A good read

Calling all dog lovers!  (which ain't me)!!!

This was our book club book for July.  Even though I'm not a dog lover I enjoyed this story that was told by a dog.

This book helps you see life in a different perspective and makes you thankful you have a thumb!  I learned a lot from this dog about how not to interrupt people while they are speaking . . . . . about not putting off doctor's appointments when you feel something may be wrong with you . . . . . . about uplifting people for the sake of other people . . . . . . about trying to understand other peoples or dogs difficulties.

People love to humanize animals and this book does this.  I feel it is important to remember however, that dogs are dogs are dogs and act the way in which dogs act. 

It is a good book that will test all of your emotions . . . . joy, pain, exhilaration, sadness, wonder, humor and love. 

Ahhhh! look at those puppy dog eyes . . . . .

Kicking and Screaming

I read a personality book once that summed up personalities in this fashion.  A person falls in to one of these categories:

If I were asked to be in a play I would like to participate:

As backstage help

As the director
As a leading role

As a member of the audience

I fall into the last category!  I have told many a  person "no" I will not participate in your play, and since these people are either the director or the leading role type people, they look at me as if I came from another planet.  I would rather stand up and say no, which is hard, than have anything to do with it.

Well recently my husband and I were asked to participate in a production.  Since it included him, I couldn't just roll out my "no" excuse, and since we never said yes or no, we ended up doing it.  I have to say I did go kicking and screaming (in my head) but it turned out to be really nice. 

Thankfully we were just narrators and I only had two short paragraphs to say.  My part came early and then I sat back and became the audience member that I so fully love to be!

Yes, it was a 24th of July commemoration.  It was held in the Washington D.C. Temple visitor's center and ended up being sorta fun!

A trip down memory lane

Yesterday it felt like I spent most of my day in my car, from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.  My goal for the day was to drive my niece Ceci and my son McKay to EFY.  A FOUR hour drive (one-way)!!!!

I could tell they were super excited . . . . and I am super excited for them.  It should be an awesome week for them!

I got them settled in . . . . and helped them make their beds . . . . .

The boys and girl's dorms are separated by some distance!!!  Whew . . . . . . . . .

Ate lunch and then dropped them off and left. 

See Ceci walking up to her dorm?

Some back story . . . . . last week, Lincoln, McKay and I went to Virginia Beach for a few days.  While we were there I did some Internet researching to try to find Walton's Mountain. . . . you know the show Walton's Mountain?

"The Waltons" is one of my favorite shows on TV.  I've searched and searched for it to DVR, but it hasn't been available.  Recently, a channel on cable has been showing the series and I've been watching a lot of it.  It ran from 1972 to I believe 1981?  I love the earlier shows.

One of the reasons that I love the show is that we used to go to my Grandpa and Grandmas almost every Sunday.  Part of the visit was that we'd all gather together and watch The Waltons.  Loved it!

Well . . . . .recently, when I watched my first DVR'd episode of it I actually cried when the music came on, then I cried during the show . . . . it was like watching my long-lost family . . . . . sappy I know but true, nonetheless!!!

Now that I'm older I had some problems with the filming of this show!!!  When I saw the first "pan" of the camera of "Walton's Mountain"  the first thing I thought was THAT IS NOT VIRGINIA (where the story takes place)!!!!!  It was a "pan" of a dry California forest, with pine trees and browness inbetween the trees . . . . . . . . .  Of course, for us Utahns back in the seventies, the "pan" looked great for us, because we had no idea how lush and green Virginia really is . . . . . . . Virginians must have been really perplexed!

Now I had a quest . . . . . I needed to find "Walton's Mountain" for real! 

Sorry, I'm not making a long story short!   In my Internet searching (while we were in Virginia Beach last week) I realized the mountain was not anywhere near Virginia Beach . . . . . . it was on the other side of the state . . . . . . .

Yesterday after dropping the kids at EFY and deciding that I had no real obligations at home other than some toilets that needed cleaning, I loaded my passenger seat with my camera, an atlas, my GPS, some chocolate chip cookies and some honey mustard pringles and did a GPS search.  When I realized I was 58 miles from the mountain I decided to go for it . . . . . . . amazingly, all I needed to do was turn left on Hwy 6 (in the same town as EFY!) instead of right and I was on my way to Schuyler, Virginia.  (pronounced Skyler, weird huh?)

My trip through the Blue Ridge Mountains . . . . .

It was a very lush and green and lonely drive.  When I stopped to take these pictures, not one car passed me by on either side of the road, and not one car . . . . for some 50 miles even came up behind me!  Quite a change from DC!  Glad I had a pretty full tank of gas!  The road was curvy, and equipped with my new tires, new struts, and new alignment on my Jetta, those curves were a joy to drive!

The undergrowth is at least a foot thick here.

On our drive to EFY, Ceci fell asleep.  When I woke her up, she said "WOW, Mountains!!!  . . . . . . . or maybe HILLS!!  . . . . . . They are covered with trees! . . . . . . . They look fuzzy!"  Thanks, Ceci for making my point for me . . . . . . . . I wonder why "The Waltons" producers didn't send a film crew to Virginia to get a few takes of the area to get a more accurate view of the area???????

In Virginia, if you pay attention, you could not forget about the founding of our country.  We are surrounded by reminders.  I drove the "Constitution Hwy" yesterday. . . . . I drove on "James Madison Pkwy" . . . . . I drove past battlefields . . . . past Thomas Jefferson's home . . . . . . James and Dolly Madison's home . . . . . . . and saw signs like this one:

I looked for things that "The Waltons" talked about on their show . . . . . . . if you are familiar with it you'll know what I mean . . . . . . (Blue Ridge Mountains)  (hills, tee hee)

Charlottesville . . . . .

