River Trip Aug 2009

We didn't get to do our regular San Clemente trip this year, for a couple of reasons that included fear over the economy and a tiff with the landlord over pets. I think Joan doesn't enjoy it that much and Darrell doesn't realize how much fun it is (and good it is) for the grandkids and for family unity and bonding. If I were really rich and magnanimous I would have gone ahead and made plans and paid for it myself.

Instead we were invited to spend a week or so at Kim and Ed's river house. This worked out fine and was quite fun. We did squeeze in one day (maybe two hours) at San Clemente. But, it just wasn't the same.

Normally, I would have planned to leave to go to the river on Friday (7 Aug) right after work. But, we had youth conference planned for that weekend and then Jensen had a concert to go to Sat night and then her friend Sarah had her missionary farewell on Sunday and then a couple in the ward called me Thursday night and asked me to marry them. I did it in Spanish.

So, we didn't leave town until about 4pm and we stopped in St. George at mom and dad's house for the night. The driving trip was largely uneventful. Lenore read to me from Ann Coulter's book Slander. It makes her get riled.

We went shooting a couple of times in Big River. It was blistering hot, 118, 116, 116 for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I rode the bike on Tues morning 30 miles. I was okay for the first half. Rode again on Thursday up to the Parker dam. Again I was okay for the first half. I was not okay for the second half. Lenore said I looked ashen when I returned.

The 80th birthday party for dad was quite fun. We (Kristin) compiled a DVD of snapshots through the years. There were a couple of pics I had never seen. I don't think dad was too put off for the attention we heaped on him. Wade and Kimberly had planned on leaving Monday night. But, they were guilted into staying until Tues morning. They honked and waved at me on my bike ride as they left town on the Ehrenberg road.

We left Big River in the morning on Thurs and drove to Irvine to spend a little time with Wade and Kimberly. It was Friday afternoon that we went to San Clemente. We had to get our legs wet and eat some pizza and ice cream. It was a nice enough day. But, it was a little crowded and the tide was high and there was a “ditch” as there sometimes is after heavy surf.

Friday evening we took Wade and Kimberly to Islands to eat and really enjoyed ourselves. Afterward we watched Lost in Austen. Our first introduction to this fun new film.