I'm tired.
Mr. Kerry and I have now finished up a very busy week, and we're ready for a break.
Early Monday morning, we drove to Columbus to put Mr. Kerry on a plane to Salt Lake City. Another sister was getting married!!! I wasn't able to go on this particular trip for several reasons. I had many things to accomplish and a short amount of time to do them.
Kerry arrived safe and sound and enjoyed both Monday and Tuesday evenings with most of his siblings. Once again, I've got pictures:
Lowell and Gayle - his mother's sister and b-i-l were able to attend.
Kerry and his brothers Kelly and Chris, and Chris's wife, Kristy.
His youngest sister, Harmony was married to Kevin Dexter. They actually met while on their missions in Finland. He married and had five children. His wife died a couple of years ago. Harmony and Kevin made connections again, sparks flew, the children fell in love with her, and now they're all married up by their former Mission President.
A fine little family...
Kerry and some of his siblings - bottom left to top: Kelly, Charm, Joy, Chris, Content and husband Larry (middle) and Mr. Kerry.
I'm really glad Mr. Kerry was able to go and be with his family for this event. As we were discussing it a few weeks ago, he was trying to decide whether he should go since we had just been there within the month. Should we go to the expense of flying him out there? I finally told him I'd rather see him go and be there for something wonderful like this than go there for their funerals. At some point, as we all age, that time will come. But, let's be with each other, enjoy each other, and love each other while we can.
I picked Kerry up on Wednesday evening, and we ate dinner in Columbus while a ferocious rain storm fell, the winds blew, and a tornado siren went off. While we ate, I updated him on the kids. I haven't really talked with Harmony lately. Jordan began taking classes this week at Columbus State, and Erik began his senior year at OSU.
Friday was absolutely the busiest day at the temple that I've ever seen. People were literally standing in line to get in. My goodness! I hardly saw Mr. Kerry at all, but I knew he was there. We drove down together! When we got home, I needed every spare moment I had to get ready for Saturday.
Several months ago, I had been asked to give an all-day seminar in a good-sized town north of here. I had done it there before on several occasions, but this one was expected to be quite full. And, it was.
I drove there on one of the prettiest fall days ever. People were already lined up at the door when I arrived. I think it went well. I stood on my feet for 6 1/2 hours, and I thought I was going to die. They took me to lunch, which was a nice gesture on their part. The restaurant was just a couple of blocks away, and because it was so pretty out, they all wanted to walk. Again, I thought I was going to die. My feet throbbed all the way home.
In the evening, I had the opportunity to go to the church for a delicious soup and bread and dessert night, just prior to hearing the women's broadcast from Salt Lake City. Even though I was very tired, I was so glad I went. Each one of the speakers said just what I needed to hear. We are very fortunate to be living now, and to hear the words of inspiration from a prophet.
Church was good. The speakers were good. Lunch was good. My nap was good. Life is good.
This month, we wish a happy birthday to:
Spenser - Jean's grandson - Oct 2
Katie - dau of Kerry's brother, Chris - Oct 8
JJ - OUR GRANDSON! - Oct 8
And a happy anniversary to:
Karen & Matthew - dau and s-i-l of Kerry's brother, Steve - Oct 15
Dave & Joan - son and d-i-l of sister, Jean - Oct 19
Orson & Shirley - Kerry's parents, who would have been married 66 years - Oct 30
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
From sea to shining sea
In the past month, Mr. Kerry and I have been from one end of this beautiful country to the other - all by car! We romped with Harmony by the Pacific Ocean and viewed the splendor of the Atlantic.
I think we're home for awhile. At least I am. I'm a bit weary and stiff from sitting too much. I need to get active again.
Just one week after we got Mr. Eddie from the kennel/spa, he had to go back in again. He probably keeps wondering what he keeps that is so wrong that he has to keep going back to the same place.
