Ahoy Y'all Children

More from Sunny SoCal

2012-01-17T17:12:00.001-08:00

Today is our last full day of this vacation. We are sad to have to go home tomorrow. It has been a great break, and a great start to our 40th anniversary year. We plan to pull out all of the stops this year, and this trip is just the beginning.

I found too more images from our raid of the gated community that Bubby wanted me to post. Another photo of the lake. I can't believe I took this one with my phone.

It's easy to imagine that I took this one with the phone, because it is pretty bad. Bubby looks good, though.

Yesterday I partook in a little bit of nostalgia. There is a municipal par-3 golf course within walking distance of our accommodations, and I decided to play it. When I was growing up, there was a similar course (Twin Lakes Golf Course)located a few miles from our house, and Uncle Dave and I spent a lot of evenings with friends playing par-3 golf under the lights. Bubby and I didn't play long enough to have the lights be a factor, and the course is nothing compared to the Sand Hollow course I played at the end of December, but it was fun for me. The best part, 18 holes, $25! Many of the high profile courses here cost in excess of $100 plus cart. I can spin for the golf, but I am not playing well enough right now to deserve it. I need some serious summer golf to get my game back in shape. I spent too much time on the building last summer, and not enough time on Cedar Ridge.

Bubby is insisting that I include this photo, so let me put that disclaimer out right now. This is what life is like in the lazy river. Bubby says it is just her style. My concern in posting this is that it will show up somewhere and lead to embarrassment at some future date, but what the heck. I guess if you dish it out, you have to take it once in awhile.

We are going to start early tomorrow for home, hoping to be in Las Vegas for lunch. I have some things to do in Cedar City tomorrow before I leave for SLC on Thursday morning. One of the things is an appointment with the optometrist so I can get some new glasses ordered.

Buboppy

Checking in from Indio

2012-01-16T13:17:00.001-08:00

We are having a terrific break here in Indio. We did have a serious snafu to deal with on Friday, but things have settled down since then. We spent the night Thursday in St. George, did some initiatories in the Temple, had some dinner, and planned for an early departure on Friday morning. Somehow, my aging glasses frames got broken right in the center of the nose bridge. It was too late on Thursday, and we planned to leave too early on Friday, to do anything about it, so we left SGU at 5:30 AM, me driving in my sunglasses.

Once we got here and checked in, we started searching out who might be able to help me get my nighttime vision back. The frames are titanium which means they can't be welded without special equipment. No one had a frame that would fit my lenses, and we kept being told a week to 10 days to solve the problem. Since we are staying only that is not going to work. We finally found out that if we drove to Riverside, about 75 miles away, we could get someone to laser-weld the frames, so off we went. The upside was a great salad and the Cheesecake Factory while we waited for the fix-it guy. We got it done, and were installed in our accommodations for the evening at about 9:30 PM. A long day. Bubby was fried.

On Saturday morning we took a long walk and did some exploring. We were early, of course, for most the stores to be open, but I was snooping for adventure. We decided to have a 99 cent chili dog from the Weinersnitzel (don't ask, it's a memory for us) and I noticed one business with a bunch of cars out front. We walked over to investigate, and it turned out to be a fast food place that serves breakfast, 24/7. It is called Goody's and this is what the store front looks like. We decided to try it for dinner that night, and it didn't disappoint. It reminded me of the great fast food breakfasts we discovered at Angelo's in Oceanside.

Sunday we went to the Bermuda Dunes ward for church, and BBQd on our back porch for dinner. It was fun and relaxing.

Nancy had encouraged us to take a look at the housing development immediately south of our location, and we explained that it was a gated community. No access. We kept snooping around, and finally found out way in. There is a huge lake in the center of the development with a bridge that we walked across.

Of course there are some seriously high-end homes as well, which would be a draw for Nancy. We had a nice stroll around and and snooped everywhere. The lake has fish in it. We saw a kid fishing, but didn't see him catch, or sight any cruising fish (probably bass).

This morning we woke a took a long walk. Bubby was impressed with the little puff ball blossoms on these trees.

We are having fun in the hot tubs, the lazy river, and much more. I am playing golf this afternoon, Bubby is walking the course with me. We'll have more to report.

Buboppy

Great Happenings

2012-01-12T12:37:00.000-08:00

I realize that we are really slacking off on this blog, but we need to check in, anyway.

Bubby and I are getting ready to head out for the first of many celebrations of this, our 40th wedding anniversary, year. We are headed to Indio, CA, for a few days at the WorldMark located there. Our friends, Ron and Nancy, hooked us up when Trisha informed them that she was looking for somewhere warm to get a break from winter. We will post some photos of our adventures there so our readers can see what fun we have cooked up.

It has been a crazy week, as most are aware, when you know you are leaving town for a few days. Dozens of meetings to do before leaving, packing and preparing at home, Relief Society Enrichment, etc., etc. Bubby also has to squeeze in a haircut and piano lesson.

I did receive a good bit of news at work this week. We have been working with a donor for about five years, initially as the major donation for the recently completed SUU Center for Health and Molecular Sciences. For a variety of reasons, we have not been able to get the donation into the bank, but wonder of wonders, two days ago, a check for $3.2 million arrived from the donor, with almost $500 K to follow. We will be naming the College in honor the donor, and the money will go into an endowment, the interest of which we can use to enrich the educational experience of our students. I called the son of the donor to thank him, in light of the passing of the honoree, for whom the College of Science and Engineering will be named. These are great people who love SUU, and the difference it made in the lives of their husband and father. I will have more details to release later, but the whole thing is quite exciting.

Buboppy

A Journal-Entry Sunday

2011-12-13T07:14:00.001-08:00

We needed to get to SLC for big business last weekend. I almost upset the apple cart by having to attend a meeting that went until 2:30 PM on campus.

Feeling properly chastened by Bubb and Babsy, we arrived in Sugarhouse in time for chicken noodle soup and cornbread. Bubby then announced that what she really wanted to do was to see the lights on Temple Square. Let me preface my remarks by stating that we were not the only people in SLC that had the notion to see the lights on this particular Friday night.

We had planned to park at the Little America and take Traks up to Temple Square, however Little America was packed with people. There was a security guard directing traffic in the parking lot, and we watched him wave several cars in front of us through, not allowing them to park. When he got to us, I told him our intention HAD BEEN to park in their garage, and just then a car pulled out of the parking structure, and he waved us in! We came in separate cars, and we thought for sure that Babs and Bean would not be so lucky and would have to park on the street. However, once we reassembled, it turned out that the same thing happened to them.

Of course we had to go through the lobby of the hotel and listen to the carol singers and see the decor. Jake and Kate paused for a photo-op.

Temple Square was pretty covered up. We probably didn't spend as much time there as Bubby wanted to, but it was plenty for me, and twice too much for Chee and Maggie. When we returned to the Little America, we stopped for dessert and hot chocolate in the hotel. Jake got to pick one of the three desserts, and he was agonizing over his choices. He saw something called a "chedda budda brownie", and after some thought, he decided to pull the trigger. It turned out to be a peanut butter, cream cheese brownie that was more like cheese cake than anything else. He was very happy with his choice.

Saturday was filled with birthday celebrations for Babs, shopping and preparing, and lunch out at Michelangelo's Italian Restorante, right in Babsy's neighborhood. The photo above is the reason for our trip north. Jake was sustained and ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood on Sunday. We are so proud of him, and the fine young man that he has become. He will be passing the sacrament next Sunday for the first time.

We had a nice luncheon following the events (cheese fondue and 24 hour roast beef sandwiches). Jake had good support from his two sets of grandparents, his cousin Jason and family, Daniel and Rosalyn and family, and his ward family. His great Auntie Carolyn even sent her best wishes. During the actual ordination, I repeatedly had the impression that Grandpa Lumpy and Granny were there, proud as punch, taking in the scene. It was a very pleasant and lingering thought.

Following the luncheon, Bubb and I drove home to Cedar City. We love our family! We're so glad we were able to be in attendance at the ordination of our oldest grandson.

Buboppy

Just for Our Jake

2011-12-05T07:44:00.001-08:00

Because he was expecting Our Jake to be in attendance, Jon brought two of his adorable Britteny pups, just to be held. They are super cute, as you can see. There are nine in this litter, and the entire litter is sold. If you are looking for a quality pup, check out Jon's website. He'll be glad to talk to you, but you better move fast. These things are in-demand.

Josh with the little girl pup. She is super sweet.

Evelyn was really curious about the pups, but a little reluctant to get too close. After a lot of talking, Bubby was able to get her share Bubby's lap with the puppy. You can tell by her expression she is still pretty uneasy with the entire concept.

This is the little boy pup, and he was fat. We were wondering if they could be away from Mom this long, and Jon just said he brought the fattest two for the occasion.

Buboppy

PS Jake, wish you could have been there. You are the "Puppy-Whisperer".

The Families at Dutch Christmas

2011-12-05T07:39:00.001-08:00

This was a T-shirt year for Dutch Christmas, we were all "powered by mousies".

I won't bother to mention names over the internet. As I said previously, if you weren't able to be at this event, you were missed! It was quite a party.

Dutch Christmas, 2012

2011-12-05T06:51:00.000-08:00

I want our readers to know that this is a daunting task. I took a ton of photos at this year's celebration, some good, many not so good. Due to the limitations of the Blogger interface, I am not going to bother putting all of the images in chronological order. I'll just post the photos and give a brief synopsis. Let me just say that this was a great Dutch Christmas, and all of our family members that were unable to attend were sorely missed. We love you all!

Daniel and Rosalyn were in charge of organizing the program that accompanied our celebration this year. They entertained us with a rousing rendition of Rudolph, including a verse written by Rosalyn specifically for this event. They will go down in history for sure (Like Columbus!).

Auntie Nell and Uncle Rol, with the able assistance of the chime holders presented "Sinter Klass kapoentje".

I just love this kid, but Diggy spends a lot of time being plain old cranky. What a funny little guy.

Kelsey played a lovely rendition of "Up on the Housetop!"

Jackson (or is it Jaxon?) was part of the resplendent Father Christmas play, dressed as Sint, himself.

Brent's youngest, Tony, stole the show during their handbell performance. If time it was his note, they would patiently wait for him to ring, and then the song would move forward. He is a cute little guy.

Sint is mounted on his beautiful white horse for the trip through town. Note Zwarte Piet in the background.

Eric demonstrated proper wooden shoe loading in preparation for Sint's annual visit.

Kat as Sint's beautiful white horse. Now you know who the carrots are for.

The entire cast of the play, including Uncle Jim as the narrator. A wonderful performance.

A close up of Zwarte Piet (aka Ammon). He was loving the spotlight.

Hannah recited some classic poetry. She is getting so tall, and is a very accomplished fishe-woman. That makes us kindred spirits.

Max also recited. I hardly recognize him without his cast or his hop.

The Sim Fam Six, during the early stages of their presentation. Lots of fun.

Because there was a microphone, there were several impromptu acts, including Joshua.

The best pat of this photo is looking at the expressions on the family's faces. It is obvious that they ALL enjoy Cody, the proclaimed end of the line.

Because no one else who could was around or willing, Rosalyn pitched in during some impromptu carol singing.

Now there is a smile on Diggy's face. I guess all he needs is a mic.

My old pal, Sam. Love this boy.

Not to be outdone, Miss Sarah gets into the act.

Auntie "B" also pitched in, impromptu, and led us in the carols.

Because the annual children's parade was cancelled due to awful weather, we had a lot more gathering time at the church than was originally planned. Flo entertained the kids like a trooper while the rest of the cousins arrived.

Miss Sarah arrived in full costume, and Uncle Rol, couldn't resist the opportunity to have a photo opportunity with her.

Another shot of the games in progress. What a fun time the cousins all had.

I have broken this post up into pieces, so as not to overwhelm.

Buboppy

Left Over From Thanksgiving

2011-12-05T06:50:00.001-08:00

When I dumped all of the Dutch Christmas photos, I found this jewel, which I had forgotten. Bubby is just enjoying a little quality Clara time between the projects she and Babsy were working on.

She is such a cute little girl.

Buboppy

The Holidays Have Begun

2011-11-21T06:25:00.000-08:00

I do have a few photos, which I will post as soon as I am near them and a computer at the same time.

As our readers will note, we have been enjoying the company of Laur, Leeg, and Clara for a about ten days now. However, on Friday night, Booty arrived in Las Vegas, and we got to have the fun of picking him up at the airport. Bubby, Dan, and I drove down after work on Friday. Bubby and Dan had an In-n-Out on the way. (Can't bring myself to do it. Maybe someday!) We had enough time in Las Vegas to make a stop at Trader Joe's for a few necessities, you know, things like giant Belgian chocolate bars and dark chocolate, turbinado sugar, and sea salt covered almonds. You know, the basics.

We only pushed homeward as far as St. George where we all crashed in the condo. I don't know how the boys slept (Booty in the princess bed, Dan on the couch), but of course Bubby and I were at home for all intent and purposes, so we zonked.

Next morning, Dan had to get home to begin what was a pretty wild Saturday for his family. If you haven't read about it, check out Evestigation. Bubby, Booty and I went to the Golden Corral for our favorite breakfast buffet. Bubb and I shared a great omelet, and I shamelessly consumed three biscuits (we brought our own plum jam in anticipation of just that possibility). We were home a little after 9:00, and Leo was super happy to see his Dad. They're pretty good buddies as it turns out.

Bubb and I did make the dance recital (we got one or two pictures to prove it), and spent the rest of the day doing fall chores. We tried our hand at jalapeno jelly-making and while we got some delicious green syrup out of the deal, we will need to try again before we can say we know how. We did do a follow up batch yesterday, and it looks like it might be closer to jam. Long story, if you're curious, ask us about it.

Once it warmed enough, we moved outside. I finally got my sprinklers winterized and pulled the tomato plants out of the garden Once we get the BBQ put away and the hammock into its bag, we'll be ready for winter. Bubby decided to take on the forsythia and lilac bushes and she did herself proud. They are officially "hat racked". We had a truck load of detritus so we stopped by Big K's and picked up Leo and Booty for an outing to the dump. Leeg didn't get out of the truck, but he got to take the whole adventure in. Our dump trips with the Grands always end with a Frosty from Wendy's, which is the part they like best.

We all (Dan and Fam, Booty and Fam, and Bubb) went to Bruno's for dinner. Bubb and I shared a combo calzone, and we just enjoyed watching the kids.

Sunday was about what one would expect, except, we had everybody, including Big K over for dinner at 5:00 PM. Bubby made a big lasagne and we had our favorite antipasto salad. The kids liked the spumoni ice cream that was desert the best, but they ate pretty well. Leeg and Clara are really good eaters.

We retired to the living room and after some play with the toys, we launched a brief game of Bula Bula and even played a little Gossip. Watching Leo when it was his turn to be "it" was a real treat. He got pretty excited about the whole thing. We'll do it again.

Simple pleasures are the best, as far as we're concerned.

Buboppy

Guess who came to dinner?

2011-11-11T08:51:00.000-08:00

I took the photos with my phone, so they are not the greatest, but we had dinner with Leggy, Clara, Laur, and Big K last night. The PF did themselves proud. It was sure fun to see the kids. They are too cute.

Buboppy

The Lost Texas Photos and Halloween in Cedar City

2011-11-01T06:36:00.001-07:00

I realize that this is old news, but, when I downloaded the Halloween photos this morning, I thought I would post the Texas State Fair photos, too. We had such a fun time there with Booty and Laur and the kids. We got to see a dog acrobat show, see Leo participate in a "rodeo" and visit the animals. Best of all, we saw everything in the world, fried, and for sale. How does fried butter sound to you? You can get it at the Texas State Fair.

Cute Clara looking a the animals through the bars. She is such a good baby. Always ready with a smile and fun to be around.

The weather had turned for our fair day, so things were a little chilly after a fast moving front had passed through. Here are Bubby and Leeg out of the wind and enjoying a little sunny spot.

This is supposed to be the largest Ferris wheel in the world and we saw Booty, Laur and Leo take a ride on it. I am not sure how enthusiastic Leo was to be that far off the ground, but he survived.

This is the object of our quest, here is Big Tex welcoming everyone to the Fair and wearing some really large Dickies clothing (they were an official sponsor of the Fair, must be a Texas company).

We did fun into one Johnny at the Fair. Booty and Laur just before getting on the Ferris wheel.

And this fans is what you have been waiting for. We had exactly four groups of Trick or Treaters last night, and this was one of them. We got some great of poses of Mev, but this one is the most tame. Didn't her Mom do a great job on her face?

Drewfy had a mask instead of face paint, but wasn't wearing it in this photo. He casts a pretty mean web, however. It was great to to the kids. They were all fired up, must be the excitement of candy and a bag.

Right after this visit, Bubby and I went to watch the Lady T-Birds in their first basketball game of the season. It is a young team and they play pretty up-tempo. There was plenty of excitement before they finally beat the Red Storm of Dixie State College of Utah. Dan joined us for the second half and prepared a lecture while he kept tabs on the game.

Buboppy

Dallas in October

2011-10-16T17:44:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Dallas late on Friday night, but otherwise unscathed. Of course the kids were in bed asleep, so we didn't get to see them until the next morning.

Leo loves his bank, in which there is some serious change. He likes to dump it all out on the floor, then replace the lid and put all of the money back through the slot. A tedious process.

We have really been enjoying see Miss Clara. Her little personality is starting to show, and she is too cute, and quite delicious in general.

We had a fun Saturday that included breakfast at a Jewish Deli and Restaurant, some grocery shopping (it was Saturday after all), a trip to a middle eastern bakery to buy pita bread still warm from the oven, some tasty but scary looking rice pudding and a shared falafel sandwich, and finally a Tex-Mex dinner at Chuys.

We decided to go to the Dallas Arboretum to see the fall pumpkin display and take a few photos. We had a wonderful time, the arboretum was beautiful, and full of people so lots of interesting things to see.

We got a few good photos, but the kids weren't particularly cooperative. I am sure Laur got some better images than I was able to get with our little travel camera.

You can see that it was struggle to get both kids paying attention at the same time.

Miss Clara wouldn't smile, but she sure looks pretty in polk-a-dots in the middle of all of those pumpkins.

We had a nice middle eastern pita sandwich and fennel slaw for our dinner. It was yummy. Then we walked the neighborhood. Tomorrow, the Texas State Fair.

Buboppy

Who's So Big?

2011-10-13T06:35:00.001-07:00

Miss Clara is celebrating her first birthday today. She IS soooo big! We love this little girl and are nearly over the moon about being able to see her, and Big Brother, no later than Saturday morning of this week.

Happy Birthday, Clara! We love you, too much.

Buboppy

Major's Meetings and Conference Weekend

2011-10-04T06:52:00.000-07:00

On Thursday afternoon, after I finished teaching my afternoon chemistry class, Bubb and I headed north so that I could attend an annual, statewide meeting of all of the higher education majors. We arrived at Sarah and Aaron's house late in the evening, but still had a chance to see all the kids.

We were graciously offered their bed for the night, however, it comes with some conditions. We had nocturnal visits from Lydia (whose Daddy whisked her away as soon as she was discovered) and Maggie (who spent a good part of the night glued to my back). The events reminded us of the good old days when Sarah and Daniel used to wander the house all night and be found nearly anywhere, but most often in bed with us.

Friday was a teacher contract day for the kids, so to make things interesting, Babs decided to have a Smurfalicious holiday.

This was the breakfast fare. Note the blue milk and Smurfy action figure.

Of course all of the kids were appropriately dressed in serious "blueness". M' Chee is diggin' the concept.

Maggie was loving the pink cream cheese on her chocolate chip bagel (Ewwww!).

Pretty Kate was very festive and one of the prime agitators for a major celebration on this particular day.

