Mike Madden sent me some photos he and his brother, Sean, took when they hiked Yosemite. Here are two photos. Mike says Sean is clinging to him for dear life in one of the photos - I think the second one but I couldn't find either of them in the picture. Rose recognized the areas - or claimed she did. She did say lots of the places looked alike. She and her group hiked during the day but made their way back to a very comfortable lodge and some fabulous meals in the evening. They weren't exactly roughing it!

It's been a while since my last post so I maY forget some things. I came back from Louisville just in time to miss what Ike did to it. The boys didn't have school for a week. Jalen didn't mind that at all. There are 15 Domino stores in Louisville and only 4 of them had power. I forget when Scott's electricity at home finally came back on. He worked 70 hours that week.

Doug and Suzanne went to the lake last weekend with the kids and another couple. Lucas finally likes riding in the boat. They caught 26 crappie and had great weather.

I stayed home. Rose gave a talk to he Jungian group on the principles of Jungian psychotherapy. It was well attended and well received. I was quite proud. That was last week on Friday night. Chris came and got me on Saturday evening and took me to their house for dinner. On Sunday Goldman and I went over to Alton and visited with Fat Jack. He is in an assisted living facility and has appointed himself entertainment director. He says he has to be there so is making the best of it.

Yesterday Karen picked me up and took me to see the Cardinals play Arizona. It was the first time I had been to the new stadium. Cards won 12-3.

Chris, Shelly, Goldman, and I went to Macaroni Grill for dinner last night. There was no occasion - we just went out to eat.

Margaret and Norm came back from North Carolina last week but it looks loke they're going to have to go again soon. They've moved Norm's sister, Emma, to a hospice there in North Carolina and I think she's suffering a lot.

I'll try to update more often and hope some of the other contributors do so too.

I'll try to finish my post of yesterday. Goldman and I went to the lake Friday evening and Maddog was there. It was a quiet weekend. Pete called Saturday morning with his weekly report. He said he had contemplated driving back to Birmingham by himself towing something and the family was all upset cause he wouldn't have anyone to tell him what to do! The deal fell through much to the family's relief. Pete said Donald was in New York and was going to one of the last games at Shea Stadium. He was going to visit a friend in DC after that.

The power is still out in Louisville and no school again today. Those kids are going to hate when they have to make up these days. They're stay're staying with their great grandmother cause she has power. Brayden still does not like school.

Chris came over Sunday evening and brought pizza (not Domino's, Scott). Goldman spent the night here and Shelly brought lunch yesterday. Shirley got home yesterday and Rose will be home today at 1. Shirley and I will pick her up at the airport. I have an appointment with the GI doctor tomorrow and the healing touch therapist on Thursday. Rose and I both need haircuts and pedicures.

Sandi FeLLin left me a VM while I was in Louisville. She was on her was from Portland to Spokane to visit her mom and relatives there. I hope we get a great newsy update from her after her visit. I'll get Rose to post one about Yosemite when she gets home. We NEED updates. I'm sure people get bored reading about me. WRITE.

It's been a while since my last update and a lot has happened. I spent last wee in Louisville with Scott and the boys. Goldman drove me over weekend before last and he stayed the weekend but had to leave Sunday for school on Momday. We had a great week. The boys aren't crazy about eating out, especially if they have to dress up at all. We did go to a place called Gattiland one night which was a pizza buffet and a game room. Scott, Sherry, and the boys played games until I thought they might be closing the place - or should I say - I hoped they might be closing the place. The boys have a dog named Layla and a cat named Leo. You hardly know Layla is around. She stays under a bed while Leo likes the bathtub. Scott brought me halfway to St. Louis Thursday evening and Goldman met us to bring me the rest of the way.

I just talked to Scott. The power is out in a lot of Louisville, remnants of Ike. He doesn't have power at home and school has already been cancelled for today and tomorrow. There are 15 Domino stores in Louisville and only 4 of them have power. He worked until 3:30 thos morning and went back at 8:30. He said he only had cold water for a shower and that helped him wake up.

Margaret called me one morning last week. She and Norm were in Louisville, too! They were just passing through on their way to North Carolina. Norm's sister, Emma, has stomach cancer and is not doing very well. I haven't heard from them since so don't know how Emma is doing or when the Abbotts will be back.

Rose is in Chicago abd Shirley is on her way home from Chicago. Goldman and I are going to pick her up at the airport. Rose spent last week hiking Yosemite. More on that and a picture Mike Madden later.

Cathey, Tricia, Me, Joe, Debbie, Sabrina
Gary and Cristian playing Mexican Poker with John

Gary the Transformer!
Ryan with is new motorcycle

Carson
Ellie holding Carson - so proud of herself
Carson in his K-State apparel
Happy 3rd Birthday Ryan!
Ryan and Ellie

Greetings from Kansas. We had a great Labor Day in Salina - we celebrated Ryan Henderson's 3rd birthday and got to spend some good time with the rest of our Kansas relatives. You may notice from the pictures that K-State was playing that day so lots of us wore our purple to support the Cats and huddled around a small radio to listen to the game since it was not televised. Ryan and Ellie had lots of fun playing together - Ryan even managed to give Ellie a bad, swollen black and blue eye w/o even trying earlier in the week. I've also included some pictures of my newest nephew, Carson Taylor. Ryan is loving being a big brother and takes very good care of him. This coming weekend we are going to the state fair in Hutchinson. The kids should love it and I can't wait - I haven't been there for probably 8+ years. Aunt Rose - enjoy your time away.

