Southern Utah Adventure

Hearken, all ye skeptics and doubters in my continued existence: I do live, and despite my prolonged neglect of this blog site I haven't entirely forgotten my legion of fans and admirers.

Eva & I, with our friends Tom & April Zane, recently (5-7 August) enjoyed a lovely 3-day excursion to spectacular Southern Utah. We visited Capitol Reef National Park, drove through some lovely Utah back country, took in a couple of plays at the Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City, and drove a scenic-historical loop through Old Ironton, Mountain Meadow, Pine Valley, Snow Canyon, and Santa Clara/St. George.

Tom has posted a few photos from the trip on his Website. To see the scenic/historical part, check out http://www.pbase.com/thomaswzane/tzp_capitol_reef.

To see some shots of the Shakespeare Festival Green Show (including a few from a previous trip we made there) go to http://www.pbase.com/thomaswzane/friends_shakespeare.

We got home Friday and were able to spend one more day with Mike & Patty and their family before they returned to Rexburg. So, we have been very much alive and busy, despite what the dearth of posts to this blog might suggest.

All right, already!

I know, I know. Not a single post in 6 months! Of course, the fact that I have a life doesn't get me very far with the critics. Like so many ventures, I started off with great intentions, only to let it get away from me. Well, enough excuses.

Eva & I just returned from a great visit with Mike & Patty's family up in Rexburg, Idaho. It was an opportunity to celebrate Mike's birthday (5 May), his completion of his PhD (23 May), and Patty's birthday (6 June), as well as to just romp with the grandchildren. Kirsten had come up earlier in the week with Sylvia & Dave's three children, so it was a full house.

Patty had one of her best times ever for a half marathon (the Teton Dam Marathon on Saturday, to be specific) and Craig finished in the top 10 in the Family Fun Run. There was an airshow going on at the same time and we could watch the show sitting in Mike's back yard.

At church on Sunday, I had the opportunity to chat at some length with Richard Jardine, a fellow alumnus of the Central German mission. He now lives in Mike & Patty's ward. On the way home, we stopped in to visit Kevin & Chris Branch at their new home in Richmond, Utah, just north of Logan. Kevin recently joined Western Governors University as a progress mentor after a brief respite as a retired Jordan School District Educator.

So, the weekend was a pleasant blend of past and present, great weather, beautiful scenery, and family fun.

There. I hope that keeps the impatient critics satisfied for at least a little while.