Young Family

On the reverse of this photo is written, "Wane 4 months, Dee 3." Wane was born in October of 1956. Four months later would have been February of 1957. However, I didn't turn three until July of 1957. So the dates are a little off and I can't be sure exactly when this photo was taken or even how old we are here.

I don't think it is apparent in this photo because Wane is so young, but he looks more like my Dad than either Gary or I do. If this was early in 1957, my Dad would have been 24 or 25 years old (his birthday is March 21) and my Mom would have been 23 (her birthday is July 1).

Long, long ago ...

Three photos to share with you today. The first is of my Mom sitting up in a bed holding me when I am six days old. Grandma O had turned 20 years old on July 1; I was born nearly four weeks later. It appears that I had some hair and a fat face!

The second photo shows me propped up on a pillow in a rocking chair. In this photo I am six months old and am wearing the suit and sweater in which I was blessed. Don't I look like a girl? By the way, while in college I took an upholstery class and recovered this rocking chair in green fabric. It sits in my basement today.

The third photo has a processing date of April 1955. If that is the same month the photo was taken, I would be nine months old. I am taking a bath in a white enamel pan and appear somewhat surprised at the flash from the camera.

Tree House

Does anyone remember the tree house we built at our first house in Salt Lake City? When we moved into this house the yard was quite overgrown. We trimmed the bushes along the street and took many loads to the dump. Once we cleaned up the yard, I turned my attention to building a tree house on the trunks of a couple of dead trees in the back yard.

This picture shows the tree house under construction. You can see the frame and a piece of siding cut to shape leaning up against the base of the tree. If you look closely, you can also see a dog house next to the piece of siding with the word "Abby" stenciled above and to the left of the opening. I will search to see if we have a picture of the tree house once it was finished.

When we moved from Utah to Olathe, Kansas one of the members of the ward (with our permission) immediately removed the tree house and took it to his own place. Kids, what memories do you have of this tree house? I was always afraid it was going to fall down because the trees were not all that sturdy. You can see an additional leg on the left side for extra support. There is also another leg that cannot be seen in this photo behind one of the trunks.

Five Children, Four Corners

Here is a photo from 1993 of our five children at Four Corners, standing at the intersection of the states of Utah (upper left), Colorado (upper right), New Mexico (lower right), and Arizona (lower left). This was taken during one of our visits to Brenda's grandparents in Waterflow, New Mexico.

During a family vacation when I was a child, my family also went to Four Corners. Not only did we stand on this same spot, but I also prevailed upon my Dad to buy me some cheap souvenir -- a toy hatchet, as I remember it. I will be interested to hear memories of my own children about this visit and any trinkets we may have purchased for them!

Three Amigos

Gary, Wane, Dee in 1980 or 1981

In 1980 I turned 26, Wane turned 24, and Gary turned 21. So we could be plus or minus one year from these ages, depending on the month and year the photo was taken. We don't look all that different than we do now, do we? This was taken in Huntington, Utah, where Wane and Gary lived while working in the coal mines (I'm not sure if this was the time they lived and worked there, however.) Uncle Gary starting working in the mine not too many years after high school and stayed in Huntington for a number of years until he decided to move back to the big city. Wane worked in the mine for a much shorter time before joining the Provo fire department.

One interesting thing about Wane was that, while he grew a beard, I never remember him having a mustache. Gary had long hair that many girls envied. And it took him just as much time as any girl to wash, dry, and brush it out.

Here is another photo, I don't know when or where this photo was taken. Do you think it is earlier or later than the previous one?

Dee, Wane, Gary in an undated photo

Fishing

I regret that when you children were young I talked much more about going fishing than I actually took you fishing. My father took me fishing often and I really enjoyed this. Some time you will have to ask Grandma O about the night she came home from working at the sugar factory covered with sugar dust and looking forward to a bath before going to bed only to find the tub filled with catfish we brought home to show her.

Here is evidence of one fishing trip we did take. While the catch is not trophy size, I hope the memories linger.

Hairy Potter?

In 1993 we went on vacation and I decided not to shave while we were gone. When I got back, this is what I looked like.

