Getting to visit with our son and family!

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June 14-16
Got up and fixed breakfast for the whole bunch, it was terrific! Silvia brought over pancake mix, you know the yellow bottle of mix and you add water and shake like crazy? This was so funny because when Ty and Silvia were first married and Katelyn was small we all lived in the Denver area. We would meet in a campground within a 100 miles or so from home and my parents would drive down from Laramie and meet us in their camper. This would go on all summer long from 1996-2000. It was a grand time every weekend playing cards, Hand & Foot, in the evening all crowded into to Ty’s tent camper or our pickup camper. The most fun was always Saturday mornings big breakfast, pancakes, bacon, lots of it, and eggs. The pancakes would always be those yellow bottle ones we could just add water! It just tradition for our family camping trips! My dad would always say: “We don’t need all this!” Then he’d eat a whole bunch of bacon! It was so funny and predictable! So sad he’s gone and can’t camp with us anymore. I’d like to think in the background he’s complaining this morning that we don’t need all this. I put in extra sausage in just for him!

Everyone did have plenty this morning and Red and Dottie got the extra eggs and even a sausage! David was feeling much better but I think almost comatose from all the sugar in the syrup. After breakfast we all went to visit with Gene & Nan. Ty and David put a new thermostat in Ty’s Navigator because it was acting up pulling the camper from Denver. Ty and David fixed it on the curb in front of Gene’s house. In no time at all it was all done, which was good because the wind and rain showed up right after.

At 6pm we all went to meet at “The Library” which is a local restaurant and microbrewery. It’s new, at least to us but in the location of the old Fireside bar. We chose dinner here for all thirteen of us, our whole family plus a childhood friend of Ty’s, Mike Bayne. Mike and his wife and girls are now living back in Laramie. Mike’s Mother, Mina, was our boys principal and teacher when they attended grade school at the University Prep school. Mike’s girls are attending Prep now. Both Mina and her husband Chuck attended the dinner as well. Gene & Nan’s girls also attended Prep and knew Mina, Chuck and of course Mike so there was a whole lot of reminiscing and story telling going on. The dinner was good but the company was just the best and we are so happy we could all get together again. For Ty, it was especially nice to get to see Mike and his family again. There is something very special about friendships that develop when you are kids, they often are the ones that last a lifetime.

On Saturday, we celebrated Father’s Day since Ty would have to leave Sunday to head back to Denver. He’d decided he’d just put the camper in the storage lot of the campground since he’d be back down next weekend. This would give him a chance to not stress the Navigator and see if it needed more work.

David and I went and bought eight porter house steaks and fix’ens to put on a feast for the whole gang. Stacy came back down too so we took over the cooking duties from Gene & Nan, and before long had a great feast to celebrate David, Gene and Ty. We were so full after that dinner that we headed back to the campers and called it an early night.

Sunday morning the gang showed up for breakfast and I fixed a quick breakfast burritos so they could get on the road. Ty moved the camper over to dry storage until next weekend. With sadness we said goodbye once again as they headed for home. David and I focused on chores and cleanup the rest of the day. I did laundry and David ran Red and Dottie back and forth to the dog park. For dinner David and I drove into town to go to Taco Johns. This was a favorite place of ours when we lived here. It was built right next door to where I lived and my parents and their business. We had an apartment in the back of the business for many years. Our wedding reception was there too. Funny all the things you think about. Anyway, Taco Johns has been there since 1969 and so David and I drove in to eat at this little drive-in place. We reminisced the entire time about all the things that have changed except this little place and the food. We really enjoyed it. When we got home Red and Dottie were ready to go for a walk but it was short and we called it an early night after a little TV.

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Photos

Rekindling old friendships!
Mike & Ty

The beef! 8 porterhouses steaks on the grill!
They were so so good!