Grandpa Vick got Caleb some Estes rockets for Christmas.  The weather just now cleared up enough for us to be able to use them.  I never tried these when I was a kid, but I always wanted to.  These are so much fun!

Click HERE for the photo album.

After the Hornets game, Caleb and I were walking to the car on a cold, foggy night.  It made for some nice downtown shots.

Click HERE for the photo album.

Have a few posts to make here for a few new photo album entries.  First up is snow sledding.  Or rather, cardboard box sledding.  A nice winter storm rolled into town shutting down the entire universe…including Oklahoma City.  We went sledding on some boxes.  Been a couple decades since I’ve done that.  Caleb had a great time and even Thea got in on the action.

Click HERE for the photo album.

I forgot my camera before heading out on the roadtrip to Grandma Deaver’s Funeral.  So I borrowed Mark’s camera to take photos.  This photo album is a mix of my and his photos.

Scott and I rode up to our cousin Bruce Deaver’s house in Wichita where we met up with Mark.  It was nice to meet Bruce again.  I say meet again because the last time I saw him I think I was 12.  His family is real fun to be around.  I hope we can get together more in the future.  Wichita is only up the road from Oklahoma City.  Bruce had a nice pot of chili waiting for us when we got there.

We would grow to regret having chili at 10PM the night before an 8-hour road trip.

If that wasn’t bad enough, the “Chili Drive” as it has been dubbed, was topped off by lunch at Taco John’s and strong coffee at Starbucks in York, Nebraska.  I feel really bad because Mark borrowed the car from the father-in-law.  Sorry!

Considering the circumstances, it was nice seeing everyone.  All of the surviving kids were there.  Lots of photos were taken.  The funeral was very peaceful.  Seeing the cemetary brought back some memories.  I remember during the summers in Sidney when I stayed with Grandma, we used to come out to the cemetary after church on Sundays.  For some reason it never really dawned on me that we were at Grandpa Don’s grave.  Either that or I’ve forgotten.  Probably forgotten.

St. Patrick’s has had an overhaul.  They did real justice to the original architecture as I’m sure you will see in the photos.  The masonry, handpainted detail, just excellent.  The front stairs are gone, replaced by an enclosed entry with stairs leading up from both sides.  It really is beautiful.

Cabela’s has brought a lot to the town.  Near the interstate there is lots of development.  A Walmart Supercenter, multiple restaurants, hotels, and shops all dot the area.

Right after the funeral, the entire family went out to the farm to spread some of Grandma’s ashes.  First we went out to the land near the interstate where I have fond memories of Uncle Vic and Uncle Dan harvesting wheat, where I drove a wheat truck at the age of 13, and where I ran laps around the field to stifle boredom.  We spread some of Grandma’s ashes there.

Then we went to the farm and we spread some of her ashes at the entrance in what used to be Spooks’ pasture.  When we pulled up jackrabbits bolted from their hiding spots.  Mmmm… good eatin’.  Then we took a trip up the lane to the farmhouse.  The whole farm has been repainted white.  It used to be red.  There was lots of farm junk laying around.  There was always farm junk laying around.  This just wasn’t our farm junk.  The new owners of the farm also tore the porch off the front.  I think it was Kelli that told me they completely rearranged the interior too.  I used to run down to the mailbox every day to get the mail.  Back then, that was a long, LONG way.  I took this opportunity, after a nudge from Kelli, to take one last run down the lane.  Well, it wasn’t as far as I remember it being when I was a kid.  This time, though, I was hurting more than when I was a kid.  Go figure.

The family spent a memorable night at the Holiday Inn bar on Saturday night.  Leah, Chris Wolff’s little girl, is a budding artist, and as we found out, also an entrepreneur.  Dana got it right when he said Steve had the funniest line of the weekend.

Glad I got see so much family.  Grandma will be missed.

Click HERE to see the photo album.

Well, this post is slightly overdue.  Just over two years overdue.  Oh well.  I’m out sick today, so I figured I could at least do this while I’m moping around.

These photos are from Dad and Sylvia’s visit back in 2004.  They went to Oregon to visit Grandma Gomez and family during Thanksgiving, then came to Oklahoma after that.

I apologize for the fact that the the photos aren’t in very good order.

UPDATE: I also added Mark’s photos from that Thanksgiving and the following days.

Click HERE to see the entire photo album.

Margaret Elizabeth Deaver (Parker) was born in Randolph, Missouri to Harvey Parker and Gladys Elizabeth Parker on March 8, 1922.  She was married to Donald James Deaver and had 10 children, almost countless grandchildren and great grandchildren, and even a couple great-great grandchildren.

She passed away on January 3, 2007 at the age of 84.

We love you and we already miss you.