Just updates:

OK, been awhile, so some news from Tucson.
  Here is a pic of the new Grandma Lynn in the NICU at UMC, big smile at Maddox. He's actually nine days old now, born premature due to emergency C-section due to Jessica's medical complications, but at this point mom and little boy doing fine. Now he weighs 3 lb 6 oz, almost back up to birth weight. Jessica was quite ill but doing much better now.
I've had a nice Kansas trip visiting the fans and relatives, went venison shopping but they were all out..:-(. Lucky for A Diane.
Lynn and I haven't done anything out of town since a really nice trip to Washington D.C. and Gettysburg in Sept; she's been working a lot, I've done some chores and repairs at the ranch and hung out in Tucson. Lynn did borrow a nice horse, went up to Scottsdale in the motor home, and won another nice ribbon in the Arab show. I got to stay with Erica and Jeff and Megan. The Orihuela children came out and checked out the horse etc as well.
Hope all is well around the country! Understand there are big Thanksgiving plans in South Carolina! Safe travels all, wherever Thanksgiving finds you, love one another, be grateful.
Love, Dad/UR

Dinner time

Down in the San Rafael Valley, Los Charros. Time for chow as soon as I put this horse up! Not a great pic, though..

 Another topic(s):

Looks like Lynn and I will be in Glendale AZ next Friday (21st) for an Oktoberfest party! Erica, can we stay the night and maybe Saturday??

 Also, any interest in going down to those Buttes and Rustler's Roost restaurant the next Saturday (the 22nd)? That's the place where that band plays good county, meals are tolerable. No reservations but the band guys are good friends from Los Charros and if we want to go they will be sure we have good seats for dinner. They only play from 6-10. 

 Having another good time with great friends down here, but Earl the a shoe and is kind of landed up so we are taking the day off, re-shoe, probably hit the trail again tomorrow.

K.S.U.

My my, look at all that Purple!...Good game (so far..) Great reunions.
Fun time in Manhattan.

Sunny skies

Well, MEMO to the East Coast Dicksons....
No hurricanes in Arizona!
Be safe..

Battle of Leyte Gulf: October 23–26, 1944 | Fold3 BlogFold3 Blog

https://blog.fold3.com/battle-of-leyte-gulf-october-23-26-1944/#comments

Hello dear family, greetings from the ranch! Couple of days lull and prep before non stop action: travel to Tucson, then Kansas, back to Tucson, then pick up a good friend and head down to the San Rafael Valley for Los Charros.
And, speaking of action, I've forwarded this link. 72 years ago this month this WW II battle took place, one in which Dad was heavily involved. This is from Fold3, a part of Ancestry.com, and is a very good account and summary. The other link is that of Comments, and there are many very interesting comments from survivors and relatives, sons and daughters. If you have time and have some interest...Dad referenced the anniversary of that battle many times, but only briefly.
Love you all,
Dad/UR

D.C.

Before I close this particular chapter...my new plane (s)!   I wish!.

Wash DC

Did a real nice tour at night. Beautiful, excellent guide.
Guess these are self explanatory...
Wish that lame quarterback from the 49ers would post a visit. He might choose a different venue/method.
Good trip to D.C. for sure.
Love to all,
Dad, UR

Wash DC

Almost as nice as the Topeka Capitol building!

Update

Greetings from Wash DC;
We are in fact having a really fun time; visited the national mall yesterday with all those monuments, today and tomorrow the Smithsonium museums.
And speaking of unusual crowds, what us it with us?? Last January in Whistler it was Canada's gay pride week...today is the "grand"  opening of the black history museum w obama and G Bush among others opening things up. Great.

Winter Park Big Condo - from Erica

Hi Family & Friends,

Sending out to you all for "first dibs" before offering it to management to rent out...

Gma/Boo's WP big condo is available Sat., 10/1 - Sat., 10/8. Most of you know, it's a 2-bedroom with loft and 3-bath unit. Sleeps 6 comfortably. Just $275 for a whole week of lodging and fun in CO. Not looking to profit ;-) but rather recover the HOA and cleaning fee.

Let me know if interested. I was going to talk to them on Monday if no takers.

Love,
Erica
602-369-8003
ericakrobot@hotmail.com

Sent from my iPhone, please excuse errors.

Elise's Birthday fun!

Ok all, giving this a try!

Elise turned 1 last weekend and since Thomas was working we just did a mini cake (aka cupcake) over at the hospital. It didn't take her long to get from taste to demolish. She also loves ice cream, Popsicles and Pepsi.

So good to be 1!!

Love and hugs to all!
Kristin

The Ranch

Now at the ranch.....traffic jam, Nutrioso Arizona style!
Hey Kristin, how about a one-year-old baby pic?
Douglas/Mary: how snout a photo of your growing family? Can't imagine how they all have grown!