Early on Thursday morning, the 9th, we drove to Betty's, left our jeep there, loaded our stuff into her van, and headed for Cape Cod. We traveled all along the southern tier of New York and marveled at all of the beauty of that state. We made it as far as Troy, NY, enjoying ourselves along the Mohawk Trail. I sometimes get a bit nervous when I see "Bear Crossing" signs, for I surely wouldn't want to break down in that area.
The Mohawk Trail was just gorgeous! We were particularly touched to see a small park dedicated to the Mohawks.
Statue at the end of a bridge.
We got a kick out of the Pork Store. It makes my lips swell up like Angelina Jolie's, but I love it any way.
We soon arrived at our destination - the western end of Cape Cod in a town called Bourne. We took a bit of a break, then drove to the little town of Onset, where we boarded a cruise of the Cape Cod Canal. There, we joined other members of the Nickerson family (one of the ancestral lines of Betty's husband, Pete) in a get-to-know-each-other evening. Oh, it was perfect. Below deck, they served up shrimp, delicacies of the area, fruits, etc. I was so happy to finally meet one of my fellow genealogists and Facebook friend, Laura, who is also president of the APG (Association of Professional Genealogists). We were thrilled to be with each other, and bonded right away.
Laura and me.
Our evening was complete with a Cape Cod sunset.
Betty and I had to laugh, for one of the captains looks a lot like my b-i-l Jim.
The real activities of the Nickerson Reunion began the next day. People came from all over. William Nickerson, the original settler of Chatham, has many descendants. He had lived in Boston, didn't like the politics, and moved out onto the Cape.
Two different homes on the Nickerson property.
If you look closely, you will see a chicken suspended from a string. Maureen, a master in hearth cookery, treated us to various forms of foods that have been researched and served on the Cape. With just a turn, this chicken will twirl back and forth for hours - 3 gets it done. The drippings fall down into a pot, where they would have various root vegetables. The chicken was stuffed with many different herbs grown on the property.
Saturday afternoon found us wandering around on the Cape. I LOVE lighthouses, so Betty directed us to Chatham lighthouse (Kerry and I brought the kids to Cape Cod about 25 years ago). The flag was at half-staff, for it was Sep 11.
As I walked along the beach, I noticed lots of people streaming toward a group of trucks. Unfortunately, a whale had died in the water. They pulled it up onto the beach, and were planning a necropsy the next morning. I elected not to go over where the crowds were.
The little town of Chatham was charming. We nestled into a restaurant where the locals eat, and filled ourselves with clam chowdah. Between the bucket we all ate with Harmony, and the bowls we all ate with Betty, I've had a year's worth of it.
They take care of the little creatures, just like we saw in New York City a few months ago.
That evening, the Nickersons gathered at the old Daniel Webster Inn for a scrumptious dinner of chicken, plus crab stuffed flounder. I'm telling you - this groups EATS!
I had a real treat the next morning. Instead of going to our own church, we attended the First Congregational Church in Chatham. Doug Bush, a Nickerson descendant and professor of music at BYU was giving an organ recital the next afternoon at 4:00, but we weren't going to be able to stay for it. He is also invited every year to play for their morning services. That's where we decided to go - just so we could hear him.
Oh, my goodness! He made that organ sound like nothing I've quite heard before!!!
Kind of looks like the inside of the Kirtland Temple.
The seats were filled, but not super-crowded. But in my life, I've never heard a small group of people sing with the gusto they had. Doug told me I would be surprised. I was sitting in the balcony and still felt blown away...
After the picnic at the Nickerson homestead, we bid adieu to our newfound friends and headed north to Maine. Little Angel and Ben live there now, and we were anxious to go see them. We checked into our hotel and prepared for the next morning.
I told Kerry and Betty that since we only saw Angel when she was 2 mos old, and we had never seen Ben, they might be skittish about warming up to us. Boy, was I wrong!!! They had been watching for us with their little faces smashed up against the windows. When that door flew open, the children flew into our arms. There are also other "little people" they've adopted, and they embraced us, too - with everyone calling us Grammy and Grandpa.
The "little people" wallowed all over us. I never wear good clothes when I visit grandkids - and I didn't there, either.
Angel and Grandpa in our hotel room.
Angel's foot with her shoe on fit into Kerry's shoe.
Betty and Ben
Angel playing hide and seek.
Ben, just being so cute!
Grandpa, Grammy, Angel (with her new outfit she picked out and the yellow scarf I made for her on the way up) and little Ben.
Before we dragged our hearts away from the on Tuesday, I gave them something special. I didn't have time to make blankets for them, so I gave Angel and blanket and bunny rabbit doll Harmony used to play with, and I gave Ben a blanket I wrapped Peter up in. These brought back sweet memories for me, and I passed them on.
Oh, it was so hard to leave them and all of the other "little people". And - the big people, too!
We stopped a few other places before heading home. We loved a cathedral we saw, and got a bit of a chuckle when we parked by the dumpster:
Joseph Smith's birthplace in Sharon, VT.
A covered bridge in Tunbridge, VT - the town where Joseph Smith's parents met.
The waterfall above the bridge.
Aaronic priesthood monument - Harmony, PA
(Erik - remember these places from our special trip?)
We got a laugh out of the many different signs we saw along the way. I won't post pictures, but we saw:
Turtle Crossing
Bear Crossing
Moose Crossing
Squeeze Right (road construction)
Thickly Settled (in a tight little Chatham burg)
Why Not Shop (store)
Sleeper's Market (store)
Pit Bull Painting (on a truck)
We went to the Bellville Street Fair upon arriving home - we rarely miss that! The rest of the week was spent just relaxing.
I was alone at church today - Kerry was speaking in another ward. All of a sudden, Alice came up to me and said, "Guess who's here?!?! It was Pauline and Jim Whitehead - members who lived here when I was a teenager! I grew up with their kids. Their youngest daughter died ten years ago of breast cancer. It was SO good to see them and reminisce...
Well, this one is a bit longer than most, but like I say - you can always just delete it.
Love to y'all!
Miss P
I think we're home for awhile. At least I am. I'm a bit weary and stiff from sitting too much. I need to get active again.
Just one week after we got Mr. Eddie from the kennel/spa, he had to go back in again. He probably keeps wondering what he keeps that is so wrong that he has to keep going back to the same place.
Early on Thursday morning, the 9th, we drove to Betty's, left our jeep there, loaded our stuff into her van, and headed for Cape Cod. We traveled all along the southern tier of New York and marveled at all of the beauty of that state. We made it as far as Troy, NY, enjoying ourselves along the Mohawk Trail. I sometimes get a bit nervous when I see "Bear Crossing" signs, for I surely wouldn't want to break down in that area.
The Mohawk Trail was just gorgeous! We were particularly touched to see a small park dedicated to the Mohawks.
Statue at the end of a bridge.
We got a kick out of the Pork Store. It makes my lips swell up like Angelina Jolie's, but I love it any way.
We soon arrived at our destination - the western end of Cape Cod in a town called Bourne. We took a bit of a break, then drove to the little town of Onset, where we boarded a cruise of the Cape Cod Canal. There, we joined other members of the Nickerson family (one of the ancestral lines of Betty's husband, Pete) in a get-to-know-each-other evening. Oh, it was perfect. Below deck, they served up shrimp, delicacies of the area, fruits, etc. I was so happy to finally meet one of my fellow genealogists and Facebook friend, Laura, who is also president of the APG (Association of Professional Genealogists). We were thrilled to be with each other, and bonded right away.
Laura and me.
Our evening was complete with a Cape Cod sunset.
Betty and I had to laugh, for one of the captains looks a lot like my b-i-l Jim.
The real activities of the Nickerson Reunion began the next day. People came from all over. William Nickerson, the original settler of Chatham, has many descendants. He had lived in Boston, didn't like the politics, and moved out onto the Cape.
Two different homes on the Nickerson property.
