Update Reunion

Hello Family,

 Home safe now after a great 5-6 days in Kansas; what a fun time.

Take aways:

  Kansas was beautiful, green pastures, golden wheat coming up. The creeks were full and running after all the rains. And, yes, the pastures were muddy; ask U K how muddy..

 Jim and I went to the Strong City Rodeo Saturday night. That also was really fun. It's a small one, even a little smaller than Springerville, but they tried so hard!! The funniest thing was three calves with ribbons tied on their tails, each with a different amount of money, and about 100 kids no older than 12 out in the arena trying to catch one and the ribbon. What chaos.

 The get together was smaller than usual; Bob/Jane in Ireland, other cousins all there. The younger generation not represented this year except Heidi and Rodney's boys.

  I have brought home some fresh gooseberries Augusta and Alice and Anna picked, stemmed. I also have A Ruth's famous recipe for gooseberry pie and will make it for the 4th. Something one has to get used to....

  Jim almost killed me on a 12 mile bike ride again this visit, through the Flint Hills on  outskirts of Emporia.

 The last evening was fun. Jim/Joyce had a meeting in Lawrence and I took A Augusta out to dinner in Cottonwood Falls, about 12 mi west, in a historic old hotel. It's really a cool old place. Then we toured "old" Emporia, which is most of the town really..., and that was fun too, hearing her rememberances of times gone bye. Here's the photo of that dear lady.

 The last day, Wed, I got up and drove to Wichita early enough to see some things there, and met Judy and Dave and then Shane Bitner (Anna's son) for some snacks and a beer before my flight.

 Somewhere in there I got bit by a couple of bugs..left a couple of big welts! Good grief.

 Home now, now on to the 4th, then to W.P., then the Yellowstone and the Dude Ranch, then it flows into the Danube a few weeks later.

 Love to all,

Dad/UR

 

Reunion

Ah, another annual reunion come and gone. Lots of fun, poignant memories of those beloved people and who are now lost to us, and others could not come. We met Charrise's new little daughter, 1 month old.
New funny memories surfaced:
Like U Ken visiting farm with new fishing rod in tow, leaving gate open so cows could get out, remembering that fact, then taking the rental car deep into the mud. In trying to get out, a minor fall, so he emerges covered in mud, ashes, and cow manure. He then had to get the crustiest old rancher in the county to pull him out.
Then there's Wayne, who just shot a bunch of shotgun pellets through the fuel tank of his lawn mower...by accident. Anna found out the hard way trying to mow the lawn and thought the ice pick murderer had come back punching holes for some reason.
Anyway, a smallish turn out this year, but really good to see everyone who showed, and hear all the latest of the families comings and goings. U Bill and A Augusta did very well, God bless them. Four generations present, Love to all,
UR, Dad

Flint Hills

Aren't they beautiful in the Spring?

Memorial Day

Greetings All, good morning from the Arizona mountains.

 Autie and I are up and for the first time in quite a while it looks like a beautiful day! I'm sitting here with a hot cup of coffee on the setting overlooking the pasture, and it's just impossible not to reflect this day on the sacrifices of hundreds of thousands of men and women over time to make this country so great, and whose purpose was to just try to ensure their children had opportunities to have better lives. 

 Little Autie is still upstairs, curled up by the bed, still napping. He is slowing down, getting along in his years. 

 I thought I'd continue to let people know at least my plans for the next several weeks/months.

 We flew up yesterday morning for several days, hoping to get some fencing done, harrowing done, some seeding in a few places, and overall maintenance. Was a cold and wet winter/spring (rained ands hailed all yesterday afternoon and into night) and there's lots to do. We plan to fly back to Tucson Friday am. 

 Saturday afternoon/evening Lynn and I will drive up to Phoenix, hopefully spend the night somewhere, and enjoy Megan's baptism the next day.

 The Friday evening next I will catch a plane from Mesa-Gateway (Allegiant) and go to Wichita. Plan to spend the night there with Judy/David Hawkins, then drive up to Emporia Saturday. I'll stay with Augusta and Jim for a few days. The Dickson family reunion is that Sunday and there's a "big" Flint Hills rodeo that Saturday that will be fun to see. I had a real fun time with my cousins a few weeks ago hunting turkeys, etc, and it will be good to be back. I catch a plane back to Mesa the next Wed evening, landing there about 8 pm.

 The next week end, the 13-14th, there's a horse show in Sonoita and Lynn is off that week end and is planning to participate.

 Lynn is also free over the fourth of July after working all this week end and we are planning on being up here in the mountains.

 More about July later, but on the 21-23rd we have reservations at Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone!! I used to go there fairly frequently but my own last visit was almost twenty years ago! Wow. Lynn has never been. We're planning on flying the Bonanza up to Cody. After Old Faithful Inn we will spend several days/nights at a dude ranch just outside the park for horseback trail riding and fly fishing. 

 Well, that's enough catch up for now. 

 Give thanks for our country and our family and our lives and our opportunities,

Love, UR, Dad

Oops

No photo w last one?

? Spring

Good morning all,
Greetings from the ranch...Guess I missed summer; hope it was a good one but I don't remember anything!
Trust all is well where you all find yourselves this pretty winter morning!
Love, Dad/UR

Merry Christmas from the ranch..

Been up here in the mountains for some time now it seems like; catching up on some fence projects, fixing this and that.
I've been trying to get the plane back down to Tucson but it's either been really windy or rain/sleet.
Have a friend up from Tucson with a turkey tag...took him out the last couple of days and this am early i called one in four him! His first turkey, and now he believes I'm a magician. He's a hand surgeon in Tucson and the way I've gone lately will come in handy.
Was good timing, because at 5:30 am it started to snow. He shot it at 5:25 or so, about 5 miles from our place up Auger. And it just kept snowing for the 3 hours and we had a genuine May blizzard! Good grief. Now there's just patchy clouds but still the wind. Ugh.
Nice fireplace at the ranch, Lynn's up, all is good.
Love to all, hope things are good,
and,
Happy Mother's Day to all you hard working Mom's!!
UR,/Dad