Mom won't let me do this again, so this is probably the only photo you will see of me with a beard. She says she doesn't want to feel like she is kissing her father. I'm glad I did this fourteen years ago; if I grew a beard now, it would be mostly gray!

I hope they call me on a mission ...

I'm still going through old photos and came across some from my missionary days in Saigon. Mom's favorite is the photo of the food vendor. On the back of the original I wrote the following: "Here is the sidewalk vendor assuring me that her deep-fried sweet potatoes won't make me sick." We tried to be selective as to what we purchased on the street. We figured that anything deep fried probably killed most of the germs. Even so, we didn't do this often. Once I bought some fresh squeezed sugar cane juice thinking this would be safe, but I got extremely sick for a week. It was so bad that while recovering I passed out on the way to the bathroom and cut my chin when I fell.

The other photo is me trying to be funny. Written on the back of this photo is this: "A xich lo (pronounced sit low) which was our main form of transportation before bikes. Sometimes this is what you feel like after riding in one. The record for one of these is about 11 or 12 people." These vehicles were available both in a pedal version and in a motorized version, like this one. Two elders made a snug fit in the narrow seat. The 11 or 12 people I once saw riding a similar vehicle were mostly children, obviously.

Young and Goofy

Twenty years ago I was working for Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation in Salt Lake City when Mom and I had the opportunity to go to Mexico on a business trip where spouses were invited to attend. Here is one photo from that trip showing how young (and goofy) we once were.

What is with the hat and the short shorts?

Time passes quickly! A few years ago I ran across a statement that I have tried to adopt: "Life is the process of exchanging time for memories." While I wish I had fully understood this earlier in life, I hope my children have some good memories of childhood, growing up, and some of the fun activities we experienced and traditions we established.

Who can forget the night we were camping and the tent collapsed on us? Or the July camping vacation where we got snowed on and it rained so much we had to dig a trench around the tent to channel the water away from us? Remember building the tree house? What about putting a roof on the shed in the back yard? Does anyone remember sledding at Sugarhouse Park? Or going on my company outings to Lagoon (an amusement park)? Did everyone enjoy Saturday morning waffles prepared by chef Dad? Or a fresh lime squeeze on a hot summer day? And how about decorating the war monuments each Memorial Day with fresh cut flowers from our yard? What about ice cream cones following the Priesthood session of General Conference or Daddy-daughter dates?

I hope some of these memories are as meaningful to you as they are to me.

Even Cuter

I have no idea where this photo was taken. It appears to be in a covered wagon, but I don't remember traveling across the plains this way. We usually took the station wagon with Ben in the back seat facing to the rear (sometimes sharing the seat with Abby) or the big blue van with our television and video player watching movie after movie. In the van we used to have a chart showing how to rotate positions so that everyone had a turn in the captain's chairs in the middle. In this photo, I'm not sure if there is a favorite seat.

Looking back, I think we were insane to take some of the trips we took. For example, I remember driving from Salt Lake City down to New Mexico, then to Arkansas, returning by the same route. Our trip lasted nine days, of which we spent three days driving out, three days visiting, and three days driving back ... with five small children!

I also remember one trip where the children tooks turns getting throwing-up sick on successive days. Just as we were leaving for home after an arduous journey, Lindsey (who was sitting between Brenda and me in the front in a car seat) vomited all over herself, in her car seat, and in the crack between the front seats. Though we cleaned up as best as we could, it smelled to high heaven all the way home. Once we were back, I had to remove the front seats from the car to clean properly and get the smell out of the car. Ah, the good old days!

Oh, for cute

Mom is going through thousands of photos she has taken and scanned, trying to decide what to keep (almost everything) and what to toss (almost nothing). So I thought I might share some of the little treasures she has collected along the way. For instance, here is one I had not seen for a long, long time.I believe this was taken when we were living in Tooele, before we moved to West Jordan. I have no recollection of the house in Tooele and don't know if it remains standing. My earliest memory is of living in the little "Sugar Factory" house in West Jordan. This house was owned by my Aunt and Uncle, Vea and Leo Sabey. We lived there until their son, Richard, was ready for his first place. Then we moved to Midvale. This was in the summer of 1963, I believe, between my third-grade and fourth-grade school years.

