Panguitch

I'm not known for many long blog posts (I would love to, I just don't make enough time) but Panguitch this year calls for picture after picture of good memories. This all started in 2001 when we went to visit Uncle Vee down on the farm. In his 90's, Vee STILL works with the cattle, bails hay, and says, "Hell what are you doing, get to work!" All of us extended family members have gathered each summer to hang out and enjoy the simple life, namely Vee's porch. It is the porch to top all porches; wraps around the house with lots of space to grab a cool drink and watch the hot air balloons drift against blue skies or dream about your hike tomorrow in beautiful Bryce Canyon. I heart Panguitch!

On our way to see Vee we always stop in Beaver at the cheese factory where Beth buys her weight in cheese wheels and curd.



Cheese isn't the only indulgence over Pang-town weekend though... ice cream too!



Nice spot to stretch our legs



Jamie hopped in our car for a ride and let Crosby try her glasses on



It was balloon festival weekend so they had some fun picture ops



Shopping on Main Street



Is that a lasso or... not?



Olivia had a treasure hunt ready to go...



Not just for the kids; adults too!



During the treasure hunt Croz got distracted by all of Vee's fun toys



Including this tractor that he LOVED



So we had a photo shoot (;



Proud Nan, proud Gammy



Cute Caitlin taking in the porch scene, I don't think that is her Texas Twister



Couples in red



All- American fun



Anyone for badminton?



Danielle did a great job on Steve's hair. He should wear French braids more often to show off those natural highlights.



Brig and Claire: whatever it takes to entertain themselves!



Balloon launch early Saturday morning



Croz and I went on the river walk to look at these pretty horses with their new colts



Isn't this speckled one gorgeous? I forgot what kind of horse it is.



Croz and Liv and Ava feeding the horses carrots



Paul showed up just in time to help the kids sit on the horses... Crosby could take it or leave it.



Loved this fence.



When we were driving back to Vee's, a balloon landed ON THE ROAD in front of us so we had to wait 15 minutes until we could pass!



Checking out the handmade wind chimes for sale



Breakfast that sticks to your ribs... the bacon was so thick, oh my.



Colorful Mom and daughters



Preparing for the water balloon fight



When's the last time we took a picture of these two?! Cute Jon and Susan



A select few of us rode out to watch the bulls get vaccinated, tagged, branded, and castrated... which procedure do you think they were watching here?



Vee putting his walking stick to good use



Paul tagging and branding a bull



Vee and clouds



They trap the bull in this rack and do what they have to do. Yes it was hard to watch but when you realize it is necessary it helps your mindset. It does seem like torture but... well I have no idea, I was half fascinated half sad.



*** ATTENTION: PLEASE SCROLL PAST THESE NEXT FEW PICS IF YOU WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH THE TESTICLES OF A BULL BEING CUT OFF! IF YOU ARE WONDERING WHY THEY DO THIS, HERE IS THE WIKIPEDIA EXPLANATION:

Castration is commonly performed on domestic animals not intended for breeding. Livestock may be castrated when used for food in order to increase growth or weight or both of individual male animals.

***SO ONCE AGAIN, THIS IS NECESSARY FOR THOSE CATTLE THEY ARE RAISING FOR FOOD USE... ***

Once they vaccinate, tag, and brand they flip the bull in this rack to better access the "area of castration..."



Paul makes an incision and removes the testicles WITH HIS TEETH. This honestly was incredible to watch. It was absolutely horrific the first time for me, but then totally fascinating. Just another one of those once-in-a-lifetime things I guess!



*** SO HERE IS THE VIDEO: WATCH AT YOUR OWN RISK ***



One of the guys, when making an incision, slit his hand open. Good thing we had a nurse on call! Cam and Auds had a first-aid kit in their car and so Cam and Jon wrapped him with gauze.



Brave girlies



In his domain



A real live cowgirl showed up in this ride



Cam and family having some quiet time listening to D play his guitar



D played some tunes while everyone waited for dinner. Lucy and her dancing... she's got the moves.



