Mission City Travelers

Mission City Travelers is travelin' again!  

Here we're camped out at a lake ... 

the Swilley's brought their dune buggy - 

it sure was a fun thing to drive!!    

You can see it was a cold and windy campout 

as we strung sheets or blankets to block some of the wind!  

It might have been cold, but we were having too much fun to notice! 

"Oh,it was so cold. In the dune buggy is 

Oliver, Linda, David , Lori and even Buffy! 

Of course Lee is driving with neighbor Joe Sturgil riding shot gun. 

I think it could have been Lake Berryessa" says Dorothy Danielson

Christmas 1976

Hello again, Christmas!  Mom's town on the TV, 

must be the 70s with those gold curtains!

Mom had a terrarium, it's hour glass shaped on the side table.

That's quite a mountain of gifts, Mom! 

Lori passes out the gifts, 

you can just see Buffy at my feet.

And the biggest gift ever... an orange stuffed elephant! 

(goodness, where will I put this!!)

When all is said and done, there's Grandma Pape, 

helping with the cleanup .... or starting her own project??

Get Togethers

Bob and Shirley Liden, with Kathleen and Danny.

We spent many, many evenings together.

The parents would play cards, us kids would hang out,

there was always something going on.

During the later 70s, we started having sing-a-longs.

Uncle Bob had some reel-to-reel equipment, 

and he'd play his guitar while Aunt Shirley played bass,

mostly playing old Johnny Cash songs.  We'd all chime in and sing along.

Here, Uncle Bob is playing the guitar I got for my birthday,

That's Lori on the left, then Bob, Kathleen and Linda.

Gotta dig those orange curtains!  (It matched the carpet though!!)

That 70s Summer

And the project begins!  

We're starting to build the family room on the back patio.  

(Peeking into the far background, we still have flamingos!)

And even though this is a little blurry ... there's a bench around

the base of the mulberry tree in the backyard.

Linda's Confirmation at St. John's, 8th grade, loved this dress Mom made.

I remember I wore white patent leather platform shoes with this dress.

Other things to note:  there are ashtrays on the end table

the green couch:  ouch!  what a color!  And the print

on those pillows screams 1970s!

And does Mom still have the "harvest colors" afghan?

And in other news, during confirmation, it was very hot that Sunday.

We were kneeling, one of the boys fainted

and I felt myself ready to faint as well!

What a day that was!

More Memories

Looks like we're in Warren Park for a night or two ..... 

Great place for a BBQ - more good eats!

Well done, Uncle Gary and Dad! 

David in the red shirt, I'm on the right side (actually in a photo!)

Family.  Nothing says it better!

"Learning your family history 

is the key to unlocking who you are."

Yellowstone, Pt 7

More Yellowstone wildlife

We found a place to take a dip fed by a hot spring! 

Julie and David .... to kids, it's just swimming!

Gowans

Great smile, Dad!  Looks like you're enjoying this!

Yellowstone Family Reunion, Pt 6

The Fam:  Dorothy, Lori, Oliver, David, Linda.

We're testing out this tent trailer, pulled it with the Ambassador.

Jim, Jerry, Margie, Julie, Jim, Jeff -- The Gowans

Grandma and Grandpa Pape

Margie and Julie

Typical campground:  a pad to park on, a table that doesn't move

I'm sure there's a fire pit here somewhere as well!

And always a "hike" to the bathroom facilities!

Yellowstone Family Reunion Pt 5

 

Yellowstone Falls consist of two major waterfalls on the Yellowstone River.

As the Yellowstone river flows north from Yellowstone Lake, 

it leaves the Hayden Valley and plunges first over Upper Yellowstone Falls 

and then a quarter mile downstream over Lower Yellowstone Falls

 It's a dark photo, but it's Grandpa Pape, David, 

Linda, Lori and Grandma Pape.

 

Every now and then as you're driving through Yellowstone,

the bears come out along the road, people stop,

I'm guessing over time the bears have learned people will share food!

Yellowstone, Pt 4

Jeff, Jerry and Jim .... 

I wonder if they're waiting to start something?

or just finished with something?

As with every campout, or family gathering,

there's always good eats!

To be this close, to feel such a part of nature ... 

Growing up more "city" than country, I found all this

breathtaking and amazing!

 (I have to admit, I was also full of that teenage angst 

and am sure the amazement came after I grew out of that!)

Yellowstone Reunion, Pt 3

They call these Paint Pots ... they bubble and are full of different color shades.

The Fountain Paint Pot is named for the reds, yellows and browns 

of the mud in this area. The differing colors are derived from 

oxidation states of the iron in the mud.  As with all hot springs, 

the heat in the caldera forces pressurized water up 

through the ground, which is expelled here.

This area is very beautiful.  

Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to stay there

and explore for a week or two?

Yellowstone Park is known for its wildlife and its many geothermal features, 

especially Old Faithful geyser, one of its most popular features.

Old Faithful is a cone geyser located in Yellowstone National Park. 

It was named in 1870 during the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition 

and was the first geyser in the park to receive a name.  

It is a highly predictable geothermal feature, 

and has erupted every 44 to 125 minutes since 2000.

The average height of an eruption is 145 feet

Intervals between eruptions can range from 35 to 120 minutes, 

averaging 66.5 minutes in 1939, 

slowly increasing to an average of 90 minutes apart today.

Yellowstone National Park, pt 2

Cousin Julie loved to take Buffy on walk after walk!

The scenery was so beautiful ... hiya Grandpa, Dorothy and Grandma Pape!

To catch a glimpse of such majestic wildlife going about his day  

We weren't the only camera buffs shooting photos! 

Yellowstone National Park is located in the U.S. states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. 

It was established by the U.S. Congress and 

signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872.

It spans an area of 3,468 square miles,

comprising lakes, canyons, rivers and mountain ranges.

Reunion At Yellowstone

Here we are at Yellowstone National Park

for a family reunion!

Here's Dorothy ... is she stirring eggs?  or pancake batter?

Good morning, Lori!

Coffee Time:  Uncle Jim, Grandpa Pape, and Dorothy.

Our campground was full of trees!

And even though it's summer, it could get chilly in the mountains.

Someone's friendly enough to snoop out the leftovers! 

I laughed when I noticed the coffee pot sitting on a shovel as a trivet!

What a vacation this was!

Christmas Again

And it's Christmas once again .....

Mom's little town has a few more pieces

Our tree appears to be full .... 

of lights, of ornaments and of course, tinsel!

David and his remote control barking dog!

(this slide must have been scanned from the wrong side....

you can't read David's shirt, and the TV controls are on the wrong side!)

Lori must have gotten a new outfit...

remember when wide white belts were IN?

I wonder if her shoes are white, too??

And maybe this shirt was a body shirt - 

the kind with the snaps?  (Glad those aren't back!)