Lesson from the Wave

 
It was a sign such as this that greeted us as we got to the beach in Oregon. I took one look at the high water and the rocks below the overlook and told Janene and Devennie that there was no way we were going down to the beach in these conditions. I could see occasional waves come all the way to the rocks at the edge. But Devennie said "We had a cabin over there, I've been coming here for 32 years now and we have never had a problem"

Thus pacified,  Janene and I followed her out to the beach. It was thrilling to wait for the perfect moment to challenge the incoming surf and run around a rock outcropping before the next wave pounded it again.

Once we got past it, we could look back where we had been and see that our tracks had been obliterated by the next wave. We could also see that the beach opened up and we now had a peaceful view of an open beach with sand dunes and lots to explore. Devennie had been right. Everything was going to be OK.

After an hour of discovery, Janene and I were taking pictures far from the water up near the sand dunes. Suddenly, without warning, a huge wave came all the way up the beach and totally buried Janene and Devennie. At the last moment, I had jumped to the top of this dune, and found myself in only knee deep water. My safety was short-lived however, as I was soon back in the water trying to save my wife from being dragged out to sea. Devennie was nowhere to be seen. In the end, we survived, and were not lost, but only just barely. I now knew and understood why the sand dunes had been so intriguing to me. They had been formed by wave action - not the wind, as I had supposed.

We often hear talks at church or in General Conference warning us of dangers in our lives. I find that I have a tendency to say "Oh, if only the Smith family could have heard this" or "Tom could sure benefit from this lesson". My own tendency is to be like Devennie was. "I've been here before, I know how to deal with this. This doesn't really apply to me". The truth is that wise counsel applies to all of us. If we are complacent and careless, the danger of which we were warned will be upon us when we least expect, with no time to save ourselves.

I remember hearing a prophet of God say "Get out of Debt - take control of your finances" At the time, I had just listened to a so-called "financial planner" tell me that I should mortgage my home and invest the money in the stock market. His logic of "If you have enough money in investments that you could pay off your house, are you really in debt?" was a strong temptation. A cunning and crafty one, indeed. For once, I listened to a prophet's voice and paid down all of our debts, including the mortgage on our home. As the ensuing financial crisis swirled around us, we were on safe ground with nothing to fear. Even if I were to lose my job, our home would be safe. I need not go through the agony and turmoil that could have been my lot with a hefty mortgage and loss of investments at the same time.

I have now learned to listen to wise counsel. Especially when I think it doesn't apply to me.

Kewpie Dolls on Parade

This is Tyler. Also known as Tyler Mark. His dad and his uncles all have two names. Why not him?

No matter what I did, I could not get him to smile. He is not afraid of the camera, but I could not even get a giggle out of him.

Once he was in the jumper the smiles and giggles were everywhere. Meanwhile, his sister Lily was sneaking chocolate while making Valentines treats.

Starry Moonlit Night

Yesterday, as I was driving home from work, the moon came up in Emigration Canyon at exactly the same time that the sun went down. Here was this enormous moon bracketed between snow covered peaks tinted red by the evening sun. Where was my camera? I had the tripod, but alas, no camera. Tonight I had my camera, but the moon came up later, and was nowhere near as large. While I was taking this picture, it seemed like every photographer in Bountiful had been summoned to the same spot. Suddenly, I found myself discussing ISO speeds, aperature and exposure with people that know a lot more about photography than I do. I am very used to being the only one around with a camera, so this was a little unnerving to have someone looking over my shoulder. I hope to be better prepared the next time the moon is in a dramatic position.

A Fortunate Valentine Night

With Steve home from the set of Spiderman (3D) on the weekend before Valentines' Day, Brooke wanted to make Valentine treats out of fortune cookies at our house. Initially, we thought "Oh, isn't that sweet! - our married daughter who seldom has her hubby at home chose to spend this precious time with us". And, it was a lot of fun, but we suspect that they may have wanted to mess up some house other than their own.

