Photo Memories

"Fav Photos" lasted all of one post. I realized that "Photo Memories" was what I am really talking about. Today's post is the first of Photo Memories and one many more I think you will really enjoy. I'll try to keep it balanced, but I'm not sure what balanced is. Just enjoy the moments as you read and remember!

All of our daughters and both of our boys are above average cooks. I'm a little biased, but when you look at my cooking skills you have to be impressed with what others do. I am learning, but am light years behind my sons and daughters - and always will be. The girls tend to excel and our oldest daughter loves to cook more then anyone else in the family. We are constantly amazed at her cooking prowess and how effortless it seems. Even as a teenager she could make perfect cakes and pies from scratch. Well, I found this photo and now I know where those skills came from. She is almost 2 years old and helping JoAnn/Mom make a cake. How do I know it's a cake - Because Donna is making sure the frosting doesn't go to waste. You might also notice that JoAnn is using a handheld electric mixer and powdered milk (in the container). If you see the green measuring cup by the milk, it's the same set of measuring cups we are still using. I think we may still have the green mixing bowl too, but the milk container and the mixer are gone. I'll also bet it was chocolate cake - it was our favorite! It's gone too!!!

Three Generations Project

Almost 2 weeks ago JoAnn flew off to Denver to get her once a decade taste of a blizzard and this year was no exception as Colorado and Aurora got a "top 10" snow storm. That was just a bonus for being there. She really went to spend time with our daughter, son-in-law, granddaughters, and grandson -- and yes, to go to a "sewing conference." Silly me, I didn't even know they had such things. And snow or no snow, they made the 2nd day of the conference. I'll let JoAnn tell her "snow day" story of fun with the family.

On their first day there Jeni had made arrangements to do a 3-generation photos of the girls - Grandma, Mom, and daughters/granddaughters. When the photo showed up last week I was really impressed. It is such a good photo and captures the 5 of them wonderfully.

L-R Front - Sydney, Alyssa, Meagan
L-R Back - Jeni (Mom), JoAnn (Grandma)

I got to thinking. We are going to be on the road this summer and visit everyone - or they are going to visit us. Why not do a whole new set of photos focusing on the three-generations that are present in 5 of our 7 families. Those 2 families without children will do 2-generation photos. I shared the idea with JoAnn and she thought it was great too. So kids, when we show up this summer; or when you show up here, be prepared for a photo shoot - and no, they won't all be professional - but they will be fun and a new collection of photos for us to hang on our walls and enjoy. We will keep you posted with the photos as they are taken.

November Reflections

I was reading some Robert Frost poetry this morning and "My November Guest" reminded me of our falls in Indiana. The poem is from his 1915 book, "A Boy's Will." I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

My November Guest

MY Sorrow, when she's here with me,
  Thinks these dark days of autumn rain
Are beautiful as days can be;
She loves the bare, the withered tree;
  She walks the sodden pasture lane.

Her pleasure will not let me stay.
  She talks and I am fain to list:
She's glad the birds are gone away,
She's glad her simple worsted gray
  Is silver now with clinging mist.

The desolate, deserted trees,
  The faded earth, the heavy sky,
The beauties she so truly sees,
She thinks I have no eye for these,
  And vexes me for reason why.

Not yesterday I learned to know
  The love of bare November days
Before the coming of the snow,
But it were vain to tell her so,
  And they are better for her praise.

The Glass is Half Full, Half Empty, or All Over Me...

When I was a child we traveled for holidays and summer vacations. As our family got older most of that travel occurred in an International Harvester Travelall (the equivalent of today's Suburban). We could spread all over the car (seat belts were just beginning to be introduced and not many cars had them), romp, roam, occasionally get yelled at (and yes, we usually deserved it). I was usually the one who got in the most trouble and times have not changed a whole lot.

