Life in Portland Area

Click on the back button of your browser or click here to see the previous page of this series.

Click on any of the little pictures to see it full size (as big as it goes).

Erik really loved the wading pool and didn't seem much interested in wearing his diapers, so that if you looked away for an instant he was out of his diapers and into the wading pool. Did I mention that it was hot out (this would be Tuesday, the hottest day they had had in three years).
Under the tree with the swing, there was also a lovely hammock which was often filled with kids. Here is Alex enjoying the hammock.
I was glad to get this nice picture of Vinson visiting.
Here are the two grandmas holding their grandbabies with Martin looking on. That is Amy with Caitlin and Anne with Andrea. They are sitting in the living room with the office area behind them. Surprisingly enough no one is using Vinson's laptop behind Martin nor is anyone playing Diablo on Anne's laptop which is further back in the corner.
Here is another picture of the grandmas. They commented how nice it was to be grandparents where they can enjoy the grandchildren without the responsibility of being parents.
On Wednesday, my cousin Herbert, arrived from Chatanooga, TN where he works for the Post Office. Herbert is Vinson and Amy's brother. On his lap is Henry, Brooks and Haverly's youngest. Whew, I bet you thought there weren't going to be any pictures of Henry. Everyone in the family from Herbert on up was raised as Seventh Day Adventist (excluding my brother and I), but they all left the SDA except for Verna, Anne's mom. Vinson had taught music at the SDA school in Walla Walla, WA. His giving up teaching was likely related to problems with the SDA. Of course this is consistent with the rest of the SDA where they are losing members in developed countries, but gaining membership in developing countries. However, from what I have heard on the SDA TV shows that Verna watches (they got a satellite dish set up for her before she came to live with them), the SDA is adapting with the times in the U.S., though the developing countries now pretty much have control (most members) and remain stauchly conservative. Verna got her nurses training at the SDA hospital in Portland, OR.
Here is Ruby, Herb's wife, sitting on the rocking chair in the sun room. She is from Taiwan, SW of Taipei on the coast. She works on the local paper in Chatanooga, TN. She has grown kids from a previous marriage who now live in Seattle, WA.
Here we all are for lunch on Tuesday (most excellent hot dogs, though there were vegetarian alternatives). They are Amy, Jack, Brooks, Helle, Bev, Herbert, Ruby, Verna, Anne, Beth, Andrea (and is someone holding her?), Colleen and Caitlin, and Eva. However, I am sure you knew that so there was no need for me to list them by name.
Everybody helped out with the kids. Here is Beth feeding Andrea.
Wednesday evening/night it rained and cooled things off. It was still raining lightly Thursday morning when we started setting up for the reunion pictures. There was a photographer there to take pictures of the whole crowd (and somehow I didn't get a picture of that), but then there were different groups that I was able to get pictures of (but none of which included me, oddly enough). This is the Vinson and Anne crowd with (starting in front row): Erik, Eva, Ava, Alex, Haverly, Verna, Anne, Vinson, Jon, Ben, Brooks and Henry, Beth, Helle, Mark, David, and Andrea. The rain stopped just in time and then it was cloudy which was the best for pictures as there was enough light, but people weren't squinting and there weren't the huge contrast of shadows on people's faces and such. Just perfect.
Here is Anne, Mike, Bertie, and Verna looking on at the main group.
This is the Amy and Jack crowd with Jacob, Maggie, Catherine, Amy, Jack Caitlin, and Colleen. With Jacob you really do get nicer photos when he doesn't try to pose.