Shaws at Rose Haven

2010-08-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

2010-08-08T19:25:00.000-07:00

Water Weinies

Sand Castle Team

Gotta Go, We Need More Water!

Made in the Semi-Shade!

Bear Lake 30 Years Later

2010-08-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

Saint Charles Canyon, Different Campground, Eva, Kate, Kirk Gideon, Ben, Randy, Joyce, Ann, Richard and Melissa August 2010

Tracy, Ryan, Kirk and Eva Paddling for All they're Worth?

Becca, Brandon, Katie, Jill, Ann, Richard and Melissa Taking a "Break from the Wake"

Gideon the Tortoise

Our Newest Shaw

2010-08-08T19:09:00.000-07:00

Precious Erika and Esper

Kissin' Kate and 'Kenzi

Gpa and His Girls

Kenzi puts Mom to Sleep

2010-08-08T19:01:00.000-07:00

Sweet Sisters in Love

Happy Boys

Shaw Boys

The End

2010-08-08T18:58:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Mom, Jess

Sparklin' Mackenzie

Beautiful Grandma Julie and Sweet Esper

Smilin' Aunt Rebecca

Shaw Sunday, Sundae Party 2010

2010-08-08T18:53:00.000-07:00

Jeff's Cute Kids

Happy Aiden

Beautiful Addison with Daddy Bryan

I Know You Can, A Brother's Love

2010-08-04T17:25:00.000-07:00

Utah County Woman Catches 30 fish in 120 Minutes!

2010-08-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

Do you think I'm Happy My Picassa Blogger is working again? It has just been a memorable summer!

2010-07-16T21:31:00.000-07:00

2010-07-16T21:28:00.000-07:00

2010-07-16T21:25:00.000-07:00

2010-07-16T21:23:00.000-07:00

More Thanksgiving

2010-07-16T21:15:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving Point, Part II

2010-07-16T21:11:00.000-07:00

2010-07-16T20:15:00.000-07:00

John and Amy Lovell, 10 July 2010 Manti Utah

2010-07-16T20:02:00.000-07:00

Serena Joy, Well loved and adored!

2010-07-16T19:59:00.000-07:00

The Pied Piper and Company at Katie and Brandon's. One, Two, Three, GO!!!

2010-07-16T19:52:00.000-07:00

The Fun Continues at Thanksgiving Point

Cousins in Town!

2010-07-16T19:45:00.000-07:00

Bubble Time at a fun sleep over for Keith and Natalie at Kirk and Joy's

2010-07-16T19:37:00.000-07:00

Men in Black. Father's Day 2010 Ben Johnson returns from Long Beach, California where he knocked alot of doors spreading the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was inspiring to her Ben and his Mom, Ann remind us of the blessings of service!

2010-07-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

Grandpa races to see new Grand-daughter

2010-06-18T12:31:00.001-07:00

Randy races to see new Grand-daughter

Ten days late but worth the wait!

2010-06-18T12:26:00.001-07:00

Sweet Joy and Serena Joy

2010-06-18T12:20:00.001-07:00

She's Here

2010-06-18T12:16:00.001-07:00

She's Here!

Dupont Gardens and Kentucky Babes

2010-06-12T12:43:00.000-07:00

The end of April Randy and I had the opportunity to travel again with a local extension agent and his wife, the Sagers, (and a busload of master gardeners) to discover the gardens of the Dupont family estates in Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania. I had been to Longwood Gardens when I lived in Maryland, but it was more amazing than any of my memories. Randy had wanted to go for some time and things just came together giving us that opportunity. We also spent time in Philadelphia (the US Mint, Independence Hall, and the Constitution Center), Amish Country, Annapolis and Ft McHenry. We learned that the Duponts may have started amassing wealth in a better gun powder, however, over the years they have myriad patents, inventing nylon, rayon, innumerable inventions and have been integral in everything from the race track to the space program!

2010-03-21T18:36:00.000-07:00

So the one other thing I failed to mention is the other lovely lady of note in the baby blessing pictures is our favorite Erica with a darn cute hat! It was fun to be with you all that evening!

2010-03-21T18:30:00.000-07:00

So here we are with the rest of these beautiful baby pics, the proud parents, four generations with Grandmas Lynn and Julie and Grandpa and Grandma Shaw. Oh and Aunt Katie was back on those earlier shots.

