JasPam

Show Me MO!

2012-01-11T20:35:00.000-08:00

We were fortunate to spend ten days in southwestern Missouri enjoying our family over the holidays. Creating this blog full of lots of pictures has reminded me how many memorable activities we all participated in . . . . . The Aviary Restaurant, Wilson Creek Civil War Battlefield,
Abby & Savy's 10th Birthdays, Silver Dollar City, Jason and Lori's Birthdays, The Dixie Stampede, Walks to the Park, Jaycee's 2nd Birthday, First Night 2012 in downtown Springfield, Bass Pro, church together, iPading together, and just being together!

December Days

2011-12-14T21:20:00.000-08:00

I have been serving in our Relief Society for about two and a half years, but with this particular group of women for five months. We took this picture, since Marlene Poole moved this week to Logan, Utah, and now I need to find a new counselor! From left to right: Debbie Jensen, Assistant Secretary, Nancy Alexander, Secretary, Jennifer White, Counselor over RS Meetings, and Marlene, Counselor over Teaching/Education, and yours truly.

We had a dinner for the sisters at our home last month and had a great time eating lasagna, salad, rolls, and dessert, then watching President Uchtdorf's talk about the "forget-me-knot" flower. It was an inspiration to all!

Kristen and Audrey

Meredith and Julia

Amanda and Marlene

Jana and her son.

Ramona, Betty Jo, and Elna.
This is just a sampling of some of the fine women in our Relief Society!

Jason set apart Elder Josh Mortensen as a missionary. He will be going to Mexico to serve.

We found time to decorate a gingerbread house and put up our Christmas tree. It is a Norland Fir tree and this is the first time we have purchased that variety. We had a great time going with Mere, Brandon, and Gunner on the Saturday after Thanksgiving to Vollstedt's Christmas Tree Farm and cutting down our own trees. We got to ride the tractor to the tree area, cut down our tree, then ride back and enjoy cookies and hot cider or hot chocolate in their cozy cottage.

We enjoyed two nights at the beach tagging along with Jason for his annual ODAA Winter Conference. Kudos for Salishan and it's pool, the beach, sunshine, Mo's, Pig-N-Pancake, and the outlet mall.

Jason had a small part in our Stake Production of "The Savior of the World". He was Luke, and had a short, but very important part at the very end of the play: "And the child grew and waxed strong in Spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him." Most of the cast has been working on this production since last summer, but Jason was only available for about three rehearsals, then five nights of performance. It was a successful holiday offering for our local community and a reminder of the "real reason for the season!"

Below are two Gunner videos: one from the beach and one from his "mini-movers" class!

Autumn Activities

2011-11-13T17:46:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Veteran's Day last Friday by going to one of the largest parades west of the Mississippi in our hometown with our grandson and daughter. This has been a tradition of our family ever since we moved to Albany in 1980. We'd like to thank all the veterans, including our son-in-law Steve, for his two deployments to Iraq, and his years of service in the US Army.

Parade Day dawned foggy and cold, but as the starting time approached, the sun came out. We had our thermals and layers on, but actually warmed up quite a bit as the parade rolled on.

One of my favorite entries is the Civil War Reenactment group.

Gunner enjoyed the horses and motorcycles.

Our young friend, Marli ,a high school senior, was awarded Junior First Citizen for Linn County so we enjoyed seeing her along the route. Congrats, Marli!

Gunner enjoyed the candy that was thrown out from various floats or individuals walking along the parade route. He wanted to hold all the candy in both of his hands, and did not want to let go of it!

Now we move on to another big event that occurred west of the Mississippi!:
Pam's Sixtieth Birthday!

Although I only had my husband, grandson, daughter and son-in-law here to celebrate in person, I received over sixty memories and notes from various friends and family members. Here is the basket full of those memories I received: (you can see how each of the envelope is individually numbered!) I spent the day opening each envelope and reading all the heart-felt thoughts and writings sent my way. Thanks so much for all those memories!

Happy Birthday to you, Grammie Pammie Jane!

The birthday cake was our favorite banana cake recipe that has vinegar in it!

Jason set apart our good friends, the Bastings, as missionaries to serve in the Canada, Winnipeg Mission. Jim and Jason served together in the Lebanon Stake Presidency for eight years, and Donna and I served together in the Stake Young Women. It is interesting for us to have our peers being called on missions now, and look forward to the time when we will be able to serve a full-time mission (or two or three) !