While I attended my meeting, Bubby and kids were on the town. They went to Toys 'R Us and who knows where else. I joined them at the Olive Garden for lunch once I finished my meeting. That was a hard decision, a box lunch provided by Salt Lake Community College or some soup, salad and a bread stick from the Garden.

We had to rush home to Cedar City so that Bubby could attend the soiree associated with Cedar City Music Arts and the performance of the Utah Symphony. We left Smurfish activities behind (I think a cartoon marathon was planned) and raced home.

Bubby was resplendent in new soiree wear and while she did her thing, I picked the garden (still going crazy) and did some other chores. We had decided that even though we were headed to the condo for conference weekend, we would wait and leave on Saturday morning.

We got to St. George in time to have breakfast at our new favorite (the Golden Corral breakfast offering on the weekends is awesome!), and had a meeting with our investment councilor. The meeting caused us to miss the first session of General Conference, but we recorded it at home.

We had a wonderful weekend in St. George. It was beautiful, and we just enjoyed the trouble free nature of staying at the condo. I missed having someone to attend priesthood session with, but afterward, we hooked up with the Englesteads and made a trip to Kraves for some frozen goodness.

On Monday evening, a neighbor couple who had been appraised of our quest for the ultimate fish taco in San Diego invited the Englestead's and Bubby and Poppy to try their version. Pictured above is their offering which tasted pretty darned good. They used frozen tilapia from Costco, and their secret sauce was great. We had a wonderful evening together talking about travel and Triple D locations we have visited.

Bubb insisted on this shot, although I can't think of less attractive face to have to end this post with.

Buboppy

A Beautiful, but Busy, Weekend

2011-09-22T13:23:00.001-07:00

Most of those who read our blog also read Evestigation, so they know what went on last weekend. It was a busy but very gratifying time, for several reasons.

First, Sarah brought the kids down for the homecoming parade. We planned this last year, and I wheeled the barrow and they distributed the candy. In this photo, we had a guest appearance by Cade and Zach. We had a great time in the parade.

Jake and I got to go the homecoming game, in which SUU beat the dog out of University of Texas San Antonio. We had fun together, cheering for the 'Birds and (me) enjoying kettle corn and (Jake) munching down on Reese's Pieces.

For our distant family I am including this LINK. On Friday we had the ribbon cutting for the addition the SUU Center for Health and Molecular Sciences. Someone caught the fun stuff on video and uploaded us to YouTube. Enjoy.

Buboppy

Extraordinary Desserts and the Padres

2011-09-03T10:43:00.000-07:00

On Friday morning, our 39th Anniversary, Bubby and I rose early and went for a nice walk. We tried to walk away from the ocean, hoping to see something new. We did, in fact, run into some difficulty because immediately to the north of Oceanside is Camp Pendleton, with its restricted access. We did wander a very blue collar neighborhood for awhile, just to see how the regular people lived.

While we were walking, the waste management folks were picking up the garbage and recyclables. At one point, we looked down and Bubby saw a wallet. She started to kick it. I didn't think much of it, assuming that it had fallen out of someone's trash can. Bubb finally picked it up and found that it contained a driver's license and some cash. We eventually decided that we ought to try to get it back to its owner, so we brought it home. We even borrowed a mailing envelope from the front desk and got it all ready to mail.

We spent a good bit of the morning fussing with that wallet, but I won't bore you. We did get it posted to the rightful owner. Hopefully he will get it before he goes through the trouble of renewing his driver's license. I am sure he could use the $100 plus it contained.

We had fritata with the Englestead's at about 10:00 AM and then caught the 11:05 Coaster into San Diego. We landed in Old Town, again, did some walking around. We did, finally, buy our olive oil from the Temecula Olive Oil company, and I schlepped it around everywhere we went there after. I was glad to deposit my constant companion in the trunk of the car about about midnight.

One of our quests was a place called Extraordinary Desserts, located in Little Italy. I was prompted to check it out during PEC last Sunday as my holiday plans were opening being discussed by the priesthood leaders of the ward. We didn't have any trouble finding it and it was quite an experience, as you can see.

We spent a long time looking over all of the options before we made our final decisions. Bubby opted for this super, and I mean super, chocolatey mini-bunt cake. I had a little taste and it was too much for me. Bubby ate it in small doses throughout the day.

As you can see, I didn't depart much from what I normally do. Heck, I like a lemon bar. This one was good, but not great. The best part is that at $3.95, mine was the least expensive dessert.

Ron and Nancy opted for the creme brulee croissant bread pudding. It was lovely to see and the raspberry sauce that accompanied it was quite impressive.

Once we left Little Italy, we walked to Santa Fe station and caught the Trolley to the Convention Center. We walked around the Gaslamp district for awhile and did some serious people watching. It was pretty fun.

We had some time to burn because our evening activity, MLB and the Padres, didn't start until 7:05 PM.

About 5:45, we stopped at the Tin Fish for dinner. This is Ron's fav, so we all enjoyed it. I had a calamari taco, but it didn't compare with the one I had at Blue Water.

After our dinner, we took a little walk down by San Diego Bay. We stopped for a photo of Petco Park in the daylight. That's where we spent the evening once the game had started.

We decided to take a walk over the Hilton, which is located right on the bay. Access across the tracks is only available via this suspension bridge. The Hilton proved to be a very nice place to kill some time, play some cribbage, and sit in some nice furnishings.

We had some great seats for the game. The Padres (last place in the NL West) were playing the Rockies (next to the last place in the NL West). It was not much of a game, but we enjoyed it nevertheless. It is always fun to do some people watching at a baseball game. We had hot peanuts and although it was chilly, we still had a great time.

Here are the fans in the stands. As you can guess the stadium was far from sold out. A real difference from last year when the Padres were in contention for first place.

Immediately following the game, because it was the Friday night of the Labor Day weekend, there were fireworks at Petco Park. These photos don't do them justice.

Following the fireworks, we caught the trolley to Santa Fe station, and then the Coaster to Oceanside. We arrived home after midnight, a long day indeed.

As a result, Saturday was a pretty lazy day. I got up and walked about 6:30, but Bubb stayed in bed. We had time to do posts and work on a quilt before our social commitments took us to the pool, lunch at the PCH Grill, Thrifty Drug Store ice cream, and more quality pool/hot tub time. We ended the day with a walk to Angelo's for more fish tacos and then a leisurely stroll home.

Tomorrow is fast Sunday and perhaps a drive to La Jolla to look around in the afternoon.

Buboppy

Oceanside Farmer's Market and Street Fair

2011-09-03T09:55:00.000-07:00

Thursday morning began with a walk into "town" to find some breakfast. Our choice this morning was Angelo's a local fast food joint. We reported on it last year when it was one of the participants in our fish taco contest. Ron and Nancy have discovered it for breakfast and so we went to check it out. Of course the portions are amazing. We had a ham and cheese omelet that was shared. It came with hashbrowns and toast. Of course we couldn't begin to finish the hashbrowns, partially because we wanted a fish taco at 9:00 in the morning! It was also shared and very good, especially for $2.50.

On our walk over, we passed this really interesting flowering plant. I am not sure that you can tell, but the flowers and feathery or hairy, and soft, according to Bubby. It was certainly a striking thing to see.

Following our breakfast we headed into the center of Oceanside and attended the farmer's market they hold every Thursday, all year long. It was a nice affair, not too big, and there were the usual assortment of clothing, jewelry, pottery, and food vendors. I bought a couple of used books for a dollar, and I even found an audio book for the ride home.

We stopped at a booth that was selling men's and women's hats and so we did some clowning around. I think Ron looks particularly smashing in his.

Bubby needed this one to attend an English wedding. Maybe she should wear it to church in Oceanside on Sunday.

From the farmer's market where we bought a loaf of bread, and not much else, we walked down to the Pier to look at the waves and watch all of the interesting people. Trisha sneaked this shot while I wasn't looking.

I mentioned in our previous posting that there was big surf in the area, and part of the reason we walked out on the pier was to watch the surfers do their thing. I don't know how big the waves are, but I would guess at least 10 feet. Bubby did a pretty good job of catching the action with a slow trigger on her camera.

This activity can be pretty mesmerizing, and we watched for quite awhile. Of course we had to walk all the way to the end of the pier so I could see all of the fishermen. They were not having much luck in the heavy surf.

There was a pelican on one of the posts holding the railing together. Bubby looks like she is not quite sure how close she wants to get.

This fellow has had his picture taken before and he was pretty nonplussed by the whole experience. I just want to see what is sticking in his craw.

As we walked back to WorldMark, we got the chance to duck into a very exclusive vacation home complex along the beach. It is gated and we watched for someone to open one of the entrances so we could duck in. We followed one of the gardeners as he opened up to push his lawnmower in.

There was an amazing koi pond, and lots of very interesting plants to see.

Bubby insisted that our deception include a hand of cribbage at one of the gaming tables we found. She does love to crash someone else's party.

Went we arrived "home" we got ourselves together and headed to the pool. We played a little Bloody Smash between dips in the pool. I even read a couple of chapters in my new book. It is very nice to have nothing more to do than to enjoy yourself.

At 4:30, we walked back into town for the evening version of the Farmer's Market, the Oceanside Street Fair. It also happens every Thursday, and is a much larger event. We went early because Nancy says it really fills up as the evening where's on.

We saw everything, or at least the ladies saw everything. I stopped and listed to a rockin' cover band that was performing quite a wide selection of music. Ron can't hear the music much, because of his hearing issues, so he was stuck with the ladies.

We all decided what we were going to eat, and in this photo, we have just finished our standup street supper. The ladies had savory crepes that contained spinach, chicken, feta cheese, and other things. They liked 'em. Ron had a sausage in a sourdough roll with pepper jack, mustard, and onions. He said it was worth the $6 it cost just to watch the guy assemble the finished product. I opted for a puposa that was a little disappointing.

I did enjoy a lot of the musical acts that I saw, including a young college age kid who was singing Christian music accompanied on his guitar. Of course I don't know much about the music, but he made it sound great, and there were half a dozen times that people would stop and join him in singing "praises". I guess I am in the minority as far as knowing the music.

We walked down the beach on our way back home. The sun was sinking low, and the promise was that it might be a pretty sunset, so we waited it out.

These are our attempts to take photos with the sun in the background. Hard to do with a low-tech camera.

We stayed with it until the sun actually went below the horizon. It was a lovely evening, and we enjoyed this day thoroughly.

Buboppy

Newport Beach Temple and Dana Point

2011-09-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday we braved I-5 during rush hour and drove north about 50 miles to the Newport Beach Temple. This is one of the Church's small temples, the ones you need an appointment to attend. Our appointed session was at 10:00 AM, so we had plenty of time to check out the grounds and be in our seats without rushing.

I guess the people of what would ultimately become this temple district petitioned the Church repeatedly to have a temple built nearer to them, and in order to dissuade them the Church leaders told them they could have the temple if they raised the money, thinking that would be the end of it. Within a very short time period (30 days rings a bell) the stake presidents called the brethren and announced that they had the money.

As you can see, the architecture is quite unique, and reflective of the Spanish heritage of the region. The building all granite and stone, quite striking.

I thought the use of arches was quite effective at the entrance. The interior, which of course I have no photos of, utilizes dark wood and most amazing reconstructions of heirloom chests and cabinets. The ones in the celestial room were absolutely breathtaking.

Here is the proof that the traveling Eves were actually there. The sun was in the process of coming out, and the sky was "bluing up" quite nicely for us while we attended to more important things inside this beautiful edifice.

This plant caught the eye of the ladies due to its interesting texture. The grounds were beautiful and utilized some different materials than we ever see in Utah.

Following our session we had plans to have a nice lunch harbor-side in Dana Point. Of course we had all brought a change of clothing and had planned to find a place to change once we exited the temple. Wonder of wonder, once we got into the parking lot, Bubby slide her skirt off to reveal that her shorts had been put on in the temple dressing room. She was ready to go.

The rest of us ducked into an LDS Institute that was connected to a building across the parking lot from the temple. Fortunately, we prevailed on the custodian to let us use the restrooms for our quick change.

Lunch on the harbor was lovely, but the food was unremarkable, except that Bubby had an enormous calamari steak that was enough to share. Served with cold slaw and asparagus, she enjoyed her meal. I had some shrimp tacos and lots of DC, so I was happy with our choices.

Following the lunch, we went down to the beach to walk along the harbor, and just see what is going on. When we used to visit the Newhouses they always talked about going out on their son-in-law's boat that resides in the Dana Point harbor, so this location was significant to us. The boat in the photo was interesting, but not the variety that Rich goes fishing on.

Of course there was other vegetation to photograph. I doubt that Aunt B will ever see it, but I was thinking about her when I took this shot.

The big event of the afternoon was watching the waves crash over the jetty in an amazing display. We understand that there was an earthquake in New Zealand that set up tsunamis for much of the Pacific. They arrived on the California coast while we were here, and we have spent much of the last couple of days watching the watery fireworks.

Here is my attempt at an action shot with our little pocket camera. I needed my SLR, but at least our readers can get the idea.

Once we returned to O-side, we made for the pool for some hot tub time, and a quick dip. We ended the day playing cribbage and eating whatever was in our combined pantries (snack foods) for dinner. Just another lovely day in paradise.

Buboppy

Coaster and Coronado Island

2011-09-01T06:47:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday morning we started out for a really full day. We caught the Coaster in Oceanside, and after a game of cribbage intermixed with a tour of the beach communities between Oceanside and San Diego, we arrived at the Old Town Station.

Of course, we had time on our hands and we bummed around a little, including a visit to the Temecula Olive Oil Company, which I have mentioned in this blog previously.

Of course, there were flowers to photograph. This hibiscus was absolutely gigantic.

We caught the #10 bus from Old Town to India street and visited the Blue Water Fish Company for lunch. I had a calamari taco and some shrimp ceviche.

Bubb had the JUMBO shrimp salad with blue cheese dressing. Of course everything at the Blue Water is fresh and delicious. This is one of the real gems we have learned about on Triple D.

After catching the #10 back to Old Town Station, and watching the freaks while we waited, we caught the Old Town Trolley to Santa Fe station. We purchased tickets for the water taxi to Coronado Island, and then wandered the water front.

We didn't board her (Arrrrrr!), but we saw the Midway floating in the harbor.

Bubby was clearly enjoying the sunshine and the water. It was a glorious day to be out on an adventure.

There was a memorial park immediately adjacent to the Midway, and we wandered it while we waited for our appointed ride on the water taxi. This was a stunning, larger than life-sized, statue that graces that park.

There was a memorial to Bob Hope for his lifelong efforts on behalf of US service men and women. The profile is unmistakeable, don't you think?

We talked our tour guides into a photo under the trees along the wharf. They have really bent over backwards to show us a great time.

We boarded our taxi and sat on the upper deck, in the sunshine, for the 20 minute ride across to Coronado Island. Once we got there, we quickly jumped on a bus and road the 10 or so blocks to the Hotel Del Coronado.

We saw the amazing Crown Ballroom, wandered the grounds, and generally soaked up all that history. This is an amazing old hotel.

This plant was really interesting. The leaves, as you can see, start our green, then turn red, pink, and finally, white.

Here is the main area of the Hotel Del. The grounds and building were beautifully cared for, and of course, there were wall to wall people to enjoy it.

This was labeled a "campfire" plant. It certainly looked like one!

We took a little walk along the shore, and Bubb stopped and rested in just the right spot.

Looking back along the shoreline walk toward the Hotel Del.

We had little bags of trail mix, prepared by Bubby and I using Winco bin contents, and carried them along on our adventure. Here we sit, waiting for the bus back to the water taxi, picking the nuts out of our teeth, 1, 2, 3, and 4! I'll bet we were quite a sight.

We stopped along the water front on our way to the taxi for a few photos. It was such a wonderful day.

One of the amazing things about the day was how smoothly we were able to use the public transportation system. Bubb and I bought a $5.50 senior, round trip, ticket on the Coaster, and with the exception of the water taxi, it was all we needed for all of our travel adventures that day.

We just caught the Coaster as it was pulling out of the station, and were back in O-side a little after 5:00 PM. We did some pool and hot tub time, and then at a lovely salad prepared by Nancy. We even hide time for two games of cribbage, during the last of which, Bubby found out the true meaning of the phrase "skunk hole" (don't ask her about it, she is bitter).

Buboppy

Oceanside 2011

2011-08-30T07:32:00.001-07:00

Couldn't pass up the chance to include this photo from Saturday's lunch at our house. Yep, we grew those tomatoes and that cucumber. Open face toasted cheese sandwiches are one of the simple pleasures of summer. We love them with a thick slice of tomato, salt, and pepper.

We were able to get out of town on Sunday at about 3:00 PM. We made a brief stop in St. George to see Auntie Nell (doing much better), drop off some produce, and pick up a cooler. Then it was on to Las Vegas for the evening. I can never wait to get out of that place. Every time I go, I have this creepy feeling that I just don't belong. We waited until 6:00 AM local time (we were awake by 3:30 AM) to push on to California.

We stopped in Victorville for breakfast (our Triple D choice is no longer in business so we "settled"), stopped at WinCo there (had to have a shot at the bins for homemade trail mix) and had a very nice visit with Bill and Verona in their Poway home around Noon.

We arrived here at the WorldMark at about 3:00 local time. Our room wasn't ready, but we hooked up with Ron and Nancy, changed into our suits, and spent an hour or so by the pool and in the hot tub, a pleasant way to wait for our lodgings. Bubby even managed to get a little sun, about which she has been bragging for the past 18 hours.

After we got settled into our room we hustled down to Harbor Fish and Chips for, you guessed it, the best fish talk in San Diego!

On our way, I couldn't help but take a photo, or two, of the local flora. Love being where these tropical plants can grow. Its more fun to be there in January, but I'll take it in August, too.

Here is Nancy tucking into her fish taco. They were absolutely as delicious as we remembered. Of course she and Ron have already been over for a dose, because they have been here for a week already. Lucky!

Here is what $10.75 buys you, two of these monsters and a big serving of cole slaw. The tortillas are corn, and homemade. We shared this plate and ate it down with embarrassing speed.

Following our dinner, we walked around the marina, looking at boats, and stopping for a photo here and there. This is how one knows they have arrived.

Although the light was not particularly good, I took this photo of a smallish sailing vessel tied to the dock. There were a ton of boats tied up to the various slips in the harbor. Hard to convey the amount of money floating there in the harbor.

Another pretty I spotted along the way. They do liven up our posting, don't you think? I may be sorry I didn't bring my "big" camera with me.

We walked around to a lovely condo project that faced the channel and watched rowing teams practicing in the harbor. Bubby got to sit in some oversized rocking chairs that were available for guests of that condo complex.

We came upon a few shore birds, including this brown pelican, who was not the least bit camera shy. That white coating on the rocks is an indication of the amount of time that shore birds spend in this particular location.

Bubby pointing to the not-so-mysterious white coating at another location.

One final pose. We passed the entrance to the hotel-converted-to-condos and I made the ladies stop for a photo on the lovely winding, oak, staircase. What a lovely ending to a great day.

We are headed to Coronado and the Blue Water Fish Market today. Going to take public transportation, including a water taxi over to Coronado. Stay tuned for more fun.

Buboppy

Need to catch up

2011-08-26T06:28:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, we had a visit from Sarah and family. They were in St. George so that Aaron could attend the reunion of his radiology graduating class. Their family stayed with Grandma Marsha, so Bubb and went to the condo to hang out. We had a great time in St. George, and were able to do a lot of really fun things.

Bubb and I were on our own for dinner on Friday night, so we went to our favorite Vietnamese restaurant in St. George (Ah'sya). I realize that the photo is out of focus, but it was the best I could do. This is one of their vermicelli bowls (grilled pork and egg rolls), and it was fantastic. If you haven't tried this place, you need to. It's our first experience with this cuisine, but it is terrific.

