The Best Babysitter

Papa Ben is the best babysitter!

Happy, Happy Thanksgiving!

We gather together...

to play with electronics.
And pray that they still our entertainers will be.
We made a token gesture to feed the birds...

before they fed us.
Our food was delicious.
And not just the turkey.
Jeff does sous-vide so he can use a blow torch.
We were happy to sample his endeavors.
There were a lot of cooks, actually.
We have done a lot more than eat, though!
Being here this week has been like
stepping through the Looking Glass.
The weather cooperated.
Six months ago this child wouldn't
get near the diving board -- and now look!
There were a lot of helpers to encourage!
It was hard to get enough sleep, though.

We've been smelling the flowers all week long...

and spending a lot of time together...

and smiling a lot.
Aren't these smiles precious?
Yes, lots of smiles!

Counting our blessings, one by one.

I imparted my wisdom,

and demonstrated how to crack pecans with bare hands.

We've all felt like royalty this week.

Living high.

We played some classic games!
Everyone was a hero!

And of course, there were engineering discussions.

I love my family.

And many, many thanks to Laura and Jeff, our hosts.

Photos: Another Conference Weekend

I scanned some fun photos today.
It's totally random what I find.
Sam, Jeff and Steve visited us in Tokyo
and we went to Disneyland.
This was one of the happiest days of my life.
This was taken in NJ in 1981.
Dave and Sam wanted their heads buzzed for the summer.
Jeff wisely said no.
Our early years in NJ were forever ago,
but I still remember how much
Sammie loved his kindergarten teacher.
Jeff was a good little kid.With a clone for a son, don't you think?
There were a lot of pictures taken this day.
Our family likes ducks, that's for sure.
We can blame the duck theme on this man.
I found a note with this photo.
I thought the picture was of Dad in his coat.
No, it was of the Jeep which he had recently acquired.
Both were necessary in Adak, it seems.
We can blame others for
being fond of fowls...
I think Ben is crying fowl in this picture.
Many have forgotten he started his fatherhood
career with Little League.
I forgot I was young once.
And the kids were young, too.
Corinne was the cutest 5 year old ever.
I found several nice pictures of my parents.
And then there was this photo.
And this one.

I found a lot of pictures of Mike.

He hosted many family gatherings.

He never missed a family reunion.
(I can't say the same is true for me.)

He dragged many on hikes...
Although his kids didn't complain.

Except for his hair and glasses,
Mike hasn't changed much over the years.
Dad wrote, "Bliss" on the back of this photo.

Snow on Mt. Timp This Morning!

Last winter's snow finally melted in the past few days.
No matter -- the new snow season begins today!