Our Beloved Bear - August 30, 2008

Our sweet friend and canine companion, Bear, left us for a better world August 30, 2008 and we miss him so much! What a wonderful, sweet dog he was ~ just a beloved part of our family. He was at least 16 years old. He loved to hike and especially liked going camping up at Payson Lakes. If there was water nearby, he was in it. He did not especially like going out in the canoe with us, but if we coaxed him, he would come and would enjoy the ride . . .

He liked having the grandchildren come - he was so gentle with the children and with other animals as well. Ashton was his special friend and he would lay down on Bear and follow him all around the house - "Beh" was one of Ashton's first words.

He especially liked snow - he liked to eat it, roll in it and play in it. On snowy mornings, he loved to go outside and stick his muzzle into the snow, he would come in covered white with snow.

Bear liked to be with his family no matter where we were . . . he followed us from room to room, outside to the garage, or out to the garden. We would like to pay tribute to this kind, loving, friendly, sweet-tempered member of our family- Bear and Nipper were "Ray's boys".

We miss you!

Rockin' Family Reunion Part 2

We had almost everyone in the family there . . . minus a few loved and important players - and you were all missed! It was so great to visit with everyone and see all those cute children and how they are growing and changing!

We had such a great time riding four wheelers, tractors, visiting with each other, playing games, eating great food, and reminiscing. It was three days of fun and dust (lots of both)Thank you, Doug & Ann for all your hard work planning, preparing and making this happen!

The last day, we had a HUGE bonfire and Mom & Dad shared some fun memories with us - and we had some to share as well.

A Rockin' Family Reunion -part1

The two wonderful people that made this all possible - we love you, Mom & Dad!

Our 2008 Reunion was held at the Dry Farm about 20 miles east of Idaho Falls. We spent our summers growing up at the dry farm - we lived in a railroad box car that my parents had renovated. They added windows, curtains, and I remember large gray and pink floral wall paper on the walls . . . and oh, yes there was some plumbing - at least to the kitchen sink and the shower that was added on out on the porch . . . we still had to make a run for the outhouse when nature called. But I loved our summers at the dryfarm.

Here, Charlie and Ray are checking out the old boxcar . . .The dry farm is a beautiful, peaceful place set among the aspen trees - I love the rustle and shimmer of the aspens. And the water there is the best - fresh and cold, straight from the spring. I know it was tons of work for my parents to keep up with two homes. . . I am still amazed at my mother - we would spend the week days up at the dry farm cooking for all the men (this included three meals plus taking an afternoon snack out to them in the fields every day), taking care of the garden that was there, plus all the care that four children take . . . then load up and go down to the valley, usually Friday afternoons. Mom would have loads of laundry to do, a huge garden and lawn to weed and water, we would shop for groceries and take care of other essential tasks, re-pack everything and head back up to the hills early Monday morning. But as a child, I loved it up at the dry farm - there was so much to explore, so many things to see and do, tons of great places to play~ we had a great playhouse in the trees, the sheds with all the tractors, tools and equipment, the barns and the horses, the spring house and acres and acres of rolling hills explore on horseback and in the old jeep . . . so it was wonderful to go back there with my children and feel the love I still have for that beautiful ground that my grandfather homesteaded for his family a hundred years ago.