More Kidlet pics

Oops, these aren't my kidlets...just imposters

And then was the three little pigs...

and the three aliens
And presenting...K and M!

The Beautiful Mugwumps!

The ever moving Mads

Sisterly Love

He's my favourite Grumps!

Open your eyes,Granny

Saturday at Camp Shu-Shu

Bringing down the tubes

Outside Ken and Jan's trailer

Two of the first guinea-pigs to go for a spin!

Pulling the Annie up to shore..

The Annie and the Tube...

The Beginning of the Stan Ali Cup and the Brian Miller Memorial

One of the first arrivals of the day...

Ali outside their Clampet-mobile..or should I say Retro-trailer...Cute eh?

And inside the Clamp/retro mobile!

Camp is all set up...now to discuss it all...

Even Lorraine showed up for a visit on Saturday... Ya should of golfed Lorraine!




Lovebirds, Stan and Ali, for whom the golf tournament was named for



Stan and Diane on the beach on Saturday



Annette and I getting some liquid courage to go tubing...



Part of the Saturday gang



The Clampet-Mobile and Gerry's trailer with Jessie's tent in back



I think we can safely say that from here on in, the StanALi cup may be known as the Brian Miller Memorial. The week-end started on Friday,when most week-ends do,except we started it off with the arrival of a few early-birds..Stan and ALi and Dar and Gerry and Woody and Diane and Ken and JAn. The idea was to get a few things done in advance of the big party.






Emil got the moose roast all cooked up and everyone pitched in to help him get it on the table. I had to stop in town for last minute produce, so I was late and of no help what-so-ever!






Friday night shot by with last minute things getting accomplished till way late. That was fine because nothing stopped Emil from getting up early to head out to Castlegar with Stan to pick up the Go Hut ( potty) and to get Annette from the airport.






Meanwhile, Sandra arrived and between Dar and her and Diane and myself , we started in on the chopping of veggies for salads and the peeling of onions for the perogies. It was a mini factory, exploding with bowls of veggies in every corner and then it mulitplied tenfold when Janice arrived with more fresh Creston Veggies...cucs and red and yellow peppers and all sorts of home canned delights!






The bowls filled and containers got labelled and by early afternoon, we had Sunday's dinner under controle. One small factor was the fact that we didn't really know how many people were coming. Meanwhile , the golfers,at least, were moving in with trailers and tents and tent trailers and filling up every corner of the yard with another abode. Call it Camp Shu-Shu or Clampetville, or as our neighbour said when he saw it"What the hell have they going there...a Carnival?!" Did I mention that after a little fun, the boys erected two tents!













The afternoon was splendid and warm and a perfect day to hit the beach. Annette Arrived in time to get her swimsuit on and head down to catch some rays. Bea was coaxed down to go for a tube ride. Emil had the boat whipping everyone around and finally it was time for the old me to climb up into the pilots seat of the tube ( centre one) with Annette on one side of me and Stan on the other side. We started off slow enough, but as Captain Emil Nemoy got the Annie wound up, he had us whipping along at high speeds... I yelled "Lean" and we all leaned over to the side the tube was heading and before you knew it,we were going 200 miles an hour over the wake in a whiplash that made our heads dizzy! This was fun...so-much fun! Well worth the experience!






That is how the day went...a little work and a lot of fun and so nice to have Annette home and all of our dear friends ,setting up camp and hanging out. Lets say-The pre-party got off to a good start!






Since it is half past my bedtime, I'll have to contnue tomorrow night. I have uploaded a new slideshow on my Facebook sight...much easier to upload pics there, so check it out.




















"The Creator"

A Sad Farewell to Brian Miller

New Year's Eve..2004 Brian is next to Emil, back row

Brian ,contimplating for one second as to whether or not to go on the dunebuggy ride. Him and I had the blast of our lives that day.


A full Frenchy for Laverne at the stroke of midnight!

And those were the happy times...New Year's Eve in Yuma, Laverne and Brian



Just before all the kissing began at the local Legion..New Year's Eve.



