Costumes

 I've been scanning family photos instead of writing psych evals.  Here's Chris, age 5, whose outfit of knight's armor, snorkel gear, cape, mittens, basketball shorts, and snow boots really says it all.

Sometimes all you need are a pair of cool sunglasses to set off your outfit (Betsy, age 2).

Sometimes facial hair is what makes the difference.

The nomad look is great for travel, especially if you can take your blankie along as a part of your outfit:
 

Paper bags are very useful in accessorizing (Rob, age 6):

Sometimes a simple sunsuit and cowboy boots along with your doll are not enough--you really need The Look (Amy, almost age 2): 

I wanted to post a great photo of Rob wielding a couple of six shooters while wearing nothing but a cowboy hat, a kerchief over his face, a pair of boots, and his whitey-tighties, but it may be a bit too risque for a family blog.

Grandma's Funeral

I think there is a fixed up version of this photo someplace, but I almost like the original snapshot.  She was 98 and her lungs were bad, but she was talking and laughing with family right up until her death.  Her life spanned a century.  At the end, she told my mom that it was hard but it was worth it.  We carry her in our hearts and in our DNA.

I have a pretty quilt made by Grandma Sylvia for my wedding.  I also have two of her rugs.

Grandma and Grandpa E were there of course, now the oldest generation.  Dad said, "I'm the next oldest in the family."

Here are the sibs and their spouses (silly Aunt Linda, too long waiting for photos) except for Uncle Mike and Lorraine, who had already left to do chores:

A few of the photographers:

My own siblings found ourselves in the same room and decided to have a photo.  Aunt Lucy said, "But you're all so old!"

At the gravesite in the Glendale Cemetery (with Uncle Ike):

 Pallbearers Boyd and J.Lynn on the left:

Cindy made the blue and yellow silk wreath.  It was good to see everyone, despite the somewhat melancholy realization that we've all moved up a generation.  I'm grandmother, mother, and daughter, but no longer granddaughter to a living person.  I was so happy to have helped Grandma Sylvia finish her personal history.  We will all miss her.

So We Went to This Really Cool Resort

...in So California, run by this couple (above) and their cute kids (below).

Huh. It's actually my sister Tena, who is the new boss of this plant where they make cool stuff including dog toys.

Here she is in her office, interviewing a potential underling (John). He wasn't hired.

Here she is in her safety glasses and steel-toe shoes before going onto the floor. She has a little motto on her desk top that we should all remember: Women are angels, and when someone clips our wings, we simply continue to fly on a broomstick. We're flexible that way.

We flew to Orange County/ John Wayne/ Santa Ana (SNA) airport—the airport with the most names ever—because the nearby Ontario flights were full, but today it looked like the standby seats were holding steady, and we made it on to come home. Tena was a little worried about the weekend I-15 traffic in from Las Vegas if she had to drive to SNA this afternoon (although she said she could figure alternatives), but their house is a sweet 20 minutes away from Ontario.

Their home is perfect for them—four bedrooms, an open floor plan, indoor/outdoor with tiled floors, austerely furnished (by Tena)—a lovely place to live and a beautiful and restful place to visit. It’s probably a little smaller than our house if you count Grandma Gene’s place, but every inch counts. I am returning for sure, probably in March--fair warning, guys! It is a private family resort, all the advantages of vacation travel but with their own showers, kitchen, and beds. Aisake gave up his room for us and slept on the couch downstairs.

But the biggest treat of all is their backyard, which is a cross between an upscale resort, an Italian bistro, and a jungle camp site, with the palm trees, spa and pool, bar and barbeque, tables on the terrace behind wrought iron, fire pit seating, waterfall, citrus and banana orchard and taro garden. The orchard and garden are small,

but there’s an orange and a lemon growing. It would be fun to go to the beach sometime, but why travel when there’s perfection in your backyard?

Hummingbirds came to the bird-of-paradise plants at the back of the yard:

The land slopes steeply to the north, and the builders made a terrace behind a wrought iron fence (I didn't get a good photo of the winding staircase up to it). Tena has put bistro tables and chairs up there, and said they picnic in dry safety there while Aisake splashes in the pool below.

We gave up on heating the pool after awhile. John and Aisake braved the 65 degree pool water but not for long (John was in and out too quickly for me to get a photo).

The sweetest, absolutely best thing was the spa. With as much body mass as I have, I do one initial warm-up, and then spend most of the rest of the evening wandering wetly around in the breeze waiting to cool down again. John was more pop in and out of the spa-pool-spa-pool, then go indoors and have another nap on the sofa. It really made me decide that we need a hot tub ourselves. Not until we get back from London and I built up my income again, but then heck yeah. We’re all set up for one, it’s just buying it and putting it in.