Pre-Halloween Adventures

2011-10-28T08:07:00.000-07:00

Meredith, Brandon, and Gunner invited me to go to the pumpkin patch with them and it was so much fun! We checked out the hay bale climbing structures, the slide, the petting zoo, and the many different varieties of pumpkins of course! Every standard pumpkin cost $1 --there were white, variegated, and pumpkin pie pumpkins. I bought three of the pumpkin pie pumpkins and actually cooked down the pumpkin and made one pie. There was sufficient pumpkin to freeze some in order to make more pies, cookies, and bread through the upcoming holiday season. President Carlile keeps very busy with the missionaries going and coming in the stake, and this past week he set apart Elder Kraig Farrar to go on his mission to Brazil. We enjoyed an open house for Elder Farrar at his home, sponsored by his wonderfully supportive family. Stake Conference was last weekend and had one missionary couple (our friends the Bastings) speak who will be going to the Winnipeg, Canada Mission and another couple report who had served in the Cove Fort, Utah Mission. Yesterday I chaperoned Jason to a J. Reuben Clark Law Society lunch meeting he had in downtown Portland. While I was passing time waiting for his meeting to finish, I made my first visit to the famous Voo Doo Donut shop in the heart of Old Town Portland. What an interesting field trip! Within just an hour of time, I was approached by two homeless individuals! The combination of them with the numerous working professionals provided an interesting contrast. This scenario brought back memories of my single days when I worked in Portland in the Dekum building for George Schwarz Interior Design. This is the same exact part of downtown Portland where I launched my commerical interior design career when I moved there in 1974. Lots of changes since then, but Portland is still a beautiful and diverse city and I love it.

BYU Victorious!

2011-10-16T07:25:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was one of the most beautiful fall days we have had in Oregon--changing leaves in various colors of reds, yellows and oranges, temperature in the high sixties, somewhat overcast skies with a little sunshine peeking through--and one huge crowd gathering at Reser Stadium in Corvallis for the football game between the Cougars and the Beavers. Our house is a house divided with Jason being a Beaver graduate and me being a BYU alum! Fortunately, we ordered our tickets in the BYU section, so Pres. Carlile was a good boy and let us sit amongst the blue. The game was close, with interceptions and turnovers, and tied at one point, until a last, the BYU Cougars earned a 38-28 victory! Of course in the BYU audience, we saw several friends--the Coverstones, the Davis' (former members of our ward pictured below), the Butterfields, and of course our own "family Beaver"--Riley Winn! We attended the BYU Football Team fireside the night before and enjoyed seeing Brandon's cousin, Seth ,(a member of the BYU team) and his family there. Mere and Brandon also went with us to the game and their eagle eyes spotted Jimmer and his fiance, so I used my zoom and got the snapshot of him below! Riley, in his freshman year at OSU, was sittting with the orange students and wearing his Jimmer shirt. We went to the game early to get a parking spot and picked up some lunch, then had a hearty walk to the stadium. Unfortunately there was a major traffic jam leaving Corvallis, so it took a long time to get home. Otherwise, it was a great way to spend yesterday afternoon and I was happy that we didn't have to use the panchos and umbrellas I had brought in my bag in case of rain:)

Thanks for the good times -- all except the major traffic jam on the way home!

Fall Follies

2011-10-06T22:10:00.000-07:00

Last month I enjoyed a week with the Winns and Les posted a blog of our adventures which you can enjoy at http://lesleyandtrevor.blogspot.com/. Then we went to SLC for Church Conference and enjoyed two days at the conference center listening to the prophets, apostles, and church leaders and gleaning words of wisdom for guidance in our lives. We stayed two nights with my niece, Marci, her husband Matt, and their two boys. One of our highlights with them was going up the canyon, enjoying the fall leaves and color, and cooking hot dogs and smores over the campfire. Then we stayed two nights at my brother, Stan's new home in Provo, and searched for a family reunion location for our 2012 reunion. We went by Dow's Hobble Home to check our the location for our Wilson Reunion next year as well, so I'll post some pictures from all these events. One more important event was that my nephew, Peter, was set apart by his Dad as a missionary to serve in the Sapporo, Japan mission.

