101st day on Wii FIt

I have now passed the 100 day mark doing Wii Fit exercises. I do it every other day, regularly, for 30 minutes of recorded exercise every session. I still do a mix of yoga, balance board, aerobics and strength routines... just change up the order, occasionally, so as not to tire of them. Also, sometimes I repeat different ones to try to do certain exercises better, or get a higher score.

I have also maintained my weight loss, to date. I'm at lowest since I gained back the weight after having heart thing early in 2006... about 10 pounds under what had been "normal" for a couple of years. Need to go on down, slowly.

It was another very good day! ;-)

Tree Removal

I'll go into more detail on a new Smith Activities webpage, but here is a quick update on the tree removal that occurred, without incident, today. Sad, but necessary. Here was the sad looking tree before - like seen yesterday out the window with the humming bird... it did come back, this afternoon, without the tree. Whew! ;-)


They came with chain saws and heavy-duty chipper. It could handle up to about 5-6 inch branches, whole....


Then, the boss came with the stump remover - more chips - no tree. Bare cabin left behind.

It was a very good, if sad, day! ;-)

FIrst Hummingbird

We hung out a humming bird feeder about a month ago, in the midst of a bunch of blooming red flowers. This early evening, Nancy finally saw a humming bird and was able to get the camera and catch it. Later on, I saw it too! Pretty big deal, for us! Good picture through window and screen!


Doesn't seem to have the red throat, so likely is the female. Now we can watch to see if there is actually a pair. What fun!


Tomorrow, the tree service people are supposed to come a remove out dead tree. Another major turning point in the life of the cabin.

Jillian picked Ed on Bachlorette.

It was a very good day! ;-)

BIFF post corrections

Thanks to Larry for correcting a couple of errors in my BIFF story, yesterday. In my enthusiasm, I mixed up some parade information, for instance. Here is his statement:

Nice coverage of the BIFF. Couple of small corrections. This parade does not run both directions; rather it travels at near 50 mph (fastest parade in the U.S.) from Torrey to the Bicknell theatre. Both the July 4th Apple Days parade in Torrey and the County Fair parade in Loa do go both ways.

The parade lines up at sidestreet in Torrey, next to the Chuckwagon - - that is where Annette got chalked outline. Then at 7 p.m. the parade heads to Bicknell for the first movie of the festival. Lots of fun again this year.

Thanks, again, Larry.

It is another very good day! ;-)

BIFF Weekend in Wayne County, Utah

The Bicknell International Film Festival (BIFF), not far from Annette and Larry's home in Utah, has distinctive aspects that are difficult to explain. I'll refer you to the BIFF website (be sure to scroll to the bottom to see the schedule of activities). This year the theme is Gangster and Gun Molls - and the film festival features the worst movies on this theme that they can find... putting it real simple.

Annette and Larry dress up for the parade and decorate the jeep as well. Below is one photo of Annette, in costume, with Larry driving the get-away jeep in the parade... they go "through town" one direction, turn around, and go through town again, in the opposite direction. You get to see both side of the vehicles, without moving... not a real large town, needless to say (Bicknell is the name of the town - a few miles from Teasdale). [See Monday post for corrected information on this narrative. Thanks!]


Gangsters usually end up on the wrong end of the stick, so they apparently played that out too, before going to the dance! Here is Annette, getting her due... in chalk, with a "reporter" trying to "interview" her...


The Bicknell International Film Festival (BIFF) is a lot of fun for the whole county. Folks all participate, either in the parade or as the audience. Kids love it as well. [Last year was a more western theme, with bad western movies... changes each year!]

It was another very good day ;-)

Ok, I changed my profile photo on Facebook

Based on the one comment I got, yesterday, from Allison, I did change my profile photo on Facebook to the mischievous nine year old look. I do kind of like it. We'll see how it wears.

Allison came over for Pizza, salad, and finished the lemon cake, this evening. We played Wii Sports for a couple of hours to work off the pizza. Played tennis, golf and bowling - our favorites, not necessarily the ones we each are best at. Pretty even, round robins, overall. Fun!

It was a very good day! ;-)

Bill at 9 year old - Mom still called me Billie

This is cropped from a larger photo, but I just love the look in my eyes... the happy smile. It was the summer of 1948, so I was nine. Been thinking of using it for my Facebook photo. What do you think?


