Ridgeway Heights: May 2010

Mother's Day Weekend

***First of all, I just made several posts, so make sure you go far enough to see the Hulda Klager Lilac Garden! It has already been pushed back into the older posts!

Megan came for Mother's Day weekend with Jesse. He got a piggy back ride through the field with Grandma. Then he "helped" me water my garden.

We had our first outdoor BBQ of the year!

Jesse thought his hot dog was pretty great.

On Sunday we had several of our children over for dinner. Matt made HOMEMADE ravioli!!!

Everyone helped to make the day very special for me!

Does this look good or what?! We had a homemade savory mushroom sauce over the chicken ravioli. We also had steamed carrots, a delicious green salad, pickled beets, crusty bread, and English Trifle for dessert!

Jesse enjoyed playing with cars,

and practiced his famous wink!

Wildlife Festival at Silver Creek Falls

On the Saturday before Mother's Day, my daughter Megan and I went to Silver Creek Falls for their Wildlife Festival. In one of the big lodges there was the best wildflower display I had ever seen. There were three rows of tables set of with vases of fresh wildflowers. Each had a tag with its name and its scientific name. Almost all of the flowers came from the park.

Megan, Jesse and I went on one of the guided wildflower walks. It was very interesting. Not only did I see some tiny wildflowers I had never noticed in the park before, but we were told some interesting stories about the different flowers.

This is a Green False Hellebore or Corn Lily. It is a violently poisonous plant. Indians considered it to have strong, powerful magic. The root was supposed to ward off all evil spirits. If you see a plant in the woods with hosta-like leaves, you would be wise to stay away from it!

Candy Flower (named because of tiny red stripes on white petals). It is also known as Siberian Miner's Lettuce (the leaves are edible).

Wild Bleeding Heart

Skunk Cabbage (sitting in a pond with a lot of iron oxide in the water)

Pathfinder (Aster family). When it's leaf is turned back, it is supposed to point you in the right direction.

Trillium

Trout Lily (also known as Fawn Lily and Lamb's Tongue. They are pink on the coast).

Fairyslipper (Their numbers are dwindling. When picked, the plant dies).

Large-Leaved Avens (The outer basal leaves are larger than the inner basal leaves).

To the right are Woodland Strawberries.

Chickweed Monkey Flower (They have perfect little red hearts on each one!)

Merten's Saxifrage

Western Serviceberry (Years ago this was often used in the spring for funeral services).

Can you find the little red spider?

Jesse was certain that every stump or fallen log was placed intentionally in order that he could have his own little chair. :-)

Can you see the woodpecker?

Visiting Mom

I recently had a very nice visit with my mom. We talked a lot and laughed a lot. We enjoyed her yard, garden and flowers. We went through the back gate and walked to the bottom of her back yard to enjoy the wildflowers that were in bloom.

These irises came from a start that Mom gave to her mother when she was 12.

Dad's "prize" azalea! It's my favorite.

Mom's frog has been in her front yard forever! Recently, Anne and Matt added this chunk of driftwood. They're plan is to actually take it home one day (good luck with that!)

We enjoyed driving to the jetty at Barview. Mom wanted me to see the huge rocks they have been collecting to re-cap the jetty.

It's difficult to get a perspective as to how big these rocks actually are. Only one rock is hauled at a time on a big flat bed truck. I'd like to see how these rock are transported to the end of the jetty!

This is looking out at the end of the north jetty.

We drove to Rockaway and went up Pacific View. I had never driven up to the houses on top of the hill. The view was spectacular, but I didn't care for how steep the roads were. It was a beautiful day, and a fun visit with my mom.

A Wonderful Visit

Soon after returning home from Utah, we received a visit from cousins in California. Richard and Joy Mann are related to me on my dad's side of the family. Our common ancestors came from Switzerland, and we have enjoyed the opportunity to correspond and to get to know each other these last few years. We really enjoyed their visit and hope to be able to visit them at their home in California some time!

Joy also has a blog, and we are both on face book. It is fun to keep in touch this way.

BYU Family History Conference

While I was in Utah, I attended a Family History Conference in Salt Lake City. It was a great experience for me, and I learned a lot about how to search for my ancestors. I also attended a great fireside in the historic Tabernacle on Temple Square.

The conference was held in the Salt Palace next to Temple Square, so during lunch I walked over to the temple and enjoyed my lunch while sitting on a bench and watching people go by.

At the end of the conference I attended a special performance by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. There were two speakers, President Eyring and David McCullough (author of 1776, John Adams, Trueman...). We watched 4 very moving films about people from the past. It's probably the best performance I've ever attended.

After returning home, I visited my mom and took these digital pictures of my Grandfather Lester Smith as an infant and as a young man with his brother Cosby. I didn't have either of these pictures, so I was pleased to get them. I have also been trying to use the things I've learned to continue searching for ancestors.

My Brave Adventure

It may not be a big deal to someone else, but for me driving 13 hours by myself to Utah and 13 hours back again was an adventure! I took this picture out the window while I was driving. I was in the stretch between Burley, Idaho and Tremonton, Utah.

As always, I enjoyed the time I spent with Will, Julie and my grandchildren. I snapped this picture while they were playing with their neighbors. The kids have very good neighborhood friends and enjoy their time with them.

While spending an afternoon with my four grandchildren, I enjoyed watching Maggie, Billy and Drew using their creative abilities. Here they are painting pictures.