On Saturday morning, Bubb, Babs, Bean, and I made the 6:00 AM session at the Temple. When we got out, we gathered up all the kids and went to Golden Corral for their breakfast buffet. It was really a fun outing, and all of the Grands had their fill of whatever they were interested in. Love the custom made omelets. Bubb and I shared a spinach, bacon, onion, and green chili number what was liberally laced with mozarella cheese. Chee was having a hey day! This was probably thirds on the chocolate strawberries for her.

It was great to have the visit, and Dan and Rosalyn joined us when they could so it was super fun for everyone.

Buboppy

Alliance Signing

2011-08-01T08:23:00.000-07:00

As I have already mentioned, we got to be in Bryce for about 24 hours the end of last week. We hiked with the former President of the Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko, and he disputed my geological explanation for the formation of the Grand Canyon (through a translator). We have photos, and I'll post a few, but the bottom line is that he is a friend of the Leavitts, and they were touring he, and his family, around the west.

Here is a self portrait (taken on my phone) of Bubby and I on the Rim. We had some time to kill before the signing event, and we prowled the rim pretty good.

One of the great stories of the morning is told by this photo. There were three flag staffs in evidence at the signing site. One for Old Glory, one for the NPS flag, and one for the SUU flag. When the flag arrived, Brian Cottam who was heading the effort up, had no means of attaching it to the flag pole. Bubby announced that she had pink yarn, and she quickly crocheted a chain to attach the flag, top and bottom. Don't you think it looks great?

We saw lots of folks that we know at the signing, since it was a pretty big deal. We got to hang with BCNHA folks, SUU folks, and NPS staff. The newest member of SUU's Board of Trustees is Sherrie Hansen, spouse of my old fishing buddy, Scott "The King" Hansen. We had lunch with the Hansens, and then got the chance to take a spin in this historic bus. This bus, and its stable mates, used to drive park visitors from the rail head in Cedar City, to tour Zion and Bryce. It was a treat to go for the ride. Thanks to Scott for the photo.

We had to get home on Friday night for wedding receptions. We attended Tenielle Snow's reception, and drove down to St. George for Jamie Hignite's reception. We even got to visit with Brandon for a couple of minutes. We spent the night on Friday, at the condo, and were up in time for the 6:00 AM session at the Temple. We did the Golden Corral for breakfast (love their eggs to order), and while we were finishing up, we got a call from Dan and Roasalyn that they were at the Hurricane exit, headed our way. What a pleasant surprise.

We did a little shopping and then hooked up with them at the carousel at the St. George Splash Park.

Ev was excited to ride the purple horsey. It took me a couple of tries, but I got the shot.

This one isn't quite as good, but you can see Drewfy sitting next to Bubby and enjoying the ride.

Of course, there was lunch talk. The kids were talking Red Robin, and of course I don't go there. So Bubb and I said, "You guys just go to lunch." "We'll catch up with you later." Andrew quickly suggested Jimmy John's instead, because he knew that was a more acceptable place. He just wanted to have some quality Bubby time, and, as you can see, he was able to get it. They shared her root beer. Too much fun.

Buboppy

Yellowstone

2011-08-01T07:31:00.000-07:00

I have had these photos selected for posting for months. I will have forgotten some of the details, but here are the photos anyway.

We went to Yellowstone the week of June 13th. We had a lovely drive north, stopping to visit with Sarah and the kids for a birthday bash in their back yard. The best part of that occasion was watching Miss Katie eat BBQed pork chops. They are clearly a favorite.

We had breakfast in Pocatello on our way to West Yellowstone. It was a real diner, and the food tasted great to us. Wen entered through the west park entrance, and the first attraction we came to was Old Faithful. What a mob scene! I thought, if the park is this crowded I don't think I am going to enjoy our visit much. Fortunately, we left a lot of people and congestion behind when we left Geyser Basin.

Our destination was just outside the east park entrance at the Crossed Sabres Ranch. We were meeting Johanna and Larry there for a few days of fun before they drove on to Boise to pick up some library holdings from Larry's former professor.

As we drove around Yellowstone lake, there was lots of ice in the shallows, because winter had just left the park.

We noticed that in the mornings, the ice in the shallows was connected indicating some nighttime freezing!

We had to drive over Sylvan Pass on our way to the ranch. As you can see there was quite a bit of snow in the high elevations, in fact, while we were there an avalanche blocked the road back into the park for a couple of hours one day!

We met up with the Davis and had a wonderful time together. Lots of hand and foot and quality time just hanging out. We love these people.

We drove back into the park one day, because it was Bubby's first trip and we all agreed that she need to see the Mammoth area and the north entrance. We drove by beautiful Tower Falls and stopped for a photo opp.

Johanna had orthoscopic surgery on her knee a couple of months ago, which meant she was moving a little slow. Larry is probably looking at total knee replacement before too long, so in general, we are all getting a a little older.

We had a great time on the boardwalks at Mammoth. We even had a lovely lunch in the dining room. We drove out of the park to Libby, MT where I visited the Dan Bailey Fly Shop in historic Libby. What a treat for me. I haven't been there in a couple of decades, and it was their catalogs from which I learned to tie flies. I used to look at the beautiful pictures of the all the latest flies and try to duplicate them.

On another day, we drove east to Cody, WY where we visited the fantastic Buffalo Bill Cody Historic Center and Sierra Trading Post (there is an actual outlet store there). We even played hand and foot in the park and got this lovely lilac photo.

On our last morning together we did a little photo shoot at the Ranch. Larry and Johanna, as it turned out, were not going on to Boise. The library transaction fell through. They were headed home, and just came to Yellowstone to be with us. We were honored to know they came that far just to hang out.

When we drove home, we went out the south entrance to the park. We were able to see all of the park entrances except the northeast, Lamar Valley, entrance. Bubby got to see some great country in our short trip. Yes and we saw bears, elk, deer, antelope, moose, and bison. What we didn't get to see, and Bubby really wanted to, was a beaver!

We drove through Jackson Hole and the Tetons on our way south. It was along drive that day, but we were well into vacation mode by this point, so we just enjoyed the ride.

Once we got home, we started our BBQ experiments. This was the first batch of ribs I tried. That tasted good, but were pretty fatty. We are making some progress, but there is a long way to go. Great to be home. We have had a great summer.

Buboppy

Laurie will have to explain!

2011-08-01T06:44:00.000-07:00

We were in Bryce for the annual geology festival and the signing of the Alliance for Education on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. We were in the Lodge parking lot and ran into these people who are Cedar City folk, engaged in a family reunion and hiking in the park for the day.

Laurie will have to explain the pairing, since both of these people claim to be friends of hers and Booty's. By the way, they both expressed best wishes for the Dallas Eves Family.

Noises Off

2011-07-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

We went to see the USF production of "Noises Off" last night withe the BCNHA group. The play is full of sexual innuendo, but it was laugh-out-loud funny to watch. Check it out before the season ends.

The BV crowd wanted to have Applebee's for dinner. No real surprise, when I go over there, I want to go to the local's places. When they come over here, they want to sample what they see of TV.

Buboppy

Memorial Day and Beyond

2011-06-28T08:57:00.000-07:00

We had the opportunity to attend the ribbon cutting and dedication of the Escalante Heritage Center and the annual Escalante Heritage Festival. We drove over on Friday evening, May 27th, and spent the night at Ruby's Grand America. On our way we stopped into the cemetery at Panguitch, UT, so that Bubby could look at the headstone of Frederick Judd, a relative ours.

Here are a couple of photos of the headstone, which also had inscriptions for his wife (not my blood relative) and some children.

The ribbon cutting and dedication was a great event. The Lt. Governor, Greg Bell, was a speaker along with local dignitaries. This event represents the culmination of a lot of years work for a small group of individuals, most notably Jerry Roundy.

That is Jerry between the man and woman, and of the course the man is none other than Gerald Lund, whose "Undaunted", has raised a tremendous amount of interest in the Hole in the Rock story. In the cowboy hat, on the right side of the photo is Sevier County commissioner Gordon Topham, a BCNHA buddy of ours.

This striking image is part of the artwork that can be found at the memorial in Escalante. It was painted by Lynn Griffen, and is called "The Last Wagon". It shows a husband driving a wagon through the Hole, his wife and stock tied to the back of the wagon to provide some breaking, and his children, seated on the rocks, waiting dutifully for Mom and Dad to return. A great image. I understand a print has been given to Elder Holland.

A few days into June, Bubb and I had the opportunity, once again, to participate in the BCNHA Field Seminar. This year, we focused on the Salt Lake area, and we had a great group. We visited Kennicott Copper, Antelope Island State Park, and Red Butte Gardens.

While at the Gardens, we were joined by Sarah and the Kids. Here is Maggatha, looking mighty fine in her jeans jacket. She was particularly sassy.

Jake was grumpy for some reason, as you can see in this photo. We had a nice visit at the Gardens, and it was great for us to see Sarah and the kids.

I can't pass up the opportunity to teach a little and share an interesting experience that was an unplanned part of our field seminar this year. We went to Temple Square in SLC as a filler at the end of one of the days. In the southeast corner of the Square, just outside the confining walls, their is a monument with an explanation. According to that monument, very shortly after arriving in the Salt Lake valley, the Saints set about a land survey, so they could establish property locations and begin to cultivate and build. This location represents the "base and meridian", or fundamental reference point, from which that survey was set up. If one reviews USGS maps currently in use, the phrase "Salt Lake City Base and Meridian" is always found on those maps. This location, first established by the pioneers for practical reasons, is what is being honored at this monument.

I tried to impress upon our participants the significance of this site and these events by showing them how to properly honor this monument.

One of the most interesting aspects of this story is that several years later, the Federal government conducted their own land survey, using far more sophisticated methods, and found that the actual location of the Salt Lake base and meridian is about 100 feet to the northwest of the current monument (within the walls of Temple Square). Of course I took a photo of that, too.

It is remarkable that the original survey, which is still the one in use, came so close to the accurate location. Another nod to pioneer ingenuity.

Buboppy

Farewell to Aunt Katie

2011-05-23T05:56:00.000-07:00

We were scheduled to drive to SLC to watch Lydia's triumphant commencement at Miss "Lie's" pre-school, when an unexpected turn of events occurred. I received notice that my dad's sibling, Katie Eves Schroder Bennett, had passed. She was nearly 90 years old.

My dad was the oldest of 11 children and Aunt Katie was number four child. I have lots of memories of this woman of diminutive stature but gigantic heart. Of course, our family moved from Utah valley in 1955, and from that point on, my interaction with my dad's sisters who maintained residences in Utah county was restricted to the annual summer pilgrimage to reacquaint and renew. We stayed with Aunt Katie many, many times. Sometimes sleeping on the back lawn, sometimes in the house. Aunt Katie, like most of Dad's sisters, was a world class home cook. She feed everyone and everything that came within her sphere. It was always delicious, promptly provided, and plentiful. It was at Aunt Katie's that I first tasted bottled venison and trout, discovered the bounties of the orchard and garden, and began my love affair with a wide variety of sweet, nut-breads.

I used to think that my Aunt Katie must really love my Dad, and by association, love me. At first I was a little disillusioned to discover that she treated everyone in the same royal manner she treated us. But as I matured, I realized that this kind, generous, and infinitely giving woman was a walking, talking, angel of mercy who also happened to be my auntie. Although I haven't seen a lot of her the past 10 years, she has been in my heart and certainly in my mind.

There was viewing in Orem on Wednesday evening that we attended with Babs and family and Jason, Liza and the boys. We had hoped to connect with some family, but most were traveling and not in attendance. We did reconnect with Aunt Katie's two daughters Margie and Rose Mary. They didn't initially know who I was, and certainly didn't know my kids, but by the end of the evening I had met their children who were in attendance.

There was another viewing at 9:45 AM, immediately prior to the funeral. Trisha stayed in Sugarhouse and attended the planned commencement, and I drove to American Fork in order to be in attendance. I saw three of four of Dad's living siblings who were also in attendance. While we only spoke briefly, it was good for me to reconnect. The only other representatives from our immediate family was Uncle Phil and Aunt Karen. Following the graveside, we went to lunch together, deciding that ham and funeral potatoes should be reserved for the immediate family.

The entire event reminded me that I am moving rapidly toward the end of my life. As I watch the people who had such an influence in shaping my youthful attitudes pass on, I am faced with the inevitability of my own mortality. I am not throwing in the towel, I can assure you, but I take this opportunity to thank the good Lord for my progenitors and the legacy of love they have provided to me.

Buboppy

Update

2011-05-16T16:20:00.001-07:00

So . . . after commencement and the end of the academic year hoopla, we finally got a chance to catch our collective breath. We had a little birthday party for Evelyn on Sunday, May 8th. By the time we got to have our party, my sense is that Ev was pretty partied out. Check out the excitement with which she considering opening (sigh!), yet another gift.

Of course, once she got her hands on the contents of the box, she was quite excited. Bubby bought leotards for all of the grandgirls who are taking dancing lessons, matching leotards. That is Drewfy doing his own ballet in the background.

No more concerns about opening presents, just pure-D joy in the gift itself.

Just a little quality time with these two.

We slipped away to St. George for what was supposed to be a week away (it actually turned out to be three days. We were planning to fish, and fish, and fish, but the weather gave us trouble. The day I caught this fish (actually a pretty nice 2.5 pounder) we got literally blown off of the lake. We spent an hour holding the boat off the shore while the wind died down so we could make a run back to the dock.

We had a great getaway, even if it was shortened by meetings and work commitments.

Buboppy

Lydia's Birthday

2011-04-06T06:10:00.001-07:00

I attended an ACT conference at South Towne Expo Center on Thursday, so Bubb and I drove up to SLC on Wednesday afternoon, stopped into Jason's Deli for dinner (love Jason's, if you haven't tried it, check it out), and checked in to our accommodations at the Little America.

Bubby had some Relief Society presidency business on Temple Square while I was in my conference, and we reconnected in the Little America's lobby for a trip to Babsy's for dinner and a chance to see the kids. Babsy fixed us a chicken taco for a dinner and it was great.

Of course part of the reason for our overnight (I took a day off from work) was to be able to be there for Lydia's fifth birthday. There was lots of excitement and anticipation at her house on Thursday night. For a more complete report on the doings, see the posting at Wellsfamilywatch.

Of course the request was for rainbow pancakes. Here is a happy birthday girl about to tuck in. The funniest part of this story is that all of the food coloring evidently didn't agree with Jake and he broke out in a rash that kept him from going to the school on Friday. I guess we all have to sacrifice.

One of the real treats for us was to watch this cute little bundle operate. She is a whirlwind and made me tired to watch her. I wonder how Babsy gets anything done with her around. If she is not dumping all of the toys and books out of the basket in the living room, she is clearing the dishes out of the cupboards and shelves in the kitchen. What a girl.

Bubby made this festive wall hanging for the girls' birthdays and even fitted it with magnets, while we were there, so it would hang.

On Thursday morning, after we got all the kids (except Maggie) in school, we did a little shopping. We had a nice visit to Whole Foods and sampled several different yogurts. Bubby has a new love, but I am not envious. It is called Noosa. Check it out, she loves the honey flavored.

We were able to pick up Lydia from her pre-school at Miss Rie's. She was the star of the show and a proper birthday girl. You can see how excited she was to wear the crown.

From there we walked up to the elementary school to see Jake's Texas state poster on display in the commons area. He did a pretty good job, and we happened to see both he and Katie while we were at the school.

The final photo is representative of how we spent our weekend. After work on Friday, we had a ward temple activity that we chaired and then we spent the weekend watching conference and enjoying the condo. These daffodils were planted last year from bulbs we bought at Winco. Bubby is so proud of them and the fact that it is spring in St. George, she wanted the world to know.

Buboppy

A Lost Week

2011-03-28T15:33:00.000-07:00

Last week was surely an unusual one, with not a single photo.

We started out with a lovely hotpot dinner with Aunt Annie and Ned, Aunt Valene, Aunt B and Uncle Jim, and Auntie Nell. It required an additional trip to St. George, but the meal was certainly worth it. Because we were already down there, and because we love to so much, Bubby and I spent Monday night in the condo. We rose early so I could be ready to teach an 8:00 AM class.

On Tuesday, I was scrambling trying to pack for my trip and cover all of the loose ends at work and home before I left town. Bubby helped me out quite a bit. I drove down to St. George in the early evening, and spent the night at the condo.

I caught the 6:00 AM shuttle to Las Vegas, and caught a plane that ultimately took me to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. By the time I checked into my hotel in Miami it was 7:00 PM. Of course I lost two hours, but it was still a lot of time in airports and on crowded (both flights were completely full) airplanes.

The reason for my trip was to attend a conference on engaged science teaching, sponsored by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). The conference started on Thursday afternoon and ran through Saturday at 1:00 PM. Because of the distances involved for me, my best option for the return was Sunday AM, so I flew out again at 6:55 and was in Las Vegas by 9:40. I was back in Cedar City by 2:30 PM, in time to have dinner with Dan and family and do the last home teaching visit of the month.

Meanwhile, a very sad Bubby was holding down the fort. She called me about Friday night and said, "remind me why we decided that you should go alone? I'm not feeling it at the moment!" I certainly felt the same way about then.

I did slip away on Saturday afternoon and drive through the Everglades to the town of Ochopee, FL. It is near Big Cypress National Preserve. It was a welcome outing after the long hours sitting in conference sessions. The round trip drive was probably 180 miles. I just enjoyed being out the city among real people fishing in the swamps and living normal lives.

I stopped for a bite to eat at Joanie's Blue Crab Cafe. I had half a pound of peel and eat shrimp and enjoyed the live music and people watching. If Bubb had been there, we could have made an evening of it and tried some of the other food on the menu.

Glad to be home, missed Bubby too much. We have sworn not to do that again.

Buboppy

Drewfy as Rain Man

2011-03-09T07:09:00.000-08:00

I realize that we have not posted in a couple of weeks. Alas, there is not much unusual going on, so rather than bore our readers, we have remained silent.

Yesterday, however, something happened that has made me smile ever since I heard about it. Bubby was tending Drewfy and Evelyn yesterday afternoon, and when 3:15 rolled around, Drewfy insisted that they get the TV warmed up so that he could watch his current favorite show, "Wild Kratts" (I think that is the name) at 3:30.

Bubby is not the most electronically capable individual, and she was unable to get the program up and running. She called Daniel in his office, and through trial and error and some long distance trouble shooting, they were able to get the program on at 3:31.

What made me smile about the situation is, the whole time that Bubby and Dan were on the phone working through the technical issues associated with three remotes, Andrew was becoming more and more agitated about missing his program.

In my mind, it conjured up scenes of Dustin Hoffman in "Rainman" standing on a strangers porch, chanting that Judge Wopner was set to begin in 10 minutes and counting down to the second it started. The final shot in that scene shows the Rainman sitting in the stranger's living room, pen and spiral notebook in hand, taking notes on the People's Court. Does it make you smile, too?

Buboppy

Exploring Dallas

2011-02-21T14:41:00.001-08:00

We went to a DDD restaurant last night called the Twisted Root. It is a hamburger place, and of course that posed some problems for Bubb and I, but we shared a veggie pattie burger with green chili, pepper jack cheese, and guacamole. We even tried some fried dill pickles, and they were really tasty.

This morning, we gathered in the lobby and headed out to see the sites around Dealey Plaza. We had a bowl of oatmeal at the Corner Bakery, and proceeded toward the 6th Floor Museum and the Grassy Knoll.

We stopped in a museum store and Bubb wanted her photo taken with this attractive friend. Who needs an American Girl when your doll could look like this?

