Why is Redfish Lake So Fun?

Is it the hike in the mountains? Probably not, as most of the kids didn't really want to go on it, but they did well anyway. Or being with my sister, who I only get to see once a year?
Or is it watching Grandma Beth stroll along the lakeshore (at almost age 88)?
Or is it the crystal clear water, and the beautiful scenery?
Or is it just because it's a tradition now? Anyway, we sure had fun and hated to come home! (When it gets hot outside, I wish I could go grab an inner tube and either head for the lake or the canal--either one would be cold and wet.)

Baileyville, Idaho

Does anyone else have a fond memory of the pile of shoes at the bottom of the stairs at Grandma and Grandpa's? Or of the massive amounts of food Grandma produces for family dinners, breakfasts, or snacks? Did anyone else realize that all the "tail-end" cousins are girls? Wow, did that make for a fun time of giggling and games!
7:30 a.m., July 4th--we ate breakfast at the Iona Square, hosted by the Lions Club, with Cousin Adrian running the wheeled-version of the Beazer Train. I hadn't even known there was such a train, but apparently they run it in Iona on the 4th and also the 24th. So our kids DID get to ride a Beazer train this year. (Though the real train wasn't available--again--for the Beazer Reunion. That was a disappointment).
9:00 a.m., July 4, Rexburg--waiting for the parade. What a Bailey Clan!!! Chris looks like Mr. Western man, and Kevin has found a hat that he doesn't mind having his picture taken in. Grandpa gets to use the office chairs from the Post Register office (behind), so we watched the parade in comfort, not to mention having shade! Kirk and his family have moved to Pocatello, so they are available for whatever event is happening, and I'm slightly (well, probably more than slightly) jealous!
That evening we went to Idaho Falls for the big fireworks display. It was absolutely amazing! And we parked such that we were out of the mob and home (in Rigby) in 20 minutes. We like celebrating the 4th all up and down the Snake River Valley!

RAGBRAI XXXV

Cedar Falls is on the RAGBRAI ("Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa") route this year, with Hudson road being the main avenue. This morning as the bikers were leaving, I walked across the field behind our house to watch the steady stream of riders. Approximately 20,000 people stayed here last night! Not all of them ride bikes though--there are the support teams with rental trucks for spare bikes, tents, and gear. Yesterday afternoon, Alice and I rode our bikes over to her elementary school, and the junior high which had been designated as the "Quiet Camp" (as opposed to the green space around the UNI-Dome which included all the food vendors, a beer garden and rock bands, which we could still hear as we went to bed).
The early arrivees took the shady spots.
And rested wherever they could.

Many riders camped in the yards of volunteer homes throughout the city. A neighbor had a bus parked in their driveway last night, and the bus had a railing around the top for the extra bikes for the team staying there. Many of the riders are in teams with matching outfits.

Some of the riders had tiny trailors with a boom box on to provide music and entertainment as they sweat through 50-60 miles of up and down miles to the next overnight stop. For Iowa, contrary to popular opinioin, is NOT flat.

They used the showers at the junior high, and many went swimming. Alice talked me into swimming as well (we've been going every day and she didn't want to break the habit) and I was amazed at how many of the riders were my age or older. They all had the tell-tale tan/sunburn lines from their biker shorts.

There was such a festive air, and such a camaraderie, it made me think that this would be a fun thing to do--if it weren't held at the end of July when it's so hot and humid!

24th of July Celebration

The pie: cream cheese, cool whip, sweetened condensed milk, orange juice, mandarin oranges, and a touch of semi-sweet chocolate--mmmm! (I tried a new recipe--just because it sounded good to me.)The competition: berry, apple, pecan, key lime (made by Eric West), pumpkin pies...

The judges...

And I didn't win. The key lime pie did. It was good! But the pies were a great part of the annual picnic with Waterloo Ward and Waverly Branch celebrating with us. The pies were the dessert at the end of the potluck.
The celebration was held at a new city park in downtown Cedar Falls, just on the other side of the river. The bike path goes right by, and that brought back many memories of family bike rides to George Wyth park.

It's good to catch up with people from the other units--Doug & Lucinda Johnson are home for a couple of weeks from their assignment in India, the Oesterle's have a brand-new granddaughter, the Shaw's from Waverly are expecting a baby (she's 43 and for some reason sought me out to ask some questions. Hmmm, I wonder why?)

The girls got to fiddle, play baseball, and participate in a mock barn raising (in miniature). A nice breeze kept the heat bearable, so it was a great time.

The Oven is healed!

Over the past six months my oven has not worked well. It would heat up, just not anywhere near the temperature I had it set at. Usually, resetting it a few times would finally trick it into fully heating up. Annoying, but workable.

