The Annual Post

Ohio and Idaho families - this post is for you.  Everyone else has been or will be corralled for the dreaded picture show..... Where to start??????  Hmmm.... remember this freezingly delightful day?  We are the luckiest Bama and Pampa for sure!

We have to have food included ..... right?

Bowron Lakes has to at least make an appearance on this blog.

I had a delightful time with Bel and Jack at the White House Fruit Farm

and at the Wetlands/Goose Poop Park

One of my proudest moments in Ohio was negotiating the circuitous route to church (in Pennsylvannia)  and managing to stay for the whole three hour block and make it home 5 hours later with 2 happy children.  Thank you iphone!  I had a great time.  Thanks for leaving town Millers.  The only way for grandma to make it to the top of the list is for mom and dad to be gone.

Then home for one busy day to prepare to visit Gordo and Jess in Slovenia.  This was an amazing trip for me.  I would never have made it to these places if not to visit them.  What great traveling companions they are.  We had a blast.

We arrived in a downpour in Ljublijana, and visited the castle on the hill and Jessie's beautiful Botanical Garden.  She volunteers there most days, and do they ever love her there.  The boss spent two hours taking us around the garden.

After Gordo finished school we took off for Croatia.  We drove down the Istrian Peninsula visiting two amazing hilltop villages on the way.  This was completely by accident.  We just needed to stretch our legs, and chance led us to these rural treasures with not one single tourist except us.  There is no  space for cars.  These are walking villages.  If there is any space each home has a grape arbor and a vegetable garden.  Both villages has a square with a defunct well.  Probably the center of the town in earlier days.

We stopped at another village while waiting for the ferry to Losinj Island called Brsic.  It would be the perfect place to retreat from the world and write the great American (or Croatian) novel.  Just as an aside - I would sure love to play Scrabble with these words.  No vowels - no problem.  J K C B are in every word right next to each other.  There were lots of beautiful front doors marked Sobe (room for rent) or Apartmans.  I was dying to look inside each one.  Most have outdoor spaces as well.  Tell me you don't want to move in here for a month....... looking out over the Adriatic Sea.

and going to church here.

I would do it if I could live with these folks.

Adam and Eve

Behind the blue door?????

It was a lovely drive down the Istrian Peninsula to catch the ferry to Losinj (lo- shing)  This is where cousin Harlan from Munich vacations.  Maybe in summer it would be full of naked tourists but in April it was lovely walking through the towns and harbors and along rocky beaches, finding the next gelato shop.

Theda May Jackson Brockbank

I was thinking about Meet Joe Black today.  At the end Susan tells Brad Pitt,  "I wish you could have known my father."  Well my dears, I wish you could have known my mother.  She was a stellar woman.  Today she would have been 89 years old.  She was born on Mother's Day in 1923.

I think this was Mother's Day 1956.  Even then I adored my mom.

She loved being a mom, but she was quite the taskmaster.  I remember sitting with her on the piano bench or sawing on the violin while she cooked.  We were enrolled in more lessons than anyone I knew.  I had piano twice a week, violin twice a week, ballet, primary and saturday chores.  I think we may have rested on the sabbath, but in those days of meetings all day long, I am not sure you would call it rest.  I don't remember ever 'playing' after school.

Aunt Laura K is holding Jan, and I am with mom, in Petaluma.  She was a woman with boundless energy, and high expectations of herself and her children.   I remember being dropped off and ballet lessons in downtown Salt Lake and told to get a ride home.  My timid self was too shy to ask for a ride, so I walked all the way home in my leotard and ballet slippers.  Jan remembers being left at the piano teacher for three hours after her lesson ended.  But now I understand more, that not many people can do the 50 lessons a week shuttle for 5 children.  

I think all this drive to excel affected my siblings differently.  Eileen is just like mom - driven to give her children every opportunity and to be on the bench cheering at every game and recital.  My reaction was to never make anyone do anything they didn't want to do - though there were still plenty of games and recitals..... just a lot more playing after school and skiing on saturdays.

I look at these old photos and realize I am more Brockbank than Jackson, but I see lots of her traits in my children.  Abby your smile is Aaallllll Teddy!

 Pretty fun to see the evidence of your mom as the BYU homecoming queen!

When mom died in 1971 I didn't really understand what I was going to miss.  We were 5 sad children, but my sorrow only grew and deepened when I passed different milestones in life without her.  I have often felt inadequate as a mother because I never got to watch what she did with teenagers.  I know she has been proud and disappointed at different times in me, but I have always felt her support and encouragement.  I always felt like my children knew her in heaven before you came to me.  I hope so.

