Bryans visit from Ethiopia

We had a great time visiting with the Bryan family from Ethiopia. They will be in the States 6 months, and they have a rigorous travel schedule. We are so glad they took time out to spend a day with us.

We learned a lot about boys! It was fascinating! Being the mom of 3 girls, I'm amazed at the differences. As you can see, even though they are young, they are not too young to appreciate a cool car!

Bryan boys are certainly "all boy," but they are also very special. These boys wanted something to do, and when I suggested they pick up dead apples from the ground, they eagerly complied. (OK, they were sort of bored!) Then when I gave them pruners and clippers and asked if they would prune the apple tree, they were actually excited! (And of course, the laborer is worthy of his wages...)

Here below is Cy (Cy Joseph for emphasis)(about 8, I think).

And here is Cooper(about 10 or 11). The dogs were a big hit.

And here is Jack who is 12.

A great time was had by all. Til next time!

Don't ya love this song?

Papa and the Birthday Cake

Though by now it was late(at least for some of us)(it was after 10), we had birthday cake in our suite.This was served by a singing and dancing daughter.

And being in a hotel room, candles were not lit, but Papa blew them out anyway.

Then we watched some of the old movies converted to dvd, though we did not finish because some of us (actually most of us!) were growing weary by this time, the clock registering after midnight! It had been a good day.

Papa and the Birthday Dinner

We had birthday dinner reservations at the Antlers Lodge. (The chandelier in here is made of over 500 pairs of antlers!)

The walk from our room was much farther than we expected, and a little much for Papa. The hotel staff felt bad that it was so difficult for him, so they wanted to make it up to us by offering us a free bottle of champagne. Aunt Nancy and I were about to decline, when we heard Papa say "All right." We were more than a little surprised, but knowing that this was new for him, we convinced him to try wine instead, thinking it might be a little more well-received!

Even so, you can see Papa was not impressed with the wine. His comment, "It's not sweet!" I don't think this man will ever have an drinking problem!

Uncle Dave ordered a wild game platter (antelope, venison, wild boar and quail).

Papa had a steak, which he pronounced "okay."

Then he had his first cappuccino, which he liked only slightly more than the wine.

Papa and the Lazy River

We spent a good deal of time floating around the lazy river. It was a hot day, and the water felt cool, but not cold.Papa did not ever feel quite comfortable on top of the tube, but he could see that he had no choice in the matter.

Uncle Dave walked into the pool with Papa. He's not too steady on his feet anymore, but I think walking in the water was a little easier to manage.

Aunt Nancy and I watched the two of them from a distance. We could not hear the conversation, but we could imagine it.

"Let's go underwater. One, two, three....."

You can see that his eyes are beginning to light up.

And now for the hot tub.

When we went back in the lazy river, we had Papa put the tube over his head, hoping he'd be a little more comfortable. Here, you can see him peering over the top.

Papa's Birthday

I was looking for a birthday hat for Papa, and the front desk suggested this sombrero. You can imagine Papa's elation when he found out he got to wear a sombrero on his birthday!We had to wait in the lobby for a while while our room was made ready.

Uncle Dave arrived in a convertible for Papa's riding pleasure.

Papa was not always ready with a smile for the ever-present camera, but Uncle Dave discovered even at 80, he is still quite ticklish!

Where's the spell checker when you need it?

From here.

Check this out

These are called glasswing butterflies and they live in South America. Aren't they beautiful?