Not our Traveall, but it sure brings fond memories. JoAnn and I drove it to Oklahoma
with Donna & Jeni for the 3 months we spent at Fort Sill. We pulled a U-Haul trailer
with it for our household goods. That is another story. This is what I learned to drive on!
photo courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevincollins/4842741366/

One summer we were driving across the desert from Arizona to California. We did not have air conditioning in our car, so it was very hot. We had the thermos for water and that kept us hydrated. We were coming in to Yuma, AZ on this afternoon and I made a comment that was not well received by my mother. I did a lot of that. She had just poured herself a glass of ice-cold water. She turned, looked at me, said something that I don't remember, and threw the glass of water in my face. Everyone was stunned until they realized I was the only cool person in the car at that moment. We started to laugh and laugh. The tension eased, I was cool, and the drive went on.

Classic Monday

I have a hard time finding time to write during the week, so I thought I would start a Classic Monday. It can have text, and will always include an historical (or hysterical) photo. Anything over 1-day old is counted as historical.

Tim was born in Kansas in 1975, and by the spring of 1977 he was getting around pretty well. Tim loved his Hot Wheel tricycle. He could really make that thing go. We had a long sidewalk in front of our apartment in Manhattan, Kansas. It wrapped around the parking lot on two sides, so he had about 100 feet of good area to gain speed. Out the backdoor was a playground. I'm not sure the Hot Wheel made it out there much, but if you look at the wheels, it seems that it got a lot of use. I'm sure Tim wasn't the only rider of that Hot Wheel.

You will also note that the car grill and not Tim is in focus. I had an old Mamiya-Sekor camera with a spot meter and sometimes I have now discovered, I had the wrong thing in focus. Too late to fix that problem now, but we can still enjoy the photo.

Dad's Going to be 90!!!

In just a few days my Dad is going to be 90. It seems like just yesterday we were all kids living at home. How life changes. Just 9 days after he turns 90 I will turn 64. When my grandparents were 65 I thought they were really old. I don't feel old and I don't think of Dad as old.

Today I wanted to post a presentation we 5 children made for Dad 10 years ago on his 80th birthday. We had a wonderful get together and families came from all across the United States to get to the reunion. Enjoy the video.

A California Weekend

On Friday JoAnn and I headed to southern California for a homecoming, of sorts. We lived in Ventura, CA from 1969 to 1972 and in many ways it was our first real home. We were out of school, in our first job, had our first child (and second), joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All of these were life changing events. This weekend was what JoAnn described as her dream vacation. I didn't initially see it like that, but as we got into the weekend I came to the same conclusion. We spent Friday and Sunday in Ventura and Saturday a short jaunt to Solvang and Santa Barbara. We didn't do justice to either of those cities/communities so we have a reason to go back.

We kept family up to date on our adventure with postcards emailed from my iPhone. This resulted in a few jealous kids.

Ventura was a voyage of rediscovery, and no we didn't take lots of boring photos of places we remembered - mostly because they weren't worth taking photos of. However, there were lots of things we did take photos of and too many for one blog. For example last evening we went down to the beach and watched the sunset (2nd night in a row) and understand how it could be addictive. It was great to see so many people (older folks like us) who were doing the same thing. There were also younger folks down there too. More on this in a later blog.

In the short time we lived in Ventura we lived in 4 different apartments. They are all still there and we found all of them. Two of them have not changed a whit, except they are 40 years older and show it. The other two were homes or partial homes and have been remodeled. Our beach house we had to guess at. We had the right street and knew how far from the beach we lived, but it had changed considerably. They had moved the entrance to the garage 90 degrees so they could have a front yard. Good idea! The 2nd home had a back entrance and sat on a main street, but I loved it. Now it has a front entrance, stairs and a beautiful front patio. When we went by on Sunday morning there were 4 men sitting out on the patio eating breakfast.

We kept asking ourselves, why did we ever leave Ventura? We loved it and still do. But we left because we needed to grow. Some folks do this without ever leaving home, but JoAnn and I were never very good about that. We took home with us. We have the wanderlust and I think we always will. I can blame it on my parents and the military and I guess JoAnn can blame it on me. Regardless, we have loved all of the places we have lived and done so because of family and good friends. It was wonderful to go back to Ventura. We still love it. It has a great charm. It was a wonderful place to visit and when we went to Church on Sunday morning there were tears in both of our eyes as we realized that for us, this is where so much began that has made our family what it is. We are thankful for these experiences in our lives and for the joy that we have in our family.