There is an old, and decaying monument to some early settlers of Dallas atop the Grassy Knoll (famous for the controversy surrounding the assassination of President Kennedy). We did some people watching, particularly the unofficial "tour guides" who offer to assist the tourists for a modest fee. Of course they are really just panhandlers taking an opportunity.

One of the real landmarks of the downtown Dallas area is the Old Red Museum. It is a strikingly beautiful building reflective of a bygone era, and is complete with gargoyles on the roof!

The building on the right of this photo is the Hyatt hotel, where we are staying. The odd looking pinnacle on the right is the Reunion Tower, next to our lodgings and the landmark we use to find our way home.

Of course the 6th Floor Museum is located on the sixth floor of the former Texas School Book Depository and is the location from which Lee Harvey Oswald shot President Kennedy.

Although this corner is not the one containing the famous window from which eye witnesses said they saw a rifle protruding on that day, it does give our readers a view of the exterior of this historic building. The tour was pretty interesting and included an audio device that guided the visitor through the exhibit. It was, however, extremely crowded, at least for my tastes.

Following our visit to the museum, we lunched at the Spaghetti Warehouse. As we were waiting for our group to be seated, the ladies hammed it up in front of an old confessional booth that stands in the restaurant's reception area.

Just before we headed back to our lodgings for a break, we noticed this interesting character in an outdoor display in front of a store. I don't know the significance, but man, those are cool cowboy boots!

Buboppy

Sunday with Booty

2011-02-20T12:27:00.001-08:00

We are cameraless, so no cool pix to share. We arrived in Dallas yesterday afternoon without incident. We are staying downtown at the Hyatt. We spent last evening exploring the downtown tourist and restaurant scene. Our friends ate dinner at Sonny Brian's Texas BBQ. Bubb and I couldn't wait for the appointed hour so we found a salad at a place called the Founder's Grill. We still joined in the fun at the BBQ joint, just not in the food.

We woke this morning headed for adventure. We dressed for church and caught the DART from downtown to the Spring Valley station, where we found Booty and Leo waiting for us! We all had breakfast together and went to church. We are planning to spend the afternoon together and to have dinner.

We will head back to the Hyatt later this afternoon and rejoin our friends for a board bonding activity. The weather in Dallas is warm and pleasant. We know it snowed in Cedar City yesterday. It is great not to care today.

Buboppy

Sunday with Booty

2011-02-20T12:27:00.000-08:00

We are cameraless, so no cool pix to share. We arrived in Dallas yesterday afternoon without incident. We are staying downtown at the Hyatt. We spent last evening exploring the downtown tourist and restaurant scene. Our friends ate dinner at Sonny Brian's Texas BBQ. Bubb and I couldn't wait for the appointed hour so we found a salad at a place called the Founder's Grill. We still joinEd in the fun at the BBQ joint, just not in the food.

We woke this morning headed for adventure. We dressed for church and caught the DART from downtown to the Spring Valley station, where we found Booty and Leo waiting for us! We all had breakfast together and went to church. We are planning to spend the afternoon together and to have dinner.

We will head back to the Hyatt later this afternoon and rejoin our friends for a board bonding activity. The weather in Dallas is warm and pleasant. We know it snowed in Cedar City yesterday. It is great not to care today.

Buboppy

On Our Way

2011-02-19T10:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday (Friday) it was threatening snow so the BCNHA group decided to leave before the storm. We got the truck dropped off at the condo for our return got ourselves packed and picked up by 6:00 PM. Fortunately for us, there were enough chicken taco leftovers for Bubb and I to each have one. The group decided to eat in Las Vegas, and we didn't get there until 9:40 Utah time. The fun begins. They chose a buffet, but we got along fine. There lots of choices.

The weirdest part was the night in the Best Western Mardi Gras on Paradise and Sands. All I will say is that the $90 hotels are going for $160-$190 this weekend. The fact that the Best Western was $44 should have been a clue. Sure glad to have a place to lay our heads.

We are in the airport waiting for our flight. I am blogging on my iPod using free WiFi.

Buboppy

Something Interesting

2011-02-16T13:36:00.000-08:00

I saw this today in someone's Facebook post. It is a blog dedicated to crockpot cooking. The author committed to use her crockpot everyday for a year, and this blog, and a book are the result.

Lots of great ideas, especially if your lives are as hectic as ours are.

Buboppy

Blah, Blah, Blah

2011-01-28T14:32:00.000-08:00

So, as you have probably guessed, there isn't much new or exciting going on for us. We work all week, run to St. George for a temple session and a night in the condo, back home on Saturday night, and Sundays in meetings and doing or various church jobs. Monday morning, more of the same.

That having been said, or lives are happy, and we are content. Bubby has her projects (knitting, crocheting, quilting) and I have bass fishing and golf to look forward to. For example, Bubby is participating in a quilting conference this weekend and I just received a big box from Bass Pro Shops that will prepare me for the upcoming spring fishing season. I'll spend the time she is in session on Saturday morning "playing" with my new stuff.

We are both enjoying our work in the ward and with our neighbors. In fact, one of the unforeseen pleasures associated with my new calling is the opportunity to visit in the homes of high priests and single sisters in my charge. We visit every Tuesday night, and I find, despite myself, I look forward to getting to know these wonderful people a little better.

I'll share an experience from this week. We went to visit a former home teacher, a man named "Tink" who owned a very successful business in town and recently retired. We had a very pleasant visit, and I didn't think much about it. The next evening, as we were working together in the kitchen to get dinner on the table, I got a phone call from Tink. He wanted to offer an apology related to our visit the previous night. Evidently, he and his wife had noticed a strange odor in the house that they could not track down. When the appointment was made for our visit, he said to his wife, "I am not sure I want to entertain the HP Group Leadership while that smell lingers." His wife had cleaned out the freezer about the time the smell started, and he kept thinking that the events were linked, but they looked and looked for a frozen food that had not found its way back into the freezer with no luck.

After our visit, he was embarrassed by the smell, so he and his wife redoubled their efforts to track it down. Sure enough, they found a small cooler, over which a box had been inadvertently placed to hide it from view. The cooler contained about 15 lbs of meat had been left out of the newly cleaned freezer and spoiling for a couple of weeks.

When he told me what they had found, and offered his apology, I told him not to be concerned. During another time in my life, my sense of smell had been quite keen, but as I have aged, my sense of smell is not quite as acute. My assistant that night, who is a septuagenarian, hadn't noticed either.

I pointed out that the cooler would probably bear the smell for quite awhile, and he admitted they had taken the entire package and placed it in their garbage can. That should provide a treat for the landfill operator who sees the cooler, decides that it might be worth owning and takes it home to wash out!

Buboppy

Back at it

2011-01-14T06:34:00.001-08:00

I have been trying to remember what we did since New Year, and quite frankly, I don't seem to be able to do so. Oh well, since we talk to most of our readers on a regular basis, I am certain that they are already aware of the highlights.

We started back to work on the Monday after New Year, and although the students didn't return to campus until January 10th, we stayed pretty busy. It has been a tough time trying to meet the student demand in a lot of our chemistry and biology support courses. Long waiting lists and angry students and parents to deal with. We have done the best we can, but it has been a trial. The good news is that the demand has resulted in new faculty lines for both chemistry and biology. Now if we can just get them to reform their curricula a little, we might be able to meet our demand.

The weather has been pretty cold, but we have survived. To break up our time a little, we slip off to the condo as often as possible. We went down last Friday afternoon, did a temple session, and then worked on a couple of projects. I tried to hang a new ceiling fan in the master bedroom, but, the electrical box in the ceiling was not secure enough to handle the weight. I had two choices, crawl around the attic, or hire an electrician. He finished up the job on Wednesday.

We continue to work to get our stove replaced as well. The electrician updated the plug wiring to a four prong arrangement on Wednesday as well, and a handyman service is supposed to give us a bid on modified the cabinets and counter tops today. Maybe we will have this project completed by the first of February.

We have been feeling like the "run away Bubby and Poppy", though. On Saturday afternoon last week, I got a phone call from Daniel, who had been trying to track us down. The conversation went something like this: Dan, "Where are you Queeks?" Me, "In St. George." Dan, "We were just looking for you to see if we could give the kids an outing." Me, "Do you want to come down?" Dan, "No, we were just hoping to hook up." "When are you coming back home?" Me, "Later this afternoon." And that, turned out to be a lie. By the time we finished fussing around, it was late afternoon, and I suggested that we just spend another night and go home early enough Sunday morning to make my 7:30 AM PEC. That is exactly what we did. It is so nice to have a little hide away.

I am teaching a senior level course this semester, and I am thinking it will be a lot of work. First, instead of scheduling a class time, I opted for TBA (class meeting time To Be Announced). That meant that on Monday afternoon, when I met with the five members of the class, we had to find 150 minutes of class time each week that didn't conflict with either their schedules or mine--no simple trick. We finally came up with meetings Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday morning. I have spent a lot of time in the past week preparing for that class, which I haven't taught since 2005.

It looks like we will be here this Friday night. Dan and Rosalyn are having a night away, and Drewfy and Mevelyn are having a sleep over at Bubb's. Of course, the gymnastics opener against national champs, UCLA, is also tonight. We already have a babysitter arranged for. We are hoping to slip away right after church on Sunday. St. George is supposed to be beautiful this weekend, and we could use some 60° weather.

Happy New Year to our readers.

Buboppy

Christmas Day 2010

2010-12-26T18:15:00.000-08:00

I just noticed that many of the details of our annual Christmas celebration are documented on "Evestigation", so I will try to add a slightly different spin in this posting.

Bubby knitted a hat for Lydia Jane, gave it to her, and we see her modeling it in this photo.

We didn't get lunch ready quickly enough. The result, some serious chocolate consumption by the irrepressible Chee.

Bubby has been really excited for this day to come. While we were in Chicago this July, she went into the American Girl store and picked this doll out for Kate. Unfortunately she happened to spot it during one of her visits in Cedar City this fall, so she was expecting it. On Christmas Eve, she dug through the presents under the tree until she located it (based on the shape of the wrapped box), and announced that it would be the first present she opened. Her Mom decided that it might be fun to tease her a little, so she took the doll and hid it.

On Christmas morning, a very concerned Katie informed her Mom that one of her presents was missing! She looked like she was on the verge of tears, so the doll was quickly retrieved.

She does look like she is pleased. These two are now inseparable. Katie took her doll, Emily, to church today and was informed by a member of our Bishopric that although the doll looked a lot like her, she was certainly the prettier one.

Dress ups for the little girls were a big part of the Christmas gifts. Here is Maggie in one that Aunt Rosalyn gave her. She was quite a sight.

Bubby found this one for Lydia while we were in Big Bear, CA, in September. She was pleased.

Jake's big score was this gift to him and his Dad from Bubby and Poppy. We were told that the big draw was to allow the whole family to stream Netflix to their TV. I am suspicious, however. I think that there may be some regrets for allowing the thing in their home down the road. I am not a big fan of video gaming.

Auntie Rosalyn graciously put a lot of time into some impressive dresses for Emily. You can see them all on Evestigation. Katie was clearly pleased with each one, and even dressed Emily in one for church.

We had "hot pot" for dinner, or at least the adults did. Then Tony and Jaye dropped by for a visit. It was so great to see them, and to get our hands on little Suzanna Kim Eves (Suki for short). She is really, really cute, and was passed around between the adults and several of the older children.

Vince was as charming as ever. He played with his cousins while the adults visited.

Here is a family photo of Tony and Jaye. They will have to return to Iowa City before New Years, but we were glad to have a visit.

On Sunday morning, Lydia finally got some quiet time to play with some of her gifts with lots of small parts that could easily be lost. She loves to just play, and does so very well.

We had a wonderful Christmas, and trust that our readers enjoyed the same. We certainly wish all the very best of this wonderful season.

Buboppy

Christmas Eve

2010-12-26T17:42:00.000-08:00

This our tree, overflowing with gifts. it was a wonderful Christmas for us all.

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve, the only thing that could have made it better is to have Booty, Laurs, Leeg, and Clara here. Sarah and her family arrived a little before 9:00 AM, which means they left SLC way before O-Dark Thirty!

After Friday pancakes for all, including Daniel and family, we settled in to enjoy each other and make final preparations for Christmas. Our schedule was simple. Fun, no matter what we were doing and not worrying to much about when we do it.

We had a traditional buffet on Christmas Eve, but Bubby had suggested an international theme. Of course that meant that she supplied pigs in blankets, macaroni salad with cubes of cheese in it, and hard rolls with deli meat (in this case smoked turkey in lieu of the more traditional ham). That may not sound too international to you, but those things were always part of Grandma Jane's buffet, and she was Dutch, so ...

The rest of the meal was definitely more in keeping with the theme. We had cheese fondue, homemade gyoza (pot stickers), satay with peanut sauce, hummus with toasted flat bread, and prosciutto rolled around fresh mozzarella. For dessert, we decided to celebrate all of the December birthdays with a DQ cake. Drewfy, Jake, and Babs were all on hand for the celebration.

The parents allowed all of the kids to open one present for Christmas Eve, and of course it was pajamas. Lots of pink in evidence in Sarah's family. (She supplied the photos, so there is definitely a Wells family bias).

Buboppy

Unfinished Business and Walking in the Rain

2010-12-21T07:26:00.000-08:00

It has been raining in Cedar City for over 24 hours. Yesterday when we got up, it was raining hard enough that we opted to not take our morning walk.

This morning, we weren't going to be denied, rainy or not. It did snow a little last evening, but that changed to rain sometime during the night, and it was still sprinkling when we got ourselves ready.

This photo needs some explanation. First of all, when we go walking in normally 20-something° weather, Bubby and I never make much of a fashion statement. Our attire is totally utilitarian. On this particular morning, as you can see from this photo, that need was even more apparent. Bubby got a perm and haircut yesterday afternoon, and "as every Cosmo girl" knows, that means no water on the hair for 72 hours. As we prepared to head out in the rain, Bubby protected her hair with her shower cap (we call it the "Minnie Mouse"). She did look a sight, but stayed dry where it counted most. I still think she is the cutest thing I ever saw, with or without Minnie Mouse on.

When I dumped Bubby's photo from her camera this morning, I found some photos related to our Thanksgiving trip to Dallas. I thought our readers might enjoy them, so I am including them in this post. This is a photo of Miss Clara Anne's new quilt. Bubby always tries to get a photo of her quilt work before letting it go.

I thought this was a great photo of Laur and Bubb in the back of the van. I think this was the evening we went to Saltgrass for some good food (those dolled-up potatoes with the cheese, bacon, and ranch dressing amaze me every time).

Finally a photo of Leego, just because we are missing him. He is all trussed up in his car seat, ready to go (note that he has "Waa Waa, Ice!", just the way he likes it). Hope he is having a fun time in his room with Grandma Kar. Merry Christmas to all!

Buboppy

Andrew's Birthday

2010-12-21T07:05:00.001-08:00

As many of our readers know, Andrew was born on Christmas Eve. That reality has led his Mom to feel that he needs some separation of his birthday from the celebration of Jesus' birthday. I think it quite fortunate for Andrew because it has allowed him to turn December into his birth-month, just as June is for me. What follows is an example.

Andrew has already had a birthday celebration with his friends, and the associated presents and cake that go with it. On Saturday, he and his family came over and helped Bubby decorate for Christmas. It was sure good to have the help.

Then on Sunday, Andrew and his family came over for dinner. We had turkey, mashed potatoes, and rolls, along with the necessary accompaniments. Following dinner, I caught this photo of Andrew and Evelyn in front of the Christmas Tree.

Although her fountains are starting to flatten a little, Sister was looking sassy in her "little black dress".

I got my camera out expressly to photograph the big moment. Andrew opened his package and found a set of Batman and Joker Trios which he dearly loves. His Dad helped him put a couple of items together.

Sister had to be contained a little, because it was hard for her to watch Andrew enjoy his gift with nothing for her. Just wait a day or two Evelyn. All will be right!

Here is one of the creations and a very happy boy showing it off. We followed this event with a little spumoni ice cream (Andrew's favorite). All in all, just another day in a boy's birth-month. Pretty sweet deal, don't ya think?

Buboppy

There's No Place Like Home

2010-12-01T05:36:00.001-08:00

Monday turned out to be a marathon day that included experiencing Dallas rush hour traffic while driving Booty to work, final painting in the master bedroom (assisted by Leo!), banh mi for lunch, packing, one last meal together at Corner Bakery, and a trip to Love Field to catch our plane.

It was a 6:45 PM flight, and it was delayed. The short version of the story is that we arrived in St. George at 1:15 AM on Tuesday. Our plan from the beginning was to crash at the condo, which we were both grateful for at that time of the morning.

Tuesday morning -- up early since I had an 8:00 AM meeting in Cedar City. A busy day of work followed for both of us. The pay off came when we finally got home that night. It was a wonderful trip, we were treated likely royalty and we enjoyed every minute. We miss Leo and Clara terribly, already, but true to the title of this post, it was great to be home.

Busy days ahead, including an invited trip to the NFR on Friday.

Buboppy

Blessing Day

2010-11-28T15:26:00.001-08:00

We were lucky enough to be present for Clara's blessing day. Everybody is looking fine for our trip to church. Matt did a fine job, and Miss Clara is now officially a "child of record."

Leegy was not excited to wear a tie, but he surely looked spiffy in it. It was all about the "Leo Show" at sacrament meeting and although he was generally well behaved, he did make us all smile during the opening prayer. The woman offering it gave thanks for a living prophet, and Leo zeroed in on the word "prophet" shouting "Monson!", "President Monson!" That boy knows who the prophet is, by golly.

Here is Miss Clara looking resplendent in her blessing dress. Bubby and Laur made a slip for her yesterday, and she was all "princessed" out. Laur mentioned that changing her diaper in this getup was a challenge. Lots of layers to peel, and I think she soiled her diaper a couple of times while we were at church.

We had to have this one for proof positive of our presence. Bubby announced today that we have been in attendance for the blessing of all of our grandchildren. I hadn't really thought about it, but upon reflection, it is true. We have been very lucky to be in the right place at the right time, at least eight times, in our adult lives!

One final shot of Clara and the dress. She is so sweet, and cooperated so well today. It was really fun to participate.

Bubby and I took a walk this afternoon while the kids were napping. Everyone we met commented on what a beautiful day it was. Of course it was doubly beautiful to us, because we knew it is miserable and snowing in Cedar City. Bubby commented on the fact that we have enjoyed three falls this year, Minnesota in early October, Cedar City through early November, and now the color change (that's right, it is going on right now!) in Dallas. We won't soon forget this fall.

Buboppy

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T18:36:00.001-08:00

We were able to get Booty and Laur's bedroom painted on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I was thinking I had slowed down a lot, because Booty and I worked at it all day (except for lunch and drying time breaks). However, the job involved three different colors of paint, ceiling, crown molding, walls, and baseboard. Lots of masking to make it all come out. There are a still a few touch up items, but we'll get those done either Friday or Saturday.

Between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, the air temp dropped about 30°. We were in the low 80's on Wednesday, and I doubt if it got much over 50 on Thanksgiving day. We spent the day enjoying the family and relaxing.

I was able to get a couple of picture with Booty and his kids. He seems pretty natural at all of this. He claims his "one true talent" just might be putting Clara to sleep.

Here is a shot of Leeg soaking up a good earlobe milking. Leeg does have delicious lobes, a family trait that no one appreciates more than his Dad.

The other day, while Bubby was trying to keep Leeg out of the paint projects, she decided to let him have his Christmas present to play with. It is a cool Fisher Price drill and tool set. The drill reverses so it can drive or extract the screws from the workbench. There is a hammer and some nails to drive and "pull" from the bench as well. The bench itself has a place for everything, and Leeg keeps everything in its place (I wonder where he learned that?)

