Father's Day Outing

Since Meags is in Hawaii, Saturday we went with Phillip to The Bombay House to celebrate Father's Day. It is a good as ever -- the best Indian food anywhere (including Britain). Once again, this post is about food; c'est la vie.

Phil, Katy, Kris, and Dickie and the Indian nosh

Happy as clams (really how happy are clams?)

Onion bahji and vegetable pakora with chutneys

YUMMY!

OXO

D.

Now That Was a Bit of Fun

The weekend unfolded on Saturday evening with "the event formerly know as Uncles Dinner." We went to Maria Bonita on 800 North in Orem. It is quite delicious and copious. Sunday we hosted family dinner at our house. We were joined by Trevor who is spending a few days with us. He attended a wedding and visited with friends and family. Yesterday (Monday) we met with our lifelong friends at the Scera Park for the first Group Picnic of the summer. (Note to Jerry: we don't have Kari's number. Email it or post it on your blog, please, so we can invite your kids.)

Jeff, Amy, Stephen, Tommy, Ann, Katy, and Kris

The same folks tucking in at Maria Bonita

The Soelbergs popped in for a minute on Sunday

The binkers doing their best to clean their plates
so they can have dessert (Ollie and Meg are in Hawaii
and Finn and Harry are in AZ)

Trevor prepares to eat an artful nouvelle-cuisine version of
bread and gravy he created

Trevor and Emily finish off their chocolate cheesecake

Katy makes Dickie act silly . . . again

Group Picnic: Trevor, Carrie, Katy, Sharon, Allie, Stan, Emily, Jayson

Kris T., Nancy, Allen, Kris G., Rod, Vicki

Now that was a bit of fun now wasn't it deahs?

OXO

D.

Dawg! Check It Out Baby!

I know many of you have despaired over Uncle Stephen's and Katy's blogs. FYI, they both have charming new posts. AND . . . . . . (wait for it) . . . . Stevie K. has an interesting new blog!

http://steveshuntingseason.blogspot.com/

OXO

D.

Dersy's Birthday and More

Tuesday, 3 June, we all met in Taylorsville to celebrate Anders' birthday with a barbeque. On Wednesday, we met once more in SLC to celebrate the Hastings kids' last day of school. We went with Anna and kids and the Wieses to Pie Pizzeria. We also got to see Todd and Courtney's great little condo in the trees above the creek (appears to be a branch of Little Cottonwood Creek).

On Thursday Emily went to Stake Youth Conference and because Jayson is in Las Vegas on business, Max and Lizzie are staying with us. Trevor also flew in on Thursday, so the Happiness Hotel is full. Good times!

Dersy, Max, and Tucker enjoying the evening

Post-supper chat

A fist full of dollars!

The birthday boy

Five candles in the wind

Clara cutting up at Pie Pizzeria on the last day of school

The Wiese's place

Grammy and the kids making cookies

Who knows what the weekend will bring?

OXO

D.

School's Out

So, the Utah-Valley kids are finished with school for the year. Thursday, 29 May, Kris and I went to Madeline's 6th-grade graduation at Noah Webster Academy and then joined Emily, Lizzy, the Platos, and Grammy Emerson (Kate Plato's mom) at Mimi's for a celebratory lunch.

Friday I went to Wasatch School to see Max perform in the Dance Festival. While I was staying out of the sunshine in the shade next to the building, Bonnie Busco came up to me and we exchanged a heart-felt hug. She sends her best wishes and fondest remembrances to all our Taylor children.

Meagan also finished school on Friday and Phil and Ollie flew to Hawaii to spend a little time with the Wais. Friday evening Katy, Kris, and I went to dinner with Meags and Meg at Janet's. Then on Saturday morning Katy and I took Meags and Meg to the airport for their complicated flight to Honolulu: Salt Lake to Denver to San Francisco to Honolulu! That evening Kris and I celebrated thirty-six years of marriage at Gloria's Little Italy, a new restaurant next to the Thai Chili on 3rd South. It was good but expensive, and the pastries were disappointing. (Katy thought the gelato was disappointing too when she ate there recently.) So that's what we've been doing.

Madi and the various families after graduation

Celebrating at Mimi's

Mrs. Busco at Wasatch

Maxwell after the Dance Festival

Dinner at Janet's

Off to Hawaii (except for Katy Kathryn)

Congratulations to all who have completed another year of school and especially to Madi who graduated.

OXO

D.

May 31, 1972

Thirty-six years ago yesterday Kris and I drove to the Mesa Temple in our blue VW Bug. It has been a great ride (the thirty-six years, not the ride to the temple -- it didn't take that long). As Kris's great card says, the day she walked into the Boynton kitchen and I saw her for the first time was the luckiest day of my life

Mesa, Arizona - 31 May 1972

I love you Kris. Happy anniversary to us!

OXO

D.

It Grabbed Me

As you have may have noticed, I haven't made much reading progress on the title shown in the sidebar of this page. That is partly because I haven't been reading much (apart from politics on Google News).

Emily shared the book pictured above with Kris and when she finished, I picked it up and have been unable to put it down. I highly recommend it as a good quick read.


I almost feel voyeuristic, but it has been fascinating. It isn't the best-written thing I've ever read and is likely a somewhat biased look at life in the FLDS community. Nevertheless, it probably contains what must be enough truth to make your hair stand on end (almost like the amazing on-end hairdos of the FLDS women). Many things such as power structure among the wives, abuse in the family, and religious practice were fascinating, but one of the most compelling features for me was the depiction of a belief structure (what we might call testimony) that seemed to be based on nurture and guilt rather than spiritual witness. Granted, it is just one person's view, but is very interesting nonetheless.

It is a timely read, given recent media attention to the group. I think you all might like it.

OXO

D.