The 50's Golden Oldies - but Goodies

Time for the Wasatch Group get together! Fred and Jill planned a 50's Golden Oldies party for us. Their home was turned into a hamburger joint complete with menus - we each gave our order to poodle-skirted waitresses, Lauren & Hannah (Their darling granddaughters). Our placemats were record albums. We got to choose creme soda, root beer or black cherry soda to drink. The scary looking grill master wore a black leather vest - but he grilled up some mighty fine burgers and dogs. Homemade french fries and onion rings came to us in paper-lined plastic baskets. After sufficiently stuffing ourselves, we adjourned to do a little 50's dancing on the Wii. We were really hot stuff - just like the old days. What a fun party!

Gardner Village Witches

Happy Times! Anita, Bob and Deb Snyder came to town to spend Halloween with us! It was time to party, so we headed out to Gardner Village to see their witches and shop about.

Lobster Fest - into the Tribune

For years we've said we should join in the costume contest at the annual Halloween Hi Jinks Symphony. This was the year. I spent two days sewing 4 lobster costumes to go with Nicole's original that she made in San Diego. We finished sewing 8 lobster claws about 30 minutes before we had to leave for the symphony because Uncle Rick came early and helped us stuff all of them.

We lost the costume contest, although the judges gave us kudos from onstage. The symphony mascot, seagull, asked if he could have pictures taken with us. But when we all showed up at Red Lobster for dinner after the symphony, several staff members came out to greet us and asked us to come in and visit our relatives in the tank. It was hard to know what to choose when you found yourself on the menu.

The Salt Lake Tribune asked readers to send in pictures of their Halloween costumes. I sent some along and a reporter responded back to me that so far, ours were their favorites. Surprise! Halloween morning, our picture was on the front page of the Utah section!

Phantom Cannons

The annual Cannon Family Halloween fest was based on Phantom of the Opera The masquerade was accessorized by everyone's feather mask and the little girl's sequined tiaras. Dessert featured a chocolate fountain with fruit and cake to dunk in dripping chocolate. Instead of bringing down a chandelier, the kids all got together and brought down a mirror-ball pinata.

Noma's 85th Suprize Birthday Party

Last Saturday afternoon we had a beautiful ride down to Mapleton, Utah. Norma's son Clint, and his wife, Wylene, had planned a surprise party for Norma's 85th birthday. They had a lovely dinner catered and invited us all to come. The food was wonderful and each table had a centerpiece that depicted some special aspect of Norma's life and interest. They had requested pictures and we sent several down which they used also.

Norma lives across the street from a lovely home that covers two lots. On one lot is their dwelling and on the other is a huge recreation building. It has a weight room, an indoor wave pool room and a big hall for basketball and sports with a kitchen off one corner. This is where the party was. As the dinner wound down, Rustin and the others wound up and decided to give the chin-up bars a try. Jeff was sure if his neck was only a little bit longer he could have suceeded. Only one person made it all the way to an official chin-up. Look below for the star athlete!

Canyon Picnic

Nicole called me late last Saturday afternoon and asked if we could have our traditional Conference picnic in the canyon one week early. She and Rustin had plans to go to Lake Powell with their bishop's family over Conference, but they didn't want to miss out on our picnic. So we took off after church for the Alpine Loop. The canyon was super crowded. There were no picnic spots available. Luckily Rustin knew of a picnic area above the Tibble Fork reservoir that was unmarked. We kept going and going and found one of the most lovely spots shrouded in autumn glory I've ever seen. It was chilly but very beautiful! Rustin and Nicole had brought their Ranger, so after eating they took off up a dirt road and the two cars followed slowly behind. We took turns driving and riding in the ranger going quickly through the trees and leaves. At one point Carole and Clark took us on wild rides around another lake high in the mountains. We loved it so much that Jeff and I met Nicole and Rustin back at the same place Monday evening and took the ranger all the way to the top of the mountain. It was exhilarating to be outdoor and submerged in the autumn colors. Oh how glorious. As it turned out, that was really a good idea, because this Conference weekend it is dark and gray and cold and raining. We would have missed a spectacular experience in Utah's mountains.

Corbin Came to Visit ! ! !

Scott & Mitzi came down with Corbin to visit because Kat & Richard Ethington were home from Dubai for a visit. They had a wonderful time seeing their old friends again. And I had a wonderful time taking Corbin on walks in Murray Park with Barkley. Cute little Corbin galloped all through the park, lickety split. He galloped at least a mile as our pathway wound all through the park. As you can see, there were times Barkley and I had to giddy up to stay close to him! He brought such delight and happiness into our home, although he didn't much like the Halloween witch that screams and cackles or the hanging spider that drops down to scare people.