Minnesota Memories

2011-09-07T10:23:00.000-07:00

Jason and I had such a great trip to MN last month! It was a good time to go right before school started for Steve and the twins. The Bajorks never disappoint! Jason's favorite part was working in the yard helping prune bushes, trees, and plants, then driving it to the yard recycle center with Steve in his truck. All of us helped on the yard project while Steve was out of town. I got a kick out of the girls playing "Miss America" with all the large branches that were cut away. They would pose on the ladder and stand with their "bouquets". Other favorite parts were Sparky, the sea lion's show at Como Zoo, the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, The Wild Rumpus Bookstore, Paddleboating, The Minnesota State Fair, going to church and the park, and most of all--going to the school open house where Abby/Savy will be in fourth grade. Not too mention all the good food Steve and Adge made for us. We ate our share of greasy, fried food at the State Fair from Fried Snickers Bar, Fried Pickle, Sweet Martha's Bucket of Cookies, all you can drink milk, turkey sandwich, carmeled apple, snowcones, and Jason's personal favorite: pork chop on a stick. It was fun to put Jocey down for bed and read to her, and get to know Sawyer better. He quite enjoyed us, especially when Steve wasn't around. Abby/Savy are so much fun to be around--they loaned us their beds and bedroom--thanks so much girls! Sorry to boot you out. Jason had PPI's with all three girls and determined that they all have testimonies of the gospel. Thanks for all the memories,we love you, and see you next time! (probably on Skype)

Sunriver 2011

2011-08-12T11:05:00.000-07:00

It was a little quieter at our family trip to Sunriver this summer than last year when we had "17 Bike Renters and counting!" Jason had to go over the mountain early for some of his ODAA meetings, so Mere, Gunner, and I took a leisurely drive together on a beautiful summer day.

The house we stayed at was "quaint" as Mere described it, but just right for us!

Fortunately, Brandon got off work last Friday and joined us for two days. Here the Winters are trying their bull-roping skills.

This may be the only picture that exists of Jason in a swim suit! (Oh, I made him pose on the beach in Hawaii a few years ago so there was proof we had actually been there!) Grandchildren are motivators for many things, and here Grandpa is helping Gunner get on the slide.
Don't forget to scroll to the bottom of this blogpost and see a video of Gunner going down the slide!

Love the western feel at the horse stables,

Gunner took his horsemanship skills seriously!

We spent time at both the South and North Pools. This is the baby pool on the south end. Gunner was very busy enjoying the water and trying to make friends at the same time.

Gunner was worn out after many fun activities at Sunriver, and feel asleep while eating his granola bar. You can see the crumbles of it still in his mouth.

Fort Rock Park was a hit with Gunner!

Brandon, Mere, Jason, and I played tennis and pickle ball, even though I don't have any pictures of it. They now have the pickle ball lines painted on some of the courts. I have decided our family is going to have a pickle ball tournament the next time we get together, since many of them were middle-school champions and have had some experience with this game. The reason I like it, is because it's easy to learn. Also opening next year at Sunriver is a new indoor/outdoor water park that is huge with pools, lazy river, slides, a work-out center, etc. It is called SHARC and we drove by the construction and it's the largest feature I've seen there.

Summer Fun

2011-08-12T08:26:00.000-07:00

Nothing better on a summer day than to cool off at the Cool Pool!

Well, there is one thing better than the pool, and that is our summer concerts at the park. Last night we heard BJ Thomas and we baby boomers were loving his tunes such as "Raindrops Keep "Fallin' on My Head" from the movie "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid!"

Award-Winning Tree Farm Tour

2011-07-27T21:25:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago we braved yet another wet, summer day to go to Sweet Home and tour the Pebble Creek Tree Farm, which is owned by some friends of ours. They were recently awarded the "Small Tree Farm" of the year in Oregon.

There was a demonstration at the tour on how this machine thins the trees. It was very interesting: The machine cutss the trees at the base, then turns them horizontally, then cuts them into shorter lengths, according to what the computer inside the cab tells them, depending on how many board feet the log contains.

Here are the owners Henry and Molly. He was our Stake President when we first moved to Albany, and has been a mentor to Jason during his years of church service.

This is the small cabin on the property which has bunkbeds in it for the grandchildren and others to sleep in overnight.

There was a free barbeque lunch served which was yummy.

Here is the campfire area where they had a pot of beans coooking over the fire. They were very tasty.

Here's another picture of that tree-eating machine!

There were several official foresters there, as well as a professor of forestry from OSU to tell about the trees, the growth, and thinning.

Most of the trees were fir trees except here where Jason is standing they planted lodge pine trees since it was too wet to grow the fir trees.

Ivan is Henry's son, and he is also a friend of ours. He gave us a tour on his tractor. Ivan also owns a tree farm.

Ivan told us about the development and history of the farm.

This grave marker is on the land and is that of Mr. Wiley, an early pioneer in the Sweet Home area. Wiley Creek is in Sweet Home.

