeleton of a human giant is next to the mummy, composed of a mismatch of human bones. Also strange. An unexpected tourist destination!