I Made Piñatas

This year I helped Tony with his piñata for Day of the Dead for his Spanish class.  I hadn't made a piñata for some time.  We sort of cheated by putting papier-mâché over cardboard.  It worked, and we did not need as much paste and paper as when you papier-mâché over a balloon as the idea is you pop the balloon and then your creation has to stand on its own.  

My first piñata was in Spanish class.  It did not coincide with Day of the Dead as we made cakes that day.  I made a big bumble bee.  It was yellow and black.  I put each twisted piece of crepe paper on one at a time.  I twisted the crepe paper on the end of a pencil, dipped it in glue, and then stuck it onto the piñata.  It took forever to decorate.  But in the end I won a ribbon.  The art teacher at Sky View judged them.  There were lots of piñatas hanging in the Spanish class for a time.  It was pretty neat.  I wish I had a picture.

I made more piñatas other years in class, but none as elaborately decorated.  I went with Tony the tiger one year.  I also use to make piñatas for family Christmas parties.   A couple years I made two; for Sheri's family and for the Wardle Christmas party.  Of course these were not so elaborate.  Then it seems you could buy a piñata at Food for Less cheaper than i could make it; so I stopped making them.  

1985 Hyrum

1985 Ballard

1984 Bluebell, similar piñata in Hyrum

 

Thanksgiving at Grandma's Church

 For several years, every other year; we would venture to Grandma's church for Thanksgiving.  We had quite some feasts there.  Us guys would play basketball on the opposite end of the court from where we set up the tables.  The food was great, and well prepared and lots of it.  The day would always end with family pictures.  

Dewey's in Hyrum

 I was frying some left over mashed potatoes and said to myself, I'm making Dewey's hash browns.  Dewey's was the restaurant in Hyrum.  Sometimes we referred to it affectionately as "the greasy spoon" but I think that was affection.  We ate there frequently; not as a family but usually us boys.  Weldon and I loved their hamburger steak which was only $1.25.  However out most significant memory was playing pin ball on the game in the front corner.  Dave DeBolt lived closest, and consequently he was usually the best at the game.  He had figured how to earn lots of free games on the machine.  Sometimes we would go and have a good time.  There would be five of us crowded in the corner, Dave and his brother Ben and myself and my two brothers, Weldon and Charlie.  We had great fun.  

The commercial district were Dewey's was located was all knocked down to make way for the Hyrum museum and library.

Color and Patterns from our trip to Mammoth Lakes area and Postpiles

 I walked around our camp at Mammoth Lakes area to see what I could see.  have also added a picture of Post Piles National Monument which has a unique pattern.  

ant hole pattern

redwood against ponderosa

ant hole and grass

This stump had many splinters

lichen on a rock

bark and decaying tree

Decaying tree and a flower

decaying tree with limbs

Leaning post piles

Memorial Day 2016: Dixie and Sammy Davis Fireside

 Manteca put on some great Memorial Day celebrations

Sammy and Dixie are on the right (this is not from last night.)

I am having difficulty writing this blog, because there is no way sometimes to express things that touch the heart.  I had the privilege to hear the story of Sammy Davis and his wife.  They were both widowed before finding each other.  Sammy is a Medal of Honor winner.  The story presented in Forrest Gump of rescuing your buddies was basically his story.  The President Johnson award ceremony was his story, and the scene presented was Tom Hanks face on his body.  The words from President Johnson in the movie Forrest Gump were the words the president said about Sammie Davis when he was presented the Medal of Honor.  He was in the artillery, not the infantry, and he was wounded more severely than Forrest Gump.  He also had to cross a river to get to his friends who were wounded.
They started the evening showing the You Tube video, "Sammy Davis, Medal of Honor, Vietnam."  There are a couple of other movies on You Tube: 

Buzzed Into American Hero Sgt. Sammy L. Davis at Heritage Hill
Sammy L. Davis

Dixie was the first speaker, and told of her history, losing her husband, and then making a connection with Sammy Davis.  They were friends previous to their spouses both dying from cancer.  She also tells the story of Sammy's conversion to the gospel, and it was very touching.  They are a cute couple and it was fun to observe their interaction.
Sammy then told the story of his earning the Medal of Honor in much more depth.  He basically says he didn't feel like a hero.  "I was just doing my job."  The story was very touching, but also very personal.  After saving his three buddies, Davis thought his work was done, but things happened to let him know he had more work to do.  Only after this did he have enough energy to get to the shore of the river and get out of the water.
He also told the story of learning to play the harmonica during the war, and always playing the song "Shenandoah" for his Sergeant.  He played this for us.  It was very moving.
I was emotionally touched by this veteran.  He is still out there making himself available for other veterans, lifting them up and being a listening voice.  He is also still effected by things that happened so many years ago.  He indicated he only sleeps a couple hours at a time, gets up and makes sure everything is OK before going back to bed.

Photographic Book Review: 100 Greatest Photographs to Ever Appear in Arizona Highways Magazine

100 Greatest Photographs to Ever Appear in Arizona Highways Magazine, Arizona Highways, book division Arizona Highways Magazine, Phoenix, Arizona, 2013.

Arizona Highways Magazine began publication in 1925.  This book was published in 2013 so it represents 88 years of monthly magazines.  That means tens of thousands of pictures over the years.  This book has tried to pull together the 100 greatest in chronological order.  It even has an Ansel Adams photograph of Oatman showing the mining operation with the mountains behind.  

Over the years, the most commonly photographed location is Monument Valley, which is shared between Arizona and Utah.  Of course there are also a significant number of pictures of Grand Canyon.  There are lots of photographs of Native Americans, cowboys and horses.  Some photographs show the night sky.  There are those with different shapes and those showing contrast--plants in front of lakes, the lone fauna in front of the desert.  There really is a very good representation of photographers and Arizona.  This book is worth reviewing, and is a motivation to get the magazine.  

I have not shared any photographs as they are for sure copyrighted.  

Mr. Tatman, Sixth Grade Teacher

Mr. Tatman taught all my kids in sixth grade until we changed elementary schools due to a move.  This means he taught Natalia, Mark, Jeremy and Charity.  He seemed to be a steadying influence in their lives.  Mr. Tatman went above and beyone.  He would attend the junior high school graduations of his kids who had been in his class a couple years earlier and made it a point to see the kids he had taught.  He had fun activities and challenging things for the kids to do.  Mr. Tatman is one of those teachers who can have a life time effect on your kids.