This is another very fun feature on the farm--a zipline! Pres. Wolthuis' grandson demonstrated it for us. This tree farm is very family friendly, and some of the grandchildren were giving talks about some aspects of the farm. You could tell they loved this place. What a place of heaven--well maybe more like heaven when it's not raining!

Offspring Summer Visit

2011-07-26T21:30:00.000-07:00

Albany highlights: Paddleboats . . .

New granddaughter Meredith May . . .

The trampoline . . .

Grandma's toys . . .

Jaycee holding little Meredith . . .

Enchanted Forest with Humpty Dumpty . . .

This is what we get when we ask the kids to look at the camera !

Welcome to the magical forest!

Fun for all ages!

Gunner hiding from the camera once again!

Finally got one of Riggs looking straight on!

Fun train ride . . .

Slides for kids and Moms!

Burgerville, of course!
Jaycee found a shopping cart downtown at the Crazy Days Sale . . .

Gunner and Jaycee held hands briefly for the fans . .

The doggie here was popular with the kids . . .

Gunner on the tractor at the berry farm . . .

Enjoying the Red Riding hood show . . . (and Riggs really liked it)

MMW has some long legs. . .

Meredith Mae getting a bath in Grandma's laundry room sink!

4th of July Part 2

2011-07-19T22:34:00.001-07:00

4th of July Part 1

2011-07-19T21:46:00.000-07:00

Quick trip South

2011-06-30T22:16:00.001-07:00

This group gathered to say good-bye to these two:

Their house:

Had this sign in front of it:

These visitors came from the south:

The cousins had a fun time together:

We had a quick final meal together with L & L:

Four of five siblings together:

Grandpa & Olivia:

She loved the dog!

A party for the Wilsons:

Loved the house and the lady on the sofa:

Fun with the Wilsons:

The goat farm at Pescadero:

Sarah & Peter --To the Wilsons and everyone--thanks for the good times and good luck to L & L as they move forward to a new challenge and adventure!

Trek

2011-06-30T22:04:00.000-07:00

PH Leadership l to r: Bob, Blair, Jason C., Br. Hamilton, Owen, Doug and Trail Master, Danny.

Love, Love Visitors

2011-06-24T21:51:00.001-07:00

This week my brother Dow and some of his family stopped by for a brief visit. It was great to see them, if only for a short time. We got this picture next to Grandma Ida's rose bush.

Here is the Wilson cousin representation . . . .

. . . and the rents . . .

The Winter Family has also been here, and Bailey has been entertained by Gunner, as well as entertained him. Thanks Uncle Bailey!

Two Grandmas trying their best to get a pose together with Gunner.

Bailey looked right at home on the quad.

Bon Voyage to one and all. Hope you back for another visit before too long!

Father's Day Celebration

2011-06-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

Here are all the guys on Father's Day at Turner.

The Winters prepared a delicious meal for the Winter and Carlile Grandparents.

Gunner was in his usual supervisory mode, that is until he found these mounds of dirt! Unfortunately there are critters beneath who are digging these mounds and there was a discussion regarding their removal!

Bailey enjoyed building a teepee fire so we could roast marshmellows and make Smores.

One wiggly grandson and two grandpas.

The Carlile Grandparents.

The Winter Clan.

The badminton action.

The good-looking Winter Grandparents.

Gunner's gooey Smore's face!

Carrying on Grandpa Jason's tradition of ending the day with a Popsicle. Happy Belated Father's Day to all you dads out there!

Trek Trail

2011-06-24T20:50:00.001-07:00

Brandon, Gunner, and Mere were up early to watch the crew load our quad on Memorial Day in search of the trail for our Stake Pioneer Trek.

Bob and Doug are making sure all the equipment is tight and in place for the trip to the mountains.

Danny, Bob, and Jason look like the Three Amigos! Jason was very excited about this project!

Here they are up in the Oregon Cascades getting ready to unload and spend the day confirming the route of the upcoming youth trek in June.

Look at the amazing vista the pioneers had, although their mode of transportation was different!

Today is the final day of the trek and they'll be home tomorrow to tell us their stories. We'll see how all pioneers survived their three nights/four days in the wilderness!

18 Bike Rentals and Counting

2011-06-01T20:02:00.000-07:00

Just waiting for my baby sister to arrive . . . .

One of our last times together as a family of three . . .

Meredith May Winn finally arrives with her shock of dark hair and nice long fingers.

Now we are a family of four!

Now to explain the title of this post: Last year our reunion t-shirt theme was "17 Bike Rentals and Counting". There was a bike pictured for everyone in the family. Now we add one more!

