HAIR BALLOONS!!! (That's hot air balloons, unless you contract the words like Audrey does)

We are back at the cabin.  Here specifically to once again join with the Panguitchites (Panguitchians?  Panguitchettes???) for their Annual Hot Air Balloon Rally.  Once again I snapped about 150 pictures, awed by the color, the ever-changing arrangement of balloons.  Becky and her family came as well our friends, Terry & Kathy Brummett from Las Vegas.

You arrive as the sun comes up about 6:30 a.m.  (That's why the bright light and sunglasses!)  It is cool to see these huge balloons backlit with such bright light as they inflate and then rise into the air.

(That's Victor in the center)  We learned that each one of these balloons can cost between $30 - $50,000!  A figured balloon (like the Smokey, the Bear one) would be high end cost.  Some people spend a lot of money on their hobbies!

This rally had "only" about 35 participating balloons.  The annual rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico has 700!  (Held in October.  We should go sometime).  We were not at all unhappy to only see 35!

Audrey really liked Smokey.

This year we went back down to Panguitch at twilight to see the "Balloon Glow."  Balloon participants line the streets and you can watch them inflate their balloons with huge fans, then heat the air with these burners which causes the ballon to rise up from the pavement into a vertical position.  Then, as the sky finally darkens they light the interiors from time to time with the same burners.  All really cool to see up close.  There were a LOT of people in town... and of course the Panguitch residents love the boost to their economy from the tourist's buying, restaurant eating, motel renting and fast food purchases.  Audrey loved it all and was way hyped up and dancing and running and commenting on everything excitedly.  I was glad we went too.  We have come to really enjoy these little community events. 

Look closely at the pictures below.  Don't you think it is way cool that at least one other man in the United States dresses like Dad does???

Step 1 - Inflate with fan

Step 2 - Heat the air

Step 3 - Hold 'er steady with tethers and people weight so the balloon does not lift off, but stays vertical.

And then, the final product:  Darkness and glowing balloons.  All very cool.

A NEW FACE FOR FOR THE LIVING ROOM

In honor of our new-found emptynester-ness I decided to use my fun money earned from the two weeks of putting up with frustrated, irate, irrascible voters for the local primary elections.   Paint, paint, paint!  Jesse Fosmo in our ward needed work;  I needed a boost to my spirits by freshening up the house.  Great combination.  The brown living walls and the blue kitchen walls are now all a uniform light green.  Currently feels like a LOT of the same color, but I haven't had time to accent yet with the yellows, lime greens and paprikas that are in my brain.

Now all I have to do is find more fun money somewhere to do that and change out some other things - like worn out couches, etc.  Oh well!  One thing at a time, right??  The project forced me to clean a lot of stuff which is good. 

A BIG SMILE IS JUST THE BEST THING!

How are we going to get along without these little faces each morning?  Becky and Charles finally got their dream - their own home.  They moved on June 12th after 6 years of living with us - totally surprised that they had so much stuff!    Though it is nice to see some spaces I haven't seen for a while and be able to deep clean, we really miss the early morning breakfast time with the little people and the ready smiles and story time!  Progress is good;  change is good...but sometimes it is also sad!

Forty years of Friendship

Recently a great occasion was held at our cabin.  I had a reunion with three of my former roommates from BYU. We lived at 440 E. 700 N.  This was the house we dubbed the "United Nations" because of the numerous friends and roommates of many countries who loved to call our house their activity headquarters.  Ardith Gledhill Lindgren (who also served in Guatemala with me in the missionfield) came from Sacramento, Cherie Lundwall (who was first my sister's dear friend and then later mine)came from Ogden, and dear Brenda Meikle Thorpe, whose steadiness was a binding force for us then and was once again on this trip, came from Brigham City.

We had 4 days of quiet time to leave behind other cares and concerns and just reminisce and cry and laugh and catch-up.  We looked thru old scrapbooks and chuckled at our big hair.  (And tried to get our 60+ yr old brains to remember who people were!)  We enjoyed a one-woman concert of cowboy songs by Cherie (which she does superbly).  We explored lakes and streams and planted a commemorative Aspen Tree (which we hope will survive!).  We even suddenly found ourselves in a snowstorm!  (This is June, folks!)

How wonderful that friendships endure and that 40 years melt away with just a moment of renewal.  These are dear ladies.  They have been my rock thru occasional hard times.  It was a wonderful uplifting few days together!  Spring on the mountain was beautiful.   Their collective spirit was beautiful.

You can appreciate why Aspen Mirror Lake has its name.

Ah, the hilarious scrapbooks!

Go ahead and laugh.  That's me on row 2 in the brown dress.  Ardith is behind me standing next to Cherie's brother, and that is Cherie on the back right.  (Brenda is not in this photo).  That is my sister, Julene, in the red plaid jumper.

When you look back at YOUR pictures in 20-40 years you'll feel the same.

Another interesting ocurrence is that just before this reunion I had a one-on-one reunion with another United Nations roommate, Sandi Tegland.  She was my first good bud at that house when I returned from my mission in 1968.  Sandi has recently moved back West from several years of working in Virginia/ DC area, and before that, years in San Diego.   She now lives in Chubbock, Idaho near her family, enjoying retirement and happy to be healthy after a recent bout with cancer.

Also from the United Nations household is Carolyn Grey Kohntopp whom we have tracked down to Utah after many years here in Nevada and then a few years in Georgia near daughter Amber.  Next reunion needs to include these two friends too.  BYU years formed a huge part of who I am.  A lot of that had to do with the blessing of wonderful people of all sorts who graced my life.

Not a felon - just a kid

Turns out that a pre-teen boy was playing with a [broken] B B gun on the balcony & roof of the house under construction at the end of the cul-de-sac.  I guess he was observed by someone at the school (which buts up to the back of the  house in question) and the police were called.  Makes sense.  Who wants a sniper aiming at a sschool yeard of kids?   Hmmm.