Here is a close up of festively dressed Clara on her first Thanksgiving. She is a very sweet baby, and stays pretty calm. Bubby loves to hold her.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner, thanks to Booty and Laur, complete with Aunt Cynthia's delicious rolls. In this photo, not only is Leeg about to taste Grandma Isobel's famous squash pie, he is seriously getting into licking the beaters used to whip the cream.

On this, and every other day, we are so very thankful for each other, our family, the gospel, and our testimonies. These are very happy days in the lives of Bubby and Poppy, and we recognize that we are greatly blessed.

Love to all,

Buboppy

Bubby at Booty's

2010-11-23T17:53:00.000-08:00

We have been pretty busy here the last couple of days. Part of the reason we came was to see if we could help out. On Monday morning, I started painting what will soon be Leo's bedroom (he has to give up his current location so Clara can move out of her parent's room, when it is appropriate).

It was a complete job, ceiling, closet and all. I got the ceiling and woodwork done yesterday, and finished the walls, in a nice silvery gray, today. I think it turned out pretty nice. We put it back together this afternoon.

While I was painting the ceiling, Bubby and Leo were weeding the front yard flower bed. She was trying to keep him occupied so he didn't get into the paint.

Every time he passed by the closed bedroom door this morning, the exchange went something like this: Knock, knock, knock. "Bubby" (he is struggling with different names for the two of us). "I am Poppy!" "Poppy!" "Yes." "I want to hold you!" Of course what he really wants to do is come in, see what is going on, and touch everything, including any wet paint. We had quite a few of these conversations this morning, but I wasn't sucker enough to let him in, not even for a minute.

We had cheap, but marginal, Chinese food for lunch, so it was a very successful day. Tomorrow, Booty and I tackle the master bedroom.

Buboppy

Bubby Meets Clara

2010-11-21T10:52:00.000-08:00

Our trip to Dallas was quite uneventful. We left Cedar City about 10:30 AM, and ended up having time to stop for Bubby's In-n-Out in St. George, and Trader Joe's in Las Vegas.

We were a little late arriving, so Booty had to drive around the airport roundabout four times before we connected. As soon as we got to their house, Bubby was able to get her hands on Miss. Clara.

She is such a sweet little sister, and seems to getting along just fine. With Laur as her mom, we know she is in very capable hands.

It was fun to see them looking adorably at each other-Clara not focusing at all, Bubby focusing on Clara.

We got up early on Saturday morning, right after Leo came into our bedroom to find his Bubby. We made the trip to Sprouts, Booty's green grocer, Albertsons to kill a little time, and then our first trip to Aldi, a really unique store with a limited inventory and selection, but really great prices on some of the groceries. Booty bought milk for $0.99 a gallon and large eggs $0.50 a dozen!

We had breakfast, and then hung out a little. Booty and I drove over to Harbor Freight and purchased his Christmas present, a new, lighted, steel workbench which took us the rest of the day to assemble. It will really help him get his garage organized.

I have to report that we had an exotic food experience at lunch. Near Booty's house is a large Asian population, and there was a shopping complex called Little Saigon that we drove to. We ordered four different banh mi sandwiches. Some were savory and succulent some were incredibly spicy, but all were delicious. It was a fun adventure.

We are looking forward to some quality time with Booty, Laur, Leego, and Clara this week. We might even paint a bedroom. Beats the heck out of work!

Buboppy

Great Fall Weather

2010-11-09T06:09:00.000-08:00

It was a busy week. Bubby and I manage to stay pretty busy with work and home chores. We have had such lovely fall weather that we have fallen behind on our fall yard work. During the week, Bubby brought Drewfy and Sister home on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons (after nap time, of course), and they played outside while she worked in the garden and flower beds. She gave Drewfy a pair of "nippers" and turned him loose on the sumac bushes in the back yard. I am glad I didn't witness the ever enthusiastic Andrew with a pair of garden shears big enough to cut off a digit. Of course, Evelyn would not be outdone, so Bubby gave her a much smaller, but equally sharp, pair of garden snips. When Rosalyn came to pick the kids up, she informed Bubb that Evelyn was "playing" with the nips, and Bubb didn't bother to tell her that she had given them to Sister to use. They'll grow up fast around the Bubb, that's for sure.

We rose early on Saturday and tackled the final dismantling of the garden. We had to pull the beans off of the horse fence, take out the fence and its supporting posts, and load all of the refuse into the back of the truck. We were on our way to pick up Drewfy by 9:00 AM. He and Bubby have been planning a trip to the dump for weeks now. I don't quite understand the fascination, but it probably gave them something to talk about. We picked up a few things at Dan's house, and loaded up the boy.

Of course Andrew enjoyed the new experience, and immediately noticed the smell associated with a landfill. Fortunately, we weren't there long enough for him to spot the rotting remains of some slaughtered animal, we don't want him to grow up quite that fast! The big selling point of a trip to the dump is a treat on the way home. Bubby had been promising a Frosty from Wendy's, but it was only 9:45 AM when we got back to town. I thought we were going to have to punt, but fortunately, Wendy's opens their doors at 10:00 each morning.

We killed the wait time by having a breakfast burrito at Roberto's Taco Shop. Andrew had pancakes for breakfast, so he was only mildly interested in the burritos. Instead he sipped on an agua de pina and made loud, and somewhat insulting, comments about the other early morning customers. There are some downsides to having a four year old with a 10-year old vocabulary and a 2-year old's sense of propriety.

When we dropped Andrew off with a Frosty for himself and Evelyn, his parents were up to their sticky elbows in squeezing pomegranates for jelly. We escaped as quickly as possible, but while I gave the lawns the once over, Bubby went back to help. The syrup (it didn't jell properly as pomegranate jelly tends to do) has a beautiful color and is reported to be a proper balance of sweet and tart.

Bubby and I had a couple of social obligations which we participated in. We watched the entire first half of the SUU vs. DSCU football game (something I am required to do as the Dean), enjoyed a bag of kettle corn, went to the movies (Red), and then to a men's basketball game (because I like those). All in all a very full Saturday.

Buboppy

What is that smell?

2010-10-25T06:15:00.001-07:00

Okay, I realize that the blog is stale enough that it is starting to stink. What can I say, it seems we have had a busy time at home, ever since we returned from Minnesota.

The weekend we arrived home was UEA weekend for most of the state of Utah. For some odd reason, our local school district opted to take the opening weekend of the deer hunt off, instead, but I digress. Sarah and her family came for a visit over the UEA weekend to give themselves a break and Aaron some much needed undisturbed study time.

We had a really fun time together, but I couldn't tell you what we did from day to day. The weather was beautiful most of the time, so we did a lot of outside things.

Maggie got her pumpkin hat from the Bubb. She wasn't too enthused about it, but I guess she doesn't like shoes or socks, either. We were lucky to get this photo.

Saturday was homecoming for SUU. before accepting the dean's job, I never paid much attention to this event, but it is very much required of me now. My loyal supporters donned their SUU wear and lined up on University Blvd. to cheer us on as we passed. Here is Miss Kate looking like she is enjoying the fun. The outfits were purchased for a June family photo, and purchased large enough so that the girls could get some wear of them.

Jake got to visit Arthur Hale was he was down. Art is, hands down, the best, and fastest, barber that ever tackled a young man's hair. by the time they figure out he is cutting their hair, he is done.

Although a little out of focus, this is an angelic version of Drewfy. By the way, he has now taken to calling himself that, which is kind of cute coming out of his mouth. I wasn't there to see it, but I guess he had a serious meltdown over a balloon, and nearly had to spend the parade in his family's car.

Lydia also got her hair trimmed, but by Stacia Glausser. She was having lots of fun along the parade route.

There wasn't much of a photo of Evelyn, so I took what I could get. Bubb was the photog, as I was in the parade. The kids certainly made a serious candy haul.

I know you can't tell, but that is me in the convertible. Rhonda borrowed it from her husband, and we spent the parade perfecting our waves. My college was the "winner" because of the fire balls, tee-shirt canon, and other activities. Not sure what that means, except there was a $500 cash prize. That almost covered the candy we threw out!

Buboppy

Sunday in St. Cloud

2010-10-11T05:46:00.001-07:00

After a full Saturday of fishing, meeting Larry and Johanna's friends, Jim and Chris, and dinner, we woke on Sunday anticipating a relaxed day together. Bubb and I got ourselves over to the St. Cloud, MN, ward for sacrament meeting. It was an interesting experience. Their ward, which is the largest in a relatively new stake, has about a 60 mile diameter. What that means in practical terms is that all announcements are held until after sacrament meeting, when the largest number of members is present. The other interesting thing was the noise level in the chapel before the meeting. It was a gab fest with a lot of people really happy to see each other. At first it was a little off-putting, but then we realized that these folks are scattered so far and wide that they are genuinely excited to see each other on Sunday morning. It's a weekly reunion with others who share your faith and values.

Upon return to the Davis home, we were treated to biscuits, sausage gravy, and scrambled eggs. Miss Nichol joined us for this occasion, which was a treat for us.

Here is a photo of Nichol beside her newish Toyota Fit, which she loves. Nichol is living near her parents, working as an admin assistant for a meat packing company, and seems to be doing fine. She is interested in triathlons and competes regularly. She is now setting her sights on Iron Man competitions, and we even talked about he St. George Iron Man, but she has decided that the elevation changes on the 102 mile bike loops (about 3,000 feet) might take some of the fun out of it.

A little later in the day, we went for a drive and a walk. We drove to a local granite company called Stonecrafters, and took a walk through their open air stock piles. It was really interesting to see the rock, all polished and cut into slabs, from all over the world.

We then drove to the little community of Rockville, MN, and took a walk in this park which is near the site of an old granite quarry. Larry tells me that there are over 200 granite quarries in Stearns County, which is where we are. We even saw a bald eagle in a tree in the park.

We then drove up to a low hilltop and visited the Assumption Chapel in Cold Spring, MN. This beautiful, and quaint, catholic chapel is built entirely out of local granite. Cut and fitted blocks for the exterior walls and polished and slabbed for the interior. You can read about it's history on the web, but it was built in memory of the 1877 Grasshopper Plague that occurred in Minnesota. At first we wondered if this insect plague was coincident with the Mormon cricket infestation that is famous in Utah history. Of course, the Utah event was in 1848, so no, they are not related. Here are Larry, J, and I standing at an outdoor alter built of Cold Springs granite.

The exterior of the little chapel looks like this. It was really pretty in the past-its-peak fall setting.

We saw this pretty little flower on the grounds, which seemed to have survived the first local frost well. Unfortunately, we don't know what it is.

Finally, Bubb took a photo of one of the windows on the interior. It was a nice little spot for a visit in the late afternoon.

Today is our last full day in MN. We have some shopping planned while Larry and Johanna are working, and then we going to attend the funeral mass of one of the "sisters" of the abbey associated with the College of St. Benedict-St. John's University. It is our first Catholic mass, so it will be interesting. Maybe some photos.

Buboppy

A Fishing First

2010-10-10T15:48:00.001-07:00

On Friday and Saturday, Bubb went on a quilt tour with Johanna, and Larry and I went fishing at Sagg Lake, a small morainal lake right on the CSB-SJU campus. We were literally fishing within a stone's throw of Larry's office. It is really best that there isn't a lake like Sagg near where I work.

I don't have any photos from the quilt tour, so if you don't like fishing photos, you can browse elsewhere now.

Larry made arrangements for us to borrow the Biology Department's row-boat, and we launched about 10:00 on Friday morning. I brought gear from home, since Larry doesn't do a lot of fishing. The rods that I could pack were pretty light duty, the one I was using was actually an ultralight! That will figure into some of the later pictures.

After catching this one, my first fish, I wondered what we were in for. I had brought a lot of scaled down gear, but even this fish took a 4 inch lure, and had it deep in his itty-bitty throat.

Larry started out throwing a 2" crappie jig, and caught this nice sunfish as his first effort. He remarked repeatedly how much fun he was having. Have a created another avid fishing buddy?

In this photo, you can see my 5 foot long, ultralight fishing rod working overtime on the first sizeable bass I caught. We were working the shallows around some lily pads, and the big fish always dove for the submerged weeds, etc. It was interesting to get them up to the surface most of the time.

I caught about five of these in sizes ranging from about a pound to nearly two pounds.

We had some equipment problems that we needed to solve, so we left the lake, ran to the hardware store and bait shop to obtain the needed supplies and to grab some lunch.

When we got back on the water, we were prepared with worms, small gold hooks and bobbers. Larry is the unofficial champion slayer of sunfish, or sunnies, as he calls them. He must have caught 25 the first afternoon. He was giggling like a kid.

On Saturday morning, we started a little earlier, because there was weather coming in. With our equipment problem solved, rowing around the lake was a breeze. This sunfish was the grand champion, and the first fish caught on Saturday morning.

I was casting a crappie jig (yellow and white) along the area in front of the lily pads, and Larry was dipping his worm into the pads themselves. All of a sudden, I got bit by a big fish. Here he is coming to the boat. You can see the tiny crappie jig in his mouth.

He was a nice northern pike, the first one I have ever caught. Of course they are toothy, and a little intimidating, but we got him in for his photo opportunity.

By the time we wrapped it up, about Noon, I had caught five of these, in various sizes. The first one was the largest, but they were all caught on the deep water side of the lily pads, where they lay in wait, hoping to ambush bait fish.

We ended the day the way it began. Larry caught this beauty as the final fish. What a great couple of outings. I can't believe that I had the chance to do this.

Poppy

We Visit Aunt Valene and Appley Farms

2010-10-09T18:11:00.001-07:00

We had an uneventful trip from Las Vegas to Minneapolis. In fact, we were lucky enough to have an empty seat between us on the flight from Phoenix to MSP. Johanna, and Nichol, picked us up at the airport, and we drove straight to St. Cloud, about 90 minutes west on I94. After a lovely dinner of French dip sandwiches and some conversation, Bubby and I went to bed.

We rose early, packed overnight bags, and jumped into our chariot, Larry and Johanna's new Hyundai Santa Fe, and headed for Akron, IA. It was about a 5.5 hour drive, through fields of corn and soy beans, all ready to harvest. We arrived at Aunt Valene's house without any difficulty, thanks to our trusty companion, Tom Tom.

We were lucky enough to have lunch there with Cindy and her son Derek. It was grand to see them both.

Here is the object of our quest. A very agile and generally chipper Aunt Valene. We enjoyed visiting with her very much. Bubby was in heaven.

After lunch, and Derek's return to his college dormitory (he is playing organized basketball for a small four year college in the area), we got to witness an amazing transformation. Cindy shed her work clothes, donned her riding togs, and mounted up for the eight mile bike-ride home.

About an hour later, we rejoined her, this time to enjoy the hospitality of Appley Farms, which is just over the South Dakota border (that's right, we were in three states that day!). Even though Akron, IA, and Appley Farms are only separated by eight miles, there is a state line in there somewhere.

Here are Cindy and Bubby with Max, Cindy's Boston. Max really liked Bubb, can you guess whether his feelings were reciprocated?

Of course it is harvest time at Appley Farms, so Dan was really busy. However, just before dinner (a delicious affair that included some amazing chicken wings) we got a tour of the farm, that included an opportunity for Bubb to crawl into the combine. Dan was a tired, but very kind host to show us around.

We did get a chance at some photos of Dan and Cindy. They are trying to adjust to empty nesting, since Brian is married and in graduate school, Lauren is attending the University of Minnesota, and Derek is playing BBall. I think it is an easier adjustment for Dan than it is for Cindy.

We spent a restful night at Auntie Valene's, enjoyed a lovely breakfast of fresh scones and juice, and were on the road back to St. Cloud, MN, by 9:00 AM.

It was so great to see Valene doing well. We doubly enjoyed reconnecting with Cindy and meeting Dan for the first time.

We needed to be back in St. Cloud by 3:00 PM, because we had tickets for dinner and a lively play back in Minneapolis. We saw "I do, I do", and got home about midnight.

This trip has been a whirlwind, so far, but we are really enjoying ourselves. That is the primary reason it has taken so long for our first posting.

Buboppy

Conference Weekend

2010-10-04T05:21:00.001-07:00

We did it! Bubby and I were able to spend the entire weekend in St. George. It was absolutely heavenly. I fear it won't be a regular occurrence, but even if it only happens in October and April, it will be fun when it comes around.

We were able to take in a temple session on Friday afternoon, walk around St. George early on Saturday (we got to see all of the marathon preparations), have breakfast with the Englesteads, watch four sessions of conference together (great talks by so many), have a visit from, and lunch with, Drewfy and Evelyn, and even got home on Sunday in time to pick the garden (the tomatoes are MAJOR).

I have to admit, I missed having someone to go to priesthood session with. It is a lot more fun to go together. I hope my boys had a fun time where they were.

Busy day ahead. Leaving for Minnesota tomorrow morning, spending the night in Las Vegas tonight. Lots to get ready before we go.

I am sure we will have photos to post next time. We are going to visit Aunt Valene on Wednesday!

Buboppy

Buboppy

October 1st

2010-10-01T08:31:00.000-07:00

OK, I'll admit it. I am sitting at my desk (have been since 6:30 AM), not wanting to do what next needs doing. Tim O'Brien is jamming on "Turn the Page Again" (thank heavens for my iTunes work-playlist), and I going to post something. I should be working.

Not much unusual about this week. I did get to participate in the annual Thor's Thunderbird Classic golf tourney on Monday. It is a classy event hosted by Entrada in St. George. We had a grand time, ended up -7 for the tourney (-16 won), and I was glad for the diversion. Best part, I was at work the whole time. Played with a donor and a couple of potentials in my foursome.

Bubby has been busy at work. It is advisory board season (happens a couple a times each year). That means she has to arrange lots of catering, take and type minutes, create agendas, and generally oversee the process for the seven or so boards. She had two of them, back to back, on Tuesday, so she missed the chance to hang out at Drewfy's in the afternoon.

It is the beginning of faculty evaluation time for me. This is part of the administrative load each fall, a ritual of sorts. For the most part it is encouraging to see what a great faculty I have. Lots of dedication and outstanding accomplishment. However, there are always a few who need some encouragement. Even one or two that need to be threatened to shake them out of lethargy. Of course, I have worked with these people for years, like them on a personal level, which makes it hard to have to honestly evaluate their efforts. I missed a little sleep this week working out how best to proceed. Not whining, I asked for this job.

Bubb and I are headed for St. George this afternoon. We are doing the Temple, a little shopping, watching all the conference sessions, but mostly we are escaping. It's marathon weekend, so we may have a photo or two to post on Monday.

We did get to Skype with Leo this week. He (finally) got his birthday present from the Bubb and I. He looks so cool sitting on it, scooting up the hallway. Laur says he won't let them leave it outside. I guess he even rode it down the hall to fetch a roll of paper towels for her. Conjures up quite a mental images, doesn't it?

We love our grandkids. Every single one of them.

Buboppy

A Saturday in September

2010-09-21T08:43:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago, one of my colleagues, whom I really have grown to love and respect, quipped: "One Saturday in September is worth more than the entire month of February." This post will act as support for Dr. Bowns' assertion.

I went fishing on Beaver mountain with my old friend Scott Hanson on Friday morning. It was a glorious day, and we did catch some fish.

Bubb and I enjoyed a neighborhood party on Friday night. It was a BBQ where you bring your own meat and something to share with the neighbors. While they were grilling steak or chicken, Bubb and I grilled skewers of shrimp. The potluck was also interesting. There were three kinds of jello and two kinds of green salad. One neighbor brought an Asian noodle salad, and Bubb and I took a bag of Trader Joes wild rice mix (you know, the one with the daikon (radish) seeds) and mixed it with artichoke hearts, green olives, mayo, and little of the juice from the arti hearts. It was the hit of the party. One of the neighbors told Bubb that we were certainly "adventurous eaters." I think that is an understatement.

