Time to go - Day 5

"In all of us there is a hunger, marrow-deep, to know our heritage, to know who we are and where we came from."

~ Alex Haley 

I am grateful for the rich heritage I have. I am thankful for the lives of my grandparents, Edna and Theodore Federer. They were honest people who worked so hard. What a blessing to have a few days to reflect on their lives and the things they stood for. I see glimpses of them in my aunts and uncles, in my brothers, my sister, my nieces and nephews and my cousins. I am most grateful for the hope I have that I will see them again.

Day 5 ~ I had breakfast one more time with Aunt Bernice, Aunt Kay, Uncle Dale, my cousin Debbie and enjoyed another chance to here stories from the past. Then it was time to head for home. I enjoyed everyday of this trip.

I always get a kick out of these signs that are prevalent along I-80. Windy in Wyoming, that's an understatement. But I still love the prairies of Wyoming. The wind provides some very clean air and the beautiful skies I love!

 

One more pictures of the big, puffy clouds in Wyoming!
 

I came home in a powerful rainstorm that left some low clouds over the mountains around Highland. It was a beautiful site! How wonderful to get away but even better to come home to a family I love and that I know loves me. Thanks for letting me go!
 

Parker - Federer Reunion

My brother Lloyd and Aunt Bernice, Dad's sister

Day 4 ~ Sunday, September 13 was the Parker ~ Federer reunion. My Grandma was a Parker. She had one brother Frank and the reunion was held at his son Pat's farm in Laramie, Wyoming.

Dad's brothers ~ Carl "Bub" and Dale. They rarely take their cowboy hats off but they wanted to see who had the most gray hair. Uncle Dale wins but he is several years older!

  

Dad's brothers and sisters ~ Carl who lives a few miles outside of Cheyenne, Dale and Kay live in California and Bernice lives in Oklahoma. I haven't seen my Dad's brothers and sisters for a long time. We had so much fun reminiscing and I love hearing them tell stories. I laughed so much, I was exhausted by the end of the day. They all have a great sense of humor!

Uncle Carl's family ~ his wife Sharon, son Chad with his wife Tracy and two darling cowboys, Reece and Kaden. Back in the day, Uncle Bub was a big rodeo star!

   

Cousins ~ my niece Holley, her husband Enoch and son David Ivan, my brother Lloyd, cousin Debbie, my brother Kenny, me and cousin Mike.

   

I really enjoyed watching Dad's brothers and sister interact. Of course I wished my Dad could have been with us.

   

Uncle Dale with his daughter Debbie and son Mike.

 

 

This is my niece Holley's son, David Ivan. He came up to me and said, "Did you know that Grandpa Ivan had a STRONG testimony!" Well I said, "I sure did!" It's so wonderful that Holley keeps Dad's memory alive. 

I sure love my brothers, Kenny and Lloyd. 

They were my protectors growing up.

  

Aunt Kay is a lot like Grandma Federer. She was recently released from serving as a ward Relief Society president after 7 years! Remarkable!! I love and admire her so much.

Uncle Dale looks so much like Grandpa Federer. He was a physiology professor and taught at Cal Poly University in California for many years. He is our college man, as Aunt Bernice would say! He is a gentle, kind person.

My great-niece Elizabeth ~ looking like a moving star!

My sister Roseanne's daughter, Holley with Aunt Kay and Aunt Bernice. Holley had a special relationship with Grandma Federer. Grandma nicknamed her Flossie! Holley is a great mom and wife!

Holley with Aunt Bernice, she has a great memory. I love hearing her share stories of life on the homestead! She has been nanny for many years, very loving and sweet.

Kaden Federer will know doubt break a few hearts. 

He is so adorable!

 

Aunt Bernice with my oldest brother Kenny and his handsome son Jimmy. They won't take their cowboys hats off so their faces are always shaded!

Little cousins who can't resist playing in the dirt!

 

The Parker family

 

This is Pat Parker, he and his wife Rita were wonderful hosts. The food was so delicious! Pat is a big teddy bear and lots of fun. It was delightful to reconnect with all my relatives.

 What a terrific day!

Wyoming - Day 3

 

September 12 ~ Day three was spent visiting family and friends. I love taking a drive to the old place and I always see a few antelope. I had so much wild meat growing up that I never want to eat it again! But thankfully we had them as a back up or we might have went hungry a few times. 

 

So I missed Frontier Days this year but my brother Lloyd always has a rodeo going on at his place. He has a great ropin' arena and almost every Saturday he and his friends are there ropin' steers. I love watching them ~ they are real cowboys.

 

 

Lloyd has several beautiful horses. The trees in the background is the home where I grew up. I am so thankful Lloyd still lives nearby.

 

Lloyd with his magnificent horse, Chief!

 

Lloyd still breaks all his horses. He looks so handsome riding Chief.

 

Lloyd and the other guys enjoy a friendly contest to see who can rope the steers in the best time. They have a lot of fun and someone wins a few dollars each time!

 

 

 Lloyd got his steer!

  My nephew Jimmy was his partner.

 

I waited a few seconds too long to snap this picture so all I got was the dust!

