Family time: what better than a joyful wedding to bring family together?

There is nothing quite like celebrating a greatly anticipated family wedding: my niece Lisa and her new husband Mike. And in a lovely setting (in mid-field below, so close I could hear my daughter Julie rehearsing the song she sang for the ceremony), Carlsbad Flower Fields near San Diego, with ocean in distance.

Lisa's brother Kevin and my niece Olivia

Kevin's twin, Brian and Shea

Mom Miriam and three daughters: Anne, Emily and Julie

My brothers Roy and Brion and my son Peter are jokesters!

Daughter Julie Carlston and her girls, Stephanie, Elise and Phoebe with "older" cousin Lucie Taylor

Julie (who sang for the ceremony), Phoebe, Lisa and Olivia

The Curry family pays tribute to their daughter and new son-in-law, and all enjoy the food and enthusiastic dancing!
My sister Elaine (pictured with her family) did all the table floral decorations, which added so much.

Our immediate and extended family love to dance

So in love and such a wonderful couple (Lisa is a social worker, Mike a fire captain....we hope he doesn't have too much business this year....last year was terrible for California fires).

Before and after the wedding we all enjoyed the beaches with swimming, boogie-boarding, surfing, food and talking. The water was warm as was the family closeness. Almost all my cousins and many grandchildren and kids were able to gather. Below are some of them...

Anne (daughter) Peter (son), Rebecca (his wife), Irene (sister), Lisa niece/bride), Nancy (cousin) Emily (daughter) the day after the wedding.

So great to see family enjoying each other's company
Lisa and Mike before taking off for their honeymoon trip!

The beach is always a happy place! 

Grand-daughter Cordelia in ocean and eating!

So fun to spend time with my sisters (Irene and Elaine) and cousin Nancy after everyone else returned home.
Now we are all back to our everyday lives, but don't have much to complain about generally, despite life's challenges, which we try to meet with optimism and faith in One who has a bigger perspective than we do. Every happy experience fills our cup with joy and resolve to be happy, and to help those around us to find happiness, too.

Three great weeks of September fun

This is a lengthy, late and fun-filled blog with too many photos to choose from. So, follow the links to see more!
I started my 2019 September with a really interesting and enjoyable week with my son Marc and his fun family in Michigan. Here's a sample!

Cornfields and blue skies except daily thunderstorms at night

We stayed one night in a small primitive cabin in Holland State Park on Lake Michigan. There was a small lighthouse, and there had been a very popular resort, when the railroad reached it in the late 1900's. The hotel brought thousands, but burned down in the 1920's. Today it is a lovely beach with many expert kite surfers.

The area was settled by Dutch immigrants with a continuing  annual tulip festival and a cute village with an old windmill.

The dune truck ride was tamer than we expected, but still fun!

Petite Pointe lighthouse

Mini-golf and blueberry picking

Sunday dinner guests were the Jibsons, old friends from Palo Alto. We played a lot of Banana-grams, usually at Simon's request.

Marc usually starts his day at the local skate park. It was fun to see the kids start their first day of school (Evie in first grade, Simon in 4th, Hannah in 6th, Nick in 10th). They are growing up!) For more Michigan photos:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Hup1Tcdy2GK6GaxY9

I then flew to Utah to visit my three children and their families who live there. Next door to the Carlstons ( in Salt Lake City) their ward had their huge annual Fall Festival barbecue, music, games, etc. So fun!

Julie and Phoebe

Luke and John

Pete cooking fries

Elise in the tree and Stephanie at the drawing board.

Next I went down to Provo to visit the Taylors and Peter and Rebecca de S.(who were celebrating their combined 100 years; both born in hippie era 1969, they both turned 50 this year)

Ming Lu and Cordelia enjoyed the dance and festivities in the back yard.

I attended the beautiful Provo City Temple, BYU art museum, 4 year old Cordelia's dance class, Provo Farmers Market and Taylor kids' soccer and football games, etc. with Emily.

We caught a praying mantis for Aaron while he played soccer (and another in the afternoon...he has a large collection!)

George (14 today, Sept. 19) is a fabulous football player. It was fun to watch him make touchdowns: one 100 yards. Dad Ken is assistant coach. The Taylors have lots of chickens (and eggs). Coco and the other little girls love to play with them.