If you look closely, you will see a chicken suspended from a string. Maureen, a master in hearth cookery, treated us to various forms of foods that have been researched and served on the Cape. With just a turn, this chicken will twirl back and forth for hours - 3 gets it done. The drippings fall down into a pot, where they would have various root vegetables. The chicken was stuffed with many different herbs grown on the property.
Saturday afternoon found us wandering around on the Cape. I LOVE lighthouses, so Betty directed us to Chatham lighthouse (Kerry and I brought the kids to Cape Cod about 25 years ago). The flag was at half-staff, for it was Sep 11.
As I walked along the beach, I noticed lots of people streaming toward a group of trucks. Unfortunately, a whale had died in the water. They pulled it up onto the beach, and were planning a necropsy the next morning. I elected not to go over where the crowds were.
The little town of Chatham was charming. We nestled into a restaurant where the locals eat, and filled ourselves with clam chowdah. Between the bucket we all ate with Harmony, and the bowls we all ate with Betty, I've had a year's worth of it.
They take care of the little creatures, just like we saw in New York City a few months ago.
That evening, the Nickersons gathered at the old Daniel Webster Inn for a scrumptious dinner of chicken, plus crab stuffed flounder. I'm telling you - this groups EATS!
I had a real treat the next morning. Instead of going to our own church, we attended the First Congregational Church in Chatham. Doug Bush, a Nickerson descendant and professor of music at BYU was giving an organ recital the next afternoon at 4:00, but we weren't going to be able to stay for it. He is also invited every year to play for their morning services. That's where we decided to go - just so we could hear him.
Oh, my goodness! He made that organ sound like nothing I've quite heard before!!!
Kind of looks like the inside of the Kirtland Temple.
The seats were filled, but not super-crowded. But in my life, I've never heard a small group of people sing with the gusto they had. Doug told me I would be surprised. I was sitting in the balcony and still felt blown away...
After the picnic at the Nickerson homestead, we bid adieu to our newfound friends and headed north to Maine. Little Angel and Ben live there now, and we were anxious to go see them. We checked into our hotel and prepared for the next morning.
I told Kerry and Betty that since we only saw Angel when she was 2 mos old, and we had never seen Ben, they might be skittish about warming up to us. Boy, was I wrong!!! They had been watching for us with their little faces smashed up against the windows. When that door flew open, the children flew into our arms. There are also other "little people" they've adopted, and they embraced us, too - with everyone calling us Grammy and Grandpa.
The "little people" wallowed all over us. I never wear good clothes when I visit grandkids - and I didn't there, either.
Angel and Grandpa in our hotel room.
Angel's foot with her shoe on fit into Kerry's shoe.
Betty and Ben
Angel playing hide and seek.
Ben, just being so cute!
Grandpa, Grammy, Angel (with her new outfit she picked out and the yellow scarf I made for her on the way up) and little Ben.
Before we dragged our hearts away from the on Tuesday, I gave them something special. I didn't have time to make blankets for them, so I gave Angel and blanket and bunny rabbit doll Harmony used to play with, and I gave Ben a blanket I wrapped Peter up in. These brought back sweet memories for me, and I passed them on.
Oh, it was so hard to leave them and all of the other "little people". And - the big people, too!
We stopped a few other places before heading home. We loved a cathedral we saw, and got a bit of a chuckle when we parked by the dumpster:
Joseph Smith's birthplace in Sharon, VT.
A covered bridge in Tunbridge, VT - the town where Joseph Smith's parents met.
The waterfall above the bridge.
Aaronic priesthood monument - Harmony, PA
(Erik - remember these places from our special trip?)
We got a laugh out of the many different signs we saw along the way. I won't post pictures, but we saw:
Turtle Crossing
Bear Crossing
Moose Crossing
Squeeze Right (road construction)
Thickly Settled (in a tight little Chatham burg)
Why Not Shop (store)
Sleeper's Market (store)
Pit Bull Painting (on a truck)
We went to the Bellville Street Fair upon arriving home - we rarely miss that! The rest of the week was spent just relaxing.