Now we are back "home" in Las Vegas. It is our home for now and we have family close at hand (6 driving hours is close compared to 1,500 miles in the past) and many good friends. Not to mention, we also love the winters, the back patio (where I am now), and the springs and falls. The memories were good and we are refreshed, ready to go on with the rest of our daily living.

Did I fail to mention that an official holiday involves finding at least one quilt show and done or more quilt shops. I found the quilt show and a closed quilt shop and JoAnn found an open Quilt Shop, so we had and official holiday. The above art quilt is titled "Men in Ties" and is on display in the Ventura Art Museum. It is a classic piece of work and we knew Mike would like it. He has requested a full quilt for their bed (thank goodness he was kidding).

Happy Birthday Donna

Donna, you were our first child, but then you know that. Thank goodness you were born on February 24, the same birth date as your great grandmother McLean (Nola Elizabeth Goff) and she was sure excited to know she had a granddaughter born on HER birthday.

I have lots of photos to share in this blog, and it will only be one as I'm running on borrowed time this week. Exams to give, papers to write, wife to care for (she has a cold - or so she claims), and a cat to feed!

Babies are so cute and Donna was no exception. Of course, as our first she was the cutest baby we had ever seen (until the next one came along, and along, and along...).

JoAnn (Mom) calls this, "Donna and her movie star Mom!" She certainly has the 70's hairdo.

Then there is Donna with Aunts Patti, Marti, and Jeri who have become very special in her life.


And then the perpetual sleep time while in the car. As you can see car seats were a little less rigorous in those days, and certainly not very safe.


Her first day of school in Manhattan, KS was precious. JoAnn says this is her favorite photo.


As she grew she had great times with her brothers and sisters, like Christmas in Ames, Iowa in 1981.


Or outside with the most awesome looking glasses I have ever seen in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1986.


And always finding time to share with one of her sibilings as she and Krissie enjoy lunch on the front porch when she was 16. Love the hair!


There are many many more photos to share Donna, but let's end like we began, with you and Mom hugging. You just won't fit on her shoulder any more.


That's far from the end, but "that all folks"

Happy Birthday Sally

It's that time of the year when the McLean family birthdays are in full bloom. I was inspired by Suzanne's post for Jeni in January and followed suit. Then I though, why not do that for all of the children this year. Who has more incriminating photos than Dad? And after a 2.5 year hiatus of scanning old photos, I'm back in the game. I'll do a blog on the process, because it is time consuming. Now, let's get down to business and honor Sally on her . . . well, I'm not allowed to tell you how old she is, but her first photos were in 1979.

You have to admire Suzanne holding a screaming Sally, who clearly wasn't impressed that her big sister who was already taking care of her. Worse yet, Suzanne looked a little spacey in this photo, like, "Why me?"

Tim is much more relaxed (JoAnn says to note the peanut butter on his face - a McLean trait), but Sally is still not impressed with who is holding her. I do think I see a little Joshua in Tim.

This is my personal favorite. It must be Easter Sunday as everyone is dressed up, or at least Sunday. Mom passes little Sally ( 2 months) to Donna who is all ready to receive her and just as focused then as she is today. We have no idea who the little tike in the background is. Some neighbor child watching the goings-on.

Remember Sally, it's okay to suck that thumb. Just ask Charlotte.

This photo may explain why you don't see too many photos of me. Yes, it is barely 1980 and yes that is a red flannel shirt and plaid pants, and no, they were NOT bell-bottoms, but they are bright. I never realized my mustache was quite that big, not to mention the long sideburns. If you would have asked I would have said I never had long sideburns. It didn't seem to bother Sally who was enjoying herself.

I have enough ammunition to go on for months and I'll get another blog up yet this weekend looking at some of Sally's later years. I am also posting photos on our flickr page, so you can go there to see more of our loved ones.

This Spot Reserved for Sally

It's been a busy week and Sally's birthday is tomorrow. I intend to honor her with several more photos, but like I said, it's been a busy week. Stay tuned, but as an appetizer, here is Sally, 2 days old in Ames, IA. Enjoy and watch for more...

