To Each and Everyone of My Adult Children

I love and appreciate you so much.

Another Raised Eyebrow

"When your brothers retired
they became 'Chief Cook and Bottle Washer'.
Will that happen at our house too?"

Going, going, gone!

The "bully tree" (named that because the knot holes looked like a face) has been an important part of our lives, our children's lives and now our grandchildren's lives for 35 years.

It stands 60 feet with 3 large tree size branches coming out about 8 feet up. The arborist says it is by far the largest willow he has ever seen.

Saturday evening, while fixing dinner, I looked out the kitchen window. Something looked real strange. We had been out there just minutes before, but there were a lot more leaves along the side fence than usual.

One of the large willow branches had come down.

It missed the pond, the fence and the apple tree.

The tree service came the next Saturday.

with all their BIG equipment and 4 amazing guys.

This "monkey" knew no fear, but did know what to do to lay each piece exactly where it needed to go to prevent any damage to property or people.

Here he is showing off with his under cut.
(Yes, daughters, he was a brown boy and very cute.)

And down the last of it went.

It took everyone's help to move the very bottom pieces of the trunk.

Approximately 5 hours later there was nothing left

but a very very large pile of wood.

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The great tree. Our Bully
by Leanna McCumber Thayer
My childhood was spent playing in the shadow of a giant. A great monster of a tree (We called it the bully) that is in the background of almost every picture ever taken in my parents’ backyard. You could see it from blocks away and it inspired the most wonderful adventures in our very own Neverland. Truly the place where dreams are made and children never grow up. We were and are blest to have such a wonderful place to call our home and place where we are able to watch our kids enjoy the same happy adventures together. But such is life and everything has its end. The tree’s great branches have failed... now for the last time. It is truly the end of an era. Our Giant will be gone and he will be missed by all.

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Good bye old friend, the yard will not be the same without you.

Happy Birthday

To my knight.

Up, up, and away...

Saturday we finally got to go on our anniversary balloon ride. Amy, Jennifer, and Ashlynn came over and hung out with GG Friday night while we slipped away to Newberg. We went to see Harry Potter that evening.
We were at the airpark around 5:00 Saturday morning for our ride. You don't have to help fill the balloon but can if you want to and I wanted to.
Six balloons went up, but I only remember the names of 3, "Sunrise", "Thunder", and "Ridgerunner".
We were in the balloon "Sunrise" and our pilot was Kelly Haverkate. She took us out over the Willamette and set the basket down on the river. Then we went up to about 2,000 feet and drifted SSW 4 to 5 miles before setting down in a hay field. The trip took about an hour.
Each of the balloons has it's own chase car and ground crew that follows to bring you back to the airpark. When we got back, they had a champagne brunch ready for us. (There was juice if you didn't want the bubbly.)

Getting started

Open wide
Filling

Firing up
Looking up inside
Almost ready
First two off
3 up
Sunrise
The airpark
The WillametteOur reflection
2 on the river

Our chase car
3 down at Skookum Lake
We're down
Folding the balloon
In the bag
Kelly and us

It was a great day! Thanks girls for a wonderful Christmas present.

Spring Creek

The 16th of July we went to Spring Creek camping with the McMaster/McCumber clan. It was a great trip with excellant weather, good food, and lots of Solo and shootin' (Bull & bullets.) Speaking of Solo, Sam had a Spread Misere and broke up one game. (I could pay and had chips left over.) The rest of the game, she... Did I mention that Sam had a Spread Misere?
Ryan & Eva have a new baby boy, Joseph. Kendal & Lisa have the cutest Basset Hound pup, Holly. Holly is short for Hollywood. She and the baby were the stars of the show.


Breakfast Emma & Holly


Chatter

Claudia & Mom

'Cumber group

Mom & kids


Pround g-grandma

G-grandma 2

Settin in the shade

Jammin

Just fiddlin around



Lisa

The dancers

Worn out