I was alone at church today - Kerry was speaking in another ward. All of a sudden, Alice came up to me and said, "Guess who's here?!?! It was Pauline and Jim Whitehead - members who lived here when I was a teenager! I grew up with their kids. Their youngest daughter died ten years ago of breast cancer. It was SO good to see them and reminisce...
Well, this one is a bit longer than most, but like I say - you can always just delete it.
Love to y'all!
Miss P
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Where the deer and the antelope play...
Oh, I am road weary! And I'm going to get in a lot of trouble if I miss one more Sunday getting my missive out.
Kerry and I have been gone. Just over two weeks ago, Kerry had some minor surgery done, then we were on the road to Jordan's. He lives just over 1 1/2 hours south of us, and they had asked if we would watch the boys while he and Melissa went to an orientation meeting at the school.
Of course we would! Grandchildren are so much more fun than their parents were!!!
Oh, we did so many naughty things...
We played kickball in the living room.
We brought sweets for the kids.
We watched movies and movies and movies...
We played kickball again.
We let the kids wallow all over us.
We had a ball. Then, the parents came home.
Kerry, Justin and Jayden
The next couple of days were busy ones as we prepared for our trip to the west. We left right after church on Aug 22 and headed into the sunset for our 30 hour trip straight through. (Our time was at a premium, hence the driving straight through. I don't know how many more times I can do that, though.)
It's a long, boring drive. Kerry always tries to break it up with interesting things to stop and look at. We did that a lot with the kids. We would stop at historical sites, Dyersville, Iowa (where Field of Dreams was filmed. We played on the field for quite awhile.). We got out a walked a lot. (Not much of a chance of blood clots when you have old bladders).
Thirty hours later, we pulled into David and Martha's. She always has dinner ready for us. It was delicious. David is looking quite good. He has been working out, and it shows. Sometimes others can see it better than we can ourselves. Keep it up, David!
Early the next morning, after David fixing our breakfast, we left for Oregon. It was another 15 hours. It was mostly desert and wilderness. It was boring. We were almost hit by three deer, who were the same color as the desert.
But, things got prettier as we began driving along the Columbia River. As a matter of fact, it took my breath away. We saw Mt. Hood, which Kerry thought looked just like the mountain for Paramount Pictures.
Columbia River. The mouth of it is where the Coast Guard trains. It's hard for them to find currents and rapids much stronger for training than what they can find there.
When we came into Lincoln City, the full moon was rising. We didn't see it right at first, for it was behind us. But when we stopped, it made our jaws drop.
Isn't that beautiful?
Harmony works in the deli at the Chinook Winds Casino. It's not exactly where she would prefer to be working, but it will do for now. She lost her other job when she came back for Peter's funeral in January.
When we arrived at the casino, we were amazed at how crowded it was for a Tuesday evening. That's because there had been a power outage in town, and everyone came to the casino. She was very busy at the deli (not like where you order lunch meats, cheese, and potato salads. You place your order for fish/chips, nachos, sandwiches, etc.).
But, the thing that absolutely ASTOUNDED me was the amount of little children. Over the next couple of days, we were back at the casino for dinner, etc. and there were always children there. They were in nightgowns, sleepers, strollers, etc. There are free soft drinks for everyone (even if you just walk in off the street), so these kids were drinking cup after cup after cup...
There parents were off gambling.
Harmony said sometimes these kids are there unattended until 2-3:00 am. They have to stay on the tiled part. This has continued to bother me ever since I saw it.
But, our time with Miss Harmony was wonderful. She is really trying her best, and it shows. I was so proud of her. Here are some of the things we did...
We made our own glass floats.
Kerry is blowing through a hose to make the glass ball bigger.
The finished product, which had to cool for 24 hours. They are BEAUTIFUL!
We walked along the ocean front and saw a seagull with one foot.
Kerry and Harmony loved looking through the telescopes.
The backdrops in Oregon are so pretty. The mountains just go rolling and rolling on.
Kerry found a Viking statue to honor his Scandinavian heritage.