Happy Birthday Jeni

Daughter number 3 inspired me when I saw her blog congratulating Jeni, daughter 2, on her birthday. And, like any good father I'm not telling anyone how old she is. So, enjoy the photos, with no specific date, so you still can't figure out how old she is.

At any age a child is cute and while she isn't very old, but at least 3 months, because that is how old she was when we moved to Fort Sill, Oklahoma. And she's in the crook of my knee.

In Provo, Utah at BYU Jeni is closing on 2, but look at that determination. That hasn't changed one little bit.

At Grandpa & Grandma's house with Spunky, the dog. Now you know where her love of animals comes from.

This is a classic pose and one that I've seen on at least one of her kids. Who says things don't come around. She is 2 years and 3 months old and still at BYU.

Wow, 10 years old and in Ames, IA standing out in the back yard. No, that's not all of our backyard. We lived in a townhouse and it was a common area.

Jeni with her then brother and sisters. 1982 in Ames, IA

Happy Birthday Jeni!

Yesterday…

JoAnn and I were in Spanish Fork yesterday on the anniversary of Calvin's death. (note: I started this on the 16th, but since we were in Boise at the time I had to put it aside for family matters.) I had meetings in Salt Lake City and came back mid-afternoon to find everyone gone. They were off looking for a miniature tree for Calvin's gravesite. The sexton apparently approves trees up to 6 feet mature height.

Around 6:00 pm or so we all went over the the cemetery to plant the tree. We found a couple of other families there and by the time we left at 8 pm there were six families visiting Calvin. Plus there was evidence of a number of other people who had been present at some time during the day. I am still amazed a the outpouring of caring and remembering for Calvin. These six families all showed up spontaneously, just to spend some time with Calvin and remembering him.

On Facebook a young man from Calvin's middle school posted the tribute he was going to read the following morning as an announcement. There were a number of responses to the post and it was touching.

Below are a couple of additional photos I shot. Donna took her camera so hopefully she will post some photos on her blog.

Cole is making sure the hole is the correct size and depth. He wanted to be involved in the whole process.

Memories...

All of our memories should be good, especially of Calvin. He was sweet, adorable, kind, considerate, a bit spoiled, conniving, sneaky, and a big tease. Hey, for a boy, those are all good memories. He never failed to get a smile from someone, to charm them, to share something with them, to show that he cared. All good traits in a boy. He also loved everyone. I'm not at a loss for words, but so much has been said by others.

I think my favorite photo of Calvin is with Grandma. I love this photo. It sits in our living room. In the photo, as Sally said in her blog, he was measuring up to see how far he had to go to be taller. It is not far. There are a couple of things to note in this photo. The cross between the smile/smirk - a classic Calvin. The arm around Grandma which she obviously loved. The zest for life you can see in his whole face. He did love life and people.

A memory. Shortly after we moved to Las Vegas we were up to Utah for the weekend and as we sat in Fast and Testimony meeting on Sunday morning Calvin leaned over and said, "Grandpa, would you bear your testimony." How could I say no. I got up, walked to the podium and acknowledged Calvin had asked me to share my testimony. I did, but I did it for Calvin and his brothers. It was a special moment I won't soon forget.

Traveling to Boise

Calvin was maybe 3.5 when Donna suggested we take him to Idaho with us. We were traveling from Indiana with Krissie, who was 14, and thought it would be a great idea. We picked Calvin up in Utah and headed out. Krissie was really excited about taking Calvin with us. After we left Spanish Fork and headed up to Boise the two of them in the back seat were in a constant chat. Even then Calvin could dominate a discussion.

This was real treat. Suzanne had only been married for 2 years of less and had no children, so Calvin was king of the roost! The first night we were in Boise we went out for Mexican. Calvin was at the end of the table in a booster seat and the rest of us were all busy talking. The waitress comes up with our obligatory basket of chips, Calvin takes one look, and at the top of his lungs, "Whoa - CHIPS!" We all laughed so hard. He was so excited about food - always pretty much - but that excitement was new to us.