The Lord's Tenth

September 26th was a beautiful autumn evening. Jeff invited members of the ward where he was bishop (The University 10th Ward) to bring their children to our home for dinner on our back patio. We called the members of his ward "The Lord's Tenth" in deference to their spirituality and service. They are some of the most wonderful young people in the world.Sister Cannon and Bishop Cannon Brenda & Ben Thomas (our dog, Wilbur's caretaker) and their three boys. Lindsey (Boyer) and Dr. Dan Kaelberer and their lovely children. Sarah & Jared Johnson and their six children. Gina & Brian Taylor and their two girls. He is a sports announcer on the radio. All the usual suspects. Camille and Bruce Killpack with Sage & McClean (who takes care of our yard all summer.)

Branson - Our Last Day

In our effort to make the most of our sojourn to Branson, we got tickets to the Red Skelton Show at 10:00am in the morning. We joined the hearty souls there and laughed ourselves silly as Tom Mullica went through some famous and well-loved Red Skelton routines. I did not know that Red’s “Guzzler’s Gin” routine was Lucille Ball’s inspiration for “Vitemeatavegimin”. She requested Red’s permission to do it on her TV show and it was an incredible hit. I loved this clean comedy – how I miss being able to laugh without worry of being completely offended.

Anita and Bob took us to lunch at the “Chateau” where they had stayed on a previous trip to Branson. It was lovely and elegant and we had a very nice lunch in the dining room looking out onto Lake Taneykomo.

There is for us, an unanswered mystery in Branson – what’s with all the butterflies? There is a huge butterfly shaped garden in from of the Dixie Stampede show. There are butterflies painted in all manner and description all around the town – very much like the cows in Chicago. There’s an attraction called the Butterfly Garden in Branson where you walk through and see live butterflies floating about. What’s with all the butterflies????

We drove back to Anita and Bob’s that evening, had pizza for dinner and Bob took us to the airport the next morning, We made the most of a short, fun, trip to Branson. I want to note that Branson is hilly! Driving the roads around Branson is somewhat akin to riding a rollercoaster. They call the hills here bald knobs. I don’t get the bald part because they are all covered in green foliage. But when they say, “hill” billies I understand the “hill” part.

Branson Day Two

We went in search of a better breakfast this morning over to the Hilton Convention Center. We wandered through the lovely lobby to the café upstairs. They didn’t seem too happy to see us; commented that we were arriving just as their breakfast service was ending and after we had ordered, sent the waitress out to ask us if we didn’t want lunch instead. We stuck to our guns and ordered breakfast that turned out to be not so great.

Undaunted, we took off to find Dick Clark’s 57 Heaven. It was the best car museum I’ve ever seen. It is focused on models from 1957, which took Anita and me right down memory lane. The beautifully restored cars were displayed in settings to compliment them; a car dealership, an auto repair shop, a drive-in movie, a sample 1957 home. Most of the cars were unique collector’s items. We saw a car with “feelers” which would let the driver know if he was getting too close to the curb that it would tarnish his whitewall tires. One had a built in record player – did it skip much, we wondered? A car by the drive-in had seats that made into a bed – not so subtle. The Ford Fairlane hardtop convertible was there complete with the set of luggage you needed to use because it fit precisely in the trunk with the hardtop stowed. Their two-seater Thunderbird reminded me of Dona and Danny Eichelberger. One steering wheel had a clock in the center that was wound as the driver turned the wheel. The purple Cadillac was exquisite. So many of the carmakers no longer exist – Nash, Studebaker, DeSoto, Plymouth, and Hudson.

By then it was time to have lunch. Luckily Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Grill was nearby. Flat screens in the restaurant re-run old episodes of American Bandstand. The walls are adorned with memorabilia. I loved the framed comic strips joking about how Dick Clark never seems to age.

Right after lunch it was almost time for dinner – we were just able to take a quick shopping excursion at the outlet mall nearby. Anita and I jumped right out and got shopping while the menfolk napped in the car.

Dolly Pardon’s Dixie Stampede was a highlight. You walk to the entrance along a row of stables that house and tell about all the horses used in the show. It’s a long walk with lots of beautiful horses. People are seated in tiers around a big arena where the North Side battles the South Side in games and riding feats. Professional riders run through their paces for both sides. Then they select audience participants to do some of the games. Three kids from each side had to chase a pair of chickens from one end of the stadium to the other. There were miniature horses holding tiny stuffed riders that raced around the ring. My favorite was the pig race with hero pigs from the North – Ulysses S. Grunt and Abraham Link Sausage. They finish up with a Dolly patriotic video that unites us all into one great country – even among the rednecks.