Allison came over this evening for lemon cake and orange serbet.... been playing Animal Crossing.

It is a very good day! ;-)

More Angel Food Cake photos

I doubt I can beat July 1, 1941 - this was two years old - at my table in the yard on the farm. Do you suppose anyone else got a piece? I don't see any other chairs, for mom or day??!

OK, here is five years old. Cake looks very familiar, what do you think?
I think this one was going to be shared - photo just staged to record the event.

Nancy made a lemon cake with lemon frosting, that we have been eating on, since it isn't my birthday anymore, and not yet hers. Pretty good - but not as good a white angel food, with white frosting!!

It was another very good day! ;-)

House on Boulder Mountain

Annette posted a new photo she took, today, of their house in Utah, from up the horse/cattle trail, the "Old Horse Trail," that they hiked, following some rancher friends on horseback. She reported this on Facebook, and included the following photo, among a few others.


Annette's description is: "The photo does a nice job showing how our house is on a knoll back in the canyon with the view out toward the valley."

Thank you, Annette, for sharing. NEAT!

It was a very good day! ;-)

White Angel Food Cake with White Frosting

This cake has a long tradition, for me and in my family, as birthday cake. I do have an older photo, but this one is probably spring of 1947 for Jim's 3rd birthday. I would have been approaching eight years old.



This photo is taken on the east side of the farm house, before the big new "porch" was added... you can see the doors to the cellar steps on the right. How about those outfits? It must have been Sunday!! ;-)

With rain in the Ozarks, it was another very nice day! ;-)

Family Photo in Sept 1962 - 4 gen

I've been doing some work on old photos to move toward using them in the new website by decades. Here is one from the early 1960s that has always been a favorite.


Nancy and I, holding Annette, Eileen and Pete Smith, Grandma Dorothy and Grandpa Paul Kinnick sitting down, of course. We had been married just over 3 years. Photo taken in front of the kitchen of the Smith farm house. Seems so obvious, but I suppose it is important to identify all those things. Interesting reminder.

Rained this afternoon, really cooled off nicely. Great on a July 20 afternoon.

It is another very good day!

Checked out the Clubhouse for Anniversary gathering

We went over to the Clubhouse today to take some photos for Arrion as she continues the planning for the August 8 family gathering for our 50th Anniversary (actually on the 7th, of course) Celebration.

Lots of nice tables and chair, kitchen, and a flat screen tv at the front of the room.

It was a very good day! ;-)

New Smith Family Activities and History Website

Along with continuing this and my other blogs, I have initiated a new Smith Family Activities and History Website that is intended to connect all of the internet activities of our family all in one location, utilizing the escrapbooking.com server that Annette and Larry will be maintaining into the indefinite future.

This will also be the site where I will be able to share with everyone many of the photos we have from the past that have not yet been digitized, and to organize those that have. The site is organized by decades, in the 21st century, in the 20th century, and even earlier... eventually.

An RSS feed has been set up on the What's New page, that I use to record the work that is done on the site. Annette helped my set it up like their Travel Log pages. It is much like a blog; except comments need to come via email... Using the RSS, you can get notified of each update on your igoogle page, just like a blog.

Here is the What's New page: http://www.escrapbooking.com/smith/whatisnew.html

It was a very good day! ;-)

Poetry Night at Entrada Institute in Torrey

Larry and Annette and I went to the monthly Entrada Institute meeting in the Robber's Roost Book Store in Torrey, Utah, last Friday night. They posted a bunch of photos taken at the meeting, and we were in one. Notice how attentive we are to our presenter.


It was another very good day! ;-)

Sombrero Bill

I was only in the Flute Shop for a few minutes, but Annette got this photo of me trying on a Sombrero - oh lay! or whatever! ;-)


It was another good day! ;-)

P.S. I'm writing these up in the Hampton Inn, in Las Vegas, as we get ready for our early morning flight, tomorrow, to Little Rock via Dallas. Yesterday, we went up to Donkey Reservoir on the 4-wheel drive roads in the Jeep. That was an adventure... to be shared later on. ;-)

Is that Dave Letterman?

Outside the Nature Center, on the porch, on Saturday, they had this sign, to stick your face in. The kids did it too, of course, but when I tried it, it looked David Letterman, don't you think?!?! It least at first glance...