West Jordan address: 8235 South 1750 West, West Jordan, Utah (this was before zip codes). We did not have a telephone while living here.

Midvale address: 7934 South State Street, Midvale, Utah 84047. Our phone number here was 801-255-8735.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Even though Lindsey isn't home to continue the tradition, I am preparing for this month's double release of the fifth Harry Potter movie and the last book in the series. Last weekend I rented and watched all four videos, which everyone knows I don't like to do. And I also read books five and six again. I thought that I would not go to the bookstore at midnight, as I used to do with Lindsey. But she threw down a challenge I cannot ignore.



The other night while talking our tradition, Lindsey started rubbing it in that she would get the new book an hour before I did because of the time zone difference. She was sure that this year she would finish reading the book before I did. I had to remind Lindsey that being in the Mountain time zone means that it will turn midnight here in Iowa an hour before, not after, it turns midnight in Idaho. "Oh, suck!" she said ... and then immediately started trying to get me to promise that I wouldn't begin reading the book until 1:00am when she would also have a copy.



I think Lindsey deserves a bit of a lesson. So while I originally had planned to go pick up a copy during normal store hours, now I think I need to do the whole stand in line at midnight thing just to humble her! So unless Lindsey has learned one of the spells she can use to stop me, or unless she can use Hermione's time turner in some creative way, or unless she can apparate to the east coast and get a copy of the book an hour before I do ... she is history!

Catching Up

Long time, no blog. You would think that with no children left at home I would have more free time than ever. That is partly true; there is less chaos now. But I can't get at the computer because Mom is busy sorting and cataloging her many, many photos. Right now there are over 7,700 photos on our computer, so this may take some time. I may have to set up a schedule to make sure I get some time online once in awhile.

Last weekend was our annual youth temple trip and service project in Nauvoo. This year we had marvelous weather and only one-semi serious injury during a football game. Most of the young men and young women slept out under the stars. I didn't want to take the chance of being eaten alive by mosquitos, so slept in our tent and was joined by Bishop Helton. I took the seats out of the back of the van and made a bed for Mom with two air mattresses. She still was in a great deal of pain when she awoke the next morning and had trouble getting up and around until her medication took effect.

While we spread wood chips along a trail and pulled weeds (our service project), Mom went shopping in Nauvoo. She wouldn't tell me what she bought, so either she spent too much money or she got a surprise for me. We looked into mailing some fudge to our kids, but the price was prohibitive. So we did eat some fudge (maple nut and chocolate walnut) in their behalf!

Since we are down to one van now, I am biking to work in good weather. Sometimes biking means pedaling my Goodwill bicycle ($15.99) and sometimes -- when I am feeling lazy -- biking means riding Mom's scooter. It is a good thing that Iowa drivers are so courteous. I don't know if I could survive riding a slow (around 30 mph) moped in most places. But I sure am saving money on gasoline.

I have gone to several movies with Mom recently. Unfortunately, most of them were duds, including Pirates 3, Spiderman 3, and Next. Oceans 13 was tolerable. The only real good movie we've seen recently was one from the library, Love Comes Gently, which I highly recommend. So I am about ready to swear off movies again. About the only reason to go to a movie now is 50-cent popcorn on Tuesday night.

We have also gone to see the I-Cubs play twice. As you might expect, we have to wear our matching hats and t-shirts (oh, for cute!). We ran into our previous bishop last time we were there and he commented on our garb. Now that the weather is turning really hot games will probably be too uncomfortable for Mom. We will have to wait for some cooler temperatures before returning to see the I-Cubs play again.

We have also been visiting Gray's Lake and the Blank Park Zoo. We purchased a membership at the zoo, so can go back for no entrance fee. A new exhibit, two bald eagles, just opened at the zoo so we went back today for a short visit. And a walk around Gray's Lake is always a favorite for us when the weather permits.

In a future posting I will see if I can include a few photos of some of these activities from Mom's growing collection.

