Our visit to the East from Oct 10th to 17th 2013. Heading into Massachusetts.

As we traveled through the Berkshires we came to a spot on the side of the road meant for travelers to get out of the car and enjoy the scenery and that's just what we did.  The huge boulders and the sound of the water rushing through them was incredible to be a part of that day.



This picture said it all. Enjoy the creations of God.  It's beauty is bounteous and profound. McCurdy's stop here on their way.

Oh my goodness. Look who is here! The Byrne's joined us for the trip.  It was fun to have them along and part of our pictures.  How do you like this Jake?

Looking back to the road from the river you can see two very lovely ladies enjoying the scenery as well.  You can also see that it is a drop down from the road.  Thanks Scott for suggesting this little trip.

What a beautiful door stop! I'll have to remember this place the next time I go through this way and maybe I can pick one up for my front door.  Madison has grown into a beautiful young woman. This is the entrance to the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

The Museum is out in a rural area a ways out from the city and the grounds are beautiful but it was quite chilly about only 49 degrees with the wind blowing.

Here is our group of Art Connoisseurs minus Rhodric.  Kamrynn, Allison, Madison, Terry, Molly, and the prankster Jarrett.

When I was a young girl I remember thumbing through my grandmothers Saturday Evening Post magazine and loving the front cover more than I did the rest of the magazine.  It was a family magazine and found in most homes but it was the art work on the cover that always intrigued me.  They were ever so clever going from the sacred to very humorous human nature.  He was well known for his ability to capture the reality of who we really are. He used normal everyday people for his models.  His wife is the woman on the right holding the young child.

This was in the corner of a picture that was given to Walt Disney from Norman Rockwell.  His family gave it to the Museum after his death.



This was a favorite of mine. It's called "The Gossip". Notice the first person starting it and then getting the reprimand from her husband after the gossip came back to him in the end.

This statue stands on the grounds of the Museum.  It's quite unique. Notice all the faces (including a few looking rather real)

Here are the Byrnes' again.

Another part of this trip took us to the David Whitmer Farm. There is a visitors center there that is a newer center with a chapel. The chapel is built in the architecture of the period.

David Whitmer had his 8 children, along with Joseph and Hyrum in this home all together for a while when he was translating the Book of Momon. there are two bedrooms upstairs in the attic and two small bedrooms downstairs just of the main room of the house.

This is the main room of the house where everything the family did together took place here in this small room.  I can't imagine having that many people in the same room all the time.  I would definitely have to go in time out outside or in the woods.

another view of the main room of the house.

This is the type set room of the Palmyra Print Shop/Bookstore. They would hang all the page up like this you see here behind Rhodric and Madison and let them dry and then fold them a special way and sew the pages together.  The missionaries told us that none of the people who worked on the printing of the Book of Mormon ever joined the Church.  It's hard to believe that they were never touched by the spirit as they worked on the greatest book ever printed in the world.

The Byrnes' are standing on a case that contains the first edition of the Book of Mormon.

This is the Palmyra New York Temple.  It was dedicated in 2000. It has a beautiful surrounding area in a rural setting that over looks the Sacred Grove. The closest houses are distances away nothing really close like around here.

This is the Smith Farm log home. there are two bedrooms upstairs where all their children slept. About a block down the lane is the frame home of Alvin which the
Smith family later built and moved into. It's larger and nicer inside. The home is in a different county even though it is only a short distance away.

Looking up toward the temple as we were walking down the lane toward the entrance to the Sacred Grove. President Hinckley chose the perfect place and he wanted it to look out over the grove.

This dresser is inside Alvin's home. The wooden box on top of the dresser was one of the places that Joseph hid the golden plates when people would come looking for them.

The brick on the floor in front of the fireplace are loose.  This is another place that Joseph hid the plates so that people searching the house would not find them.

THE SACRED GROVE.  They have benches in the grove so you can take your time and maybe discuss what you feel being in a place where God appeared to man for the first time in this dispensation.  It was a wonderful moment for Grandpa and I as we were able to share our testimonies about the Book of Mormon, the Restoration, and also experiences we had with revelations.

It was quiet and peaceful not just in the environment but also in our hearts.  We felt peace here. You could feel it was a sacred place. That something sacred took place here.

It must have looked quite the same as when God and Jesus appeared to Joseph Smith.

Jarrett had a lot of fun setting up the Byrnes' for their photo shoot in each location.  It was funny to watch him.  He would have Joey doing different things in each picture. We all had fun with this idea which was Allison's. This is a bench as you leave the grove just before crossing a little brook.

This is the bench out in front at the entrance to the Palmyra Temple.

This is in the Hill Cumorah Visitors Center.  The sister Missionary took the picture for us.

This beautiful stained glass window depicting the visitation of the Angel Moroni when Joseph received the golden plates is on display at the Hill Cumorah Visitor Center.

From a top the Hill Cumorah we are looking out on the surrounding area.  It is not very populated at all. The hill is just that a hill.  I expected it to be much higher but the view from the top was beautiful.  We had seen a lot and this was the second day in the area.  We stayed in a Marriott in Rochester that we went back to at night thanks to Maren.  The drive to Rochester, New York was 6 hours drive from where Allison and Scott live in Connecticut.

After our trip was over, we said our good-byes at the airport and headed back to Utah.  I love the East Coast area.  All the rolling hills and the roads never go in a grid as they do here.  They kind of just meander through the trees and hills. It's really quaint to see the extremely old buildings and cemeteries and know that this is where our nation found it's purpose and it's beginnings. It is rich with history all around. If you ever get the chance make the trip. It is worth the time. It brings you closer to an understanding of what the restoration of the gospel means for the salvation of mankind. It had always been a dream of mine to visit Palmyra but I never thought it would really be possible for me to experience this. Thank you Scott for suggesting this and making my dream become a reality for me. It meant more to me than you will ever know.  Sorry this is such a long blog but I hoped that anyone who reads this will have a desire to see and feel what I was able to feel in this sacred place.