This past week, it could not longer be tricked. Fortunately, that coincided with the "motherboard" arriving that Kevin had ordered. When we had talked with the service people, they said it could be two different problems--one part was $30, the other $135 (plus service call fees). Of course it was the higher priced part. But Kevin installed it yesterday in about 10 minutes and I baked pizza in it 10 minutes later (at 425 degrees!). So, no service call fees!

Yippee! I hadn't realized how much I was altering what I planned to cook, to avoid using the oven because it wasn't reliable. No longer!

Thanks Kevin for all your mechanical skills!

Huckleberry Hunting

Day three of our vacation: With Grandma and Grandpa Bailey, we drove up Kelly's Canyon, past the ski hill and Tablerock campground, to check on the huckleberries. Ida and Lisa came with us, so there were two cars.
We loved walking through the cool shade, but nary a berry did we find. Whether it was the late frost, or the lack of rain as the cause, there are no berries this year. The forest was pretty, but very, very dry. The dust was a couple of inches deep in the roadways which turns car windows into blackboards. The grass is still green because it is the first week of July (still very early in summer as far as the mountains are concerned), but by August it will be all brown.

The real adventure began as we headed for home. Ida led out (but afterwards said she felt a couple of times that we should have let the men lead). But we had Mildred with us and thought we knew the way home.

Now, let me point out that there are numerous forks in the road, with no signs. After a few minutes, one of us mentioned that it didn't look quite like the right road. And the other car was no longer behind us. (We found out later that they had tried to signal us but we didn't see it).

We tried using the cell phone. No reception. Do we turn around and try to find the right turns--the ones we hadn't recognized the first time? Or do we continue and see where we come out? We had water, plenty of gas, and Lisa's medications, so we finally opted for the second option and got to see new territory that I've never seen before. The road we were on came out on the Rexburg bench of dry farms, and as soon as we had cell phone reception we called the others so they wouldn't worry about us--we were just having a better adventure than we had planned on having.

The report is in...

In April, I caught a glimpse of a mole on Elizabeth's upper back that I had never seen before and warning bells went off in my head. Having had a few moles removed myself, I'm always suspicious of new ones, and this one had some traits that are not good--irregular and more than one color. I called our insurance (which was just recently changed): "Can I take her directly to the dermotologist, or do I have to go to our own doctor first?" Since she had a couple of moles already removed last year, it was okay to skip our own doctor. When can we get an appointment? In June, with removal in July! Well, part of the problem was not being in town some of those weeks. Anyway, the mole was removed right after we got back from vacation, and the pathologist report came back two days ago. It contains "atypical cells", cells that are in transition toward melanoma! They now want to go back and make a larger incision to make sure they have a clean border with no atypical cells. That is scheduled for Aug. 7th.

The nurse also said Elizabeth will now need to have a yearly full-body scan to check for further problems, as it is a little unusual for a 12-year-old to already be developing skin cancer, especially the most serious kind. I feel that we were very blessed to discover this so early--very blessed indeed!

Somebody asked...

at church today if we had moved from the ward! Well, no, not at this time. (However, that is a possibility in the future, when Kevin retires and we build our house in Idaho.)

The following photo gallery is for those family members who didn't get to go on the annual trek to Idaho. You'll find that most things are about the same. As we pulled up to the house after driving all night, I thought to myself, "Hasn't it been just a month or two since we were last here?"

By Sunday, we had recovered from the trek, and Deborah had driven up from Provo, so the girls thought that tickling Alice was the best way to spend the afternoon.

It wasn't long before one of the parents suggested a more Sabbath-like activity--playing hymns on their instruments, with Dad accompanying. Somehow, it wasn't long before some fiddle tunes started creeping in. Deborah is amazing at blending in with the tunes that Elly and Alice knew, accompanying them so they felt they were doing great. And, of course, they were. A & E both want to grow up to be fiddlers "just like Deborah!"
Grandma's flowers are gorgeous, and she makes it sound like the whole garden is not a big deal, but then she is always busy watering, weeding, or harvesting. And, she sent some bags of frozen peas home with us. Yummm!!!
I guess she did take a minute or two to sit in the swing in the orchard with Alice and Elizabeth. They sure love her!
Sam is now 19 years old, nearly blind, and moving very slowly. It is painful to watch him get up or walk across the yard. But he still wags his tail and loves petting, and loves treats from the table, like ham bones. I doubt that he'll be there next summer.

Then on Monday afternoon, after freezing our seats in the canal, there's the eternal game of Bocche--"Bailey rules", of course. By the way, it was hot--upper 90's, and Kevin asked for a hat. The quickest one I could find was mine, floppy brim and all. He didn't want me to take the picture but I wanted posterity to know that he did the right thing (protect from sunburn) even if it looked weird. Of course, the sunburn still happened, but at least it was a few more days into the vacation before it came (during the Bailey Brothers Annual Golf Outing That is Supposed to be Nine Holes But Turns Into Eighteen and Nobody Brought Sunscreen). Next up, the Huckelberry-hunting trip that came up empty, but took a long time.

