We meet Lucy, and other events this week --

Another busy week. We had a great ward choir party on Thursday at the Waltons' home by the river. Craig and I played guitars. Friday night we cleaned up a rental room to prepare it for Lucy Shirisia (below). Saturday I worked in the yard all day while Gayle helped Lucy move in and shop, etc. Lucy is from Alexandria, VA but was born in Kenya. She is a strong member of the Church (LDS) and came to USU to do graduate work in Family and Human Development. Since she hasn't really gotten into a ward of her own yet, she attended with us today. Afterward, she had dinner with us (including Jared) and treated us to some violin numbers.Here's Lucy playing a simple song, but at increasing speeds in order to warm up.

Father and Son Bonding

Jared and I decided to spend some quality time together, so we planned an outing for yesterday. We drove up to Bear Lake and went PWC'ing (jet-skiing, wave-running, whatever you want to call it). Here are some highlights:
On the way up Logan Canyon, right at the same campground where Gayle and I had come down from Crimson Trail, Jared spotted two young moose. I did a U-turn and parked over by them. They were wading in the marsh and eating plants. As I parked they got nervous and started moving away from us. Jared was able to get a few photos, although they had already moved out of good camera range.
Here's the pair of personal watercraft (PWC) guys after speeding all over the lake (and watching schools of large fish - trout? - near the surface in several spots). And yes, we did use sunscreen and did not get burned.
And here we are en route home (after large hamburgers at Le Beau's restaurant). Another photographer took this for us at a turnoff overlooking the lake. Later we rented 10,000 B.C. (a recent movie) and kicked back to enjoy it. It was a great way to spend a day!

Sunday Late Lunch at the Folks' House

Earlier today we had a late afternoon Sunday lunch at mom and dad's. I had sung in our ward choir at Sacrament meeting while Gayle attended a North Logan ward to hear Tim Jensen (Tara Jensen's younger brother) give his farewell talk prior to heading off on his mission to Fresno, CA. Gayle reports that Tim's talk was excellent and he is well prepared for his mission.
Gayle said, "This is a corny picture." (Sorry 'bout that.) The whole meal was delicious. Thanks again to mom for the spread. The corn actually came from the Farmers' Market on 4th North and was grown locally. Left to right: Kelly Glenn, Patricia, dad, mom, Gayle.

31st Anniversary - The Way We Were

We were married on August 16th, 1977, a day long-remembered by the public as the day Elvis Presley died. Click on the image if you want to read the announcement details.
Since the Logan, UT temple was under renovation, we journeyed to the landmark SLC temple for our ceremony. Here we are as husband and wife, just before going to the Lion House nearby for a family/friends luncheon. Gayle wanted me to add that she made this dress completely from scratch. She even grew the cotton and spun the thread (just kidding about the cotton).
This is Gayle in the wedding dress barely finished as we caught the plane from Nashville. The dress was made by Sue Curry, one of Gayle's best friends in Nashville.
The happy couple. Note the 70's carpet in my folks' home.

Front row: Mom Parkinson, Patricia, my lovely bride, and Nancy Parkinson (now Muncy).
Back row: Grandpa Elmo Keller, Dad Parkinson, Susan Parkinson Crockett, Carl Crockett, yours truly, Susan Clark Parkinson, Stephen, and Robert. Inside info - both Susans were quite pregnant and strategically positioned for the photo.

Anniversary Hike

Here's a brief run-down of this week. I had lunch with our new VP/Gen Mgr on Monday. Gayle and I attended a great High Priests Group party in the park on Wednesday evening, complete with singing by the Kingsmen Quartet. Thursday was my monthly USU Credit Union board meeting lunch. Friday night Craig and I performed at the Tabernacle for the season finale where 18 acts did one (or two) numbers each. It was a packed house and we did well. But I have to say that there is a lot of great talent in Cache Valley! Saturday, Gayle and I decided to enjoy nature and exercise together so we hiked the "Crimson Trail" as an anniversary activity (31 years together). The following shots came from our little jaunt --
Here's Gayle pre-hike, posing on the bridge that leads into Spring Hollow, above third dam in Logan Canyon (just minutes from our house). That line of cliffs on the mountain above her is what Crimson Trail follows (on top of the cliffs).

