Pre-Holiday Roundup

This is all the good stuff that has been happening since the last post. We met The Moseses and cousin Leanne for lunch at P712. She is now living with Annemarie and John. We attended the Ward Primary Program where Ollie and Meg performed. We received a new calling to work with some of the special needs folks from the region. It is a great calling and we are excited. Ann and Jim Calder also work in the program, so we can get caught up with them. Madeline had a leading role in Damn Yankees at Timpview High School. She was great as Gloria Thorpe, the probing reporter. There have been various Compound Dinners, which are always a delight. Panasonic couldn't repair my camera, so they replaced it with a new one. I'm still learning all its features. Katy has used her wizard camera skills to take photos for our biannual photo replacement in the downstairs rumpus room. Meg performed in The Nutcracker, but we missed it because we went with Rod and Vic to meet Trevor's fiance, Sara Reheis. She is delightful and we had a great evening. We met with the Hansen cousins for breakfast in SLC at Market Street Grill. It is an early wake up, but the food and company are worth it.

 Leanne, John, and Annemarie

 The gang at P712

 Ollie David at the pulpit

Megora did her bit

Lots of beautiful skies this fall

Kris and Ann at SNAP (Special Needs Activity Program)

Damn those Yankees!

Gloria Thorpe and Grammy

Compound Dinner at Tom and Katy's

The maiden voyage of my new camera

Ready for Nutcracker dress rehearsal

Choosing the best photos

Supper at Greek Souvlaki in SLC

Newly engaged

7:00 A.M. at the Market Street Grill

Dorothy and Kreg

Millie and the Taylor/Woodburys

Calder cousins

Compound Dinner

There will be more after Thanksgiving, but that's all for now.

OXO

D.

Guy Fawkes Day

Remember, remember the 5th of November.

The Gunpowder Treason and plot;

I see no reason why Gunpowder Treason

Should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes,

Twas his intent

To blow up King and the Parliament.

Three score barrels of powder below,

Poor old England to overthrow.

 Guido Fawkes

This day commemorates the aborted 5th of November, 1605 attempt by Catholic dissidents to blow up the House of Lords. Guy Fawkes Day and Bonfire Night are traditions we came to love while in England. Children with effigies of Guy Fawkes beg money from passersby, and the night is filled with bonfires and fireworks.

 A penny for the Guy

 We remembered

 A rip-roaring bonfire

 The troops gathered

 There were recitations of poetry

 And roasting of marshmallows

The Colvers with their bonfire wood

This is our first attempt at celebrating Bonfire Night here at home. It was great fun and will likely become a tradition. That's all for now.

OXO

D.

Grandmother's Visit

We were fortunate to have Grandmother come from Mesa to visit with us for a few days. We had a great time visiting, reading, eating and celebrating various birthdays. She spent a couple of days in SLC with her sister, Donna. When she returned, Rod and Vic took her back to AZ.

 Indian nosh with various and sundry at Bombay House

 Pippy explaining something to Grandmother

 Maxwell and Grandmother on their shared birthday

 Some of the Sunday-dinner crew

 Fourteen candles

 Cards and gifts for Max

 Uncle and Pippy working over his grape vines

 It's all about how you set your jaw and hold your mouth

 Kris's birthday

 A beautiful late-fall drive to Kamas for burgers and shakes

 Everyone gathered that evening for birthday cheesecake

 City Creek

 Lunch at the Lone Star just around the corner from Donna's

 That's Donna's place in the background (right)

 Gelato at the Draper Harmon's 

before a jaunt across the freeway to IKEA

 Morning walks: the temple has a center tower frame

 The water is shut off on November 1

 Packed up and ready to go

Come again, the sooner the better

It was a fun visit but it went by way too fast. That's all for now.

OXO

D.

Halloween 2013

Halloween is now just a memory preserved in photos. Everyone gathered for cookies and carmel-apple cider before they headed out for a couple of hours of trick-or-treating. We are generally stuck in a rut when it comes to celebrating, but this year we added black candles to our entry decorations: wahoo!

 It was a pleasant fall evening

 Emily rocked a Startup-party hipster 

(eccentric BYU friends of Griffin)

 Pumpkins of every stripe

 2013 jack-o-lantern

 The Taylors

 The Ensigns

 Black candles

 Ollie and Meg

 Emily's used-band-aid cookies

 Trekkies making Joe Froggers

Beautiful Halloween sunset

Yet another fine Halloween. Now come High Dickie Days.

That's all for now.

OXO

D.