A Bad Storm

TA freak early and heavy snow storm hit the northeast US in October.  It must have broken millions of trees and some communities were without power for a week.  The Dixon's were fortunate to miss that inconvenience.   Our development entrance shows a tree with major limbs removed.

The damage to this very large tree at the entrance to our development was so extensive that the tree was removed.  Four major limbs were peeled down like a banana.

Everywhere we drive up and down NJ there are broken branches placed near the curb.

A tree with the top broken off.

More broken trees.  They are everywhere up and down the state.

New Jersey Observations

We've noticed a number of characteristics about New Jersey that differ from our home in Utah.  Here are a few:

1)  You have to have a GPS to find your way around here.  We were skeptical but it is true.  Traveling from point A to point B is what sailors would call tacking and what I might call zigzagging.  There doesn't seem to be a straight line to follow.  That may be due in part to the many rivers and small mountain ridges here going north & south.

2)  There are a lot of small late model foreign (commuter) cars in NJ, as opposed to family-size vans and pick-up trucks in UT.  There are over 100 cars in our court and I've only noticed one van.  I also rarely see people.  They leave early in the morning and I don't know when they return because we are gone most evenings.  We've just seen a handful of children playing although there are some bikes and toys near apartment doorways.

This is the view from our doorway in the middle of the day.

3)  Many main roads have "jug handles" to replace left turns from the center of the road.  If you want to turn left, you first turn right on a little short curving side street, which lets you get in position to cross the main road (or turn left) when the light turns green.

4)  More people live here!  New Jersey is the most densely populated state with 1,189/sq. mile. It is also the second wealthiest.  
Utah is 41st most densely populated with 34/sq. mile and 45th in per capita income.  Although there are tons of houses and apartments here, in most areas the trees help mitigate the view.

A nearby shopping center has gorgeous fall colors.

We see more highways than cities.

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5)  There are also large spaces of rich farmland as well.   (Hence: The Garden State).  We visited a lovely 300 acre farm about 3 miles away to buy our Christmas greens.  The farm has been in the same family for 13 generations, since 1713.   

This is just a farm we passed on one of our travels to a mission event.

On Thanksgiving Day we had a lovely walk with fellow CES Instructors along this riverbank.

6)  No one can have garbage disposals here because the sewage infrastructure is so old.

7)  You can't pump your own gas in NJ.  There are attendants that do it....it helps the employment numbers.

8)  Most of the light poles seem to have solar panels, we assume to help supply power.

9)  People are required to recycle.

10) We may add to this as we go along.  We are loving each state in spite of and for their differences. 

Settling In

(This is an email sent to our family about 3 days after we arrived.)

Hi Everybody. Thanks for your notes and love. We have settled into our little apartment and are quite comfortable in 650 sq ft. Not having a lot of toys helps a lot. This is a modest but nice apartment complex. We've seen mostly people of Indian descent, who have been pleasant. They sure have beautiful children. The night we moved in two ladies called across the parking lot and said, hello, are you new? They walked closer then one saw my badge in the dim light and exclaimed, Missionaries!!!  She gave me a hug! They are the only LDS in miles.  Melissa lives only 4 doors down and her mom Margaret, is in a nearby community.

We've had a day of full on rain and days of overcast clouds with some patches of beautiful blue skies. Autumn colors seem in the early stage and so gorgeous.

Our door is the fourth from the left, in front of the white car (not ours).  Most of the cars in this development look new and nice. 

 

 This photo is taken off our front porch, looking in the opposite direction from the above photo.  We live in the Royal Oaks complex.  We estimate there are approximately 840 apartments similar to ours.  

This is the view from our back sliding glass door.  Straight ahead is a tennis court and basketball court where we frequently see pick-up games played as seen in this photo.  To the far left is children's play equipment and our development's recreation center -- definitely within walking distance.  It has a small fitness room (which we use regularly) a pool and a party room.

We teach our first Institute class in Spanish on Sunday at 12:30 after church. We hear the "kids" (Young Single Adults) are excited to have us come and are spreading the word. We replace the Hatches, a couple that finished 6 months ago. I'll make Thea's recipe for a Pumpkin Pie Sheet Cake with Carmel Frosting. All suggestions for snacks and treats will be WELCOME! I brought no recipes.....I've got you!

FYI, we don't have internet hooked up yet. Maybe tomorrow. This smart phone is a blessing, but awkward for long messages.

Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

To NJ With Love

We just crossed into NJ. Will be meeting our CES leader for lunch then the mission president. Trip has been good. We're about 60 miles from NY. Saw signs for DC, Gettysburg, Baltimore, etc.

Love you all,

October 18, 2011, on location: New Jersey Morristown Mission

So this is the official mission photo of us taken on the day we arrived by our CES coordinator, Brother David Bean.

Elder & Sister Dixon/Mom & Dad/Grandma & Grandpa/Deanne & Rog/Etc.

Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

      The Trip Eastward

We left Highland on October 13^th and arrived in Morristown on October 18^th.

As we traveled, we thought often of “America the Beautiful”.  To paraphrase that popular hymn: we left the purple mountain majesties, traveled through amber waves of grain and arrived at the fruited plain – all under spacious skies.  We truly live in a fabulous nation.  We followed the thoroughfare for freedom beat across the wilderness in reverse.  How marvelous it would be if all of our successes were noble and every gain divine.  How great it would be if we all felt and practiced brotherhood from sea to shining sea. 

 We were impressed with the abundance of our nation, which is represented in so many forms.  It filled us with gratitude and caused us to wonder how we can work to help a few of God’s children enjoy lives in which they are able to fulfill, at least some of their fondest dreams.