Rockfish . . . . .

As I drove along, the roads kept getting smaller and smaller . . . .finally a gravel road . . . . . really I wouldn't have needed to go on this gravel road . . . . . I had chosen some bogus address on my GPS and then figured when I got to the town I'd search for the museum, so I kinda took the scenic route deep into the woods!!

I have to admit that the drive was so lonely (other than the EFY CD I was listening to) I was beginning to wonder if I'd made a mistake.  I was relying totally on my memory as to the name of the town (which I couldn't find on the map in my atlas it is so small and remote), and there were no signs to indicate Walton's Mountain (which really isn't Walton's Mountain) or the Hamner family (which is the real "Walton" family).  I was thinking that maybe I was just having a wonderfully beautiful drive all for naught . . . . . .

However, my GPS is worth it's weight in gold, and miracle of miracle's it contained the address of the museum and Ta Daaaaa!  I arrived!

I

It was kinda surreal being in the place where everything originated . . . . and it wasn't what you'd think it would be, but as it really is.  The people who run the museum understand why people come to visit and try to fulfill their needs (the Hollywood stuff) but are also anxious for you to know the real story of Earl Hamner and his family. 

Where was the mountain?  I didn't see it!!!!  Where was the house?  It was there but looked nothing like "the house."  Where was Ike Godsey's store?  Hmmmmmmmmm.  All Hollywood.  It still was awesome to be there and partake of what was available . . . .  . along with 6 (yes six) other Walton fans!

There was a lot of great memorabilia to look at!

One of the Baldwin Sisters with Grandpa . . . . . and the hat she wore . . . . with a note in her handwriting.

I love Michael Learned (Olivia Walton).  I always wondered about her name "Miss Michael Learned."  What an odd name.  I wondered was she "Miss" because she had never been married?  Michael?  a boy's name?  Well, she was I think the 8th child of a long line of girls in her family.  Her father said he was naming this baby "Michael" whether it was a boy or a girl . . . . and he did . . . . . giving Michael a quandary throughout her life.  She added the "Miss" to her name so there would be no question about her gender.  (She was also married 4 times and does have children!!!)

I bought a refrigerator magnet at this store!

The rest is self explanatory for you few, very few Walton's fans out there . . . . enjoy!

See what I mean . . . . . . not anything like it!

This is what I felt like yesterday:

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear,

And as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

Now . . . . . . back to cleaning toilets!  they are waiting for me . . . . . . . 

Taking the plunge

The swim team season will soon be wrapping up.  McKay has been swimming for at least 5 years and has had his times where he was on top and won races and then times where there are other kids that are just so good (because they swim all year) that he can't touch them.  This is a year that is tough.  He is at the bottom of the 15-18 year old bracket.  He loves to swim so he keeps at it.

He loves swimming breast stroke.  Whenever he gets to chose a stroke to swim during practice it will probably be breast! 

His least favorite stroke is the backstroke.  Interestingly, he is faster at that stroke.  He usually swims the IM (all strokes) in the meets, but this year he has swam backstroke.  He placed fourth his last meet which I was pretty excited about.

Ha!  This was a good catch!  His dad was behind the camera and got this picture of his "behind" during his backstroke flip turn!   Too funny!

This year I decided to step up and get trained as a "stroke and turn" official.  It was a several hour training and I've been "shadowing" other officials until this meet.  At times I was shaking I was so nervous about doing the job well.  It is hard to DQ (disqualify) these swimmers!  They are all trying so hard to do their best. 

My nephew just started swimming this year and I had to DQ his butterfly!!!  I HATED THAT, but he swam his butterfly beautifully in the IM.  He learned his lesson quickly and so did I!!!!  Sometimes you need to know your faults in order to improve them, and if no one tells you, how would you know???

Disclaimer - - I am not asking for all of you to tell me my faults though!!!  I think I'm aware of more than enough of them to work on at the present time  :)  :)  ha!

Our 4th of July

We did some last minute planning and went and reserved us a spot at the pool behind our house and put together a quick family get together and bbq.  The lady in the blue shirt and her daughter just sat themselves down at our table and ate their dinner there.  I guess she felt like she could join our party :)  No one dared say anything!

Lincoln was the grill master.   We haven't bbq'd with charcoal for quite a while.  We had an old bag of them in our crawl space and gave them a try.  They were supposed to be quick-light.  Their "quick" must have been worn out!  Lincoln and another grill-dude had fun spraying lighter fluid on them to get them going. 

Stevie is such a sport and will always pose for me.  Ceci (behind her) always gives me a silly face or stare . . . . She looks good in this picture though :)

Zane joined the swim team with McKay this year . . . . he is becoming quite the swimmer . . . . . .

This is McKay . . . . . flying high off the diving board!!!

Some of our grilled food . . . . . Yummy!  The charcoal briquettes have a much more even heat than our gas grill!

And our marinated chicken . . . . . marinated by me . . . . . . grilled by my hubby.

My mom and dad . . . .

Ceci and McKay. . . . . . . .

Our pool doesn't allow any toys in the pool, but for this day they had probably 10 beach balls in the pool.  They were a lot of fun, and made for a more colorful picture!

Noah, my dad, and Stevie . . . .  (with Lincoln in the background)

Lincoln and Steve . . . .

Later, after we had watched our neighborhood's fireworks, which were quite good, we went and did our own small show.  I tried to catch McKay writing his name.  I need to play with my camera more to figure out how to get the shutter to stay open longer . . . . I caught the "m" and "c" though!

I just thought this picture was cool . . . . . . so there you go!

I say this all the time, but family times really are the best!  I love it when we all get together!  Hope you had a good one too.