Top Ten Reasons for Visiting Guam

1. To meet Marta Caroline Bailey--our newest granddaughter! 2. To see Ryan and Jamie, and play with Emma--of course!
3. To eat new and interesting Island food. (Parrot fish, taro, crab, and a dessert ball that was similar to a donut, but without the hole--all prepared by a neighbor family to "treat the parents of Ryan and Jamie". The family is from a neighboring island, Palau.)
4. To eat some of the local produce. The tiny bananas were delicious!

5. To see palm trees and tropical plants. This one is right outside Ryan's apartment window (they live on the 3rd floor). The little playground is right there as well.
6. To snorkel and swim in the beautiful ocean... And we saw lots of beautiful fish.

7. To watch the sun set straight west, into the Philippine Sea.

8. To watch dolphins playing .

9. To see how people live in a tropical paradise...

And #10? Just because it was a place I'd never been before!

Impressions of Guam

After arriving in the middle of the night and the long traveling, we weren't very energetic our first day there. A nice drive around the southern half of the island sounded nice. Jamie had two appointments for photo sessions, so we spent the afternoon being tourists. Guam is nearly surrounded by a living reef, as shown by the two tones of blue water. The University of Guam is located across the bay (right by Kevin's back).
With the high humidity, nearly constant temperatures (high 80's in the day, low 70's at night), and frequent rains, a hut like this would be all you would need to catch the trade winds. Personally, I am really grateful for air conditioning!We waded into the water, and I was expecting a bit of refreshment from the heat (you know, like stepping into an Idaho lake or canal), but the water was warm too.

We didn't hike up to the cave where a Japanese soldier hid out after the war was over, until 1971, but that spot is certainly visited by most of the Japanese tourists! In fact, Japanese tourism is huge on Guam. When we picked up our rental car and looked at the map included, it was totally in Japanese! Street signs, etc, are in English and Japanese. It almost made me wonder, who won the war?
The bougainvillea was everywhere--and in various colors, as well as hibiscus and plumeria.
Apparently, during WWII, the island was practically devoid of plant life--it had all been bombed or burned away. So the Army brought in plants from the Philippines to reforest.

You wanted proof of our trip???

On the street of Narita City, Japan, during our 6-hour layover on the way to Guam. I guess I don't look too bad for having been awake for 24 hours! I suddenly felt like I was in Europe-- Narrow streets, lots of flower boxes, and small cars. When we arrived, we had an option: pay for a "napping" room at the airport and maybe get a couple of hours of sleep, or take the train into nearby Narita City and visit a park. We took the second option, knowing that spending time out in the sunshine helps the body adjust to the new time. We would also have the advantage of having navigated the train system in preparation for the following week when Ryan and Jamie would be with us (and two children, and luggage). This proved invaluable!
And the park was beautiful! All kinds of trees, ponds, huge gold fish, and a huge Japanese temple.
Our spirits were revived by the beauty--and we were glad we'd taken this option.

In our spare time...

When we left for Guam, I told Deborah, "if you want a project to do, take down the wallpaper border in the spare bedroom." (The room that used to be A&E's). When we came home, She had spent hours and hours, and tried every trick she knew of, including steaming, and that border was only half-way down. It was a self-adhesive border, and I'm thinking they used super glue! We worked on it a couple more days, and I finally finished it after she went back to Provo.

That glue melded with the paint and by the time we were through, it was fairly obvious we'd have to prime the wall (what with all the spots where the paint had been taken off along with the wall paper).

Then there is the problem--what color for the repainting job? Catherine suggested a warm golden color. Very nice, except it clashed with the carpet. I looked at paint samples. No clear idea came of what I wanted. Then, what do I spy? The mis-tinted shelf of half-price paint. All I had to do was go through and see if there was a color (and all the gallons had a sample on the lid) that I thought would work. And I found...

this.

It is supposed to be a deep pinkish mauve, or a deep mauve-ish pink, or a deep dusty rose, or some such thing (there was no actual name for the color), and when we opened the can, I was a little worried. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea...

But then we got it all mixed up and started painting, and I fell in love with it immediately!
We had thought maybe of taking out the bed and just making this a sewing/music/library room, but now that the walls match the bedspread so well, maybe it will stay. Besides, it is pretty handy for an afternoon reading session.
Or a snuggle with the dog. Of course, this took until fairly late on Saturday evening, but that was only because we took several hours off to go take part in the Sturgis Falls activities. Now I'm ready to paint something else. Maybe it is good we are heading off to Idaho this weekend, or I could do something crazy!

