Guiding on Sand Hollow

I got an "emergency" email from Jon about 10 days ago requesting some "bass therapy". We put it together for last Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. When he announced that Max would be joining us in the boat, I wasn't sure how things would turn out. I remember Jake's early trips. Fishing takes some dedication, and there aren't many four year olds who have it.

I have to admit that Max did really well. Aside from being annoyed with having to wear a life jacket, he hung in there for almost three hours before his first request to go home (to Grandma Nellie's).



One of the reasons he hung in for so long was this diversion. He loved to drive the boat, which of course he got to do repeatedly as we drifted from fishing spot to fishing spot.



Jake will remember this. Max did not want to touch the fish, not even to release them. I did get him to come close enough to look like he was giving this little one a smooch.



Trying to do whatever we can during the last hour or so to keep Max happy in the boat. By now, he has eaten all of the treats that we brought along.



On Friday morning, Uncle Rol, Jon and I went for a repeat. It was a gorgeous morning and we got out ahead of the incoming weather. Uncle Roland was the big winner on this one, I think.



Jon confirmed the presence of crappie in the lake, and posed with this beauty that took a four inch grub designed to attract bass.

It was a fun outing for the boys, but Bubby had to stay home and work. I know she felt bad.

Buboppy

First Picnic of the Summer

When Rosalyn and the kids stopped by on Tuesday afternoon for a visit, we cooked up a backyard picnic for Wednesday evening. I was late arriving because I was participating in the annual Rotary Golf Tournament thanks to the generosity of Greg and Debbie Forsyth, who sponsored a team. I have certainly played better golf, but I enjoyed the outing and the company anyway.

But I digress . . . We had a picnic with a simple menu of hot dogs (brats for the adults, topped with sauteed mushrooms, sweet onions, and condiments), pork and beans, Cheetos (Drewfy's favorite), shells and cheese, fresh fruit salad, and various drinks. Andrew and Evelyn must have been thirsty because they concentrated on the drinks, and the Cheetos. Of course, they are now officially "seriously cheesy".



We set our table up in the direct sun, instead of the shade, because the temp was hovering around 70°F and it was little more comfortable in the sunlight. Miss Evelyn was talking up a storm and she and I had delightful dinner conversation. Particularly when it came time for the ice cream novelties we had for dessert. She pronounced "popsicle" differently every time she said it.



Bubby requested some Hank's for her beverage, and Rosalyn decided to try some, too. Of course the kids were very interested in trying what everyone else was drinking, and Sister insisted on several belts of root beer. Because of the suspicious looking brown bottle, Rosalyn requested that I rotate the label so it could be plainly read in the photo. This one was taken for the blog, after all.



Following dinner, Bubby relocated in as much direct sun as could be found in the backyard at 6:30 PM, and the kids followed suit. Here they are warming their legs on the rock and just enjoying the wonder of being outside after such a long winter.

It was great to enjoy a little family time and great to see the kids. We look forward to many more of these occasions this summer, maybe with each of our readers.

Buboppy

Weekend Events

Regular readers of this blog will already know the events associated with Miss Evelyn's 2nd Birthday party. We were able to secure a few photos that were different than those already posted. I can't tell if Miss Evelyn knows what to think of the elaborate cake in front of her. Just what is she supposed to do?

Bubb and I went to an early movie on Thursday afternoon. We saw the new "Iron Man." It was about what you would expect. Bubby just went to be sociable. What she really wants to see we will probably do today, "Letters to Juliet." I am certain she will find that far more appealing. When we got home from the movies, I mowed the lawns and Bubb turned the second garden box over, almost all by herself. What a woman of the land! We will probably bury hoses and set some fences this afternoon, but I am nervous to do any planting until the weather settles (freezing night-time temps are forecast for Wednesday-Thursday).

On Friday, we rose early and drove to Bryce Canyon. I had a board meeting. We lunched together at the Bryce Canyon Lodge. The meal was great (there is a new concessionaire in the Park) and after a quick look at the latest "Smokey the Bear" wear, we headed north to Sarah and Aaron's. Sarah was excited to have us come and we got our first call to determine our whereabouts while we were on Highway 20 (about 30 minutes from Bryce). Both Sarah and I had a good laugh about that. We arrived in SLC at about 7:00 PM, and enjoyed (perhaps not the correct word in light of later events) a dinner of chicken enchiladas. We watched about one and a half episodes of the office and then crashed.

