14 Dec 2011
Well, it's been a long dry spell in my blog. Bad Beth!
When last I wrote, we were on our way South. To the Sun. We made it!!! Well, except for this week when it's been rainy. (In Yuma???)
- We found our little rental house full of sand - there was not much rain this year, but lots of blowing dust and sand.
- We found our wonderful friends and neighbors - all of whom beat us here except Don & Nancy, who arrived the same day we did.
- We found the Big New Wonderful Fry's Grocery store - it's sad when you get excited about a new grocery store in the neighborhood.
- We found that everything we wanted was in the coach when we were in the house. And in the house when we were in the coach.
- We found it is much warmer and sunnier in Yuma than in Caldwell!!!
We were only here a week or so before turning around and heading back up to Las Vegas to spend Thanksgiving with Gene & Brenda. That was terrific - we cooked and ate and visited and enjoyed being around Lance, who was also home for the holiday. And we went out to the new county shooting range and plinked to our hearts' content. The Rangemaster is/was a retired Sgt-Major - we kept all our ducks in little rows! He was actually of great help - correcting our stance and handholds and such.
We always sit at an elegant table at Gene & Brenda's!!!
We unearthed the gourding shed and started the weekly meet and share sessions again. Paula was waiting impatiently! She is good for me - gets me up and moving.
Paula's maple leaf
I have a backlog of leaf bowls to carve. It's a beginning...
Chris ordered his Christmas present and then disappeared into his study - only to emerge for occasional food. He is putting together a fancy-dancy gaming computer with tons of memory and drives and flashy lights. Allegedly it is almost done and running - other than the defective memory chip which is being replaced. All I know is that it flips thru photo collections almost faster than I can look at them. Perhaps he'll build me one also?
- I've been continuing on the Martin family history transcriptions - old newspaper stories that give mostly true info. And Nancy and I signed up for a family history day in January.
- I bought a new scanner/toy that is really cool. (I figure over the years I've spent more on scanners than most people spend on food... or was that gourds?... or something?...) This one is cool because it is small and portable and you can lay it over a photo to copy (which is its main purpose) and see what you are actually doing!!! You can see thru the whole scanner. Now I need to scan more old photos... yet again, in some instances.
End of the year Grandkid updates are many and varied:
Our "other" granddaughter, Mandy, is on the left. She's been living with T&L for two years now, but is from Hong Kong area originally. As exchange students go, she is a winner!!!!
- Taft made it home from his two years in Buenos Aires, Argentina in November, sporting a strong Spanish accent. He's working and saving money so he can leave the first of January for BYU-Idaho.
- Trey left just the next week for his mission in southern Brazil. All his years of studying Spanish in high school are helping him - some - in learning Portuguese. He spent some time in Provo before arriving in the Brazilian MTC for another month, and then he'll hit the field running. He's asking for photos of lacrosse playing so he can impress the Brazilians - methinks he'll return a football (soccer) fan.
- Eliza has been having medical issues which have restricted her piano playing. We're hoping they'll find a reason and solution soon for this!!!!
- Abigail got contact lenses and is growing up into a gorgeous girl - Trevor has a new worry in his life! (He's in charge of making sure his sisters don't date until they are married...)
- Trevor was home for T-day and will return for Christmas. He's also been playing with the doctors - he got his nose and sinuses re-done and is hoping he outgrows his concussions....
- Thaddeus is now 8, is in an advanced program in school and loving it.
- Caitlin is living in North Carolina and working a night shift for Wal-Mart. [This is funny because her dad Eric hates Wal-Mart so badly!] She and fiance Alex, who returned safe and sound from Afghanistan in September, are planning their wedding in March. Chris just figured out it is on March Madness weekend. Ooops. How to tell your new grandson-in-law isn't a basketball fan!
- Coulson is attending Univ of Alaska at Fairbanks - one of the coldest universities in the country, I've been told.
- Addison turns 4 just before Chrismas and we are so looking forward to spending some more time with her this coming summer. Our bonding hasn't yet taken place because we've seen her so seldom.
- We've eaten. A lot.
We had dinner with friends - at our place and theirs and churches and restaurants...
Fun and games at the "mystery" dinner. Laughs were the main course!!!
Nancy treated me to a fancy "tea party" at her church - along with Mikey on the left.
We invited the neighbors over for a scrumptious pork roast dinner!
You have to have shrimp tacos at the place in the alley when you go to Algodones!!!
- We've visited Old Mexico and its dentists... yuk! My abcessed tooth that needed a root canal per the Boise area dentists turned into an extraction because of a broken root. And in celebration, and while waiting for all to heal for the implant (insert more yuk) I had several old crummy molars crowned and a few cavities filled. All done in fine fashion and at much reduced rates from USA prices! Crowns are now $160 each in Algodones... Chris found a new and different clinic and also had a root canal and some new crowns. We are both more beautiful now!!!
We have a move to look forward to in the Spring. One of these days I must go into high gear and start sorting, discarding, packing and planning. Tomorrow....
Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night.
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