Cornbelly's

Saturday morning we made the usual pilgrimage to Costco and Harmon's before setting for Cornbelly's Corn Maze and Pumpkin Festival at Thanksgiving Point. It was great fun and all the family, including Millie, except for Philly (who was at Disneyland with his family) was there.

Returning from shopping

Katy does a number on Maren's hair

Cornbelly's at Thanksgiving Point

Katy, Holden, and Millie

Katy Kathryn captured some wonderful shots,
including some in this post

Auntie Em and Scout

Anna and Rob

Lucy Jane and Tucker sifting for gem stones

Madonna, Child and Pomegranate
(OK, just Clara and Pumpkins)

Train ride through the corn fields

Pumpkin cannon: cool!

Rock on, binkers

Lost in the corn maze

The Young boys watch the Chicken Show

Duck races

Tucker found some corn and some dirt

Cute, aren't they?

The group

It was a beautiful (at least to me), breezy, cool afternoon and everyone had a great time. Wish Phillip, Meagan, and the kids could have been there, too.

OXO

D.

More Park Time

Friday afternoon the Hastings cousins came from SLC to see their AZ cousins. We spent the afternoon in park and then had hamburgers from Chadders for supper.

Gavin pushing the troops

The lovely Taylor girls

Pop Pop, Holdie, and Clara defy death

A tender moment for Grammy and sleepy Harry

101 uses for wood chips

Returning to the compound

Burgers and fries from Chadders

The two-year-olds love Uncles grapes

More adventures to come.

OXO

D.

A Fall Visit

Maren, Gavin, Finn, and Harry have left Arizona for a few days. Finn's school has a one week fall break and the Youngs decided to come north for some real fall weather. Quite coincidentally, fall arrived in earnest just a couple of days ago. Temperatures took a sudden drop from the 80s to the 60s. Overnight temperatures have been at freezing or below and the "frost is on the pumkin." Timp has her first dusting of snow and the grass is covered with Jack Frost's handiwork. We are happy to have the Youngs here and equally happy that Mother Nature is cooperating with crisp fall weather. They arrived last night (Thursday, 1 October) and will be here through next week.

Enjoying a retrospective look at their visit to London

Finn checking out the frost on the grass

The pumpkin vines are frostbitten

The first snowfall on Timp

Rock Canyon from Kiwanis Park

It was a beautiful morning for an outing

There will certainly be more adventures to follow and we will keep you posted.

OXO

D.

It's All About Not Fixing Dinner

Each Tuesday we trade dinners with Phillip, Meagan, and family. Last Tuesday, two days after Meg's birthday, was their turn. After dinner at their house, we celebrated with Meg. Sunday we went to Taylorsville for Sunday dinner at Anna's (Rob had to work). We are still trading dinners in the compound with the various Taylors (and Taylor-Soelbergs) on Monday evenings, and tonight Katy Kathleen fixed us a delicious dinner. Hank came down from the cabin to join us - Colette is under the weather.

Just imagine: that's three dinners in 7 days I didn't have to fix. What goes around comes around, however, and this week it is my turn to cook for the PD Taylors and the next family dinner in a couple of weeks is mine, too. And I guess I didn't mention that I cooked the "compound dinner" last week. So the cooking breaks have to be paid for in kind.

Meg blows out the candles on the remains of her cake

She's in the money

Anna starts her excellent meat loaf on Sunday
with an appreciative audience

The binkers waiting for one of two desserts

Tonight's dinner at Tom and Katy's

Maren, Gavin, and the boys arrive on Thursday, so things will be exciting for a few days. I'll keep you posted. That's all for now.

OXO

D.

Party at P712

On Saturday evening, 19 September, we joined the family at Pizzeria 712 in Orem for a celebratory supper in honor of Anna's birthday. The food was, as expected, delicious, although it seemed strange not to have Colton, Brian, or Joseph there cooking and serving. They are hard at work putting the finishing touches on their new restaurant in Provo, Communal. After dinner the whole group migrated north to Taylorsville for some cake, ice cream, and happy-birthday singing. Rob made TWO delicious German chocolate cakes with two kinds of frosting for the picky folks who won't eat nuts. Talk about going the extra mile! It was great fun. Congratulations to Anna and many thanks to Robert.

The family gathered

The radiant birthday girl

The birthday girl's youngest sister
making a wacky face, as she is often want to do

She never had a chance: Clara nipped in
quick as a fox and blew out the candle

That's all for now, but stay tuned.

OXO

D.

Happy Birthday Anna 2009

There was trouble with the scanner and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get this post ready in time. In that case the Bill Moyers video (now deleted) would have been the only offering on your birthday. I know you like him too, so maybe that would have been sufficient. Happily, however, Katy solved the scanner problem and all is well.


This is my very favorite picture of you as a young lass. I love its softness and sweetness. It makes all those warm parental feelings come rushing back.

You are a great mother; your children are wonderful. You actually -- in spite of what you seem to believe -- have a warm and inviting home. You are bright and compassionate and I like the way you think. You are still, as always, a very satisfactory daughter

On this, your natal anniversary, I wish you all the very best.

OXO

D.

Labor Day Week

During the week leading up to Labor Day, we had a nice visit from the NY Gibbs as well as a visit from Alison Gibbs. We ate and visited and when Michael arrived at the end of the week, we even had a slide show, something we haven't done for ages. The holiday itself, like last year, was another Lethargy Day with not much action. The lethargy was shattered at about 6:30 by a phone call from Anna in Sigurd, UT. She and her family, along with the Wieses, were returning from a brilliant trip to Southern Utah. Anna informed us of a fender bender that had left their radiator useless. They needed to leave the car in Richfield and had no way home (Todd and Courtney's car was too small for their gang). Katy was good enough to ride with me as we set off on an adventure to bring the Hastings home. The round trip from Provo to Richfield, Richfield to Salt Lake City, and SLC to Provo took a few hours, but we were in bed by around midnight. It was good fun laced with conversation, Mama Mia tunes, and the soft snoring of worn-out chilluns as we sped up the highway. I'm glad we could help. (Thanks to Anna for the Richfield photos.)

Linda and Chelsea finishing Sunday dinner (30 Sept.)

Saying goodbye to Alison that same evening

Enjoying the late-summer evening after dinner

Katy and Chelsea having an amusing thought

The Gibbs, with Michael, back for the end of the week

Winnie had a bath for Labor Day

The marginally bent fender and
unseen, but nonetheless kaput radiator

Upon arrival in Richfield, Dickie
got a heart-warming hug from Courtney

And Andy got a splendid hug from Auntie Katy
(or is it Sharla, perhaps Starlynn?)

It's Wednesday and life is back on an even keel with school and work. So, that's all the excitement for now.

OXO

D.