I woke at about three with lower GI distress. I discovered it was the real deal upon visiting the bathroom. Shortly thereafter, I experienced upper GI distress, and it was on. I spent most of the day wishing I could void, but worried that I might at some inopportune moment or place. It kind of took the fun of the the party for me.



That having been told, here are some additional shots of our favorite Quest participants. I think Jake looks very dashing in his cape.



Miss Kate was the champion bubble blower, and you can see in the photo. The ogre would certainly not come anywhere near her.



Drewfy was pretty preoccupied with all of his cousins. He is way into the cousin thing. I did get one weak squeeze from him, but limiting his contact with me was probably wise.



Miss Chee was in her glory and lots of fun to watch. Love to here her converse.



And here is the princess and author of the "feast", "Sister."



Finally a photo of Miss Maggie with her "big hair" (Sarah's description) and unicorn like horn (aka pony) (it is hidden behind the flower). She is a cute little girl and quite cheerful. She even smiles at her grizzly looking Poppy.

We left the party and hurried home, hoping not to need to stop. I had popped about 10 Pepto tablets at this point, so things were under control. I was limiting my intake to cold Gatorade, so things were also OK on that front.

When we got home, Bubby shopped for Sunday while I rested. Then we mowed Dan's lawns (the dandelions are under control for the present) and enjoyed the lovely spring weather. We will likely haul some clippings from his yard and ours to the dump this afternoon.

Sunday morning dawned, and I felt much better. I had a bowl of chicken soup on Saturday night, and I am sure that made all of the difference. I taught my SS lesson on Joshua and the Battle of Jericho, and then we had a leisurely Sunday afternoon. It was nice to be home.

Buboppy

Fishing Richland Chambers

We had to meet Mark Parker, Texas Guide Fishing, at the dock at 6:30. That meant we left Booty's at about 5:00 AM. It was a blast but made for a long day. We have fished with Mark before and he is really a lot of fun. He also knows how to put you on fish.

Before I forget, you can check us out on the May 8th photo posting at: http://www.texasguidefishing.com/photos.html



When we arrived the wind was blowing and the the lake was white capping. Mark asked if we wanted to go out, and we, having driven all that way, said an emphatic, "Yes!" He did a great job of keeping us out of the wind, and although the fishing was different because of the approaching weather front he still showed us a great time.

We started by casting Sassy Shad to schooling whipers. Booty nailed about five of them in as many minutes. This was the biggest one, but we were catch and release, so he went right back in. I didn't get into the whipers quite as effectively as Matt did.



Of course Mark put us onto to a ton of white (or sand) bass. We caught a lot of them (probably twice our limit of 25 each) using the vertical jigging technique that is so popular in these waters.



We wanted to try our hand at crappy fishing, but the north wind had put them down. We only caught two, and Booty didn't catch either. Mark insisted that he pose with this fish, but he wants our readers to know he didn't catch it.

By the time we rent a car, pay for fishing licenses, and make the trip, this is kind of pricey. But it sure is fun. I hope we can do it again sometime.

Buboppy

Back Home

Our arrangements for both going to, and coming from, Big D allowed us to travel without a hitch. We returned to Las Vegas a little before 3:00 PM, MDST, and headed out quickly because the traffic was already picking up.

We really enjoyed our visit with Booty and Laur, and Mr. Leo. It was too much fun, and in light of the week that is ahead of them, we wish we could have stayed longer to assist in the move. We both commented on the fact that it is a good thing Booty and Laur are minimalists. They will be able to smoothly transition to their new home.

As part of the preparations for the move, we shopped on Friday for a refrigerator and a vacuum. Laur has a Hoover that is really acting up. We looked at what was available in the bagless varieties, and came to the conclusion that it might be worth the extra to buy a Dyson. Here is Laur with her Mother's Day gift from Booty. It is a dandy, and certainly can suck a golf ball through a garden hose. It was put to good use over the weekend.