I loved the Mahonri Young paintings and "Windswept" (willow structures) at the BYU art museum

for more Utah photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/fyQQSDTLuXqeu5nq5

I flew home for less than a day to pack and get ready for 5 days with Whitman College girlfriends, class of 1965 (get-together in various locations almost every year) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a place we chose because of interesting activities, new to most of us. We stayed in a large house where we ate well, talked, did a huge puzzle, watched political debates, and visited museums and took old town walking tour of Albuquerque and Santa Fe, etc. The Albuquerque Indian Pueblo (there are 19 left) Cultural Museum was fabulous. The Acoma artist below makes "horsehair" ceramics, his wife paints on clay with a tiny yucca brush

 

 

We took the 1-hour train ride from Albuquerque to Santa Fe (to the north) for a wonderful day of exploration, especially the Georgia O'Keefe museum.

Colorful murals everywhere

New Mexico State Capitol rotunda

Lunch at the fun restaurant at La Fonda Hotel

Around the corner is the famous Loretto church, modeled on Sainte Chapelle in Paris, with a famous free-standing spiral staircase and lovely unique stained glass windows, shipped from France, carried across country by wagon, packed in molasses!

The St. Francis of Assisi basilica is also very beautiful with lovely statues outside.

 Linda, Nina and Helen imitate this lovely indigenous woman.
Helen and I each bought a chili wreathe. Navajo and other artisans sell their wares on the central plaza. All was a glorious array of color, smells, charm.

The Georgia O'Keefe Museum is a highlight of Santa Fe. I include a few favorites, but for more see the following link (a few from Reno Art Museum, also):
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZvjHzpq8AK5FwuMSA

From the turn of the 20th century until her death at age 98, Georgia O'Keefe, born in 1887, on the East Coast, but drawn to the open land, incredible spaces and light of the Southwest, completed more than 2000 works. She first came to the public's attention in the 1920's and 1930's through her colorful flower paintings and the series of portraits taken of her by photographer and art collector Alfred Stieglitz, 23 years her senior, whom she married in the 1940's.  He never came to the desert landscape she discovered and fell in love with in 1929. She moved to New Mexico, and built several houses (Ghost Ranch is most famous) where she lived the remainder of her long and productive life. 

With Stieglitz she spent her time in New York City and at his family home in Lake George, upstate New York. She always dressed in black or white/cream. She was 30 and single, he 53 and unhappily married when they met.

Yosemite Falls, CA         Mountains and hills of New Mexico

We loved our tour of old town Albuquerque with excellent guides, as well as the wonderful museum

San Felipe de Neri, first built in 1706
First school run by a nun

Lunch in a great restaurant in old town Albuquerque before a too-quick hour at the fabulous Albuquerque art, history, culture museum nearby.

For more art and photos see link:https://photos.app.goo.gl/D14gozhAuk3ssuDi7

We also took the longest tram in the world (with the exception of a new one in Armenia) to the top of Sandia Peak (10,738 feet) with its spectacular views and lovely trees and feldspar red rocks. The weather was perfect, despite the evening thunderstorms.

We finished our 5-day stay with a pool (aerobics) party/bbq at the home of our classmate Lynne's daughter. (Someone surely has a better photo, but we don't look too bad for 75/6 year-olds!) We sure have fun, anyway!

And then with one day to change clothes and water my plants, I flew to visit my friend Marilyn Johnson (we have been friends for 50 years) in Reno, Nevada, where the highlight is always gorgeous Lake Tahoe (especially on a warm sunny day). We walked, swam, floated on tubes and picnicked at Sand Harbor.

There is beautiful new, paved 2.5 milestone walkway

We finished our visit with the Reno Art Museum, featuring Georgia O"Keefe and a special exhibit by Chinese artist depicting the tragedies and heroism of the thousands of Chinese who built the transcontinental railroad, completed in 1869, in Utah.

I hope that we all realize and appreciate that our wonderful country was built with the sweat, tears, sacrifices and lives of the many immigrants who have made America their home throughout the centuries. Life has been easy for none of them/us; we need to honor and support all who continue to join the struggle, who perform the work that those of us who have ascended the employment ladder a little farther are unwilling to do. Each one has a role, an important role, as we desperately need to work together to provide a decent life for all in this land of plenty. God is "no respecter of persons". You and I are equal in His sight. We are all in this together. Let us love and respect and support each other in any small way we can with our talents, efforts, and means. What is better than new and old friends and close families?