This ladies and gentlemen is my Great Grandmother Pearl on her 80th birthday. In the picture she is standing in front of a decorative “money-tree”. $100, $50, and $5 bills have been folded accordian-style into fans and tied on to the branches of the little tree.

As the story goes, the money was meant to help Pearl pay for a trip she had always wanted to take — a pilgrimage to the Hill Cumorah. The Hill Cumorah is one of the holiest sites in all of Mormondom. The tree donations were to help get her there. Sadly, she never did get to go.

Tonight I am getting on a plane to go there for her. Each July, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints puts on, “One of the world’s great outdoor theatrical productions” — The Hill Cumorah Pageant.

I’m going to be met there by my dear and adventurous friend Lilah who is making a five-hour car drive from New York City to meet me. We’re going to collect data, revel, and hopefully make some friends while we catch up with each other.

Mormons are big believers in lots of things: family and genealogy and Jell-O salad and golden tablets. They also believe in doing things by proxy. So it seems fitting that I should make this pilgrimage to the Hill Cumorah for great-grandma Pearl.