So the Snow Geese, stop in Delta Utah to eat, on their way back to Alaska, after flying all those miles from "down south." My Sister Ann, Randy and I were up at the crack of dawn to see them before the hunters did, but everywhere we went it was "birds down!" Randy said he thought they looked like white garbage bags but Ann and I weren't so sure. They all looked like goners to us but after our breakfast burrito and nothing but slow moving fields of birds we came across a couple of out of town game wardens, there to help maintain the safety and peace of Delta what with all those orange vested hunters on the loose! They informed us that they (the hunters) hadn't been getting anything that morning because the wiley Snow Geese are so hard to shoot. When we asked about the field after field of dead geese we had been passing all morning they kindly told us, after a good LOL that those were white plastic garbage bags, (yes Randy!) which ARE the hunters DECOYS and that we'd have to delete all those pictures from our cameras we'd been taking earlier. We finally caught up with the live ones at the resevoir and there were over 1,000 beautiful white geese, honking their hearts out. It was a fun adventure and we'd recommend the hotel, the breakfast burrito and the local guide next February! I'm too tired out to tell you about the Tundra Swan adventure last week. Maybe Katie and Brandon or Kirk and Joy would be so kind! xoxo Randy and Joan

Birds and Babies

2010-03-21T18:04:00.000-07:00

This winter has found Joan gone to the BIRDS! Here's a bunch who were enjoying left over apples and then hopped up on the shed to digest. Then we were thrilled to celebrate the new baby in the family, Bryan and Jess Davie's sweet Addison June. Here are some highlights of her baby blessing. And it looks like all the other pictures I pulled up of that are not here so maybe I'll have to go back and try and get them here. Maybe picassa only lets me do three at a time. Anyway, just in case they're here and I just can't see them, it was a beautiful evening at Bryan's Mom and Dad's home and it was a delight to be with them for that. And the last pictures you'll see will be the Snow Goose Festival in Delta Utah which was amazing and there will be some more 'splainin' to do about that!

In My Defense

2009-11-14T21:01:00.000-08:00

So I was sure I had it all figured out this time, Becca, to start with the first picture and end with the last to be in the right order for my blog. Well as you can see it's still not in order because I did four pics at a time and the first might be last some of the time but the last will not be first all of the time!!! Anyways, I'll keep blogging along! And I needed to include this beautiful picture of Ann, which reminds us all that as we take time to consider the past, perhaps we see ourselves more clearly in the present.

2009-11-14T20:42:00.000-08:00

Aye, Aye, Captain! Watch the boom there tall guy. We spent an hour getting about four miles out into the bay and then it was time to turn around and head back. We could see a huge ocean going "car" ship loaded with vehicles waiting for their dock date in Baltimore.
The Chapel at the Navel Academy. The stained glass windows are all stories from the Bible related to water. A pew is reserved with a beautiful candle/floral tribute for those who have not returned from sea.

Our Colonial walking tour guide of Annapolis in front of one of the big guns. A bell from the Japanese is a gift commemorating Commodore Perry opening up Japan to the west and a bell from England like the liberty bell are in front of the huge dorm which houses over 4,000 students.
It is the end of the journey for us. Mums and Pums forever. Thanks to our harried shuttle driver, (he also made three stops to pick up a pilgrimage of Ghanaians who had already started partying, they were so excited to be going home!) we made it to Nat'l Airport with about 30 minutes before boarding, wheeew! We were blessed beyond measure, with rain when it was tolerable and blue skies when they were delightful.

We have also a renewed appreciatiion of the great privilege it is to be Americans and the personal price innumerable families have laid at the alter of sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy. God Bless America!

2009-11-14T20:22:00.000-08:00

Annie at the Washington D.C. Temple. Our taxi driver told us that "Mormon" temple is the prettiest of all the temples in Washington. Our taxi drivers were all from African countries, first generation.
One of our GREAT restaurants, Filomena's in Georgetown, (she likes to decorate!) We saw the old stone house, the oldest building in the area, and then after a glorious day, walked across the Key Bridge to our hotel and a wonderful bed!

The next morning we took a shuttle to Annapolis and discovered that our hotel was two doors down from the Market Slip, were the slaves, (including Kinta Kunta of Roots fame) were unloaded to be sold behind the taverns. The waterway is lined with quotes from Roots and a peaceful, beautiful place for all the tragedy that happened there.
Our shuttle driver couldn't imagine why we wanted to leave at 8:15 am to go to Annapolis???!!## It was, however the perfect day to the end of a perfect trip, to have wind and just enough people for our Chesapeake cruise. Captain, Jack and his Crew Hannah and Kate, with a few draftees for good measure!

