Next Stop: Preston, Idaho

We found Elizabeth and Ron and we so happy to see them.  After dinner, we had a tour of garden, quilts and fabric.  Loved every minute of it, although it was very costly for Elizabeth.

Her beautiful flower basket quilt!  Each basket has a different hand appliqued flower.  Getting all of these blocks together wasn't a quick or easy job. 

Loved this small table top quilt.  ------Sunday morning, we said goodbye and went on down the road.  So happy to have spent time together....Hoping the Elizabeth gets better soon.

The First Stop on Our Trip: Rexburg

 Breathtakingly beautiful, the temple spire reaches straight for heaven.  The window detail is wheat heads, representative of the surrounding farms.

 This temple truly does sit on a hill and that makes it easy to find.

 Jacob and Lisa------July 21

This amber colored wheat field is the view from the front door of the temple and is directly across the street.  Can you imagine a temple in the middle of a field at Penrose?



A New Interest

 Someone offered Bob the use of a bike.  He coaxed Joleen to loan him her helmet and he bought the red jacket at Value Village.  He later added a cute little mirror to attach to his glasses so he could see anyone coming from behind.  So for a very small investment, he is now equipped for his new adventure.

 Happy Man.

So I frequently wake up in the morning to find this familar note on the dining table.  I usually get a phone call at the turn around point, usually about 20 miles out.



The Winds.............

I just finished this book.  The details of crossing the Atlantic and coming up the Mississippi by riverboat are mind boggling and tear jerking.   Let me tell you, I would have just stayed home.  Since we have forebearers who made such trips, I found this story to be extremely personal and I wonder about my excuses.

The Garden Shed

 This addition on the side of the garage known as "the garden shed" was the solution to gardening stuff taking too much room in the multi-purpose garage.  The original intention was perfect, but it also became the place to put other stuff that couldn't find a home elsewhere. 
I pulled everything onto the driveway.  Hauled hundreds of black planting pots to the dump.  (no they didn't want them recycled.)   This pile along with the riding mower and the collection in the middle of the shed floor, was what I needed to organize and place back inside.

Some of the goodies from the shelf were from the Gages when they left Tumwater hill.  I mixed all kinds of plant enhancer stuff and sprinkled it all over the yard.  A little here and a little there.

Now I can find things so I can use them.  Before it was easier to go buy what I needed than search forever in the pit.

Aliens in the Garden?

There is a plot structure common to monster/alien movies, where the
good guys are faced with wave after wave of enemy invaders. Many are
small and, unbeknownst to the brave defenders, simply young.

Little do they know, that behind the young are waves of more mature, experienced,
and fearsome invaders:

Many a brave soldier is lost fighting these warrior aliens, but the battle finally seems
to be turning and it seems that good will surely triumph... and then someone opens
a door, turns a corner, or backs up only to bump into something that seems *really*
out of place.

And it's BIG.

It takes a while before we see just HOW big.

And then we see just how desperate the situation is.

This is no ordinary beast - it's a Queen, and
it's making babies...!





I found this huge cyclamen "queen" among the roots of an azalea you gave me when I first moved here. I believe it
to be originally from Ruth Wick as there is a glass tube tied to the root with a slip of paper inside. I can barely make out in typed print what I believe to read: "7 77 A GATEY"

(From Kemp)

The Story of the Birch Trees

Ten years ago Ross planted a grove of very small birch trees.    And when they grew taller and could reach the sky, the leaves made a rustling sound, almost like music, any time even a breeze would blow.  The bark was a beautiful white.

January 2012 brought unusal heavy snow followed by freezing rain which caused the tall birch trees to bend to the ground and some even to snap and break.

After evaluating the breakage, we determined the best thing was to take them down completely and start over.  So after Bob cut them at the base,  he cut each log into firewood lengths.

Now it is neatly stacked undercover ready to keep us warm next winter.

Miss Grace

Grace was aptly named.  She is quick, smart, funny and beautiful.  It was fun watching her mother change Grace's hair from straight to curly ringlets, the latest style with the girls.  I remember those!

Happy Birthday!

Here is the smile that fills our hearts.  If I wore colorful socks to her house, she would soon have them pulled from my feet and put on hers.  One of her favorite places to explore at our house, is my sock drawer just to see if there are any NEW socks she might have missed.  She makes her choice and wears those socks for the day........till she needs to put on shoes. 
Happy Birthday, Quinn.  It's so fun to be 3!

Daughters/Sisters

We are always delighted when the kids come to visit.  Usually we get one at a time.

But on Saturday, Shannon and Joleen were both here at the same time.  Remembering how they used to share a bedroom, bathroom and secrets, I realize they are still sharing the experinces of life.  And they still know how to have fun.......We are blessed.

Happy Birthday to Benjamin!

 This is Ben's first Utah project which started last weekend: a railroad crossing at New Haven.  "I've been working on the Railroad, All the live long day.  I've been working on the railroad, Just to pass the time of day........"

We hope you get off work early enough tonight to get your birthday cupcake.  Happy day to you.

The Boy

For a boy who is obsessed with sharks, Go Fish is the perfect game.

Happy Days on the tractor.

It is hard to limit the pictures, while I used to fight hard to find one good one. 

Sharing the same bedroom with his sister, I thought would be a party.  However, each stayed on their own side and soon were out for the night.

 Lining up the planets.  "This is Saturn with the moons, and this is Uranus."   Note the shark shorts WE sewed.

 See why I love this camera?  It captures "the moment".

With one last toot on the horn, the Explorer with its precious cargo, disappeared down the road.......

Three Faces

 I sewed this "Sunday Dress" with Quinn sitting on my lap watching the sewing machine do it's magic.  The skirt swirled and the color was "turq blue".  She was happy.

 Quinn's first night in a real bed.  There have been so many little kids before her that have slept here.  We bought the twin beds when we lived in Tacoma when Ross was born (1963).  And now she, too, is a part of history.

Sunday morning and it is time to leave for the airport.  Not the happiest disposition. 

I have asked myself several times "what was I thinking?" when I invited Dwight to talk me into this new camera.  But after the photos I captured these last two weeks before the kids left, I can't thank him enough.

"Oh Say Can You See......"

Of all of the school chiors that auditioned, Natalie's was chosen to sing the National Anthem at the beginning of the game for the Atlanta Braves.  Today was the big day and an exciting experience.  Jay drove her through some heavy city traffic and made it just in time.

Repair Work Isn't Fun

Granddaughter, Libby, had a devastating  injury during a soccor game a couple of weeks ago.  Surgery was yesterday with therapy starting on Friday.  She is one determined girl with one goal in mind:  getting back on the playing field.  And we are cheering her on!!!!!

My Own Square of Sunshine

Remember Angus and the Cat?  Remember the competition list included Angus's own square of sunshine on the floor?  Yesterday, out of the blue, Joel proclaimed that he had found HIS own "Square of Sunshine" and he stayed there for a long time, feeling the warmth of the early morning sun.  May we all find our own special square of sunshine even on cloudy days.

Another Match

Jay came last week for meetings in Seattle.  The distance between Atlanta and Olympia makes for fewer visits, so we were especially excited to see him.

When I saw Jay sitting at the dining room table working on his computer, I kept having the feeling that I have seen that pose before.  Yes, I was right.

Life is Good

                                                            

We had a wonderful Easter. After church, Ross fell asleep. Chief took a leap at the chair and found the perfect cushion.

Words to Live By

I love our Mormon culture that wastes no time when it comes to creating something meaninful from something already significant.

I think this message will shorten many debates.

Spring

A couple of weeds I found growing in the backyard this morning. Nothing like being outside after days and days of steady rain.