Home Sweet Home

It is so funny to visit our first house, especially when any of the children are with us. They remember that we lived in a big house with a huge yard. In reality, we lived in a little crackerbox house that was bursting at the seams with five children in two bedrooms and one bathroom. There were only eleven stairs leading down to the basement (most houses have thirteen steps and our current house has fourteen), so I literally could not go downstairs without ducking my head.




The current residents have painted and fixed up the house, so it is nicer. But it still looks very much the same as when we lived there. I would loved to have gone inside, but couldn't quite bring myself to ask the people living there if I could invade their home!




Anyway, here are photos of the front and back views of our first little home in Salt Lake City at 3650 South 300 East. The window seen from the front (facing East) looks into what was our dining room and the door on the left was the "back" entrance opening into the laundry room. You can just see the edge of the front door to the right of the big tree and between the bushes. The view from the back (facing West) shows the windows into the two bedrooms at the rear, and along the left side from closest to farthest are windows into what was our master bedroom, bathroom, and living room.

Oh, boy ... e-Bay

I use an old Handspring Visor handheld to coordinate work and church schedules, and to keep an electronic address book. It has worked very well for me for a number of years. Unfortunately, I recently dropped my PDA for the umpteenth time and ruined the screen. The device still functioned, but with half the screen blacked out I couldn't see enough detail even by scrolling. So I reluctantly started price shopping for a new PDA.

Unfortunately, all the new devices are combination cell phone / camera / wireless and who knows what else contraptions that do far more than I need and are far more expensive than I can afford. So with some fear and trepidation, I turned to e-Bay to see if I could find a used Handspring Visor Platinum like this one:

I don't know much about e-Bay. But I soon found myself obsessed with finding a Visor that no one else seemed to notice or bid on. I was getting up in the middle of the night when an auction was about to expire, seeing if I could be the successful bidder at the last minute. I found myself saying how unfair it was that others would set up automatic bids (cheating, I fumed) to continually trump my attempts.

Finally, after 2-3 weeks of trying, I found myself the high bidder on exactly what I was looking for and at a price I wanted to pay. After learning the ins and outs of PayPal, I received my new-used handheld and was back in business. Two days later I dropped it. Fortunately, it didn't break. But if it had, I was ready for more e-Bay action!

My Favorite Christmas present (as a child)

In 1964 or 1965, when I was ten or eleven years old, I received a gift for Christmas that to this day is my favorite. It was "Robot Commando," a plastic toy robot with a controller that directed the movements of the robot and launched weapons. By today's standards, it was definitely low tech. But for the time, it was very exciting.

The robot would move forward and backward, and would turn right and left. The top of the head was hinged, so that it would raise to reveal missiles that could be fired. And each arm held a cache of red plastic balls that would shoot from the hand as the arm swung rapidly in a circular motion.

This toy is obviously no longer manufactured, but I was surprised recently to find photos of the Robot Commando on e-bay. What a great memory!

More Gray's Lake ...

We have been visiting Gray's lake frequently this year and really enjoy how peaceful and tranquil it is there. Last time we visited we walked all around the lake, which we haven't done before. At least, I walked and pushed Mom in her wheelchair while she took photos. So we got to see the lake from every angle. And I got some needed exercise. These two photos show the reflection of images in the water, which I find quite picturesque.






The other two photos are of me in the nook of a very large tree on the north side of the lake. You can see the bridge in the background. We like to go on the bridge at night when it is lit up with the lights shining through the colored glass panels that line the walkway. The next time we go at night I want to come back to this tree to see the entire bridge span lit up.



As you can see from the photos, we were there on a gray and gloomy day. It was cold enough to have to wear a coat, but not so cold that we couldn't enjoy being outside. Now we can't wait for spring so we can go back out on the water in the pedal boats again.

Appliances

We have some old appliances. We purchased a washer/dryer set in 1984 when we bought our first home and a refrigerator in 1989 when we bought our second home. Both have been through a lot of wear and tear in raising five children, and both have seen better days. The dryer works on the low temperature setting, but sometimes has not shut off at the end of the cycle on high temperature. And the refrigerator has recently developed problems with the door sticking, along with some broken plastic parts on the inside of the doors.