Of course these photos are what our readers really want to see. After spending a couple of days with him, I can report that Leego is a ton of fun. He spends his waking hours in high activity, but fortunately he takes long naps morning and afternoon. He wasn't sure about me to start with, none of the Grands are, but he was sorry to see me (us) go at the airport on Monday.



After hearing all weekend how much he looks like his Daddy, I have to say that I find him to be a nice blend of both parents. He does have nicely detached earlobes and a "stuck-on" chin, though. That's my boy!



On Saturday, Booty and I went fishing with Mark Parker (I'll post photos), and the girls went house cleaning. Here is our future T-Bird representin' in his new house. I understand he was a lot of help.



This is the work crew at the end of the day. They are done in. According to Laur, our Bubb is an animal! They cleaned all the floors, washed down the cupboards in the kitchen and baths and installed shelf liners. The place looks very habitable at this point. The plan is to get someone in to clean the carpets early this week (so they can dry), get a handyman to take a look at the drywall problem that was hidden behind the washer, take delivery on the new refrigerator on Wednesday, and then move in. Once Booty and I got there we fed the crew lunch, changed out the toilet seats (who wants to sit on a seat others have occupied?), and washed all the interior windows.



Leo kept us entertained for a solid 20 minutes with the new broom and dust pan. You just had to do a lot of ducking.



We took our mothers to Saltgrass for dinner on Saturday night and by the time we ate our hors devours (this awesome potato thing), we were barely able to put a dent in our dinner. That worked out fine, because we had Sunday dinner ready to go. We all ate our leftovers. Of course Leego did some clowning for us. Cute boy, yes?



On Sunday, Bubby got a shot with her handsome prince. He does look dapper in his necktie. He is also an animal during the sacrament. He starts shouting for waa waa just as soon as the prayer is over. We didn't get to hear it, but he has also been known to shout "awesome" part way through the proceedings. He is quite the talker, and he likes to run his vocabulary for you.



It was hard to leave, being with Booty, Laur, and Leondus is a blast. But alas, we had to come home. We are already anticipating their visit around the July 4th holiday. Can't wait.

Buboppy

Post-Commencement Freedom

Commencement weekend has come and gone. While I love this time of year with its ceremony, closure, and hope for the future, in my new role as dean and "he who must conduct commencement activities" I am also very happy to have the myriad activities associated with commencement complete. It was a great set of ceremonies. The University decided this year to have the big general commencement with speakers and honorary degrees on Friday afternoon, and the individual college/school convocations on Saturday so that all who needed it could use the additional space afforded by the Centrum. I really like the new format, and I felt that it afforded our graduates and their guests a little longer to savor this time in their lives. I am sure the City Fathers enjoyed it to, it meant an additional overnight and the associated increased revenues.

I will say that after having been crammed in the PE building for several years and being forced to turn away parents and family because of a lack of seating, I was discouraged this year with the level of participation in our event. We graduated about 232, however less than 120 actually decided to march and receive their diplomas. That means that our guests rattled around in the Centrum like marbles in a shoebox. We certainly didn't need all of that room for so few guests.

Senator Bob Bennett was the commencement speaker, and I enjoyed his presentation. He may be on the ropes politically, but I had a chance to show him around the College and our current Science building about a year ago, and I was impressed with his humanity. He is a genuinely nice man. Of course he has brought some of his current political clout to bear on SUU's behalf recently, which doesn't hurt my opinion of him.

The anecdote of the week, however, is Drewfy watching the processional into the Centrum on Friday afternoon, trying to crowd into the line of University administrators and dignitaries and ending up standing next to Senator Bennett to watch the students file by. Realizing he had company, the great man smiled indulgently, and tousled Andrew's hair. They stood companionably there for at least two minutes until Drewfy decided that he wanted to be somewhere else. A little thing to be sure, but Senator Bennett was not posturing for the cameras, or trying to impress. He was just doing what any grandpa would do in the same situation. Enjoying the exuberance of a curious four year old. Journal entry? Perhaps.

Buboppy