Kerry and Harmony tried to get their kite up. This area is renown for kite-flying, but for some reason, the wind did not cooperate with them.
Harmony lives in the house above the front house. Our hotel was just to the left of her house.
In Newport, we saw and heard lots and lots of sea lions. These are the 1,000 lb. males, who are vacationing here from California. The 250 lb. females remain in California. They don't migrate up here. For some reason, they love laying around in this cage - there's about 40 of them in there.
They fight and argue a lot with their mouths. They honk and bark a lot.
This one guy keep scratching himself with his flippers.
People drop cages and catch lots of crabs. This one little kid took a crab out and let him crawl toward my toes.
We ate a BUCKET OF CLAM CHOWDER at a restaurant named Mo's. Bobby Kennedy visited there just two weeks before he was shot. Doesn't Harmony look pretty? She seems better than I've seen her in quite awhile.
I LOVE lighthouses! Harmony took us to one at Yaquina Bay.
Our time ended there too quickly. It was very, very hard to leave her. But, I will always cherish the good times we shared there in an area she now calls home. (Love you, my Harmony...)
Kerry and I returned to Utah (15 hours of mostly desert and wilderness again) and stayed at his sister, Content's for the next two nights. She always makes us feel like we are part of her family. Son David, his wife Olivia, and their sweet little boys were there - Ethan, Caleb and little baby Rhett - who was only 3 weeks old. Daughter Truly was there, too. I love making connections with my nieces and nephews...
The main reason we took this trip was for Kerry to attend his 40TH HIGH SCHOOL REUNION!!! Wow...It was fun watching him connect with friends he grew up in Utah with. His family moved to Utah when Kerry was 16 years old, so he left friends in California to make new friends in Utah. As we prepared to leave, two of his very closest friends in school were talking with me. They will help Kerry with the next reunion in five years, since HE WAS UNANIMOUSOLY VOTED TO HEAD THE NEXT ONE! As I said goodbye to them, one of them said, "You know, I was aware that Kerry had married. But, I didn't realize he had married such a cutie!"
A cutie. Now, that has stuck in my brain ever since. A cutie. I'm 55 years old, I'm saggy, I'm baggy, I'm a lot of things. But, I don't think cutie was ever on the list.
A cutie. Hmmm...
Kerry's 40th class reunion. There was just about 100 in his class. These were able to come. An email was sent from the girl he was engaged to several years before he met me. She has MS and is totally wheelchair-bound, barely able to get out of bed. She's had four different cancers and has had 12 operations in three years. Her youngest child, a daughter, died at age 20 of a massive heart attack.
I nearly cried. I have not been able to stop thinking about her. When I met her 20 years ago, I thanked her for sending letters of support to Kerry when he served his mission. She got him through some pretty tough and lonely times.
We attended church with Content and Larry, stayed the night with Kerry's sister, Harmony (who's preparing for her wedding!) and headed for home on Monday morning (another 30 hours...). It was a good trip. It was a long trip. It was one of the most rewarding trips ever - until we reached a rest stop in Wyoming that posted this sign:
I couldn't get out of the car. This sign scared everything right back up in me.
This month, we wish a happy birthday to:
Kristi - dau of Kerry's brother, Steve - Sep 3
Kylie - g-dau of Kerry's brother, Steve - Sep 3
Earl - Jean's husband - Sep 7
Larry - husband of Kerry's sister, Content - Sep 9
Jonathan - son of Kerry's brother, David - Sep 9
Steve - Jean's son - Sep 14
David - son of Kerry's sister, Content - Sep 15
Vaughn - son of Kerry's brother, Kelly - Sep 15
Erin - d-i-l of sister, Betty - Sep 16
Topher - son of Kerry's brother, Chris - Sep 20
PT - son of sister, Betty - Sep 20
Orson - Kerry's Dad, who would have been 92 this year - Sep 30
And a happy anniversary to:
Rachael & Scott - dau and s-i-l of Kerry's brother, David - Sep 5 (today!)