Three generation pic . . .

Grandma and Rigdon spent some time together getting to know each other better while Mom and Dad were busy with sister at the hospital.

The cameras were rolling to capture our new granddaughter.

Below MMW is wearing the same outfit her Mom wore. They both resemble each other too.

Checking out new sister. This will be an ongoing process!

Happy Birthday, Meredith May--we all love you very much!

Memorial Day Birthday Boy GWW

2011-05-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Dad! I would like to thank you for your service to our country! Here you are as a soldier in the US Army, 18th Ord. HM. Co., in October of 1944 getting ready to leave Champ Shenks, New Jersey and arrive in Plymouth, England on Nov. 11, 1944. George was a T-5 (Technician 5th Class).

Here you are with your truck on Feb. 3, 1944. On the back it says, in your writing, "We took them out on Bivonac. It rained all nite till we had to sleep in the back of my truck." (This is straight from my Dad--spelling, grammer and all!)

This picture is fascinating, and I need some help researching it. Dad is on the front row, third from left where the arrow is pointing and the location is Freidberg, Germany, 1945. The sign behind this company of soldiers on the window behind them says 18th Ord. Hm. Co., 1945. I think this may be Ray Barracks, but maybe one of you war history buffs, could confirm for me.

My sister Mary found this picture of the SS Exchequer. Dad wrote in his autobiography, “The Real George,” that he boarded the Exchequer on Nov 11, 1945." We aren't sure if he left for England on this ship or if he left to Europe to come home on it. We are researching this info.

It's no surprise that George had tons of family support! This picture is with George's parents, Robert, Sarah and George Wilson (from left) and some of the Darger and Williams relatives on the right. Dad was very close with these family members. From his autobiography it says, "Before I left there were all sorts of family doings: dinners, parties and all manner of affairs for the upcoming soldier-hero . . . . "

"Mother was terribly sick at this time. She would go for a day or two then be at death's bed for several days. However, as I sat on that old rocking chair in her bedroom, she assured me that she would still be there when I returned from the war. No matter how long I was gone. She told me that so many times from 1927 or 39 on that I really believed her. She said, "I'll be right here until you all are married and all of you have your own children." This promise did hold true, since my grandmother Wilson is in the wedding pictures when my Mom and Dad were married on June 20, 1947, and my Dad was fortunate to return safely from his military commitment.

Wilson Nanny

2011-04-26T21:26:00.000-07:00

If you want the best Nanny job in the world, just get your brother to hire you for a few days to watch over his daughters in the land of Stanford. See the tower in the background?

Who knew bunny care would be part of the Nanny job? Thankfully Becky and Hannah were very responsible in caring for their pets!

Dow and Lynn helped to enlarge the bunny cage after they got home from their trip. The bunnies needed a new grassy area to nibble on.

Since when did my younger brother start wearing such classy/fun tennis shoes? (Probably since he became a serious athlete who works out regularly!) I'm used to his old junkers :)

We were fortunate to watch the Stanford Men's Tennis Team play their last match of the season against California. Becky and Peter are enjoying the action and Becky promised me she would carry on the Wilson Tennis Tradition!
Here we have Team Wilson. Uncle Larry joined us for a few hours to enjoy the matches.

Here is the Number Three doubles team for Stanford and the player on the left, Jamin, is a friend of the Wilsons. He is a freshman for the Cardinals and he and his partner won the #3 doubles match.

Go Stanford Cardinals! Dow bought me a Stanford tennis shirt which I adore.

Peter and Sarah enjoyed some frisbee throwing in the backyard on a sunny day. It was theraputic for me to see the sun for a few days!

Hannah had a birthday while I was there, so we enjoyed a party for that special young lady.

Happy Birthday Hannah! Have a great year ahead! Love you.

Hope you enjoyed partying with your friends! Everyone enjoyed the fun, friendship and cupcakes!

Polaris 500

2011-04-16T19:20:00.000-07:00

Spring Break Festivities

2011-04-14T21:01:00.000-07:00

Adrienne joined us for our Relief Society Birthday the day she flew out with her four children. Congrats on keeping up with them as well as adjusting to Pacific Daylight Time!

We enjoyed Alice and Kim's special strawberry-topped cupcakes.

The girls are here with Sister Joan Lee who has recently celebrated her 94th Birthday!
She is an example to all of us on how to live a happy, full, and long life.

We went to the Curious George Exhibit at the Children's Museum, since it was a bit too wet and cold to go to the zoo.

