Aspen Grove - Day One (June 4, 2008)

The Odyssey was packed, prepped and ready for the six-hour drive to the Waite Family Reunion at Aspen Grove, Utah.

The whole family was stashed in the Odyssey and eager with anticipation for the trip. Actually, nobody was excited to be in the car for half of the day, but the kids were thrilled that we would soon be seeing their cousins. Joseph started with the "how much longer" before we stopped for breakfast in Mesquite, Nevada.

While they got to watch High School Musical 2 and National Treasure, I was privileged to watch sagebrush . . . and yucca . . . and more sagebrush . . . and, wow, a jackrabbit. To be truthful, I was okay with not seeing High School Musical 2 for the fifteenth time. However, it is pretty pathetic that I know most of the songs merely by osmosis. Alright, I'll admit it; I'm really like totally like a huge closet Zac Efron fan! I mean, like totally!

We ran into rain and a small amount of hail north of Beaver, Utah. As we got north of Fillmore, the rain got heavier, until we suddenly ran into a ton of hail on the road, and cars sliding off the road. It was like this for nearly thirty miles.

At times, the slush from the hail was so heavy that it was six inches deep on the road, which created deep ruts that made traction somewhat precarious. The surrounding area was white for as far as we could see. Utah State Police were busy trying taking care of cars that had slidden off the interstate. As we neared Nephi, we saw several snow plows that were starting to try to clear I-15.

Naturally, we had to slow down and take it easy, as road conditions were dicey. Without looking behind me, I took this photo, because I knew what Julene's expression would be. Nearly fifteen years of marriage lends to such expertise. She was so nervous about the road conditions that she didn't even see me turn the camera around on her.

Once she realized what I was doing, her expression changed immediately.

The rain continued all the way up to Aspen Grove. As we made our way from Sundance up the back of Mt. Timpanogos to Aspen Grove, we were treated with some incredible views of the mixture of clouds and mountain. The temperature was a balmy 57 degrees at the time we arrived.

We finally arrived at Aspen Grove, checked in, and got settled in Family Cabin C. We were joined in the cabin by Mom and Dad Waite, the Bezzants, Jonathan and Stephanie's family, Aaron and Carolyn's family, the Meiers and the Gunnersons, for a grand total of 35 people. Nathan and Katie's family, David and Stephen stayed in separate quarters.

For those in the family who had arrived, there was a family photo at the Aspen Lodge.

In keeping with the long and treasured Waite family tradition, the serious photo was followed by the crazy one.

To the best of my knowledge, the Bezzants were the only ones wise enough to request a photo of just their family.

At dinner, Ella volunteered to stay and hold Benjamin while Julene and I ate. She must have the magic touch, as Benjamin was comfortable enough to fall asleep while she held him.

Allyse, Joseph, Joshua, Angelina and Michael made their way to the Arts and Crafts Center to work on some projects after dinner.

In the afternoon, the Aspen Follies were held in the field below the family cabin, but our family had limited participation in those. For the most part, the afternoon was spent getting settled in the cabin. In the evening, there was a program that seemed to be a selection of the worst skits, jokes and stunts from every Scout camp that I have ever attended. Part of my problem was that I had started to come down with a cold the day before, and I was feeling lousy, achy and uncomfortable. I really just wanted to get back to the cabin and relax with the family. After about thirty minutes, I was looking for a baby, anybody's baby, to carry out of the program due to fussiness . . . mine, not the baby's.

Memorial Day

For some unknown reason, I didn't take any photos this Memorial Day. Perhaps it was because the cold weather forced us inside. I don't know. We didn't even take the traditional Little Falls hike due to the inclement weather. However, thanks to my brother, Blake, who took the photos in this post, the day did not go unrecorded.

Angelina was hanging out on the porch.

She seems to have enjoyed Uncle Blake taking her picture.

Joseph forgot to bring a jacket on perhaps the coldest Memorial Day in memory.

I found my Uncle Jon's old jacket bomber jacket in a closet at the cabin. The jacket is older than I am. Joseph looked like he didn't want to wear it, but after I called it an Indiana Jones jacket, we almost couldn't get him to leave the jacket at the cabin when we left to return to Las Vegas.

Benjamin wasn't so sure about the guy taking his picture.

Then, he looked up to daddy to make sure it was okay.

Obviously, he got the reassurance that he needed.

Angelina with her serious pose in her Mutze Handknit by Ashley.

She finally cracked a smile.

Check Out My New Activity Center

I got this new activity center. It has a barn, chickens, pigs, cows, sheep and a horse. It bounces up and down, and makes lots of cool noises. I can't wait to show you all of the neat things that I can do with it the next time you come see me.

Babies and Toes

I love it when babies try to grab their toes. Benjamin has been in that stage for about the last month. Only problem is that whenever I grab the camera to try to snap a picture of him grabbing his toes, Benjamin sees me, and then he starts posing for the camera by sitting up and smiling. Now I have to try to sneak up on him so that he does not know I'm trying to take his picture.

Another fuzzhead picture.

