It was Christmas in Chicago
at Kelty & Duane's Palace in the Sky.

Our holiday breakfast
(made by Ms. K, ever the enthusiastic hostess!)
included hootenany pancakes garnished with fruit & cream.

Of course, there was little Miss Rella May
in charge of making the day
MERRY.

She did so with a flourish.

Kelty has found another venue for her equestrian avocation, out here in Illinois.

She owns a certain % of this noble beast.

My daughter fully lives up to her middle name of 'Grace' when she's on the back of a horse.
This is NOT my parental bias. Not in the slightest.

Here's the view taken from the 'Guest Room' window upon rising yesterday morn.

I am positively IN LOVE with the Windy City.

(So is my friend Bonsey who joined me to celebrate the season with us in the Midwest.)

Music for the Season

To hear selections from my sister Tricia's new Christmas CD, go HERE,

. . . and have yourselves a very

Family Dept. News

Arian and Jill have packed a lot of living into their time together.

TWO Graduations!
(Accepting their diplomas together.)

TWO Trips to Europe!

TWO Babies Born!

TWO New Hips! (Jill)

TWO Homes Purchased!

But now they are into THREEs.


There will be a THIRD graduation in 2012.

There will definited be a THIRD trip to Europe.

AND . . . there will be a THIRD baby.

THE NEWS - it's a GIRL!

I now have a six-pack of little granddaughters to BOOST my spirits in life!

BTW, here you see my ever-vigilant dog GUARDING the booties for our coming attraction.

Could there be a BOOTIE-THIEF lurking by the dining room table?

Gender is really only one factor here. Truly, my grandkids come in every FLAVOR under the sun! I like being situated two generations up the line and watching their little personalities budding without needing to do anything but thoroughly enjoy them.

Kenneth - With all these girls, are you going to feel like THIS?

Talk to your dad about this. He understands.

Wanna Know about Rock Canyon?

There is a NEW COMPREHENSIVE WEBSITE for people who love this awe-inspiring canyon:

RockCanyonUtah.com

The site is a loaded with:

Hikes * Climbing * Current Issues * Geology * Activities * Identification of Canyon
Wildlife & Wildflowers * Birding * Canyon History * Driving Directions * Trail Maps

Furthermore, it's the home of the Rock Canyon Preservation Alliance.

The majestic rock cliffs at the mouth of canyon - the nose of our Mona Lisa -
have been threatened by a proposed mining quarry.

You can read about the BREAKING NEWS on the mining conflict at RockCanyonUtah.com.

Senator John Valentine is actively working towards protection of the canyon.
He made a STATEMENT entitled "Where We Go From Here". It can ONLY be found at RockCanyonUtah.com.

****************
Every year, I fall madly in love with the canyon in the SPRING when the river is running . . .

It is protected watershed for our city.

I am also CRAZY about it in the SUMMER when dramatic thunderstorms pass through,

followed by awe-inspiring rainbows.

It's thrilling when the fall colors arrive and I can't wait to get on the trail.

Yes, AUTUMN is a spectacular time to be in the canyon.

But nothing beats WINTER when drifts of Uniquely Utah Powder Snow

cling to every single tree branch and all along the rugged cliffs, creating dazzling magic.

Wildlife is abundant in Rock Canyon.

Right from the trailhead parking lot, you can often spot Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep

They scramble around on the front cliffs . . . where there's that mining proposal.

In one short hike (during spring and summer months),
I can generally see more than two dozen types of wildflowers from the trail.

Wonder what kind of flower is picured BELOW?
Or what OTHER species of stunning wildflowers grpw in the canyon?

THIS LINK take you to some eye-popping photos with identification of wildflowers on the
RockCanyonUtah.com site.

There are MANY REASONS Rock Canyon is a DESTINATION for people from all walks of life.

This is how SOME people choose to have a good time in the canyon. Yes. They jump off the cliffs.

Technical climbers are drawn to the very rock walls that the miner wants to remove!

GO HERE for more about the Rock Canyon Climbers. Great photos and cool video.

Thanks for following me here.

Obviously, I'm just a tad bit PASSIONATE.