We learned today that Laverne took Brian to the hospital after he was in a coma. Sadly, he passed away shortly after, without any suffering. Laverne is a sister to Stan and Sandra,Warren,and Gerry and Randy. Brian was a quirky kind of guy that everyone loved, mainly because he could laugh at himself, could laugh with others and knew how to have a fun time.
Only last month, he was diagnosed with a brain tumour and then after further investigation, it was disclosed that it was two tumours. His options were pretty much out the window, as it was too late. He will be missed by his Son Scott and his wife Sue and their children, James and Mia,as well as their daughter,Trish and her hubby Wolfe,and their children,Thomas and Shandra. Mostly he will be missed by LAverne , his golf partner,and partner thru thick and thin. Yuma won't be the same without him. The StanAli golf tournament won't be the same without him. The whole gang will feel the void. Coming up this week-end is the big StanAli tournament at Balfour this year, followed by a BBQ at our house. This year, we'll be doing it for Brian and having it in his honour with a party for him that he can look down upon, proudly. Brian, you were a kind, hard working man, a friend who we will all miss, especially at this tournament.
Take care and God Bless.
Friends and Family are welcome to attend this farewell on Sunday, September 2nd, in the afternoon around 3:30 at our house. Maybe it will be called the Brian Miller Memorial from here on in.
"The Creator"

Simpsons Movie

Bluesy Bea

Bea with her pets...or parts of them...

Simpsons Movie
I found this at the Freebase site...Have some fun with the Simpsons...Create your own Simpson avatar!

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CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! Leah and Rueban!

Reuban and Leah..


Anne and Nick Rebalkin,Grandparents of the Groom

The BLues Brothers!


We do!

All signed and sealed...

Anne and Dick with daughter Lynn,and her three sons..


The cupcake cake...no need to cut it...

Sharon and Bud...

The first Waltz..

Joyce and Morgan..dancing!

And the bride,elegantly rode in on her horse...






The weather held with ,only a few drops of rain, just as the "I-do's" were happening, giving all the attendees,a sigh of relief that the heavens didn't pour down on the bride and groom and wedding guests! The bride, in her beautiful strapless white gown, riding sidesaddle on her horse, was led in by her mom, Sharon, and her dad, Bud for a grand entrance down the aisle, between the seated guests...in the backyard at Sharon and Bud's home...Little did the guests know that Leah had just been tossed off her horse before all the grand entrance stuff started happening! Morgan ws the horse manager, but must of neglected to see the horsefly that tweaked the horse in the butt and gave it a start,and then whops...Leah did a bridely leap sideways off the animal and landed slightly on her dress...but squarely enough that she never fell or broke anything!



It was fun to see our Russian side of the family all there in support of the groom, Reuban, who is the grandson of my cousin Ann Rebalkin. So technically, Leah and family are now indirectly related to all of us...Welcome to the fam!



In good Duk tradition, Ann made tons of Borsht,and it was served up at the dinner, held at the Hume... and the borsht was delicious!



Unfortunately, somewhere during the dinner, the bride took ill, and had to adjourn to her hotel room upstairs while the wedding agenda came to a grinding halt...more or less...We went up to Mike's pub via a back stairwell and had a beer with Yvette and her hubby Pete ,and Joyce and Morgan!



Once the bride became well enough to return to the hall, she quickly took the mike and dispelled the rumour that it was all caused by morning sickness!



Morgan gave the toast to the bride,and took us through her riding history of being called Weiner, Freckles, tiger and now, Leah! ( But I understand that Weiner is still her home name with mom and dad!) There wasn't a dry eye in the house by the time he finished, and then Leah gave Morgan big hugs of approval!



The highlight came when Morgan took Joyce up to the dancefloor for a jive! Now that was special...again, not a a dry eye as they danced up a storm for two dances in a row.! Morgan was ssooooooooo happy that his sweety could still dance with her two new bionic knees!



many a laughs and a few tears, and it was a splendid wedding. In fact, emil and I were trying to think of the last wedding we even went to...doesn't much matter,as they are split up now.



So here is to happiness and longevity to Leah and Reuban...











I'll probably upload a few pics of Wayne and Corinne's visit. They stopped in on their way back from Saskatchewan for a couple of nights. The kids sure got along well and played and ran and ate schmores that they built with marshmellows that they roasted over the campfire...two nights in a row! It was wonderful to visit with them once again.











Now here is the real funny... Ronda and john did a big trip back to Sask. for Auntie MArge and Uncle John's 50th anniversay! When Emil and I opened up all the pics that Ronda sent of the rellies back in Saskatchewan...( and they made the whole tour!) we had a good laugh because I guess we expected them to all be 22 years old still... I don't know...lets just say that everyone has aged gracefully, but some had plain grown up and others we still aren't sure who they are, and others, like AUntie MArge ,look the same as they did 25 years ago!



I'll link you up to the You tube video that Ronda created of Uncle John and Auntie MArge's anniversary. It too, will bring a tear to your eye...and a few laughs! Thanks Ronda!







"The Creator"

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Have some fun in Phillipa's Closet...by checking out the various guides and fall trends...