Lake Tahoe & Virginia City - Day Five (May 10, 2008)

On Day Five of our vacation, we drove down from Tahoe into Carson City and up the mountain to Virginia City. We thought it would be interesting for the kids to learn a little more about the founding of their home state. Without Virginia City and the immense wealth that emerged from its silver and gold mines, Nevada would not have been even considered for statehood until decades later than its admission to the Union in 1863.

Our first stop was the world famous Bucket of Blood Saloon. Actually, we only parked next to it. I really didn't want to go into the saloon with Julene and five kids, particularly since the place was overrun with bikers. (Correction, the whole city was overrun with bikers.) I was going to take some pictures of the bikers, but they all looked like they would beat me up, even the females (I can't call them women because they just don't look much like women to me). The bikers were probably really just accountants from the Bay Area going through their mid-life crisis by playing dress up for the weekend.I am still trying to figure out what sinister event gave the Bucket of Blood Saloon its macabre name. If anyone knows, please feel free to comment. Otherwise, I'll just assume that the owners wanted to give it a name that would stand out from the others.

After we got all liquored up at the saloon, we walked down the hill from C Street to the Virginia and Truckee Railroad station on F Street. The railroad was constructed in 1869 by private investors at a cost of $1,500,000. It was primarily designed to haul silver ore from Virginia City to processing mills in the Carson River Valley.

On the way, we walked past St. Mary's in the Mountains. Originally built in 1869, it is one of the few significant structures in Virginia City to have survived the Great Fire of 1875 intact.

Unfortunately, the steam engine was out of order that day, so we had to ride behind the stinky diesel train.

Although, Angelina didn't seem to mind.

The Ballard clan, getting ready to pull out of the station.

The train took us past numerous of the famous mines of the Comstock Lode. The Yellow Jacket Mine (above), staked in 1859, was one of the deepest in the Comstock Lode, at one point reaching down 3054 feet. In April 1869, a fire broke out at the 800 foot level of the mine. Thirty-four men died in the fire, most of them suffocating when the smoke filled the underground space where they worked. Although men went back into the mines by the end of April, three weeks after the tragedy, the fire continued to burn for months throughout the shafts. Miners reported finding smoldering timbers for six months after the fire.

My beautiful girls.

We stopped and turned around near the Yellow Jacket Mine, which gave us a chance to stand up and take a picture at the back door of the car in which we were riding.

Benjamin thoroughly enjoyed his first train ride.

The family as we left the Yellow Jacket Mine (Angelina helped me take the picture).

The train ride even included going through a tunnel.

The kids really enjoyed the flash of the camera while we were going through the tunnel.

Angelina looked a little apprehensive in the darkness.

Josh, Joseph and Allyse went on the Ponderosa Saloon Mine Tour with me. Since the mine entrance is in the saloon, we had to hang out in the saloon for about 20 minutes before the tour started. Although our tour guide was missing several teeth, I am convinced that his slurring had less to do with his teeth than his having taken advantage of the fringe benefits of working in a saloon. (The smell of alcohol that followed him, even though we were hundreds of feet into the mine, was a dead giveaway.)

Allyse and Josh raced a camel outside another saloon. If it seems that every other sentence has the word saloon, then you are getting a pretty accurate picture of Virginia City. On C Street, every other building is a saloon, with a mixture of shops, featuring rocks, western paraphernalia and touristy knickknacks.

We also went to see a couple of the cemeteries in Virginia City. One was called the Silver Terrace, which amused me since there was a retirement home just around the corner from our old house by the same name. The irony didn't escape me.

As we went through the cemeteries, it dawned on me that a substantial number of the headstones, and even the gate to the cemetery, bore the masonic compass and square symbol.

Perhaps there is a new installment of the National Treasure movies in Virginia City.

This was the tallest monument in the cemetery.

The monument was for Captain Edward Storey, for whom Storey County, Nevada, was named. Again, note the masonic symbol. Hmmm, I sense a conspiracy.

Lake Tahoe - Day Four (May 9, 2008)

Friday began with yet another glorious day at the lake, and Brad stuck in another morning of seminars.

Angelina came prepared for mountain weather, on the beach.

Josh and Joseph were trying to figure out how to commandeer a ship and start committing acts of piracy on Lake Tahoe.

This amphibious vehicle just about became victim to Josh and Joseph. It turns out that both of them were too short to reach the gas pedal.

Josh looks like he just read my comment about him being a pirate. Argh, me matey!

Ditto for Joseph.

At lunch time, the family picked up Brad and we went to play miniature golf.

Josh scored his first hole in one, and looked like he was ready to soar. Way to go, Tiger!

Joseph's form was perfect (for a seven-year-old playing miniature golf).

Angelina's lucky pink shoes propelled her to . . . well . . . last place.

Julene's form looked great. Her putting didn't look bad, either.

Angelina made herself at home on the revolving 17th hole. She became yet another obstacle on what was already a difficult hole.

The card doesn't lie, although the scorekeeper might have. Let's just say that without resorting to funny math, I was able to keep my pride intact, barely.

Later that afternoon, we had a picnic down by the lake shore.

We followed up the charcoal grilled hamburgers with s'mores.

What follows is my photo essay from that afternoon on the beach.