Palerock II

Well we are back, it was on the whole a very fun time. Six people in one car for two days doesn't seem like a party but it was over all quite pleasant. We took the usual route, stopping at W. thumb then on to Ol' Faithful. There were about five thousand too many people there. It was interesting to see the many nationalities and cultures represented in that one little area. I saw hippies walking by Amish next to Arabs by Japanese along with cowboys by Polynesian next to bikers by dudes along side fashion slaves talking to duffers sitting by frogs and letting land whales go by. We drove on to Mammoth hot springs and camped there Friday night. Getting six people into one tent was a bit of a feat but fortunately some of them (Hol, G-man, and Sparky) were some what undersized. The campsite was quite nice with flush toilets and a water faucet shared by two sites. It also has flat spots where you can set your tent. Good idea, not so comfortable execution. We managed to make it through the night without being eaten by a bear or having to take a trip to the bathroom. We did have a park ranger wake up our neighbor at 3:00 AM to tell him to put his beer cans in the trash. All in all it was a rather pleasant evening for sleeping on the hard ground. We woke up in the morning and were the first ones up at about 6:00 AM. We drove down the East side and had lunch at Fishing Bridge (which is closed to fishing by the way) then drove on home.

Each of us had our own phrase that we repeated over and over. Mine was "would you please stop that?" G-man's was "Are we to the freaky hill yet?" Sparky would keep saying "When are we going to be there?" Wife would say or think "I'm so tired!" Linc probably thought to himself "It would be so much nicer if my little brothers and sister wasn't here!" Hol was probably thinking "Wow, this is fun!"
We will most likely go again right before Linc goes on a mission but probably not until then. The tradition continues!

Palerock

Tomorrow we are headed for Palerock. It has become a tradition that we go each time Wife is about to give us another family member, hence Sparky has and hasn't been there before. He has but he didn't have much of a view. The plan is to camp over night at the really big hot spring and come back Sat.. I suppose we will hit all the traditional places, old regular, worm drowning bridge, G-man's village and the like. We really don't have the cash for such a venture but the tradition must go on! Besides the kids won't remember how much money we had (well Linc might) but hopefully they will remember the trip, in a good way. I remember the time we went to Palerock as a family. I remember the bears coming up to our old red station wagon and putting their claws in the cracked open window. I didn't realize how easily they could have broken our window and had a snack. I remember the car needed water (for the radiator) and my sister told me the car ran on water as well as gas and I didn't quite understand. I remember staying at a cabin I think at old regular and burning pressed logs in the stove so we could pop popcorn in those aluminum foil pan things that expanded into a big ball as the popcorn popped. I think Big Sis was working there if I remember right. You will have to enlighten me on that Big Sis. I also remember getting a small wooden bear that was made of pine or a similar wood and was burned to make a dark finish. I remember my trip I took with my friends Rob, Dave and Tracy the summer after high school. That was a fun time. Perhaps the one and only time I really didn't have any worries. I can't hear Neal Diamonds "Coming to America" without remembering Dave playing that on his 8-track over and over along with REO Speedwagon's "High infidelity". It may be close to home and a bit commercial but I still like Palerock.

What a woman

When I heard that we were going to have another baby I thought... "May be now I can keep up with my wife." WRONG! Yesterday she took the two little boys fishing. First while I was at work and then again when I got home. When she was up the canyon with Sparky while I was at work Sparky caught his first fish ever. Due to an unfortunate chain of events involving a lack of camera and a desire to wash off a dirt covered fish there is no evidence of the momentous event. I think that I am a fish jinx. When we went later G-man (who has yet to catch a fish), Sparky, wife and I did our best to bring home the fillets, so to speak. I was an observer because Wife was the one with the license. I watched from the road and could see the elusive little hatchery span sniffing at the worms as G-man did his level best to entice the little devils to bit but, alas, it was not to be. I got a few pictures of the endeavor and some of the surrounding scenery.

All in all it was a pleasant afternoon.

When I got home today Wife was tearing the carpet out of our room because It has gotten wet and is starting to mold. (She wore a mask and washed her hands a lot.) I should have known that I couldn't keep up with her.

H.P.7 and B.o.M.