She was a great woman.  She had a strong testimony of the gospel.  She loved her family.  She gave me, and all of mine a great heritage, and example to follow.  Happy Birthday, and Happy Mother's Day  today my blessed mother.  I love you!

social event of the season

Such a happy happy day
Just love this shot of the colorful bikes.


In my mind this will always be remembered as the 'emergency family photo'..... It is amazing how hard it is to get us all together in the same place at the same time. I sure do love these people a lot!

This is the fourth time we have had our picture taken under this favorite magnolia tree at a wedding, but this is the first time it has been in bloom! Thanks for the beautiful spring date Gordo and Jessi!

Just thought I would share a few photos from a lovely lovely day!

Springtime in Alaska

We saw some wonderful sights.... lots of glaciers, water, mountains, and the Anchorage Temple. We had an almost private cruise on the ferry to Whittier, and the most amazing Roasted Spring Vegetable and Prawn Salad in this beautiful new hotel in Whittier. You know I am all about the food!




I know you are all dying to see what could be so great to distract us from wedding plans in May. Since we never managed to corral everyone for the slide show, here is a little taste.

We took this trip to see the STOL competition (short take off landing) It was a big deal in Valdez. The whole community shows up. Most of the businesses closed - or moved to the airport for the day. Everyone brings their lawn chairs and huddles in blankets to watch. We had turkey legs and rosemary garlic fries from the vendors. There are hundreds of planes lined up on the flightline, and the pilots pitch their tents under a wing to camp. It is a pilot's nirvana. We strolled the flightline and dad talked airplanes with the pilots. Then the competition started. They line up in groups of 5 to take off..... circle the pattern and then land. It was pretty amazing what they can do - taking off and landing in less than 100 feet. I believe the winner landed in 42 feet. This orange plane from Ultima Thule Outfitters was flown twice, by a father and son. The dad has won for the last three years - Paul Claus. The family lives in the middle of the Wrangell-St. Elias wilderness year round. Check out ultimathulelodge.com for when you have lots of money for a vacation!

They strip the planes of everything not crucial. They handprop so they can take out the starter motor. We watched Claus drain the gas, and add only the quart or two that was needed to make the loop around the pattern. It was also interesting that these planes made it in. The clouds were so low, and they fly in from everywhere..... just under the clouds. We drove the Richardson Highway from Anchorage to Valdez three days before the contest. We talked to someone who drove it the day before, and saw a Super Cub in a rest area at the side of the road. He could not clear the pass under the clouds, so he landed on the highway and taxied to the rest area to wait for the clouds to lift a little. Only in Alaska!

Gordo and Jess

I thought this was worth my once a year post. Isn't this the cutest couple? It snowed here last night (again) and was so cold, but Jessie has these great connections so they had their photos taken at the USU greenhouse and at Edgewood where the wedding party will be. I thought they turned out so well I just had to share a little preview so all you out of town sibs could share in the excitement!

Beekeeping by the wussy watcher

Dad and Lee checking up on all "the girls"

Sorry I am such a good blogger that you will need to read this post backwards.
Home sweet home...... dad now has 4 hives in the backyard and two in Smithfield
It sounded like gallons of sand being poured into the box
Dad and Lee getting ready to pull the bees out of the tree
This is their new home - waiting for occupancy
I think I am pretty brave to go take this photo without a bee suit!


Three days ago I was watering the flowers under the apple tree. I was wondering why there were so many bees buzzing around because the blossoms were gone and the tree is all leafed out.... I casually looked up over my head, and YIKES!!!! this is what I saw; a huge (to me) swarm of bees. I ran in the house and shut all the doors and called my favorite beekeeper. I am including all these photos of the tree, so you can see the dark bowling ball sized swarm in the apple tree.

THE LUCKIEST GRANDMA

This is what we woke up to this morning - April 6...... Happy Spring?
These are my Easter flowers
I know this is really late to post - but this little nugget was just too sweet to keep to myself. You all know that I spent the month of February being a grandma - to my delight! I was sleeping in Abby's basement the first night after I arrived on the train. Early in the morning - still black dark - this sweet little boy came and climbed in bed with me. Henry knows how to snuggle too. He whispered to me..... " you are the luckiest grandma"

Oh Henry... I agree, I agree!