June 26, 1990 Orem, Utah
Dearest John; Roy, Patrice & Emily; Bob, Claire, Michael, Laura, Brett & Katie; Rick, Jean, Ricky, Barbara Jean, Mary Ann & Sarah; and Ron, Ann, Susanna, Jessie, Russell, LeeAnna & Jimmy:
WOW - a HOT day in Orem!!! I believe Summer has come!!! Our cooler works SO good and our home is very comfortable - not quite as cool as the cabin but almost!!!
Roy - we talked about you last night and wanted to call but decided against it. How was your first day in your new job??? We hope so much that you like it and everything works out for you because you surely do deserve it - both you & Patrice. We miss that little Emily - we got our pictures back and relived your visit with us and wish you were closer!!! I have really enjoyed the book you left, "Murder in Little Rock" and will pass it on to the others in the family - I think Claire will enjoy it. We know so many of the people involved in that (not personally) and that made it more interesting - horrible that things like that happen.
The big news for this letter is THE DOCK IS FINISHED. I don't know when I have been happier than when I looked out of the cabin on Saturday afternoon and saw Bob & John with little Laura & Brett drive up. Daddy & I had gone there on Friday afternoon and Daddy worked on the dock that evening and also Saturday morning ªI could tell he was "not quite up to par" and I could also tell he was going to finish that dock NO MATTER WHAT!!! It was fun for him to work on it on the deck but getting it off the deck and into the water was another matter. Our neighbor came over and offered to help him and Daddy said, "No, two of my sons are coming this afternoon". I REALLY didn't think they were coming because they had never said for sure that they could and I could just see me trying to help and it was REALLY heavy!!!
The dock is WONDERFUL and everyone is impressed with the foam keeping it afloat. Daddy is going to carpet it with that indoor outdoor carpet and make a new ramp with the wood he has left over but that will be a fun project for him. All the heavy work is done and we appreciate SO much all the help you have given us - I know it has not had top priority for you but it was SO important to Daddy for you to all have a cabin to take your children to and now it is finished and we love it and hope you will use it and love it too.
The Scofield West group had a party on Saturday afternoon and into the night and WHAT A PARTY!!! There was a potluck dinner in the afternoon and we all really enjoyed that - I have never seen so much good food. The owner of the property donated 8 turkeys and they cooked them in those pits - everyone else brought a favorite dish. I made a broccoli, rice & cheese dish that was quite good. They had delicious desserts. That night they had a dance with one of the men playing an organ and his son playing the guitar and singing. Daddy & I went for just a few minutes to that but there was too much drinking - that's a fun but quite rowdy group of people. I felt bad - I had promised Laura that when Daddy & I came home from it I would take her so she could see the people dancing. We came home and I got her and just as we got outside the cabin they took a thirty minute intermission. By then it was at least 10 o'clock and Bob didn't want them to stay up any later so we tried to talk them out of it - it was hard for them to settle down - I know they played that music until after midnight.
Laura & Brett & I went to church on Sunday morning - Laura & Brett were SO good to go to Primary and then Bob, John & Daddy came for Sacrament meeting. Daddy had to go to a camp meeting during church and Bob & John went "four-wheeling" for a little while. After church we came home and Laura & Brett planned to go swimming in the lake while the rest of us fished off the new dock but the water was just too cold - we had fun dangling our feet off the dock though and Daddy caught one fish!!! There were quite a few young people swimming and water skiing but the water was really cold. Bob, John and the children left to come home later Sunday afternoon and Daddy & I stayed until Monday.
Daddy & I went to a neighborhood party last night - it was a potluck dinner for our neighbors who have moved. Dr. Steve Clark is really quite famous as a neonatologist and had to move to Salt Lake where most of his work is - we have loved them as neighbors and hate to see them leave. It was a fun party - I went to the delicatessen at Albertsons and got a lot of green salads (different kinds) and then came home and added more fresh things and it turned out good - I also bought some brownies. I normally would have spent most of the day preparing something - Ha!!!
Daddy & I went fishing at Utah Lake last Thursday - Daddy caught 12 big catfish and 4 mudcats (I caught 1 of them). Normally Daddy fillets them where he catches them but I wanted a picture so we took them back to the car where the camera was. It was SO funny there were a lot of men who had fished all day and hadn't caught any so they asked Daddy where he was fishing - he very seriously told them a completely different place from where we had fished and said he had used worms & marshmallows - he had caught all of them on shrimp. I scolded him but he said, "You never tell the truth about fishing" - Ha!!!
This is for my journal. I just watched a television broadcast of the talk Nelson Mandela gave before Congress. I certainly do admire that man for what he has gone through but there is something about that whole thing that worries me. Another thing that worries me is our brother-in-law Earl Miller - I think he has "lost it" - I feel bad for Elaine!!!
John has started the Summer Semester - he's taking a religion class, an English class and a civil engineering class. His friend with Skippers wants him to do some computer work for him. 4th of July - 5 o'clock here for dinner - we'll miss Roy Mellors.