Sport Stud

This was just too good to pass up! He was catching a nap before the BYU game, and Brielle must have decided he needed some companionship.

 

Thanksgiving 2010

Yeah - I am behind, but at least I am Thankful. We had a nice quiet Thanksgiving with the "usual suspects" The Runyans and The Lyons. Unfortunately, my parents were feeling under the weather that day, so they opted not to come. We missed them. The food was great, and the company was entertaining. We decided to start a new tradition this year. We bought a chicken pinata and let the kids stuff it, then whack the heck out of it. The younger ones scrambled for the candy and the older kids scrambled for the cash. Then Sam stuck the chicken on top of his head. He is such a fun guy.
We are looking forward to the Christmas Season and wish all of you the choicest blessings.

 

 

 

 

I love fall!

It was a long time coming, but fall has finally arrived. This is my favorite time of year. I love the fall colors and I love the first day I put on shoes and socks, rather than flip flops. I'm sad to see the swimming season end, but it's sure nice to not have to worry about keeping the pool clean and sparkly.
Fall is never truly fall without a trip to Bishop's Pumpkin Farm. It seems not so long ago I accompanied Micah's elementary class on a field trip to the Pumpkin Patch, which consisted of - a pumpkin patch, where the children could pick their own pumpkin and a smallish shed with a few crafty items displayed. Nothing like the present day Bishop's Pumpkin Farm which boasts a train, hayride out to the pumpkin fields, corn maze, coyote mountain with slides, petting zoo, bakery and lots of food venues, etc, etc. We avoid the weekends, as it is just too busy with crowds from Sacramento and even the Bay Area. Thanks to the Bishop Family for creating such a lovely place to spend a cool fall afternoon.

 

 

This is our first foray into "designer" pumpkin carving. We made the effort in honor of the launch of Micah's new website: www.craftbattles.com
Check it out for future crafty battles/competitions.

 

Pierce is 90 today!

My dad turns 90 years old today. We took him and mom out to dinner last night with the Runyans and Lyons. They really enjoy the attention and activity with all the kids. It's amazing these two still have one another after 69 years of marriage.
My dad was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, but moved with his family to So. California when he was 3. His dad had work on the Baldwin Park dam. My dad attended Venice High School, but didn't graduate with his class. He later went back to school and got his GED. He left school for a lucrative job at Paramount Studios making movie sets. Since his father was no longer in the home, it became my dad's responsibility to help support his mom and younger sister. My dad baptized my mom when she was 21, then married her! They had all the same friends in their ward in Mar Vista, CA. Dad continued to work in construction, until he enlisted in the Navy during WWII. He spent most of his Navy years in Santa Rosa, CA working on damaged fighter planes. After the war, he returned to construction. He also spent a few years selling insurance for Prudential. His later years of work, he was a custodian for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and retired from there in 1986. He and my mom served a mission to Atlanta, GA in 1987-88. I think that's been a highlight of their golden years. They've traveled to Mexico, Canada, Hawaii, Scotland, England and the Netherlands. They also took their 5th wheel across the US on an extensive tour.
Dad has served in many callings in the Church. The most memorable to me was his many years as Scoutmaster. I think most of our vacations, in my younger years, included scout camp. I learned all my camping skills from my dad. I recall having to roll, and reroll a sleeping bag numerous times to get it tight enough to satisfy dad.
Dad's always had a dog, and made sure his dog was well trained. He used to love a good practical joke in his younger years.
Happy Birthday, Dad!

Oregon Shakespeare Festival

We spent a nice long weekend attending the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. We've intended to go for many years, and finally did it. On our way up to Oregon, we stopped in Redding and visited the Sundial Bridge. It's pretty cool. The bridge extends over the Sacramento River, and it is actually a sundial. There is a tile band on the ground with times, and when the sun casts a shadow over the band, it should be on the correct time (based on summer solstice).

 

We took a detour off I-5 and spent our first night in Klamath Falls - just to check it out. Not impressed! We did a little nature hike the next day, and found the "falls" which amounted to a brief section of rapids! At least our hotel was very nice. The drive from Klamath Falls was beautiful as we drove by Upper Klamath Lake. We were lame and forgot our camera, so our few photos are from our cell phone. The pic below is of the "falls."

 

Our first night in Ashland, OR, we went to a dinner theater and saw I Love You, You're Perfect - Now Change. It was a bit bawdy, but fun and entertaining.

 

Last day in Ashland we drove around Lithia Park, which is right in the middle of town. Very lovely park. Saw a deer on the side of the road, and stopped to take a pic. She was very cooperative, then up the hillside bounded her fawn which promptly hooked up with mom for a snack. We got a pic of the two of them. We were surprised at the agressiveness of the nursing fawn - almost violent! Mommy Deer was very patient.

 

Photos were not allowed in the Elizabethan Theater where we saw The Merchant of Venice. The theater was lovely and the play very well done. Had to study up a bit before the play, so I was refreshed about plot. I think some attendees were offended by the anti-semite theme. I just took it as we all need to be more tolerant of others, cuz we never know who we might need to borrow money from, and hopefully they won't require a "pound of flesh" as a guarantee.
All in all, it was a nice weekend getaway.

