2012 Family Reunion

We had our last night dinner at Rancho de Chimayo. Ken and Joanna arranged to have a photographer there to take group pictures. Sunday was the last day together. Milton, Hollis and Sam left early as they were driving to Boise in one day. Janet and Doug, Shauna and Aven were able to attend church with us before they had to leave that afternoon. Jeanne was the first to arrive and the last to leave, a Monday to Monday visit. The weather was warm, dry and sunny, good for our reunion and travel, terrible for skiing.


Milton, Ken, Sam, Doug, Janet, Parker, Milt, Kathy, Aven, Shauna, Jeanne, Jordan, Joanna.
 Missing:  Hollis, Andrea, Jared



Ken, Kathy, Milt, Janet, Milton, Jeanne, 40 years after our marriage in 1972

It was a memorable time for all of us.


These three were not at the dinner for the big family picture:


Hollis Gillespie, not well for the dinner



Jared Ferguson, serving in the US Navy, Yokosuka, Japan

 

Andrea Kmetko, had to stay in Santa Cruz and work at her job.

 Scroll down to our Christmas Newsletter which comes after the reunion posts and Las Conchas Fire. 

80th Birthday Celebration for Milt

We had a great dinner and afterwards a gift and sharing time. Ken and Joanna hosted the party at their house. We started a little late as the plane ride was longer than expected, but we all enjoyed the celebration.

Janet sings her song for Milt

Many gifts

 

Milt has something nice to say to everyone



We had a fun time together



Airplane ride over Los Alamos

Our pilot, Trow Ward



Ready to fly



427 Estante Way



Re-fueling in Espanola

Coming back to Los Alamos in the late afternoon sun



Thanksgiving Day and Dinner

Thanksgiving Family Reunion and Milt's Birthday celebration.

The big experiment, Doug's turkey cooker.



Thanksgiving Day hike, Hollis, Janet, Aven, Joanna, Shauna Jeanne





The turkey is a success!!



Lanelle, Shauna and Trow, looking forward to a big dinner







Dinner is over, a great day.



Las Conchas Fire, 2011

Las Conchas Fire- Summer 2011
 Fire burnt 156,000 acres, it started June 26 on the Las Conchas ridge, south and west of the Valles Caldera.

Picture of the top of Spruce Chair. 30 per cent of the ski area was burned, top of Spruce chair and chair 5 burned, Sunier Deck burned, all other structures survived.



Unloading area, Spruce Chair





Recovering forest near Dome road



There is beauty in the burnt forest





We will recover!



Christmas Newsletter 2012

Christmas 2012
Highlights of the year:
Kathy had cataract surgery in late December 2011. Our weeks at Vail were in March, June, September/October. A new swamp cooler was installed early July. Kathy’s brother, Ken Ball, begins his surgery odyssey July 21. He is still not finished as of this December. He is holding up well, but is tired of hospitals and weakness. September we visited Ken in LA, Jeanne in Santa Cruz and then drove to Vail. The fall colors were beautiful this year. We had a family reunion at Thanksgiving, all but two were there. Andrea couldn’t leave her job. Jared is on his carrier in the seas of the Pacific. At the reunion we had a pre-celebration of Milt’s 80th birthday with a great party at Ken and Joanna’s. The last night dinner at Rancho de Chimayo was pure New Mexico. On Friday our Air Force pilot, Trow (grandson-in-law), rented a plane and nine of us, three at a time, were able to fly over Los Alamos, the ski area, Bandelier, and our house. We may be dry and burnt, but our country here is still beautiful. Milt and I will be at Vail in December for Milt’s birthday. We’ll have Christmas and New Year at home and that rounds out the year.
Oh, last but not least Milts lab tests show no return of the cancer.
In all this we give thanks and praise to God our Father, Creator, and our Sustainer, to the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation and the Holy Spirit, our Comforter.
Pictures will beposted on our blog: