Saturday, August 30, 2008

End of the Summer

Well it's time for an update on this last month of the summer. What's very important is that school has started and I'm at home! I haven't given it much thought. It's nice being home without the worry of homework, lesson prep, and dealing with disrespectful students. I do miss the good students and the fun they bring to the day.
Well we are struggling to get in enough golf. Here we are at Spanish Oaks, at the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon. We planned to golf at Nephi, but they were having a tournament, so we just kept going north until we found a course where we could get on. Wonderful course, but lightning fast greens with more undulation that I have ever seen before.
Here's Pam hitting a 280 yard drive.
Here's where that drive ended up, chipping for an eagle!!
Well no eagle, maybe a birdie...no maybe a par...no well just get it in the hole.
For some time I have been looking to replace the old Sansui Receiver that I've had in the entertainment center. It was on it's last legs and the left and right channels were bad. So I went to trusty ebay and found this 1970's vintage Kenwood for $35.00 and when I got it installed it worked beautifully and everything worked. Both records, cd's and radio sounds great.
With summer comes a garden and with a garden comes processing. Here is the result of our corn harvest, 51 pints of corn and it was wonderful as usual. I pulled up all the plants this week and so the corn is over, but there's still beans, potatoes, carrots, beets, and tomatoes. Unfortunately the season is almost over and I don't know whether some of the veggies will mature or not. We also have a couple of peach trees that are loaded and we can't wait for them to mature.
Aunt Win is back at sorting through boxes and boxes and sacks and sacks of cards, letters and other memorabilia that Diane graciously allowed her to have?? Next Monday we will be moving her up north to an apartment she rented in a senior center. She is looking forward to this move and so our her kids and granchildren. She will be with minutes of all of them. This is a big move for Aunt Win, but we are confident she is ready to get back into circulation and the activities and people at this center will certainly keep her active and involved.
Here's our master bedroom and this is the result of too many nights in a hotel with a king sized bed. Pam talked us into buying a new bed and I have to admit it is really wonderful to sleep on. Occasionally Pam rolls over and lets me know she is in the same room with me. For those of you who wonder about the old bed - it is on the frame in Alex's room, so that bed is now a good bed!
Here's Andrew and Haley in our basement playing with Constructs. Johanna and her children flew in last Wednesday for a visit and then they will return to Denver with Pam next week. For some reason I thought this was just a visit, but no Pam and Johanna and Erin had big plans. For the past couple of days they have been storming through the foyer, hallway, stairs, Alex's bedroom and finally the office. They have painted and sprunced up each of these areas and the following pictures are of some of the new window treatments in the foyers and dining room and also the new painting and fixing up in the rooms I mentioned. I also got the return done on the hand rail and it is finally legal after 16 years.
Now that all the work is over it's time for some relaxation for the girls.
Well that's it for awhile. Next week will be a busy time for us all as we move Aunt Win and send Pam to Denver to help out with Alex and Cynthia and their new baby. We can't wait for that blessed event and I'm sure Cynthia can't wait also.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Weekend of the 16th of August

The weekend of the 16th of August began with a trip to Erda where Aunt Win spent the night with her son Jeff. Pam and I proceeded into Salt Lake and took a nostalgic drive down 7th west out to Sandy where we had a hotel room booked for the night. In the evening we attended a wedding reception for a friend of Erin's and it was unique in that Pam made Emily's wedding dress and it was very, very beautiful. This is Westons beautiful photo in the Joseph Smith Building, I hope you don't mind Weston - it's the dress!


The next day we attended the 90th birthday for my Aunt Elva, Dad's sister. She has always been a wonderful Aunt, full of vitality and enthusiasm. If we ever attended a Cottle function, Aunt Elva was there.

Erin and Kate are being introduced to Aunt Elva and Kate was very interested in this lady!

Uncle Walt, Dad's youngest brother, and Pam visiting.

Pam visiting with Marba and Paul Thompson, who used to live in Richfield. Marba is my cousin and is Uncle Merlin Cottle's 2nd daughter.

This is my sister Dixie and it was so good to see her again. She lives in Orem, but do you think we stop very often? We've got to do better. She was my protector when I was a little kid.

Pam and Aunt Win visiting with Aunt Elva.

Pam and Aunt Elva. Her husband Lelsie died last year at age 89 and she is going strong and her daughter Rosanne, said she was doing very well and seemed to be as sharp as a tack. The family is very musical and Darrell, Elva's son, and his children played beautiful music throughout the afternoon.

In the evening Pam, Aunt Win, and I along with Erin, Weston and Kate drove to Highland and attended the wedding reception for Michael and Camille DeVries, held in the Hadley's chapel. It was a wonderful affair and it was especially nice to see all of Ann and Sherwood's daughters and families and visit with them.

Also of note on Saturday Aunt Win took a tour through the South Town Ranch senior home, where Uncle Dave lived for a year, and made a decision to put some money down on a very lovely 1 bedroom apartment. It was a wonderful place and perfect for someone like Aunt Win. She met a lot of lovely people who were very interested in when she was going to move in. We hope this will be a good move for her, getting her back into the Salt Lake area where she will be close by her children and grandchildren.

So that's our weekend and we had to hurry home for sunday's activities.