Long lost relatives share great news

Earlier this week I connected with my aunt Polly who I hadn't heard from in a few years. She's a young 80 years old, the youngest in my dad’s family of 16 children. She had emailed me several years ago but for whatever reason I had lost her email address. She mentioned that she would be seeing my uncle Carl today at his Baptism. Carl is 86 years old and somehow couldn't remember if he had been baptized or not. A search for records of his baptism turned up nothing. So my uncle decided that regardless if he had been baptized or not he was going to make it happen. Today, in the presence of family and friends, Carl Quinton Shell was baptized by Pastor Bob Shoffner. Pictured here from left to right: his son Phil, daughter's Sara and Carla, wife Nina, my uncle Carl, Senior Pastor Bob Shoffner and Pastor Brian Ballard. This is a record of that special day.

More about my dad's siblings... Of the 16 children, 11 grew to maturity, and 2 remain today. Pictured below are my uncle Carl, and my aunt Polly. Several have mentioned that I look a lot like my uncle Carl; maybe it's the hairline or lack thereof and the moustache, you be the judge. My aunt Polly is an award winning artist. Sparked by a Christmas gift of paints, brushes, a stack of canvases and a request "paint me a picture" from her daughter Donna, she began painting 13 years ago at the young age of 67. See her work at: http://www.oldeenglishart.com/ (Lee Skipper).

The Turtle "Shell" Story

This week I connected with long lost cousins, aunts, and an uncle on my dad side of the family, originating from North Carolina. When we were kids, every summer just as soon as school was out we'd jump in the car and drive non-stop to Hickory, North Carolina. We initially traveled Route 66, later our travels followed Interstate 40. In those days there was no air conditioning in cars and driving across the California desert wasn't much fun. You carried canvas water bags on your front bumper to reduce the risks of your car overheating. If you were lucky, you had a water cooler hanging out the window or straddling the hump between the front seats. The first trip I remember was in a 1936 Buick coupe. My dad has built a bench that sat between the back seat and the front seats making the rear seat like a bed so we (Ronnie and Johnny) could sleep on the way. I remember one trip very vividly that we took in the summer of 1959. As usual the car was loaded the night before, and the moment school was out we jumped in a 1959 white Buick LeSabre and hit the road. Dad and mom took turns driving and popping no-doze as we only stopped for gas ($.22-.30/gal) and sometimes to pee. We were making good time and while driving through Arkansas dad suddenly slammed on the brakes and jumped out of the car. There was a large turtle crossing the road and dad picked it up and put it in the trunk of the car. Mom asked…what are you going to do with that? Dad replied…we’ll give it to Grandma and she’ll fix it for supper; Mom didn’t realize at the time but dad had put the muddy turtle on her new coat. We arrived in Hickory late at night and the turtle spent the evening in the trunk of the car comfortable on moms coat, not knowing what was in store for him. The next day dad and grandpa retrieved the turtle and cleaned it…making it ready for grandma to cook. Most of us had a taste that day at supper and several said hmmm tastes like chicken, no frog, and then grandpa said I believe I like this almost as much as I like opossum. Dad saved the turtle shell and I still have it on display at our cabin. I was reminded of the story when chatting with my cousin Sara; thanks Sara for the stories and jogging my memory. Our annual visits to Hickory produced some special memories that I'll cherish forever.

Pre-Labor Day weekend with Bracken and Camden

Bracken and Camden come to the cabin often. The boys just love to play, especially in the snow, but this weekend while waiting for winter to arrive, we spent time at the PMC park. Both are fearless when it comes to slides and climbing but the big slide was too hot from the noontime sun. Grammie thought it would be a great idea to bring a ball so the boys were able to practice their soccer skills. Here are a few highlights of this trip to the playground.

After returning from the playground and having lunch the boys helped Pop plant some flowers and plants. We also had a Lego tower building contest which Bracken won.

Willow resting after a long day

Willow's family (Matt, Stephanie, Bracken, Camden, and Ainsley) took a short 5 day mini-vacation to Flying Flags this week. Grammie and Pop provided lodging and entertainment for Willow while her family was away. Pictured here resting after a busy day.

Visit http://5hays.blogspot.com/2008/09/skunk.html
for Willow's latest adventure.

Gerry & Carole Baxter celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary

Carole Jackson, a young bride of 16 years, married Gerry Baxter on September 6, 1958, and yesterday Joyce and I drove to Riverside to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. Carole is the oldest of 3 daughters born to Kenneth and Mary Jackson (Joyce is the baby). Attending the celebration were 82 close friends and family members. A video chronicling their lives was presented and a reception dinner completed the evening. The event was hosted by Carole and Gerry's oldest daughter Vicki.