When a couple of daughters and mom, of a couple of daughters without mom, get together shopping is on the menu. A couple of days later we were out shopping for school clothes for Krissie at Target. After selecting a few items, Mom and Krissie headed to the changing area. I picked Calvin up, tossed him over my shoulder and he was a little high - his waist was at my shoulder - and as we walked out of the teens section with us going one way and JoAnn & Krissie another I hear, again at the top of his lungs, "Krissie's getting naked!" I'm red and he is laughing and I'm wondering what Donna is teaching my grandson. Not that I didn't think it wasn't cute, because it was.

Calvin's Yearbook Page and Bonus

Donna sent me two scans today. In an earlier post from today I said when I got them I would post them. You can click on each image and it will open a window showing the full size. The Memory Page from the Yearbook is first. Second is from a memorial football game by one of his best friends. Enjoy them as much as I have.

Little Things that Bring Sacred Remembrances

I received an email from Donna last evening sharing with me that individuals were still posting to Calvin's obituary pages on both the Provo and Salt Lake City Newspaper web sites. I had previously put together a complete set of all the comments from both newspapers. This time I added another 10 comments for a total of just over 160. I was doing fine until I read one of the comments from a friend. I have posted it below:

"Yesterday was our last day of school and everyone wished that you were there to sign yearbooks. but you are in a better place now. You got picked for the nicest boy, and you got a whole page about you. You would never believe how much we missed you at lunch work. PEACE BUDDY."

As Donna has said on more than one occasion, the memories come flooding back. I felt like I was sitting at the kitchen table in Utah surrounded by my whole family. I felt like I needed it at that point today and I did feel my family's love. The memories remain good. Our lives go on with Calvin always in our thoughts. The knowledge and experiences we had will last until we see him again.

When I get a pdf of the year book page I hope to post it on this blog.

Below is one of my favorite photos. I keep it on my dresser.


Remember, Families are Forever - Wherever they are!

Three Days, Two Nights, Three Celebrations

When you are young you don't realize how busy life can get when you are older. You also don't realize how important small things become. Celebrations are "small things" that build great families. JoAnn wrote in her blog about our Modesto trip. It was 3 days and almost 2 nights, but the celebrations occurred in Modesto and Boise and we could only attend one of the three. Suzanne and Sally spoke of their celebrations - a birthday and an anniversary. Our's was a birthday bash and a father only turns 89 one time.


We have not lived close enough in 37 years to attend a birthday party for my father, yet this year we made the mad 8-hour dash north and had a Friday birthday lunch. It was so much fun! We found a new little restaurant about 4 blocks from Dad & Ruby's place and it was all comfort food, owned by a local group, and the food was almost as good as the companionship. I don't think I've ever seen Dad put away so much fish and chips. He even took my extra fish & chips home for later. And yes, he ate them.


Saturday was the big bash. All 3 sisters and families (that were in town) were present. It's a little overwhelming when we are all together. Everyone talks, some even listen, everyone is in motion, and it all centers around Jeri's kitchen. In all I think there were 13 of us plus 3 dogs. For a family that grew up without dogs, we sure have changed that! Of course, only Penny was allowed in the house since she doesn't consider herself a dog.

It was fun, company, presents, and family. Put it all together and you get a real feel for why families can love each other so much - in spite of our differences. When we get to the core we are more alike than different. Dad got in one game of cribbage and he must be getting old since I had to give him 2 points he missed. I don't think he ever missed any points before. And he still beat me! Of course the family dominoes game has morphed into a set of rules that focuses on cooperation rather than competition - although there is still a winner. It was a tad difficult to get a feel for the first game. I was more focused on "winning" than on cooperating. JoAnn won the first game and I didn't win the 2nd game. Wait, I didn't win any games.

At the end of the day we just sat out on the patio and relaxed. JoAnn and Jeri got a head start while I shot a few photos of them. Later, as JoAnn explained, we watched and listened for the owls. What a great family weekend.

The OCD Connection Continues

I have always known that Meagan was a bit OCD. Okay, her mom would say she is over the top. Jeni hung a box and filled it with wooden flowers in Meagan's room. While grandma was there Jeni gave her one of the flowers to take home. When grandma left Meagan explained to her mother that it just is not right, a flower was missing. Tim and Sally like to point out that a good OCD is a born accountant - good luck Meagan.