Gay & Kent - Kerry's sister & her husband - Sep 14 (she died of ALS in 2000)
Justin & Erin - Betty's son and d-i-l - Sep 25
Adrienne & Adam - dau & s-i-l of Kerry's sister, Joy - Sep 27
Love to y'all...
Miss P
Kerry and I have been gone. Just over two weeks ago, Kerry had some minor surgery done, then we were on the road to Jordan's. He lives just over 1 1/2 hours south of us, and they had asked if we would watch the boys while he and Melissa went to an orientation meeting at the school.
Of course we would! Grandchildren are so much more fun than their parents were!!!
Oh, we did so many naughty things...
We played kickball in the living room.
We brought sweets for the kids.
We watched movies and movies and movies...
We played kickball again.
We let the kids wallow all over us.
We had a ball. Then, the parents came home.
Kerry, Justin and Jayden
The next couple of days were busy ones as we prepared for our trip to the west. We left right after church on Aug 22 and headed into the sunset for our 30 hour trip straight through. (Our time was at a premium, hence the driving straight through. I don't know how many more times I can do that, though.)
It's a long, boring drive. Kerry always tries to break it up with interesting things to stop and look at. We did that a lot with the kids. We would stop at historical sites, Dyersville, Iowa (where Field of Dreams was filmed. We played on the field for quite awhile.). We got out a walked a lot. (Not much of a chance of blood clots when you have old bladders).
Thirty hours later, we pulled into David and Martha's. She always has dinner ready for us. It was delicious. David is looking quite good. He has been working out, and it shows. Sometimes others can see it better than we can ourselves. Keep it up, David!
Early the next morning, after David fixing our breakfast, we left for Oregon. It was another 15 hours. It was mostly desert and wilderness. It was boring. We were almost hit by three deer, who were the same color as the desert.
But, things got prettier as we began driving along the Columbia River. As a matter of fact, it took my breath away. We saw Mt. Hood, which Kerry thought looked just like the mountain for Paramount Pictures.
Columbia River. The mouth of it is where the Coast Guard trains. It's hard for them to find currents and rapids much stronger for training than what they can find there.
When we came into Lincoln City, the full moon was rising. We didn't see it right at first, for it was behind us. But when we stopped, it made our jaws drop.
Isn't that beautiful?
Harmony works in the deli at the Chinook Winds Casino. It's not exactly where she would prefer to be working, but it will do for now. She lost her other job when she came back for Peter's funeral in January.
When we arrived at the casino, we were amazed at how crowded it was for a Tuesday evening. That's because there had been a power outage in town, and everyone came to the casino. She was very busy at the deli (not like where you order lunch meats, cheese, and potato salads. You place your order for fish/chips, nachos, sandwiches, etc.).
But, the thing that absolutely ASTOUNDED me was the amount of little children. Over the next couple of days, we were back at the casino for dinner, etc. and there were always children there. They were in nightgowns, sleepers, strollers, etc. There are free soft drinks for everyone (even if you just walk in off the street), so these kids were drinking cup after cup after cup...
There parents were off gambling.
Harmony said sometimes these kids are there unattended until 2-3:00 am. They have to stay on the tiled part. This has continued to bother me ever since I saw it.
But, our time with Miss Harmony was wonderful. She is really trying her best, and it shows. I was so proud of her. Here are some of the things we did...
We made our own glass floats.
Kerry is blowing through a hose to make the glass ball bigger.
The finished product, which had to cool for 24 hours. They are BEAUTIFUL!
We walked along the ocean front and saw a seagull with one foot.
Kerry and Harmony loved looking through the telescopes.
The backdrops in Oregon are so pretty. The mountains just go rolling and rolling on.
Kerry found a Viking statue to honor his Scandinavian heritage.
Kerry and Harmony tried to get their kite up. This area is renown for kite-flying, but for some reason, the wind did not cooperate with them.
Harmony lives in the house above the front house. Our hotel was just to the left of her house.