Alastair's Blessing--and more...

I keep checking this blog, but no one has updated it for a long time! Oh, that's MY job?

Recently, we spent 36 hours in Wisconsin--arriving late Friday night and leaving early Sunday morning. But we were there for the most important event, Alastair's blessing!

The blessing was held on Saturday evening, at their home. All three of their children have been blessed at home and we have found it to be an intimate, sacred setting. And best of all, you can choose the time when the baby is at his best.

Aaron's mom, Paula Sullivan, flew in from Utah to spend the week, so she was there as well. Connor and Brenna enjoyed having TWO grandmas to entertain them. Paula teaches 6th grade now, and had to wait until the end of school to come out and help with the new baby. Catherine planned having the blessing when both sides of the family could be represented, even though it was only a couple of days after getting back from Japan.

And the rest of the time, we just enjoyed the day. Brenna can swing for hours if she can get enough people to push her. And Connor can pump himself, so he doesn't need anyone to push him. Hurray! Kevin was finishing up the book he started on the flights to Guam, etc. And still suffering with a little jet lag, he deserved the rest! (Though I think he gave some airplane rides to Brenna.)

And Kevin and I got to see all five of our grandkids within the space of 5 days. (And a few thousand airline miles, but who's counting?)

And we made it home on Sunday in time for our own ward, and for Kevin to be in a Cedar Rapids Ward for a bishopric change.

By the way, today marks the 2-year anniversary of our flooded basement! This weekend is the Sturgis Falls community celebration, and two years ago we had tons of rain and awoke on Sunday morning to wet carpet throughout the basement. Thank heavens Justin and Darcy were here (on their way out to Utah), for their extra help was so important in moving furniture, removing carpets (to dry out on the driveway) and putting things back. (Oh, and the missionaries helped, as did the Swindler family).

And guess what? We had four inches of rain on Thursday/Friday, but no flood this time! However, the tornado sirens went off twice--tornadoes were sighted by the airport. Alice was more than a little scared. Elizabeth was a Girls Camp, and they had an exciting time with the weather as well. But as Deborah says, "It wouldn't be Girls Camp without a tornado scare!"

Update on Deborah: she flew back to Provo on Wednesday, after taking care of Alice and Elizabeth very well. Except for the joke they played on us about having attended a Metallica Concert (when it was really a viola concert). They went to Adventureland, to Wisconsin, and to the various lessons the girls had. Thanks Deborah!!!

We're here!

Fortunately, we do not have pictures of our arrival on Guam, at 1:30 a.m. (which was REALLY 10:30 a.m. on my body's clock and we had been awake for 30 hours, with only a couple of hours of intermittent sleep on the plane). You wouldn't want pictures of that...

Then, we were off to Ryan's home (he met us at the airport--so he didn't get a lot of sleep either). Finally, sleep for 4 hours--till Emma woke up and the whole household got up at 7 a.m.

Pictures will soon come!

And Number 5 is finally here!

Annoucing the arrival of the new son of Catherine and Aaron, as yet unnamed. I think I'll call him A.J. (for Aaron Jr.) until something becomes official. I can't just keep saying "him"; although Deborah and Elizabeth both were unnamed for a week after their births--the hospital personnel kept hounding us for a name so they could send in the birth certificates. But names are just so important!

He was born about 1:20 pm, Saturday, May 19, 7 lbs 14 ounces, 20 inches, blondish, wavy hair--enough for the nurse to use a comb when she bathed him (a new implement as far as newborns go for the Sullivans!), and healthy--all ten toes, etc. Hopefully, pictures will soon appear here!
Catherine said labor went so quickly that he doesn't have a cone head.

I'm on my way this evening to Wisconsin to do the grandmother thing--play with Connor and Brenna, hold the baby, cook some meals, and enjoy myself immensely. I can't wait!

Disney--Days 3 and 4

Day three--Epcot. Tired feet. Hot. Grateful for any shade. Loved Soarin'. Did it twice since that is what we went to first as the park opened. Other amazing things--Mexican mariachi band; a group that played on garbage cans and lids; a playful fountain; Kevin and Deborah did the Moon mission (they said I WOULD NOT like it). And African drums; English street actors; and hundreds (it seemed) of school classes there on field trips.
Day Four--Magic Kingdom, again. But this time it was from 8 a.m. to 11 pm. We were tired after the evening fireworks, but as we noticed all the crowds leaving the park we just couldn't pass up the chance for short lines at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain. We left when the park closed (knowing full well that the next day was Sunday and we could REST our fatigued bodies).
The Bailey girls--as now constituted.
Oh how hard the work is to really have fun!