This formerly "little" girl is getting quite grown up!

Another fun activity was the Chinese Acrobats.

Sawyer was a good sport all along the way.

Off to the Carousel was a highlight of our week together. Jocey will tell you so!

A trip to Hastee Freeze to say "hi" to Kathy and to get treats was a must on our list!

Eating our ice cream on the tailgate of Grandpa's new truck.

Climbing on the tree and jumping on the trampoline were two popular activities, for the few days that the sun showed its face!

Savy and Abby couldn't get enough of the bouncing, and they were glad it didn't snow!

Also, dyeing Easter eggs was fun for all.

Gunner wanted to join in the fun!

We took a trip to Turner to check out where the Winters will be moving.

Saying goodbye was not easy, but we all had a wonderful and memorable time together.

Conference Visitor

2011-04-03T04:55:00.000-07:00

Elder Marlin Jensen of The Seventy was our special visitor last month for Stake Conference. We were inspired by his spirit and his words that were shared.

He stayed one night at our home, so we were busy preparing for his visit! Mere made this awesome spring/Easter wreath and this is a sample one of the eggs she used on it.

Photo shoot with the Winters and Elder Jensen.

Elder Jensen, Pam, and President Carlile. Elder Jensen is the Church Historian so it was fascinating to talk to him about what he has been doing in his calling.

Gunner, Brandon, and Tootsie pose on "the bench" to show off Mere's new wreath above them.

Gunner likes the wreath that his Mom made. Even though Easter is later this year, we'll start celebrating now!

These pink tulips were given to is by the Iversons who thought we needed to spruce up our home with some fresh spring flowers. They have been giving us tulips every spring for several years. Thanks to Patty and Nels for their generosity!

Evan 27 Years Ago!

2011-03-14T22:43:00.001-07:00

Nike Clash of Champions

2011-03-09T19:01:00.001-08:00

Welcome to the Nike Clash of Champions at the Matthew Knight Arena in Track Town USA!

Tonight it will be "Live Tennis" town USA on the special Nike Grind Court.

Every seat in Phil Knight's NIKE arena was a fairly good one.

We had to be patient with some U of O Duck attention given to the athletes.

Johnny Mac was a surprise attendee. He provided some commentary and even played a few points in Roger's place during one match.

Rafa Nadal was fun to watch. I especially enjoyed his "soccer footwork" with stray balls.

Roger is quite the entertainer and a very powerful and smooth tennis player.

Maria is a gorgeous and classy tennis player. According to Mr. Knight these athletes only do four exhibition matches a year, so this was quite an opportunity for us to have them come here.

Here's the inside of the Matt Knight Arena. I liked the gigantic volleyball mural on this wall. Maybe a little too much yellow and green for we Beaver fans, though!

Legendary tennis. Serious Fun for Pam and Jason, Meredith and Brandon.

Here are the four professional athletes who provided our evening's entertainment.

Here is the Nike Founder, Phil Knight. His son Matthew died in a scuba diving accident in 2004. He was 34 years old and the father of two small children.

Roger being Roger.
Rafa enjoyed a moment with the microphone. We enjoyed our evening's entertainment.

The Chipper

2011-02-19T18:27:00.001-08:00

Here you can see Gunner (and Mere in the reflection) watching the action from our kitchen window.

Two weeks ago Jason borrowed a chain saw and he and Brandon trimmed all the trees in our yard.

Then last weekend, Jason was very pleased to borrow Luke's truck in order to rent "The Chipper" which basically eats up the limbs and turns them into wood chips.

Here is Brandon stuffing limbs into "The Chipper". Both men were having way too much of a good time with this project!

The machine was rented for a minimum of three hours, but after about a half hour, all the limbs were eaten up, and shrunk into chips for compost. Oregonians love wood chips.

Jason is an Oregonian and he absolutely loved this Saturday project. Brandon is becoming a full-fledged Oregonian. Next time they need to warn all the neighbors to bring their limbs over so they can enjoy the fun of "The Chipper!"

Love You!

2011-02-13T19:45:00.000-08:00

From Nurse Maid's elbow to . . . . .

to a broken arm . . . . .

to special visitors in Maple Grove . . . .

to fun at the park . . .

and the library . . . . . . .

to fun at the restaurant . . . . . .

to walks and rides in the wagon . . . . .

to more fun eating out . . . . .

and fun on the slide . . . . .
time with Uncle Dana . . . . .

chelaxing at the Oregon Coast . . . .