2009-11-14T20:10:00.000-08:00

A downpour the night we drove into D.C. but still a thrill to see the scale of the monuments and consider the scale of the courage and challenge of nudging our country into birth and to a cradle of ideas to nurture freedom and democracy.
On our own Sunday. After a Sacrament meeting with our tour group, we went to St. John's, the Church of the Presidents and stood behind Abraham Lincoln's pew where he came late and alone and left early to get back to the White House.

Monday, we went to Arlington and the Iwo Jima Memorial, we said good-bye to our tour friends and did some more of the Smithsonians. Tuesday am we had an amazing tour of the Library of Congress, went to the Senate Gallery where we learned that all the floor speeches are now transmitted closed circuit to Congressional offices the only people listening in the Senate Chamber are the tourists! Something odd about that. We heard a senator from Washington and John McCain encourage more unemployment and the unmanageable immensity of the Health Care bill respectively. We then went to the Post Cereal Heiress' Margery Merriweather Post's estate where the largest Russian imperial art outside of Russia is collected. It was RICH! The Grounds were beautiful. We then were blessed to enjoy a session at the WDC temple, which, thankfully had just opened that night after being closed for a broken water main for a week. Tender Mercies!
Hillwood Japanese Garden

2009-11-14T19:56:00.000-08:00

The hyacynth bean arbor at Monticello. We hijacked an innocent jogger to help us find the University of Virginia dome that Jeff-erson also designed. It would have been fun to hear the conversation at her dinner table that night.

This was one of the most tender stories we heard along the battle route in Fredericksburg.
Mt. Vernon where this charming lady was ready to have me thrown into the Potomac when I innocently asked her if it was true that a "bunch of women" had saved Mt. Vernon from destruction after Washington's death. She converted me to taking more stock in my gender before we finished our visit.

Path to the Potomac, Washington crypts, and roasted crisp, most delicious apple ever dipped in honey.

Liberty Tour 2009

2009-11-14T19:44:00.000-08:00

This October we had the opportunity, along with sweet Annie, (Joan's sister) to take a ten day tour from Williamsburg to Annapolis, visiting Jamestown, Yorktown, and Civil War sights along the way. Ann caught this beautiful view of the lighthouse at Fort Monroe which guards the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay which was the highway/lifeblood for trade from colonial time through current use. Jefferson Davis, the Confederate president spent two years here in prison after the Civil War.

The House of Burgesses at Williamsburg. The Capitol was moved from Jamestown to here to be more central. The Govenor disbanded the representatives and they met in a tavern to vote in favor of the Revolution.

It was a "salty day on the sea," when we went on board the replica, Susan Constant which brought the settlers from England which established the Jamestown Settlement.

Our "Captain" held firm and we rode out the storm!

The end of the trail, after a fun-filled day at TP Dinosaur Museum and Gardens, the WHOLE family!

2009-09-30T13:08:00.000-07:00

Blinded by the light/shirt! A good time was had by all.

2009-09-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

There's a handful!

2009-09-30T10:24:00.000-07:00

Ah, my favorite chair!

2009-09-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

Looks like a flower jumped out of the bed onto the head!

2009-09-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

SUPER WHEELS!

2009-09-30T10:18:00.000-07:00

Whew, out of the "Jaws!"

2009-09-30T10:17:00.000-07:00

No Dad, I promise I'll clean my room!

2009-09-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

Time out for Grandpas!

2009-09-30T10:14:00.000-07:00

Sometimes Rome is built in a day.

2009-09-30T10:13:00.000-07:00

So Great for "Kids!"

2009-09-30T10:12:00.000-07:00

Some of us are really good at growling!

2009-09-30T10:10:00.000-07:00

Hello to summer! Family outing at Thanksgiving Point/The Tilt-a-Whirl!

2009-09-30T09:17:00.000-07:00

More Respite, Renewing and Relaxing!

2009-09-30T09:02:00.000-07:00

We discovered the "Secret Gardens" at Thanksgiving point as we've been getting out and about, delightful!

2009-09-30T08:58:00.000-07:00

And our other sweet harvest, another missionary, Ashlee Johnson, sharing the joy of the "Good News" in Tulsa!

2009-09-30T08:51:00.000-07:00

Our "Southerners" IIbachs and Lovells

2009-09-30T08:50:00.000-07:00

Kirk and Joy & Family, Gideon and Eva were so reverent for Gma Great's service!

2009-09-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

Little "Big" Helpers, Steve Catmull, Gideon, Ryan, Eva, and Ada, So Loved by Gma Great!