We had Lily and Michael helping, so some cookies ended up with lots of chocolate - and sparkles! especially sparkles. It made for really yummy fortune cookies, even if they were a little gaudy.

We found that if Brooke takes a picture at the same time that I do, you can get some interesting effects in the background.

The finished product was ready to be put into bags and delivered to friends and family. We all had a great time together. I realized that long after the memory of what it was that we made fades, the memory of the fun time we had with our beloved grandkids and our children (yes - even if they are about thirty years old) will always remain. This year, Janene and I celebrate our 42nd Valentine's Day together. We have another year to treasure.

A Nice Day for a Romp in the Surf

While in Oregon visiting Janene's sister, we decided to visit the coast spend some time on the beach. We were surprised when we got there to find that the tide was extremely high and the rocks we can normally walk around looking in tide pools were far under water. There was not really much beach accessible at the overlook. We had to sneak (insert the word "run") around the cliff face to get to where we could walk along the beach.

We had never seen a dead seal on the beach before, but we were treated to one here. The smell was not too pretty. I was reminded of the time I came across a dead walrus on the beach near Point Barrow in Alaska. We continued our walk even though storms were threatening. We were all bundled up in our winter coats and I had donned the rain gear I normally use in the Uintas. While we were taking pictures of the dunes and grasses on the shoreline, I noticed something big out of the corner of my eye. Just as I realized it was a huge wave, I hollered at Janene and Devennie and jumped up on a sand dune just as the wave crashed over us. I turned to look and I could only see Janene's head sticking out of the water. Devennie was nowhere to be found.

As the wave receded, I jumped back down to grab one of Janene's hands to keep her from washing out to sea. She couldn't catch her breath, the water was so cold. Devennie was scrambling up the beach on all fours and in a moment it was all over. The girls were entirely drenched... and laughing as hard as they could.

As we took stock of what had just happened, Janene noticed her new camera was shooting sparks from the LCD screen, Devennie's new I-pod Touch with camera and all was completely full of sand and water, and all their pockets were filled with sand. I would not have been surprised to see a fish fall out of their clothing, so complete was the dunking they took. We hurried back to the car where we had no dry clothing. I gave Devennie my rain gear, which she wore without the wet clothing underneath. We should have headed straight for home, but nothing could stop the girls from heading into Bandon Old Town and visiting Cranberry Sweets for a few bags of chocolate. The moral of the story is - If you want to look fashionable while shopping in Bandon, you have to keep one eye out for the sneaker wave. Otherwise,  just enjoy the trip with sand in your teeth.

The Wailing (and Gnashing) is Over

Janene and I have finally finished our guest bathroom remodel project that Mikey helped us get started. We stripped the wallpaper, repaired all the sheetrock, repainted, added new wallpaper. We were shocked at the cost of wallpaper....and even more shocked to find that a "double roll" is really just a single roll in the world of wallpaper. Me thinks we still were cheated. I did find another roll at NPS that helped ease the burden.

We put in new lighting, mirror and vanity along with new plumbing fixtures and toilet. The fan has been fixed. We no longer need to shout "liftoff" when we turn on the fan. For those who don't know, that is a Davidism that began when I installed a high speed computer fan to replace the old ceiling fan. Some of the plumbing pain was lessened by the findings of plumbing materials at NPS as well.

We even obtained a small stepstool for the vertically challenged members of our family. The final touch was the installation of some of our photography on the walls. Now when Lily says "I want to go in there", she may not be referring to the interior of the wall. We want to thank Brooke and Steve who helped us with the pictures and frames, Mindy for helping us pick out the accessories ( including negotiating a discount with Lowes), Lisseth for getting us the stained glass, Tales for helping us find a light fixture, and finally, Mikey.. who gave us the impetus to start the project. We couldn't have done this without your help.

It is finished.