Brig and I had so much fun dancing to the live band on balloon glow night! That dimple!



Balloons at night



Us



Glow-in-the-dark frisbee. Search parties. Star gazing. Then the party lasted well into the night on Vee's porch thanks to Catch Phrase and leftover candy in the treasure hunt box!



Vee and Beth



Ava and Liv



Steve and Vee



Can you even see Vee's orange pickup?!



Thanks for the fun weekend, Vee!



Crosby will be back soon to ride your tractor.

Flashback Friday - Father's Day Edition

I have such wonderful Dads, Uncles, Brothers, Inlaws... here are some samples of the amazing fathers closest to me!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO:

Jon
Summer 2001 @ Beth's



Suman
August 2004 @ Niagara Falls



Brad
Christmastime 1998



Cam
Panguitch 2006



D
Bryce Canyon, Fall 2008



My Very Own Dad!!!
My wedding, October 2002



Much love to you all - have a great weekend!

Happy Father's Day to anyone I left out!

June Is...

When tan lines begin



You see things like hydrangeas growing in people's yards! (for you Mom!)



Birthday pedicures



Patio lights inspection time



Races (irace for MLD - my friend Nikki's daughter Eliza - go to www.elizaswish.org) Christina and I ran our first ever 5k!



Water Parks



Jumbotron kisses



BBQs w/ friends



I don't think we've ever used the fireplace in June. It had to happen on a recent stormy dark day...



We caught this rainbow on a walk the other week... I thought it was a promise but hey we love the rain anyway



PS D taught me the guitar riff that I am in love with from the song on my playlist "Through Her Eyes" (about the 50-second mark)... I have practiced it over and over the last 3 nights straight and then when I get fast at it I am going to turn the amp on full blast and D and I will play it in the pitch dark with the windows open this summer... such a tiny little goal but I'm so excited!

Kindred Spirits

I feel like I am kind of a Woody Allen. I need to watch more of his movies. I think it's a shame that I've only seen four! D and I watched Vicky Cristina Barcelona last night and we were roped into the drama. Quite the love triangle, er, trapezoid or whatever. I liked the ending. I LOVED the setting of Barcelona and hearing Juan speak Catalonian. So beautiful! Bonus because they showed so much of Gaudi's work, oh I was almost in tears. Having stood in front of the Sagrada Familia myself: his work astounds me, ah I want to go back now and see what I never got to see when there!



I was partly annoyed/partly entertained by the fact that the main characters in the movie talk JUST like Woody Allen. So disconnected yet somehow managing to string their stuttering thoughts and sentences together coherently. I love it! I love watching Woody Allen. Really I developed this fascination with him a long while ago when I watched "Manhattan," but then it fizzled for a bit and now it's back! I see a part of myself in him in some weird way and it is... well, like I said: entertaining and annoying.

Anyone have suggestions... your favorite Woody Allen movie?

Cute Kids & Bangladesh

If these kids were any more energized, I don't know what we would've done with ourselves! Codi and I had been at the zoo maybe 15 minutes at this point.



Poor Croz is this perpetual teether and has had his hands in his mouth for days now. He didn't like the merry-go-round at first but once it started moving he was smiling.



Taking a breather



Gazing at small animal exhibits



Hallie and C coloring at Old Navy



They splashed around in the fountains at Gateway (actually Hallie did in her little orange bikini while Crosby observed the older kids screaming) and then making mischief in the car



So I have roped myself into doing Bikram yoga until November! It will be good discipline. I am excited to be doing this. If any of you are still interested, there's always the 10 days for $20 deal going and we can go to a class or two together!



Here are some more pictures from our time in Bangladesh back in January. I've had our slideshow done for quite a while now but Blogger does not like iphoto. So I will put what I have created on a DVD sometime soon and at least have it frozen in time that way.

