The Hales Family

As you climb up the stairs to the second floor of the auditorium you see these cardboard figures greeting everyone. They are the children of Stephen and Mary Ann Hales - the mother and father who first accepted the gospel in Toronto Canada and were taught by the Pratt brothers and baptized there. It was awesome to have them so life-like. Mary Isabella had a real shawl around her shoulders which made her come to life. All in all, the reunion was very fun and I was able to get a picture of my gr gr grandmother which I had never had before. The auditorium was full which surprised me and I didn't know a soul there. That's okay though, because we were all related in one way or another.

Me and Henry

I want you to meet my gr. gr. grandfather - Henry. He was a pioneer, saw the Prophet Joseph Smith when he was going to Carthage Jail, saw Joseph and Hyrum in their coffins, lived in Nauvoo and received his endowments in the Nauvoo Temple, moved to Garden Grove and helped plant and build for the Saints there, in the spring of 1851 he came to Salt Lake valley in the Harry Walton/Garden Grove Company. His two wives were Eliza Ann and Ewing and Sarah Jane McKinney. My gr gr grandmother was Eliza Ann.

Elder Robert D. Hales - a cousin

Elder Robert D. Hales was the main speaker for our Hales Reunion. You can get his talk on the Halesgathering.com website. What a privilege it was to listen to him speak to us about the Hales family.

Melodian

This is one of the family antiques that was on display. It is a small piano - called a Melodian.

Liberty Park Aviary

These pictures were taken during our last visit to Provo. We drove into Salt Lake and spent a morning at the Liberty Park Aviary. It is a large area in the park that is devoted to all kinds of birds and some animals etc. I would highly recommend it for a family day trip. Take the kids, the lunch basket and a camera and have a fun trip. We thoroughly enjoyed all of the sights and sounds plus seeing the Park and the pioneer history associated with it. We have ancestors who settled here with their covered wagon and spent their first winter. That makes it a special place to me. This picture is Dad watching the Pelicans.

Lovin' the Water

These are Flamingos and also Black Necked Swans in Liberty Park. I found this beautiful recording of "The Swan" and thought it appropriate. Listen to the full recording because it is gorgeous.

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

These geese came right up to us while we were resting and sitting on a park bench. They were hoping for a snack I think but we didn't have anything with us to share. They seemed to be so tame and use to people. It was fun to actually seem them up close.

Our Red Ribbon

This is the ribbon we won for best family entry.

Pioneer float 1978

This was our Pioneer Day float in 1978 - - a long time ago. Mindy is about 2 and she is sitting in the back - Sorry about that Mindy. I remember we had to go out west of town to gather the sagebrush. The kids worked on making the covered wagon though. Do we look like real pioneers? Andy, do you remember Elise Harrison? It was her Dad that drove the truck for our float. (Dad remembered that part.)

APRICOT SATURDAY

Yesterday Erin bought Apricots for us to can today. Two boxes, one was ready for jam and the other was perfect for canning. We got started about noon because the Pioneer Celebration at the Stake Center was in the morning. We got 25 quarts, several containers of jam and 12 containers of puree for smoothies. What a great day it was visiting and canning together. The boys played while we canned. Can't beat that I guess. Some of our jam was just plain apricot and the other was an apricot/pineapple which we just loved and couldn't keep our fingers out of it. That's the best part of canning is the tasting. Thanks Erin for sharing the day with me. (and Av and Bobo)

Swimming with My Mom

The Condo where the reunion was held had this really nice swimming pool. This is Kris and Logan swimming. All was fine until one of the little kids contaminated the pool. That ended the swimming for the day.

Display Table at Johnson Reunion

This is the table display set with a hanky tree, pictures and jars with Grandma Wilma momentos in them.

WASTED FOOD

I just read a newspaper article on how several Spokane restaurants are now helping feed thousands of hungry people. Every week volunteers with Feed Spokane collect an average of 1,000 pounds of food from area restaurants and deliver it to meal sites and shelters. "Much of the food we receive is in perfectly good condition but sometimes the lack of coordination has led people to throw it away". The Davenport Hotel works hard to minimize waste but leftovers are inevitable after weddings and banquets where they never want to run short. Maurice Smith, executive director of Feed Spokane drove to two Arby's one morning and collected nearly 100 pounds of frozen prepared food - 50 roast beef sandwiches, about 40 pounds of breaded chicken fillets and another 40 pounds of chicken nuggets. Instead of tossing leftovers into the dumpsters, 22 restaurants and catering facilities in Spokane now freeze their unserved meals and save them for Feed Spokane. What a great way to help. Here is a couple of links listed in the article. http://www.wastedfood.com This can also be a good thing to incorporate within our own families - using leftovers. www.recipegoldmine.com/leftovers/leftovers.html

A FUN MUD PUDDLE DAY

Erin and the boys came over on Tuesday and this is how it turned out. While Erin and I were cutting, washing and spinning dry the lettuce from the garden, the two little boys were having "too" much fun too. How is it that boys can have so much fun with dirt? I just don't know the answer to that but they surely did. It started out just digging and playing trucks in the garden area but then water was added and one thing led to another and pretty soon they were jumping and sitting in the puddle. It just didn't matter where the dirt was - it was still a lot of fun. We quickly put a stop to it and Erin hosed them off and stripped them down and then put them in the bathtub. Two little boys having too much fun!! It all made for a good photo day at Nana's.

STRIPPED FROM HEAD TO TOE

This little boy had to be stripped outside - from head to toe. Then, into the tub he went for a bath and shampoo with Nana's help.

YEA - CLEAN AT LAST

This definitely called for a bath and shampoo with Mom's help. Yea, clean again!!

A Cheery, Cherry Saturday

After arriving home from a picnic at Round Lake today, Dad picked the rest of the cherries before the birds discovered them. This little tree is producing so well and these cherries are the best tasting. I think they are called Royal Anne. Anyway, here's a picture of them. Doesn't it make your mouth water????

Papa J's Birthday Pies

The only true way to celebrate a guy's birthday is with a favorite pie. Here are the ones that Dad gets this year - Cherry and Apple - mmmmmmm (my favorite is apple and his is Cherry) that's only fair isn't it????

The Concentrators

Erin and boys came over for Sunday dinner because Jeremy was out of town on a job. Afterwards we played games. One was Dominoes, and then Bodee played "scoop" for a games and then we did Bingo. All good for letters and numbers.

Sunday Afternoon Games

Bodee playing with Scoop.