John Deere tractor . . . . .

kisses at the coast. . . .

fun at the pumpkin patch . . . . .

a visit to see the manatees . . . .

riding the alligator . . . .

airboat ride in the Everglades . . . .

fun at the zoo . . . . .

and at theFlorida beach . . . .

checking out Target . . . . .

and at home and in the snow . . . . .

third grade basketball . . . . .

lunch at school together . . . . .

nativity reinactment . . . . .

We love all our family members!

It has been awesome seeing all of you over the past few months!

We look forward to seeing you and creating more memories this year!

Florida Frolics

2011-01-15T20:09:00.000-08:00

Here are the five of us in front of our "non-chain" lodge in Everglades City on New Year's Day.

It was a charming house with a pool on the inside, and located in a very small city.

Our A Number One hosts. Thank for showing us a wonderful time.

Hungry Harry's Bar-B-Que is an award-winning restaurant and quickly became of our favorite eating establishments. The chicken, ribs, brisket, cornbread, corn, potatoes were awesome,

We went on several walks through the Winns neighborhood and this is what we found:

Their home . . .
These trees look like they should be here in Oregon!

The wildlife . . .

These screened porches on almost every home in sight.

This is one of the biggest screened porches we saw.

Brown trees and ground when it is normally green.

Lots of palm trees.

Here isRigdon on his way back to the car after church.

The Winns in front of their church building with the Spanish architecture--arches, tile roof, etc.

Two handsome boys.
Riggs all dressed up for Sunday.

The electrical plant where a large number of manatees gathered to enjoy the warm water.
Riggs would decide from time to time that he needed to take a break, and he would simply plop down on the ground wherever we were and rest for a few minutes.

This stingray was in the water with the manatees.

Father and son have so much fun together and love each other so much.

The manatees. Fascinating!
Yoder's food was hard to beat and especially their pie.

We visited one of Les and Riggs' favorite places--The Library and watched him watch the other children, and we watched him.

Bye, bye, Riggs, Trevor, and Les. See you soon back in Oregon!

Joyous New Year from the Everglades!

2011-01-01T05:14:00.001-08:00

This was our view from "the tower" at the Shark's Park from within The Everglades. If you do jigsaw puzzles, how would this work for an alligator puzzle?

After several far-away shots, I finally decided to zoom in. You can see how mean these guys look, but they certainly don't move much!

This alligator background was along our walk yesterday. At first we thought it would be a good Christmas card photo for next year, but not quite good enough, I'm afraid.

Trevor was willing to hold the baby alligator at the show yesterday, then at dinner he ate alligator, frog and some other delicacies from the Everglades! Riggs even touched the gator!

Les and I weren't such a fan of the Cuban food the night previous, but on New Year's Eve, she was happy with her shrimp, and me with my crab (carrying on the GWW tradition). Trevor had the "Everglades Platter" which I even sampled one frog leg and a bite of alligator. Jason had scallions, and Rigdon had some of all of our food. He has been a trooper to follow we four adults along for our road trip!

Snow Travels and Travails

2010-12-20T21:00:00.000-08:00

Celebrate!

2010-12-07T08:04:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday today Meredith Anne!

Holiday Fun Has Begun!

2010-12-04T16:35:00.000-08:00

We have been enjoying having our Grandson here with us.

Mere played in the Rebel Girls Basketball Alumni Game. Here she is with her former Coach Smith.

Gunner enjoyed watching the ball game, and came home with both a Rebel shirt and a basketball!

The two alumni teams who played were close. The only players Mere knew were Jessica and Hailey. Can't believe it's been five years since she graduated from high school!

We enjoyed a few days at the beach last week, tagging along with Jason and his work conference.

Gunner was a good boy and slept in what we called his "tent". It was a porta-crib in the same room with us, but it had a covering on top to make it darker, and so that he couldn't see us when we wanted to stay up later than he did!

We did some walking around at the outlet mall, but not much purchasing. I'm spending my money on some dental work lately!

Brandon serving it up at the indoor courts at Salishan Lodge.

Mere thought she'd give Gunner a little tennis lesson.

Gunner and I are posed here in the mouth of a shark at the Aquarium.

We got home in time to prepare for a baby shower at our house for Johna, a friend from church,

Please enjoy my video of the tide coming in at the private beach which is just west across the highway from where we stayed.

Halloween in Transition

2010-11-02T14:26:00.000-07:00

Our dog is transitioning into old age. She is thirteen years old in people years and has some arthritis in her hind legs. Several people have commented lately that she still looks like a puppy but when you see how hard it is for her to get up first thing in the morning, you know she's not a puppy!

