A Trip Down Memory Lane

Tuesday, the 14th, Grandpa George and Cindy accompanied us on a trip down memory lane. I carefully maneuvered the truck through the Auburn grade (at some points only 10 mph) and started the day at Coloma by visiting the American River just across from where Rick was baptized.

Then we toured the Sutter's Mill Museum and looked at some gold nuggets.

As we drove through Garden Valley into Georgetown, I was surprised at the things I remembered after being gone for nearly 30 years. We stopped at the elementary school to show the girls and the little park we used to play at.

We decided to stop in at the Wadsworth's house to see if they were home. Dorothy recognized me right away and was full of warm hugs. Jeff and his son, Owen were there for a visit so we got to see them, too. They are still just as kind as I remembered them.

There are more trees at the homestead I grew up on and the barn has been replaced. The thing that really struck me about all of it was that it was not as big as I remembered. I showed Megan the spot where her mom broke her arm by being thrown from a horse on the highway in front of the house.

After a quick trip to the Stifle Serpentine Mine site, I drove the grade to Placerville. I was seized by the old fears of childhood being on "The Falling Road." So I had to drive quite slow. (When I was little I used to cower on the floorboard.) Overcame that obstacle and stopped at KFC for a quick bite to eat on the way to John Crays - we had to pick up some timber Bamboo for Rick. The girls jumped on the trampoline while Grandpa, John and I cut up the bamboo so it would fit in the truck. We are blessed with good friends.

Family Night 04/13/09

On Monday we were able to meet up with Gail, Robert, Gerri, Jamin, and Ronan for a nice dinner at the Macaroni Grill in Folsom. The company was great and so was the food. A talented lady sang "Happy Birthday" to Grandma Rose in Italian. After dinner Grandma Rose and Grandpa George drove us to the Sacramento Temple site at sunset. I remember when the stake center used to be at this site - playing on the rocket ship in the playground when I was little and then going to stake dances when I was older. This night we enjoyed seeing flocks of wild turkeys, herds of deer, and most of all, the spirit of the lord. We are thankful for the opportunity to be members of the church. We are blessed with the knowledge that families can be forever.

Easter Sunday

The Easter Bunny found Kadee at Grandma's house! There was so much stuff that it filled the chair. Grandma made a deliscious breakfast and then took a nap. The girls were impatient for the easter egg hunt and it litterally got to the point where Kadee was asking every 43 seconds. Grandpa and I decided that we would hide the eggs and then let the girls find them. Then when Grandma woke up we woulde hide them again. But, Grandma heard the excited girls and came out half was through. We ended up not finding two plastic eggs and kept looking for quite a while. We all got tired of it and decided not to hide them again when Uncle Bill and Debbie arrived for lunch. We had a great visit with Bill, Deb, and Grandma Bohall. Bill gave me a shed from a black tail deer that was found on the homestead where I grew up in Garden Valley. It is a huge example of a great A-typical shed. Can't wait to put some obsidian blades on it!

Farmers Market and Auction

"Welcome to Denio's Farmers Market and Auction, welcome to Denio's this week..." It's a catchy little tune that we (my sister Catherine and I) remember from years gone by. We went out there to Roseville together about a dozen years ago and had fun. Grandpa, Cindy and I took Kadee and Megan for their first time on Saturday, the 11th. They were ecstatic to get wheeled shoes for $5.00 a pair, and some cute clothes, hats, sunglasses, etc... really cheap! We walked the perimeter in two hours and that was enough for Kadee. She was tired of carrying - well, actually Grandpa and I were carrying - all our purchases. Here is a look at our haul. Notice the Vanna White pozes. The coins are some old Mexican Pesos. We got a kick out of them. Kind of fun for a souvenir.

Spring Break in CA

Kadee, my niece Megan, and I flew to CA on the 9th. Friday we drove to San Francisco and after picking up souvenirs, ate a delicious lunch of shrimp at Fisherman's Wharf. It was raining in Sacramento but sunny (though the wind chill made it feel like 20 degrees) in San Fran. We took the trolley car tour to Market Street and back. The girls had to play in the surf at Ocean Beach. I had to limit the play to only 20 minutes because I could not take the cold wind off the ocean for long. We toured to Pacifica and looked at Grandma Bush's old house and walked out on the pier - a first for both Kadee and Megan. We hit a three hour traffic jam on the way home so I snapped a picture of the side of the road. It's just not the same in CA as it is in UT.

April Fools!

Last night we put Kadee to bed in her own bed after prayers, which made us suspicious because for the last eight years she has liked to go to bed with me (Mom) and read for 40 minutes or so before falling asleep in my bed. Usually, Kerry has to heft her to her own bed later. So, last night was a big change. We heard her running back and forth upstairs so we knew she was up to something. Turns out she has a real sense of humor...

• All the soap was hidden from the bathrooms
• Lotion dobbed on my alarm clock
• Tape over my bathroom faucet
• Vaseline Gobbed on Kerry's faucet
• 6-8 dobs of lotion on Kerry's toilet seat
• Lots of Salt in my water cup

Kadee had put on her school clothes under her nightgown last night in the dark and she inadvertently put her shirt on backwards. This morning she was convinced that I had somehow turned it around while she was asleep. Kerry paid her back with an eyebrow pencil mustache. We snapped a picture of her when she was "asleep" and she did not remember it. She will now.