Visit to Grand Island Nebraska Soldiers Home and Cemetery

As Nancy and I drove back from our visit in Utah on Thursday this past week to attend the Bolger family gathering in Iowa reported yesterday, we made a brief side trip to visit the cemetery in Grand Island, NE, where my great-grandparents, Michael and Maggie Smith, are buried: at the Nebraska Soldier's Home and Cemetery (he was a Civil War veteran).

We had a photo of the location in the cemetery, and wondered how hard it would be to find (note third photo down on the link...).

Here is my photo of the same location, which was fairly easy to find, having looked at the older shot:

Nancy came and took a couple of angles of me with the two stones... they were smaller and shorter than I expected. Interesting!  ;-)

Back at the building with the flag...

On the front was a register box, containing a register...

And, there they are, listed in the cemetery register - died in 1901 and 1902.

The cemetery is east of US 281 a couple of blocks. A couple of blocks further east is the Soldiers Home. Here is the front yard.

On the west side of the square - with back to the Cemetery a few blocks away, is a much older building, with PERSHING over the door - I suspect it may have been were they lived back in 1900 or so.

To my right, as I took this photo, are the much newer buildings - where current administration and some residents are housed, I assume.

We were very glad to have stopped and made the visit!

It was another very good day!  ;-)

Bolger gathering in Iowa at Al and Joleen Bolger's in Johnston

Friday evening, July 16, we had an informal family get-to-gather in Johnston, IA, as Bob and Carol and Bill and Nancy were able to arrange to converge their respective three-week journeys in central Iowa; and Al and Joleen made the necessary arrangements to get a great bunch of relatives together. Janice worked hard to pull it off, as well. Thanks to all involved.

Bob and Carol had been to Alabama, Tennessee and Wisconsin, among other stops in-between. Bill and Nancy had been in Utah, expecting to return through New Mexico and Oklahoma, but were able to divert to Colorado and Nebraska to be in Iowa.

Nancy and Janice were the first to arrive; seen here with Al and my computer.

Nancy, Chris Grimm and Bob are giving the food on the table a good examination!

Clair Conner in conversation with Tom Opperman; while Tom's wife, Rosie is distracted...

Carli and Larci Conner enjoyed the couch on the back patio.

Carol Bolger, Janice, and Carol Grimm in deep conversation... Bob and Chris chat in the background.

A bit later, Bob and Chris are on the patio with Carolyn. Rosie and Madison in the background.

Joleen came from work - here seen in conversation with Jacqui Thomas. Carol Grimm looks on.

Al and Joleen have made a lot of changes in the back yard. Here Al and Mark Thomas had made a swing around the back and are returning. I wanted an excuse to catch some of the flowers...  ;-)

OK... I really don't need an excuse for photos of more flowers...  ;-)

It was fun evening; great bunch of relatives, and lots of good conversation and memories shared!

It was, of course, another very nice day!  ;-)

Visit to TK in Ogden

On Friday, we were in Iowa, West Des Moines motel, for a Bolger family gathering at 6 p.m. More on that tomorrow.

I decided, Nancy concurred, that I should not pass up the opportunity to visit my brother, TK, in Ogden, about 40 minutes to the northwest. I was pretty sure brother Barry was still on his Canada trip, and I was right.

So, I dropped Nancy off at the home of her brother, Al Bolger, in Johnston, and headed up Highway 141 toward Woodward and  Perry. The US 169 turnoff is in between, and before long, I was in Ogden, turning right onto Walnut.

It was great to see TK at his house.

He wanted to show me all of his flowers. He moved in last fall, so hasn't had a full year yet to get things going. He gave me some seeds that I asked for. One was this "coneflower" - I may have the name wrong...

Red rose...

White rose...

Orange rose, I think... I like it!  ;-)

Day lilies....

Lilacs and Hollyhocks...

Corn, beans and onions...

Tomatoes, Cabbage and Beets...

They're going to be doing some digging on the back easement, so he will probably lose these two apple trees... the flowers can stay, of course.

Back in front.

We got to watch Tiger play his last few holes in the British Open while we talked. Neat!

