Summer Fun Part IV

The tomatoes once again have failed us in our garden this year but the squash, cucumbers, carrots, and peppers have been great.

We went to my familiy reunion in the gorgeous White Mountains of Arizona. We camped at 9300 just a few minutes from my home town and it was breathtaking! Cool wet weather, 5 days of no cell phone, no noise but the noise of children, no TV, no electronics, just visits with my wonderful family. This is the first time in 14 years since I have been to my family reunion in Arizona. It was a long time coming and it is probably the best camping I have done in 14 years! Lani and I won the couples horseshoe contest. We beat the ultra elite team of Coby and Heather (my cousin) who are the "Goliaths of horseshoe". I smack talked Coby and then really psychologically threw him out of his game by pitching in my dutch oven hotpad mitts. I think it just messed him up psychologically and I think I got in his head.....

Coby and Heather were good sports to let us win and we had a blast with my family.

There was a huge meadow with endless forests which the kids just ran and played in all day. My Uncle Bill set up a great "cowboy golf" course that was a hoot. My Uncles and cousins are some of the funnest people on the planet. It was good for my kids to get to know this vast side of my family. Thanks Uncle Bill and Aunt Sandy for such a great job on the reunion. The highlight of our year!

The forests are filled with massive Ponderosa Pine trees, aspens, and other coniferous trees. A very nice contrast. The forests are open and not so dense so it makes it possible to really penetrate and enjoy the trees all around you.

We cooked every meal out of our dutch ovens and frying pans over 5 days. Lani did a great job of preparing food and our dutch oven skills jumped by leaps and bounds. It was a lot of work but well worth the effort. The above biscuits and gravy were a product of our successful dutch oven biscuit attempt. The above picture is for my cousin Andy. Our favorite breakfast in the world!

Look at those beauties, right out of the dutch oven!

We also had my little brother's famous dutch oven pizza which was a smash hit. My mom's parents were the focus of this year's reunion. We marched in our little town's fourth of July parade. It was neat. The banner read: Vurrell and Iris Finch Family 63 years in the Round Valley of Arizona. 9 kids, 52 grandkids, 113 great grandkids, 1 great great grand child. My grandparents are my hero and have left a legacy of family, the Gospel, hardwork, and family togetherness. They are one of the treasures of my life. I can't begin to describe their impact on my life in so many different ways.

Next year, I've got to figure out a new gimick to throw off Coby so I can beat him in Horseshoes again!

Summer Fun Part III

No pics but I was the "medical staff" for our stake youth pioneer trek. We trekked for 3 days on a ranch the church owns up in Oklahoma. It was beautiful but hot. It was very impressionable, memorable, and spiritual. I just kept the kids hydrated, took two to the hospital, pulled out ticks, repaired lacerations and just otherwise told these "younguns" to be tough and deal with the physical challenges of the trek. It sure was an eye opener to see how some youth are just so adaptable and can deal with set backs and challenges while other youth are soft, cottled, and ill prepared for the tough world which awaits them once they leave the friendly confines of their parents family rooms..... It sure made me want to toughen my kids up so that they can be like the pioneers and push through adversity and have the "stick to it" to reach worthwhile albiet tough goals. I think that camping and similar activities prepare kids to deal with deprivation and austere environments. I think it sure can help them to be mentally tough to deal with physical challenges and lack of physical comforts. I remember as a missionary in Nicaragua that this was a real issue for some missionaries who came to the mission "soft" and the mental anguish of physical challenges was sometimes just too much. I wish I had some pictures.

Summer Fun Part II

My brother in law graduated from dental school in Oklahoma City

At his school they let a relative "hood" you for graduation which I thought was a cool policy and a nice honor for me.

I enjoyed and felt much more gratified at his graduation than my own. I am so happy for him and he is going to be a very gifted and solid practitioner

Summer Fun Part I

The Turnbow Grandkids on greatgrandma's front porch in Tabiona

Maxwell's first branding lesson: DON'T BREATH IN THE SMOKE!

Kimball's first vaccination lesson: DON'T POKE YOURSELF WITH THAT BIG HYPODERMIC NEEDLE!

Big sister helping little brother get through the fence.

Big girls helping little girl cousing across the irrigation ditch with their make shift bridge.