Florida!

Great way to top off a delightful Florida vacation! A Diane and U Ron and Kindra drove down for a nice day at the resort pool and then dinner. Fun time, great to see then again, now back to the dry desert and "reality"..
Love to all, Dad/UR

Disneyland!

Well, four out of five having a good time anyway!
"It's a small world afterall, it's a small small world"
Repeat 700 times...
Aauugh!
Fun day of course! Megan was giggly and happy unless someone brought out a camera.

UDT Museum

1, Examples of insertion craft, your that dad was on which was destroyed and men killed.
2, Memorial brick. Very poignant to see and reflect.
A very nice visit, well worth the little journey.

Florida

Still really enjoying Orlando and environs, for sure. Of course the usual pics from the "Disneyworld Experience", but here's a few from the UDT/Seal museum since most of us haven't been there, Ft. Pierce, Fla. It is built correctly on the site where the first Underwater Teams were selected and trained, including my dad, your grandfather, and great grandfather.
1, Entry way, 2, Examples of beach obstructions to be demolished.
Couple more coming up..

Hilton Tuscany

Ah, this is what it's all about! Now if I could only find the lady friend! She is around here someplace!

The Villages

A.D. and Cousin Kindra lookin' great!

Cruising

Think of it  as a Stepford ATV...exceptions of course. There's thousands of 'em!

Florida!

Florida is great, having a great time. Had a great your of the environs today, did done shopping, because...
Glitch #2: left my green Orvis satchel at (most likely) the car rental plane :-( .
My beautiful black leather belt w the silver buckle was in there, along with shoulder re-hab stuff, and swimming suit. Crum! Maybe it will turn up but hooked are dwindling.
On the Other hand: after careful scrutiny,  I have found no trace of either mosquitoes Or alligators!! Sooo, the house is clear and I'll go outside tomorrow!
Anyway, having a great visit,
Love to all, Dad/UR

Orlando!

Ok, Montana was fantastic for sure, fee range horse riding in the wilderness areas, great fishing, new friends! But, that was then, this is Now, now it's Orlando!
First Glitch: got a phone call at Two AM, flight cancelled! Now, rebooked w three hour layover today in Phoenix, arrival in Orlando at 7:30 pm...
  How far is The Willages from the airport again, A.D.?? Going to be a long day..
Still, Very Excited!!  (to see my sister!)
Check List: DEET, anti-alligator spray, more DEET, shark repellent. It's all good.

Montana II

Today was a day I've waited for all my life. Lynn and I on a unbelievable float trip down the Big Blackfoot River. Amazing scenery, and a true "River Runs Through It" moment.
Picked a target, settled in the dry fly, saw this big shape come out of the green clear depths, and just roll over it. Fifteen to twenty minutes later of up the rapid, down the rapids, left, right, under the raft, finally got him in. Beautiful Blackfoot River Cut-Bow. What a battle.
Lynn did great, caught several as well, including a nice size Cut-Bow as well.
Thank You Girls for an unforgettable experience!
Tomorrow is a full day ride to some high mountain lakes. Maybe we'll fly fish, maybe not. It'll be just us two and a wrangler to show the way.
Love, Dad/UR

W.P.

We had a great day yesterday, rented bikes from Winter Park town and rode down to Frazier, back up through Winter Park all the way to the ski area, then back down to the town center again, all along the Frazier River trail. Everyone had a good time, even though one little tiny mishap! Addison forgot about the brakes, missed a turn, head over heels down an embankment! Luckily she landed in a nice soft spot about 30 ft into the woods! After a little TLC by mom and a cursory exam by Grandpa, we were back on the trail!
Today Lynn and I leave :-( to head home, stopping off overnight to stay with a good friend in Snowmass and see Aspen for a day. Thursday plan is to fire up Droughtbuster and head south for the ranch, clean up, then Tucson, then Missoula!
Later, Love to all, Dad/UR

W.P.

Nice little hike into the Vasquez Wilderness area, high up near Berthoif Pass. Fun day, now got some pizza!
The youngster on the rock says he was born to be a cowboy...

Colorado Trip

Annual trek to Winter Park!
Smooth flight from ranch to Rifle, en route stop at Vail. Gorgeous in the summer time too.