Shortly after I started thinking about replacing the refrigerator, a fellow employee posted an offer for a free refrigerator on our electronic bulletin at work. I happened to see it minutes after the posting and was the first to respond, so we have inherited a newer (nine years old) and roomier refrigerator. Our next door neighbor, Steve, helped me bring it home in his truck and move it into the house. He even took our old refrigerator to use in his shop, so I didn't have to worry about disposing of the old one.

A couple of days later I saw on the same bulletin board an advertisement for a dryer for $75. Our old dryer is working and didn't really need to be replaced, but I had been keeping an eye out for a good deal. A couple of years ago we happened across a newer clothes washer a guy was giving away, so took it. Since that time our washer and dryer have been different colors ... a white washer and bisque dryer. I hoped at some time to find a white dryer so they would match a little better. The advertised dryer was the right color and only five years old, so we went to look at it. When the guy saw we were interested, and because he is a friend, he reduced the price to $50. We immediately snatched it up! So we picked up a refrigerator and a clothes dryer for a total of $5o. What a blessing for us! We did not want to be spending more money right now to upgrade our appliances. I suppose these will be the Christmas presents Mom and I give to each other (she gets the fridge, I get the dryer!)

I have learned that, with patience, good deals and blessings abound. We are grateful for the blessings we receive and continually express our gratitude for the many ways, big and small, that God blesses us.

Thanksgiving 2006

This is our first Thanksgiving alone, now that the nest is empty. (By the way, I was at Goodwill yesterday and saw a t-shirt that said, "The nest isn't empty until all their stuff is out of the basement!") We are having a scaled-down Thanksgiving and will plan on snacking on leftovers all weekend.

I decided to try something old, something new, something borrowed, and something true. The "something old" is my infamous three-bean salad, which is actually a four-bean salad by the time I am through adding onion, green pepper, seasoning, and garbanzo beans (chickpeas). I have made three-bean salad every year and am always the only one who eats it. I'll try to talk Mom into taking a taste, but something tells me I will be enjoying it alone again this year.

The "something new" is frog eye salad. I've never made this before, but liked it a lot when I tasted it earlier. I had a recipe from Grandma O that looked really good. But I didn't realize I wasn't supposed to use the entire box of pasta, so wound up with enough frog eye salad to feed the ward. I hope mine turns out to be edible, or a lot of frogs are hopping around blind for nothing.

The "something borrowed" is deviled eggs, borrowing Lindsey's famous recipe. My first attempt was a mini-disaster. I guess I boiled the eggs too long or didn't cool them adequately before shaking them in the pan to crack the shells before peeling them. Or maybe I shook the pan a little too hard or too long. Anyway, when I lifted the lid, all I saw was yellow mush. It looked like the eggs had been through a blender! My second attempt was much better and my eggs look almost as good as Lindsey's.

The "something true" is my potato salad. This isn't really a traditional Thanksgiving salad, but potato salad happens to be one dish I make that is pretty tasty and usually turns out well. So why mess with success? I think it turned out okay again this time, but really need Laura and Jenny Liu here for taste testing. And now you see why we will be snacking on leftovers for the rest of the week.

I missed having everyone here, each person making his or her favorite dish and trying to find enough room in the kitchen and refrigerator to prepare and store the food. It was a lot more orderly, but not nearly as much fun, making the dishes by myself.

I am very, very thankful for the gospel and for each member of my family. My heart and prayers are with you on this holiday and I look forward to visiting with you in Utah for Christmas.

I went to the animal fair ...

When Mom and I went to the Blank Park Zoo recently, she took a lot of photos (surprise!), including a couple of me visiting the prairie dogs. Remember the glassed in enclosure you enter by crawling through a tunnel on your hands and knees -- like the prairie dogs -- and then stand up in right in the middle of the burrows?


Here you can see me making friends with a couple of the little critters ... and getting really friendly with one who seemed to want a kiss!

Emptying the Nest

I realized in looking through some old photos that I never shared our final moments with Lindsey as we dropped her off at her apartment in Rexburg when we took her out to school in July.


As you can see, Mom and I are really looking forward to the "empty nest" years and Lindsey is excited about school.

