25 July, 2016

The latest from France


“I got my picture with Elder Bryce [first companion] and Elder Walton. Hooray! Look at our cute three-generation picture! Elder Bryce and I wore our companionship tie.”

















“It rained.”

Attempting, not quite accomplishing, the Turley mouth

Jolly Jumper






















































After the Pioneer Day, Provo-Temple-to-Provo Temple 5K

Existing:

Life ...

... and its various currents, and Andersonian postures












































Posing:

Cheese!










The story of the grandpa who couldn't get Lucy to smile at him






A breath of air


20 July, 2016

Developmental milestone

Lucy, staging a sit-in, or a sit-up.

What? she says. Whoa! says Grandma

Blackbelt year

It's T-minus 365 for Matty D.

Milieu

The gentry, genuflecting

Our candidate

Class of '17





Pro bono

Sharon does some work for free. By accident.

Nice bouquet though .

Photo credit, Claire Duncan

Wow!

Don't know where, don't know when. Don't know what or why either.

We do know who though. Wow!


Two missionaries. (It's nearly the last time that we'll be able to say that!)

Sarah, on the brink of signing off. Coming home, in other words. (!!) "I was asked for my last 4 weeks to bounce around to all those young sister companionships. Most of the greenies are being trained by greenies."

The new face of Sister/Zuster leadership:

















A last reunion, with a ghost from the past.

















Spencer, who is now well over the year-mark, in Tulle getting his papers all up-to-date.

















He continues to suffer all manner of difficult privations. Please pray for him.


Frolics



14 July, 2016

France, which still rhymes with underpants ...

Nice shootin', Spence!




















Sorrow

We lost a more-or-less member of the family today. We think this loved one might have been original to this house, this dear home of ours, which was built way back in 1934. This loved one may actually have come with the original Mormon pioneers, back in '47. The Ute tribe? Very possibly!

Milo, knowing nothing of this impending loss, and yet with the mysterious and immeasurable wisdom of all wild creatures, came up and communed with our old friend for a quiet and tender hour, just before the end.

Then the floor guy drove up in his truck. He gave Mum $100. She took it, calmly. After all the good times, the hard times, the profound and sweet times! Mum even made us carry our old friend out, and pack our old friend up. Then the floor guy got in and drove away.

"Frailty, thy name is ..." No, that's not it. Ah well. Sorrow ...

Gone, but never forgotten!

06 July, 2016

Leftovers

We missed this one.  Here's Claire, as Hot/the Iron Rod, for the 2nd Ward ("We're on the Hi-i-gh-way to Heber!") girls' camp skit.


Spencer, practically participating in the Euro 2016 tourney!

Their trusty St. Etienne photographer/correspondent!


The long weekend finally ends

We take a last break from rushing home to make sure that Matt hasn't burnt the house down to explore the more-or-less miraculous Kolob Canyons corner of the afore-visited Zion National Park.

The camera's batteries are out. We'll turn things over to Mum's camera. First it's the Timber Creek Overlook Trail.




















Down below, it's the cool and gentle Taylor Creek Trail. I lost my kleenex, somehow, on the way in. Claire found it as she made her way out. Fulfilling that Fifth Commandment!


Texas Roadhouse

Colton took us (Zebbie and Julie, Mum and Claire, Caitlin and Lucy) out for a post-moving Independence Day dinner. There was a rack o' ribs. There was prime rib roast. There was a chicken critter salad, whatever that is, that only got half-finished. (Guess who?) There was something about the Dallas/Fort Worth airport. There was an 11 ounce sirloin with a buttered baked potato as the first side, and a buttered baked potato as the second.

There was a 6 oz. steak. "How would you like that?" "Medium well." The whole restaurant went suddenly silent. (Guess who, part II?)

More like it!

A little early morning desert hike

Just a coupla miles from the house, part of the Bearclaw-Poppy trail system, which is partly dedicated to the preservation of the extremely endangered Bearclaw Poppy. Which we'd never even heard of.

More to the point, Mum and Claire are not seeing eye-to-eye.
















On the other hand ...















One youngest, two eldest:
















There's no need to harp on this overly, but it does appear that we are in the desert.

















Sage-sniffer, sage-sniffin' ...
















I believe it's called biological soil crust. "Tiptoe through the crypto," they repeated, maniacally.































Here's Sharon, waiting for the slowcoaches in the way that she usually does.
















We're still not harping on this overly. We're still in the desert!