On Saturday, we didn't want to go anywhere or do anything, even though Cedar City was hopping. There was the annual Sky-balloon-fest, a half marathon with all of the attendant hoopla, and some kind of outdoor activity celebration. Bubb and I did the Walmart thing, and then spent the morning home, doing household and yard chores.

We broke for a movie at 1:00 PM, had lunch out, and then came back to our chores. It was such a grand day, that it was really hard to stay inside and work. The garden continues to produce and while the beans seem to have tapered off, the tomatoes are on, in earnest. We even made a big batch of salsa with the accumulated produce.

That evening, we watched the T-Bird women dismantle Oral Roberts University's volleyball team. It was good fun, because the games were all very close. We ended up winning the final (third) game by going to 30 points.

I can't say enough about how great the weather is right now. Just balmy and delightful. We are hoping for a long, drawn out fall, perhaps as drawn out as last winter was.

Buboppy

And the Winner Is . . .

2010-09-11T19:11:00.000-07:00

On Thursday morning, we decided to take a walk on the beach, after our morning pool time. It was a sunny, but windy day, and a perfect time to walk in the sand. The beach is only a couple of blocks from our lodgings, so it is an easy and natural thing to wander down.

Probably because of the strong, on-shore winds, the shore birds were clustered on the beach. There were four different varieties, but most were gulls. As we made our progress down the beach, they would lift off the sand, facing the wind, only to touch down another 50 yards down the beach.

Each time they lifted off, the air was filled with flapping wings and a rush of feathers. Bubby thought it quite a sight, so I tried to capture it in this photo. I'll let you, the reader, judge the quality of my effort.

Bubby was enjoying the occasional wave washing across her feet as we made our way back. The water was cool, but not unbearable. We could understand why the surfers all wear wet suits. I am sure if you spent much time in it, you would need one.

We had planned to catch the 3:30 Coaster to Old Town, so that Bubb could pick up the house number for Auntie Nell's neighbor. However, as we were running to buy our ticket and catch the train, proud that we had arrived with only a 10 minute wait, I realized that I had not transferred my wallet to the pants I was wearing. Since Bubb was "hands free" (our euphemism for without purse), we had to go back to our lodging, get the wallet, and then rush back to the transit center. Unfortunately, when we returned, the Coaster had already left. Next train, 5:01 PM.

We passed the time companionably enough, and headed into San Diego right on (amended) schedule. We got off in Old Town, ran up to the tile shop, discovered that they were out of the correct frames, made arrangements to have the number and frame shipped, and raced back to the trolley station to catch a ride to Petco Park and the Tin Fish. Unfortunately, there had been an accident earlier in the day, and the trolleys were running off schedule. We waited and waited, finally catching a different trolley, one that took us to the opposite side of the ball park from where the Tin Fish is located. That train was a true milk run, it took forever to get to the Park. We arrived at 7:00, the scheduled time for the game.

We had decided that we would miss the start of the game in favor of the last fish taco in our contest. We walked to the Tin Fish, got a table and ordered our taco plate. The price was about $11 for two tacos. Of course, we shared. This one had a generous portion of fish, and the usual cabbage and pico de gallo, but it was all piled on a flour tortilla. We immediately agreed that Harbor Fish and Chips did, indeed, have the best fish taco in the world (or San Diego, at least).

We got to the game at the top of the 3rd inning, and San Francisco was already in the lead. They never looked back. When we got to our seats, I noticed that the guy sitting in front of us was the same guy who had taken our order at the Tin Fish. It turns out he is the owner, and a Padre fan. We talked a little while we watched the game. Bubb wanted to tell him his crummy flour tortilla took his taco out of contention, but she exercised judgment.

The Padre ended up loosing 7 to 3, and we began the backward migration. This is the night view of the Coaster, as we were boarding it. Things actually went very smoothly, and we were back in our lodging before midnight.

Friday was a pretty lazy day, the only thing of note being another trip to the Harbor Fish and Chips for one last fish taco.

This morning, we had some shopping to do. Bubb wanted to take advantage of the cheap fresh corn so she could freeze it for later in the year. We went over and bought 25 ears. While we were shopping, we noticed these pickles on the shelf. Check out the name. Of course, Bubby says they are spelling it wrong, but she was pleased, never the less.

Here is our non-Jewish Bubby holding a bottle of Bubbies Jewish pickles. Too good a photo op to pass up.

We are packing our bags, headed out early in the AM. It's a long ride back to Cedar City from here. We have loved our little break, and while we feel refreshed, we hope it won't spoil the rest of the fall for us.

Buboppy

A Visit to Vista

2010-09-09T09:01:00.001-07:00

Our social calendar was pretty light yesterday. We spent the morning in quiet activities like piecing and correspondence. Yes, I have a situation at work that I am trying to work through long distance.

At 11:00, Bubb and I went down to Oceanside Harbor and Marina to try what Nancy E. thinks is THE best fish taco in the world.

This harbor side eatery is pretty low key, but it has both inside and outside eating opportunities. Bubby and I opted for outside, because it was a beautiful morning.

Here it is. Bubb and I ordered a two taco plate, which included a side of coleslaw. The cost was $11. Of course no mere human could eat two of these, so we each ate one. Bubb swore that Moby Dick was in her taco, peeking out from either side. Our assessment? I don't give anything a 10, its as simple as that. However, this one comes as close to 10 as is possible. The corn tortillas (doubled) were fresh and tasty. The sauce had a hint of herbs like dill, and the batter on the fish was light and fluffy. The fish, not as good as Bluewater, was still fresh tasting. We may have a winner, but with one more taco to try (at the Tin Fish) we are reserving judgment. It will have to be pretty good to compete. Ron E. thinks that the Tin Fish has THE fish taco. We'll find out tonight, because we are having dinner there on our way to the ball game.

After lunch, we loaded up and headed to Vista, CA, to find Costco and Sprouts. The Costco was different enough to be interesting. We did see a portable, stainless steel gas grill that we thought was pretty cool. It was light, could be cleaned with a power washer (like a car wash offers) and wouldn't take up so much room in your trunk. If this unit ever comes to Utah, it will revolutionize trips onto Cedar Mountain. No more BBQs on wheels in the back of pick up trucks (come on, you've noticed them, too).

Although it was listed on the Web as Sprouts, when we got there, the store was called Frasier Farms Market. It was certainly a lot like sprouts. The produce was absolutely gorgeous and farm fresh. The prices, like at Sprouts, the best we have seen in San Diego. We bought corn for our dinner (7 ears for a dollar) and this honeydew that Bubb could not resist. It cost her $0.77, that's right 77 cents for an entire honeydew! (Doesn't she look positively gleeful in the photo?) Of course we already have a cantaloupe in the fridge, so we will be taking this home, along with the box of peaches that Bubb could not resist.

When we returned to Oceanside, we tried to find a quilt store for Bubb. There were three listed on the Web, but none existed on the ground. We decided after that major disappointment that it was pool time. This is the pool layout at the Worldmark in Oceanside. The closest pool is actually a spa. That is where we usually hang out.

Here is Bubb soaking up the last rays of sunshine. She is wearing a new swim suit, but this is as much of it as she is willing to reveal.

I thought I ought to include at least one shot of the exterior of our Worldmark. Our room is on the third floor about half way down this wing. Nice views of the harbor and ocean out of our back window. The weather has been gorgeous, and we have had a blast. Sorry we can't start the whole week over again.

Buboppy

The Quest Continues

2010-09-08T09:18:00.000-07:00

The big event for the day is a trip to the San Diego Temple. Bubby wanted to time it so that we would miss as much traffic as possible and be able to see Uncle Bill and Aunt Verona at the temple. Uncle Bill serves as a shift coordinator, starting at 4:00 PM.

We were in no hurry in the morning, but at about 1:00 PM, we readied ourselves and headed down I-5 to Mission Valley. We were in search of this Triple D location (one we visited on our trip to SD in February). The Blue Water Seafood Market and Grill is a combination fish market and restaurant.

Ordering is a little overwhelming, but it goes like this. You choose what kind of fish you want from about a dozen choices. You tell them how to prepare it (lemon, oil and lemon, teriyaki, or whatever), and then whether you want it on a plate, in a salad, or in a sandwich. All these decisions have to made very quickly because the staff is very impatient. I guess this is a busy place most of the time.

Bubby wanted some scallops, and thought she was ordering them in a salad, but ended up with a sandwich. Sounds weird, but it was very good. The scallops were huge. We ordered a fish taco to share, wanting to have another entry in our quest, and I ordered a salad with teriyakied Hawaiian tuna (whatever that is). We didn't think we were ordering too much, but the total food on the plate was impressive. We just got it tucked away before we both said, enough.

This fish taco had wahoo (in Hawaiin "ono" which means delicious) as the star. Wahoo is a white flaky fish and the fish taco was very good. The fish was a 10/10, however I wouldn't rate the taco as a whole better than 8/10. Bubb said she might go 8.5. It was delicious and we both enjoyed it very much. Our original plan was to take photos of the food, but alas, it would have been too embarrassing in the crowded quarters where we ate. Our readers will just have to check this one out for themselves. We will definitely be going back on this trip because we didn't get to try the soups (CHOWDAH!) or the ceveche, which I enjoyed on our last trip.

It was just a 10-15 minute jaunt back up I-5 to the San Diego temple from our lunch spot. We didn't have to wait more than 15 minutes for our very small (less than 12 people including ourselves) session to start. It was a real role reversal. In St. George, the officiators tend to be old and the witness couples young. Bubb and I were asked to serve as witnesses, and our officiator couldn't have been much over 30.

The celestial room in the SD temple is absolutely stunning. The entire edifice is like something out of Architecture Digest. Building design elements are repeated in the decor so the same geometric highlights appear throughout the interior and exterior. I asked Bubb if she had her camera so we could take a photo of the celestial room, and she gave me a crusty. Go figure.

We did get to see Uncle Bill, and Bubb saw Aunt Verona as she was heading into a session. We may have an opportunity to get together with them later in the week. Our social calendar is not too demanding this week.

After the temple, we drove back to Oceanside and tucked in for the night. Bubby watched the final two episodes of 24-season 2, and we had some dessert.

This morning we walked down the beach again, out on the pier, and back home. We are planning another fish taco and perhaps a trip to Vista. Just to take a look around.

Buboppy

Padres 4 Dodgers 2

2010-09-07T11:01:00.000-07:00

Once we got back to our digs yesterday, we were pretty lazy. We took some time for piecing (quilting) and correspondence, and then exerted the effort to go to the pool. We went for a dip in the hot tube, and sat in the sun and read our books. I have never been much of a by the pool guy, but, I could get used to this.

Our big event for the day was the Padres game at Petco Park in downtown San Diego. We could have driven down, and then searched out and paid for parking, but on the advise of others, we decided to ride the Coaster down to the game. We dutifully checked the schedule, and decided on a trip into the city early enough to include Old Town (Bubb is looking for another house number like we bought in February, for a friend of hers) and perhaps dinner at the Tin Fish. We decided on a 3:30 departure from the Oceanside Transit Center.

When we got there, we unfortunately discovered that because of the Labor Day holiday, the Coaster would only make one trip that day. A 4:55 PM departure specifically to provide transportation to the Padres game. We tried to make sure of the details, but found the ticketing staff a little bewildered by our questions. We asked really hard ones like, "Is the Coaster running to the game, or not?" "Which track will it arrive on?" You know things that only Heavenly Father could know.

We did purchase our tickets. It seems that Bubb's days as a cheap date are coming to an end. It cost $13.00 for her Coaster round trip ticket and only $6.50 for the newest senior citizen in the Eves family. She still wants to be a cheap date, but for the next two years, it looks like I may have a few advantages. Of course how cool is it to get a senior discount? Not very.

We had some time to burn. Bubb suggested a return to Worldmark and lunch at the Harbor Fish & Chips (highly recommended for its fish tacos). I pointed out that by the time we drove back, parked our car, walked to the marina, and reversed the process, we would be hurrying. My alternate plan was to find food on Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and enjoy it at our own pace. I told Bubb she had to choose the restaurant.

We drove along the PCH clear to Carlsbad, but Bubb didn't see anything that intrigued her. We passed this place on our way south, and when we turned back north, figuring that Carlsbad was too far from our train, we spotted the sign below.

Quote, "If we are on a quest for fish tacos, this is as good a place to start as any." I looked at the price (top line) and figured, what the heck. This place was sooooooo greasy. I know why Ron and Nancy haven't ventured here for fish tacos. We ordered up two for $4.85 and a side of "fresh cut" fries, and tried not to get infected while we waited. When the tacos came we were pleasantly surprised. They were huge, piled high with fresh-fried white fish, jack cheese, cabbage, onion, tomatoes, and a sour creme-based sauce-all wrapped in a fresh corn tortilla. There was fresh salsa and pickled carrots to be had as well. We both devoured the tacos, rating them 7/10 on our quest scale, and commented that Harbor Fish and Chips and the Tin Fish might have some competition in our taste test and were already sucking wind on our cost test. The fries tasted just like In-n-Out, except they were thicker. Very, very good. The entire meal cost $7 and change. Not too bad.

Catching the Coaster proved to be more challenging than we thought. We parked, walked over to wait, and the fun began. There were two tracks, shared with Amtrak. We were trying to get our bearings and a lady on the other track (Track 2) shouted over that if we were catching the Coaster to San Diego, we needed to wait on Track 2. This involved a trip down two flights of stairs, a stroll through the tunnel, and a hike back up the stairs. Very soon thereafter, a voice came over the loud speaker. It announced that the Coaster would be leaving from Track 1. So, we reversed the process, and resumed our wait for the train, which by now was late. One of the Transit security folks instructed us that the Coaster would actually be leaving from Track 2. Down the stairs, through the tunnel, back up the stairs, and we wait. Not ten minutes later, the same security staff member informed us that the train would be leaving from Track 1, after all. Reverse the process.

I realize that this photo of the Bubb is a little out of focus, however, in the photo that is in-focus she is not smiling. Probably exhausted from all the stair hiking and tunnel travel. That photo was rejected by the Bubb.

Once we got off of the Coaster, we just followed the Padre and Dodger fans to a trolley and then to the park. Piece of cake. Our seats were on the left field line. We were four rows back from the left field fence. I thought we might see a fly ball, but it didn't happen.

After the game, we reversed the process to get back to Oceanside. While it didn't involve as much stair work, we still didn't arrive at the Worldmark until after 12:30 AM. Way past the Bubb's bedtime. She ate half a peanut butter sandwich and crashed. We did get to play a little cribbage on the way home. As long as Bubby was thrashing me, she was willing to play. When I won the first game, she quite. Actually, it was approaching midnight and Bubby's head was morphing into a pumpkin like form. She just couldn't handle the mental anguish.

Once we woke this morning, we decided that a trip to the grocery was in order, before breakfast. We did our work on the computer and found the nearest was Ralphs, a Kroger affiliate like Smith's in Utah. It was 8:30 AM, and when we plugged the address into Tom Tom, she wanted us to get on the I-5 for a 2.5 mile trek. Not likely at that time. I just started down the PCH and let her have apoplexy trying to steer me back to I-5. She finally gave in and took us there via the PCH.

Ralphs is a nice store and we bought our stuff. But we noticed, like Smith's, it was a little pricey. Before returning to our digs, we noticed the market pictured above. At first I thought it was a Mexi-market, but it ended up being a health food/international store with amazing deals on produce and a wide variety of ethnic foods. More kinds of yogurt than I have ever seen. You know how we love a grocery store, so we enjoyed our morning. We even found some Oceanspray White Peach and Cranberry mix-in powders, to make yucky water taste good (look for it in the store, Babs, pricey but good).

Today we will go to the San Diego temple and Blue Water Fish Company. More later.

Buboppy

Labor Day in Oceanside

2010-09-06T10:59:00.000-07:00

Bubby and I rose early this morning (imagine that) and took a walk down the beach toward the Oceanside Pier. The tide was out, so our walk along the beach was on packed sand and cobbles. We were looking for shells, but didn't see much. Bubby says she knows a much better place nearer to San Diego. Unfortunately, that one isn't within walking distance.

When we got near the pier, there was quite a bit of activity and it turns out that this morning is the annual "swim around the pier" event. We wandered around the registration area, and discovered that event didn't start until 8:30 AM. We had an hour to burn, so we decided to walk out to the end of the pier and watch from there. There were fishermen all the way along the pier. We got to do some people watching, a favorite pass time.

When we got to the end of the pier, we decided to have some breakfast at Ruby's Diner. We secured a nice window seat with an unimpeded view, and took our sweet time with breakfast. It ended up being lots more than either of us wanted to eat, but we milked it long enough to watch the paddle boarders and first flight of swimmers make the turn at the end of the pier.

We just had our little pocket camera, but hopefully you can make out the mass of humanity in the water headed for the end of the pier. It is overcast this AM, and I am sure that the water is in the mid-60s, but it didn't deter these hearty folk.

We are back in our digs now. Bubby is sewing, and I am writing this. We have tickets to the Padres tonight, so we will have to figure out how to ride the Coaster into San Diego and then how to ride the trolley to Petco Park. Should make for some excitement.

Hope all of you are enjoying more holiday activities.

Buboppy

One Last Look at Big Bear

2010-09-06T10:32:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, after the yard sales, morning walk, and pool time, we took a drive out to one of the marinas and took a walk out to the lake shore along a jetty. It was blustery and crowded, but we did watch a para-sailor and some jet ski renters on the water.

Englesteads insisted on taking a photo of us with the lake in the background. Bubby was happy. She doesn't have many photos of the two of us together, and I throw half of those that exist away. You know how I enjoy being photographed.

Here are our wonderful host and hostess. They not only showed a great time in Big Bear, they provided the opportunity for us to be here in San Diego enjoying life. There is talk of a January trip to Indio, CA, which would be wonderful. We will be anticipating that. They are just a great couple to have fun with.

One of our recreation options was some time on the water. The problem was that they wanted $85/hour to rent a little boat. We decided to pass. I caught the girls drooling over this number, so I forced them to pose for a photo. Paying the $15K price tag (used and five years old) for this one would just be the beginning. We would have to make a serious investment just to take it to the lake.

As part of the quest for "big bears" we visited a log sculpture place where there hundreds from which to choose. The prices were certainly californiacated, but if you consider them art, they were probably appropriately priced. I got Bubb to pose on this bench that had carved bears on either end.

That evening we went out to an Asian restaurant for dinner. Bubby and I enjoyed a bowl of Thai soup and some chicken paenang (red curry in coconut cream). The soup was delicious, but blazing hot. It even brought tears to Ron's eyes and he is a serious chili head. We enjoyed our dinner and went for frozen yogurt afterward. It was a lovely way to end our stay in Big Bear.

Buboppy

16224 Govecenter Street

2010-09-06T10:08:00.000-07:00

Although we knew we would be disappointed in the end, we couldn't resist a drive past the former address (above) that was home to so many happy memories. It was here that we all ate spread tacos, picked lemons and avocados, played so many games of cards, and laughed together in the living room.

Bubb and I just wanted to see how things looked, and unfortunately, the current owners aren't showing the love to the old house that it is used to. When we pulled up, they were trying to tame the jungle that was formerly Granny's rose garden. The big evergreen tams on the corner were huge and the whole family of current owners were hacking away at them. Probably needed to do so in order to provide visibility to those turning right onto Hartley street. I remember doing some surgery myself after Lumpy passed away.

