Happy 61st Anniversary

Nephi, Cathie, Jan and I took Mom and Dad out for their annivesary. Dad wanted to go to his favorite restaurant north of St. Anthony, but they were closed. They decided to go and "Chiz Out."

We arrived just at the right time and were all able to sit together. The waitress made a big fuss over Dad and the fact they had been married so long. The food was great and the fact that Mom and Dad were able to see so many of their friends was even better.

Little Ninja

10 weeks and a day(in the picture). Sara will be due on Dec 17.

Memorial Day Fun Fest

It has always been a tradition to have an outside picnic at Grandma & Grandpa Shirleys house on Memorial Day. Crappy weather has also been a consistent tradition, complete with overcast skies which always seem to part in the west just as we began to eat. The trick is to sit with your back to the west so the sun doesn't glare you in the face. The meal consisted of hamburgers, lovingly prepared by Chef Ard on the new grill that we gave to Grandpa and Grandma for Christmas. There were the usual pickles, olives, chips, and lots of "tader salad." The meal started with everyone standing around trying not to get called on for the prayer, yet I have yet to see anyone turn the opportunity down. Grandma usually announces the need for the prayer for saying, "Who's going to take the curse off of this food for us." Sometimes she just says, "Shall we talk to the Lord about this food?"

Allison's kids, along with Chris' little ones had a great time with "The Bubble Machine." Jason and I went up on the house to adjust Grandpa's satellite dish and were surprised when some of the large bubbles floated up over the roof and came up on Jason from behind.

The evening ended with the usual jam session of Nephi, Stretch and myself playing guitars, Grandpa watching the Lakers play the Spurs, the kids playing outside, and the rest sitting around the bar with Grandma enjoying each other's conversation. Such is life in the fun lane.

Bird Brains

Part of my goals for the coming summer was to completely rebuild the shed, that is if something drastic doesn't get in the way. I have a rather sensitive detector that finds things that get in the way. The alarm went off when I went into the shed just as a robin came screaming past me through the door at stealth speed. Then I noticed it: A carefully built next along the back wall.

Peering inside I could a single light-blue egg. Well, there you go. It appears I will have to reschedule my summer projects, because obviously, something drastic got in the way.

It seems that my encounters witht he fine feathered friends was not to end so easily. We went to he cemetery on Memorial Day and there among the stones on Kinghorn Hill sitting quietly and rather motionless, was an owl. We couldn't tell whether it was a baby or if it was injured, but it just sat there. It's head would follow you around behind, but the body remained still. Ard took a small twig and gently placed it on the head of the owl and it tried to bite it, but then went back to sittng silently.

We decided to leave it alone to its own devices. After all, it might have simply been resting. Who knows? We did happen to notice a large red-tailed hawk soaring above the cemetery over above the Shirley Section. Perhaps the owl was smarter than we thought. It was the first time I had seen so much wildlife in a place people were dying to get into.

Indiana 'Alan' and the Last Crusade

In anticipation for the upcoming Indiana Jones movie, I thought I'd post a picture of Alan and I when we went on a trip across Europe in our crusade for the Holy Grail. We had a great time battling Nazis, shooting natives, and following all the clues. It sucked when I got shot though, but luckily Alan was 'penitent' and chose wisely, which inevitably cured my gunshot wound. Thanks Alan!

Gone fishin', again

How do you like my tan? I must work out. By the way, the Jazz season ended again in disappointment, and although the Jazz were on national t.v., I doubt anyone in the family was even aware there were games being played. Yes, the Jazz had their moments, and I was there for some great ones, but another season was unceremoniously flushed down the toilet Friday night thanks to a lackluster effort with little to no sense of urgency or passion. So my flag, towel, jerseys, warmups, and anything else Jazz related will go back into storage (unless Ash throws them out) where they'll wait until November when the dream will begin anew. Meanwhile, the Jazz players and I will have plenty of time to do some fishing this year to see how in the world we can bring a title to Utah. These will be some good times.

The 'Blake' Pearl

Yes, Brandon, there are several things wrong with this picture, but for the most part it's accurate. After Claire's baptism, Blake and Claire floated off into the sunset aboard the Black Pearl, complete with his eyepatch, pegleg, his trusty parrot 'April Fool', and his love for the wide open seas of the Caribbean.