A Huckleberry Hike for Parker

Unable are the loved to die. For love is immortality.

       ~Emily Dickinson

Sundance ski resort shimmers with immortality as the morning sun climbs its way up the rugged mountain walls.
 

Their stories are as varied as the homelands they hail from, but the astounding loss is the same and pulsates through each of our hearts.

A daughter, a sister,

a brother, a friend,

all gone too soon.

We assemble in honor of Parker

and we hike for every other immortalized loved one.

Sweet new friendships have blossomed from this annual gathering.

Familiar faces...thrilled to be together again.

And there is fun and joy...

in every...

single...

step...

taken



on this day.

It's difficult to explain the bond we all feel

as we hike at high altitude through intense rays of sun.

Boys stepping into manhood feel the same bond.

The journey is steep,

but the view from the top is incredible.

and worth every single stride.

My mind and camera capture moments of bliss, like this amazing big brother carrying his baby sister up the very steepest part of the hike.

And giggles,

and antics,

and the face of a refreshing lollipop licker fill my reservoir with happiness.

Parker's family continues to heal amidst unspeakable tragedy; not only surviving but thriving for each other and for Parker's legacy.

A special Jiggy Stick production was made in honor of the day for each of us... to keep our lips smooth and hydrated while hiking. Dean named this flavor "Huckleberry Hike". And I think it's my new favorite!

It was impossible to keep pace with these teenage boys as we wound our way through the trail

through a swift water crossing of still melting snow...

to this waterfall.

And if I've learned anything about this group...where there is water, there are shenanigans.

Yes, it's my friend Michelle running through the waterfall with all the rest of the kids. 

I absolutely adore her passion for life and commitment to family.

Ninja boys pose following their running of the falls.

And as usual...we place a little token of Jocie hanging in a tree.

Tired and yet invigorated we hike our descent from a glorious mountain day spent with the most amazing people. A quick look behind us reveals where we've been

and provides hope and inspiration for the road ahead.

Bye Bye Birdie

"Errr, errr, Errr, err Errrrrrr!"

The hens all flocked together in the coop this week and came to a decision. He...who we once thought was a she...had to go. Penguin had been voted off the island! And Dean and I agreed! Over the past couple of weeks Penguin had been developing a Cock-a-doodle-doo-ish noise. Which sounded more like..."Errr, errr, Errr, err Errrrrrr!"

Oh, don't you dare sympathize with that cute rooster Penguin and let him deceive you too... "Errr, errr, Errr, err Errrrrrr" gets very annoying at 5:30 EVERY SINGLE MORNING!

Just ask the neighbors...

I'm surprised that the neighbors haven't made Penguin into chicken noodle soup, chicken pot pie, or "Errr, errr, Errr, err Errrrrrr" chicken nuggets.

 "Watch who you're calling annoying...Errr, errr, Errr, err Errrrrrr...you're taking me where?"

From one male to another, some parting words of advice for Penguin.  And one last photo, "Errr, errr, Errr, err Errrrrrr" as Dean imitates Penguin...or is it Penguin imitating Dean?

Loaded up in a dog kennel and it's off to a farm in Thatcher Idaho for you my dear Penguin.

Imagine if you will, driving for an hour with a rooster "Errr, errr, Errr, err Errrrrrr" in the back seat of your car for over an hour.

After what seemed like a day and a half "Errr, errr, Errr, err Errrrrr" we arrived in Thatcher just as the sun was setting on this handsome little farming community.

All it took was a single phone call to one of Dean's favorite childhood friends. "I already have 24 chickens Dean, sure I'll take Penguin then I'll have 25." JanaLe is truly as kind and genuinely happy as she always appears. Within minutes of our arrival she had invited us in to her sweet home which smelled deliciously of love and baking bread. We indulged ourselves on warm fresh homemade rolls.  

Dean and JanaLe reminisced about old times growing up, laughed and caught up on the years of details they had missed of one other's lives. She threw her arms in the air with delight after learning the charming story of Olivia and Henry. And then it was time to visit the coop. JanaLe lives on a real working farm. Along with cattle and alfalfa, they grow over 10,000 bushels of wheat every year. And of course there are the 24 chickens...make that 25.