The Grand Canyon Tour

Sonia loading into the plane

Flying over Hoover Dam and Lake Mead

Majestically,the Canyon opens up ahead of us..

Right over the canyon...

The Three Muskateers at Mather Point..

I have to say that we really lucked out when we chose Papillon Heli Tours for our Grand Canyon Tour. They picked us up at the hotel ( very very early...actually,C. & V. hadn't gone to bed yet,while we had a whole 2 hours of sleep), and then took us to another station wehre we boarde a larger bus that shuttled us out to the airport.. The bus driver, who referred to LAs Vegas as "Lost Wages", kept us amused with trivia about the Vegas area , as well as a primer on the geography of the region.. while we drove to Boulder airport. After a little bathroom and coffee break ,we were given tickets with our seat number, aned then we were loaded onto a small airplane. The good news was that nearly everyone had a window seat!
The two friendly pilots warmed up the plane and then took off ,with the passengers all listening to the commentary being broadcast through the earphones we all donned.
Within a few minutes we were flying over Hoover Dam and Lake Mead and then over more barren desert than I've ever seen in my life. Not a hint of life for miles, not even around the extensive Lake Mead. Eventually the desert gave way to a plateau of Pines and Pinon pines and we could see the tree tops beneath us.
All at once the edge of the canyon was visible,and then the whole canyon appeared,as tho, it had just been sliced away that very day.
From the plane it was awesome and huge and we were flying right over the length of it, looking down and across at the eroded rocks of the canyon's walls. It took our breath away!
Far below we caught glimpses of the muddy Colorado river...proof that a bit of rain had washed the mud right into the river to turn it red.
On the southern part of the canyon, we flew until we met the edge of the plateau, and once again we were over the PInes. In a flight of 1.25 hours, we already felt as tho we had our money's worth, however it was just the beginning.
A bus with a driver named Hi-Me (Heighme?) picked us up at Grand Canyon City Airport and whisked us off to a beautiful buffet breakfast at the Best Western . He stressed the importance of being on time, so from that moment one,w e were the first group to return to the bus after each stop.
Yes, apparently one's cell phone doesn't work in the Grand Canyon!
After breakfast,we returned to the airport, but this time we were taken to the Papillon Heli port...the only one at Grand City airport. In fact, they are the only company flying helicpoters over the Grand Canyon at in the South rim, wehre the canyon is at it's 18 mile widest point.
I was lucky to be seated by the door which was a full window to my feet! Made me glad to have secure seatbelts!
Once again we donned the earphones and were treated to some great music and a little play by play commentary. We flew back out over the pines, bu theis time it felt like you could reach out annd touch those Pinons!
Within five minutes, the helicopter dipped right over the edge of the canyon and we were flying right along the brilliant red rock walls o fthe canyon. Amazing! I was brought to tears several times as the pilot beamed us along precisely over every crevice and rock peak that jutted out into the canyon. We could see the red Colorado snaking along far below us, like a worm wiggling between the rock blufffs. For another twenty minutes, we were awed by the splendour of one of the greatest natural wonders of the world!
My eyes filled with tears as we started back over the Pinon Pines and listened to Bob Marley on our headsets singing Three Little Birds...Don't worry about a thing...

Back onto the bus and we were off to the Park itself. Yes, there is a long lineup at the gates,but buses have a priority line,so it went fast. The driver said that sometimes it can be a three hour wait...when the line up backs up to Grand Canyon City!
The driver was very informative with stastics and information about the Hopi and Yakipai tribes and the dimesions of the canyon itself. We were let off at the Gift shop and lodge at Bright Angel Point. Out the back of the lodge,we could see the whole canyon stretching eighteen miles across and I can't recall how many miles down... a long way!
After nearly an hour there with plenty of time to take photos and buy gifties, we then reboarde the bus and drove a few miles to Mather Point where we got a 360* view of the canyon...after a seven minute walk, that nearly tuckered us all out,since it was uphill, and about 115* out!

( Check the Mather Point Link...almost as good as being there!)

Once again we boarded the bus and with more commentary,we returned to the airport. Unfortunately our pilots were a little late in returning ...which made the day grow long at this point. Back in the plane finally and we got a final view of the canyon and a great view of the many areas of Mead Lake, and then before we knew it,we landing back in the heat of Boulder City. Everyone dozed on the busride back to our shuttle and then back to the hotel..It was four o'clock, and we were all dying for a cold beer by the pool!
At least the tour itself was well organized and we got more than our money's worth,and it beat driving in a bus for four hours to get out there!...or worse yet, driving by ourselves to get out there! I would recommend this Papillon Tour to anyone contimplating a trip to the Grand Canyon!