I write this not to accuse anyone of anything. Most especially the 60+% of my family that is reading and rereading a certain book this weekend. I certainly have gotten involved in books and movies and TV series in my day and have eagerly awaited the next installment of a series. That being said, wouldn't it be fantastic if the scriptures were met with as much excitement as the seventh book in a very popular series? I'm under as much condemnation as the next guy as to not being as excited about the scriptures. I just find it interesting as to how much attention is paid to a fantasy book when WE should be that excited about the scriptures every day. I'm not saying that we should just sit around and read scriptures all day every day; that's impractical and not the intention. I just find it interesting to make the comparison. So how does it end?

Nature's bounty

The above picture shows the entire output of my strawberry garden which consists of many plants that fill up a 4' X 6' plot. I was hoping for a bit more production in the second year of this venture but it is a drought year. I picked them because something was eating them before we had the chance to indulge so maybe they will ripen in the fridge.

This is sparky's spinach that he grew in his own part of the garden. He chopped it up and added some baby carrots and ATE it all. Yes, my five year old grew and ate SPINACH! And he doesn't know he is not supposed to like spinach and I'm not going to tell him.

Proof positive

Meet our baby GIRL! Yes, it's a girl. DW had an ultra-sound today and it is quite definite (according to other photos, not included) that the baby due in October is a girl.
We are going to name it... well you know what we are going to name it. Her initials will be M.A.S. Much better than G-man's which is G.A.S.

Another D@^^n list

1) What do you want to be when you grow up?

A draftsman.

2) What would you do with a million dollars?

Pay off my debts then start a fund called "The Alf Sorenson progeny fund" where any one who is a direct descendant of dad could get a loan for a house or college at a reduced interest rate. Much like the perpetual education fund in the church.

3) What is the ugliest color you've ever seen?

I would have to say that puke green that seems to be so popular in clothing today.

4) What part of your job do you like the least?

The way my supervisor makes me feel when I mess up.

5) What collage class would you take just for fun?

History.

6) What three historic or fictional people would you like to have dinner with?

Joseph Smith, Ronald Regan, the brother of Jared

7) Are you tired of these silly question lists?

No, I started it.

8) Yes or no; do you think you are going to heaven?

Yes

9) Who would you rather never meet?

H. R. Clinton

10) If you had the time and the money what would you do?

Visit Holland, Denmark and England

11) name one place you hope never to visit.

New York City

12) Do you still have dreams?

Small, modest ones

13) What would make your life easier?

A reliable work car

14) Do you believe in sole mates?

Yes, but it's rare and not everyone has one.

15) Where is your "happy place"

In a cabin in the woods by a lake with nobody else around but my family

The end is near!

They have been working on our street putting in a new water line for over a month now. I thought that I would take before, during and after pictures to show what fun we have been having around here. Did I mention that the whole time they were digging up my street my wife was gone to school so the kids were home by themselves during the day? DW didn't like that prospect at all and had Holl take the boys over to moms or Rennies. We have been hearing a constant running water sound in our basement for several years now and feel that there is a leak in our water line and since they put in the meters (the white thing you see in the second picture) the town plans on charging for what you use instead of a flat rate. Well we will need to come up with around a thousand clams to have our line replaced from our house to the new meter. I wonder how much water a leak wastes in a year? Less than a thousand I suspect but over time it will add up. Any way coming home from work each day made for a bit of a challenge seeing as how I never knew which road would be closed and just what combination of roads it would take to make it home. They just need to finish putting black top down the road and they are done.

7-7-7

Today is my mothers 80th birthday! I think she is celebrating it just as she would want to by not doing much at all to celebrate it. Last week Wyo sis gave her a present and she promptly gave it to my wife. They were those shoes that everyone is wearing now that is supposed to be so comfortable to wear, you know the... well let's face it, ugly plastic clog things that come in such fantastic colors. I'm not making fun of R's gift, I think it would be a fantastic gift to mom and she would be real comfortable in them. DW was quite shocked that mom would give away a birthday present like that but mom being the ever practical rancher's daughter said that they didn't fit and someone should get some use out of them. The shoes were a man without a country for many days, going back and forth between our houses until after many polite attempts at saying no, DW accepted that they would reside at our house. Mom did however love the book that R gave her as well and has been reading it since she got it. We got mom a doodad that cuts apples into nice even slices in one stroke and she seemed to like it but you never know Wyo sis may get that sometime soon.

