Forty!

Forty years ago today, Kris and I were married in Mesa, Arizona. We are having a hard time believing it has actually been 40 years. But is is true that 1972 to 2012 is, indeed, 40 years. They have been years filled with wonderful experiences and memories which have now all flattened into a skinny piece of time called the past. It is interesting how time does that: in retrospect, time compacts. When you look at pictures taken over the years, the accordion seems to unfold a bit, but just looking back it seems like a very short time. So here's to 40 more (yikes! I'll be 106). So let's just say, here's to MANY more happy years together.

 Mesa, Arizona 31 May 1972
 

 Anniversary flowers and Costco's version of caramacs

 Delicious ribs at Texas Road House

That's all for now.

OXO

D.

Memorial Day 2012

 On Memorial Day this year, everyone gathered at the compound before heading to the Provo Cemetery. We visited the usual graves and repeated many of the same stories. The DAT and SKT families met at our house for lunch: ham, baked beans, potato salad, jello salad, green salad, rolls, chips, and some killer cookie bars for dessert. If that all sounds familiar, it is because one year is often like another. That's how traditions are built. In the evening, many family members gathered at George's home in Alpine for a celebratory supper in honor of Tessa's recent graduation from High School.

The family gathered at my parents' grave site

Uncle Hank relates a tale of Henry and Alta

Uncle Stephen was sick

Grandpa George "earned his rest"

It was a coolish day with snow in the mountains

the night before

Food!

Ann and Uncle

Enjoying the shade or sunshine, depending...

Gathering on the porch

Ben, George, Tessa, and Marian (the baby 

is a tiny Bennion cousin)

It was a very nice day and will probably be the end of the fun until everyone gathers for Katy and Daniel's wedding next month. So, that's all for now.

OXO

D.

School's Out

Thursday was Max's Sixth-Grade Graduation and yesterday was the dance festival. So it's official: school's out for summer.

 The graduate (sixth-grade girls are always so tall)

 Excited!

 Max's maypole (there are three) came off without a hitch

 Maxwell and his buddies

 Max and his mom

 Once more without a hitch at the dance festival

 Ollie, Max, and Lizzie

The same suspects with Pop Pop

It's Memorial-Day weekend so there will be more to report later, but that's all for now.

OXO

D.

Sunset to Sunset

Last evening (Sunday) the gloaming was lovely. And inside Rob was turning Lucy into Jim Henson for a school biography presentation that will take place tomorrow (Tuesday). This morning (Monday), prior to taking Clara to the Atlantis (see previous post), Anna took me on a beautiful walk along Thomas Creek. The creek runs though a gully in the middle of sagebrush-covered foothills just a couple of blocks from their home on Thomas Creek Road. The gully is lush with trees and grasses. I have seen chokecherries in the canyons and on the foothills of Utah, but I have never seen as many as I saw this morning. The walk was beautiful and blessed with a breeze that apparently is omnipresent in Reno.

This evening we went to the binkers' piano recital. They did a fantastic job. We capped off the evening with yogurt and doughnuts. Returning home, the sky was spectacular again. Anna says that along with wind, Reno is blessed with beautiful skies. I concur.

 I am my father's son: I, too, love a view: Sunday night

 Lucy channels Jim Henson

 Anna leads the way up the Thomas Creek Trail

 Thomas Creek

 Where the sagebrush meets the water

 Chokecherry blossoms

 Thomas Creek with Reno below

 Anders masters the Steinway

 Lucy was brilliant

 Tucker's piece was a triumph

 The yogurt reward

Reno captured my heart once again tonight

Tomorrow we head back to Utah after a terrific, if short, visit. Thanks to the Hastings for the invitation and the hospitality. It was a great trip.

That's all for now.

OXO

D.

It Was Magical

When we arrived in Reno for our first visit many months ago, Clara pointed out the Atlantis Resort Hotel and Casino. She was convinced that it was a magical place with dolphins and all kinds of wonderful things. (You may have read Anna's post a few months back.) I am pretty sure the fascination is because it is wrapped in a blanket of pink and appears to have been built for use by fairies, unicorns, and other blessed creatures. I mentioned at some point that I would take Clara for a visit when next we came and her mind, like a steel trap, was set. Well today was payday. I picked her up after preschool and we drove to the Atlantis for lunch. I checked in with the guy at the information desk and asked him what all we could see; he took us personally to the elevators and headed us toward our lunch spot. When we returned after lunch, he presented Clara with her own Atlantis sun visor.

 A magical place!

 Pretty exciting!

 Going up

Nachos and chicken nuggets: yum! (?)

The Atlantis sun visor

She admitted to me on the way in that there were probably lots of people smoking and gambling (which there were), but that didn't manage to spoil our visit. She still thought it was pretty great. I know I had fun.

There will be more from earlier and later today, but that's all for now.

OXO

D.

Super Sunday Sojourn

After church we fried some chicken and prepared a picnic in preparation for a trip up over Mount Rose to Lake Tahoe. It was a perfect afternoon and the binkers had a great time playing in the sand and water. The highlight of the day, however, was the annualar eclipse that reached perfection at about 6:30 Pacific time. There was a very kind woman who had a bag full of eclipse glasses that she passed out all along the beach so we were able to monitor the entire process.

 Lake Tahoe

 Sand Harbor

 Kris and Dickie in the shade

 More shade lovers

 The Hastings on the beach

 Tucker helping Anders bury himself

 Clara creating a flotsam-and-jetsam sculpture

 A short walk while waiting for the full eclipse

 A beautiful view

 A spectacular afternoon with impressive thunderheads

 Ready for the eclipse

 This is what we saw

 Rob and Kris with appropriated eye wear

This was a great day! There will probably be a bit more to report, but that's all for now.

OXO

D.