When Calder was 17 years old he announced he was going to spend the summer living in the Yosemite parking lot in his pimped out
VW bus. As a parent the prospect of danger was many fold the least of which was the peril of his climbing activities. Nothing would dissuade Calder from his desire and so with trust in his goodness and judgement he was sent on his way. He called me weekly to report and tell me about his adventures. This was the beginning of many years of big wall climbing and the resulting physical and emotional growth that it brought to him. He became very accomplished and well known for his skills and proved to be a credit to his family.
His older brother Travis, who is an established business owner and father of three, decided recently that he would like to experience the thrill of climbing. He arranged for Calder to take him along with his best friend and business partner, Enoch Palmer, to Yosemite to climb El
Capitan. Calder invited another climbing friend, Nate Brown, to join them. The photo above is the farewell photo the morning they started on their way.
This is a photo in the meadow before their ascent. This trip had new and wonderful ways to keep me in the loop. With the age of the
iphone,
facebook,
internet and techie geek Travis, there were daily updates and photos reporting their progress and feelings.
Planning the route. (Enoch and Nate)
Six days of this does not seem fun to me but they had a wonderful time. They said the days flew by as they busied themselves with the process of placing and cleaning their gear and climbing.
Before they started up the bears got hold of their water supply.
Sleeping at night would freak me out but they were tied onto the rock and assured me it was all safe.
Two brothers in a bonding experience.
One of many remarkable photos taken by Travis was this water falling from above which he described as separate diamonds catching the light as they fell.
At the top. A great feeling of accomplishment for the climbers and great feeling of relief to me to know they would be on their way home.
Back in Midway cleaning the gear. (the sailboat in the barn will probably be the next great adventure.) I told Travis and Calder how much I loved them but more than that I'm thankful they love and enjoy each other so much. I think this trip deepened all of those feelings. Glad they went..glad they came home safe.
The parting shot.
We're in full bloom and enjoying "just right" warm days. I'm putting the top down on the Mini and appreciating the beauty around me.
I'm watching the pond every day for the signs of baby ducks.
Bringing Spring onto the table.
Something wonderful is about to take place in Midway, Utah. Starr and Calder and grandma are waiting for their first born child, a little girl named ?.
The celebration and anticipation is great as family and friends gather to express their love and happiness for them. 
Starr's family is the best for parties and gatherings. They always come in mass with great food and humor. This shower was at her grandmother's home in Provo.
I am very excited to have a baby grandchild living down the street from me since all the other 10 grandchildren live far away. I will even babysit and hold her when she cries in the night.
Starr's mother and grandmother create an ambiance with flowers, food, and fun...such classy ladies.
Yum, Yum.
This is a photo in the meadow before their ascent. This trip had new and wonderful ways to keep me in the loop. With the age of the iphone, facebook, internet and techie geek Travis, there were daily updates and photos reporting their progress and feelings.
Planning the route. (Enoch and Nate)
Six days of this does not seem fun to me but they had a wonderful time. They said the days flew by as they busied themselves with the process of placing and cleaning their gear and climbing.
Before they started up the bears got hold of their water supply.
Sleeping at night would freak me out but they were tied onto the rock and assured me it was all safe.
Two brothers in a bonding experience.
One of many remarkable photos taken by Travis was this water falling from above which he described as separate diamonds catching the light as they fell.
At the top. A great feeling of accomplishment for the climbers and great feeling of relief to me to know they would be on their way home.
Back in Midway cleaning the gear. (the sailboat in the barn will probably be the next great adventure.) I told Travis and Calder how much I loved them but more than that I'm thankful they love and enjoy each other so much. I think this trip deepened all of those feelings. Glad they went..glad they came home safe.
The parting shot.
We've been having intermittent snow and rain but we know we're on our way to Spring.
Today was nippy/warm and we went to the plant store and bought hanging plants..such an exciting time of the year.
I worked in the pond and David mowed the lawn. It is my favorite time of the year when the grass is so green and the baby leaves come out.
Here is the master gardener taking a rest.
We've been thinking more of the victims of Katrina as we've sorted through our water soaked clothing and furniture. We think of the small loss and difficulty we are experiencing compared to theirs. The first few days after we got home were sunny and dry so we spread a lot of the wet things out on our deck and they actually dried out.
The fancy jet toilet apparently built up too much pressure for some reason and blew apart. When we came home water was running full blast with about two inches on the floor and a general flow into my closet (David's is the small one you see) and into the bedroom.
The worst of the damage was to shoes on the floor and tops that had sleeves touching the ground. Of course the carpets and curtains were soaked and smelly. David called the Utah Disaster Repair and we (they..since I fell asleep on the couch around 1PM) spent most of the night vacuuming the water and setting up the fans.
It is a challenge to get ready for work each day since we have to search through bags and baskets and piles to find something to wear. The fans were removed after a week and we think next week we'll start to see some repair begin. It is a long process but gratefully the insurance will be paying except for the deductible.
The other blessing is we have a home away from home at our condo. We go there at the end of the day just to sleep and get ready for the next day. It is like a vacation each night as we pack our bag and get into the car and drive the block away. It is clean, simple, smells good and beautiful. (for sale for a really good price.)
