Madeline Alta Ensign -- Class of 2025

This was the final leg of the graduation tour, back in Salt Lake City where it started last month. Madeline completed her intensive training for a certificate as an Operating Room Technician. The program is run and paid for by IHC, the graduate has one year of obligation to work in an IHC facility. Madi is working at Altaview in Sandy. An OR nurse cares for the patient, the anesthesiologist keeps the patient comfortable (and alive), the surgeon does the deed, but OR Tech runs the show from beginning to end. According to everything we saw and heard, Madi smashed it! She was chosen as the student speaker, and here, too, she smashed it. She was funny, articulate, personal, and confident. She did a great job, and this was an excellent graduation.

She represented her class as speaker

Thrilling!

The Ensigns

Flowers, money bouquet, and a money lei

Such a beautiul and clever woman

Waiting at Lindsey Gardens for our 6:00 p.m. reservation

Jayson fêted the family at Wildwood in the SLC Avenues

That's it for now.

OXO

D.

Clara Ivy Hastings -- Class of 2025

We were off again to New Mexico for Clara's graduation from Santa Fe Prep. The Hastings parents, Bill and JLynn, and Rob's sisters, Whitney and Courtney, were also in town for the festivities.  Rob cooked two delicious meals for us, and we ate some excellent food at few of our favorite Santa Fe eateries. The two ceremonies, Baccalaureate and Commencement, were excellent; Clara did us proud! This was the penultimate leg of our Great Graduation Tour of 2025.

Tesuque Market for brunch

Our hotel was right in the heart of Santa Fe with everything,

including the Loretto Chapel, nearby

Spanish broom in bloom by the Santa Fe Plaza

The family came alive as Clara began to perfom

Clara sang at the Baccalaureate

With the family after the program

The Baccalaureate venue: St. Francis Auditorium

The view up the Santa Fe Trail from our hotel

That's Rob at the stove whipping up an awesome Indian curry

Clafoutis "matou as saudades" (killed the longings) for French breakfast 

A slice of flan a la vanille for later

Had to borrow a hat for graduation 

that was too small for my huge noggin

Anders, Tucker, and Lucy waiting for the

graduates to make their entrance

That's our graduate

Because Anna is Assistant to the Head of School, she was

 able to give Clara her diploma

A well-earned hug

Clara's beautiful painting was featured on the

 cover of the graduation program

Anna and Clara

Hastings and Taylors, post-graduation

An afternoon walkabout in Santa Fe

A ristra of chiles hanging from a zapata: a

small slice of Santa Fe

Padre Gallegos House, 1862

The historic house is home to a fine restaurant 

called Santacafé

Filet mignon

Rob treated the entire party to dinner

in honor of Clara

We drove home on our anniversary: 53 years! Only one more graduation, next week when Madeline will be recognized.

OXO

D.

Harrison David Young -- Class of 2025

Round four of our graduation tour took us to Peoria, Arizona, to celebrate with Harry and his family. We arrived a day early to commemorate Finn's twenty-first birthday, and we stayed an extra day so we could visit with Chip and Sandy in Mesa.

The birthday boy

He prefers brownies to cake

Harry's posse on the morning of their graduation

Harry David -- Liberty High School

Class of 2025

Traditional gift of luggage for HS graduates

Family in the house

And what a HUGE house it is: Cardinal Stadium

Thank goodness for the Jumbotron

Good lad!

Outside the Stadium

Celebratory dinner with the family and Josh, Harry's best buddy

Parents and grandparents

Ocean Prime in Scottsdale: Chilean bass:

it was all delicious if pricey

The Youngs with the grandparents

Beckham, photographer

Chip and Sandy in Mesa

Mussels at Alessia's

A delightful trip. The Youngs are wonderful hosts and it is always good to be with them. The next leg of the graduation trip will take us to Santa Fe for Clars's graduation. So there is more to come.

OXO

D.

Anders Taylor Hasting -- Class of 2025

The third round of graduation celebrations was for Anders in Fort Collins, CO. It was great to be with the Hastings family for a couple of days to honor Anders' Cum Laude degree in Restoration Ecology. Fort Collins is a wonderful and vibrant college town with tons of great old, well-cared-for homes, and a surprising number of good restaurants. Who could ask for more?

Breakfast at the Urban Egg

Unusual (and delicious) tamales Benedict

Young's Café Vietnamese Cuisine

CSU Trial Garden

Peonies are a treat

The Farmhouse at Jessop Farm for lunch

The Hastings at CSU

The old folks with Anders

The man can fly

Gold robes for Cum Laude graduates

Lucy, just arrived from Paris, and her papa

The old folks parked on a wall

He still makes her laugh

The Hasting brothers 

Japango for fine Japanese dining

Delicious poke

Bonus Graduation:

Meanwhile in San Diego, Meagan was graduating from her Doctorate Program in Educational Administration. We were sorry we couldn't be in two places at once.

Doctor Taylor, newly hooded

Ollie, Meagan, Meg, and Phillip

Next up is Phoenix.

OXO

D.