JanaLe's youngest son Craig gave us a tour of his chicken coop and they laughed hilariously when we showed them a photo of ours. City folk...raising chickens...good grief!



 Peacefully settled in for the night...we were disturbing the chicken's evening.

 Well hello there Mister beautiful rooster on the left...what gorgeous hens you are roosting with tonight.

We gathered a few fresh eggs from the nesting boxes; naturally JanaLe sent them home with us.

Fresh omelets would definitely be on the menu following tomorrow's planned hike into the mountains.

Finding a nearby cage used on the farm to train dogs to track raccoons, we settled Errr, errr, Errr, err Errrrrrr Penguin in for the evening in his new home. After a night to acclimate, JanaLe would release Penguin in the morning to become part of the flock.

Good night fair Thatcher chickens, take good care of my Penguin will you? And I'm sorry about all the Errr, errr, Errr, err Errrrrrr that you'll hear in the morning.

If you are ever passing through Thatcher, stop in and tell Janalee hello. She will most likely make you lunch, send you home with farm fresh eggs, homemade rolls, and generally make your day a bit brighter just by being there.

"Errr, errr, Errr, err Errrrrrr"...oh and say hi to Penguin too!

 

Fun and Shun in Park Shitay

Back in the day...when Momma Cass was just a teenager with absolutely no idea what her future would hold...she and her "Chunkina in Crime" nicknamed "Chochi" used to do something called "The Sean" Basically it involved using your best Sean Connery accent to say silly things that might or might not sound a little like swearing.

For instance... "Shall we go to Park Shitay to do some shopping at the outletsh." or "Tell the baby-shittar to shitt down and shut up" or "Shilver Bells, it's Crishmush time in the shitay"! They cracked me up...EVERY SINGLE TIME! The two of them would start into their Sean Connery accents and I'd lose complete control. I'm talking...silent laugh, contorted face, and can't breathe out of control. I've called it Park Shitay ever since.

Recently while Daddy Bob was off working hard in a faraway land, we stole Cass and the babies for a few days of fun and shun in Park Shitay.

King Henry came along and celebrated his four-month birthday while we were in Park Shitay.

He's a rockstar and king of the bed!

Meet Olivia...she and her Papa planned to wear the same outfit. Papa's outfit did not have yellow tulle and flower leggings. Although I wish it did...might be a pretty great look for you Papa.

Olivia continues to get the Gerber baby comments wherever she goes. And you should have seen the inquisitive gazes from people at restaurants and other places. With a mixed grouping of Dean, Lisa, Cass, and Chet carrying any one of the babies at any given moment, they just couldn't figure us out.

Olivia has been playing so hard, she has a little something we like to call Swead (sweaty head). Believe me...Dione will appreciate the name.

We didn't do a whole lot while we were there; caring for two babies takes up a lot of the day. It took all four of us to get them in and out of carseats, restaurants, and the pool. How do Cass and Bob do it...how does Cass do it when she's all alone?

While Cass and Chet sneaked off to see Harry Potter...like everyone else in America last weekend, we took the babies back to the condo for some Papa and Nana time.

Shhhh, don't tell mom, one bite of Chunky Monkey for Olivia...

and one bite of Chunky Monkey for Papa. Wait...shouldn't that be two bites for Olivia and then one for Papa?

Some quality bonding took place between uncle and nephew,

and brother and sister.

Henry prefers Uncle Chet to any of us...I think the feeling is mutual!

Olivia had her first time in a float toy...

she loved it...obviously!

Chet showed me this cool trick...

you can see the splash for just a split second before it hit Henry, Me, and the Nikon!

Those sunglasses on him...are authentic Dean. No one else could pull them off, nor would they try!

The days were filled with simple things that brought us much joy. We felt the absence of  Bob and Dione and as always...Jocie. They were constantly in our thoughts!

You can tell Henry's Mom is a tiny bit of a Science nerd by Henry's t-shirt.
.

Olivia taught us all how to scream at high piercing levels whenever we sat down to eat. She's really good at it...pretty much an expert!

Once the little ones were tucked in bed, we played hours of Hearts. We took turns losing, winning, shooting the moon, feeling picked on, and constantly laughing.

With a fresh diaper, a warm bubba of milk and it's time for the babies to go home. Shee you later Park Shitay...until next time.