Many have seen our latest project. What began as a Christmas holiday diversion, ended up taking this whole week between New Years and Christmas. It was a 499 (that is 500 minus one missing) piece puzzle that has been taking up our dining room table and driving us crazy. Janene got it at a second-hand store. She thought it was brand new, but it turns out it was sent there because of the missing piece. We are now trying to decide if we throw it away or keep it with the missing piece. Hmmm?

I want to go in there!

Our granddaughter Lily was over here the other day for a visit. We are repairing holes in the wall in the guest bathroom, but every time the door is opened all the way, the door handle hits the wall. It keeps knocking a hole in the wall.

Lily just happens to be the same height as the hole in the wall. Her Mom, Brooke, found her looking into the hole. Lily said "Mom, I want to go in there". What makes an almost three year old tick? As I have thought about this, I realized that Lily probably has never opened up a wall and looked inside. She has never had to repair a hole in the wall. Lily has been around construction with her basement being finished, so she knows there is nothing inside there but empty space... or does she? I opened up the wall and took a picture inside. The next time she comes over I am going to show her what's inside. I hope that clears things up for her. When we play hide and seek, she is hard enough to find. I don't want her crawling inside one of our walls some day.

Debating the Merits of Soda Pop

During our Christmas Eve party at my Dad and Mom's home, I was intrigued to be sitting by my grandsons as they debated the merits of differing soft drinks. Cy and Sam were in a pretty heated discussion over which was better for you. Sam was pointing out how many grams of sugar were in different cans.

Cy was more focused on the sodium levels, but both were keenly aware of what they felt was good for you and what was not. They discussed carbonation, sodium, and sweeteners.

Andrew listened, but he really just wanted the stuff that made you BURP!

Pretty soon. even Laura was involved in the discussion. She had a way to measure which was best by some mathematical formula based on the various levels listed on the cans. I could not even imagine being their age and having this discussion. It shows that their parents have already started teaching their kids to be savvy consumers.

Me? I tried to get my son-in-law to go with me to the bars on New Years Eve and hoist a few Diet Cokes after our year without carbonated drinks. His answer? "Nothing doing, Pops. Didn't you learn anything in the last year?"

My kids and their kids are much smarter than me.

Seven+Up Night Before Christmas

 Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the house, our little ones played and acted like cows. It was time for our first annual Seven and Up Christmas Sleepover Party. We had our older grandkids over last Friday for the big party. The party almost fell apart when Max and  Isabel called to say they had to be somewhere else that night, but THE PARTY MUST GO ON! There's no business like kid business. Mindy came over 'cause she is the biggest kid of all. Tales came because Mindy came. We started with CHRISTMAS BINGO where one of the kids won a candy dispenser that "poops" Jelly Bellys. Mindy had the critter "pass" candy directly into her mouth.

 Mindy had swallowed the candy before she really thought about what she was doing.

 Christmas Bingo is a blast! We even played a blackout round. Laura won a snake that you put in the bathtub and it grows to be five feet long. Sam won a metal toy with a spinning wheel that lights up like a top. We used Cheerios for game pieces. It was a good choice - a yummy choice.

 We played some other games and had fun together.

 Here is a close-up of the candy defecating toy. Cute  - but just a little gross.

 Here is a sure sign that Elsie was here. She always organizes her toys and displays them - just like her mother, Heather did when she was young.

 A party wouldn't be a party without POPCORN! At least Janene doesn't think so.

 We decided to make a gingerbread house and decorate it with frosting

 and all sorts of gum drops and other candy type goodies.

 It wasn't long before the frosting process got out of hand.

 Kids will be kids!

 Then it really got out of hand. Tales had pulled a double shift at Tucano's and just wanted to sleep.

 Finally at about midnight, the sleeping bags were laid out and we all nestled into our beds at the foot of the Christmas tree.
The party was over after the kids had breakfast of pancakes (the Micky Mouse pancakes were a flop) but the remains were quite delicious. Dancing and singing their way out of the house, the kids all looked forward to next year which promises to be even better.