John is steamed!

The pool and spa lights change colors. Here we look like we're cooking in a witch's brew:

We dried off and warmed up around the fire:

Tena and Teane came to pick us up at Orange County and we didn't get in until about 11:30 pm Friday and Pesi cooked waffles and scrambled eggs for us before we went to bed. Tena and Teane fed us Greek yummy-ness on Saturday. We missed the big BBQ they had planned because everybody was too full until too late. One more reason to return. Below, Aisake and John are silly in the kitchen:

Tena and Teane stayed home from church to take us back to the airport, but Pesi and Aisake were dressed in their Sunday finery. As you can see, Aisake is already out-growing his new suit:

Here we are at the mini-resort. I'm going back for sure! Thanks Tena, Pesi, Teane, and Aisake, for a great and relaxing weekend.

Sunday in Alaska

Boyd let me take his photo in front of the church, as Bishop of the Rabbit Creek Ward. The spire of the Anchorage temple is behind. Boyd and Mary Ann live about a mile from the church and temple, so it takes only 5 minutes to get there.

Eric, Elissa, and Aaron wait in the hall outside the bishop's office.

Busy in the kitchen after church:


...while John...

...and Eric take a nap.

Amber demonstrates the hoped-for reaction of trick or treaters to her Halloween decorations in the doorway of their home.

Dinner! Yummy Alaskan salmon.

Here I am among the bears:

and John and I pose with the musk oxen, who have the deepest, plushest, softest fur imaginable.

One last picture with wildlife at the airport, and we were off for the night to Utah.

We got first class seats on our flight back, hooray! I can't sleep sitting up, however, so I worked on my werewolf notes and read Jon Kabat-Zinn, "Full Catastrophe Living." John slept some which was good since he has to teach today. I had my photos ready so I decided to upload them before I go to bed.

We couldn't decide what we liked the best--looking at the lot and the potential new house, listening to the family discuss their options, looking at sports photos by Eric and Boyd and art projects by Amber and Mary Ann, watching the girls play soccer and basketball, eating out Mexican and sushi (not at the same restaurant), eating Alaskan salmon caught by the family, hearing Boyd conduct sacrament meeting. Thanks to Rob for his flight benefits, and especially thanks to Boyd, Mary Ann, Eric, Aaron, Elissa, and Amber for having us in their home, talking with us, and entertaining us so well. I hope we make it back before another five years pass.

Anchorage! Day One

We are having a true Boyd & Mary Ann experience here (with Rob's Delta flight benefits picking up the cost of airfare). We arrived at 30 minutes after midnight, slept, and were up for Amber's YMCA basketball game at a local elementary school.

As you can see, it's a pretty intense spectator sport. The guy on the left of Aaron is in their ward, and is a Bennion, son of another John. Small (Mormon) world!

Here is why all the family's vehicles are out in the driveway, and why they are enthusiastically planning this...

...project, in the foothills above the city. They have put a bid in on a 4.39 acre property with a foundation, well, and graded drive already done. What a project! If I had several million dollars and an army of gardeners and landscapers, I'd go for it for sure. As it is, I told Mary Ann I would probably be showing up on their doorstop to help.

Here's Boyd and the magnificent view. My camera doesn't do justice to it. On a clear day you can see Denali on the right:


Here's the part of the foundation for the swimming pool and the exercise room:

Here's the view toward Cook Inlet:

Here's the view toward Anchorage (and Denali, 5 hours away by car, in this photo hidden in the clouds):

Eric, Mary Ann, Aaron, and Boyd inspect the property (John watches unenviously, having only this year finished landscaping our garden). Boyd's idea is to keep the grounds as wild as possible. There are forests, wetlands, hills, grassland, a stream--it's amazingly lovely. Mary Ann is thinking of keeping the original foundation and the three-story plan, and having a Bed & Breakfast.

On our way to Elissa's indoor soccer game, we stopped at Boyd's second PT location:

Boyd with some of his equipment:

Here are a couple of photos of Elissa's game. Part of the focus problem was because it was indoors and dim, but mostly it was because Elissa was always in motion. Hard to get a shot of her being still.


Aaron, Eric, and Amber support their sis:

We stayed up visiting and talking about architecture until late at night. The busy mom works late:

Tomorrow will be fun as we go to church (where Boyd is bishop) at a building on the same grounds as the Anchorage Temple. I'll have more pix then.