On the way up to the trail-head we stopped to look at wild flowers.

And even with no sign of snow left on the mountains, and hot, dry weather, the mountain streams are still flowing strongly.

Gayle looked so good I had to include two poses at the same stream!

The trail follows the contour of the cliff-line. Here we're looking across to the other side of a bend in the cliff-line. If you click on the photo you can see two college students (dark t-shirt and white t-shirt) on the trail above the cliff. We met them over on that side shortly after this shot. In fact, just down from where they are leads a short trail to the edge of the cliff where there is a large bush. The next shot shows me at that bush, standing near the edge.

This shot was taken into the late afternoon sun, going down in the west. Here I am at the bush. The view is looking down Logan Canyon from above "Third Dam" and the Spring Hollow campground. Our car is parked way down below, across the highway from the bridge. Beautiful Cache Valley is at the bottom of Logan Canyon. Note that if you click on the photo (sometimes you have to click on photos a couple of times before they enlarge) and look at the "Y" in the road across from the bridge, that's our white car parked on the right arm of the Y.

I never knew I had married a "tree-hugger." We saw several of these destroyed trees. We suspect at least some were in this state due to lightning strikes. Actually, Gayle did indeed like to hug the trees since in several places the trail passed quite close to the cliff edge and she experienced some acrophobia. In fact in this shot the edge is only a few feet away from this tree.

This look westward gives a sense of the vistas. Again, the trail never got far from the edge of the cliff-line and we had just moments earlier been at the point on the cliff in this shot. The trail is visible in the shot's foreground.
At the end we walked from the Guinavah campground back down to Spring Hollow, following Logan River and watching the fly fishermen and campers. Here Gayle poses on a bridge over a stream as we enter Spring Hollow. We had left the car at 4:00 p.m. and got back to it at nearly 8:00 p.m., close to 4 hours up and down a steep mountain trail!
Once home, Gayle just had to get a shot of the lilies on our front yard berm.

Saturday, August 9th, we drove with mom and dad down to Provo to attend a Keller family reunion (mom was a Keller). Here are some shots -
This is a group shot, including: seated - Joyce, L. Spencer, Tanner, Jessica, Spence; standing - David (mom's brother), and Gayle. Some of David's and Elmo's clan were there too. There were lots of other Keller related groups there as well (descended from James Morgan Keller of Bornholm, Denmark).

Mom and her youngest child, Patricia.

Some of the younger ones from the Joyce Keller Parkinson side - Julie, Trish, Robert, Carli, Kristen, and Brandon.

Mom represented Karen Margaret Valentine, wife of James Morgan Keller. They founded Mink Creek, Idaho.


Here's a clip of mom reading from Karen's life story, while dressed in period.

A familiar pose. We're at a barn in Millville, UT which we visited with Bryan Yarger and the Maxsons on Thursday, August 7th. Todd keeps their horse there at his father's place.

Here's Richard, the horse whisperer. He has been working on breaking in Jamie, this 2 year old untamed horse recently purchased by Kim and Todd.

Richard, Sandy and Bryan over for dinner and entertainment (Craig and I rehearsed while they ate). A healthy looking spread, don't you think? This was prior to going to Millville to see the horse and to meet Sandy's daughter, Janae, and Janae's family (David Langford - husband, Dallin, Emma, and Tessa - children) all living in Nibley.

Yesterday we worked hard in the yard, trying to get it back in shape since we had missed a weekend. Today, Sunday, Gayle "painted" her nails (as they say in Georgia) BLUE, to go with her outfit, and to cover up the dirt under her nails from working in the yard. Here she shows off the painted nails.


Blue nails.

Gayle made me include this shot because I am reflected in the window while taking the photo. Behind every successful woman is a good man.

Gayle holding Spencer L. - no relation. He's the new baby of our friends Todd and Kim Rasmussen. Spencer L. is the new grandson of Sandy and Richard Maxson, the couple who own the house where Alicia and Jesse currently reside. Gayle actually made 2 visits to the newborn center this week. Kelly Roper, a co-worker of Gayle' s at Mountain West Physical Therapy, had a baby boy, Tenzing. Incidentally, her husband's name is Spence!