May 2026

May was peaceful and calm. Ollie was without all his people so we celebrated his Mayday birthday with him. We met with the Hansen cousins in SLC. Lynn roasted a delicious turkey for Group dinner at the Astles, and we headed to AZ for a Boynton get together which was all about visiting and food. We stayed with the Youngs in Peoria and spent some good time with them, too. Kris and I stayed in on Memorial Day and didn't join the huge gaggle at the cemetery. We celebrated our 54th anniversary with a home-cooked meal and gifted ourselves a re-landscape of our yard. It will be ongoing through the fall.

La Casita for Ollie's birthday

Chocolate birthday cake back at home

Fast Sunday Brunch with the cousins

Group Dinner at the Astles

Harry David ready to head out to Eager, AZ to visit his buddy

Waldo's incredible onion rings on the first night with the Boyntons

Gyoza and hot pot at Matt and Kim's

Pete's fish and chips take-away with the Boyntons

Alessia's with family

Front: Chip, Rod, and Kris; rear Mark and Matt

Sunday Dinner with the Youngs

Memorial day feast in memory of the ancestors: Taylor baked beans,

Hansen potato salad and cheeseburgers with Grandma 

Hansen's chili sauce

Rough concept for the re-landscape

Anniversary dinner: smashed and roasted potatoes, 

beef tenderloin, and Caprese salad

That all folks.

OXO

D.

April 2026

April is a now a memory but at the time was delightful. Early in the month: a nice visit from Madeline bearing flowers. She stayed and went with us for dinner at Annie and Stephen's. Debby made us aware that Trader Joe's was selling Portuguese pasteis de nata and we rushed to buy some and try them. They are delicious, better than those we tried in Paris. Hank and Colette were in town for Henry's wedding and Hank popped in for a nice chat. Henry's reception was a nice opportunity to visit with Hank's family. We had a final fling with Tucker before he headed to NM prior to flying off to the wilds of Bolivia. The Brazilian meal was really good! We are off to AZ and will try next month to post in a more timely manner with tales from The Valley of the Sun.

Madeline Alta with a delightful floral offering

Opa and Madeline 

The Millers hosted Group Dinner in West Jordan

Pasteis de Nata and Pasteis de Belem are the same thing

The remarkable HDT Jr.

Michelle and Kris

Young Henry and his bride Angela

Ann Taylor, Jeff and Eliza Ringer

Kris and Brigham, the founder of the feast

Kris and Tucker at our farewell dinner: Brazilian was appropriate

because he will be living in the Amazon jungle of Bolivia, just 

across the border from Brazil

Bye Tucker

That's a wrap!

OXO

D.

March 2026

 This year I turned 80. That was hard: serious old age! The rest of the month was fine with family, food and fun. We met with the Hansen Cousins twice so we could adjust to our new first-Sunday schedule. Debra Sue came to attend Gail Cheesman's (her lifelong Boise friend) wedding and hosted a fête at our house for her friend group. The Freestones hosted Group Dinner, Meg helped Grammy clear some stuff out of the basement storeroom, Madeline moved from Sandy to Spanish Fork to live at home for a few months, we celebrated my birthday at La Casita, I got a handsome Reyn Spooner shirt, we had another Cousins' Breakfast early so we wouldn't coincide with LDS Conference and Easter later in early April, and Oliver finished flight school. We hosted another fête to celebrate his accomplishment.

A dramatic start to March -- from our porch

Cousins in SLC

Debra Sue Darling Gibbs, the genial hostess

Dickie's flowers with Debby's gift bags

With Phil and Liz at their home

Meg with a painting from storage I never intend to finish

Madeline Alta sharing the gate code at the storage 

unit -- Emily photo bombing

Birthday at La Casita

Reyn's: best shirts ever

Second March breakfast with the cousins

He's a pilot now

That's all folks.

OXO

D.

February 2026

February is when one celebrates Valentines, but we are not so good at that anymore. Flowers and a treat from Trader Joe's, and I didn't even get a picture. But in other news Katy Greendoor had an art show where we met a few friends and family and saw some of her paintings. Rod and Vicki hosted Group Dinner, and we had our first real storm of the winter. My cousin John Arthur Taylor passed away. I was fortunate to visit him shortly before he decided to let go. The afternoon of his funeral Kris and I drove to Park City to watch Evelyn Alta's hockey game. I was impressed by how well she skated for a beginner, but also noticed she doesn't have the killer instinct of a bloodied, toothless hockey player. We had a lovely lunch with Cousins Hank and Kristy Nelson and the Hansen Cousins gave Market Street Grill a second chance. We finished the month with a delightful lunch with Tucker and Madeline, the SLC grandkids.

Ann and Katy Greendoor

A favorite Katy painting

The genial hosts served a delicious Italian dinner

It has been a dangerously disappointing winter

Cousin John Arthur

Hill buddies back together at the funeral

Evelyn Alta on ice

With the Nelsons for a Mexican lunch

Hansen Cousins -- including an appearance by HB

Thai lunch with these darling binkers

That's it for February.

OXO

D.

January 2026

The new year was suddenly upon us, and January was filled with family and fun. The traditioal Greek dinner was a winner. The kids headed home, Tony's history was published, The Group met at Ostergars, we began to distribute Tony's book, Tucker came to town for dinner out with us, we met up with the Colvers for dinner on their way to a funeral in South County, and Meagan spent most of the month with us preparing for the Disneyland Half Marathon with Meg.

Grammy and Madi serving up delicious Greek food

Millie and Maren doing the same

Dickie finally tucking in (last person in line)

The young-adult cousins gave into the younger binkers

for a game of hide and seek -- good lad Tucker

Farewell to the AZ cousins

Dinner at Saida with the Hastings before...

...they headed home to Santa Fe

Hot off the press

Dinner with The Group

Gordon Moore, Tony's colleague, and Chris Moore my BYU colleague

came for lunch and their copy of the Tony book

Mexican dinner in Orem with Tucker while Timp shows off

A fried fish for me

Sushi with the Colvers on their way south from Vernal

The gelato at Vinci was too much for young Arthur

Breakfast with the cousins (maybe the last one

at Market Street Grill)

La Casita with the HI Taylors

That's it for January.

OXO

D.