However, her true colors came out while the family was visiting in Las Vegas. The kids gave grandma a 500 piece puzzle focusing on quilts - lots of quilts, colors, small, and difficult. At least I thought it was difficult. Grandma, Mom, and Meagan got into the puzzle in a hurry. Grandma got busy with other projects, Mom would come back periodically, but once Meagan got the hang of the puzzle it was all over. By my count she did at least 50 percent of the puzzle. There is some disagreement there, but since it's my blog my number counts.


Meagan was so proud of herself when she was finished. She just beamed. We have an 8-year old puzzle whiz. Is there a TV show for that - there seems to be for everything else.


The best part of being a grandpa is watching your grandchildren grow up and learn about themselves. It is a discovery process that brings back old memories of when their parents were small. I have to admit, living closer to our children is a whole lot better then living far away. We have enjoyed the opportunity to see them more often. And their parents too.

Is it the quilts? Or is it the love?

I was just sitting at the computer waiting for Grandma to leave on a visiting teaching assignment following a traditional Sunday afternoon dinner of waffles. I was initially just looking, but then as I was reading my my daughters blogs and then back at my blog (yes, I do read my own blog) about quilting and seeing Grandma's picture with Donna and realizing quilting is about love, not really about quilting. At least not for Grandma.

Donna & JoAnn

Granted, she does love the challenge of quilting, but she even more loves the process of figuring out just the right quilt for a daughter or son, or grandchild, and even grandpa. Among her first projects were high school graduation quilts that were joint efforts. The children selected a design and Mom began the work on the quilts. They were truly a work of love, because it typically took a year to get each of the quilts completed. There were lots of interruptions along the way, and other projects. But, they always were finished and delivered.

Jeni, JoAnn, & Krissie

Tim's wedding quilt was the biggest, and maybe only, queen size quilt Grandma ever tried. I remember 5 daughters taking one look at that quilt and almost in unison saying, "When do I get mine?" Well don't hold your breath. That may require retirement. Back to the point. The quilt was a labor of love - love for Tim and Lonita - and by extension to the entire family.

The McLean girls - JoAnn, Marti, Jeri

A runner for Suzanne's dining room table. Would you believe I couldn't find a photo of Suzanne with a quilt?

Grandma is best known for her smaller quilts. Every grandchild has at least one quilt, sometimes several. Alexis has 3 that I can remember: (1) baby quilt; (2) broken arm quilt; and (3) baptism quilt. She can be a little demanding (right Suzanne?). When she had a compound fracture of her arm she said she wanted "Grandma McLean to come and take care of her." When Suzanne explained that Grandma couldn't come her response was, "I need a quilt from Grandma." And yes, that became Grandma's top priority. It was the baptism quilt I was surprised by, but again Alexis asked for it. It was a classy quilt and when I asked Alexis if she was going to hang it up on her wall (what was I thinking?), her response was "It's just the right size for me."

Lots of time and effort go into a quilt, but when it is all said and done, it is the love that goes into the quilt that makes all the difference. Maybe that is why Grandma is so special. I think so!

Sally with Chas's quilt.

In Honor of Calvin's 14th Birthday

Today Calvin would have been 14 years old. We were reminded by several daughters and encouraged to participate in a Mexican feast - one of Calvin's favorite foods. Of course I think any food was Calvin's favorite food.

Our oldest son, spouse, youngest grandson (and grandchild), JoAnn and I went to the Monterrey Cafe and had a great Mexican feast. We were stuffed.

A chip in honor of Calvin's love of chips!

The first time we took Calvin to a Mexican restaurant was in Boise, Idaho when he was 3 or 4 years old (I know I will hear from my kids telling me how old he really was, but when you get older age is less important than just remembering). We were sitting at the table, he in a high chair, and they brought chips. He took one look at the chips, his eyes got big, and in a loud voice, "Wow, Chips!" We all laughed so hard. The waitress was so impressed by Calvin's enthusiasm.

This evening's dinner was a little more subdued, but we enjoyed it nonetheless and fondly remembered Calvin. Happy Birthday grandson from Grandma and Grandpa.

Obviously, his wasn't taken at the restaurant, but the photo I took with my iPhone was just terrible and I couldn't share it. This photo is much better.