Two by Two

"What's distinctive about this week?" I wondered on Friday, August 7. Then I realized I'd already been to three weddings and wedding showers since Monday and was attending Steve Kimball's wedding ceremony on Saturday night. That was distinctive.

The variety of couples whose marriages we celebrated was amazing. The first reception was for Richard Hunter and his bride, Jenny. They were charming, and both lifelong Mormons who had met in Sunday School. Richard is an accountant and Jenny a vivacious, tall, blond elementary school teacher who seems delightfully similar to Richard's sisters Lena, Rebecca, and Rachel.

As the week progressed, there were other charming couples with more diverse backgrounds--Mormons and non-Mormons, converts and born-in-the-faith, Danish, African-American, and Hispanic. The sons and daughters of our tiny neighborhood have enjoyed the rich diversity of the world.

Gretta was kitchen help for two of the events. She was flattered to be trusted with that essential item, the chicken salad, at the shower for Rick Hansen and Sylvia, who will both attend Harvard Business School this fall. It was the reception for Julie Monson's daughter, Kari, though, and her art gallery-owning husband Thomas, that inspired the neighborhood's creativity.

Julie threw a sumptuous buffet, supplemented by contributions from the ward ladies. Gretta made a gallon of sour cream sauce for Julie's whole poached salmon and a half gallon of Thai peanut sauce for the grilled chicken skewers. Karen Derrick mixed the salad, Janet Hunter delivered to Julie the pink roses from Richard's reception, and Nancy Monson made twenty-eight dozen orange rolls.And yes, with Julie's artistic brilliance, the tables and flowers were gorgeous.

After showers and receptions, we were ready for a real wedding. The Kimball's backyard was transformed as Steve married his fiance, lovely Yeti, under a trellis draped with white net.

The Kimball sisters were there, with their cute children, arranging the food and the cake.

It was a great gathering of many dear neighborhood friends,

presided over by one of our very favorite people, Robyn Kimball.

Grant Calder's 100th Birthday Party

We knew it was a big deal when Mike Spendlove arrived home from NYC to attend and Uncle Kent flew in from Washington, D.C. The event? Grant Calder's 100th birthday. We were sad that Grant couldn't be there, but we had a great time, even in his (physical) absence.

The gang was (almost) all there--Kent, Scott and Jean, Gretta and Dave, Scott and Tara, Grant and Jamie, David and Vanessa, Michael, and Jonny and Jenny, along with a generous selection of Grant's nieces and nephews on the Calder side, and even Quinn and Shirley McKay, who worked with Dad at the University of Rangoon. Unfortunately, Gretta was so busy getting food on the table that she delegated the picture taking. The delegee snapped only some family members...

and the cousin pictures were wildly unflattering.

Maybe Uncle Scott has some better ones.

The food was great, though, with lots of Grant Calder's favorites--fried chicken, corn on the cob, raspberries and other fresh fruit.

Kent bought bottles of every Coke product he could find and lined them all up on a table, for guests to admire and choose from. There was homemade ice cream and birthday cake for dessert.

Then, everyone told stories about Grant, and we showed a video containing both photos of Grant and some of Grant's own best photographs.

Kent and David Calder did a great job of blowing up the helium balloons, and Jamie, David, and Grant festooned them around the yard.

The yellow/purple/green flowers and tablecloths made Gretta and Dave's backyard really festive.

"You fooled everyone into having a reunion," Susie Liechty's husband whispered. We did, and it was fabulous!

Come as a Dude, Leave as a Cowboy

Six parties per year. That's Dave's and Gretta's challenge as Emigration Fourth Ward Activities Committee chairmen. Party #3 went down on August 1, smooth and fabulous. Ed and Janie Rogers hosted "Come as a Dude, Leave as a Cowboy--10 Things to do Before You Kick the Bucket" at their 6000 acre ranch near Park City. There were 10 possible activities, from a Mexican lunch to eating Dave's Dutch oven desserts to watching a James Garner western movie on a 22-foot screen, to playing pool and admiring Western art and shooting clay pigeons and riding horses. Jonny was in Chicago at a pre-law school study course, but Jenny and her sister Tess came with Dave and Gretta to become cowboys.
The first event was a Mexican lunch, served from a restaurant-in-a-van that pulled right up to Ed's door. We then awarded prizes for the best Western costumes. Darrell and Nancy took first place.

We liked Kim Wilson's snakeskin boots and Vickie's red pepper necklace, and we liked the way the Jones family wangled all four of their little kids into hats and bandanas.

And we really liked Senja's Finnish/Western look (She's from Helsinki and describes herself as "almost Finnish-ed"). Darrell taught Gretta how to shoot a pistol.


Jenny and Tess tried shooting clay pigeons and almost made it (Ben Rogers, the expert, said their shots came within 18" of the target).
We also enjoyed just hanging out with the real marksmen.
And then we all walked to the barn to go riding, some with more style than others....We left the Rogers ranch that afternoon as cowboys, or at least as better-trained wannabes.