After a 2-day Medicare training in Salt Lake City (while Dad golfed), we traveled to Reno/Carson City, NV where we spent the night with my childhood friend Jan Peterson Free Gardner and her husband Ron. While there, we enjoyed a day exploring the beauty of Lake Tahoe where we snapped dozens of photographs - to meet Dad’s self-proclaimed quota of 100 photos a day - and had lunch before getting back on the freeway heading toward Sonoma and two days with Kris, Zachary and Erin.
Kris was scheduled to get home at 5:30 p.m. so we tried to time our arrival to coincide with hers. We pulled into her driveway at exactly the same moment. It was her last day working as the office manager for a local gastroenterologist (she is going back to the mortgage industry). After Kris and I got home from our pedicure appointments, we headed to Santa Cruz and the famous boardwalk (which I had never heard of, but which was fun, fun, fun!!!). We walked on the beach, ate corn dogs and ice cream cones, and rode roller coasters, the ferris wheel and other rides until the park closed at 10 p.m. then we settled in for the night at a truly grungy motel. (Eeeeewwww and ick!!!). On our way back to Kris’, we realized we were in peril of getting caught in the traffic coming out of the Nascar race . . . only a few miles from Kris’ home. We hurried our goodbyes and just barely made it past the track as thousands of Nascar enthusiasts came from every direction.
The next stop on our trip was San Francisco where we had arranged to use a week of our timeshare at the Best Western Carriage House hotel - a few short blocks from Fisherman’s Wharf, Ghiradelli Square and within 
walking distance of the Moscone Center where California Governor Arnold Swartzenegger and his wife Maria Shriver spoke, along with Nancy Pelosi, Matthew McConaughey 
and First Lady Michelle Obama at the opening session of the National Conference on Service (while Ed golfed!). There were more than 5000 non-profit program managers and volunteers trying to get into the session. Everywhere we looked there were hundreds of policemen, and big trucks identified as the bomb squad and every media outlet in the United States.
At the close of the conference in San Francisco, we accepted an invitation to dinner from Troy, his wife (the other) Linda Sappington and their two beautiful little girls - 5-year-old Thalia and 3-year-old Isela at their home in San Leandro, less than 20 miles from our hotel room. Linda and her mother 
spent the afternoon creating a delicious Mexican dinner complete with bar-be-qued steaks (Troy was at the grill), homemade salsa and a huge bowl of guacamole. Troy and Linda are renting a nice big apartment which they have, over three years, turned into a lovely home. They have painted the rooms to match the symbols of Linda’s Mexican heritage. Troy has built a 
beautiful redwood deck off the dining room and has plans for improving the landscaping, but the most impressive improvement to their home is the creation of a theater room, complete with a popcorn machine, a hot dog cooker and a huge screen. Oh, and did I mention all the "Star Wars" memorabilia, including a lifesize Darth Vadar and one of those red faced "enemy warriors." He is so enamored with this blockbuster series he even has a personalized license plate which identifies him as a fan. Troy lost his job this year when Mervyn’s declared bankruptcy and was out of work for nearly five months until he was hired by Ross Stores (yes, Kaytee . . . one of your favorite places to shop) where he now works as a senior purchasing agent.
On Wednesday afternoon we found Charlene anticipating our arrival at her new modular home in Coarsegold, California. She took occupancy in January, but was called to jury duty (the case involved a mass murderer and the death penalty) soon after she moved in, so is still trying to get settled. She and Tiffany (who lives about 10 miles away) are painting the rooms, redoing the kitchen cabinets and in every way, turning it into Charlene’s dream home. She notes this is the first time in her life she has ever lived alone and she is finding it to be a delightful experience.
That evening, we enjoyed pizza and salad at Tiffany and Bob’s house - which they share with their 3 sons Ben (aka "Beano" who has a delightful personality not unlike his father); Josh, who is a typical 10-year old and his twin brother Phillip who has far surpassed what doctors predicted would be the limits of his abilities. Bob currently works in Human Resources for the Fresno School District.
Tyson, Mandy and their three kids - adorable 4-year old Kylee and IDENTICAL 2-year-old twins Brennan and Bryce (or is it Bryce and Brennan - even their grandmother can’t tell them apart) drove the 40 miles from their home in Fresno to join us for dinner and conversation. Tyson works as a sheet metal fabricator where his talent is well compensated!
And, while we were in the neighborhood, we spent a morning at the spectacular Yosemite National Park before heading home to St. George.
In the middle of the first of our three road trips, we also followed the news of our family and the world:
Grandma Henion placed a call to us indicating she was having plumbing problems. She had called in a professional who determined "the sky was falling" and gave her a bid of $4300 to fix the toilet, replace all the pipes and the water heater! A few phone calls to her bishop and to her home teacher found a reputable plumber willing to make the immediate repairs. Michael will go down to Corona as soon as he returns from his High Adventure Scout trip and replace everything needing replacing!
Grandma Henion placed a call to us indicating she was having plumbing problems. She had called in a professional who determined "the sky was falling" and gave her a bid of $4300 to fix the toilet, replace all the pipes and the water heater! A few phone calls to her bishop and to her home teacher found a reputable plumber willing to make the immediate repairs. Michael will go down to Corona as soon as he returns from his High Adventure Scout trip and replace everything needing replacing!
While we were on the highway, Allysa and Josh welcomed Daxton Emery Beaumont into the world on Wednesday, June 24. Born at 10:35 p.m., this adorable little Josh-lookalike weighed in at 6 lbs. 15 oz. and is 20 inches long. Mother, baby and Grandma Stacy are doing fine!The most exciting news we got this week was contained in a text message from Kaytee who reported the maximum security Nevada State Prison FINALLY called Josh. He starts as a prison guard on July 6th - one of about 400 employees overseeing more than 1100 incarcerated bad boys! My heart is breaking to think they will soon be living in Ely, Nevada (Kaytee hasn’t ever been there) . . . and taking our precious Adyn with them. I know it is best for them - Josh has been out of work for a year - but its hard for Stacy, Ed and me to get our arms around the fact they are moving away from St. George.
And finally, legend has it that there are usually 3 famous deaths at a time. On Wednesday, June 24, as Allysa went into labor with Daxton, 86-year-old Ed McMahon, Johnny Carson’s famous sidekick on the 
Tonight Show succumbed to causes incident to age. When Daxton was only a few hours old, Farrah Fawcett - famous for her mane of curly blond hair and as one of TV's "
Charlie’s Angels" - died on the morning of Thursday, June 25 from cancer at the age of 62. That same afternoon, TV and radio stations all over the world, as well as the internet, went crazy with the news of the death of Michael Jackson from what is believed to have been a massive heart attack at age 50.