A walk at Gray's Lake

With the change back to standard time, it gets dark in the evening much quicker now. The other night we went to walk at Gray's Lake, which is rapidly becoming a favorite place for us to visit. We arrived around dusk and soon found ourselves walking in the dark. This gave Mom the chance to take some unusual pictures of the colored lights on the bridge walkway and of some spider webs built under the walkway lights where the flying insects congregate.

A mosiac of light patterns on the bridge

A hungry spider anticipating dinner

Catching fluff, but no dinner

Southern Living

A few more notes from our recent visit to Arkansas ...


I've included some more of Mom's photos. You can see the scenic, peaceful setting for the cemetery. I can remember going with my grandfather to water the arid cemetery in Utah where everything was brown and dry. In Arkansas, the cemetery is pretty and green.

Mom wanted her Dad to wear a cowboy hat again, so loaned him hers long enough to take this picture.

See the new friend I made at Grandma Parker's house? This dog barked and barked at me when we arrived, but finally decided I was harmless and snuggled up next to me.

I added one more photo showing more of the church building in Fort Smith.

And here is a good photo of Mom and her sisters ... the Pennington girls!

More on Nauvoo

I mentioned how much we enjoyed our recent visit to Nauvoo. As many times as we have been there, we were able to visit some places we had not previously seen. Here are a few of the photos Mom took (she has tons more).

I really like the way the temple is lit up at night.





And here is a good picture of Mom. The angle of the setting sun makes the color of the temple stone look darker than it really is.




We really enjoyed going down to the river as the sun was setting. Remember back in February of 1996 when we went to the re-enactment of the beginning of the Pioneer exodus? We were so cold I thought we were going to lose our toes and fingers. I still don't know how the Pioneers survived. Fortunately, we could enjoy the beauty of the sunset without worrying about our lives and well being.

Reminiscing

When we went to Arkansas to visit Mom's family, we had the opportunity to visit the church building we attended in 1975. We first met on the way to church, so the building has fond memories for both of us. Now the building is used as a Montessori school. We don't know what it looks like inside; it was closed for the weekend when we were there.

We enjoyed our visit with relatives. As usual, Grandma Parker put on a feast. Here she is with one of the three pies she baked.

Here I am working for my supper, raking the yard to clear the debris left by a fierce thunderstorm.

Nauvoo

Mom and I spent an enjoyable weekend in Nauvoo attending a marriage seminar and being tourists in Old Nauvoo. Besides attending the very interesting and useful seminar, Mom took photos of everything that moved and some things that didn't. I, on the other hand, made good use of the jacuzzi in our hotel room and ate fudge. After Mom sorts through her pictures, I will see if she will let me post some. In the meantime, here I am having just finished carving a replica Sunstone with my car keys and fingernail clippers while waiting for Mom to take photos.

Unexpected phone call

Last week I was at work when my phone rang. But when I answered the call, no one spoke. I could hear some background noise, so thought I had a bad connection. I hung up and a moment later the phone rang again. Same noise, but still no voice. This time I quickly jotted down the number that appeared in my display.

I called back and was surprised when Emily answered. I realized that the number I had not recognized was Ben and Emily's cell phone number. Emily said she had not called me, but that Autumn had been pretending to make calls with their cell phone.

I asked to speak to Autumn and told her how excited I was that she had called me at work. "Poopa," she said, "I was pushing the numbers."

I wish I had thought earlier about getting Autumn her own cell phone so she can call me. Now I know what I will ask Santa to bring her for Christmas!

Healing Fields

Last month a "Healing Fields" memorial exhibit in honor of the victims of the September 11 attacks was held in West Des Moines. Nearly 3,000 flags -- one of each person who lost his or her life -- were exhibited on the grounds of a local company. Each flag had a yellow ribbon attached listing the name of one of these individuals and where they were that day. The flags were sold to raise funds. Mom and I purchased four flags and took one with us to Arkansas recently to present to Wayne and Lana in honor of his service in Iraq. Here are some of the photos Mom took, including one of her with the bagpiper who played "Amazing Grace" in remembrance of those who died.