Friday morning and I'm off to Louisville this afternoon with Goldman as soon as he gets out of school. Rose has been helping me pack so I'll be ready and waiting when he gets here. Brayden and Jalen are excited about our coming and so are me and Goldman about out going.

I had a newsy email from brother Joe this week. They had a much needed rain on the third and I think they've have had quite a bit since. August was the second driest month on record. The big three (Lisa, Beth and Lydia) had been to Kansas City recently to see an American Idol Concert and had stayed in Kansas City overnight.

David had gone to a car race in Kansas, must have been near Topeka. Mike Madden had been to a meeting at Big Cedar Lodge at Tablerock and Sean was supposed to meet him and bring his truck to pull the boat......he forgot. They went to races at Bolivar instead. Mike didn't tell me they were car races and I asked if they were horse races. He replied theat they were stock car races. The only thing horses do in Bolivar is pull farm implements.

Chris and Shelly and 'Shelly's clan' are going to the lake this weekend. The weather isn't supposed to be so hot as it has been but still very nice. I hope they have a good time.

I'm going to stay in Louisville until Thursday of next week. Then Scott will bring me half way back and Goldman will meet us. Goldman and I plan on going to the lake then on next week Friday after school and I hope some of my Kansas relatives join us for the weekend.

Rose leaves tomorrow for her hike in Yosemite. Mike Madden has hiked there several times and says it is awesome. Mike has a photo he took of Bridal Veil Falls he'll post when he gets his laptop fixed. I think this Falls is higher than Niagra Falls. Rose is taking her camera. She'll camp overnight with a group for a week and hike during the day. I hiked down the Grand Canyon once a long time ago and the best part of that hike was the helicopter that took us out.

Donald just called me. He and Vita are in Birmingham and have had no after effects from the storms down their way. They had been to Florida over the weekend and things were fine there, too, but they were keeping their eye on Ike. Donald's birthday is the 7th and he, Rose and I will be 63, 64 and 65 for a short while (until October 23).

The Abbotts had some bad news this week. Norm's sister, Emma, has terminal stomach cancer. The doctors have given her 3 to 6 months. Margaret and Norm are leaving in the morning to go down there. She lives near Winston-Salem, North Carolina, which isn't and hasn't been in any of the storm paths.

I saw Mary Lenihan yesterday. She's the healing touch therapist that I used to see. I'm going to have some more sessions with her and do some hand therapy also and she's going to teach me some other exercises I can do myself and we're going to do some more healing touch sessions.

Again I'm on Rose's computer but it's me updating. Chris has mine and will bring it back later this week. It was a marvelous weekend at the lake. Scott, Brayden and Jalen picked me up Thursday evening and we went on to the lake. Suzanne, Lukas, and Josie were not far ahead of us and we all drove through terrific rain and thunder storms. It stormed all night long but cleared up Friday morning. The lightning lit up the sky like fireworks and was much cheaper than buying fireworks.

Suzanne and I did the grocery shopping Friday morning and didn't leave the lake house again until yesterday. The kids played in the lake and Suzanne took them to the pool and they alternated pool, lake, and video games the whole weekend. I don't don't how many times they took their swimsuits off and then put them back on! Mike and Stacy Derrington and their two kids, Brighton and Riley, arrived that evening as did Doug, Goldman and Maddog. The weather stayed clear and nice throughout the weekend. I don't know where these kids get their energy because they didn't wind down until late any of the three nights and really didn't sleep very late in the mornings.

Doug did some fishing and I think he cleaned 2 messes of crappie. It might have been 3 messes. Brayden went fishing with him and caught one of the biggest crappie of the weekend. We'll post a picture of him and his fish when we get it. Doug rebolted the waverunner hoist. He dropped one of the bolts in the lake. Scott donned a mask, dived down to the bottom, and retrieved it!

Chris Groves arrived on Saturday afternoon with Omaha steaks for dinner. Maddog cooked them. We invited Teresa next door and Jamie and Mike from a few doors down to join us so we had a great crowd for dinner and a great dinner. I went to bed fairly early but I understand there was some dancing going on later in the evening. Teresa next door brought over some music that set Doug and Maddog's feet to moving. I don't know if they had partners or if they needed partners. They just felt like dancing.

Goldman did his back flip off the swimdock as did Jalen. Chris Groves rode the red round thing behind the boat with Jalen. The weight distribution wasn't exactly even. Not only would it not spin, Groves could barely hang on and fell (or got thrown) off several times. That was Saturday. Julie Nichols and her son John came over Sunday. Jalen, Brayden, and John rode the red thing and got it to spin, bounce and do just everything. The weight distribution was much more even which made it do what it was supposed to do. Those three boys would ride it as long as any one would pull them. Needless to say, the boat driver tired out first.

Rose and Shirley spent the weekend glued to the TV keeping track of Gustav. Shirley's sister and niece and great niece evacuated New Orleans but her brother who lives in the French Quarter stayed put. An email last night said he's fine.

I think I said something nice about the Cubs in one of my updates. Scott said I should print a retraction. Shirley says I can't. I'll leave it at that.

Rose has found a way to get around the high price of gasoline. She's been letting me buy the gas!