I originally started this entry as a tribute to mom but seem to have back slid a bit. This wonderful lady I call mom was born to a mother who promptly had a stroke and was unable to care for her for the first little while. she was raised on a ranch on the Idaho/Wyoming border that was fifteen miles from nowhere. She went to collage when many girls didn't even finish high school. She met a fine young Idaho boy just back from the "good war" and married him. Not before she graduated with her teaching degree which would come in mighty handy later in life when they were on the afore mentioned ranch trying to scratch out a living for five kids and themselves. Between mom and dad working their hearts out they managed to but their five kids through collage (some took longer than others and did a good deal of putting on their own). Mom told me yesterday that the most spiritual time in her life was when they were in SLC on a mission. She lost her sweet man almost fourteen years ago and in a move that was somewhat controversial remarried an almost equally sweet man some years back. Bickering and arguing aside I think they may care quite a bit for each other. Mom did confide in me that this marriage was showing her just how good she had it with dad. Well on the "luckiest day" our mother turns eighty and shows no sign of slowing down. So here's to a grand lady on her milestone birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Happy Birthday America

Happy 231st birthday America! It's kind of a sad commentary on the state of things when people are inconvenienced by the 4th being on a Wednesday instead of closer to a weekend. My town, the one I grew up in, the one I was taught by my veteran of World War II father to love along with my country had it's celebration on June 30th, a Saturday. They had a typical parade, one with veterans (mostly Korean and Vietnam and some younger ones, not many WWII anymore) in the front. I noticed few people take their hats off any more or put their hands on their hearts when the first flag goes by. There were old cars, some businesses made an attempt at floats, a band (on a flat bed truck so they didn't have to march, Holl was on it with her flute), the drill team and cheerleaders from the high school, lots of horses (we are in the West after all), some old tractors (West again), and your tax dollars at work - fire trucks and ambulances with their ear drum piercing sirens going off. We only had the youngest with us because the cute one was on said flat bed with her flute and the other two were North with extended family. They went up and down the main street and took all of ten minutes to through out their candy and 0tter pops. There was a bus load of touristas that had stopped to view the natives in their habitat. They were dressed in the tourista uniform of white hat, big sun glasses, loud shirt, stripped knee length shorts, and black socks with sandals. It's hard to say what they thought of our little display but I have grown to love the tradition of it all. I can name some of the veterans and the guys with the model A's (both car and tractor), I know some of the girls on the drill team along with their parents and grandparents. I know the some of the volunteer fire fighters and ambulance crew and I know many of the cowboys on their horses and driving mule teams. It was too bad that they didn't have the parade and rodeo (I didn't attend the rodeo but my kids did) on the fourth as I feel they should.

We as a family did however go up the very nearby canyon and have a weenie roast. It wasn't Mr. Rockwell's ideal but it was enjoyable for me (after all the fighting is discounted). Afterword we went to the nearby school grounds and lit of what would be considered by 45 states as highly illegal pyrotechnics (bottle rockets). I worked most of the day at my second job but stopped for the fun and frivolity.

I was intending to write about what is going on in front of our house but that will have to wait for another time.

Promise or Threat

Austin James L. was blessed today. This is the main reason everyone in DW's family came up. The reunion was planned around the blessing. Today we went to church at 9:00 and there was a great many men over 6' in the circle. All of DW's brothers or brother-in-laws, and husband are over 6' tall and there were seven on them there including the father of course. The father also had his father, grandfather, uncle and several cousins in the circle. It was a rather large circle to say the least in numbers and size. An old buddy of mine was the bishop of the ward and even though he is rather tall he was overwhelmed by the "Jaredites" surrounding him. After Sacrament meeting we all went over to Auburn to have dinner. DW wanted to stay for the other meetings but we thought the dinner was soon after the first meeting. Well it turns out that the grandparents on the father's side stayed to the other meetings. In talking to the in-laws they all were going to stay but thought as we did and left. There were hoards of little boys running around and a few little girls thrown in as well. It was good eats and fun conversation. I didn't get to talk to all the family I wanted to but there was around 50 people there all related to the little tyke in some way or other.