In Newport, we saw and heard lots and lots of sea lions. These are the 1,000 lb. males, who are vacationing here from California. The 250 lb. females remain in California. They don't migrate up here. For some reason, they love laying around in this cage - there's about 40 of them in there.
They fight and argue a lot with their mouths. They honk and bark a lot.
This one guy keep scratching himself with his flippers.
People drop cages and catch lots of crabs. This one little kid took a crab out and let him crawl toward my toes.
We ate a BUCKET OF CLAM CHOWDER at a restaurant named Mo's. Bobby Kennedy visited there just two weeks before he was shot. Doesn't Harmony look pretty? She seems better than I've seen her in quite awhile.
I LOVE lighthouses! Harmony took us to one at Yaquina Bay.
Our time ended there too quickly. It was very, very hard to leave her. But, I will always cherish the good times we shared there in an area she now calls home. (Love you, my Harmony...)
Kerry and I returned to Utah (15 hours of mostly desert and wilderness again) and stayed at his sister, Content's for the next two nights. She always makes us feel like we are part of her family. Son David, his wife Olivia, and their sweet little boys were there - Ethan, Caleb and little baby Rhett - who was only 3 weeks old. Daughter Truly was there, too. I love making connections with my nieces and nephews...
The main reason we took this trip was for Kerry to attend his 40TH HIGH SCHOOL REUNION!!! Wow...It was fun watching him connect with friends he grew up in Utah with. His family moved to Utah when Kerry was 16 years old, so he left friends in California to make new friends in Utah. As we prepared to leave, two of his very closest friends in school were talking with me. They will help Kerry with the next reunion in five years, since HE WAS UNANIMOUSOLY VOTED TO HEAD THE NEXT ONE! As I said goodbye to them, one of them said, "You know, I was aware that Kerry had married. But, I didn't realize he had married such a cutie!"
A cutie. Now, that has stuck in my brain ever since. A cutie. I'm 55 years old, I'm saggy, I'm baggy, I'm a lot of things. But, I don't think cutie was ever on the list.
A cutie. Hmmm...
Kerry's 40th class reunion. There was just about 100 in his class. These were able to come. An email was sent from the girl he was engaged to several years before he met me. She has MS and is totally wheelchair-bound, barely able to get out of bed. She's had four different cancers and has had 12 operations in three years. Her youngest child, a daughter, died at age 20 of a massive heart attack.
I nearly cried. I have not been able to stop thinking about her. When I met her 20 years ago, I thanked her for sending letters of support to Kerry when he served his mission. She got him through some pretty tough and lonely times.
We attended church with Content and Larry, stayed the night with Kerry's sister, Harmony (who's preparing for her wedding!) and headed for home on Monday morning (another 30 hours...). It was a good trip. It was a long trip. It was one of the most rewarding trips ever - until we reached a rest stop in Wyoming that posted this sign:
I couldn't get out of the car. This sign scared everything right back up in me.
This month, we wish a happy birthday to:
Kristi - dau of Kerry's brother, Steve - Sep 3
Kylie - g-dau of Kerry's brother, Steve - Sep 3
Earl - Jean's husband - Sep 7
Larry - husband of Kerry's sister, Content - Sep 9
Jonathan - son of Kerry's brother, David - Sep 9
Steve - Jean's son - Sep 14
David - son of Kerry's sister, Content - Sep 15
Vaughn - son of Kerry's brother, Kelly - Sep 15
Erin - d-i-l of sister, Betty - Sep 16
Topher - son of Kerry's brother, Chris - Sep 20
PT - son of sister, Betty - Sep 20
Orson - Kerry's Dad, who would have been 92 this year - Sep 30
And a happy anniversary to:
Rachael & Scott - dau and s-i-l of Kerry's brother, David - Sep 5 (today!)
Gay & Kent - Kerry's sister & her husband - Sep 14 (she died of ALS in 2000)
Justin & Erin - Betty's son and d-i-l - Sep 25
Adrienne & Adam - dau & s-i-l of Kerry's sister, Joy - Sep 27
Love to y'all...
Miss P
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