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.

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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.

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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!!!

Kids Abroad

Arian ain't the only guy in the family traveling to Jolly Ole England.

Duane's company wanted him to tootle on over to London Town
and write a program.

Yes. A computer program. In three days.


Here's my son-in-law in front of the London "office".

De bosses were kind enough to fly my Kelty too!

K and D "crossed the pond"
just one week before Arian's interview at Oxford.
Bizarre - don't you think?

And they took little Rella May+ her stroller to boot!

Sometimes Ms. Rella was a challenge
since she did NOT adjust to the time change.

Kelty used her creativity to keep her wee one happy
during the dead of the night.

But ya just HAVE to love that little pip squeak!

See how cozily they dressed her for the London chill?

The trip lasted several days BEYOND the work assignments
and the kids saw and did many marvelous things.

Kelty's favorite - the Globe theater

Kelty is WAY into ADVENTURES and she absolutely loved this one!

(Taken at the Heathrow Airport, just before coming home.)

Lastest Developments

My yard - today.

Autumn arrives in the mountains two months before it takes over the valley.

It's decidedly here.

I love looking up towards the mountains as the morning sun sets the maple aglow.

Along with the seasonal shift,
there are other developments on the family front.

Child #1 is headed to Jolly Ol' England
for an MBA degree at Oxford.

I remember telling this kid that it was okay by me if it took him
FOUR or FIVE years
to complete his junior high education. It was HIS deal. Humph!

I was relieved, however, when he made it through.

Now he's an extraordinary self starter.

As my daughter Leah says . . .

"It seems that the more challenging a goal is to achieve
the more determined Arian is to achieve it."

Chinese Thunder Drums

Last night, I was invited to a performance . . .

Jigu Thunder Drums of China

Talk about celebrating my birthday with a BANG!

These professional shots of the troupe
give you a very small picture of a very GRAND experience.

If you want a mini-taste of Thunder Drumming,
go here.

Moab, Once Again

It has become an annual tradition.
An autumn get-away to Moab, Utah with a pack of gal pals.
There were ten of us this year.

Some of us took hikes.

Others hung out in and around our lovely cabin at Pack Creek Ranch.

One of my favorite parts about hiking around this area . . .

R*O*C*K*S!

There's a huge outcropping of colorful quartzite, within a mile of the cabin.

I shot ten photos of various "favorite" rocks.
They were all spectacular, but I won't give you the A-Z of my rock mania.
Here's one great sample:

Looking up from the trail, we saw layer after layer of geological history.


However, it's important to look down regularly.

If you miss the prickly pear cactus on the ground and you'll get a poignant surprise.

Moab is full of contrasts.

From the front of our cabin, I took this shot of the La Sal mountains with very fresh snow.

More shots in front,
with our friend J, a yoga instructor, teaching a duo warrior pose.

In addition to yoga,
there was a LOT of horsing around.

Some of us discovered that we can still climb trees.

Amazing what you can do when you've got a crowd cheering you on!

I thought about hanging upside-down like an opossum.

Then I thought better of it. My spine has it's limits and I need to respect them.

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My friends provided my with NON-STOP LAUGHTER.

We didn't need techno entertainment.

We did bang-up job of providing our own . . .

We ALL took our turns modeling the wig and there may be a group shot down the road.

HILARITY SUPREME.

Thanks gals for an unforgettable time!

2009 Moab event here.

2008 Moab event here.