Updates:

Howdy family, updates:

First: a huge thank you to my Sweetheart Lynn; what an amazing surprise birthday party at our home last week-end. The daughters all came down, and was a great mixture of old "East" side friends with good friends from the "west". Me, I just kind of wanted to saddle up old Justice and go to the top of Escudilla Mountain at the ranch, and poor Lynn was pulling her hair out unbeknownst to me. Ashley furthered the threat by allowing me to go to the movies with the Grandkids (finding Dory or something of the other..). So, how could I refuse but to come on down? And, what a great party! Lynn and the daughters had a caterer and a DJ. The pool was busy with the kids and an (occasional) "grown-up", some voluntary, some not. But, No shots were fired, no cars over-turned, only casualty one cell phone. And then, a wonderful brunch the next day at the near by Ritz Carlton. A great way to turn the big 7-0 for sure. Today was not so hot though.....just got my left shoulder plunked for the Third time for an attempt at some pain control.. However:

 Now, from here:

Thursday I'm flying to ranch, Lynn drives Jeep up Friday. All horses shoed Fri afternoon, then we will head for Winter Park for a few days either by DroughtBuster or Jeep...home to ranch in time to get to Tucson then Phoenix for Saturday night to catch a plane Sunday am early for Missoula MT! We will spend a week on Rich Ranch fishing, rafting, bush-whacking on horses into the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area.

  Home to Tucson for a week, then heading for Orlando for a week to see Diane and the local sights with EJ and Jeff and Megan! In August. Whew.

 Then home, and that will take us to early September.

  Maybe TMI, but that's the schedule,

Love to All, UR/Dad

Happy Fourth!

 Just an update: after several blistering hot days in Tucson/Phoenix, this morning's coffee sipped in about 55 deg and a wonderful light rain. The rains have come early this year and as always heartily welcome! The pasture will shortly green up fine, and the lawn, then the mowing starts! Justice looks lonely out there by himself as he's the only horse up here these days w a couple more to come up later perhaps.

 Since the Fourth is actually on a Monday, and work schedules,  this year is proving to be a little quieter than usual! Nice to see the hummingbirds back in their attack mode but w the rain they look a little bedraggled.

Happy Fourth of July weekend everyone, be safe!

Prayers for AD and UR! Hang tough, we love you!

Love to all, UR

Homebound

After another wonderful little gathering at Wayne and Anna's last night, homebound.
Always hard to leave this beautiful place w such people.
Rumor has it a Bobcat has taken up residence Inside the back yard wall in Tucson. Poor Autie...have to get his big doggie pants on.

Kansas

Took a drive out north, checked out the farms. Beautiful country! I actually do have a pard in this project, but he's kind of a city guy and is on his way to the East coast and will never know what I'm gonna do next...Ha!
130 years of down-home, runnin' through my blood.." (apologies to Alabama)
Still, it is beautiful, and there's still a lot of turkeys still roamin' free!
Love to all,
Dad/UR

Kansas

May look familiar!

Reunion..

The two "pioneers" left, 93, 94 yrs old, doing pretty well thank you very much!

Had a great day; I emceed this year, and talked Judy into saying a nice prayer of thanks. She did the Best Job!

 "don't take for granted the love this life gives you"

 "when you get where you're goin', don't forget to turn back around"...(Love that song)

Love to all, 

UR, Dad

 

Picnic Get together!

That time of year again, the 65-63rd Dickson family reunion, Emporia Kansas!

 I recall a little story:

 Life is like a wonderful train ride! When it's your time to get on the train, the first people you are likely to meet are your parents, followed by close relatives, then others quickly follow.

 As the train continues through the journey, you will move around the different cars, meeting different fellow passengers, most of whom bring joy, some who bring pain, but the train continues and you change cars with continued different experiences. The train stops frequently, with some people continuing to get on, some get off. You notice the journey starts off rather slowly, but keeps picking up speed as you go along.

 Then, suddenly, it's your time to get off, but the train continues on.

 Our little family reunion reflects that, brings it home.  

  We had a wonderful extended family reunion: more stories, current events in the different families, babies to discuss and display, new generation.

 Couple of photos..

 

Happy Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day from the ranch.
We owe these folks and so many others like them so very much.
remember, give a word of thanks.
Love, Dad/UR

From Erica....

Sent from my iPhone, please excuse errors.Cousins are having a blast!

The Natural!

Getting ready to ride the fences, a little practice on the range!
Proud to report Noelle is a natural! She's ready for the Barrel Races for sure! Hot Shot seems to listen to her just fine and they are flyin' around.

Memorial Day

Heading up to ranch a couple days ago, Droughtbuster set a new speed record! (Had to show it...)
Lynn brings up horses, Erica and Jeff and Megan and Noelle coming too! We were joined last night by Jessie, Mark's girlfriend, while Mark is in Detroit working.
Have a safe Memorial Day!
Love to all,
UR/Dad

Ranch

One more item! Yesterday at Springerville airport they had a little Sie exposition/pan cake breakfast. One of vintage planes (in action to Drought Buster) was a reconfigured C-47 aka DC-3. Lynn's father flew this plane in WW II in addition til the P-51, so of course I bought her a ride! Such smiles, going back as little while..