END OF SUMMER

Since tomorrow is September 1^st and it’s been a few months since we updated our blog, and the grandchildren, Alec, and Brad are back in school, so it’s time to get the deed done.

We’ve had a nice summer here in Pennsylvania. Of course, we had our hot humid days, but not nearly as many of them as last year, and they’ve been nicely interspersed with beautiful clear, not so hot days. Unfortunately, the corn is starting to be cut which means the farm land around us will look a little bare and not quite so green and lush in the coming fall days. We’ve enjoyed the local corn for many weeks now. Steve loves the spring and summer and dreads the long winters. LaRae on the other hand, loves the cool weather and the snow.

Brad flew back to Utah on Wednesday to return to BYU for his junior year there. We all hated to see him leave, but are certain that he was ready to get back to the college scene. We were just a wee bit boring for him, we fear, although he and Alec did a lot of fun things over the summer, i.e. canoeing, tennis, traveling, baseball games, etc. Things at EraMed (where he worked) will be a little less exciting with him gone—sounded like they were having way too much fun having him around! Everyone tells Steve what a great boy he is and how they love having him around. He even got to help the mechanics once in a while which they appreciated and he enjoyed.

Alec had a great baseball season and has just started his fall season. He started back to school—high school, no less—on Monday and seems to be adjusting just fine. Since Seminary is too far to travel to, he’ll be doing home-study and only go to class occasionally. We were looking at an hour and a half round trip on our twisty roads plus waiting time at someone’s home. The time and gas were just too much. In July he went to Youth Conference; this year they went to the Hill Cumorah Pageant in New York. He was gone for three days, visiting church sites and attending the Pageant two nights. It was an awesome experience and he had a great time.

In July, Steve, LaRae, Brad, and Alec headed west to Colorado for Steve’s family’s reunion in Breckenridge. His mom rented two very large, beautiful homes next door to each other right on a river. Six of the seven siblings were there, with most of their families. Jenn and Brian and their families joined us there as well, which was a bonus for us. We went on the ski chair lift to the top of them mountains, rode the train, did some shopping at the outlet malls, went fishing, hiked a bit, played some tennis, ate a lot of great food, but especially enjoyed spending time together visiting and catching up with everyone.

After leaving Breckenridge, we spent an afternoon with our friends, the Evansons and their family. Then we had dinner and saw the 4^th of July fireworks in Highlands Ranch with the Roscoes. Before heading back to Pennsylvania on Saturday night, we caught up with the Haycocks and Herboliches, our neighbors when we lived there.

Steve and LaRae took a couple of short trips—one to Washington D.C.; and the other to New York City. While in NYC, we saw “Wicked” on Broadway. It was good, but not as spectacular as we’d been led to believe. On both trips we took the long back roads home rather than the dreaded I-95 route. All of us went to the annual Fiddler’s Picnic at a local state park, which is always interesting. Fiddlers, banjo players, and guitar pickers of all ages just hang out together and fiddle and sing away.

Brad and LaRae each had a little trip to the ER in August. LaRae tripped up some steps at our local pharmacy and jammed her right hand into the railing. After a few x-rays, it was determined that the fourth metacarpal bone in her hand was fractured. Three different braces later, it seems to be healing OK, although handshakes are still out of the question. (The Bishop shook her hand today before either one thought about it. LaRae grimaced and he felt bad.) Just a couple of weeks ago, Brad slashed open a finger on his right hand from the tip to below the second knuckle, requiring four stitches. We all said he just wanted to have his hand wrapped up like his mother’s. He was disassembling an old desk at work when it slipped and the chrome slashed his finger. It’s healing well and the stitches should come out this week.

That’s a pretty quick summary of a really good summer. Hope you enjoyed yours as much as we did ours.