Very glad I took the time to stop by. Headed back to supper, on schedule!


It was another very good day!  ;-)

Capital Reef Grand Wash walk part 2

Today I am posting a few more photos from a couple of days ago when Annette, Arrion, Alex and Kaylee went over to the park to the Grand Wash. These are photos by Arrion, so Annette is in them. It was the other way around, last time.

Kaylee appears to be ready to go.

Annette points the way to walk down the Grand Wash.

Up in the red rocks...

Alex, too...  ;-)

Annette teaching...  ;-)

Arrion got some good photos of the Indian Paint Brush along the way.

Annette and Alex took a little higher hike, while Arrion and Kaylee stayed below. Here they go...

Here is where they went...

It was quite a 'walk' for them... great experiences, again! Neat summer visit!

It certainly was another fine day!  ;-)

Last hike and cleaning to go home

Arrion, Alex, Kaylee and Annette are on the road to Austin (2 days) today; Nancy and I are on our way to Iowa (2 days) today. But, there were some photos from last late afternoon that are worthy of sharing on a page; so, the story of the Utah trip continues.

My computer work station was by the west deck glass doors this trip. Sitting there, I saw 'flash' below and to the right... seemed like an animal. I stood up, and what did I see, peering in the window at me!

Isn't he cute?

Nancy and Janice had been on the phone earlier in the afternoon. When Janice returned a call, she asked to speak to Kaylee, first. Here is Kaylee intently chattering away with Janice... 3 or 4 minutes. She is 2 and 2/3 years old. What could they have been talking about??  ;-) Eventually, the phone die get to Nancy.  ;-)

Annette had one more 'treasure' hidden, with a map, for Alex to hike to and find. While they were out, it started to rain... didn't last too long, but we feared they might get wet. Here, we finally spotted them, way up higher than where the 'treasure' was hidden - Alex had wanted to do higher!

They are on the left, center, Annette  has bright blue shirt you can see. Click on photos to get a larger photo. They are actually close enough we could hear them - by yelling, just a bit...  ;-)

A little closer in, hard to see, but right in the middle; the one above is telephoto - this is more normal.

I am on the west deck, looking south and a little west. Annette can be spotted left of center.

Across the wash, now...

Coming out of the wash. P. S. they ducked under a little tree, and didn't get wet at all!  ;-)

Later on, after supper was done, Annette got out the industrial strength vac, and began the first stage of cleanup. Alex thought that looked like 'fun!'

Kaylee felt that she really should be supervising, of course!  ;-)

It was another very good day! ;-)

Fruita Schoolhouse and leaves on water

This morning, Annette and I took Alex and Kaylee back over to the picnic area at Capital Reef, carrying two plastic bags of leaves, sticks and pine cones to "float down the stream." After, we stopped by the old Fruita one-room School... the ranger had it open... lucky timing.

Immediately upon arriving at the picnic area, the first thing we saw were four deer grazing.

After watching them for a while, we walked on down under the bridge, to float our materials down the stream - it was a little fuller than earlier in the week.

Here was a combination pine cone and leaf "boat" that Alex and Annette had made. They 'raced' them... Alex seems distracted by someone going across the bridge above, as they were about put their leaves in the running water.

Here I'm helping Kaylee with her floating devices...

As we were leaving this area, Kaylee picked dandelions... a common practice.

We got back in the Jeep, and went over to the old Fruita little school house. It is only open from 10-11:30 am... we got there about 10:30 am. Lucky!

The sign...

Neat little desks... this one-room school is a bit older, and smaller, than the one I went to in Iowa, but the fundamentals are all the same...  ;-)

Kaylee liked the chalkboard and eraser.

Alex found the dunce cap and chair in the corner to be much like "time out" today.

Kaylee didn't think much of the idea....  ;-)

Then, Annette suggested that Grandpa should take a turn...  ;-)

Back outside, we checked out a couple of the big rocks.

Annette took the kids photo near the carving on the rock behind the school - no outhouses; Alex was disappointed - not an official school, he said! ;-)

It was another very good day!  ;-)