It was a good day, anyway! ;-)

Kaylee and the Teepee

Tried to put this photo on with Sunday, put could not get two photos to work together...


Still at the Flute Shop, they had this teepee outside. Ben and I each tried to get her to go look at it. She wouldn't get close. A little later, she got more "explorative" and walked out almost to it... and turned around and walked back. I got this shot, just as she turned around.

It was a very good day! ;-)

Cow - at the Flute Shop

Kaylee, 20 months, now calls most animals "cow" - from one of her books. She is talking much more, even in two or three word sentences... but, most animals are "cow." We all went to the Nature Center, a building for kids activities, at Capital Reef yesterday. Had a picnic lunch nearby, then took the kids over to the nature center... we were the only ones there, with the volunteer ranger. Real nice. During the picnic, we did see a deer - that see called "cow" - of course.


On the way home, we stopped at "The Flute Shop" - curios as well as flutes, right along Highway 12, the main road up Boulder Mountain. Ben and I took turns keeping Kaylee busy outside, so her little hands didn't grab at something she shouldn't have. One fun turn of events, right outside the door, is shown in the photo - she pointed and said: "Cow!" And she was right, of course. ;-)

It was a very good day! ;-)

Firepit on Boulder Mountain

Larry has built/is building a neat firepit just off the back deck of the house. They had roasted marshmallows the night before we came. Alex wanted to do it again. In the picture, Larry is getting fire ready, as Nancy and Alex look on, in anticipation.


This is the last day here, for the Rathsacks. We plan to go over to the Nature Center at Capital Reef.

It is another very good day! ;-)

Alex caught a fish - three, actually

Alex and Ben and Larry and Annette went fishing this morning, at Mill Meadow Reservoir. This was one of the highly anticipated Rathsack vacation events. He caught three fish, early on. We are all thankful. It was a good activity. They did throw all the fishes back, today.

Here is a photo, courtesy of Arrion.

We all went out to a new local pizza place for supper - really good, enjoyed by all!

It was a very good day! ;-)

"Watching" the grandkids

Got to be quick. Watching a 20 month old and a 5 year old... from early morning until into the evening... at the house on the mountain in Utah.

Do I need to mention they are full of life - Grandma is now playing Wii Sports with Alex and Kaylee is taking a nap. We may actually get through the day! I'll let you know.

Arrion and Ben, Annette and Larry are out in the mountains hiking and seeing the territory, adult entertainment. Having fun! ;-)

It is a very good day! ;-)

Kaylee Junior Park Ranger

We leave for Utah in the morning (Tuesday) for week on the mountain. Here is one of many photos posted by Arrion on Facebook, of their visit so far - this one at Capital Reef National Park.
See you soon, Kaylee - and the rest of you, as well, of course!

It is a very good day! ;-)

Federer and Tiger today

We (Allison, Nancy and I) went to the Dick Clark American Bandstand Grill mid-afternoon yesterday. Allison and I had the "4th of July Buffet" - Nancy had the chicken tenders - a huge plate. Music was continuous from the 50s and 60s with tvs around. A little noisy for Nancy, she said.

Federer beat Roddick in 16-14 5th set for this 15th Grand Slam title. I tuned in at 6-7 in 5th, and couldn't go back to golf. Tiger just teed off at Congresional.

Nancy came up with this photo from Utah house off of her camera from May - that we thought was lost. We'll be out there in Utah, again, in a few days.


I'm in the "dining room" - the photo looking south - note the humming bird feeder. To the left, in this photo, is the great view of the Capital Reef National Park red cliffs.

It is another very good day! ;-)

Happy 4th of July!

Hope all are enjoying our National Holiday - each in your own special way.

Finished the last piece of birthday cake for brunch. My day is doing well, so far.

I has been a very good day! ;-)

Happy 70th Birthday to me!

Lots of others have wished me happy birthday - THANKS! - so I'll add one of my own. Went for a walk, lots of Animal Crossing, FarmTown, and Farmville playing, and haven't had lunch yet.

Nancy has the traditional angel food cake baked - frosting pending! A good life.

Next challenge is finding a new barber to cut my hair - this week. Big trauma, but good opportunity, as well.

So far, it is a very good day! ;-)