Summer Fun at Funderland and GrandmaLand

Stubblefield Family Reunion - July 2010

Every other year we have a Stubblefield Family Reunion. It is the highlight of my life to have my children and grandchildren all together in one place. Sadly, this year we were missing Jared's family due to their recent move to Pennsylvania. However, we did have 12 adults and 22 of our 26 grandchildren there. Our theme was Firm as the Mountains Around Us with 1Nephi 2:10 - Steadfast and Immovable, as our scriptural reference. When we arrived, each family tye-dyed shirts to distinguish themselves (holding aloft our colors). It was a mess, but fun. The shirts turned out beautifully.
The home we rented was perfect for our needs. It was HUGE, with commanding views of Mt Timpanogas, Heber Valley, and Red Ledges Golf Course. Usually, we have to rent two cabins, but this home allowed us to all be together. It didn't seem crowded at all, and there was plenty of space for everyone to sit at mealtime. We played hard, laughed a lot and thoroughly enjoyed being around one another (speaking for myself). You will have to check out some of the others' blogs for more photos. We took a big family photo, but those pics are on Megan's camera.
Enjoy the photo dump here:
Here is a view of the front of the house we rented in Heber Valley, and some of the kids out front.






Brielle and Amanda looking over the log railing. Ada and Tyghe on the gnarled hunk of wood in the entryway




Some of the family participated in the inaugural Hobbler Half Marathon in Springville, Utah. Megan did a half marathon, while Bud, Micah, Andrea, Kendall, Sara and Caemlyn all did the 5K. Photos of the event are on Megan's camera - so you'll have to wait for those. Here are some of the after effects of the run - oh wait, why is Cory napping? He must be pooped from cheering them on.





Grandpa's homemade Rocket Launcher is always a big hit. The kids fashion their own rocket, and then they launch them over, and over again. Sometimes the rockets need to be retrieved off roofs and out of trees.




We rented a huge Waterslide for a day, and really got our money's worth. The kids and a few adults spent most of the day out on it. The mountain water was very chilly!!






Kids in the Hot Tub. They would use the waterslide until they were half frozen, then go warm up in the Hot Tub.


Grandma and kids in the Media Room. This is where Sam, Zephram, Tristan and Kelman spent a lot of time playing Wii.


Pool in the Rec Room.



Ping Pong in the Rec Room.


A game of Go Fish with grandma.


After Church and lunch, we headed for Emigration Canyon and This is the Place Monument. We also spent some time at Temple Square. Josh's and Micah's Families had already headed for home in Iowa and Arizona respectively.







Last, here are few hot air balloons in Heber Valley the morning of our departure. What a wonderful time we had rekindling our family ties and our love for one another. Thanks to everyone for making the effort to be there and contributing to the festivities. We surely missed Jared's family.

Monterey Bay, Giants Game, San Francisco and Point Reyes

We decided a long weekend getaway was just what we needed. We met up with the Lyons for a day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We hadn't been since our kids were young-uns. It was lovely. The next morning we went for a whale watch cruise, then parted company with the Lyons and headed to San Francisco. We've been many times, but this time we thought we'd take the tourist approach and we signed up for an couple of "walking tours." The first was an Architectural Tour of the financial district in SF. We learned tons of stuff about SF and enjoyed learning about its unique architecture. Although the city was founded in 1840's, all the buildings date from 1906 due to earthquake and 3 days of fire. We then took a Chinatown walking tour. It was so interesting. We learned lots about SF history and the blending of Chinese culture. We went to a fortune cookie factory, modern tea bar, Taoist temple and a herbalist shop. We spent our nights in Novato, and took the ferry into the city for tours and Giants game. Our last day was spent out at Marin Headlands and Point Reyes National Seashore. There was too much to see in a day, but we did our best. It's fascinating that such rugged country is so close to such a fascinating big city. SF is a blend of contrasts.

Life is like a box of chocolates at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.



Petting bat-rays at the aquarium.




This is a 10 story, 20ft wide 1910 belt, suspender and tie factory wedged between 2 highrise buildings. Owner had a sense of humor. It's now vacant with a tacky Sushi Bar on the bottom floor.


I like this photo cuz it represents the past and future of SF. The glass building is the Crown-Zellerbach building ca 1950's representing new style of glass and steel, while the building reflected in the glass is the 1929 Shell building ending the era of classical stone and pillar construction. It was completed just before stock market crash and there was no new construction in SF until late 1950's due to crash, and wars.


On our tour of Chinatown, I found this herbalist shop very interesting. For $8.00 a board certified MD will diagnose your maladies, then for another fee the herbalist will customized an herbal concoction to cure your ills.



Us at the Giants game. We enjoyed watching Buster Posey's debut. He did great!


309 steps down to the Point Reyes Lighthouse . . . then back up!


Us overlooking Point Reyes National Seashore. It was breathtaking and is always windy.


Saw this herd of California Happy Cows. They live on prime real estate on Point Reyes, overlooking the Pacific Ocean!


I'll end with this photo and let the words speak for themselves. Contemplating sending to Jay Leno.