Paxman Family Reunion - July 2014 #2

Although we watched some movies at the reunion, and went swimming, not to mention the disc golf we played, the canoeing, watching 4th of July fireworks, and eating ourselves silly, the greatest thing about this reunion was the chance to reconnect.  It was a blessing to see three of my four children and five of my six grandchildren in one place.  It was wonderful to see my brother-in-law Rick and his wife Amy, and their son Scott and daughter Suzy.  It was great to see my sister-in-law Jill and her husband Richard Lin, and their sons Philip and his wife Carolina, and Timothy. And it is always a blessing to spend some time with my great wife, away from our day-to-day activities.

It was also a blessing for cousins to be able to hang out with other cousins, and aunts and uncles--from young to old.  This reunion gave us all the opportunity to spend time together that is so difficult to do since all of us aew literally spread across the country.  

Here are a few meaningful pictures (to me) of some people I love.  They made this reunion the wonderful time it was.  Thanks to Rick and Amy for hosting this shindig. 

Emily, Rick and Jill (and Richard Lin hidden)

BJ, Rebecca, and Cousin Scott

Sisters with Mustaches

BJ and Rebecca, together

Interestingly, I turned 60 on June 4th.  My sister-in-law Jill turned 60 eight days before me.  My other sister-in-law Amy turns 60 later in the summer. One from each of the three Paxman sibling marriages turns 60 this summer.

To celebrate, we had a dress up party, complete with a "60" pinyata (I couldn't to a tilde over the n) for the kids, party hats, and birthday cake. This party produced the first darling photo of the Johnson grandchildren at the other posting, plus the mustaches.

My wife had dug up some pictures of me from old scrapbooks at the request of my children.  The pics were compiled along with memories of their dad, and presented to me during the party.  I was pleased and touched by what they did.  

Happy Birthday to Me!

What a wonderful week! We made some preliminary plans for our next soiree in a couple of years.  I can't wait...!

Paxman Family Reunion - July 2014 #1

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words.  So I want to give you a thick novel's worth of pictures from the Paxman Family Reunion which I attended from July 1 to July 8.  I will indicate when the pictures are NOT mine, otherwise, they are memories that I wanted to catch on film (and still had camera battery to take them!)  They will not be in chronological order; that is, when they happened during the week.  I hope you enjoy them!

The Adorable Johnson Kids!

It is less than a five-minute walk from the Paxman home in Saline, Michigan to a lake.  This body of water is a perfect place for all ages to have fun, and in the case of the reunion, to strengthen family ties.  I think everybody but Rick and Richard Lin got in on the action!

Elizabeth Jumping In Under Philip and Scott's Watchful Eyes

Good (Handsome) Father and Son-in-Law Adam with Lucy and Charlie?

Charlie Going Airborne into Uncle BJ's Arms

Uncle BJ Attacked by Eddie and Lucy

Isaac the Swimmer and Cousin Scott

Emily and Adam Alone Without the Kids!

Calm (in pain?) Amy Watching

Too Much Good Time for Charlie

Another activity that some of us enjoyed was playing "disc golf" or Frisbee golf, in which one attempts to throw a disc into a basket some 75-120 yards away in three tries. Some of the time is spent looking for errant discs.  I had played "disc golf" before, and got pretty good toward the end of the reunion. The next four pictures are not mine.

The Disc is Thrown Like Scott Here, or Like a Frisbee

"Where in the heck did that disc go?"

Yet another activity was canoeing for some eight miles down the Huron River. One picture is us on a bus to the launch point. Some people fell in the river; I didn't.  I finally got the hang of stopping us from hitting a limb or another canoe near the end. It was a lot of fun.  Didn't get too sunburned.

Elizabeth, Philip's Carolina, Em and Adam

I'm Behind Em Steering, Ha Ha!

We Spent a Lot of Time Socializing and Eating in the Kitchen

Always Good Food (Most Everybody Helped) and Smiles

My 60th Birthday Surprise!

To my great delight, I was given a wonderful present for my birthday onJune 4th.  My wife had arranged for us to spend about 24 hours in Salt Lake City, and while there, we would have a party at ou, just east of downtown, with friends and family.

We woke up early on the 4th and flew out of Bob Hope Airport in Burbank.  Upon arrival, we were picked up by my wonderful sister-in-law, Janeen.  On our way to her home, we stopped by a Davis family favorite, Crown Burger, to buy and take with us some of their delicious specialty: the Crown Burger--a burger with pastrami.  Yum! 

We sat around their table and savored this delight along with some onion rings, and had a lively discussion about my recent blog posting.  We were then given the keys to Janeen's car, and left to embark on an excursion to the Westside, the area where I grew up, in honor of this my 60th birthday.

Because we had to pick something up downtown, I decided that we would start by visiting nearby West High School, my alma mater, that looked to be closed for summer recess.

It really looks in good shape.  There are buildings on its campus that are new, and from what I have heard, it is one of the leading high schools in the Salt Lake Valley.  I attended West between 1968 and 1971.  It was a memorable time of my life; a time of learning but also a time of socially evolving.  It was where I began dating, where my singing prowess began, where I began learning about myself.

Looking down on West and the area where I grew up on westside of Salt Lake City is Ensign Peak, shown here from the West Campus.  I hiked it a number of times, exploring it and ultimately summiting it.  It looks over the State Capitol building, which I would visit after summiting the Peak.  The Peak seemed so imposing in my memory, but in reality, it is rather modest, and now not far from homes.

