BYU Homecoming 2016

 Saturday, Oct. 15th - we drove to Provo to join the family there for the BYU Homecoming parade ...we were too late for the blue pancake breakfast but everyone said it was good!  Chris and Eli were on a scout overnight - and Chris W was working - but the rest of us enjoyed the parade.

 It was a beautiful fall day - notice Sadie with bare feet!!

 Cosmo is always a hit!  loved the love music.

 Serious reading of the free literature!

 The Fairbanks family - minus Sadie ... Olive was just handed this cool shirt!

 Pokemon!! The kids got tons of candy -

 This is the 90+ lady who began the BYU Folk Dancers in 1956 - we were happy to see she was still alive!  Looking pretty good!

 Dancing between the floats - nice to be near the DJ - he played awesome music.

 Pleasant Grove City float - notice the crowns on the kids.

 Ever seen a graduate hat going down the road?  Me neither - had to take a pic of it!

BYU Olympic competitors, I think - cool car!

Fossil Butte, Wyoming

 We drove on US Highway 30 home from CO ... Dad mentioned that he has driven by this National Monument several times and wanted to stop and check it out - glad we did!  We have a Senior Pass to National Parks - but this is free!  

 It was very interesting and educational - just out in the boon docks!  The whole of the West was covered with a huge lake - and now the fossils are found in the tops of the mountains.

 These are fossils of plants - there were fossils of flowers, seeds, insects, mammals, fish, all kinds of things...the ranger said as the lake became smaller - all the fossils were more concentrated in this area.

 Here are some animal fossils...not just me!

 One of the largest animals found.

 Fishes of all kinds.

Christian's Ordination

 Sunday, October 9th, Christian was ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood by his father - both grandfather's and two Uncles helped with it...Sheffield just wanted to be in the picture!!

 What a nice looking group of Priesthood men... and Deacon!  After Church Christian went with his Quorum to collect Fast Offerings - getting right to the service part!!

 There was a picture taken at the Church with all the wonderful people that were there - but the person who took my camera and took one for me - didn't work - sigh.  This is at their house - such a beautiful family!

 Three generations - Grandpa, Dad and Sheffield.  It was a pretty fall day in Parker.

 Sav painted this sign for Christian - it welcomed the family and friends who came to share a yummy taco bar dinner with us.

I helped Faye and Emma make Hollyhock dolls - We were happy to show them to Aunt Sue and Uncle John when they came over - I told the girls that Sue and I used to make them when we were little girls!

Saturday Fishing in CO

 Saturday afternoon we went fishing to Bingham Lake - catch and release.  Here are Savanna and Emma and the 'Fairy Houses' we built, plus the bottles they wrote notes for ... Savanna had the good ideas to plug the glass one with cat tails!  it worked!

 Here Sav and Emma are throwing their note bottles into the lake - the wind took them out to the middle of the Lake - we watched until we couldn't see them again.

 Clark's first fish!  Sheffield wanted to 'touch' it.

 Happy Clark!

 Emma figured out how to make this bench from a log - and the dirt piles near the grass.

 Our fun fishing group - Grandpa helping with getting worms on the hooks!

 Pretty Maddie - no fish are out tonight!!  I told her I was really happy she knew how to fish - that could come in handy someday.

 Sheffield and Emma and I found this bird house - he kept asking: "Where are the birds?"

 Savanna's fish!

Coming back to the truck - great afternoon.

Drive to CO - Rawlins, Wyo.

 On Friday, Oct. 7th, we drove to Rawlins, Wyo - on our way to Parker for Christian's Priesthood Ordination...this is the DQ in Rawlins - cute huh?

Our EconoLodge had their wifi not working - but kept telling us it would soon ... finally we drove downtown to the City Library - and it was closed!  But it was fun to see this Momma deer and baby crossing the street.

 They ate on the lawn of the library - we just sat in the truck and watched them.

 The corner bricks are the wall of the Library.

 Pretty huh?

 Kurt told us to stop at the Fort Collins Temple - just a short drive from the highway we were on - glad he did - it is beautiful.

Yard Work

Dad has been working hard in the side yard ... we found these pretty purple flowers - next to the troll - just came up - not planted...not sure what they are.

 They also came up in our south facing side yard - kind of a cross between a tulip and crocos!!

 Another view of the strange  flowers

 The oak tree we brought from a seedling in Kroeber's yard in Provo - Granny originally brought an acorn from BYU campus - now the Provo tree is 40 feet tall!  We put the white plastic fence around the seedling when it was 8 inches tall - so it didn't get stepped on.  Joel and Anna said the neighbor kids thought it was a pet grave!!

 Dad's hard work on the side yard - looking good.

See the timber lining? and the grass beginning to grow?

 We found some evergreen bushes for sale - late in the season - and Dad planted them - really neat huh?

 Really looking nice - - Dad has had about 5 people driving up the hill - pull over and tell him it is looking really nice!

Some more bushes planted in the front of the yard.

We visited La Casita last weekend and love this picture of Stan at 14-15 years old!