Austin Antics -: THE TULIP FESTIVAL TRIP PT.3b - Portland (more family & friend visits)

More nephews....with a beautiful niece thrown in for good measure:

After our hour at the Woodenshoe Tulip Farm we traveled on over to Salem where we met up with nephew Steve Deming and his kids at a local buffet. Wife Kelly was home hostessing a book club so it worked out well for Steve to take the kids away while she had guests - tho we missed visiting with Kelly.

Former pole vaulter, now dentist: Steve Deming with youngest daughter, Jana

Jessica Deming

Jacob turned 13 when we weren't looking

Jonathan - a real cutey whose vivid memory of our house in Las Vegas is that we have a pool and a hot tub that doesn't work. "You should get that fixed!" he told me.

Here he is with his Grandma Elaine and Great Aunt Pat

When you are this far from home you go visit everyone you can think of in the area. Among friends we got to spend time with were Dorinda and Ned Sands. Dorinda and I went to High School together in Boise; Ned and I met at the Genealogy Library in Los Angeles before either of us were married. It was so fun to meet over lunch and see where we now were in the retired/semi retired stages of our lives. Captain Sands is an ex Navy man who teaches fencing,

stays active in his business and (to quote him) works at "cultivating wider external ecclectic interests in an effort to re-invent and reinvigorate life. ....there is a comfort too in being this far along: a tendency to be more accepting and settled. " I saw that in him. Things that were frustrating and unsure for him 8-10 years ago he now seems at peace with.

Dorinda is, as she always has been - a rock, faithful and giving. Though we did not have the same friends in High School I always admired her and relate to her happiness at grandparenting since it seems the same as mine. We go through growing stages at ALL changes in our life. Growing older and less vigorous in body are not fun things. Our mindsets seem to be the same as they were in our early college years, but the body doesn't respond like we want it to. But with age comes some wisdom too...and in some ways life is infinitely more simple because we have finally weeded out all the unnecessary for that which has the most value.

We also got to spend an evening with some dear friends from our Chilean Mission, Russell and Connie Jackson. Elder Jackson was the area psychiatrist (for Chile and other countries!) He put in long hours over the telephone helping missionaries cope with all kinds of problems: frustration over their own unmet goals, fear of returning home (often to a country that would put them back into a situation of poverty or uncomfortable family circumstances), companion problems...and of course, more serious matters which might require him to accompany a missionary back to his home in the United States or Peru or wherever. They were amazing people. Connie worked long hours at studying and trying to dominate Spanish - and still does. They are working still as missionaries from home - as the current Itinerant Bishop couple. It was so good to catch up with our mutual contacts and see one another again. I envied them an incredibly beautiful back yard with a mini forest!!! How blessed we are to have such dear friends. And how amazing it is that one can pick up where you left off months or years earlier!

Connie & Russell Jackson

The last reacquaintance we got to do before leaving Portland behind was meet with Jim and Elaine's second daughter, Julie, whom we have not seen for several years. She has grown to such a beautiful person and is sweet and kind. A former women's basketball star she is now an MRI Tech and happy with the career choice if not totally thrilled with the hours of her current employment place. She is at least close to home at last. We had a great Hawaiian lunch together before we bid everyone farewell to head on up the next phase -and end goal - of our trip: Washington.