We were beyond blessed to have had the opportunity to visit Bangladesh; I normally can articulate my feelings and experiences pretty well but when it comes to our time in Bangladesh it feels like a blockage. It's as if that time was a dream and that dream will only allow itself to stay preserved in pictures still. It is so bazar. I am having writer's block with it and since February I have been desperately wondering why. I have what I wrote in my journal while we were there. It might be that words won't do the trick until time has marinated some of my memories. It was a very special journey for both of us! Yet it wasn't all la vie en rose. There were challenges and complications, questions and sadness along with joy and fulfillment and humor. It must be that our experience there feels like years and years trapped within one month's time. So on I go with the pictures until I feel otherwise!

Here is D's mom Sabita with her only two surviving siblings, Amal Kanti and Puspa. This is a morning when we had stayed in the village and they had just had something to eat and it was so hard to get a picture of just these three, but we persisted:



When we were staying in Dhaka at D's cousins' home, his daughter Susmita turned 13 on New Year's Eve. He bought her this cake and we celebrated. If anyone knows me, they know that if cake is anywhere within my range, it will be gone within seconds unfortunately. I dug into this ravenously only to quickly notice an oily flour substance in my mouth... I don't believe there was a smidgeon of sugar in the frosting OR the cake. Yikes!



D with his cousin Anup's two kids, Plabon & Susmita. They were with us 24/7!



When we visited the southernmost tip of the country at Cox's Bazar, we got to see the most gorgeous scenery



In the village of Shakpura visiting D's cousin Sushanta (far right), his wife Ruma, and their son Dabashis (2 yrs). D's cousin took us one morning on a walk that lasted around two hours. He spoke fairly good English and expressed how badly he wants to make it to America:



Their little two-year-old boy jingled when he walked/ran around. I finally asked what that sound was and D's mom said they tie these bells around the waists of their children in order to keep track of them!



This spider was just in our room in Dhaka (the main city!) and does not compare to the size of the one D spotted on his way to the toilet in Chittagong. I wasn't even close to the state of mind to think of a camera; I could barely swallow and breathe let alone think of taking a picture. Anyway, there are some bigguns'.



Rickshaws are a major mode of transportation all over Bangladesh, and some of them were loaded up like you wouldn't believe! Whether it be people, papers, food, wares... they will find a way to get it from Point A to Point B.



When we were at a market shopping, D's cousin took us to this store to get a drink and here's what was on the menu... when I asked him, "What is pasta ice cream?" he said, "mixed food." MMmkay.



In Chittagong we stayed in this apartment place with D's aunt and the neighborhood was chock full of kids. We'd be walking back home and would be followed by streams of kids and people. I loved it at first and I would try to talk to them but it soon got overwhelming because they would try to follow us up the stairs home and there were TOO MANY! At one point I bet 100 kids.

One time we had been up visiting with the family and I decided I needed to go downstairs and take a video of some of these kids. So I came down and within about 30 seconds lots of people came out of nowhere! I wanted so much to spend more time with them... the problem was there were way too many and it just wasn't possible, so it made me so sad. But here's a short video of some of these beautiful people until my battery ran out ):



Speaking of people following you... it was weird. When in Bangladesh, I was looked at with VERY curious eyes every single place I stepped. Very truly when I thought about it I realized that these people... who some of them have NEVER seen a white-skinned person in their entire life... had a right to look at me like I was a true alien. I can see where they're coming from, but I can't believe how tough it is to have no privacy! I'm kind of getting used to that concept now that I have a child though. Anyway, from my journal: "I'm trying to be patient with the thousands of staredowns I get hourly, but of course it has already gotten pretty old! It's just so unavoidable though but I get to wanting a paper bag over my head quite a bit." Here I am checking things out in a jewelry shop and I didn't know D took a picture:



In Shakpura when we went out to look around at the market, we were taken with the way this man spread these leaves. Aren't they beautiful?



Surupi asked me one day to go with her to pick up her daughter from school. Walking home I spotted these Bengali school busses!



D's family, in the various places we visited, always took us to a Buddhist temple. This one was in Dhaka and it was so pretty to be there at night. At this particular one we lit candles at the base of the Bodhi tree. These trees were at the sites of most of the temples; under the Bodhi tree is where Buddha achieved enlightenment.