If you are lucky enough to be at the beach, you are lucky enough!

What a great time we had at our annual Newport reunion. (At least we plan to make it annually.) Just a few photos to show all the fun we had...all 37 of us.
Check out Hugh on his rollerblades. He was up at dawn every morning rollerblading to Huntington Beach. We had a tug-of-war with each age group. Note the annual t-shirt worn by all to Disneyland. Star Wars with some familiar family faces photoshopped in. Take a close look and see if you can tell who made the t-shirt this year.

Summer Fun

What could be more fun than spending the day with Hugh? --even when he gets to choose the activity. A few Saturdays ago, when we finally got a day without rain, Hugh chose to stain the deck, including all the benches, posts, hot tub and stairways. We were painting fools all day long. It was kinda fun, really. We had the boom box booming all the fun songs we like, i.e., Beatles, Beach Boys, Musicals. We had the paint brushes, rollers, and even the knee pads to keep our knees comfy. Check out the paintin' fools.

Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack

Make Way for Ducklings.
Boston has nothing on our neighborhood. Pulling out of my circle yesterday, I saw this little parage marching by. You can't tell from this photo, but there are at least ten ducklings. I couldn't get close enough to take a really good photo as I had just my phone camera and no zoom. :( But out of nowhere, this adorable little group of mallards appears. They didn't need Michael, the Policeman to help them cross the street, but how Mrs. Mallard is going to teach them everything they need to know about being ducks is beyond me. There is no pond nearby and I truly fear for them with all the dogs and cats in the neighborhood. There are a few swimming pools so mayhaps they will find one. On second thought, I wish we were in Boston. At least they'd have the Public Gardens. Oh where oh where is Mr. Mallard?

Flag Without A Stain

The first Saturday in May will find my extended family meeting at sunrise for the annual Flag Ceremony. My great grandfather homesteaded in the 1862 and was so glad to be in the land of the free, he erected a flag pole first thing. He raised the flag often, but gathered his family in a special commemoration on May 5th every year to honor his younger brother who at age 17 had drowned during a fishing expedition in the North Sea. Our family has continued this tradition and though we don't have official confirmation, I think it is the longest running private flag ceremony in the state, perhaps the country. Every May since 1862 -- By my count that's 147 times the flag has gracefully floated up the flag pole surrounded by our family.
The youngsters who arrive first get to raise the flag. My brothers used to sleep outside right next to the flag pole in honor to gain this honor. (We girls weren't allowed to sleep out on the lawn.)
At sunrise, the flag was raised to the sound of trumpets and drums. We all pledged our allegiance to the flag, sang some patriotic songs, listened to some stories of our pioneer ancestors and as a finale, wonderful donuts and sweet rolls were served along with hot chocolate, cold milk and orange juice.
Yes, the neighbors can hear the pre-dawn trumpet and drums, but believe it or not, there are those in the neighborhood who hope their kids will marry into the family so that they can come to the flag event.
I think my mom at 87 and my Aunt Elvira at 90 were the oldest attendees this year. The Schofield twins got to raise the flag. Ike accompanied the songs which included Great Grandpa's two favorites: The Flag Without a Stain and Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words to Each Other.
Thanks for the great heritage. We will try to live up!

Summer is Here!

What do I love about summer? Back in the days of kids at home, we always had good times.Swimming, tennis, hiking, beach vacations, Yellowstone, summer fieldtrips to Bingham Copper Mine (remember the absolutely HUGE tires?) pioneer museum, Liberty Park and Hogle Zoo. Don't worry, we also spent time working as my kids will attest. They always got their list for the day. The most hated job was "put things away for Mom". There was no end to that chore. What were they best at? Eric always got an early start on his chores and finished first. You could call on Whit to actually cook for the family when I had to be away at meal time. Ty was best at tending "the girls" though he knew if they came in crying, he would not get his compensation, monetarily or otherwise. Kate was great at running errands -- when she was little, she fetched things for me. When she became licensed to drive a car, she did all the errands for me -- grocery shopping, dry cleaners, pharmacy, library, post office. She even did the coupon clipping for me. That's what makes Kate a champion shopper today. (Jason, you're welcome.) One of Becca's jobs was the laundry. You want someone who really cares about what she wears and how it is laundered to be in charge of that. All in all, I will say, the kids did learn how to work. Work Hard! Play Hard! Haven't we all heard that a few hundred times. Check out the photos of early summer with the grandkids. A swim meet, Memorial Day BBQ, swim party. Have a great summer, y'all.

Guess the View!

You may think I took this photo in Prague or Budapest or Gdansk. But no, this is the view my sister Natalie has from her office window. She is Chief Operating Officer of the Chamber of Commerce in our city and has much to do with the business community. (By the way, she tells me the recession is waning here. Good News!)
Isn't this an amazing photo? This is our City and County Building. Natalie has been invited several times to hike up to the top cupola, but hasn't done it yet. It isn't that she isn't fit enough. She rides her bike to work (from Murray.) It was her birthday yesterday so we took her out to lunch. We dined in a really fun Bakery/Restaurant called Gourmandie. Sisters are the best. Take care of yours.

What could be better than a friend?

Who is this lovely creature? Her name is Martina Stevikova. She is a long lost friend with whom I am so happy to reconnect. I met her when traveling in the Slovak Republic after Ty finished his mission She was a wonderfully stalwart member he had worked with during his mission. We visited Zilina (Martina's hometown). The best thing about Zilina, aside from meeting Martina and many of her family and friends is its proximity to the Mala Fatra mountains. There is a hiking trail there we called Janosik (Robin Hood), but I digress. (Google it for some beautiful photos.)

Eventually, Martina came to America in 1996-97 to study and found opportunities to visit us in Utah. She came for Thanksgiving and also visited us in the Spring. We had such a lovely time showing her around. I will never forget when we visited Temple Square. When she saw the temple, she practically hugged it.

We also traveled to California with her for her first trip to see the ocean and don't forget Disneyland. She loved Mickey Mouse uncommonly for a seventeen year old.
Later this very intelligent and gracious young woman finished medical school and is now an obstetrician. Way to go Martina!

Eventually, Kate traveled to Slovakia and stayed with Martina for a time. Becca and Hugh have also climbed the Janosik hike.

Facebook brought us together again. I am so happy to hear of her again and to correspond. A true friend reaches for your hand and touches your heart. ~Author Unknown