The Great Bear Rainforest

In February, 2020, we received a booklet from National Geographic about a trip to the Great Bear Rainforest to see the Kermode bears. The Spirit Bear, who the First Nation believe came from the Ice Age, is a white Kermode bear, of which there are about 400. All Kermode Bears live in the Great Bear Rainforest, and they are all black bears . . . and when two recessive genes are passed along, the bear is white. A Kermode Bear can have black cubs, a black and a white cub, or white cubs . . . and they are not albinos. Since we had just returned from Alaska, we wanted to see these guys, so we signed up. It was just as Covid was making its appearance, and you can guess what happened. Yes, the cruise was postponed, and it was postponed again in 2021. But this year, we were able to go. We were so careful before we went because we didn't want Covid to ruin our trip . . . and although one family could not go because they tested positive, the rest of us were able to board the ship. Before we went we received a letter from National Geographic offering us a partial refund because the trip's itinerary had changed so much. We also discovered that the two trips just prior to ours did not see the Spirit Bear - so we had lowered our expectations greatly, praying that we would at least see some whales. And with that, we flew to Seattle and into Ketchikan to start our trip.

And That is Why We Bought the Ranch

When we went to the cabin in April, we noticed the land was very dry, so we were not surprised when a fire started near Las Vegas. As we watched it increase in size and intensity, however, we began to worry. Red Flag warnings were not helping, and the fire was tearing through the east side of the mountains. By May 2, the Canyon was closed and did not open all summer. Cabin owners were allowed in for the month of July, but in August, even they were not allowed. The rains began in July, and when a few people were killed from mud slides, we were all kicked out. But those of us who had private land were allowed to remain. In August we were the only people around . . . it was heavenly, despite the fact that we could not leave the property. We did have our defensible space expanded, and while they were at it, they took a tree off the Macpherson cabin. Luckily, the rains did not start until that project was done, and the rains, when they began, did not stop. The creek was as high as we have ever seen it, and we are hoping this bodes well for a good snowpack this winter. We also had a bear visit us. We took in our bird feeder and he never returned . . . which is good, but I love seeing the bears. It was an interesting summer, but we were lucky to be able to be in the Canyon. (Pictures include the Simpson family, the tree on the Macpherson cabin, the river coming out onto our road, a beautiful sunset, Di and Daniel, the Posse, and creating defensible space.)

Disneyland

For Kenneth's birthday, he invited us to go to Disneyland with the family, and I have to admit, it was so fun to see it through the eyes of our grandchildren. Things have changed a bit, and with Kenneth's tech skills, we were able to navigate many of the rides without much of a wait. Caleb loves roller coasters, so he was thrilled tobe able to ride all of them; Tessa likes the more subdued rides, so It's a Small World appealed to her a bit more. Unfortunately my video was not running when she saw Chip (or Dale) in a tree - so very cute. We then flew home with the kids so Kenneth and Melinda could go to a Kasey Musgraves concert. We had a wonderful time, and I hope we can do it again sometime.

Thanksgiving in Denver

We had the wonderful opportunity to go to Thanksgiving in Parker to celebrate with Diana and Daniel, and we had a wonderful time. The Stuckys surely know how to put on a spread, and it was so wonderful to use my mother's china and silver once again. It had been since 2004 - just after Mom died - that I have eaten from that china and it felt so good. Besides the wonderful food we shared, we put up Christmas lights outside, tried out their Solo Stove, helped water their grass, and played with Eliza - as much as she could be played with. Although it was a short trip, it was a memorable one.

The Visions of Fall

We spent plenty of time in Holy Ghost this summer and fall. Besides making terrific progress on the Ranch, we cherished the beautiful trees and the wonderful rains. We hosted many wonderful guests, took long walks up the Canyon, visited with our Canyon friends, and had a blessedly beautiful summer. A few pictures encapsulate our summer better than words.

Coincidences of the Interesting Kind

We had a very interesting football season, all with our tailgating friends. But the most fun day was the first game. We had arrived the night before, and after many of our guests arrived, the party to the west of us arrived. Since they give their tickets away a lot, we had no idea who would be there. When the black SUV drove in, we waved to the occupants and went on with our tailgating. Not long after they got set up, Don walked out of our RV to see Gene Taylor, our AD, standing there. Don commented to him that he (Gene) was currently being interviewed on the radio - ah the marvels of technology - and although we had no idea why Gene was there, Don took it stride. But then we noticed that Kevin Lockett was at the tailgate; and Darnell McDonald; and several other KSU players. And then it dawned on us. Our new neighbor for the day was Jordy Nelson. We introduced our dogs to his daughter, Adda, who said to us, "That's my daddy's name." And soon we introduced the dogs to Jordy who kindly allowed us to take a picture with him.

We thought that his crew was only there for the day, but we found out later that he would be there all year. We hope we didn't scare him off with our crazy crew and that he will be back next year :)

Memories and "Stuff"

Back in the day, before children, I subscribed to Better Homes and Gardens. I kept the subscription for many years, and one of my favorite parts of the magazine was a page called The Man Next Door by Burton Hillis. He always had a series of fun comments, and then he followed with a short story or philosophical discussion that seemed to always hit the spot. One of my favorites was about the value of good neighbors, but I am not sure where that one is. Today I came across the following one, which hit me hard, as I have been trying to clean out my house. I thought I would share it (and save it here so I can throw away the July, 1985, piece of paper): I sometimes wonder if other people have as much trouble getting rid of things as we do. Typically, Chris and I will dig in with a will to clean out a closet or empty a room, only to give up the job in frustration in a few hours. "Can't get rid of that," one of us will say. "It might come in handy." The "that" might be a crate of canning jars, or a book we've been meaning to read, or a broken lawn mower. Just the other day, Chris appeared with a boxful of old snapshots she'd found deep in a closet. "We haven't looked at these in years," she said. "I'll bet we can throw most of them away." Sure. We spent two hours going over those pictures, and managed to throw away 13 photographs of people we didn't recognize. It was almost as bad as the time we spent most of a day going over old clothing. At the end, I caught Chris slipping a tattered and faded swatch of flannel into a drawer. I smile, but said nothing. It was all that was left of the security blanket our Rosemary had dragged around the first three years of her life. It's hard to throw away memories. Burton Hillis It's hard to throw away memories. And with every Daulton Doll, Hummel, depression-glass bowl, or salt cellar I try to give to DAV, I put it back because I can't stand to dispense with it. How do I send the dancing Marilyn Monroe statue that my grandmother had in the kid's room and lighted with blue Christmas lights? I don't. And the baptismal gowns we wore oh so many years ago? They are still with me. We are getting to the age where we need to come to terms with all of our collections . . . but it is hard to throw away memories.