A little over a mile west of West, on the other side of the railroad tracks, we drove by the location of my maternal grandfather's grocery store and meat market.  It was also where his family lived and where my mother was raised.  When I attended Jackson Junion High, a mere 200 yards from this structure, I would sometimes park my bike behind it, because at the time my sister and her new family lived in the little apartment adjacent to the store/residence.

Throughout my life, my mother would tell stories of her upbringing there with her 10 siblings.   It is located at the corner of 800 West and 300 North.  It lookes to be in decent shape for being as old as it is.  To me, it's

interesting that as buildings age, and others occupy them, the lives, the history, the stories of those who have occupied them are inevitably lost, hidden in the walls. But if walls could speak, particularly these walls, what stories they could tell!

We drove around that area, looking at the empty lot of where a home stood, the home to where I was brought from Holy Cross Hospital where I was born.  We looked at where Jackson Junior High, my junior high, once stood.  It likewise is gone, existing only in my memory.  We looked at the old 28th Ward building, which I was told was now a sober living residence and where a great-nephew of mine currently resides.  We looked at the home of my childhood friend, Richard Jacobsen, where I spent hours playing after school on my way home.

About a quarter mile, some three blocks from where my mother was raised, we parked the car and walked around the immediate area near my childhood home.  How small everything seemed!  The streets, the homes, the alley way, everything, had been so signficant, so large, in my memory. But I was small at the time, and now being of adult stature, everything is so small, so modest.  

We walked around, ultimately heading toward my childhood home built in 1953.  Its current occupants have lived there longer than I did, and they have kept it up and have made changes to suit them (like the fence in front).  Within the walls of this very modest brick home, my early life took place, and those memories are abundant and remarkable.  So many stories.  So many feelings.  So many hearts.

Returning to our car, we drove around other structures in the neighborhood.  My mind and heart were flooded with all of the stories and the images of bygone years.

One building in my neighborhood in which I spent countless hours and which is likewise filled with so many stories, is my church buidling. For within its walls, I first came to know my Savior, Jesus Christ. and was loved by good, salt-of the-earth people.  Now vacant it looks forlorn and overgrown by weeds and trees which are in need of trimming, with wood-covered windows.  What occured inside the walls will forever exist vibrantly in my memory.  The building will not be shabby,  but new and fresh and well-kept.  

After driving around the neighborhood and looking for scenes and evidences of my early years, we headed east toward Salt Lake Cemetary. I wanted and needed to pay respect and to honor the burial site of my parents.  Near them, a number of aunts and uncles are buried.  It is always a solemn time for me to visit a cemetary, but as I stood looking down at my parents' headstone, I once again realized that it was only where their bones lie.  Who they were, their essence or spirit, is not entombed there but exists in heavenly realms.  I believe that they continue existing there, that they are free from the shackles of mortality. I believe that they have perfect knowledge of their past and present existence.  I believe that whereever they are, they are concerned about me and love me dearly yet.

The cemetary is not far from Emigration Canyon.  So we jumped in the car and headed east toward the mountains.  Driving up the canyon I've drive so many times, we arrived at the cabin where I was greeted by a wonderful sign that my caring, loving brother had put up in my honor.  

Soon, family and friends arrived for the cookout and gathering.  It was just wonderful to see these important people in my life.  I am grateful for their love and care.  It was truly a blessing to be able to spend my 60th birthday with these beloved people.  Thank you, my sweet wife, for being so thoughtful, so caring, so loving.

East Coast Swing - Summer 2013

One of the reasons why my wife and I spent two weeks on the East Coast was to spend time with our daughter, son-in-law, and four grandbabies in New Jersey.  Another reason was to help with the Open House of the wedding of one of our nephews, Philip Johnson, in Maryland. Interestingly, the girl that he married was from New Jersey, and although they were married in the D.C. area, the reception was near her family home in New Jersey.

We landed in Baltimore and spent 36 hours or so there with my sister-in-law and her family, then drove to New Jersey to spend five days with our daughter's family, and drove back to Maryland and spent 3 1/2 days there.  We then went with the Maryland family north to New Jersey, then took a train farther north in New Jersey to our daughter's home once again, then departed 48 hours later from Newark.

The experience was at times fun, at times intense, at times spiritual, at times joyful, but always muggy warm or hot.  Even so, I wanted to share some of the sights of this trip.  The pictures are arranged chronologically, as we went from place to place.  The previous blog posting would have occurred after we left Central Park and went south on Manhattan.  

As I told many who asked how the experience was, it was memorable but not restful.  And that's okay because that was my expectation.  Hope you enjoy the pictures!

The Beautiful Jefferson Memorial in DC

Thomas Jefferson - I felt almost a "temple" feeling here

Standing in the work line at the FDR Memorial

The Martin Luther King Memorial - an important man

The new Vietnam Nurses Memorial - very emotional for me

One of the statues at the Metropolitan Museum in New York

The hidden Alice in Wonderland sculpture in New York's Central Park

The remote control sailboats in Central Park

Typical New York City street (I believe it was north on 5th Avenue), and Philip's Wedding in DC below

Back in New Jersey, three homes near where Emily and Adam live - abuts to a lovely "firefly" park

Eddie Spaghetti being silly

Lucy Goosey being silly

Charley Barley being silly

I have to admit, Charley looks like "Mini-Me"

Elizabeth, with swimming goggles, posing, as she is wont to do

Pumpa roaring like a lion, similar to a picture on my desk taken almost three years ago at the LA Zoo.