 

  

This is the home where I grew up. It has changed a little over the years, a few additions and a new barn. It was actually my Uncle Louie homestead but he did not like the farm life so he move to town. Dad inherited the place after he was married and all my brothers and sister were raised in this house.

 

Another view of my home. My bedroom was on this side. Dad planted all those trees.

 

Grandma and Grandpa Federer's homestead ~ hard to believe it's almost 100 years old. I took many walks with my Grandma up and down this road. We had great conversations and I learned important lessons from her. My brother Les and I would walk to her house almost everyday. What a blessing to live so close to my grandparents.

 

So I went back to town and drove by Glenn and Johnnie Belle's home. Doug Fowler still lives there and he has had this same car for 30 years or more!

 

I also had a wonderful visit with Richard and Judy Brown. Remember that Richard baptized me. It will be 29 years on October 4! I love, love Judy and Richard! Richard hopped on his scooter to show me the way to Julie and Tucker's home.

 

What a doll. I think Cali looks like Cindy Lou Who! She has big beautiful eyes!

 

My niece Julie and her husband Tucker have 3 adorable and very busy daughters ~ Kashli, Carly and Cali. They have a gorgeous home which they are still trying to sell. It was so fun to see them! 

 

I had such a nice visit with my sweet Mom. She has several health problems but she is brave and keeps a positive attitude. I love her so much!

Mom gave me this baby picture of my Dad. It hung in our dining room. I have wanted a copy for so long ~ thank you Mom. 

 

She also gave me a few beautiful teapots. She knows how much I love dishes. The teapots are Lefton china imported into the United States by the George Zoltan Lefton Company. The company was founded by Lefton, (an immigrant from Hungary) after he arrived in Chicago, Illinois in 1939 and established the company in 1940. George was one of the first American businessmen to enter post-war Japan, and he worked with a Japanese-American named Nunome who helps him to arrange the commercial contracts and became his business agent in Japan. Early Lefton china was imported into the U.S. with a "Made in Occupied Japan" mark, used in the years immediately following World War II commencing in about 1946. The company is still in business today, and still makes collector series such as the Colonial Village Collection introduced in 1987, the Historic American Lighthouse Collection in 1991, and the Great American Carousal Collection in 1995. The teapots Mom gave me are trimmed in gold with beautiful roses.

 

Another fun day!

Big Wonderful Wyoming

 

September 10 ~Day 1

I made my annual trek to Wyoming last week. I started out Thursday and went a different route. I cut off at Rawlins and went through Casper to Douglas. I haven't been that way since 1997 and it's much more scenic than I-80 but then most roads are more scenic than I-80! I forget that southeast Wyoming does have some beautiful mountain ranges. It was also fun to see Martin's Cove, Independence Rock and the Sweetwater River. I always think about the pioneers as they passed through this area on their way to the Salt Lake Valley. Wyoming was not real kind to them.

 

 

 Independence Rock

 

  

 Pretty drive to Douglas

 

Wyoming skies

 

  

It was a beautiful overcast day. I made it to Douglas and spent the night there. My cell phone rang shortly after I arrived. It was my friend Susan calling from Ecuador. I was in the middle of nowhere and couldn't believe I was talking to her. Modern technology ... is really something!

 "Home of the Jackalope"

 

The Jackalope legend in the U.S. was attributed by the New York Times in 1932 to Douglas Herrick (1920–2003) of Douglas, Wyoming, and thus the town was named the "Home of the Jackalope" by the state of Wyoming in 1985. According to the Douglas Chamber of Commerce, a 1930s hunting trip for jackrabbits led to the idea of a jackalope. Herrick and his brother had studied taxidermy by mail order as teenagers. When the brothers returned from a hunting trip, Herrick tossed a jackrabbit carcass into the taxidermy shop, which rested beside a pair of deer antlers. The accidental combination of animal forms sparked Douglas Herrick's idea for a jackalope. The Douglas Chamber of Commerce has issued thousands of Jackalope Hunting Licenses to tourists. The tags are good for hunting only during official Jackalope season, which occurs for only one day: June 31, from midnight to 2 AM. The hunter may not have an IQ greater than 72. Funny!

September 11 ~ Day 2  

The reason I took this route is so I could visit my niece Heather in Lusk, which is about 50 miles from Douglas. She will be in Lusk for a time and I haven't seen her for a long time ~ too long. I passed by this quaint old country church that probably doubled as a school house. It's abandoned but I imagined a time when they held services for the farmers in the area. It is so remote and I am sure a church meant so much to the early settlers in Wyoming.

 

I really loved the bell tower!

 

 

I passed by this town, Lost Springs and did a double take when I saw "Population 1." Only in Wyoming!

I had a wonderful visit with Heather, some very tender moments. We were laughing one minute and crying the next. I was so glad I took the time ~ never mind that I went 500 miles to see her!! She is a person with grace, with courage and confidence. She has an inner strength that I know comes from knowing and believing that she is a daughter of God. She is facing a challenge right now but it has not diminished her spirit or her faith. She is a shining light to all those around her. I love her!