2009-09-30T08:42:00.000-07:00

Sweet Harvests, Summer 2009

2009-09-30T08:03:00.000-07:00

This summer brought many sweet and tender mercies and a harvest of our fondest dreams. After 90 years of "filling the measure of her creation and accomplishing all that her Father in Heaven had in mind for her to do," (beautifully expressed by gdtr, Tracy), our Mother, Grand-Mother and dearest friend was at home and with little pain, able to peacefully return to her Father's precense. Ann and Joyce had been able to spend the night before and morning of her passing with her and she had sweet visits with other children and grandchildren the months preceeding.

Thanks to her commitment to the Word of Wisdom, and good medical care, she was mobile 'til the last two months. She enjoyed a visit with Ann and Ashlee on the deck the Sunday before Mother's Day and was then unable to get out of bed (without falling) until her passing on 11 July 2009.

Through her journals, paintings and kind words she has poured so much love into us that we feel she is with us still and have plenty to inspire us to live like her 'til we meet again. We love you Mom and Grandma. It has been a privilege and an honor to have you and Dad with us these past ten years. Our walls and hearts are missing your humor and consideration, "thanks for everything dear!" Your life has been a harvest of the most exquisite fruit. xoxo joan

Also, we've been grateful for the sprinkling system Brandon installed last year. It has brought an amazing harvest of another type. We've never had such beets and broccoli. True semi-retirement is an updated, working sprinkling system! Thank you Brandon!

Master Gardner, Loving Son-in-Love Caregiver, Teacher, Grandfather, Father, Sweetheart, Semi-Retired!

2009-09-30T07:52:00.000-07:00

the year of the sprinkling system/what water doesn't do in a desert!

2009-09-30T07:48:00.000-07:00

Hands, that sewed, planted, sketched, rolled freezer rolls, lemon meringue pie crust, arranged lilacs, sewed on scout badges, scrubbed floors, etc.

2009-09-30T07:36:00.000-07:00

Patient, Peaceful, Positive and Perfect, Our Mom and Grandma!

2009-09-30T07:32:00.000-07:00

That Wonderful Mother of Ours 1919-2009, Florence Lindsay Lovell, Beautiful Homemaker

2009-09-30T07:28:00.000-07:00

2009-08-22T21:32:00.000-07:00

Spring trio: Keith, Natalie and 'Kenzie

2009-08-22T20:41:00.000-07:00

Here's those ever lovin' sweethearts, Katie and Brandon

Recent Family Pics 4/09

2009-08-22T20:26:00.000-07:00

Katie and Brandon's friends Kit and Ron Norris did a fun family photo shoot for us this spring before Keith and Natalie left.
Here are some of our fav's. Joy, Kirk, Eva, Sophie and Gideon. What a loving bunch!

Our favorite thing about China

2008-11-29T16:08:00.000-08:00

So after all the sights, antiquities and lazy susans (Chinese food), our favorite experience in China was meeting the people. In spite of all the upheavals they have been through of the Communist government the last sixty years, they still have hope, in the future that things will get better. They play games with their neighbors, grow beautiful vegetable gardens and love their one child. They take care of their aging parents and are kind and helpful to all the "big nose" tourists who cross their paths. We are so grateful to be home and see blue skys again and drink water from the tap. God bless America and God bless China!

2008-11-28T22:05:00.000-08:00

Amazing Forbidden City!

An unexpected surprise included strolling through the Olympic complex. The indoor track and field building behind, the Bubble where Michael Phelps won gooooold is bottom left.

We made it to the third guard tower on the 2,000 plus year old Great Wall. It was breathtaking, literally!

A farmer digging for a well in Xian in 1978 stumbled across one of the Emperor Qin's tombs with thousands of terracotta warriors. Within a few days the bright colors oxidized. Only two were intact the rest have been painstakingly glued together from thousands of pieces.

China Adventure

2008-11-28T20:40:00.000-08:00

China Adventure

2008-11-28T18:51:00.000-08:00

After a 14 hour flight from San Francisco, Hong Kong appeared from a beautiful red horizon at about 6:00 a.m. We enjoyed an overview of the island from Victoria Peak, a sampan ride, the Stanley street market,and a stop at the Hong Kong temple before we finally crashed that night! We bused to Shenzhen's Ethnic Cultural Village (56 minorities in China) and experienced two massive cultural show. We then flew to Guilin where we climbed to the Reed Flute Cave and cruised the mystical Li River. From there we flew to Chongqing, (32 million living in highrise apts!) where we saw the pandas, went to the Stillwell Museum (Flying Tigers aided China withstand Japan's invasion), Dazu (ancient Bhuddist grotto sculptures) and visited a small farm.