So, here is the front door. The hydrageneas are still there, but there have been a few new trees and shrubs planted in the yard. We did notice that the house needed painting, but with a wooden exterior, your house always needs paint somewhere.

We had to be a little surreptitious in our surveillance, because the homeowners were right out front. I am sure they would have demanded some explanation if they had noticed us shooting photos. We got this photo of the garage side of the house. Notice the new door on the north garage.

This is Bubb's favorite photo. The big tree in the back is the old avocado tree that my Grandpa, Jasper Almond, planted so long ago from a seed he sprouted in a mason jar. We used to get groceries sacks of avocados to haul back to Utah with us when this thing was in season. We can't even imagine what it would cost to buy all those avocados.

"You can never go back home again" is more of a reality than any of us would like to admit. Both Bubby and I were glad we stopped, but I don't think I will need to do so again. This happy place will live in our memories forever, but, quite frankly, our memories are far rosier than the reality that currently exists.

Buboppy

An Auntie Carolyn Sighting!

2010-09-05T20:34:00.000-07:00

Although we have much more to report on, the news that many of our readers are waiting to hear pertains to our visit to see Aunt Carolyn on her birthday. We were out the door from our Big Bear accommodations promptly at 8:30 AM, having eaten our breakfast and dressed for church. The road down the mountain to Redlands and San Bernardino was soo serpentine that Bubby referred to it as the "curviest road in the world." Not sure about that.

We arrived in West Covina with about 40 minutes to spare, so we decided to stop by the old homestead on Grovecenter Street just to see how things looked. We will post the photos of our drive by "shooting" very soon.

When we got to the church, thanks to Tom Tom, we were immediately recognized as the children of Jasper and Edith. It seems that in the process of redefining boundaries many of the old Baldwin Park II ward members ended up in the Orangewood Ward, where we were attending. A member of the bishopric immediately spotted me as Grandpa's son. Unfortunately it has been so long since we have seen many of these people and we were unable to place some of them.

There was a lovely spirit in the testimony meeting, and we sat right next to Aunt Carolyn. We actually sandwiched her so both Bubb and I could maintain maximum contact. It was sooooo very good to see her, talk to her, and even squeeze on her a little bit. Best of all, she is very involved in her ward, and doing wonderful acts of service among its members.

While this is not the greatest photo of Aunt Carolyn, we couldn't pass up the chance to photograph her with my cousin Donna Marie (Uncle Leo and Aunt Donna Miner). She looked great and seems absolutely ageless.

We stayed the whole block and had many chances to remember Granny and Lumpy with the former members of their ward. While I was in High Priests, the Group Leader, mentioned that his wife visiting taught with Granny. He said he had been the beneficiary of some of Granny's sage advise, via his wife, just that week. Upon his telling me that story, one of the other brethern in the quorum announced, "Jasper Eves was my mentor in the Gospel." They did good in The Church all of their lives. We have a great legacy of service to live up to. It was an exceptionally fun day today, and we had lots of chances to remember Granny and Lumpy and all of our fun times together. It made us miss them more than ever.

Although it was Sunday, we decided to have lunch together at a strip mall sushi spot. The food was fine, the company much better. We talked for nearly two hours just enjoying being together. When it was time to go, there were hugs all around, and we parted company. We all promised to do a better job of staying in touch, however, since Aunt Carolyn is anti-email, it will be a challenge. I do have her cell phone number, though . . .

We drove south for about 90 minutes and arrived safely in Oceanside. We are installed in our digs, unpacked and ready for a ton of fun this week.

Buboppy

The Search for Big Bears

2010-09-04T15:57:00.000-07:00

We were able to get out of Cedar City fairly early on Friday morning. Of course, the preparation to get out of town was extensive, parts of it took the entire week. For example, I had to file some Eagle Scout paperwork for a boy in our ward who turned 18 on August 31st, and I finally got the last signature and merit badge posted to the Utah Scouts site on Thursday afternoon. Whew!

We had a delightful drive to Baker, California, and even got through the rush hour traffic in Las Vegas in short order. Bubby had her heart set on breakfast at The Mad Greek in Baker (a Triple D location). It was truly a dive, but the menu was extensive, and we were late for the breakfast rush and early for the lunch crush. We shared an omelet that contained gyro meat, tomatoes and onions, accompanied by hashed browns and pita bread for toast. We even shared a custard filled Greek pastry. It was OK.

We turned off of I-15 at Barstow, and headed south to the Lucerne Valley and then up the north slope of the San Bernardino mountains. Our faithful navigator Tom Tom took us right to the driveway of our accommodations, the Worldmark on Starvation Flats Road.

We hooked up with our friends the Englesteads, who were enjoying the pool when we arrived. After moving in, we did a little touring and had lunch at a Mexican restaurant. This is a fun couple, the ones who made it possible for us to stay at the Worldmark resort in Oceanside. We will be taking residence there on Sunday afternoon.

We did a drive around Big Bear Lake, stopped to check on a couple of flea markets, and made it bake to our lodging in time to eat dinner (a lovely Thai chicken salad that will be trying to duplicate) and a rousing game of Bloody Smash (Bubb was proud that she won).

We were awake early but not wanting to bother our hosts, we slipped out at 6:30 AM for a brisk walk around town. We visited several neighborhoods and found a couple of grocery stores. We even had a cream cheese filled pastry at a Mexican bakery.

We returned to our digs at about 8:30, and had time for a new.familysearch.org lesson on how to look at birth certificates from Ron. Nancy fed us a lovely breakfast of ham and eggs, and we all went for a walk in search of yard sales and "big bears". Just as the pineapple is the symbol of hospitality in New England, carved wooden bear statues are the symbol of hospitality at Big Bear. We got a lot of great photos. We also visited a ton of yard sales. We didn't buy much, but we looked at everything while enjoying a couple of miles of walking in the cool forested streets.

When we got back home, we changed, and headed for the pool for swimming, sun, cribbage, lunch, more sun and swimming, and then finally (after 4:00 PM) we all showered and dressed for the day.

So far this outing has been nothing but fun. Stay tuned.

Buboppy

They're Here . . .

2010-08-31T05:56:00.000-07:00

So on Tuesday afternoon, Bubby and I drove down to St. George. She had a doctor's appointment and we were going to enjoy the evening at the condo. Her annual checkup went very well, and after "linner" at the OG, we hooked on to the boat and headed for Sand Hollow. Fishing was good, and I caught a few. It was super hot, and I think that contributed to what ultimately spoiled our trip.

In the middle of my fishing, and before the all important last hour of daylight, I began to have the familiar spasm associated with kidney stones. I told Bubb we had better get the boat back on the trailer while I was still able. Sure enough, before we got back to the condo, I was in the grip of an attack. Anyone who has been through this knows the drill, and I won't elaborate except to say by 10:00 PM I was in real trouble. Bubby had wanted to drive home, even though our plan was to spend the night, because there were drugs at home. I was afraid that I wouldn't make it.

We finally ended up at the ER at Dixie Regional Medical Center. I got something for the pain, and back to the condo we went. The past week has been one of waiting for the stone to drop. Lots of water consumption, lots of trips to the tottie in the night, and an uncertainty as to whether the storm has passed or not. At least I have not had to use the pain medication again (knock on wood).

We laid pretty low on the weekend. Took in "39 Steps" at the USF (not my cup of tea), saw a movie on Saturday, and went to a wedding reception. Bubby go to spend a little time with Jack Bauer. She is watching the second season of "24". It doesn't do much for me, but she finds it very gripping stuff. The good news is that with the release of the new iPod touch application for Netflix, she will be able to stream the remaining seasons to her iPod and I won't have to sleep through it anymore. I am sure that I can find something else to sleep through though. That seems to be my lot in life. Awake before 4:00 AM, snoozy by 8:00 PM.

We are getting very excited for our anniversary trip to San Diego. We leave early on Friday morning, drive to Big Bear, CA, and hook up with our friends, Ron and Nancy. We will stay there together until Sunday morning, when we will part company. We are planning to attend church with Aunt Carolyn on her birthday!!! After visiting with her, we will be driving on down to Oceanside to stay at our lodgings until Sunday, September 12th. I am sure we will find some fun adventures while we are there. We will see two Padres games, venture into Old Town in search of house numbers, walk the beach, eat lots of good food, and probably visit Uncle Bill and Aunt Verona.

If we have internet access, we'll keep our faithful readers posted about what we are up to while in San Diego. Stay tuned.

Buboppy

T-Bird Flight School

2010-08-24T05:50:00.000-07:00

I won't mention the fact that I have no photos.

Last week was busy with faculty retreats, the USF, and T-Bird Flight School. We had a full slate of meetings on Monday that went on, and on. Tuesday was pretty open, which allowed time to try and get organized for the rest of the week. I think that is also the day that Bubby attended the USF production of "Pride and Prejudice". Dan and I dragged the boat to New Castle res and did a little smallie fishing. We had lots of action but never really caught a big fish. The electronics and trolling motor worked flawlessly. There were lots of other folks there fishing, including a large group of non-English speakers that were harvesting the heck out of the whipers. I am wondering if they had licenses and knew anything about limits. We had to leave before that last half hour of daylight because a storm was threatening. There was lots of black and lightening popping all around us.

On Wednesday, it was more meetings, right up until 6:00 PM. On Thursday, I held a retreat and luncheon for the College of Science faculty and staff. I had planned a 20 minute presentation with questions and answers. It went nearly an hour. Lots going on, and so lots of questions. I was glad to get my part of the back to school completed on Thursday afternoon.

Jean and Jerry Oyler dropped by for a visit on Thursday afternoon. Their granddaughter, Devon, is an incoming SUU freshman, and they came to help install her in her dorm. We had a nice dinner in the backyard, and were joined by their son, Philip, daughter-in-law, Jana, and granddaughter Megan. It was a cool and pleasant evening and great fun to just catch up with such good friends. Jerry was as full of mischief as usual. Those interested, certainly not me, attended the Green Show and even had a tart. Jerry and Jean were able to spend the night, so Bubby got to see them off in the AM.

On Friday, we all participated in T-Bird Flight School. This is a campus program designed to introduce incoming students to campus and help them get connected to its resources. Part of the event involves a march under the Carter Carillon. This is a great event, but there were sure a lot of incoming students to welcome. The line seemed to go on forever.

After the students enjoyed their lunch, we welcomed those who are considering majors in the sciences to the Science building. There was a beehive of activity, and certainly far more students than we had prepared for, but we survived.

Immediately after that even, Bubb and I stole away to St. George for a trip to the Temple, dinner at the Honolulu Grill, and a visit with Uncle Rol and Auntie Nell. We talked about doing another session on Saturday morning, but there were chores that needed doing. I reattached the rain gutter downspout in the back, and Bubby trimmed the out of control roses. We had lots of little items to pick up from various stores, so we spent a fair amount of time there.

Dan and Rosalyn drove down to take a turn in the Temple, and Bubby and I took Drewfy and Mevelyn on an outing. We did Jimmy John's and the Vernon Worthen Park. It was hot, but we still enjoyed ourselves. We finished up with a trip to Larson's Frost Top and ice cream for the kids, Diet Coke with lemon for Poppy.

It is always hard to leave our little home away from home and return to real life. Neither Bubb or I was very excited to go, but, alas, Sunday was looming large.

Buboppy

The Calm Before the Back-to-School Storm

2010-08-16T07:41:00.000-07:00

Alas, we still have no photos. Our pre-startup routine is pretty boring, because we are trying to maintain as low a profile as possible.

Bubby and I did run to St. George to do a temple session on Thursday afternoon. One Dutchman down, 19 to go in this batch. After the session, we hooked up with Uncle Rol, Auntie Nell, Uncle Bill, and Aunt B at 'Nesto's. I don't think they enjoyed their dinner as much as Bubb and I enjoyed sharing our tostado grande. After some pleasant conversation, Bubby and I hooked on to the boat and hauled it to Cedar City. I was going to have my neighborhood mechanic take a look at my electrical problems.

Friday was a busy work day, but Bubb and I drove over to Tropic to attend the wedding reception of a friend's daughter in the evening. We saw John Yardley there, and had a nice visit. We even got to have our favorite club sandwich at the Bryce Pines.

Saturday was a work day. I had promised Bubby two things this summer. One was to take a look at the under-mattress support on our bed and other was to clean off the work bench in the garage. When I took the mattresses off to take a look, the steel frame had come unclamped. I also noticed that some of the plastic inserts in the six support legs had broken and slipped so that they were no longer offering resistance to the weight of the sleepers. We tried to replace them at the Home Depot, but they didn't have anything like what we needed. I figured out how to do it with lock washers and nuts, and I put the bed frame back together. I got thinking that it might be worthwhile to add four 1 x something slats to help distribute the sleeping load, particularly on my side of the bed. So back to the Depot we went and obtained the necessary materials.

After the bed, I started on the bench. Lots of accumulation, but by 2:30 PM, I had it pretty well cleaned up. My neighborhood mechanic had been in Mesquite, and he called and offered to take a look at the boat. It turned out that the battery cable ends had not been properly crimped at the factory and that was the source of most of the problems. The big motor has a circuit that allows the charging of the trolling motor battery, and that wasn't working either. It took him less than an hour to track it down. Can't wait to see if my trolling motor and electronics are working. Maybe later this week.

We celebrated the first picking of green beans in the garden on Saturday, as well. It looks like the beginning of great things. We shared some with a neighbor who had been watching the progress of the beans over the fence and started dropping off produce in exchange as he saw them approaching maturity.

On Sunday, we enjoyed a leisurely morning, entertained Daniel, Rosalyn, and the kids for lunch, and played a few games to fill in the afternoon. Bubby has been trying to clean out the fridge, and noticed she had the key ingredients for a big lasagna. I encouraged her to put a little mild Italian sausage in it, and we had enough baby eggplants to also put a layer of sauteed eggplant in the mix. It was fabulous, the eggplant being a highlight. We also had a big bowl of green beans (Drewfy ate a ton) caprese salad, an antipasta salad, bread, some roasted veggies, and an apple cobbler with ice cream (the last two items courtesy of Daniel and Rosalyn).

Today, it all begins. We have our opening meeting this morning, and Bubby's organization is having their opening meetings this afternoon. I will be keeping an eye on Drewfy and Mevelyn this evening while their Mom and Dad go to back to school night at the SUU pre-school. I will take a camera.

Buboppy

An Update

2010-08-10T12:42:00.000-07:00

I have no photos, profound thoughts, travel log, or anything else of substance to offer. Just an update of what is going on here in Cedar City.

When we returned home from the reunion, we were both pretty well knackered. Nevertheless, I had an important fund raising lunch to attend with our biggest Science Center addition benefactor. The lunch, and subsequent conversation, went very well. We continue to cultivate this donor because we may need additional resources to get our addition finished.

Late that afternoon, Bubb and I went to the movies to see "The Other Guys." Not great, but mildly amusing.

Saturday was busy. There was cleaning, yard work, and gardening to do. We stayed at it most of the day. It was so nice to be home again that, although we were very busy, the day sped by and we were blissfully content. We did take a break to go see "Dinner for Schmucks." Bubb is a big Steve Carell fan, and although the film was crude, she laughed out loud in many places.

Sunday was equally busy. We entertained the Wells family for breakfast as they made their northward return. I taught SS (Lesson 30) and Bubb conducted RS. We got to help Patsy get to church and have some Sunday dinner, which I count as a blessing. We had home teachers, our own dinner, Dan and Family for dessert, and more. It was grand.

Monday was face-the-grind-day and both Bubb and I had to go back to work with a vengeance. I had a six our Deans' Council, and Bubb had work plus presidency meeting, followed by a haircut. I went out to start my car for the homeward trek, and it was non-responsive. Bubb drove over with jumper cables, but nothing. I drove her to Uncle Roland Williams for her haircut, stopped at Auto Zone for supplies, ran home to change my clothes and grab tools, and changed out the battery myself. Just one of my many talents. I know how to replace the toothpaste, too.

I am sure there is big excitement ahead. We are going to try to squeeze in a 36 hour vacation before school starts on the 23rd. We are currently thinking about doing it in St. George, at the condo. So stay tuned.

Buboppy

Clarke Reunion

2010-08-06T13:04:00.001-07:00

We returned home today from a five-day Clarke reunion at Brian Head. Some of our readers will know that UP, AK, Bubb, and I were in charge this year. This was the fiftieth year of the reunions, and we wanted it to be special. I hope that others thought it was.

There was great participation from the Ralph Clarke family (Steven and Ellen), the Mark Clarke family (Odeen and Lois Mae and all of their children, grandchildren, and great grands), Robert Clarke family (Stephen, Paul, and Mark), and the Edith Eves family (UP and us). All tolled, there were probably seventy people. We tried to take advantage of the fun stuff there is to do, and I think we did.

Monday morning, we rose early and eleven of us went fishing in a rented boat on Panguitch Lake. Steve Clarke (husband of Sharon of Market Grill pie fame) made all the arrangements and showed us a wonderful time. Everyone caught fish. Beany, Jake and I went along, and we had a lot of fun. We only fished half-a-day, but had a great time anyway.

Here is Jakey with his first fish. Hooked it all by himself.

The intrepid fishermen with about 1/4 of the catch (the ones we didn't turn back).

We had a really fun family home evening on Monday night, hosted by the Mannings. We played Clarke family trivia and "minute to win it" type games. Of course the team that included Poppy, Raymond, and Tony won it all. Tony even did a victory lap around the room when the winners were announced.

On Tuesday morning, eight golfers went to Cedar Ridge to conduct the 2010 Memorial Orange Ball tourney. Paul Clarke took the leadership. He made it really fun. Everyone was given one orange ball, and there was a prize for anyone who played their whole round with it.

Paul is a single-digit handicapper, and I thought he would walk away with it. He was paired with his son David, a police officer from Las Vegas. UP was paired up with Bruce Bennett of movie review fame in St. George. I played with my cousin Stephen Clarke, and Tony and Bean were the fourth team. Tony, Bean, Stephen and I were all in the same foursome.

Bean had to leave us after four holes (orientation at Weber State for his specialty schooling), but Paul allowed us to combine scores from the three of us remaining, and wonder of wonders, Stephen, Tony, and I won this year's Orange Ball. Paul and David would like to play with us again next year.

On Wednesday morning we ran to Cedar City and played nine more holes, but that put us back at Brian Head an hour late for the start of our geologic tour of Cedar Mountain. Bubby was not pleased with Poppy.

Our first stop was Brian Head peak lookout. At 11,307 feet above sea level, the view was inspiring. Rosalyn and the kids rode with me and Bubby and Babsy rode together. Kate made a conquest at the reunion. That is Connor Clarke, grandson of Paul and Dixie. He was infatuated from the get go. He is mildly autistic, so he had a little trouble knowing how to interact, but to Katie's credit, she rose above that, and they were pals by the end of the reunion.

Bubby shot this photo of Jaye in her eighth (or is it ninth?) month. She was as fun as ever and really loved being at the reunion.

We hiked to Cascade Falls, as part of the tour. Everyone made it on their own power.

We also visited Mammoth Cave and Drewfy and Rosalyn ventured down into the opening. It was dark and cool in there.

Here is Maddie and Mark Hulet. They seem to be enjoying married life. He is a super nice kid and fits in well.

I got this candid of Jaye and Vince at the mouth of the cave. Vince is too cute, still.

Upon on our return, we had a special talent night and karaoke. Elizabeth Manning McComb's husband told the kids an African adventure story that held them spellbound. Babsy and I had to leave before the karaoke got rolling (Bean was back in Parowan from orientation), but we understand that people got involved. Dan and Rosalyn both made an effort.

On Thursday, UP and I, with the help of everybody in our families, put on a Dutch oven breakfast for the reunion. We had potatoes, a breakfast cobbler (with a biscuit crust), scrambled eggs, cold cereal, muffins, yogurt, juice and milk. It was fabulous and very well attended. We probably fed about sixty-five.