Please DO enjoy the new website:

RockCanyonUtah.com

The Gang in the Midwest

Kelty & Co. drove five hours from Chicago to join up with Leah & Co. in Ohio. As you see, they had a riproaring time together. Duane - a bit hidden under the yellow adornment - and Kelty along with two of their nieces - Brinley and Avery - performed in an organic theatrical extravaganza. They also did a reenactment of First Thanksgiving. To see more, go to Leah's blog HERE.

There. I'm done with Thanksgiving. I promise!

First Winter Snowstorm

THIS what it looked like when Arian's gang pulled out of the driveway on Friday.


THIS was the scenario TODAY.

The grandkids went CRAZY over the snow!

Two-year-old Audrey was the first to scramble up the deck stairs .

Then, Mr. K and Miss A came thumping down on their tushes.

(Would this activity ring your bell? WOULD IT???)

My yard has a perfect sledding hill, once the delight of my own three children.

Naturally, Kenneth found several UNconventional ways to use his sled.

Here, as a snow shovel.

Audrey spun out of control more than once.

All good. No tears. Just surprise.

***************************************

As anticipated, my goddaughters came for the holidays.

This morning I woke up to find 2 goddaughters + 2 friends sacked out in the family room.
(My kids and grandkids had the bedrooms.)

Here's Breezy, who is terribly in love at the moment.

She is actually the same height as me. This photo is slightly deceptive.

Here's Vic - the goddaughter who lived with me during her high school years.

These shots were taken just a few hours ago.

Now, they are homeward bound, fighting blizzards along the interstate.

I miss them already . . .

the kids, grandkids, goddaughters.

Thanksgiving 2010

When my grandkids come to town, I play second fiddle to my dog.

Might dear Chica be thirsty?

Audrey generously shares a sip from her 'sippy cup'.

Might dear Chica be in need of medical attention?

Kenneth checks her heartbeat and decides she needs shots. LOTS of shots!

But they turn to Grandma Ginger (not Chica) when they want bedtime stories.

With help from Victoria, Arian, Jill and Eliza,

a large mound of yams and potatoes were peeled and cooked,

a bowlful of fresh green beans were dressed up with crunchy onions,

the fruit platter, leafy salad, rolls, dressing, gravy, cranberry sauce were fixed up and laid out,

the turkey was hoisted from here to there,

the table was set.

AND . . .
there was time to lay aside preparations and take a canyon hike.

It was a nippy afternoon.

Didn't check the thermometer, but weather.com recorded 7* F. on Thanksgiving Day.

Here are the represented foreign lands at our dinner table, starting on the left and going around the circle: Ireland (my niece going on a mission there in January), Canada (my goddaughter), Philippines (two fine young men), Hoytsville, Utah (my daughter-in-law and YES it's an exotic foreign land), Russia, and finally China.

(RUSSIA and CHINA get the largest font since a brother of mine is living in RUSSIA, a sister in CHINA.)

Hats off to the International Student Department of our local university!

Upon request, they supplied me with a list of their kids who didn't have any Thanksgiving plans.

This year, I thought I would be getting eight,
but the four who came were absolutely STELLAR and I'm glad the other students found a place to go.

Can you tell which two in the photo above, appear in the photo below?


Taken during the holidays 17 years ago:

Eliza, now headed off to serve a mission in Ireland,

on the shoulders of my son, Arian.

They're Arriving!

(Taken this summer at the Utah State Fair. K loves his cowboy attire. I love this photo.)

Mr. Kenneth and . . .

( Another child in this family loves hats. This is the totally "in" Cereal Bowl Vogue.)

Miss Audrey along with . . .

. . . loving parents of my grandchildren and . . .

. . . goddaughters, Victoria and Brianna along with . . . .

. . . an assortment of international students
ARE ALL COMING to celebrate Thanksgiving - HERE.

****************************

These two families are joining forces for the holiday . . .

Duane, Kelty and Rella and . . .

Cody, Leah, Brinley, Avery and Aspen.

Glad my kids in the Midwest have each other!

SOMEONE IS HERE!

THE DOG IS ANNOUNCING AN ARRIVAL!

One of the goddaughters has come! YIPPEE!!!