The Winns made this Grandpa porch bench for us when Jason's Dad died about three years ago. I made 4th of July and Christmas pillows and finally got Halloween pillows sewn for it.

I like lights. They help transition from summer to fall, then to winter. This year I decided to use orange lights to frame our living room windows, since I wanted a festive look with family coming.

The C-2's posed for a final picture on our bench. They are now back in the midwest after being in Oregon for a few months. We will miss them!

Jaycee is checking out Grandpa's green grass and the pumpkin!

We had one last dinner with Ev at The Old Spaghetti Factory. Yummy crab ravioli and Sicilian meatballs.

Mere, Gunner, and Brandon are now living with us for a period of time after accepting employment here in town.

Lesley and Riggs flew in for a week-long visit starting on Halloween. Below we have the Incredible Hulk, (Gunner) A Pharoah, (Rigdon) and a duck (Macey---whose parents are Beavers!)

Gunner fell asleep in his stroller after a long walk with his Dad.

We had a Church Halloween Party and here are two of my buddies, Ariela and Robyn.

The Winter Family in costume on "The Bench"!

Grammie Witch, Gunner, and Grandpa who was starting to get a cold so he didn't party much.

It was hard to see Jaycee leave, but we will see you on Skype and come visit as soon as we are able.

LAC #97

2010-10-20T08:54:00.001-07:00

Baby Boy Lewis A. Carlile was born on Oct. 20, 1913. Today would be his 97th Birthday!

Below are some pictures of this handsome fellow in his younger days.

These are a few of his mission pictures served in Tahiti.

Lewis' parents were Edith Lewis and Alma Carlile, pictured here at the Woodland, Utah homestead.

This is a picture of the Provo River, near the Carlile Homestead at Woodland.

Lewis with his Dad and two of his brothers in Woodland.

Lewis' parents again. Apparently Alma Carlile was a Bishop for more than 30 years, and Edith ran the family, the food, and the farmwork.

Dorothy and Lewis' wedding picture on their day, March 27, 1943, Portland, Oregon.

Lewis' graduation from Lewis and Clark University.

This is a family picture (minus Galen) taken at Christmastime. In fact, I took it of them at Turner, sitting on their fireplace about December 1976,

The Carlile Family at Jason and Pam's wedding reception at her parent's home in Portland in 1977

This is a great pic of Dorothy and Lewis with a friend of theirs from the Turner Ward. They are both smiling and look happy!

This is the classic Lewis picture from Turner with Bowser that we all like to remember!

Great-grandaughter, Abigail, shows her emotion at Granpda's memorial service in Stayton in 2006.

Thank you for everything you accomplished in your life, LAC!

Forever 29!

2010-10-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

You are very pretty when you are approaching the age of 29!

It is good to make your mother laugh when you are almost 30!

When you were a youngster, some of your outfits would make us laugh!

Rub a dub, dub, three siblings in a tub provides a funny memory.

Les, the ballerina, gives pause for reflection.

I finally remembered whey your new bicycle was parked in the bathroom! Because that's where we hid it for a scavenger hunt for you.

Always remember to make your Mother laugh, cuz she tends to take things seriously.

And remember to keep coaching her in climbing mountains!

Remember that Dad and I love you very much!

And so do all these people!

Remember to keep having fun in your life :)

Kudos to Adge #32!

2010-10-13T10:12:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday today, Adrienne Sarah! I used to take you to JC Penney's to get your picture taken and they would charge me one penny for each pound you weighed. Those were the days before digital photography! You were a beautiful baby and are an exceptional daughter!

In the picture above you are one year old and wearing the heirloom dress, hat and necklace given to us by Grandma Dorothy.

At about six months old, the photographer was able to prop you up onto this wooden pony!

Your hair was always very blonde and is coming in more here.

The heirloom outfit once again.

This picture was taken when you were about a year and a half old.

At two years old, I did my best to create some ponytails for you!

Mom and Adrienne. I sure love you!

At age 5, you are wearing a blouse that I actually sewed for you.

At age six--I know the bowl cut with all the bangs--but it was so cute!

Fourth grade, 10 years old, Dec. 1988

5th Grade

6th Grade--Middle School

Jump to High School at age 15 in 9th Grade.

Another SAHS picture.

Then we were fortunate to get some quality photos from Wilken Photography for your senior year.

Another senior pic. It all went too fast! You are now a "mother with babes of your own!" We pray that you continue to be the wonderful young lady you have always been and enjoy your birthday today! We love you so much! Mom and Dad