In the afternoon, those interested attended a play at the USF. We stayed home and rested. That evening there was a family meeting to discuss the future of the reunion. It was a really interesting discussion, and the fourth generation attending absolutely refused to let the reunion die a natural death. The decision was made to shorten the reunion to three days, alternate between Utah and California, and continue on an alternating year basis. The next Clarke reunion will be summer of 2012 in southern California. Elizabeth McComb is going to take the lead.

We also discussed the Jasper Eves reunion, and Babsy has agreed to organize it for the summer of 2011. Keep us in mind as you plan your vacations next year. We want to have as much fun as we had in Birdseye.

We concluded the formal part of the reunion with a movie night, and Daniel was facilitator. It was loads of fun, and very apparent who the techies and Apple computer users were. Only their presentations really worked.

Thanks to all who participated and to Babs and Dan for supporting Bubb and I. We had fun together.

Buboppy

This is the Place

2010-07-31T08:43:00.000-07:00

On Saturday of the 24th weekend, Bubby wanted to go downtown and watch the Days of 47 parade. Sarah had done her homework asking all of her friends and neighbors from which vantage point to view the parade. Without exception, the response was, "why would you want to go watch the parade?" I guess it is a stay over night affair and wall to wall people. After some discussion, and disappointment for Bubb, we decided to go to This is the Place State Park instead, and we found it to be uncrowded and very enjoyable.

Almost immediately, we boarded the "train" that circumnavigates the park and went for a ride. You can see the Wells kids are loving it.

Then Bubby, Bean and the older Wells kids got to ride on a miniature railroad round and round the pond.

While they rode, Babsy, Maggs and I watched from the sidelines.

Jake got to participate in the "pie" eating contest. The pie consist of an aluminum pie pan filled with Cool Whip. Buried under all that goo, there was a plastic fish that participants had to retrieve with their teeth and tongue.

He is poised and ready.

And we are off!

I think he has a little spot without any Cool Whip.

We also got to ride the ponies, which is something that the Chee loves, as you can see.

From the ponies to the petting zoo. Jake and Katie were having a ball. Chee was having more fun jumping the drainage ditch, lined with river stones.

This one is for Booty. Beany is fondling a pigmy goat in his honor.

Of course Jake was just loving being able to touch all the animals. There were even French lop rabbits, a long time favorite of the Bubbs.

Before we went to lunch, we stopped in at the mini-pioneer town, and Bubby let the girls have their photo taken in front of whatever building they chose.

We went to the Brigham Young "forest home" and had our picnic of cheese, bread, and fruit on the lawn. By the time we finished, the parade was over and the people were starting to pack in. We got out just in time.

All in all, this is a fun park, and while it's no Red Butte Gardens, we might go back some time.

Buboppy

Pioneer Day

2010-07-29T07:13:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, Bubb and I drove to SLC to spend the Pioneer Weekend with the Wells. We had to stop in at the Gateway before going to the Wells' home, but that was a pleasant diversion because Bubb found some clothing she needed to buy. I found my appointment with the Apple store and got a new Invisishield installed on my iPad.

On Friday, we did a little shopping in the fabric stores (more skirts for the girls) and had a bite of lunch. We then headed to Red Butte Gardens, our new favorite oasis in the Salt Lake valley.

There was a fountain just inside the garden, and none of the kids could resist the opportunity to get a little wet. It was a hot day, and even Maggie got to put her feet in.

Romping in the fountain.

We went to the children's garden so the girls could play in the sand and we just lounged in the shade on the grassy knoll. Maggs got to have her own little photo shoot. Can you say, "Extreme closeup"?

After the girls got out of the sand box, they needed to rinse off (you know, fountain first, then sand box). I couldn't resist taking this image of independent Chee taking care of things.

She posed for me during her scaling of the lizards on the lawn, as well.

Here are the Wells children as we reluctantly left our peaceful (and nearly solitary!) visit to the children's area.

That evening, Sarah's ward hosted a Pioneer Day event billed as "Breakfast for Dinner." They normally do it on the morning of the 24th, however, the "other" ward in their building was taking a turn at the morning time, so it was done on the evening before the 24th. I got a couple of head shots of the kids. Our Jake is sure growing up. I can't believe it. He is a pretty nice brother, too.

Here is a photo of when Maggie is happiest. You guessed it, when her Mom has her. (Note the "big hair". I love the twin antenna look.)

The upside of the event for Jake was that there was a lot of food, including a nearly unlimited supply of bacon. He had his share and then some. There was also a pancake eating contest, but we talked Jake out of participating. We watched him nearly blow chunks at the event a year ago. Nothing puts a damper on an eating contest like the scent of fresh barf.

Following the pancake contest, all the of the kids rode their decorated conveyances around the church block. I was posted at the top of the street to make sure everyone turned the corner. The Wells kids rode their scooters. Of course Jake is fast and confident on his.

Katie is a notorious speed demon on hers, and she looks so pretty while pushing it. Kate and Lyd decorated their scooters with the help of their Mom, Jake wasn't interested.

Finally, Lyd came chugging by. She is starting to get the hang of scooting, and seems much more at ease now. She sure looks cute on her short handled Razor. Thanks to Sarah and Aaron for inviting us to come to SLC.

Buboppy

Goodbye Chicago

2010-07-19T08:32:00.001-07:00

My meetings wrapped up at about Noon on Wednesday. All in all, probably worth the time and money. Bubb and I hooked up in the room where we shared a sandwich from a highly tauted deli (Fox and Obel). We headed for the Red Line and rode the El to the Shedd Aquarium.

As I always do, I tried to take photos of the fish with very limited success. Our travel camera is several years old now, and the fish either move, or I move, before an image can be captured. We did get this photo, and thought our animal lover-grandsons would enjoy it.

After the crowded aquarium we headed to Greek town and the Parthenon. We really enjoyed our Greek salad and a stuffed pepper appetizer. Bubby had a sampler plate, and really didn't enjoy it much. I had some calamari that tasted pretty good.

NBC has offices in Chicago, and I talked Bubb into a photo op.

We went over the Millennium park upon returning to downtown, and there was a free concert in progress. We didn't stay too long, but we were sure surrounded by lots of people enjoying the music, picnicking on the lawn.

Final verdict. Chicago was really fun to visit, lots to see and do, fabulous restaurants, but there is no place like home.

Buboppy

American Girl and Millenium Park

2010-07-14T18:02:00.000-07:00

Tuesday morning Robert and I left our room at the same time my goal was to beat the crowds to the American Girl store at 835 N Michigan

Upon arrival I was welcomed by many smiling clerks who seemed to love their work. First of all I wanted to see where the tea party's I read about were to be set. The dolls have their own pink chairs just their size to set up to the table so they can join in on the pleasant conversation.

Specialty dolls were downstairs and the "look like me" dolls were upstairs. I had a fun time inspecting the clothing for the dolls and the detail that was carefully taken for each outfit. I wonder who does the sewing.

A hair salon is readily available if your doll needs to have a quick new due before tea.

I also wandered down a couple of blocks to the Millennium park. It had amazing green space and incredible modern architecture. This is a bridge that winds its way above the greenspace in the park.

This stainless steel sculpture was incredible. It may me dizzy to go into it and look up because the of the reflection.

I went on an architectural boat cruise this morning for fun while Robert went to his last class. The tour motored through the canals of the Chicago river and the guide explained about the many wonderful building they were built to make Chicago the city it is today. There are 47 bridges that span the Chicago River and they elevate to allow boat and ships to go all the way to the Mississippi River. There is a lock at the mouth of the river because the Chicago River is 4 feet lower that Lake Michigan
Avenue, it was a bit of a walk but I joined in with the flow of people going to work. The tower in this photo is the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower).

Exploring Chicago

2010-07-14T05:37:00.000-07:00

One of the most fun things we have been able to do together was a trip to US Cellular Field for a White Sox game. Of course just being in a MLB venue is a kick, but it was beautiful day for the game, and we had exceptional seats. The division leading Sox were playing the KC Royals.

Bubb and I did some serious people watching, which is half the fun of a public activity like this. The "couple" in front of us was so odd that at first we couldn't determine the genders of either of them. They were both multiply pierced and tatooed, but when the DH, Quintin, hit a grand slam, we were high-fiving with them as if we had known them forever. Bubb and I even shared a hot dog and some peanuts.

The game was no pitcher's duel, and as you can see from the final score (15 to 5), there was plenty of action. I hope our two scheduled games in San Diego are as fun. We rode the train to and from the game, which adds to the fun. Bubb wanted a White Sox jersey, so we dropped a tidy sum on it. Be sure and comment when you see her wear it.

While I was in meetings, Bubby set out for some serious adventure. She took the El to Roosevelt and when she got off, she shot this photo of the Chicago skyline from the Lake side.

The purpose of her trip was to visit the Chicago Field Museum. She said it was a fabulous building, and what made it even better was that the second Tuesday of each month is free day. She said that she had it pretty much to herself until about 11:00 and then the place was mobbed, mainly with young families.

Part of the reason for her visit was to see "Sue" the T-Rex that was acquired amidst controversy 10 years ago. She said the skeleton was quite impressive.

She saw this sign inviting her to measure her own foot against that of an aptosaur, which you can see in the next photo.

Bubb is always concerned that she now has to buy size nine shoes when she used to be an 8.5, but I don't think her problems are as severe as apato's.

After leaving the museum, Bubb explored the lake front and shot a couple of photos along the shore. She was impressed with the Illinois state, and Chicago city flags.

This is the anchor off of some famous ship, but since I wasn't there, I can't supply any details. Maybe a destroyer, battleship, or an aircraft carrier.

Bubb eventually ventured onto the Miracle Mile (Michigan Avenue) and did some window shopping. Before leaving home, she had looked on-line to see if Chicago had an Orvis store, she was disappointed to discover nothing listed. Imagine her surprise when she was crossing this intersection with Michigan Avenue, and saw an Orvis store flying its colors. Of course she was sucked in to the black hole and spent a good portion of time, and a little money in the store.

When my seminar ended, we ran to Pizzeria Uno to have our first taste of Chicago style pizza. We ordered a four cheese and pesto affair, and shared an antipasto salad while we waited the thirty or so minutes for it to bake. The crust is not made with yeast, it is more biscuit like, but it tasted grand with all that cheese and pesto. We were only able to eat one piece each.

I have more to report because yesterday, Bubb went to Garrett's popcorn and American Girl. However, it is time for me to head to my last half-day of seminar. This afternoon we are headed to the Shedd Aquarium, Millenial Park, and out to dinner somewhere. We are trying to decide between Greek (the Parthenon in Greek Town), ribs (Carson's Ribs), or nuevo Mexicano (Rick Bayliss' Frontera Grill). We'll let you know what we decide.

Buboppy

We Arrive in the Windy City

2010-07-12T05:56:00.001-07:00

Our travel to Chicago involved long lay overs in both SLC and Minneapolis/St. Paul, but we finally did arrive at about 8:30 PM on Saturday. While I waited for the luggage, Bubby went in search of directions and a Chicago Transit Authority kiosk where she could purchase seven-day "El" passes. During the process, she hooked up with a lady coming to Chicago to attend a Pampered Chef convention. The lady was from Kellogg, Idaho. We decided to be daring and ride the L in to our hotels (she the Sheridan, we the Embassy Suites). We caught the Blue Line and headed in. We could only get so close without changing trains, so we shared a cab ride to our final destinations.

It was nearly 10:30 PM when we finally arrived at the hotel, we could tell the hotel was pretty well booked. We were assigned a room on the eighth floor, a smoking room. We marched ourselves back down to the lobby and were informed that there was no other "room at the inn". Bubb asked to speak to the manager, and got the same story. We were not happy. We were assured that we would be given consideration for a non-smoking room on Sunday morning, before we marched back to our smelly accommodations. We found we could minimize the odor by closing off the bedroom from the rest of the suite. It seems most of the smoke is in the curtains and carpet of the front portion of the room.

We woke at about 6:00, and Bubby was in a foul mood. I am sure that many of will doubt that Bubb could ever been in a foul mood, but I have seen it, and this was one of those times. We went down to the fresh cooked breakfast, and she immediately started working the front desk for a new room.

One of the pluses of the Embassy Suites is a full, cooked-to-order breakfast each day. The photos are poor (small camera, not much flash) but I tried.

The line to get your made to order eggs goes into this door. In addition to this line, there are scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, hashbrowns and all the amenities in a buffet line. We were starved after the day before of traveling and eating a weird meal in SLC and chips and salsa at Chili's in MSP.

This photo shows the eating area from above. It was really crowded on a Sunday morning, even at 7:45.

Those who have stayed before know that the hallmark of Embassy is open atria around the central courtyard. Here is the view around the atrium on our floor.

Bubby got showered, and while I was in the shower, a room opened up! We were trying to get ready and make the L-run to to the Logan Square Ward and move all before 9:00 AM. We did notice that everything takes a long time here.

We accomplished our move by my finishing my shower and then moving and Bubby moving and using the new digs to finish with her makeup and hair. We left the hotel headed for the El at about 8:30, but were nearly 25 minutes late for church. Lots of false starts once we arrived at Logan Square. It is a good thing that people are kind to children, dumb animals, and tourists.

We ran into lots of people with southern Utah connections at church. I meet a member of the Pace family from New Harmony. Del and Lynnette Parson were there as well. Del is attending a workshop for a month. It was a very nice meeting and we enjoyed ourselves.

We settled on Italian for dinner last night. We visited a restaurant named Volare, which is in easy walking distance from the hotel. The food was fab, but so was the check. Bubb is always happy with Italian. There is a market directly across the street from hotel from which tasty beverage is readily available, so I think we will stay on until Thursday.

Buboppy

Fourth of July and other Summer Fun

2010-07-11T17:16:00.000-07:00

Ok, so yes, we are in Chicago, and yes there are stories to tell and even a photo of two. But before we get into that . . .

We absolutely loved our visit with Leo Fin. He is such a funny little boy and growing up really fast. Alas, he is now back home in the Big D, and we will miss him horribly, but this post contains some of our favorite pictures taken on, and around the 4th of July weekend.

Of course popsicles in the back yard is a rite of summer. Leego is enjoying his first banana Creamy in this one.

I thought this was a cute picture of Leeg and Mama Laur. He is resisting a little in this photo, but his days of cuddling are probably close to over, so I hope this image will remind his mom how little he used to be.

I realize that others have already reported on our parade festivities, but I couldn't resist including this photo of handsome Drewfy and Pretty Miss Evelyn waiting for the parade to arrive. I really dug the Aloha shirt, and told him so. That is just my style. We even made an obligatory visit to The Cow for drinks, ice cream and a family fry.

One night Bubby and I took Leeg to our secret spot for a pastrami burger. He, and his Dad loved it. Unfortunately it was done without a car seat, so we got in some serious trouble with his mom.

One last image. Here is the famous "face" courtesy of Leeg. Hope his flight home was trouble free.

One final image. Booty, Dan and I got to go fishing on Wednesday night last week. We had a great time together, and here is the proof. We did catch some nice bass.

Buboppy

A Busy June

2010-06-22T06:32:00.001-07:00

I have been taking some time off from work, and that means staying away from a computer, even when I am at home. Consequently, we haven't posted at all this month. Let me bring you up to date.

Bubby and I accompanied the Bryce Canyon Field Seminar to New Mexico. We had a grand time seeing the country, renewing old acquaintances, and visiting some really interesting places, including El Moro and Bandelier National Monuments.

The Friday that I returned from field seminar was supposed to be a birthday luncheon with my friends from work, to be convened at the Pizza Factory in Cedar City. I was very surprised to discover a surprise party instead, at which all of our kids and grandkids were present, even Matt, Laurie and Leo, came from Dallas.

What a great time they must have had planning this subterfuge.

Of course I was very, very surprised, and more pleased than a photo could show. What a great way to end six decades on this earth, nearly four of them in the loving embrace of my family.

Rhonda, pictured here, was party to the deception, as was Barbara. All I can say is that they are both very convincing liars.

Sarah and her family and Laurie and Leo have stayed on. Jake had to go to Cedar Mountain Science Camp, and the kids have all had swim lessons. All of the kids, except Miss Maggie. We have enjoyed having them visit and getting to know this little one.

We have been cleaning out the freezer while they are here, which included a meal of frozen pot stickers the other night. I couldn't help but include photos of Katie using chop sticks for the first time. She did very well.

Lydia, on the other hand, not quite so well.

We have had a great month so far. I have been able to use some of my accrued time off, and it has been great to just be with the family.

Buboppy

Irises

2010-06-05T09:14:00.001-07:00

I was over at the Daniel Eves home watering the lawn this week and I was taken with the beauty of Rosalyn's irises. They are in their absolute glory right now and she has several different colors and varieties. They particularly stand out because during her babysitting downtime (aka nap and quiet time) this spring, Bubb did some serious cutting back of the corner flower beds in the front yard.

I won't bore you with a blow by blow, but here are the photos to enjoy. We hope things are as beautiful in Provo. Cedar City has left spring behind (it was about a week) and we are into early summer. The garden is starting to take off (I have green onions that popped through overnight), and we are loving the change.

If Dan and Rosalyn are trying to read between the lines on this post, the message is obvious. We miss you!

Hurry Home!

Buboppy

Memorial Day 2010

2010-06-03T08:00:00.001-07:00

We did, in fact, have a weekend worth reporting on.

Sarah, Aaron and family stopped in Cedar City on Thursday night in-route to a family reunion in St. George. Daniel was flying solo with the kids, so he came down from Provo as well. I had to join up late because I was in Grand Rapids, MI, on a tour of Steelcase University. It was a great experience, but that is not what I wanted to talk about in the blog.

On Friday morning, Bean, Dan and I played some early golf at Cedar Ridge. It was blowing like crazy, but we still managed to have fun. Sarah and family went on to their reunion and other activities and I went in to work. Daniel and the kids went home to hang and take naps, etc. On Friday afternoon, Bubby and I drove over to Bryce Canyon and stayed overnight at the new Best Western Bryce Canyon Grand Hotel (Ruby's latest offering). We stopped and had dinner and pie at the Bryce Canyon Pines restaurant, which always makes us happy.

On Saturday, we rose early and drove to Escalante for their annual Heritage Festival. We were there in time for the flag raising, 21 gun salute, and honoring of veterans. We also joined the locals at breakfast in the park.

We drove up to the site of the new Heritage Center, located just east of town (south of the Cemetery), and looked at progress on the site (that is the foundation for the restrooms. We also visited the cemetery and just visited (lots of nice people hanging around) and looked for people who we know. We finally found our way to the high school were there was a craft fair, a video presentation about cowboying on the 50 Mile mountain (starring Quinn and Grandpa Griffin). We got to participate in the presentation about phase two of the Heritage Center, as well. There were many more activities planned, but Bubb and I headed toward home at about 1:00 PM. We got there around four, in time to mow and edge and fuss in the garden a bit (Drewfy helped me plant the pole beans). We went to dinner at Wendy's with Dan and the kids.

On Sunday I taught Sunday School (Ruth and Naomi), and we had lunch at Dan's house. I had one more family to home teach, so we caught them and they gave us some really cool sandstone concretions to investigate. I might blog about them later.

On Monday, we worked on the garden in earnest. I got everything planted that we had, and we even found time to get a few more items from Ladybug Nursery. Sarah and fam were back in Cedar for lunch and a romp outside (beautiful day) and Dan and fam joined us. By 2:00 PM, everyone had headed toward home. All in all, a great weekend.

Buboppy

Guiding on Sand Hollow

2010-05-24T05:48:00.000-07:00

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