Aunt Jean's 80th Birthday Party

Dan is lucky enough to still have two Aunts, both living in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Aunt Jean turned 80 years young in July, and her children decided to throw her a birthday party to celebrate the occasion. Hillman is 1088 miles from Fort Smith, but we figured, what the heck? May as well drive down for the big party and take advantage of the opportunity to see lots of Dan's family at the same time.

All 5 of Dan's siblings showed up (one brother actually lives in Fort Smith, the other sisters and brothers came from California and Illinois), as well as many cousins, second cousins, and cousin's once or twice removed (how the heck does that work, anyway?). There were about 100 people at the party, both family and friends of Aunt Jean's, and a very special guest showed up, the mayor of Fort Smith himself.

It's not everyday the mayor shows up to your birthday party, but it's not everyday you turn 80, either. Mayor C. Ray Baker presented Aunt Jean with 80 rose petals, which he sprinkled atop her head, and "A Special Birthday Proclamation" which proclaimed Aunt Jean's birthday and the day of her party as official "Jean Brannon Myers Days" in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

A fun time was had by all, and many reconnections were made between long lost family, friends, and loved ones.

Baby Niko

Do you believe in Serendipity? How about Synchronicity? I just have to believe that something like this was at work to bring us to Michigan this summer at the same time my daughter Mindy was going to be here to have her first child. When we decided last year to return to Hillman this year, Mindy had no plans of being in Michigan, and no plans to have a baby. But as fate or destiny or just dumb luck would have it, she and I ended up in a state 2200 miles away from Sacramento at the same time, which allowed me the great privilege of being here for the birth of Nikolai, my 6th grandchild, and 3rd grandson.

Baby Niko was born July 5th, and I was able to be at the hospital the whole time Mindy was in labor, up to, and following the birth. Milan, Niko's proud father, was by Mindy's side the whole time giving her much needed support. Niko's two grandmas were able to spend the next 3 weeks helping the family get settled into their new way of life, and I just want to say again how happy I was able to be a part of this wonderful experience.

Here are some pictures of little Niko.

Madison, Wisconsin

Here it is, the middle of August, and I realize I haven't made any updates to our blog since June. I was almost current after the last entry on The Badlands, but once we arrived at Thunder Bay in Hillman, Michigan, we slipped into the routine of working and golfing, and before I knew it, the blog had become very low on my list of things to do. So now I have to reach back to May to catch up. The last stop we made along our journey to Hillman was to the Madison, the capital of Wisconsin.

The Madison Capitol building is constructed of granite, nestled between Lake Monona and Lake Mendota, and is the only State Capitol ever built on an isthmus. Inside, the architecture, murals, stained glass, and paintings are striking in both size and content, encompassing 43 varieties of stone from around the world and boasting beautiful and unique hand-carved furniture. The interior colors are dominated by golden hues giving one the feeling of grandeur, warmth and richness.

Here are a few pictures from our Madison, Wisconsin, Capitol Tour.